Make France Great Again-Chapter 152 Asking for Saar

"Thank you for your understanding! Mr. Envoy, I believe that France and Prussia will certainly become friendly allied nations!"

Jerome Bonaparte hypocritically told the Prussian Envoy, knowing that it was time to "lay cards on the table" with the Prussian Envoy.

According to Jerome Bonaparte’s understanding of King Frederick William IV of Prussia, the conditions he proposed were simply impossible for the King of Prussia to accept.

If Frederick William IV were to agree to his conditions, the Kingdom of Prussia, which held the high hopes of German nationalists, would become a disgraceful traitor, undoubtedly a massive blow to Prussia. The liberals who rose to Prussian politics relying on nationalism also could not tolerate such an incorrect act.

Though German nationalism may seem suppressed now, it has merely transformed from open confrontation to parliamentary struggle. The dream of German nationalism is hidden deep in every German’s heart.

Of course, everyone has their own German dream; Prussia and Austria both seek to establish a Germany excluding each other, while Bavaria aims to create a Third Germany excluding both Prussia and Austria.

Proven by facts, Bavaria ultimately triumphed, excluding Austria from the German system, while Prussia lost its divine-right land and the hard-fought Silesia.

This mentality led to the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Bavaria did not choose to lead its army to join Austria and help strike Prussia, opting instead to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, establishing the South German Federation with Prussia’s acquiescence.

Otherwise, considering the combat power of Bavaria’s army in France in 1870, the addition of 100,000 Bavarian troops to the Austro-Prussian battlefield would have drastically altered the outcome of the war.

The Prussian Envoy was unaware that Jerome Bonaparte had already made up his mind, mistakenly believing that the President would support their Prussia in the upcoming battle against Austria.

"I also believe that the French Republic and the Kingdom of Prussia will become friendly allied nations! Our two countries can certainly join hands to defend the peace and order of Europe in the future!" responded the Prussian Envoy.

"Mr. Envoy!" Jerome Bonaparte "honestly" spread his hands and whispered: "To be honest, in your struggle against Austria, I am inclined towards you; after all, the Austrian Empire is simply too large! If they were to gain dominance over Germany, the French Republic would face an enormous empire of nearly seventy million people! Seventy million! What a terrifying figure, when all of France has only about thirty-five million!"

Jerome Bonaparte gestured dramatically.

"Exactly!" The Prussian Envoy, echoing Jerome Bonaparte’s ideas, nodded: "An empire of seventy million would be a nightmare for all European Great Powers, and we, Prussia, are a solid barrier against the Austrian Empire’s ambitions."

Before the Prussian Envoy could revel in the prospect of diplomatic success, Jerome Bonaparte’s next words left the Envoy somewhat at a loss.

"Mr. Envoy, your Kingdom of Prussia is just the same! You devised the ’Three Kings Alliance’ governance merely to exclude the Austrian Empire from Germany!" Jerome Bonaparte pointed out the Prussian Envoy’s intent succinctly: "Even if Austria is excluded, Prussia still has a population of about thirty-four or thirty-five million! My God, a nation with the same area and population as the French Republic existing next to France! And judging by your country’s population growth rate, your population will eventually surpass France’s."

Jerome Bonaparte’s rapid-fire response left the Prussian Envoy not knowing how to react. It was the first time he encountered someone who considered Prussia a threat to France, and worse, the person harboring this thought was a leader of that country.

"Prussia harbors goodwill towards France; we have no historical animosities!" the Prussian Envoy promptly responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Mr. Envoy, my uncle defeated your forces in two weeks!" Jerome Bonaparte "kindly" reminded.

"That was an unfortunate clash. Although we’ve had some frictions, please believe we still respect His Majesty the Emperor, just as we respect our King!" suppressing his patriotic fervor, the Prussian Envoy hastily declared.

Ha! Respect that makes you want to kill my uncle? Jerome Bonaparte responded disdainfully in his heart.

After the defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Emperor Napoleon was forced to abdicate, and Blücher eagerly approached Allied Commander-in-Chief Wellington to express his intent to eliminate Emperor Napoleon.

There was undoubtedly a mix of a "simple" Prussian’s resentment against Emperor Napoleon during his occupation of Prussia.

To now say there is no animosity between them is self-deception.

