Europe in July 1870 seemed to still be immersed in the bright summer sunshine. This was the best time of the year. From London to Paris, from Paris to Berlin, from Berlin to Vienna, almost all Europeans
Everyone is enjoying summer.
Summer is always so beautiful. When summer comes, kings will enter their castles on the top of the mountain to avoid the summer heat and enjoy the summer sunshine. Many rich people will also take cars to various summer resorts.
But this summer, something ominous seems to be brewing.
At the end of June, a newspaper in Paris published a big news - the long-standing Spanish throne was about to usher in a new owner. After discussions at the Spanish cabinet meeting, Hohenzollern, who was distantly related to King William I of Prussia,
Prince Leopold of the family was a candidate to become King of Spain.
This result naturally angered the French Foreign Minister Duke Grammont. After obtaining the emperor's consent, he immediately protested to the King of Prussia. Even after Prince Leopold himself refused, he still reluctantly continued to pass.
Diplomatic channels to lodge diplomatic protests with Prussia.
Although it seems to be just a protest, in the eyes of many sensitive observers, it seems that it is not that simple. But in the eyes of observers, it seems that it is just that.
On the afternoon of July 13, on a train passing through the Eames Spa in the eastern suburbs of Koblenz, the wealthy people in the luxurious carriage smoked cigars happily and chatted about a certain beautiful opera or ballet dancer.
Although Ems Hot Spring was the health resort of the King of Prussia, wealthy people would go to stay in nearby hotels every summer. After all, the hot springs were not exclusive to the King of Prussia.
In a luxurious box on the train, a foreigner with gray hair and beard was looking at the scenery outside the car with an arrogant look.
The scenery here is simply not comparable to France.
As the French ambassador to Prussia, Benedetti did not come to the hot springs for a vacation. He brought the latest instructions from the French Empire. He came here to convey to King William I of Prussia the French government's qualifications for the Spanish throne.
the opinion of.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Benedetti walked into the king's castle. As usual, as the French ambassador, after seeing William I, Beneddedi expressed France's attitude in an arrogant tone - saying:
"This is France's last attitude. I hope His Majesty can provide a guarantee that he will not ask for this abandoned candidacy in the future!"
"Ambassador Benedetti, you should know very well that Prince Leopold has refused to be a candidate for the King of Spain. What does this have to do with Prussia?"
Faced with the rude behavior of the French ambassador and the French government, William I was shocked and even more disgusted. Although he still felt disgusted in his heart, he still said.
"Please let the ambassador tell His Majesty the Emperor that neither I nor Prussia have any intention to interfere in this matter. The succession to the Spanish throne is just a Spanish issue. What does it have to do with us?"
Although William I's answer basically agreed to the French request, Ambassador Benedetti was aggressive.
"Your Majesty, is this the official reply from Prussia?"
Faced with Ambassador Benedetti's aggressive attitude, William I suppressed the dissatisfaction and anger in his heart and said to him.
"Mr. Ambassador, please enjoy the hot springs here in Ems for the time being. I will order someone to send a telegram to the Prime Minister to inform you of this matter. I believe that Prime Minister Bismarck will give your country an official answer soon."
After sending out the French ambassador, William I immediately ordered his attendants to send an urgent telegram to Berlin to Bismarck regarding the contents of his conversation with the French ambassador.
That afternoon, Prime Minister Bismarck was holding a banquet at his home. As before, the banquet hall of the Prime Minister's residence was filled with dancing and music, and the air was filled with laughter and laughter. In the banquet hall, Otto Bismarck, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Prussia,
, was standing there solemnly entertaining guests from all walks of life.
Among these guests was an Oriental man wearing a suit, who stood out among the Westerners.
"Mr. Liu, listen to me, we also very much hope to buy your airship."
Once again, Prime Minister Bismarck expressed his hope to Liu Weidong.
"Now, you not only agree to sell airships to France, but also agree to sell airships to Britain, then why are you unwilling to sell Prussia? For the sake of peace in Europe, I think it is necessary for you to agree to sell airships to any European country. This is for the sake of peace.
, Mr. Liu!”
Staring at the representative of the American Company in Prussia, Bismarck felt quite uncomfortable - the French were about to have powerful airships, but Prussia did not.
