Metternich was in his room on the ship and drafted a proclamation in response to the Prussians, which he sent to Emperor Franz of Austria after reading it.
Send it to the Prussians and the major newspapers in Austria, so that they can publicize it as much as possible.
The negotiations between Prussia and Austria were a very hot news topic for all Austrians.
Metternich took the initiative to provide information. Of course, reporters and editors from various newspapers were not stingy and immediately began to write reports and analysis articles in various aspects.
Prussia and Austria proposed conditions for union, which made the front pages of major newspapers in both countries the next day.
On the third day, it appeared on the front page of major newspapers in other countries in Thailand and Spain.
After all, even if the gimmick of "rebuilding the Holy Roman Empire" is not considered, the status of Prussia and Austria in the West is enough to cause a sensation.
If the two countries can really merge normally, a truly unified German Empire will be born, a key country that occupies the most central position in the western continent.
That would directly break the current balance of power in the western continent and have a huge impact on the situation in the entire western continent.
These days, whether it is the imperial courts of various countries in Europe or the private scholars, there are people everywhere who are considering, analyzing and discussing with relevant reports.
Many people with direct interests outside Prussia and Austria are worried that whether the Prussian-Austrian peace succeeds or fails, it may lead to war.
But there are also many people who have expectations for Tessie's future and regard this as the beginning of Tessie's rebuilding of New Rome.
However, this group of people's illusions about the future of a unified New Rome were quickly shattered.
After just a few days, on the 25th day of the first month of the AD year.
When public opinion in various aspects was already brewing, Prussia once again gave a new public response.
Prussia claimed that the current problems of the German region and the Germans were not problems that could be solved by the traditional HRE framework.
It cannot be solved by compromise negotiations between a group of politicians on the table.
We can only rely on absolute power and force.
Therefore, William III, on behalf of the Hohenzollern royal family and the Prussian court, directly rejected the Austrian invitation to negotiate.
Nor was he tossing around among the compromises planned by Metternich.
Requirements that approximated an ultimatum were given, that is, those conditions that Zhu Jingyuan already knew through Xichang.
He bluntly demanded that Austria directly cede all German-populated areas.
If Austria refuses, Prussia will formally declare war to Austria directly through the League of Nations platform.
Austria has one month to decide.
According to the Ming Dynasty New Calendar, a clear answer must be given before March 26 of the Ming Dynasty.
Accept the conditions or enter a state of war.
After receiving the Prussian announcement more than ten days ago, the Austrians had already accelerated the speed of their battleships and accompanying passenger ships.
The energy-saving cruising speed of fifteen knots was directly increased to the combat dispatch speed of twenty knots.
At that time, it broke away from the fleet of delegations from the Thai and Western countries.
Now we have entered the Great Qinhai
At this time, there is only more than 3,000 kilometers of voyage left from the mainland, and it can take up to four days to return to the military port in the mainland.
Metternich and Franz were already slightly relieved.
After receiving Prussia's response, both of them were stunned. They were both stunned for a long time.
Franz fell directly into a state of confusion, and asked Metternich who came to deliver the news very nervously:
"How could this happen? Why is it completely different from what we discussed before?
“Are the Prussians completely crazy?
"If we don't agree to their conditions within a month, will they really declare war on us directly?"
Metternich said with a gloomy face and a hateful voice:
“The Prussians are completely crazy, they are not prepared to negotiate with us at all.
“The process of issuing announcements and announcements is just following the alliance process required by the Ming Emperor.
“The one month they left us to consider and decide is actually the advance time for internal war notification stipulated by the alliance.
“They were ready for war from the beginning.
“Even more, their purpose may not be to seize land, but to launch the act of war itself.
"It was used to divert existing conflicts in their country and fill the relatively dry pockets of the Prussians.
"Now war is inevitable and we must prepare for war immediately.
"The plan we discussed before, which allows each group to fight independently against the invaders, must be implemented now.
“All troops must immediately enter a state of combat readiness, move to border areas and increase their troop numbers.
“At the same time, full mobilization must begin immediately.
"We can't wait for us to return to our homeland, otherwise it will be too late."
