Holy Roman Empire

The British proposal caused an uproar among the high ranks of the German Federal Government. Despite the substantial growth in overall national strength with the acquisition of the Rhineland region, which compensated for the shortage in heavy industry, the "Comedic Empire" had seen considerable improvements.

Unfortunately, the German Federation Empire was not a unified nation after all, and the issue of the confederate states within the federation uniting against the central government remained unresolved.

Without an overwhelming advantage in the Kingdom of Hanover, George I was not a ruler of grand vision and bold strategy, so the problem was shelved for the time being.

(Note: George I of the German Federation Empire, George V of the Kingdom of Hanover)

The German Federation Empire, unable to achieve internal integration, was naturally far behind the Prusso Federation. Personally, George I had no interest in the British "snake swallowing an elephant" plan.

Several little states within the nation had already made him lose face; adding the Prusso Federation to the mix? That would be out of the question.

In these times, strength meant having a say. The moment the Prusso Federation joined the German Federation, it would immediately become the most influential state within the empire, inevitably impacting Hanover’s position.

George I, "What do you think of the British proposal, do you see any feasibility in it?"

It was clear that he hesitated. The Comedic Empire still needed British power to confront Austria and ensure its independent status, so directly rejecting the British was certainly not advisable.

But to accept the Prusso Federation was too great a risk, and even with Queen Victoria’s assurances, George I dared not fully trust her when it came to national interests.

Prime Minister Torben Hofmann, "Your Majesty, the British proposal seems tempting, but it is fraught with crisis. One false step and we could become the target of all.

Internationally, France and Austria do not wish to see our merger with the Prusso Federation. Rash actions will definitely provoke their discontent, possibly even leading to armed intervention.

Many states within the country have their own calculations, and joining this war has no benefit for them. The Imperial Parliament will not pass it.

In such a complex situation, if we bypass the Imperial Parliament and forcibly accept the Prusso Federation, we could very well lead the empire into a state of division.

Beyond these risks, the biggest issue is with the Prusso Federation itself. They are too large; we do not have the capability, nor can we digest the Prusso Federation.

With their advantage in size, it is only a matter of time before they take control. This cannot be resolved by mere assurances unless the Prusso Federation can be divided."

Foreign Minister Steve Lee, "The risks are indeed significant, but this remains an opportunity. Miss it, and we will struggle to make further progress.

Everyone is aware of the situation in Europe. The Prusso-Russian war is a minor episode; the future will definitely involve a power play among England, France, and Austria.

Other countries can choose neutrality, but we cannot. Austria’s ambition has never been hidden, and what’s more infuriating is that many in our country have been deceived by nationalism, almost eager to join Austria immediately.

The only way to escape this predicament is to strengthen the empire. Only with a powerful empire can we prove nationalism wrong and dispel their unrealistic fantasies."

Torben Hofmann shook his head, "Lee, you’re still too idealistic.

I admit, annexing the Prusso Federation is indeed tempting; frankly, even I am moved. But the problem now is, we simply can’t do it.

Even if the British could persuade the French and contain Austria, and we successfully convinced the domestic states to agree, the chances of annexing the Prusso Federation are still less than ten percent.

Do not overlook the gap in strength. The Prusso Federation might seem to be in a dire situation now, but their population is twice ours, their territory five times ours.

After the merger of the two countries, it is clear who would be annexing whom.

Moreover, the brutality of the Prusso-Russian war is an urgent reality. By accepting the Prusso Federation, we must help them win this battle.

After the war, we will have to provide a substantial amount of money to repay their debts and assist them in reconstruction, and our gains would merely be an illusory dream of great-power status.

If we have to pay such a high price just to gain a great-power status, it might as well cooperate with the Austrians. At least that wouldn’t require our young men to go to battle or the government to tighten its belt to get by."

Though spoken without intention, the words were significant to those who heard them.

Deep down, George I had already planted a seed of doubt. "Distrust" was an emperor’s instinct and, in this context, not a pejorative.

Despite the doubts, outwardly, George I remained composed, seemingly unconcerned.

Foreign Minister Steve Lee, "Prime Minister, you’re right. We indeed do not have the capacity to swallow the Prusso Federation, and the cost of participating in this war is indeed very high.

However, that’s not important. The Prusso Federation has never been a part of the German states; why do we need them?"

We only need to incorporate the Duchy of Brandenburg, the Duchy of Schleswig, and the Holstein dukedom, and we can completely abandon other territories outside the Germanic Region.

