Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Chapter 85 The Shepherd Boy and Foolish Ivan (3)

why wouldn't willy of neighboring germany back down?

while he might have thought backing down would turn his foreign expansion efforts to bubbles and damage his moral justification, willy probably considered the situation from my perspective.

russia, not even three years after their war, wouldn't want to get involved and would declare non-intervention.

if russia doesn't intervene, there's no way war would break out.

conversely, france might have thought:

'our ally russia's power is stronger than expected?'

even though the russo-japanese war was between whites and yellows, weren't the war results too overwhelming?

while they'd been in a position of being unilaterally exploited by russia under the alliance - through loans, technology transfers, bond purchases, agricultural trade openings - wouldn't they want to borrow that alliance's power this time?

on december 30th, france deployed troops to alsace-lorraine, even pulling forces from the spanish border.

the same day, germany, detecting french troop movements, issued reserve mobilization orders and filled their border with france with troops on january 3rd.

it's already late january. the standoff continues.

the pride battle is becoming increasingly impossible to back down from.

but both sides know.

'germany must feel their diplomacy becoming isolated... and france still has vivid nightmares of the last franco-prussian war.'

war won't break out.

the proof is that maurice rouvier, france's prime minister who actually escalated the fight, resigned in opposition to war.

but the standoff between the two countries still continues. already, armies numbering nearly a million have gathered at the border between those two countries.

why did these meaningless actions occur? i think it's because there aren't enough reasons for war.

no, actually everything is insufficient. national power to defeat the opponent, justification for war, public opinion wanting to kill the enemy country, and even the benefits of victory are insufficient.

if they still want to continue this stupid standoff despite that, fine. i'll at least fill my dear ally with some courage.

"ambassador maurice bompard, this empire thought this situation could be sufficiently resolved through dialogue. however, today after a month, that was my mistake. above all, now that even the austro-hungarian empire shows military movements on germany's side, i've made my decision."

the unrealistic isolationism of father's era ends now. that was only possible during his reign as the peacemaker - from the moment we made a military alliance with france in '94, isolationism was already contradictory.

if you radical leftists truly hate germany that much, prove it with results, they said.

don't run away with your tail between your legs like children after moving the army, they said.

but delcassé also knew.

war was absolutely impossible.

industrial power was inferior, the french navy had been cutting budgets since '02, and the army was simply outnumbered.

above all, the memory of defeat from just decades ago, when delcassé was still a university professor, told him:

france could never defeat germany in war, even if they died and came back to life.

that country was like a war machine itself - the moment they fought, france would be finished.

'...is this my limit too?'

if even the prime minister resigned, how safe could a minister be? now parliament and cabinet would drag delcassé down and brand him not as anti-german but as a warmonger.

when did they praise him as a patriot and true french zeitgeist, and now they try to replace him.

more than feeling wronged, he felt bitter.

the reality of france, steeped in peace, accepting defeatism.

this situation where they had to close their eyes and ears to germany's provocations.

it left too bitter a taste in delcassé's mouth.

february was approaching.

whatever happened, the situation needed to end, so they would probably hold talks and compromise with germany somehow.

but through this incident, germany and france had already crossed a river of no return. meaning, things like this could happen again anytime.

however, since the first button was fastened wrong, france could never stop germany in the second or third incident either.

a spear whose tip has been dulled once can never pierce a shield again.

anti-german sentiment was over.

now the era of cowards had arrived.