Moreover, other domestic forces have a very keen sense of smell. If they feel that there is serious differences between Prussia and Bavaria, it would be really bad! So at this time, it is best to find a person outside the Prussian system to find a prince. So, after sending this letter, Grand Duke Baden came to Belgium specifically. After the interview with the German Emperor, he boarded the train to Bulgaria...

Grand Duke Baden, sitting on the train, seemed a little uneasy. He kept recalling what the German emperor had said to him in two days. No third person knew about the conversation, and even the German Prime Minister Holvig opposite him was not clear about it.

There is only one core content of the conversation, that is, the German Emperor needs the Grand Duke of Baden to ask Bavarian Crown Prince Ruprecht what kind of heir of the Austro-Hungarian Empire he wants! What agreement did he and Fritz reach? Who is the heir appointed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire?!

"Damn!" This problem is a bit serious... The Grand Duke of Baden was a well-known gold sign in Germany. Relying on his marriage to Prussia, the Grand Duke of Baden even had the idea of ​​becoming a king. Unfortunately, if this sign was released from China, it would be really not easy to use.

The power between countries is still the power. Let’s see what I have to face this time. One is the emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the other is the ruler of Bavaria. I won’t talk about the former. The other is an empire. As for the latter? How to say it? Although the power controlled by the Vettelsbach family is not as strong as that of Prussia, it is much stronger than the Principality of Baden. The gap between Baden and Bavaria is far greater than that of Bavaria and Prussia! Let’s put it this way, even if Bavaria is now accompanied by Bohemia and Moravia, even if it is independent, it is a European power with no weaker strength than Italy. If you give face, you can be called a great power! I represent the German Emperor, but this is a private meeting after all, not formal, so some brands cannot be used.

To be honest, it is a bit too much. No matter how weak the Austro-Hungarian Empire is, it is also an empire. Ruprecht can still speak with his special relationship with the Austro-Emperor, but why should he be? Why should Prussia? You can say that Prussia can use its own strength to suppress Austro-Hungarian, but now, most of its power has fallen on the Western Front, Prussia's influence on Austro-Hungarian has plummeted. If Fritz really established a crown prince according to his plan, Prussia really has no way to do anything. Even after the war, the daylily is cold. Prussia cannot take action directly because of its dissatisfaction with the new Austro-Emperor, right?

The German Emperor still had a good impression of Grand Duke Karl, so the plan for Grand Duke Baden to meet the crown prince this time was like this. First, let’s see if we can convince Ruprecht to recognize Grand Duke Karl, no matter what promise or exchange of interests, let the Bavarian Legion bring the Hungarians and fight back this defeated battle. If this plan does not work, then ask the prince who heirs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire he likes, and then see if the two sides can reach an agreement.

This task is very simple, but in fact, Grand Duke Baden is not easy. In the view of Grand Duke, since Grand Duke Ferdinand was assassinated, Grand Duke Karl, who was determined to be in power, has been inconsistent with Ruprecht. Although the latter has not done anything on the surface, in terms of senses, it would be nice if Ruprecht did not take any damage this time. How could he help him fight back?

Just when the Grand Duke of Baden was hesitant, the German Prime Minister Holvig, opposite, was also thinking about his own affairs. The German Emperor gave him the task to assist the Grand Duke of Baden. When the negotiations encountered adverse circumstances, Holvig could put pressure on Bavaria politically or economically.

Of course, that's all, in fact, Prussia can do very little to Bavaria now. In peacetime, naval orders, central government can limit the allocations of the kingdoms, and trade barriers. But now? Haha. War is like a glutton. As long as you can produce everything, there is nothing he can't eat. The original complex economic relations were greatly simplified during the war, and the simplification of the process also made the Prussian government less means.

Of course, the most important thing is that now Prussia and Bavaria are on the Western Front and the Eastern Front, and everyone is comrades-in-arms. This is a big premise, and no one dares to really turn against each other. Prime Minister Holvig is very clear that even if Ruprecht's answer this time cannot satisfy the German Emperor, the German Emperor's reaction is probably at most to take a small notebook, write down the matter, and then settle the accounts after the autumn......

"His Excellency, I think our mission this time is a contradiction. The German Emperor needs a suitable new Austrian Emperor to maintain the ally relationship between the two countries, but this is just a superficial reason. It seems to be in order to balance the relationship between Prussia and Bavaria. But now, this matter needs to be negotiated with the Bavarian side. I really want to know, it is really a bit troublesome." Prime Minister Holvig said.

"Haha, this is not the most troublesome. The most troublesome thing is that people's hearts will change. Because, judging from the current situation, no matter who is the Austrian emperor, they cannot live without Bavaria. The crown prince's wife holds the most economic and industrial regions in Austria. Under the operation of Princess Mary, the entire Austria has a close relationship with Bavaria. Perhaps before taking office, a certain heir was thinking about cooperating with the German Emperor to limit the development of Bavaria. However, after taking office, due to the situation, he might change his strategy, and what can the German Emperor do?" said Grand Duke Baden.

This is what the so-called situation is stronger than people. This example has appeared too many times in the history of Germany. For example, the Kingdom of Württemberg. During the Prussian Unification War, the Kingdom of Württemberg began to stand on the side of Austria, but later lost a fight and occupied part of the land in the north by Prussia. However, due to the situation, the Kingdom of Württemberg finally surrendered. To say that the Kingdom of Württemberg had no resentment? That was impossible.

Another example is Bavaria. Before the Prussian-Austrian War, Bavaria promised to provide 100,000 troops to the Austrian Emperor, but in fact, the verbal benefits were not enough. Austria faced the powerful Prussia almost independently. Later, the relationship between the two sides once fell to freezing point. To say that the Austrian Emperor had no objection to Bavaria's neutral behavior? That was impossible. But what happened later? Didn't the two sides continue their marriage with each other?

Therefore, the so-called promise is really unreliable.
Chapter completed!