Brandenburg is 20 kilometers away from the capital Berlin. It has a wide variety of animals and plants and is an ideal hunting ground.
Today, Carlo was dressed in hunting attire, and he and William, the eldest grandson of the emperor, who were similarly dressed, were walking in the dense forest with shotguns. However, although with the help of hunting dogs and guards, the prey appeared one by one, but neither of them paid attention.
On the prey, there was a verbal argument.
"William, I don't think there are any problems with Germany's diplomacy at present. Uniting Russia and Austria can stabilize Germany's eastern and southern fronts and reduce the pressure on national defense. However, there is a worry in this diplomatic strategy, that is, when Russia and Austria compete
After resolving irreconcilable conflicts, which side should Germany stand on?"
Carlo's words made His Excellency Emperor Changsun frown. On this issue, he really wanted to say that Germany could bring the two countries together. But he couldn't say this because he was not thick-skinned enough.
"This...problem..."
The emperor's eldest grandson was questioned. He stumbled for a long time and couldn't come up with a result. He simply changed the question. "Then tell me what to do."
"William, I am the King of Italy and a stakeholder. How can I answer this question?"
When the emperor's eldest grandson brought the topic to him, how could Carlo answer it? This was an unanswerable question. The only answer was to keep one family as an ally.
"Then just pretend that you are the monarch of Germany and make your choice in your own way."
Unexpectedly, William pressed harder and asked Carlo to make the choice. Perhaps this was to serve as a reference for this.
"If it were my choice, then I would choose Vienna as an ally."
Seeing that he couldn't shirk it, Carlo gave what he thought was the best answer.
This is not a random guess on his part, but he sincerely believes that choosing the Austrians is the best choice for Germany.
Although countless people in later generations believed that Germany's choice of allies in World War I was too poor, what would have happened if Germany chose Russia, and they listed countless reasons for this.
But these people have never really experienced this era, and they do not know that choosing an ally is not just who you want to choose. In terms of maximizing interests, Germany choosing the United Kingdom as an ally is simply the best choice, but this
Have you ever asked the UK if they are willing?
By the same token, when choosing Russia as an ally, have you considered what Russia thinks?
Moreover, Russia is in urgent need of funds to complete its own industrialization. Can Germany provide Russia with funds for its industrialization?
Therefore, it is inevitable for Germany to choose Austria as an ally. Although there are various other reasons, the main reason is that Germany cannot provide Russia with its needs for industrialization. France has no problem at all. Its huge domestic capital is in urgent need of profit growth, and
As long as Russia is willing to make concessions on interest, a steady stream of French funds will be enough for Russia to complete its industrialization.
Of course, this is Carlo's conclusion based on the current situation and historical trends. It is very suspicious that the answer is deduced. However, this is also a choice that is in the interests of Germany. Although Austria is weaker, it is much more dependent on Germany.
There are few, and the demand for Germany is not as great as that of Russia. (Those who think that Germany’s increase in food tariffs alone will cause the breakdown of German-Russian relations can be dispelled. Although this is an inducement, the more important thing is that Germany cannot meet Russia’s demand for funds.
)
Although Carlo knew all this, the emperor's eldest grandson William did not. At this time, he was a little surprised that Carlo actually chose Austria. Everyone knew how bad the relationship between Italy and the Austrians was. Could it be that the Italian king planned to release the relationship with Austria?
A signal of reconciliation.
He didn't have much opinion on this, because he couldn't rule Germany yet, but Carlo's words gave him a lot of inspiration.
You must know that his grandfather Wilhelm I and Prime Minister Bismarck were both pro-Russian, while his father Frederick III was anti-Russian under the influence of his wife, Princess Victoria.
Shortly after William was born, a fierce conflict broke out over the "Constitutional Struggle" between the conservatives represented by the then Prussian King William I and Prime Minister Bismarck and the liberals represented by the prince couple (later Frederick III & Princess Victoria). This embarrassment
The power structure of William II will inevitably lead to a conflict in the educational philosophy of William II. One side is pro-British and liberal-oriented, focusing on the importance of public interests. The other side is pro-Russian, conservative-oriented, focusing on aristocratic values and the cultivation of military skills. Mother Victoria
The queen worked hard to instill in William II a passion for the sea, Britain and freedom, and tried to replace his father who was busy with military affairs to take full responsibility for the upbringing of the children. However, the king and queen were also trying to exert their own influence on William II.
So this also created William II's complex character, but because he was influenced by both parties, it also brought convenience to him, that is, he could move between his father and grandfather with ease, acting as a lubrication between the two.
agent.
Of course, William has now shown his character flaws, and Carlo, as the king of Italy, felt this. Because Carlo was the king, the emperor's eldest grandson did not show much, but in front of other people, he often
Show your proud side.
But the arrogant grandson of the emperor was impressed by Carlo's questions and answers. "I didn't expect you to answer like this, Carlo. It's really surprising."
"It's nothing, but as you said, consider it from a German perspective."
Carlo said this and suddenly had a new idea. "I heard that the Chinese ordered two Saxony-class ships from you right away?"
"Yes, this is business solicited by Volcan Shipyard, for which our country has also given preferential treatment."
When Carlo mentioned the Chinese building warships, William II didn't know what Carlo was thinking, but it was also a very glorious thing for the German shipbuilding industry, so William didn't care.
"If we have time, how about we go take a look?"
Carlo's proposal surprised William a little. He didn't expect that the king would be interested in these two ships. You must know that Italy's shipbuilding capabilities are much stronger than Germany's today.
Although William II was a little surprised, although he had been on many warships in service, he had not seen much of the warships being built, and he happened to be interested in taking a look.
"Okay then, let's go to the Vulcan Shipyard tomorrow."
After Carlo and William II came to an agreement, the hunting activities came to an end. After the two returned to Brandenburg to rest for a while, they started chatting again.
In the evening, Carlo returned to Charlottenburg Palace in a happy mood. However, when he returned here, Carlo found that the atmosphere of the delegation was very depressing.
"What's wrong?"
Faced with Carlo's inquiry, someone immediately told the reason. The reason was that the diplomatic negotiations with Germany were not going smoothly. Although Germany was very grand at the welcoming ceremony, the bottom line of the negotiations remained unchanged, claiming that Italy should reach a friendly relationship with Vienna.
Only after an agreement is reached can the issue of military alliance be discussed.
For this reason, Prime Minister Despretis became a little angry and returned to his residence to complain about the stubbornness of the German people.
Carlo had absolutely no way to intervene in the negotiations between Germany and Italy, but he believed that there would be a way. He should prepare to go to the Volcan Shipyard with William II tomorrow.
