"Bulgaria is insignificant to Germany, but Germany's future path must start from Bulgaria. As Prince Eitel said, the dilemma facing Germany is very straightforward. During the period of rapid development of German industry, we need more resources. Countries with more resources are Britain and France, which have more colonies. Whenever we have a technological breakthrough, they can use their resource advantage to strangle us."
"so what?*
This can be said to be common sense in Germany.
As a late-developing industrial country, Germany can almost be said to have dominated the Second Industrial Revolution. In terms of industrial competition, the old capitalist empires of Britain and France could no longer compete with Germany.
To put it simply.
Germany is strong enough, but it has not achieved a status that matches its strength.
It's time to get Britain off the world's hegemony.
However, no one wants to see a life-and-death war.
Hilde continued.
"Prime Minister Bateman wants to solve this crisis by establishing a new customs union. If this can really be solved, it would be a good thing. But from the perspective of Russia, Britain, and France, it may not be the case.
"continue""
"Needless to say, the relationship between France and us is irreconcilable. The relationship between Russia and us depends on our relationship with Austria. Austria and Russia have a Balkan dispute. Whether we side with Austria or Tsarist Russia is not a good thing. Russia's economy is heavily infiltrated by France. The exchanges between them are very close, just to prevent us from becoming too big. The situation with Britain is even simpler. The world trade system is dominated by the British Empire. Our strength will shake their position as the world hegemon.3
"Most Germans know what you said, Hilde, you have to put forward some different opinions."
"In that case, I have to tell you the source of all these mistakes."
"Who do you think is the source of these errors?"
"Your Majesty, what do you think of the former Prime Minister, His Excellency Bismarck?*
Hilde's change of topic was a bit abrupt.
William II frowned.
"What does this have to do with?"
"related."
"Okay, Hilde, I'll give you the answer you want. As the German Emperor, I respect the former Prime Minister Bismarck very much. Without him, there would be no German Empire today. I thank him for his lifelong contribution to the empire." Hilde smiled.
"But I disagree with your statement, Your Majesty. We really cannot forget Bismarck's contribution to the empire and his achievements. But this is only limited to Bismarck's youth. When Bismarck got old, I am not targeting Bismarck personally, but his policy ideas. When he got old, he became conservative, cowardly, short-sighted and had no foresight.
"shut up!"
William II interrupted Hilde directly.
"Hilde, my tolerance for you is limited. His Excellency Bismarck is even my elder. You cannot insult him."
"I'm just stating objective facts."
"Then you'd better explain how you stated the facts, otherwise I will teach you on behalf of your parents what it means to respect elders.
In fact, it can be seen very clearly.
William II was not angry at all.
In the German Empire, it was well known that William II and former Prime Minister Bismarck did not get along. The conflict between the two led to the world-famous painting, which drove the captain off the ship. It also caused Bismarck to not accept the title of Duke given by William II on his tombstone when he died, but the title of Marquis given by William I.
If Hilde insulted Bismarck wantonly, William II would definitely not accept it.
But if Hilde could objectively and factually point out the mistakes in Bismarck's policies.
William II wanted to stand up and applaud Hilde.
This was not just a conflict of ideas between William II and Bismarck, but more importantly a struggle for power.
The German Empire was a deformed empire.
If you want to attract attention.
That is.
shock!
Wilhelm II was not the Emperor of the German Empire at all.
In fact, it is not. William II is the German Emperor, not the Emperor of the German Empire.
If it is easy to understand, the title of German Emperor Wilhelm II is actually honorary in nature and does not carry any political attributes such as Emperor of the German Empire.
This title of Emperor was not the title of the monarch of the German Empire, but the personal title of the President of the German Confederation, which was tied to the King of Prussia and the President of the Confederation. This title of Emperor did not bring actual power to William I, it was a title rather than a position.
As Emperor William I of unified Germany.
He was merely an honorary emperor recognized by a relatively compact confederation.
Also, due to the strange legal provisions of the empire, the emperor's power was strictly limited, and the power of the prime minister of the empire was infinitely elevated. It can be said that Bismarck became the vice emperor of the German Empire, and his power even exceeded that of William I, the emperor.
During the reign of William I, this was not a problem because he had a good relationship with Bismarck and they trusted each other.
But during the reign of William II.
Everything is different.
This became an irreconcilable conflict between the two.
What William II wanted was to be the absolute monarch of the German Empire and to have the entire German Empire revolve around him.
The heart is established.
but.
It's impossible to just say it's because of a power struggle.
As emperor, he and his prime minister were fighting for power, but William II could not bring himself to say that. So the so-called power struggle evolved into a struggle of ideas.
That's what Hilde is saying.
"Mr. Bismarck's diplomatic philosophy is to win over Russia and prevent France and Russia from getting close. To unite with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and curb Russia's expansion. To win over Britain and intensify the confrontation between Britain and Russia. This sounds very good, but in fact it is just a mess. He wanted to prevent France and Russia from getting close, but now France and Russia can't get any closer. He wanted to win over Britain, but the former British King Edward VII won over France to reach a reconciliation, resulting in Britain, France and Russia encircling Germany on three sides. The only ally of ours, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, do you know how some Austrians evaluate us?"
William II frowned.
No words were spoken.
Hilde continued.
"They see themselves as Germans abandoned by Germany, and they think we have betrayed them."
"In Germany, betrayal is an unforgivable sin."
