Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

Prussian Prime Minister Bismarck:

"Since 1714, George, the Elector of Hanover, has been in charge of the United Kingdom and has also been the King of England.

From then on, Hanover, Great Britain and Ireland could co-host the Confederation.

However, because Hanover, like the Netherlands, was occupied by France under the leadership of Napoleon I in 1803, it was not until the fall of Napoleon in 1814 that Hanover began to be upgraded to a kingdom with the consent of the major powers.

At the Congress of Vienna, it was decided to give the British king a say in matters of the German Confederation, when it was decided to elevate the Electorate of Hanover to the Kingdom of Hanover and form a Princess Confederacy with Britain.

But this co-ownership soon fell apart. In 1837, because Viscount Palmerston had just risen, our Kingdom of the Netherlands launched a successful policy of intervening in the Belgian rule and dividing the Netherlands.

Beginning in 1830, and in 1838 when the Netherlands recognized the independent kingdom of Belgium, the German Confederation increased its defenses against Britain. Therefore, after the death of King William IV of England, the British throne was passed to his more closely related child, Edward, Duke of Kent. The prince's heir Victoria, Princess of Kent.

When she inherited the British throne, the German Confederation initiated the Salish Laws on the European continent, prohibiting women from inheriting the throne. Queen Victoria's third uncle, William IV, ruled the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, and Hanover. In the end, Hanover could only divide the throne. out and passed on to his fifth uncle, the Duke of Cumberland. "

He looked at Moltke and William I and said gloomily: "Britain has too much say in Germany. Queen Victoria is not like William IV. Although the Principality of Luxembourg is also within the German Confederation, the Netherlands rarely participates. As for the German Confederation, Britain was just the opposite, and Hanover became a statement of British will.

Just like the Schleswig and Holstein wars we launched against Denmark this time.

Hanover and Saxony actually took the lead in front of us. Humph, if it hadn't been for the beating from Denmark, they would even be fighting for our dominance now, so"

Bismarck said to William I: "Your Majesty, Hanover must be pulled out, so that our path to the rise of Prussia will be smoother."

"Wouldn't this be bad?" Crown Prince Frederick asked before William I could express his stance:

“Will Britain send troops to support Hanover because of this?

If we really send troops, Prussia will be attacked from both sides. The Prime Minister should know that Austria will not miss the opportunity to join forces with Britain to deal with us, and Prussia's attack on Hanover is an excuse for them."

"Is the Crown Prince worried that Austria will join forces?" Bismarck asked.

Crown Prince Frederick: "Yes, we have to guard against this, shouldn't we?"

After Bismarck received the approval of William I, he revealed a piece of information to Crown Prince Frederick, but Crown Prince Frederick jumped up from his seat in shock.

Because Prime Minister Bismarck said this: "Hanover must be won, that's for sure. As for him becoming an excuse for Austria to unite with the United Kingdom, hey, the Crown Prince can rest assured."

Seeing that Crown Prince Frederick was puzzled, he continued: "Because, my plan is that Prussia was already thinking about the Austrian Empire going to war first, and then taking the opportunity to directly capture Hanover. Do you think Austria still needs this excuse? ?”

Want to fight Austria?

Seeing that William I, Moltke and others were indifferent, it was obvious that they had known about this plan.

In the past there were Denmark, Schleswig and Holstein, and now there is the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hanover.

"This" Crown Prince Frederick was shocked and couldn't help but said: "Since Britain is preparing to fight Austria, then Britain"

"Okay, Frederick"

William I stopped Crown Prince Frederick. He stood up and pointed to the latest version of the map on the wall. He said solemnly: "Look at the map around Prussia, the Baltic Sea in the north, and the Principality of Poland ruled by the Tsarist Russian Empire in the east.

To the southeast is the Austrian Empire, and to the south are the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Principality of Thuringia, the Principality of Saxony, the Principality of Hesse, the Principality of Baden, and the Principality of Bohemia.

To the west are the Kingdom of Hanover, the Principality of Lorraine, the Principality of Alsace, the Principality of Mecklenburg, the Principality of Nottenberg, the Principality of Holstein, and the Principality of Schleswig in the north.

The geographical location of the Kingdom of Hanover is very critical. It is connected to Holstein on the Jutland Peninsula in the north.

To the northeast is the Baltic Sea and borders Mecklenburg. The southwest is linked to our Rhine province and separates our mainland from the Rhine province.

To the west of Hannover is the northern part of the Netherlands. Of course, Hannover is also our continued outlet to the Atlantic Ocean.

Therefore, Bismarck and Moltke and I have already planned that our next goal will be to provoke a war with Austria, and take the opportunity to capture Hannover, Mecklenburg, Nottenberg, etc., and open up the relationship with the Rhine Province and the Netherlands in one fell swoop. Even the Atlantic Ocean and other passages, as long as these places are captured, the final result of the war with Austria will only maintain the current status quo.

Prussia after taking over Hanover, Buddenberg, and Mecklenburg was definitely completely different from what it is now. "

Crown Prince Frederick: "But where is Austria's strength? Will both sides suffer and the British gain?"

Bismarck smiled: "Your Majesty the Crown Prince, have you forgotten that the Austrian Empire is now a wounded soldier who has just suffered heavy losses?"

Crown Prince Frederick was stunned for a moment, and then he looked at Prime Minister Bismarck with wide eyes.

He looked at Wilhelm I and Chief of General Staff Moltke and swallowed in disbelief, "The Prime Minister's plan is not to take advantage of Austria's loss of nearly 100,000 people in the Schleswig War, so he wants to take advantage of his illness now. Take his life"

Bismarck shook his head: "The Crown Prince thought wrong."

Crown Prince Friedrich: "What's wrong?"

William I: "You are wrong, because before the Schleswig War began, we had already included the Austrian war losses in it. Therefore, rather than taking advantage of his illness to kill him, it is better to say that we took advantage of his illness to kill him. From the beginning, Austria fell into the trap we designed for him."

No way!

Crown Prince Frederick reacted and looked at several people in even greater disbelief.

At that time Austria was calculated!

"The Schleswig War?"

He couldn't help but ask.

Bismarck: "It was also our plan."

Only at this moment did Frederick realize that everything that had caused a sensation in Europe was in the hands of a few people in front of him.

Suddenly a link appeared in his mind quickly.

"Africa's Ethiopian-Austrian War, Nigerian expansion, plus the Schleswig War"

Crown Prince Frederick exclaimed: “In the past, I didn’t understand why Prussia chose to launch a campaign there to support its Austrian opponents.

Only now do I understand that the original intention was to trap the Austrian troops there and make it difficult for them to extricate themselves. Then the local troops could only suffer heavy losses in Schleswig with our deliberate alliance.

Austria has also deployed heavy troops outside Europe, but there is a void in the mainland. According to Prime Minister Bismarck, this is a good opportunity for Prussia to attack Austria. "

He asked: "I don't know, what time did your Majesty and the Prime Minister choose?"

Bismarck: "1866."