Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 572: Public Sentiment

The invention of the telegraph accelerated the spread of news, and the Prussian government’s decision to sell the Rhineland quickly became known across the European continent.

In the Berlin Palace, William I wiped the sweat from his brow and asked, “Send someone to ask the Prime Minister, didn’t I tell him to send someone to explain? Why haven’t the crowds outside dispersed yet?”

This was characteristic of the era of nationalism. People were beginning to care about their nation’s territory. Land transactions, which monarchs could previously handle freely, now required consideration of public sentiment.

Even though the Rhineland was rich in resources, it wasn’t truly a core territory of the Kingdom of Prussia. Moreover, with the threat from France, its importance in the government’s eyes was even lower.

In the original timeline, Bismarck dared to promise the Rhineland to the French because he had prepared for the worst. For instance, if France took advantage of the Austro-Prussian War, Prussia would have no choice but to give it up.

Luckily for them, they won the gamble. The French opted to remain on the sidelines and didn’t exploit the situation. Otherwise, the course of European history might have been rewritten.

Having obtained the desired benefits, Napoleon III had no motivation to launch an attack. After one side increased in strength and the other decreased, Prussia’s odds of victory were even lower.

Moreover, with an extra piece of land acting as a buffer, even if Prussia had the courage to take risks, France would have had more time to mobilize additional troops. Prussia would need to rely on divine intervention to win a war under such circumstances.

Bismarck dared to gamble with the Rhineland, but if it were a region where the Junker aristocracy was concentrated, he wouldn’t have dared to offer it, even if given ten times the courage.

A bluff of this magnitude required strict confidentiality. The top echelons of the government could know, but the lower ranks couldn’t. If word got out, a military coup would occur within minutes given the internal dynamics of the Kingdom of Prussia.

In this country where the military held the reins, any move that harmed the interests of the Junker nobility required careful consideration.

William I found the commotion outside annoying but wasn’t worried that it would spiral into anything more serious. The attitude of “if it’s not my problem, I won’t bother” applied even in the Kingdom of Prussia.

The Rhineland was a remote enclave, not closely connected to the rest of the country. Aside from the capitalists who would suffer significant losses, most people had no direct interests at stake.

Since their own interests weren’t affected, people could join in the protests to vent their frustrations, and the issue would eventually pass.

In the Kingdom of Prussia, the capitalists hadn’t yet risen to power. When Silesia was given up, there were also protests, but in the end, everyone reluctantly accepted it.

Even though losing the Rhineland would cut Prussia’s steel production by 60% and reduce its overall industrial output by nearly 40%, William I remained unfazed.

Prussia’s internal market was limited, and its industrial products had no competitive edge in the international market. In just a few years, signs of overproduction had already emerged domestically.

This was typical of the time. Due to various factors, the capitalist world experienced economic crises every ten years or so.

Since 1847, three economic crises had already occurred, and the fourth was not that far off. If the agricultural crisis were counted, it would be the fifth crisis about to erupt.

More industry wasn’t always better as overproduction was a disaster. A look through history would show that after each crisis, wars broke out as if countries had become accustomed to using war to navigate through crises.

The 1847 economic crisis led to the 1848 revolutions; the 1857 crisis triggered the American Civil War; the 1867 crisis resulted in the Russo-Prussian War; and the agricultural crisis two years ago sparked the Near East War and the Russo-Polish War.

Giving up the Rhineland now might seem like a heavy loss, but in reality, it was buying time for Prussia to consolidate its hold over the Kingdom of Poland.

Otherwise, when the next crisis hit, even if they didn’t want to start a war with Russia, someone would force them onto the battlefield.

Every decision inevitably harms someone’s interests. William I didn’t mind sacrificing the capitalists’ interests first. After all, the bourgeoisie was a complex group, and as long as the rulers weren’t foolish, they wouldn’t unite.

With the Rhineland gone, plenty of people would still benefit. Fewer competitors meant others could divide up the markets left behind. These beneficiaries wouldn’t give up their own gains for the sake of “class interests.”

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In the Ruhr region, news had already spread that the Prussian government was selling the Rhineland, and the local government was preparing to evacuate.

People spontaneously took to the streets, launching large-scale protests. This time, no one had organized the demonstrations. Being suddenly abandoned stirred resentment in everyone.

As the manager of the Ruhr region, Andreas was also deeply frustrated. The official documents from his superiors had been torn to shreds.

Under normal circumstances, he would never dare to do this. Deliberately damaging official documents would cost him his job. But in his fury, he didn’t care anymore.

After wreaking havoc in his office, Andreas forced himself to calm down. As a nobleman loyal to his country, he understood the importance of the bigger picture.

