Chapter 1057: The first chapter that determines the future (2)
The walnut rocking chair was moved from von Bismarck's study to the reception hall by the embassy staff, and Prince Metternich slowly sat on it while holding the rocking chair.
Later, von Bismarck asked Prince Metternich as usual if he wanted to drink some red wine to moisten his throat.
Prince Metternich shook his head and replied to von Bismarck, "Please forgive an old man who is nearly ninety years old for rejecting your enthusiasm! My body no longer allows me to continue drinking!
If I could go back another twenty years, I would definitely have a drink with you two!
I hope this old man like me won’t spoil your interest!
You are still young and have plenty of time to have fun!
But now I, an old man, can only hide silently in a remote corner, quietly waiting for God’s call!
Many years from now, a fawning clown may appear in the history books of the empire!
That person should be me!"
Having said this, Prince Metternich looked at von Bismarck and Walewski with envy in his eyes.
As he grew older, Prince Metternich's physical functions also began to gradually age.
From the time Prince Metternich returned to Austria to now, he has had several brushes with death.
However, every time he was very lucky to rely on his body's remaining immunity to temporarily resist death.
However, no one knows how many more attacks Metternich's body can withstand.
Maybe next time, maybe in a few years.
His desire for life and fear of death made him very envious of the outstanding diplomats of the younger generation.
He looked at them as if he saw himself when he was younger.
"Your Majesty the Prince, you have been successful enough!" Walewski said impassionedly to Prince Metternich immediately, "From 1815, when His Majesty the Emperor (Napoleon) left other countries, to 1848, a massive revolution started again in Europe.
.
For more than thirty years, the order of the entire Europe has been dominated by you!
Even someone as arrogant and unreasonable as Nicholas I needs your support to be able to run rampant on the European continent!
This alone is enough for you to leave a lasting mark on the world's stage!
If you are a clown, you are also the most dazzling clown on the world stage!
In the next few decades, or even a hundred years later, when the Austrian Empire falls into decline (Meternich showed a hint of emotion on his face), people will think of you again and think of that period when the Austrian Empire dominated the entire Europe!
At that time, you will rise again like an emperor.
Become the spiritual pillar of the entire empire!
And I will never have the opportunity to influence the course of history in the long term like you. Being coerced by fate, I can only drift with the tide, and I don’t even know that I will be able to continue to stand on this stage tomorrow!”
"Mr. Walewski, you are so humble!" Von Bismarck, who had been silent until now, suddenly interrupted Walewski's speech, "No matter where you are now, at least
You have also stood at the top like His Excellency the Prince!
The Vienna Conference led by His Excellency the Prince has dominated Europe for nearly thirty years, and it has been four years since you personally presided over the Paris Peace Conference.
If nothing unexpected happens, this conference will be as long-lasting as His Majesty's Vienna Conference.
Like His Excellency, you have established great achievements that can be engraved in history!"
…
Von Bismarck did not believe it in his heart, nor did he hope that the Paris Peace Conference would last as long as the Vienna Conference.
Because the establishment of the Kingdom of Poland made the Poles in Prussia become untimely bombs, and the slightest mistake would blow the Kingdom of Prussia to pieces.
The key is that the Kingdom of Prussia cannot get rid of the constraints of the Poles by ceding territory like the Austrian Empire.
If the Kingdom of Prussia announces that it will return its territory to the Poles, the Prussian Junkers who live on Polish land will go to the Berlin Palace the next day and smash the prime minister's office.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Prussia became the loser second only to the Russian Empire in the Paris Peace Conference. As a diplomat, he must break free from the shackles imposed on them by the Paris Peace Conference during his lifetime.
Just like Jerome Bonaparte did when he broke up the Holy Alliance.
Of course, this is only von Biss's long-term goal.
In reality, von Bismarck had not yet figured out how to break free from the shackles of the Paris Peace Conference. He just wanted to have the opportunity to dominate the country's diplomacy and political power like Walewski and Prince Metternich, even if this opportunity was very short-lived.
Von Bismarck was also willing to spend his whole life pursuing it.
[Historically, neither the king, the military, nor the liberal opposition, nor even von Bismarck himself believed that he could remain prime minister for a long time.