"All of this stems from the policy mistakes of former Prime Minister Bismarck. I am not targeting Mr. Bismarck himself.
I am targeting Mr. Bismarck's wrong perspective. In his eyes, Germany is just a regional power that needs to be balanced.
The relationships around it."
"but."
"The great German Empire has proved one thing: the German Empire is destined to march towards the throne of world hegemony. Britain, France, and Russia are all afraid of the rise of the German Empire. Germany will surely rise, and we are destined to stand at the top of the historical torrent."
"As His Excellency Bismarck himself said, the great issues of great times are not decided by speeches and majority decisions, but by iron and blood!"
William II still did not speak.
As emperor.
He can't just say whatever he wants.
"You just pointed out his mistake. If you were in his position, what would you do?"
"Annex to Austria."3
"If we annex Austria, we will still be surrounded by Britain, France and Russia."
"What Britain wants is not to defeat Germany, but to maintain the balance of power in Europe. As long as we show strength that just balances with Russia and France, Britain will not join forces with France. Sooner or later, the British will have to pay the price for their arrogance. When the war starts, we only need to tear Paris apart in six weeks and turn around to attack Russia. Britain is just a small country isolated on an island, and it will pose no threat to us."
"Why six weeks?"
"Given Russia's backward industrial level, it would take at least six weeks to complete the total war mobilization."
"That's all?"
"That's all"
William II couldn't help laughing.
The war plan that Hilde mentioned coincided with the Schlieffen Plan kept secret by General Schlieffen. This alone showed Hilde's military level.
William II did not ask further questions.
Instead, he changed the subject.
"Now I am more curious about who your father is."
Daughter "Your Majesty, it is not difficult to investigate, but no matter whose daughter I am, I am the daughter of this land.
"You want me to keep it a secret for you?"
"I don't want a bunch of people to be curious about my family's affairs."
"Well, we should go back. They should be fighting soon."
Wait until William II and Hilde return.
Crown Prince William would naturally not fight with Prince Eitel, otherwise it would be too embarrassing in front of Hilde.
But Prince Eitel had already left.
To be more precise, he was pissed off by Crown Prince William. Prince Eitel could never win an argument with Crown Prince William.
Crown Prince William looked at Hilde and William II who had arrived and probably understood something in his mind.
Next time.
Banquet.
Wilhelm II, Hilde, Crown Prince Wilhelm, and Empress Augustus enjoyed dinner together at the Berlin City Palace
William II never mentioned any political topics at the dinner.
Just chatting with Hilde casually.
Crown Prince William did not interrupt.
He could naturally see that William II liked Hilde very much.
The Bulgarian case is almost certain.
For William II.
What Hilde said was just what William II wanted to say but could not say. Although William II was famous for his outspokenness in the international community, given his status, it seemed a bit treasonous to criticize Bismarck. After all, Bismarck was of the same generation as William I and was William I's comrade-in-arms.
It's his father's generation.
But if it's Hilde, there's no problem at all.
In everyone's eyes, Hilde is just an underage girl. Even if she said something wrong, what's the big deal? Are you still going to hold it against her?
The only pity is that Hilde was not from Bismarck's era.
William II really wanted to see Hilde mocking Bismarck like this in parliament.
Bismarck was so angry that his face turned blue.
If it were anyone else, Bismarck would have drawn his sword to duel, but he couldn't draw his sword to duel with a little girl like Hilde, so he could only go back home and sulk.
To be precise, William II was actually quite envious of Hilde.
So ostentatious.
So dazzling.
So pure.
In fact, William II wanted to intervene directly in the Balkans from the very beginning, but there were too many doves in Germany, and even William II, as the emperor, could not act alone. Now Hilde's arrival gave William II a more direct reason.
Now Hilde just had to prove one thing to William II.
Loyalty to the Empire.
Wait until the dinner is over.
Hilde came out of the Berlin Palace.
Prince Eitel can be seen standing alone at the intersection, surrounded by a few soldiers who were changing shifts. Despite his status as a prince, he looks as miserable as a stray dog on the street.
When Prince Eitel saw Hilde, he looked away and explained to himself as if to hide his embarrassment.
"Miss Hildegard, I brought you here, and I will naturally send you back."
"What if I lived here today?"
"Then I'll wait until tomorrow."
Hilde couldn't help but chuckle.
Prince Eitel asked rhetorically.
"What are you laughing at?"
Hilde stretched her hand from behind her back, holding a piece of bread between her slender fingers. The brown bread formed a sharp contrast with Hilde's white fingers.
"The bread left for my knights, which I stole from the palace."
"unnecessary."
Prince Eitel turned away and lowered the brim of his hat with his hand, as if he didn't want Hilde to see his expression.
I also feel a little rude.
Prince Eitel followed up.
"I'm sorry that I showed you my bad side today."
Hield did not continue on this topic.
For Prince Eitel, today's performance was indeed somewhat embarrassing.
So Hilde changed the subject.
"I have to go back to Bulgaria right away. Do you want to come with me?"
"What do you mean?"
Prince Eitel's eyes lit up.
"It may be a little dangerous over there. Are you willing to protect me,
my knight?"
"Obligated!"
It turns out that even the prince can't resist the princess and the knight.
For a young man like Prince Eitel who lacks love, attention, and respect, it is best to stay away from Hilde.
She is seventeen years old.
Prince Eitel was no match for her.