"Everyone knows now that the party with airships can suppress the party without airships, which may break the balance of Europe and break the peace of Europe."
"Prime Minister, I have already forwarded your request to Nanhua, and there will be a corresponding reply soon. However, this will definitely take time."
Just when Liu Weidong tried to change the subject, an attendant came in. He looked around quietly, and soon walked towards Bismarck, who was talking to someone, and politely handed Bismarck an envelope.
.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, this is an urgent message from Your Majesty from Ems."
An urgent message from the king?
Although he was a little curious, Liu Weidong politely chose to avoid it. Taking the letter from the waiter, Bismarck opened the message slowly and read it. After a while, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. His smile fell on Liu Weidong's eyes.
, as if he thought of something pleasant.
Did you encounter anything happy?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Liu, I have some other things to do here. We will discuss the airship another day."
After expressing his apology, Bismarck walked up to Moltke and several other generals, and said.
"Mr. Moltke, please come with me to the smoking room."
The moment the smoking room door closed, Bismarck looked at Moltke with a serious expression and suddenly said:
"Dear Mr. Moltke, may I ask if Prussia can defeat France, not just simply defeat them, but completely defeat them!"
The Prime Minister's question surprised Moltke at first, and he thought thoughtfully for a while. Then he raised his head, slowly calmed down, and answered in a very firm tone:
"Mr. Prime Minister, you asked me whether we can defeat France. I tell you responsibly that we can and will definitely defeat France!"
Moltke's answer made Bismarck laugh and said to him:
"Here is an urgent message from the king. I have read it carefully. Please allow me to revise it a little. I will read it to you."
Bismarck then deleted the sentence "Long-term discussions can still be made in Berlin" in the telegram, and instead added another sentence at the end - "His Majesty the King refused to receive the French Ambassador in the future and ordered the adjutant on duty to inform the French Ambassador that His Majesty will again
There is nothing left to talk about.”
"Your Majesty Prime Minister, this is..."
"This is to stimulate the French! Moltke, my friend, after this war, no one can stop the unification of Germany! And the unification of Germany must be forged with iron and blood, nothing else.
There is no other picture!”
The "iron-blood policy" was exactly the policy pursued by Bismarck since he became prime minister. Of course Moltke agreed with this.
After revising the king's telegram, Bismarck said:
"Wars always need reasons. All we need is to add a slightly more sarcastic and humiliating tone without changing the meaning of the original message. The Emperor of France will never accept such humiliation!"
He turned his attention to Moltke and said.
"Mr. Moltke, now is the time to test us. I believe we can win this war. After all, we have been preparing for so many years!"
Bismarck never doubted victory. Since becoming prime minister, he had been using clever diplomacy to paralyze the French and keep them neutral in the process of German unification.
His diplomatic efforts were successful, and Prussia eventually rose under the eyes of the French. But the road to German unification was still very far away.
Who is the biggest obstacle to Germany's desire to unify? It is France.
In the past many years, while Bismarck was using diplomacy to paralyze the French, he was also quietly preparing for war against the French.
Now, the war is finally about to break out.
At this time, the Prime Minister of the Prussian Empire, who was known as the "Iron-Blooded Chancellor", was immersed in some expectations for the future.
After all, he has been preparing for this moment for so long.
"Prime Minister, please rest assured that we will definitely be able to win this war, and I think victory may come sooner than we think."
As the Prussian chief of staff, Moltke was also looking forward to this moment. This battle with France was not only the last battle to unify the will. After winning this war, he himself would also reach the pinnacle of honor...
…
"But I still have some worries, such as airships!"
Bismarck looked at Chief of Staff Moltke and said.
"When we first made all our plans, we did not know that airships could be used in war, and we did not expect that the French would obtain airships. After this weapon is put into the battlefield, will it have any impact on our plans?
"
"There will definitely be an impact."
Mao Qi nodded and said.
"But that's it. After all, the French haven't gotten an airship until now. Even if they get an airship, it will take time to train. Besides, as far as we know, Nanhua doesn't have many airships of its own. The most important thing is
Yes...the German army will never collapse just because of the appearance of a few airships!"
This chapter has been completed!