On November 1, 1890, Archduke Albert and Leopold II held a historic meeting in Cologne, engaging in an in-depth exchange on the Anti-French issue.
Well, that's the official rhetoric. The reality was that after the Luxembourg Line collapsed, the situation in Belgium deteriorated, and Leopold II could no longer maintain order, compelling him to go into exile.
Dreaming of holding Brussels was just that, a dream. With Belgium's capabilities, it simply did not have the strength to withstand the ferocious French onslaught.
Yet the situation had not reached a point of utter hopelessness, although the Luxembourg Line broke down and the German Federation suffered heavy losses, with Belgium on the brink of falling, it still could not change the fact that the war against France had only just begun.
Essentially, this war was concocted by France and Austria in their struggle for European hegemony, with Prussia and Germany being implicated for possessing valuable traits.
