Chapter 365 The Last Gift [Additional update]
Frankfurt, Provisional Parliament Hall of the German Confederation.
Facing the silent "audience", the old Kurdre once again issued a torture that went straight to the heart.
"You were all blind before, and now you're all deaf?!"
Still no one answered, because this was too heavy for the representatives present. Maybe because one of his words will ruin his political future, or he will become the punching bag of the entire Confederate civilian population. Of course, it is also possible that it will be both.
Ludwig von Lens is a junior student at the University of Vienna. He is 1.82 meters tall, has a strong body, white skin, blond hair, blue eyes, and has a standard German appearance, but he is a genuine Czech and born in Prezburg, Hungary.
Logically speaking, a student is not qualified to be the entourage of the Austrian representative, but he is a die-hard royalist, which can be regarded as an outlier in the university.
(Yes! Austrian universities are the largest gathering place for anti-Austrian people. And many college students choose to declare themselves liberals in order to be unconventional.)
The Austrian imperial government would naturally favor such "loyal" high-quality talents, so Ludwig von Rens could be chartered as the entourage of the Austrian representative to the German Confederation.
Old Kurdre's words made this young man excited. In fact, he had always wanted to be a soldier. Because the salary was too low, he chose to apply for the University of Vienna to study law and become an official. It was also for the sake of his family and sister. .
"What is the purpose of the German Confederation? Have you all forgotten it?"
Old Couldre asked himself.
"You forgot! But I didn't forget!
The members of the German Confederation defended each other and jointly defended the fortresses of Mainz, Luxembourg, Rastatt, Ulm and Landau as they entered Germany!
Now our German fortress has been breached! what should we do! "
Old Kurd thunder shouted at the top of his lungs, but still no one answered. The representative of Austria is Count Pillersdorff, a seasoned politician who has never had a significant presence, but is one of the core figures in Austrian imperial politics.
Pillersdorff paid no attention to Luxembourg's request. In his eyes, Luxembourg was too far away from the Austrian Empire, and the cost of offending Britain, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands was too high. It was a completely loss-making deal.
If Austria really sends troops to help Luxembourg, the biggest beneficiary will be Prussia. After all, this empire is not interested in enclaves on the European continent after losing the Austrian Netherlands.
As a high-ranking official in the empire, he naturally knows better than anyone else that under the seemingly peaceful situation in Europe, there are actually turbulent undercurrents, and it may not take a big spark to ignite the entire continent.
The expansion of the empire in Italy has caused dissatisfaction among Britain and France. If it were not for the outstanding performance of the Austrian navy in the Turkish-Egyptian War, I am afraid that the British would have threatened to block the Adriatic Sea.
In fact, after the Turkish-Egyptian War, the Mediterranean Fleet formed by the British on Crete was to suppress Austria and France.
In short, Luxembourg is indeed poor, but that doesn't matter.
"Fight back! Defend our country!" A lone voice appeared behind Pillersdorff. This was far beyond his own expectations, and of course it was beyond the expectations of the entire venue.
The person who shouted this was naturally Ludwig von Lens, a young man with a stupid head. Young people are already easily incited, let alone in the era of this nation in the 19th century.
The voice from the Austrian side was not loud, but it was like thunder in the ears of the surrounding audience, because it represented an attitude.
As a result, representatives of states with better relations with Austria immediately responded, because the Austrian Empire joined the German Customs Union and at the same time occupied an absolutely dominant position.
The Austrian Empire in this generation not only had a high reputation among the royal families of various countries, but also had a strong influence among the people. Naturally, there were more small states dependent on Austria.
The Austrian Empire was the first to express its stance. This was a good opportunity to express itself.
"war!"
"war!"
"war!"
As for the princes of Saxony, Hanover, and Bavaria, they were eager for Austria or Prussia to step down, so they naturally joined the booing team.
Prussian Foreign Minister Heinrich von Bülow was very angry with the Austrian Empire's approach, because Luxembourg was a protectorate of Prussia, how could Austria be allowed to take the lead?
Or does Austria want to return to its own Austrian Netherlands? This will undoubtedly increase Austria's strength and influence, which will be a great disadvantage to Prussia.
Therefore, Prussia had to express its stance. Heinrich von Bülow stood up, and the audience immediately became quiet, because whether it was a war or a peace with the "Netherlands" depended on Prussia's attitude.
The representatives of the German Confederation were inexplicably excited at this time. The consciousness of a nation was awakening. The thousand years of mutual attacks on this land seemed to be coming to an end at this moment.
"Gentlemen! The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is our German Confederation's barrier in the west, and has always defended us against threats from France and the Netherlands. Now that it is threatened, we in Prussia, as its protector, are naturally duty-bound.
I will report it to His Majesty King Frederick William IV of our country and ask him to make a decision. I also hope that all countries can provide full assistance. "
Heinrich von Bülow looked at the Austrian representative Count Pillersdorff. The former felt that he had an advantage. After all, Prussia would lead the war.
As a typical Junker nobleman, Heinrich von Bulow's views were completely opposite to those of a seasoned politician.
Count Pillersdorfer didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this time. Originally, a reckless young man pushed Austria to the forefront, but now Heinrich von Bülow actually used Prussia to block the front.
This should be a good thing, but then Austria will have to step into this muddy water, which may drag the entire Europe into the flames of war. He can already imagine the Prime Minister being furious. .
Earl Pillersdorf did not express his position, but stood up and prepared to leave.
At this time, the old Kurdre on the stage spoke. He was actually a very good politician, but he was destined to be difficult to achieve much in a small country like Luxembourg. He knew the concerns of the Austrian Empire.
"Thank you, compatriots, but we are not asking for anyone's mercy, but we intend to hire your army to get back what belongs to us."
At Old Couldre's signal, other representatives from Luxembourg carried heavy boxes to the middle of the venue.
"We in Luxembourg have accumulated a lot of money thanks to the care of our compatriots over the years, and I want to use it to hire you."
At this time, boxes were opened one after another, revealing gold bars neatly arranged inside.
"This is the blood and sweat of 420,000 Luxembourg compatriots, the hope of 950,000 Luxembourgers, a total of 120 million florins. Frohe Weihnachten!"
(Frohe Weihnachten (n)! means Merry Christmas, English Merry Christmas.)
This was the last time Old Kurdrey slapped the German Confederacy in the face, and it was also the retreat he found for his compatriots.