Franz was still a little flustered and unable to accept the question:
"Is this really the only way to go? Will Prussia really launch an attack on us?"
Franz was also a little dizzy.
It was really difficult to accept this reality that made him feel powerless.
Metternich felt that all he could do was to shatter his last illusions and hopes:
"Five years ago, this warning might not have come true, but now it almost certainly will.
"Foreign war is Prussia's most ideal and executable plan to divert conflicts."
Franz actually understood this himself, he just hoped that someone would wake him up.
Now I closed my eyes, sat in my seat and sighed:
"Just do as you say."
The Austrian fleet increased its speed again, from twenty knots to twenty-five knots.
At the same time, he ordered the mainland to start war mobilization via telegraph.
Prussia and Austria, the old enemies, finally came to the brink of war.
Prussia's response to the Austrians was also public, and was also directly disseminated by local newspapers and radio broadcasts.
Then, the public opinion atmosphere in the entire German region and most of the European and American countries quickly exploded.
Prussia's new announcement is completely different in nature from the previous announcement.
Although the original request for Austria's allegiance to the annexation was excessive, it was actually not that rare among countries.
Various statements and warnings between countries with a history of hostility may be more exaggerated.
To put it bluntly, the price is sky-high at most.
surface attitude.
But the new announcement is a declaration of war.
The current situation of the countries in Europe and the West is already at a very dangerous critical point.
Prussia's war warning directly raised the crisis to another level.
Now that Austria and Prussia have decided to launch a war, both sides began a comprehensive public confrontation in the period before the war.
Both sides used the newspapers and radio broadcasts that they controlled and could influence to export various views and bombard the other party's royal family and court.
The Habsburgs questioned the legitimacy of the Hohenzollern royal rule. Prussia was not a land in the German region, and the King of Prussia was not a title of the HRE.
Hohenzollern questioned that Habsburg was not a true German, and that Habsburg, who only pretended to engage in bed politics, was not worthy of becoming the emperor of the Germans.
This kind of straightforward behavior of exposing each other's shortcomings can be regarded as a tearing behavior among traditional aristocrats.
The two sides have indeed fallen out.
These caused the situation on the western continent to quickly become tense.
After brief discussions with their main ministers, the other monarchs of the European and Western countries decided to immediately issue orders to prepare for war.
The situation of the countries in Europe and the West is already very dangerous, and now there is a fuse in the central area that may explode at any time.
It can be said that the war is just around the corner.
None of these monarchs and politicians dared to relax at all.
At the same time, the monarchs of various countries also jointly decided to speed up the delegation's fleet.
It was also increased from fifteen knots to twenty knots.
The monarchs and ministers of various countries all hope to return to their homeland as soon as possible to take control of the situation.
However, the development of things was still a bit beyond the expectations of the monarchs and politicians who were still on the ship.
Although the verbal exchanges between Prussia and Austria were fierce, both sides were also trying their best to accumulate strength.
However, the two sides are still in a state of pre-war scolding after all.
The Lucian who had been silent until now suddenly gave everyone a bigger surprise.
Soon after Metternich persuaded Franz to start preparations for war, the Lucian army began the most direct action.
On February 5, AD, the well-prepared Lucian Northern Army directly crossed the border and launched a full-scale attack on Sweden and Norway.
Nearly a thousand aircraft in Lucia appeared on the borders of the three countries, covering the mechanized army carrying more than 2,000 new armored fighting vehicles.
Directly begin raids on Swedish border cities and military installations.
Although Norway and Sweden are wary of the Lucians, they know that the other side covets their territory.
But the vigilance of both countries is far from enough.
Mainly the quarrel between Prussia and Austria, it is the hottest thing on the entire European-Taiwan road now, and it directly affects many people's judgment of the situation.
The Swedes take it for granted that Prussia and Austria are quarreling, and if the Lucians want to take action against them, they may make a public statement first.
They should first verbally ask for land closer to the Atlantic Ocean.
What I never expected was that the Lucian people didn't shout at all and just took action without saying a word.
The sudden attack by Lucia's army, which had completed the coordinated air-ground attack of mechanized army construction, directly caught Sweden and Norway off guard.