During the period from 1862 to 1863, von Bismarck had a resignation letter prepared in his office drawer all year round, so that von Bismarck could resign quickly after Wilhelm I summoned him to announce his resignation order.
It was not until the Prussian-Danish War in 1863 that von Bismarck truly secured his position as prime minister.
In the next two wars, von Bismarck used the victory in the war to successfully consolidate his power.]
Unfortunately, Regent William did not seem to intend to give von Bismarck this opportunity.
The hostility of liberals (Bismarck once caused a massacre of liberals in Berlin) and the resentment of the regent (William I's wife had always been resentful of von Bismarck's unwillingness to make his son king during 1848).
) have always been the two most difficult obstacles for von Bismarck to ascend to the position of prime minister.
Not to mention, there are many people in the current right-wing conservative camp who are more loyal and conservative than von Bismarck. These people have seriously squeezed von Bismarck's "ecological niche."
It can be said that von Bismarck was at the lowest point in his life at this time.
"And I..." Von Bismarck said about himself, his tone suddenly became deeper, "Now I am truly following the trend, not to mention making achievements, even the most basic life depends on the generosity of His Highness William.
Can barely maintain it (Von Bismarck spent money lavishly, even with Bleichro's financial management, it can only be enough)"
Then, von Bismarck said to Walewski with a trace of longing in his eyes, "Your Excellency Walewski, do you know?
When you made history at the Paris Peace Conference, what a longing I had in my heart!
I long to be able to express my ambitions as you wish!"
Speaking of this, von Bismarck thought of the upcoming Level 3 Conference in the Kingdom of Prussia.
Although von Bismarck is now keenly aware that the key to his rise lies in the Three-level Conference of the Kingdom of Prussia, and he also asked his political "best friend" Ron, who was the Minister of War of the Kingdom of Prussia, to find the right opportunity to ask the regent.
Wang William recommended him, but now he is still not sure how big the scale of the Estates-General will be, and whether those opponents of Prussian liberalism can have an impact on Prince Regent William.
If the momentum of those opponents is too great, the regent William will definitely be forced to dissolve Parliament again.
Compared with the taxation of the Rhineland, maintaining the stability of the Kingdom of Prussia is the most important.
The Kingdom of Prussia's view of the Rhineland is still in the tasteless stage of "it's tasteless to eat and it's a pity to throw away".
If the opposition was not enough to make Wilhelm I retreat, then there would be no need for von Bismarck to be introduced.
Therefore, von Bismarck was not sure whether he could successfully become the person Regent William relied on.
"Mr. Bismarck, I see in you the vigor and ambition of a young man, and the characteristics that are different from ordinary Prussians!!" Metternich praised von Bismarck himself.
"Prussians in general?" Von Bismarck looked at Prince Metternich in confusion.
Walewski also showed a puzzled expression, and he quietly waited for Prince Metternich's explanation.
"You Prussians have a natural obedience in your bones! (Von Bismarck frowned)" Prince Metternich explained to von Bismarck and Walewski, "This makes every Prussian enter the army.
After that, you can quickly become an excellent soldier and officer!
However, for a country, only limbs (soldiers and officers) are obviously not enough!
It needs a mind that can command them. However, in today's Prussian political arena, there are too few people who are really willing to use their brains. Your ministers are always accustomed to thinking that everything can be solved with fists and guns.
Therefore, people like you who are willing to use their brains will inevitably stand out one day in the future and become the beings in charge of the entire country.
And that day is not too far away, am I right Mr. von Bismarck?"
When Metternich said the last words, a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, which made von Bismarck's heart tremble.
He understood that Prince Metternich, like him, saw opportunities under the Estates-General of the Kingdom of Prussia.
"If that's the case, that's great!" Von Bismarck suppressed the panic in his heart and said calmly, "If I am lucky enough to serve as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Prussia, then I will do my best to safeguard Europe.
peace and stability!
The Kingdom of Prussia has had enough wars. My country has been at war since its founding. No one knows the cruelty of war better than me. Prussia longs for peace!"
Von Bismarck's hypocritical answer did not satisfy Walewski and Prince Metternich. They had already seen his true face before contacting von Bismarck.
"Your Excellency Bismarck, do you treat me and Your Excellency the Prince like children?!" Walewski said to von Bismarck with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Prussia longs for peace? This is the funniest thing I have heard this year.