Make France Great Again

Morning of November 8, 1850.

A shocking piece of news came from the German Region, where Prussia and Austria, long at a stalemate, surprisingly went to war in the morning.

Immediately, the Austrian Empire's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Felix Schwarzenberg, appeared in the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria, Munich, as if he had learned to teleport, and, accompanied by the Bavarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baron De Pforten, announced that both the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Bavaria had declared war on the Kingdom of Prussia.

This move by Felix Schwarzenberg instantly shocked all sectors of society. Those who thought it was just a covert conflict between Prussia and Austria never imagined that the Austrian Empire would truly act over the Hesse-Kassel Duchy.

Of course, Felix Schwarzenberg's pretext for declaring war on the Kingdom of Prussia, in addition to the Prussian Kingdom's support for the Hesse Parliament and violation of the Hesse Elector's territory, also included blaming the Prussian cavalry for injuring Austrian soldiers at midnight.

The Austrian Imperial Army had no choice but to retaliate, appearing to be in the victim's role.

Felix Schwarzenberg's nearly shameless self-defense did not gain recognition from all countries. Leading two regiments to break through heavy encirclement, Prussian commander William I quickly denounced Felix Schwarzenberg's shameless acts upon returning to the Cassel Duchy, calling for international sanctions against the Austrian Empire.

However, all of William I's appeals were just mild reprimands to Schwarzenberg. After appeasing the troublesome French Republic and the Russian Empire, the Austrian Empire simply needed to charge towards Berlin.

While the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia exchanged subtle diplomatic insults, Albrecht, having cleared Prussian stragglers in the Fulda Region, assembled troops to advance towards the northern Kassel, showcasing Austria's impressive (sneak attack) war results to war reporters who ran towards Austria faster than the Flying General.

Demoralized prisoners like Ron and other Prussian captives appeared in Austrian newspapers on November 10.

At this time, with the support of the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Austrian Empire's troops increased directly from 50,000 to 70,000.

Due to internal ideological confusion, the Kingdom of Prussia's army size increased with their losses, meaning the Prussian to Aoba Alliance Army ratio in the Kassel Region had reached a level of 4 to 7.

After this battle, no matter how brave the Prussian generals were, they did not believe that the Prussian army could simultaneously defeat the joint forces of Austria and Bavaria.

If it were merely a military issue, Prussia might grittingly endure, but the diplomatic failures were even worse.

Many German states, which initially joined the Erfurt Alliance, were scared to continue happily associating with the Prussian Kingdom after seeing the German Region's big brother Austria act against Prussia.

Some German states (such as Prussia's old adversary and trouble-stirrer Saxony) even clamored that the Prussian Kingdom had disrupted the old German Confederation system and should therefore accept Austria's punishment.

While actively drawing closer to the Austrian Empire, Saxony also cooperated with Austria by stationing troops on the Prussian and Saxony border regions.

Saxony's actions forced Prussia to also station troops in the Silesia region.

Other countries, while sidling up to Austria, hypocritically called for restraint in the German Region, suggesting that both parties should ideally sit down for open discussions.

Most of the principalities in the German Region no longer chose to support Prussia but wished to maintain the old German Confederation.

For a time, the Kingdom of Prussia unexpectedly found itself in an unprecedented situation of diplomatic isolation within Germany.

On November 12, Prince William I, commander of the Prussian troops stationed in Kassel, prepared to return to Berlin, with Count Frangel, commander of the Berlin garrison, set to replace him.

Just as he was about to embark on his journey back to Berlin, Prince William had a brief meeting with Count Frangel.

By this time, Prince William no longer showed any of his earlier brimming confidence. Albrecht's "sneak attack" had truly shamed Prince William.

Ron's capture also made Prince William feel he had lost his right hand man.

"Your Highness, this is not your fault! No one expected the Austrian Empire to launch a sudden attack!" Count Frangel comforted Prince William, not wanting to see the prince's spirits continue to fade.

"No need to console me!" Prince William shook his head, saying, "This war's situation arose because I was too overconfident! I will bear full responsibility for this war!"