The two countries were originally deployed near the border to defend the Lucian army, but Lucia was directly involved in making dumplings.
Under the continuous bombardment of aerial bombs and the direct impact of a large number of armored fighting vehicles, the stunned defenders in these places were quickly defeated.
The Lucian front advanced more than sixty kilometers in one day.
At this time, most of the delegations from the Thai and Western countries participating in the Ming Emperor's coronation ceremony had returned to their home countries.
The fleets of the monarchs of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark have also entered the North Sea.
It seems that I will be home tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
The monarchs of the three kingdoms were shocked when they received the news of the Lucians' undeclared war.
The monarchs and ministers of Norway and Sweden couldn't help but cursed the Lucians for their lack of martial ethics.
At the same time, including the Danes, everyone is now extremely panicked.
Although the first wave of news did not contain information on the Lucian attack efficiency and advancement speed, Lucia's declaration of war itself was the worst information.
War did not break out between Prussia and Austria, which looked most dangerous on the European continent.
Instead, they started fighting at their own home.
It's like watching a fire break out in a certain building and then realizing it was your own house.
The monarchs of the three countries all urged the fleet to speed up again and return to their home capitals as soon as possible to control the situation.
As a result, just after the order was issued, a strange whistling sound sounded outside.
A large group of aircraft appeared over the fleet.
The air force and naval carrier-based aircraft of Lucia and Prussia directly launched aerial attacks on the fleets of the three monarchs.
The naval fleets of the Thai and Western countries in this world have just completed the construction of their World War II-style fleets.
In this world, aviation-to-ship attacks have not actually occurred in war, and the combat efficiency of aircraft carriers has not been tested.
In addition to the Ming Dynasty's battleship design, Zhu Jingyuan's advance guidance and instructions specifically enhanced the anti-aircraft firepower.
Although the current air defense capabilities of the fleets of other countries cannot be said to be absent, they can only be said to be better than nothing.
Air defense capability is limited to theory.
No one has an accurate idea of what actual combat is like.
The navies of the three Nordic countries were relatively poor, but Lucia and Prussia still had the information advantage to launch surprise attacks without declaring war.
The ships of the Three Kingdoms Monarchs soon became scarred.
Although the monarchs and ministers of Norway and Sweden were angry and panicked, they were able to confirm and understand that the attackers must be Lucians.
But the Danish monarch and ministers were completely at a loss.
Until they received news from the mainland, the Prussians had launched a full-scale attack on the Danish mainland.
The Danish monarchs and ministers were completely confused.
Aren't you, Prussia, in the middle of a lively war with Austria, claiming to declare war on Austria in a month?
Why did you backhand me, a spectator, now?
Is the war between Prussia and Austria just a cover? Are you the real target of Prussia?
But whether they can understand it or not, whether they can accept this reality or not, the war that has been brewing for many years has finally officially begun.
On your own home turf.
The monarchs of the Three Kingdoms had no time to think and analyze. They could only hide in the safest core cabin of the battleship and let the battleship do its best to avoid and escape.
But it was obvious that Lucia and Prussia were well prepared.
The air strikes were only the first round of attacks.
The fleets of the three monarchs did not run far before they encountered the battleship fleets of Prussia and Lucia.
The main fleets of Prussia and Lucia, guided by the aircraft carrier's carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft, blocked the fleets of the three monarchs at sea.
Following the idea that a lion and a tiger must fight a rabbit with all their strength, the two countries dispatched eight 40,000-ton capital ships.
There are also a dozen cruisers and more than thirty destroyers.
Anyway, most of the wars against Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were fought on land.
The navies of the three Nordic countries are also weak.
The most important task of the Prussian and Lucian navies was to capture the monarchs of the three countries and their principal ministers.
It can be said that their mission this time was completed very smoothly.
The Prussians and Prussians advance to the approximate itinerary of the three kingdoms' monarch fleets, and the aircraft carrier's carrier-based aircraft are responsible for aerial reconnaissance.
It was completely a trap-in-a-jar operation.
(End of chapter)