Right now, we don’t need to do too much, just bide our time until the Russians win this war, then we can take action.

England, France, Austria wouldn’t allow the Russians to swallow up the Prusso Federation. Once they intervene, we can take the opportunity to regain the territories in the Germanic Region. We won’t only gain the support of the British, but the reactions from France and Austria won’t be as severe."

The proposal from Steve Lee was clearly much more feasible than the British plan. By giving up the Prusso Federation and only annexing the German states within it, the Comedic Empire wouldn’t have to worry about biting off more than it could chew, and the risks involved would be much lower.

One only needs to look at the history books to know that the Kingdom of Prussia was formed by the merging of the Duchy of Brandenburg and the Prussian Duchy.

The Duchy of Brandenburg was one of the German princes, while the Prussian Duchy originated from the Teutonic Knight Kingdom, and due to the majority of nobility in the country being German, it gradually assimilated.

No matter how the assimilation went, from the narrow sense of geographical division, the Prussian Duchy region does not belong to the Germanic Region, and it would be justifiable to expel it.

George I was tempted, as though the territory of these three German states is not vast, they represent the most premium regions of the Prusso Federation.

If he could get his hands on them, not only would the nation’s strength and his personal prestige take a significant step forward, but it would also come without the risk of waging war against the Russians.

After reclaiming the regions of Poland and Lithuania and annexing the Prussian Duchy, if the Tsarist Government still wasn’t satisfied, the trio of England, France, and Austria would be up in arms.

Without paying much of a price, he could pick a succulent fruit; George I could see no reason to refuse.

After a moment of consideration, George I joyfully said, "Li, your plan is brilliant. You will certainly become a great diplomat, just like Metternich Prince.

This matter is now in your charge, inform the British that we agree with their plan, but the specifics need negotiation.

Your job from now on is critical, not only to drag out the time until the end of the Prusso-Russian war but also to secure support from England, France, and Austria after the war.

Do you have a plan?"

Stalling for time isn’t difficult, excuses are easy to find, and the Imperial Parliament is the best scapegoat. If that doesn’t work, we could "leak the information" and end the plan with Austrian help.

The troublesome part is after the war, none among England, France, and Austria are charitable; it’s impossible for them to help out without expecting something in return; there will be a cost to pay.

After hesitating for a moment, Steve Lee replied, "This requires Russian cooperation. The more the Tsarist Government appears greedy, the more likely we are to succeed.

If the Russians stop after reclaiming their lost territories and leave an intact Kingdom of Prussia, naturally we will have no opportunity.

But that’s unlikely. The Tsarist Government has paid such a heavy price for this war; without spoils, what will they use to compensate for their losses?

As far as I know, the Tsarist Government mortgaged a considerable amount of territory to Austria, and it would be very difficult for the Tsarist’s finances to repay the money. After the war, it’s very likely they will use the land of the Prusso Federation’s Germanic Region to settle their debts.

This is not what England and France wish to see. If Austria gets these territories, they would have the strategic upper hand and no one could stop them from unifying the Germanic Region.

On this issue, most European countries would support England and France. The Russians only wish to settle their debt, not to see Austria unify the Germanic Region.

This is our opportunity. To hinder Austrian unification and to strengthen our power is a good choice as well.

Of course, that’s still not enough. To gain everyone’s support, we cannot do without exchanging interests, such as: we could sign a coal supply contract with the French."

The value of land is not equivalent; the same parcel can hold starkly different values to different countries.

Steve Lee judged that after the Russians win the war, they will use the territories of the Germanic Region to pay off debts, primarily because this part of the territory has political significance for Austria, and it could be sold at a high price.

After all, once Austrian-Germanic territories are secured, the movement for German unification would become an overwhelming tide driven by public opinion.

Once the idea of a great unification penetrates deeply into the people’s hearts, it becomes unstoppable. For Austria, "the momentum of unification" cannot be measured merely in monetary terms.

In contrast, lands in the Russian Balkans, Poland, Ukraine, and nearby, lack that political significance boost, and are dispensable for Austria; it would be good if the Vienna Government doesn’t lowball the price.

Standing from the perspective of the German Federation Empire, if one wishes to maintain the current independent status, it is imperative to break the Austrian momentum of unification.

To achieve this, one must annex the Austrian-Germanic territories, creating a political structure of North and South Germany, to settle the public’s heart.

This is also why Steve Lee is confident of securing support from European countries. Austria is already powerful enough, and if they unify the Germanic Region, they would be the undisputed master of Europe.