The explanation by Mr. Luyis did not extinguish William I’s anger; instead, it grew more intense.

The Kingdom of Prussia was heavily guarded, fearing the French Empire’s incursion into German territory. However, it still failed to prevent the French Empire from striking at their home.

The territory of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, though only the size of a free city in the German Region, is one of the vital military fortresses guarding against a French invasion. The loss of Luxembourg enlarged the boundary where the Kingdom of Prussia was adjacent to the French Empire, increasing the military pressure Prussia had to bear significantly.

Of course, the military pressure on Prussia was not the worst issue. The most troublesome point was that while the French Empire secretly negotiated with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Prussia didn’t pick up any indication of this.

Had the Kingdom of Prussia gotten any hint of it, the deal could never have taken place. The Kingdom of Prussia would have done everything possible to prevent the French Empire from acquiring the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, even if it meant adopting a warlike stance.

The fact that the Kingdom of Prussia never received any news throughout is unquestionably intriguing. Either the French Empire maintained incredibly tight secrecy, or Britain and the German Princes were aware of the transaction and had consented to it.

If it were the former, the Kingdom of Prussia might still have a chance for remedy.

If it were the latter, then the situation was dire, for it meant the Kingdom of Prussia had been "abandoned" by Britain and Austria.

In that case, the Kingdom of Prussia wouldn’t have any friends in Europe unless the Kingdom of Prussia were willing to ally with the Russian Empire, in which case the French Empire would have a reason to confront the Kingdom of Prussia.

Thinking of this, a trace of fear emerged in William I’s heart. He would rather lead an army into real battle than be first to fall into an isolated predicament.

The last time there was isolation was during Frederick the Great’s era. If it hadn’t been for Peter III suddenly withdrawing troops, the Kingdom of Prussia would have long been eradicated by France, Austria, and Russia.

However, even though William I felt some fear internally, he maintained a strong appearance on his face, "The Kingdom of the Netherlands does not have the right to single-handedly cede the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. I believe the German Confederation will not agree to it!"

"Prince William! It seems the transfer of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by the Kingdom of the Netherlands does not require the consent of the Kingdom of Prussia! Besides, when your Kingdom of Prussia annexed Sigmund and the Lingenben Duchy, you didn’t consult the German Confederation, did you? Why should France have to seek the German Confederation’s approval?" Mr. Luyis raised his head again, reverting to his previous arrogance.

What Mr. Luyis mentioned about Sigmund and the Lingenben Duchy were two branches of the Hohenzollern Clan, whose territories lay within the German Confederation. The combined area of their territories was not even as large as Luxembourg, and because of this, both duchies were annihilated in the 1848 Great Revolution.

Although they later had the fortune of being restored with the help of Prussian soldiers, the princes of the two duchies were unwilling to continue ruling these micro states.

Thus, Frederick, who was still the King of Prussia at the time, purchased the territories of the two duchies from his own pocket, slightly expanding Prussia’s territory in 1848.

[PS: In the OTL timeline, the heir of the Sigmund Duchy was invited to become the King of the Romanian Kingdom after its establishment.

The heir to the Lingenben Duchy also received an invitation from Spain to become the King of Spain.

However, the Lingenben Duchy did not have as much luck as the Sigmund Duchy, as they faced strong opposition from Napoleon III upon Spain’s invitation.

To alleviate tensions, the heir to the Lingenben Duchy had to declare, at William I’s request, that he would never assume the throne of Spain.]

Upon hearing Mr. Luyis’s rebuttal, William I countered with the fact that the Lingenben Duchy and the Sigmund Duchy were territories of the Hohenzollern Clan.

"If having family rule over a land is all it takes for annexation, wouldn’t the whole world be in chaos!" Mr. Luyis countered once more: "Ultimately, it’s just a lousy excuse on your part!"

"If the French Empire is unwilling to give up Luxembourg, then the Kingdom of Prussia does not rule out the use of force to resolve the issue!" William I threatened Mr. Luyis with war.

"If the Kingdom of Prussia wants to resolve the issue using force, France is more than willing to go all the way!!" Mr. Luyis retaliated, "The French Empire does not fear going to war with any country! Please believe in the French Empire’s determination to defend its territorial sovereignty!"

After saying this, Mr. Luyis bowed once more to William I.

"Mr. Luyis! If that’s all you have to say, then please leave at once!" William I rigidly addressed Mr. Luyis.

"Your Highness, I’ve said everything I needed to! Whether France and Prussia will be at war or peace depends entirely on you!" Mr. Luyis turned and left.