The Rhineland was destined to be abandoned, but the region’s population and industry couldn’t be entirely sacrificed. The Prussian government had already issued orders to evacuate as many people as possible.

Yes, the priority was evacuating people. After a war with the Russian government, the Prussian authorities finally realized the importance of population.

Without enough people, there wouldn’t be enough soldiers. Facing the Russian government, which excelled in human wave tactics, having too few troops simply wouldn’t work.

As long as there were people, the land and factories would eventually be taken back. The Prussian government had already experienced one evacuation, though the circumstances back then were entirely different.

When Silesia was abandoned, the Kingdom of Prussia had just won the Russo-Prussian War and gained a large amount of land. East Prussia had been reduced to desolation, and repopulating it with settlers was no problem at all.

The current situation was much more complicated. The Rhineland had a far larger population than Silesia, and finding a place for so many people wouldn’t be easy.

While Prussia still had some undeveloped land, most of it had poor geographic conditions. Good land that hadn’t been developed was already scarce.

Accommodating the people from the Rhineland was clearly not feasible. Prussia’s domestic industry couldn’t absorb so many people either, meaning that this evacuation would inevitably involve some difficult choices.

Andreas’ task was to organize the departure of those who would be of greater value to the country—mainly the wealthy and the middle class, including capitalists, doctors, teachers, engineers, and skilled workers…

After these groups are evacuated, then it will be the ordinary workers and farmers next. Since Belgium or the German Federal Empire would likely take over the Rhineland, the Prussian government wasn’t afraid of offending them and could afford to take its time organizing the evacuation.

But before that could happen, Andreas needed to disperse the crowds of protesters outside. With so many people blocking the streets, much of the necessary work couldn’t proceed.

After a moment of hesitation, Andreas steeled himself and decided to face the crowd. There was a certain air of tragic heroism about it, like a warrior going off on a final, fatal mission.

Well, the situation wasn’t actually that serious. The angry crowd didn’t rush up to beat Andreas but simply yelled demanding an explanation.

On the one hand, the success of Prussian education had taught the people to respect order. On the other hand, the military had already taken action, with heavily armed soldiers stationed all around. Anyone considering making trouble had to think twice about the consequences.

In this era, suppressing worker movements wasn’t anything new. Seeing the army preparing for a serious confrontation made the crowd instinctively calm down.

Andreas arrived in front of the government building, had a table brought over, and, after a moment of hesitation, climbed on top of it. Waving a Prussian flag in his hand, he signaled for the crowd to quiet down.

With no advanced equipment to amplify his voice, Andreas shouted at the top of his lungs, using every bit of strength he had, “I know why you’re here, and I feel the same pain as all of you.

Because we all love this country, and we all love the land that has nurtured us. But there is no choice. Now, I must announce the bad news.

The rumors you’ve heard are not false. The government really is going to give up the Rhineland.”

After receiving the official response, the crowd erupted once again, with some angry citizens starting to lose control. If it weren’t for the army’s presence, they might have already rushed forward.

“Quiet! Quiet!” Andreas’ desperate shouts were to no avail, and he was forced to have the soldiers fire warning shots into the air.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

After the gunfire, order was barely restored. One couldn’t help but marvel at how much more effective bullets were in maintaining control.

“Everyone, calm down and give me two minutes. If you have questions, we’ll discuss them after I’ve spoken. Don’t forget, discipline is a basic civic duty for every citizen.”

The murmuring quieted down, and the crowd stared at Andreas, waiting for his explanation.

“Our government doesn’t want to abandon the Rhineland either, but we have no choice. The Kingdom of Prussia is too weak. Facing threats from the great powers, the government must consider the safety of everyone’s lives and property.

Some of you may say you’re not afraid of death and are willing to fight for Prussia, and I feel the same. If it were possible, I’d rather take up a gun and fight on the battlefield than live here in humiliation.

But we cannot think only of ourselves. We must be responsible for our parents, wives, and children. We must be responsible for Prussia. If we act rashly, what will happen to them? What will happen to this country?

Don’t tell me that ‘victory belongs to Prussia.’ First, understand who our enemies are. Use your brains and think carefully, do we stand any chance of winning?

The Kingdom of Prussia has known defeat before. During the Napoleonic Wars, we were nearly wiped out as a nation, but in the end, we rose again.

As long as there are people and hope, today’s humiliation can be avenged tomorrow. Temporarily giving up the Rhineland does not mean we will abandon it forever.

One day, Prussia will grow truly strong, strong enough to fear nothing, and we will return here. History will remember all of this…”