Knowing the Prussian Envoy’s blatant misrepresentation, Jerome Bonaparte still cooperated in the Envoy’s performance.

"I think so too!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded, then spread his hands and sighed: "But these reasons can’t persuade my Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Assembly. Compared to Prussia, they favor Austria more, as most of them are remnants of the previous dynasty!"

Jerome Bonaparte, without any mental burden, shifted the blame onto the Legislative Assembly and the Minister of Foreign Affairs: "Unless..."

"Unless what?" the Prussian Envoy inquired hastily.

Jerome Bonaparte feigned a hesitant expression, then spoke, "Unless the Kingdom of Prussia can offer terms that would move the Legislative Assembly and the government, how can I account for the entire French people!"

"What terms?" the Prussian Envoy inquired.

"There seem to be some ambiguous territorial disputes between France and Germany in the Rhine Region. If these disputes could be resolved, I believe the Legislative Assembly and the entire French populace would certainly support the Prussian Envoy’s claims!" Jerome Bonaparte vaguely proposed ceding territory to the Prussian Envoy.

The Prussian Envoy instantly understood that what Jerome Bonaparte truly wanted was not the so-called peace in Europe and friendship with Prussia; in his eyes, such friendship and peace were worthless — only tangible territory could fulfill his desires.

Damn it! You greedy fellow!

The Prussian Envoy bitterly cursed Jerome Bonaparte in his heart, seeing Jerome Bonaparte almost overlap with that Emperor Napoleon who brought endless humiliation to Prussia — both equally greedy.

Despite internally cursing Jerome Bonaparte dozens of times, the Prussian Envoy still maintained a smile befitting diplomatic protocol on his face.

"Mr. President, regarding the territorial disputes, I think..." The Prussian Envoy stammered, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Mr. Envoy, I know this exceeds your authority." Jerome Bonaparte "consoled," "You can convey France’s demands to your King. I believe he can fairly assess the relations between Prussia and Austria."

"I will convey your terms to our King, Your Majesty!" The Prussian Envoy realized that winning French support had become an impossible task; Prussia would certainly not sell its territory to satisfy France’s appetite.

For now, he could only pray that the Austrian Envoy would also refuse France’s terms, thus making it possible for France to support Prussia.

Jerome Bonaparte and the Prussian Envoy continued their conversation intermittently for some time before the Prussian Envoy took his leave, "Mr. President, it has been a pleasure to communicate with you today..."

After several unsuccessful attempts to persuade him to stay, Jerome Bonaparte had to bid farewell to Prussia.

Jerome Bonaparte personally escorted the Prussian Envoy to the door of the Elysee Palace.

"Your Majesty, Baron Hubert, the Austrian Envoy, has been waiting in the parlor for quite some time," Mokar said to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Did he come of his own accord?" Jerome Bonaparte asked, surprised.

"That’s right!" Mokar nodded in response.

"Bring him to the study then!"

Jerome Bonaparte returned to the study first, then Mokar went to the parlor to bring Envoy Hubert into the study.

"Mr. Envoy, my apologies! I was just in a conversation with Minister Tocqueville!" Jerome Bonaparte continued his talent for boldface lying.

Baron Hubert was well aware of who Jerome Bonaparte had just been speaking with; judging by Jerome Bonaparte’s expression and demeanor, his conversation with the Prussian Envoy seemed pleasant.

Thinking of this, Baron Hubert couldn’t help but feel anxious inside.

At this critical moment, if the French Republic chooses to support Prussia, it would undoubtedly deal a blow to the prestige of the Austrian Empire.

Those German States with wavering loyalties would undoubtedly choose to side with Prussia after seeing it gain French support.

This would be nothing short of disastrous for the Austrian Empire.

Right now, Baron Hubert also couldn’t outright reveal Jerome Bonaparte’s lies, as doing so would only damage the diplomatic relations between the two countries. He could only continue along with what Jerome Bonaparte was saying.

"No problem, Mr. President’s willingness to meet with me already brings me immense honor!" Baron Hubert lavished praise on Jerome Bonaparte.

With information asymmetry (Jerome Bonaparte, having a "future" cheat code, understands the Austrian Empire’s diplomatic strategy, but Baron Hubert doesn’t know what Jerome Bonaparte discussed with the Prussian Envoy), Baron Hubert could only tentatively say, "Mr. President, you must know that we are already at war with Prussia, right?"

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