Make France Great Again

On November 14th, the temperature in Berlin significantly rose compared to the previous days, but the morning temperature was still between 7 to 10 degrees Celsius. The biting cold pierced through the stylish but impractical coats of Berlin's petite bourgeoisie, affecting every inch of their skin. People on the streets had to huddle slightly as they hurried to work.

It was on this day that news emerged from Sanssouci Palace, sufficient to influence the developmental path of the Kingdom of Prussia for decades to come.

At 9 a.m., a message was transmitted from Sanssouci Palace to the two houses of Prussia, and then disseminated to various levels of government in Berlin.

"Due to a recent cold, King Frederick William IV of the Kingdom of Prussia cannot handle state affairs. Therefore, Crown Prince William Frederick Ludwig is entrusted to handle all major and minor state affairs of Prussia.

All government officials must follow the new Crown Prince's orders and must not leave their posts without permission!"

As soon as the news was released, a political turmoil erupted among the members of the two houses of Berlin and various levels of government. The most anxious were the bourgeoisie members of the lower house, who had not forgotten that Prince William once used the military to suppress a revolution two years ago. Now, with the Crown Prince holding the regency and having a "blemished" record of suppressing the revolution, they wondered how much worse their days could get.

Thus, some members of the lower house gathered and went to Sanssouci Palace, attempting to verify the "truth" under the guise of visiting King Frederick William IV of Prussia.

Was Frederick William IV genuinely ill, or was he coerced and kidnapped by the Junker nobility?

If it was the former, it would be fine, but if it was the latter, they would consider rescuing Frederick William IV under the banner of saving him.

Compared to the new Prince William, King Frederick William IV was clearly a more favorable option for them.

However, the bourgeois members' cautious plans were entirely extinguished in the face of Prussian soldiers with bayonets in front of Sanssouci Palace.

The Count of Brandenburg, having anticipated the actions of the lower house members, had already dispatched some of the garrison troops from Berlin and Potsdam City to defend the Royal Palace before the message was released.

The one commanding this small force was none other than the future German Second Empire Marshal Carl Friedrich von Steinmetz.

Just promoted to the rank of Major General, Steinmetz silently stepped forward from among the Prussian soldiers, expressionless as he stood at the forefront, watching this group of members who attempted to rely on their numbers to break into Sanssouci Palace.

"Do you intend to rebel?" Steinmetz's face was as cold as frost, and his voice was exceptionally indifferent, like a machine without any emotion.

All the members present were slightly leaned backward, intimidated by the aloofness exuded by Steinmetz and the glittering bayonets at the muzzles of the Prussian soldiers' guns.

Even though fear gripped their hearts, some of the members in the crowd still mustered the courage to question Steinmetz: "We just want to see His Majesty. You have no right to stop us! Prussian members enjoy constitutional protection!"

"Yes! We want to see His Majesty! Stand aside!"

"That's right!"

...

The clamorous voices of the members made Steinmetz more disgusted with this group from the lower house. In his view, these people were just barking here and contributed nothing to the country.

Only the Prussian army could help this country. The so-called lower house should be dissolved for the better.

"The bulletin already stated that His Majesty has caught a cold and cannot handle state affairs! Prince William is in power now; you should go back!" Steinmetz maintained his distant tone as he responded to the members present.

"We must see His Majesty! Otherwise, we absolutely won't leave!" Steinmetz's response further "confirmed" suspicions that the King might be imprisoned.

To protect their vested interests, the members decided to take a risky stand against the military.

Previous experiences told them that the military dared not engage in a massacre, especially against individuals of their status.

But they were wrong. Before them stood Steinmetz, a ruthless figure who couldn't care less about the lives of members of parliament.

In his eyes, these members were no more than ruffians attempting to storm the Royal Palace.

"I'll give you only thirty seconds!! After thirty seconds, face the consequences!" Steinmetz took out his pocket watch as he spoke to the members.

Steinmetz's words made the members' hearts beat like a drum; many were already entertaining thoughts of retreat.

A portion of the members still harbored illusions that Steinmetz wouldn't actually use force.

When the time reached the last ten seconds, Steinmetz's cold voice once again emanated from his slightly pale lips: "Ten seconds left!"

At the same time, the Prussian soldiers also took a half-step forward with their left foot, raising the Dreiser needle guns to chest level, ready in a posture for a bayonet charge.

Some former Prussian military members among the group understood that these Prussian soldiers might actually use force, forcing them to hastily retreat.

