Just as Walewski and von Bismarck were exchanging commercial compliments in carriages heading to the Prussian mansion, Prince Metternich "happened" to meet Interior Minister Bach as he left Stephen's Cathedral.
"Mr. Metternich, I have something to discuss with you!
I wonder if you have time now?" Minister Bach said to Prince Metternich with a serious expression.
Prince Metternich nodded slowly. From the expression and eyes of Minister Bach, Metternich saw the urgency.
Obviously, the matter that Minister Bach wanted to discuss with him was not a trivial matter.
Bach, who had obtained the consent of Prince Metternich, immediately pointed to the carriage parked on the roadside, and then implored Prince Metternich, "Your Excellency, can we enter the carriage and discuss it in detail!"
"Of course!" Metternich nodded in response.
Metternich and Bach entered the carriage belonging to the Ministry of the Interior together. After hearing Bach's order to set off, the driver of the carriage quickly raised his whip and whipped the horse that was standing there.
After receiving the "signal" from their hips, the horses immediately took steps and ran forward, and the carriages placed behind them also moved forward quickly as the horses ran.
After the carriage had traveled a certain distance, Interior Minister Bach spoke to Prince Metternich about the situation.
"According to a report from the police stationed by the Ministry of Interior near the Stephen's Church, just a few minutes ago, the Prussian Ambassador von Bismarck and the deputy envoy of the French delegation, Count Walewski, left the Stephan's Church in a carriage!
Judging from the direction they are heading, the carriage should be heading to the Prussian Embassy!"
After hearing Bach's report, Prince Metternich showed a solemn expression on his face. After a moment, Prince Metternich asked Bach in a calm tone, "Where is Prince Montfort! Did he leave with him in the carriage?"
"
After Bach thought for a few seconds, he shook his head and responded, "No! According to the description of the police stationed near the church, Prince Montfort left alone in the carriage of the French Embassy!
Only Walewski was left parked near the church. It was not until Ambassador von Bismarck came out of Stephan's Church that Walewski took action.
After a brief conversation, the two took a carriage and left together!
I speculate that Walewski is waiting for von Bismarck to come out!"
"Did your policemen hear their conversation?" Prince Metternich asked Bach again.
Although Prince Metternich knew that it was impossible to overhear the conversation in public, but what if!
The next second, Bach shattered Metternich's hopes.
He shook his head and replied to Prince Metternich, "No! The police were one street away from von Bismarck at the time, so there was no way they could overhear their conversation!"
Prince Metternich sighed, and after a moment of silence, he slowly asked Bach, "Mr. Bach, what do you want me, a dying old man, to do?"
"Your Excellency, haven't you received any news from Paris regarding this conversation?" Bach asked Prince Metternich in a cryptic manner.
"Mr. Bach!" Prince Metternich shook his head with a wry smile, "If you hadn't revealed it to me, I'd probably still be kept in the dark!"
"Your friends in Paris didn't reveal anything to you at all?" Bach asked Prince Metternich without giving up.
Faced with Bach's repeated inquiries, Prince Metternich could not help but feel a little unhappy in his heart.
"Mr. Bach, I do have some friends in Paris, but my relationship with them is limited to personal friendships.
Just like you won't tell me whether you have a secret police stationed in my mansion, they won't tell me the secrets of France!" Prince Metternich said to Bach with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
After hearing what Prince Metternich said, Bach subconsciously clenched his hands into a ball.
How did he know I had secret police stationed in his home!
Bach did have a secret police stationed at Prince Metternich's residence, but only a few people knew about it.
Bach began to wonder if someone had leaked the news to Prince Metternich.
"How could it be possible?" Minister Bach pretended to be relaxed and explained to Prince Metternich, "Who dares to place police in your mansion!"
"Mr. Bach!" Prince Metternich said with a meaningful smile on his lips, and he slowly said to Bach, "I can tell you a secret!"
"Speak!" Bach said as if he was listening attentively.
"When I was Prime Minister, I also placed secret police in the houses of my political opponents and allies!
I think these are necessary evils, but I only use the secret police to find out who they meet and what they do!
As long as they don't do anything harmful to the empire, I can turn a blind eye!
I even heard several times that they were plotting to overthrow me, but I didn’t care!
