War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Chapter 561 Alsace-Lorraine

Louis Philippe himself only wanted to take advantage, and never wanted to have a head-on fight with the entire Germany, or even the anti-French alliance.

And in the eyes of the French king, the demands made by the German Confederation were not excessive.

1. Allow the Germans in Alsace and Lorraine to establish their own parliament.

2. Any punishment must go through a reasonable trial.

3. Schools in Alsace-Lorraine must have Alsatian language courses. (Alsatian is actually a dialect of German.)

4. Local culture should be respected and not discriminated against.

5. It is forbidden to massacre and persecute local Germans.

6. Compensate the victims for their losses.

After all, apart from compensation, there seemed to be no clauses that would endanger Louis Philippe himself.

However, in the early days, there were still many militant groups in France, and some even proposed borrowing troops from Spain.

This made Prime Minister Sirte sneer.

"Spain? If it weren't for our two French legions, totaling 80,000 people, I'm afraid a new round of civil war would break out at any time."

The Bonapartists suddenly became quiet. In fact, they had strong objections to Soult, the second minister and traitor, but they couldn't do anything about it.

After all, Sirte is the prime minister, the most powerful person in the country besides the king.

And he knew very well that he could not fight this battle if he wanted to retire honorably. Of course, the current situation in France did not allow this battle.

Not to mention the eyeing Bonapartists, even the citizens of Paris might stand up and exorcise these feudal remnants.

Although Soult is old, he is not confused. He knows the scandals done by businessmen and capitalists. If it were during the Great Revolution, he would have been guillotined long ago.

France is no longer the France it once was, and Germany is no longer the Germany it once was.

French intelligence officers were not blind. They knew about the changes in Austria and the German Confederation. It was just that the top officials were unwilling to believe in these changes.

"I agree with His Majesty the King that the Germans' demands are not harsh. For the sake of France, Europe, and even world peace, we should accept this proposal.

Or if any of you can find a way to break into Berlin in 18 days and then capture Vienna, maybe we still have the possibility to negotiate with the Russians.

As for the expedition to Moscow, I think it’s better to forget it, after all, winter is coming soon.”

Soult's words made the Bonapartists feel humiliated again, but they did not have the ability to defeat the German Allied Forces.

In fact, it would have been good if Austria did not take back these two places, or get a grand duke to be the king like in Liège and Namur.

After all, the paternal ancestor of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty was the last Duke of Lorraine, and his maternal ancestor also once ruled Alsace.

Historically, France and Austria have repeatedly competed for this area, but after the Napoleonic Wars, the great powers, including Britain, hoped to turn it into an Austrian enclave.

But Francis II, who was overconfident, insisted on conducting a public opinion poll. As a result, 80% of the local people expressed their willingness to stay in France.

The good-looking old emperor could only give it up to others. But at this moment, France was once a beacon of European civilization and "democracy" and a twisted feudal monster of the Austrian Empire.

Now the economic development rate of the latter is much faster than that of the former, and the influence of science, technology, culture, and thought is also expanding.

Coupled with the French government's indiscriminate and bloody suppression, the local Germans could not help but begin to waver.

Especially those young people who have not experienced the French Revolution, they have no idea why they should love those who oppress them and those who treat them as nothing.

Although the tradition of loyalty to France cannot be changed for a while, these things are like nails inserted into the cracks of France.

The seeds of separatism have been sown, and it is unclear whether France will rely on its own light and heat to dispel the gloom, or whether it will be watered with blood and sin to help it grow.

In fact, this war was strictly speaking France's declaration of war on the German Confederation, and Austria, Prussia and other countries were forced to fight.

After all, Louis Philippe claimed that the Germans would pay the price with blood, instead of tracing back to the source that the Tsar also had German ancestry, and the British royal family was sent out from the German region.

Rounding things off like this, Louis Philippe was declaring war on all of Europe.

In fact, there was a debate within the German Confederation about how to punish France.

Prussia hopes that it can take over Alsace and Lorraine. After all, they will be threatened by France at any time.

(Alsace-Lorraine is an important industrial area, producing high-quality coal and iron resources, which can further promote the development of the Rhine region. Cross out)

Not to be outdone, Baden stated that he was also a member of the German Confederation and also had geographical advantages. Alsace and Lorraine should be "equally divided" with Prussia.

Bavaria said that it has many enclaves and is experienced in governing them, and that the Wittelsbach family should rule Alsace-Lorraine.

Other powerful states are also coveting the wealth and potential of Alsace-Lorraine, and have given their own opinions, and some national representatives have even proposed taking turns to rule.

Small states such as Luxembourg hope that Alsace-Lorraine can become a parliamentary country and join the German Confederation as an independent country.

Countries that supported Austria proposed that the Austrian emperor or a certain archduke should serve as king, just like the previous Duchy of Liege.

Even before the war started, they were already considering how to divide the spoils. Franz felt very helpless. He did not think that France in this era was a country that could easily surrender.

But Louis Philippe is indeed a man who gives in easily. As long as the conditions are loose enough, the other party will not care about influence and reputation.

In fact, Franz did not agree with the proposals of these countries. No matter who handed Alsace-Lorraine to anyone, it would be equivalent to signing an armistice agreement with France that could be torn up at any time.

As for turning Alsace-Lorraine into a principality, the Austrian emperor or a certain archduke would also serve as king. This approach is tantamount to putting the Austrian Empire on the fire. France and Prussia will work together to roast Austria until it is charred on the outside and tender on the inside.

This time Franz rarely reached an agreement with the Prime Minister. Metternich expressed his willingness to go to Paris in person to make Louis Philippe accept the conditions of the German Confederation.

There are different opinions within the German Confederation on this too "light" agreement. Some people think it is a manifestation of the kindness of the Habsburg family, while others think it is a cowardly approach.

Of course, more of it is dissatisfaction with the inability to obtain actual benefits, and at least the German states should be compensated for their military expenses.

Nationalists are advocating war. After all, steel can only become strong by quenching it.

war? That can only be a last resort option.

Of course, it is still necessary to show strength, otherwise the so-called agreement will be just a blank piece of paper.