One member's withdrawal sparked a chain reaction, and all the members in front of Sanssouci Palace fled one after another.

Watching the ragged members, Steinmetz displayed a contemptuous smile, gently gesturing for the soldiers to lower their raised rifles.

Unwilling to relent, the legislators resumed their actions upon returning to Berlin. They pressured local newspapers in the Berlin Region in the name of the legislators. By the afternoon, reports of legislators being attacked by brutal troops at the Sanssouci Palace spread widely. At the same time, a wave of resistance against the Prussian army surged in the Lower House.

As the leader of the liberal faction, Radovitz was well aware that provoking the military at this critical juncture would lead to no good. Calling for restraint in the Lower House in response to sudden occurrences, he was angrily denounced by fellow legislators as a "traitor."

Frederick William IV's cold seemed to become a contradictory trigger, once again sending Berlin into chaos.

In the Sanssouci Palace, Regent King William I, upon receiving intelligence from Berlin, grew even more disgusted with those Lower House legislators.

Meanwhile, the arrival of two letters further determined William I's resolve to cleanse the Lower House's influence.

One was from the Poznan Region, reporting from the border that the Russian Empire was massing troops on a large scale in the Polish Region.

Prince Paskievich of Poland similarly announced a military exercise in Poland.

The other was a letter from Count Frangel, commander of the Prussian troops in Kassel. In the letter, Count Frangel reported facing a joint attack by Prussian and Bavarian forces.

The battle raged for two days, ultimately ending with the outnumbered Prussian army withdrawing from the battlefield.

This war signified a complete failure of Prussia's strategy in Hesse-Kassel.

What was even worse, an increasing number of people might choose to join the Austrian Empire in punishing Prussia.

In 1848, Prussia's arrogance was finally facing "retribution" at this moment.

"My Lord Count, I decide to dismiss Radovitz tomorrow!" Regent King William finally made up his mind to dismiss Radovitz.

"As you command!" replied Count Brandenburg with a smile, acknowledging that choosing William as regent was indeed a wise decision.

On November 15, Count Brandenburg arrived at the Cabinet to publicly announce Prince William's decision.

"Mr. Radovitz, you are dismissed!" Count Brandenburg said smilingly to Radovitz, the then Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Upon hearing the news, Radovitz felt a buzzing in his head, as if struck by a heavy hammer, and he staggered to his chair.

Although he knew this day would come sooner or later, he still made a fool of himself upon actually receiving the news.

"I understand," Radovitz responded to Count Brandenburg, struggling to hold back his inner sorrow.

"However, you still have a mission!" Count Brandenburg changed his tone, continuing, "The Regent King hopes you can go to Britain as a special envoy to discuss forming an alliance!"

"I understand," Radovitz nodded bitterly.

As Radovitz left the Cabinet, his once upright body now hunched, his once vibrant spirit instantly transformed into a dispirited demeanor.

Count Brandenburg succeeded Radovitz as Prime Minister smoothly, leaving the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs to the more timid and conservative Mantel.

On November 16, Prince William, as the Regent King, announced the termination of the Prussian Constitution drafted in 1848, reverting to the constitution of 1842.

This declaration instantly sent Berlin into a frenzy.

Abolishing the 1848 Constitution meant the abolition of the bicameral system. If the Lower House ceased to exist, how would the capitalists of the Rhine Land, Berlin, and Silesia fight for their rights?

They certainly couldn't have their taxes collected without any power, like before 1848!

Petitions from the Berlin Region came flooding in, with many pleading for Regent King William to rescind his decision.

The revolution, which had been suppressed, began to stir restlessly once more.

A small number even declared they would initiate a second revolution.

But they were mistaken. They did not realize that they were no longer facing a seasoned politician like Frederick William IV, but rather Prince William, such a bloodthirsty butcher.

Particularly now, when Prince William was only in his fifties, even after experiencing the failure at Fulda, he still had a certain perseverance.

As soon as the order was issued, the Prussian army was instantly assembled, entering Berlin to suppress civilian opinion.

To support the military's actions, Regent Prince William issued a "proclamation against rebels" to the Junkers across the regions. The Junker nobility everywhere cheered the return of the old times, with Bismarck leading the Prussian Junkers back to their hometowns to recruit loyal Prussian "serfs" to protect their "benevolent" Regent King, resembling a hometown reunion.

Under the manipulation of Regent King William, the whole of Prussia instantly fell into political disarray.