"Bastard!" William I cursed venomously, then loudly added, "He and his monarch are both complete bastards!"

...

As the negotiations between the Kingdom of Prussia and the French Empire were approaching a breakdown, the Kingdom of Prussia began to continue increasing troops in the Rhine Land. Except for the Guard Army and the two armies on the Eastern Front, the remaining five armies were all gathered on the Western Front.

Not only that, but under the mobilization of their Chief of Staff, Old Maoqi, nearly 40% of the first-class reserve forces were incorporated into the military.

All in all, the total military strength of the Kingdom of Prussia on the Eastern Front was approximately 150,000, though in terms of combat effectiveness, it left much to be desired.

The French Empire also mobilized around 150,000 troops in Luxembourg and the Alo Region, all of which were active-duty forces of the French Empire with far greater combat effectiveness than those of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Just as tensions were escalating between the Kingdom of Prussia and the French Empire, the (nominally) leading big brother of the German Confederation, the Austrian Empire, under Foreign Minister Count Bao’er (in a state of having accepted French gold coins), also spoke out.

He urged Prussia and France to resolve their issues within the framework of peace and to avoid resorting to violence, as this would not be beneficial for the entire European Continent.

This seemingly impartial declaration by the Austrian Empire made the Kingdom of Prussia feel even more infuriated.

In William I’s view, maintaining the integrity of the German Confederation was precisely the responsibility of the Austrian Empire as the big brother. However, now that the Austrian Empire was calling for Prussia and France to resolve their problems peacefully, it was blatantly showing favoritism!

Therefore, under the strong demand of William I, the Kingdom of Prussia launched a fierce diplomatic attack on the Austrian Empire. (This also indirectly illustrates what a mess the Kingdom of Prussia’s diplomacy was like without Bismarck.)

The Prussian Minister of Foreign Affairs publicly announced that if the Austrian Empire truly supported the Kingdom of Prussia, it should sanction the French Empire together with Prussia, rather than acting as a sycophant for France.

These remarks from Prussia successfully angered Count Bao’er. He immediately stated to the Kingdom of Prussia that whether the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg should fall under the rule of Jerome Bonaparte should be decided by the Luxembourgers and the German Confederation.

It should not be determined by the Kingdom of Prussia on behalf of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, as Prussia’s actions were an attempt to place itself above the German Confederation.

With Austria’s "Manifesto of War against Prussia," Bavaria, Wurttemberg, and the Saxon Kingdom, who had long been bought by France, immediately voiced their criticism of the Kingdom of Prussia.

As the seller, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, under the demands of their monarch, William III, also criticized the Kingdom of Prussia in the name of the Duchy of Limburg (a member state of the German Confederation).

While the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire were locked in conflict, the French Empire also publicly declared their respect for the opinions of the Luxembourgers and their willingness to listen to their voices.

Thus, the first nationwide referendum of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg officially began.

The content of the referendum was: Who do you choose to be your ruler? A: William III, B: Jerome Bonaparte.

In this two-option choice, those selecting Jerome Bonaparte far outnumbered those choosing William III.

After all, one was implementing a policy of extraction on Luxembourg, while the other was adopting a beneficial policy, making the choice clear.

Ultimately, the residents of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg completed the vote with a 90% approval rate.

When the voting results were announced, the German public opinion, which had been stirred up by the Kingdom of Prussia, instantly calmed down. The self-proclaimed democratic German elites had to admit it was the choice of the Luxembourg people.

(A brief episode: On the Crimea Peninsula, upon learning of the referendum results, Jerome Bonaparte explained with pride to his nephew, Jerome Patterson: A seemingly democratic referendum is, in reality, nothing more than letting you choose between a watermelon and an apple, with the voters having no real choice.)

Subsequently, William I asked Bismarck, the representative of the Kingdom of Prussia stationed in the Frankfurt Parliament, to present a public prosecution to the French Parliament, requesting the German Confederation to deny the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ William III the right to arbitrarily transfer control over Luxembourg.

Although Bismarck knew that William I’s proposal was certainly going to be rejected by Frankfurt without any discussion, the lingering notion of German nationalism in his heart still led him to submit this proposal to the German Confederation Parliament.

Just before the proposal was formally brought up for discussion in the German Confederation Parliament, Prince Metternich, representing Emperor Franz Joseph, the chairman of the German Confederation, informed the representatives that a newcomer would be joining the German Confederation.

It’s over!

With his keen political instincts, Bismarck immediately realized that this proposal was doomed.