Of course, I'm not telling you how generous I am. What I mean is that the secret police is like a double-edged sword, which will easily cut the user if used for a long time!
Those who are too superstitious about this power are destined to be counterattacked by it!" Prince Metternich meant.
"Thank you for your gentle teaching!" Minister Bach responded to Prince Metternich.
"Okay! Then again, I did not receive any news from Paris!" Prince Metternich said to Bach with a serious face, "In other words, the meeting between Walewski and von Bismarck
This shouldn’t be the work of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs!”
"What do you mean!" Minister Bach immediately understood the subtext of Prince Metternich.
If the meeting between Walewski and von Bismarck was not approved by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then it could only be a meeting led by the French emperor.
No one, including Metternich, knew what the emperor wanted to do.
However, it was impossible for them to ignore the French Emperor's opinion.
Today, the French Empire is already the strongest force in the entire European continent, and their army is enough to defeat any country that wants to compete with it!
"Your Excellency, what should we do now?" Bach, who had been silent for a long time, asked Metternich again, "What does the emperor want to do?"
"Minister Bach, this does not seem to be an issue that you should consider, but an issue that the Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister should consider!" Prince Metternich said to Bach in an intriguing tone.
Bach had an embarrassed look on his face and replied in a slightly unnatural tone, "I am also thinking about the future of the empire!"
Later, Bach also realized that his speech just now was too deceptive, and he went on to reveal his political ambitions to Prince Metternich, "If the empire needs it, I will also shoulder the corresponding responsibilities unshirkably! (referring to being prime minister)"
"Mr. Bach, I like your candor!" Prince Metternich smiled, "When I was your age, I also wanted to be the Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire!"
"Thank you for your encouragement!" Bach responded to Prince Metternich.
Then, Prince Metternich brought the topic back to its original point, "If my judgment is not wrong, the reason why the emperor met with von Bismarck should be about the issue of the Rhineland!"
"Why do you say that?" Bach asked Prince Metternich in confusion.
"Because the emperor has got what he wants in the Apennine Peninsula, his next goal is naturally the Rhineland!" Prince Metternich said to Bach, "That is also what he has been pursuing tirelessly since 1850.
However, due to various reasons (the Crimean War), the emperor’s hands and feet were restricted!”
"What should the empire do?" Minister Bach asked Prince Metternich again.
"Mr. Bach, this is an issue that Count Bauer should consider!" Metternich said to Minister Bach, "Unless you are immediately appointed as prime minister by the emperor, then I suggest that you should not take too many actions!"
"Do we need to remind Count Bauer?" Minister Bach said.
"Of course!" Prince Metternich nodded and said to Bach, "By the way, Mr. Bach! I have a request, and I hope you can satisfy me!"
"Your Excellency, please speak!" Minister Bach responded to Metternich.
"Can you please send me to the Prussian Embassy!" Prince Metternich requested Bach.
"Your Excellency, you are trying to ruin their meeting!" Minister Bach was surprised by Prince Metternich's decision.
"No!" Prince Metternich shook his head and pointed to his ears and said to Minister Bach, "I went with only one pair of ears to listen to the true thoughts of Walewski and von Bismarck!"
“With you in mind they shouldn’t have real ideas!”
"Not always!"
…
on the other hand.
Under the hospitality of von Bismarck, Walewski sat down on the brown leather sofa of the Prussian Embassy.
The two of them had different ideas and began to chat. Von Bismarck first admired Walewski. He praised Walewski as the best foreign minister in the empire. He single-handedly led the Paris and Paris wars.
It would be worth learning from von Bismarck and all Prussian diplomats.
(Although the interests of the Kingdom of Prussia were seriously damaged in the Paris Peace Conference chaired by Walewski!)
"Mr. Bismarck, as long as your country does not complain that I satisfied the Polish nobles at the Paris Peace Conference in a way that harmed the interests of your country, I should be very grateful!" Walewski said to von Bismarck with a smile.
"Only mediocre people complain behind their backs!" Von Bismarck said to Minister Walewski with disdain. "Those ministers in the Prussian court are such mediocre people. They don't seem to realize that the world is what it is.
In a world where the jungle prevails, you (the French Empire) have the most powerful army, so you deserve to make history!"