Then, William looked earnestly at the tents behind Count Frangel and said, "Mr. Earl, these are Prussia's finest young men, please handle them with care!"

Count Frangel knew Prince William had not yet emerged from the shadow of defeat. He sighed internally at the prince's plight, realizing that only Prince William himself could overcome this sense of failure.

"Your Highness, rest assured!" Count Frangel replied, "Those young lads on the other side only achieved a temporary victory through despicable means."

"Then please take care of it!" After this battle, Prince William shed his previous arrogance and seemed to transform overnight into William I, the heir to the Prussian throne.

However, William I's inner self also became as cautious and prudent as the Prussian throne itself, and he gradually understood why his brother Frederick William IV took so much care to maintain relations with Austria and the Russian Empire.

Without the assistance of Austria and Russia, especially the Russian Empire, Prussia's prestige in the German Region, no matter how strong, would be nothing more than an illusion.

After bidding farewell to Count Frangel, William I took multiple train rides and finally arrived in Berlin.

Upon just returning to his home in Berlin, Prince William I of Prussia received an invitation from Sanssouci Palace.

Sanssouci Palace is an 18th-century German royal palace and garden, located in the northern suburb of Potsdam City, Germany, built by King Frederick II of Prussia in imitation of the Palace of Versailles in France.

Though Sanssouci Palace does not possess the same opulence as the Palace of Versailles, its garden architecture can be regarded as one of the finest in Germany.

Since its completion by Frederick the Great, Sanssouci Palace has been the residence of the Hohenzollern Royal Family, with successive Prussian Kings living there.

Remarkably, in the history of Europe, no other palace has remained so intact after enduring numerous wars; Napoleon's march into Berlin, World War I, and World War II all spared Sanssouci Palace any direct hits, preserving it until the 21st century.

Of course, Prince William did not know that the lifespan of this palace would outlast the time the Hohenzollern Clan served as Kings of Prussia.

Just as ancient countries like Ancient Greece and Sparta were destroyed over time by external forces, the art they left behind will be remembered forever by future generations.

When Prince William arrived at the front gate of Sanssouci Palace, the king's military attendant appeared before him.

"Your Highness, please follow me!" The military attendant bowed respectfully to Prince William.

Prince William also returned the salute to the military attendant.

Under the guidance of the military attendant, Prince William passed through a luxurious corridor with amber inlaid on the walls and Persian red carpets laid on the floor, arriving at a door carved with Zeus from Greek mythology.

"His Majesty is inside!" The military attendant gestured for Prince William to enter.

Prince William turned the doorknob and opened the door, seeing the current King of Prussia, Frederick William IV, standing in the center of the living room.

Beside him was an elderly man, about 70 years old, wearing a traditional black Prussian military uniform with white edges and sporting a white goatee.

Hearing the sound of the door, both turned to look in the direction of Prince William, who hurried into the room and closed the door.

"You've returned!" Frederick William IV smiled at Prince William.

Judging from Frederick William IV's expression, he did not seem angry over William I's defeat; rather, he was happy that William I had returned safely.

"Your Majesty!" Prince William replied to his brother Frederick William IV.

From then on, Frederick William IV did not inquire about the situation in the Hesse-Kassel region but instead asked Prince William about household matters, smilingly telling him to choose a good match for his son.

Prince William was deeply moved by Frederick William IV's warmth and concern.

Gradually, Frederick William IV shifted the topic to the issue of the Hesse-Kassel Duchy.

However, he did not blame Prince William but instead expressed self-reproach.

"Alas! All this is my fault!" Frederick William IV lamented, "Perhaps this is God's punishment for me. I should not have defied God's will! We should not have reached an agreement with those liberals!"

"No! It's not your fault, Your Majesty!" Although Prince William did not believe that uniting Germany under Prussia with the help of liberals was the right move, it was not the time to assign blame. He needed to defend his brother, saying, "If the Austrian Empire had not oppressed us repeatedly, we would not have united with those people!"

Frederick William IV sighed again, and the elderly man standing nearby spoke, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, perhaps we can ask the Kingdom of Britain, the French Republic, and the Russian Empire to mediate between us and the Austrian Empire!"

"Mediation...?"