I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 500

Prussia is a country of Junkers.

It might sound incredibly arrogant, but the truth is, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that statement.

‘Junkers’ originally referred to the landed aristocracy who owned large estates in eastern Germany.

They tightly controlled Prussian agriculture, dominated the ruling class, and maintained their privileges by monopolizing key positions in the government and military.

However, it wasn’t as if they ignored the king or ran wild as they pleased.

Rather, they had a symbiotic relationship with the Hohenzollern dynasty of Prussia, and many nobles were deeply loyal to the king.

Bismarck himself came from a Junker family in the provinces, yet he was still a Junker and a man of profound loyalty to the dynasty.

And most Junkers lacked the refined and aristocratic sensibilities of the nobles of France, Great Britain, or Austria.

Many harbored a sense of inferiority, even if they didn’t show it, and they sought an even stronger image to mask their perceived shortcomings.

“The true value of a noble comes from powerful strength, not elegance!”

It might be seen as a barbarian’s rationalization, but many Junkers were actually competent in military affairs.

In the 1870s, Prussia’s national power was at its peak, while Austria, its long-time rival, was declining.

It was not surprising that they became even more emboldened, proclaiming that their path was the right one.

“Kya~! That’s so refreshing.”

“We are now the de facto masters of the German Confederation. The Habsburgs are nothing more than ghosts of the past.”

“I wish we had swallowed up Denmark as well; that part is a bit disappointing.”

“But won’t that territory eventually become ours? I heard that if you trace back far enough, the roots are ultimately Germanic.”

After successfully annexing the Holstein region, which had been the site of a long-standing power struggle, the Junkers’ momentum showed no signs of waning, breaking through the atmosphere and ascending into space [an idiom meaning their ambitions were limitless].

Austria’s claims were partially accepted, and northern Schleswig remained under Danish rule, but the Junkers saw this as a victory.

They viewed this agreement as evidence that Austria could no longer exert influence over Prussia unless Great Britain took its side.

This was just before the Serbian incident broke out.

The Junkers, whose confidence, national pride, and nationalism had perfectly coalesced, began to dream of Germany’s bright future.

“Isn’t it about time we established a truly unified German Empire?”

“Are you suggesting we annex Austria? With Great Britain and Austria sticking together, I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Austria is a pity, but we’ll have to leave it alone for the time being. But the world doesn’t just consist of Austria.”

“Are you talking about the Eastern Colonization Movement [a historical migration and settlement of Germans eastward]?”

“That’s right. In fact, our Prussian population is still growing rapidly, isn’t it? Many scholars believe that a new Eastern Colonization Movement is needed.”

The plan to develop the eastern lands and relocate citizens there seemed like a normal policy with no problems at first glance.

However, it’s not like the old days when there was plenty of empty land; the situation is different when other people already live on that land and there are existing countries.

Because ordinary people have already agreed to call that not development but invasion.

“There’s still some delicious land left in Eastern Europe. Like the black soil zone…”

“But isn’t that Russian land?”

“What’s there to be afraid of a paper tiger that’s only half-crippled? You remember how pathetic they were in the Balkans recently, watching Great Britain’s every move, right?”

Looking back, one of the factors that allowed the Junkers to become the main players in Germany was the Eastern Colonization Movement.

The Junkers, who were still interested in large-scale land ownership and agriculture, naturally believed that more land would bring even greater power.

The burgeoning nationalism and the Greater German ideology [the idea of uniting all German-speaking people] that capitalized on this fueled their fervent ambitions.

“Russia is also pushing Pan-Slavism [a movement for the unity of all Slavic peoples] or whatever, so why can’t we? When I saw it this time, even the small countries that appeared in the Balkans were trying to expand their territory by promoting something like that.”

“Ah, are you talking about Serbia? They were saying something ridiculous like Greater Serbianism [the Serbian nationalist ideology of creating a greater Serbia].”

“Oh, don’t call it ridiculous. If they have the same roots as us, they’re all the same people; isn’t that a desirable ideology? We should take a lesson from that.”

“Ah…! I see your point. Haha.”

If we define things as narrowly as we do now, like Germans, Serbians, and Russians, the territory that can be expanded will eventually be limited.

Even Austria has only about a quarter of Germans, so Prussia has no grounds to annex it.

The Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries are no different.

The reason why we couldn’t completely subjugate Schleswig this time was because there were more Danes living in the north.

But what if we apply Greater Germanism, Pan-Germanism?

“Looking back, if you go back to the roots of Northern Europe, most of them are the same Germanic people as us, so isn’t it a bit funny to divide them into Germans and Danes like this?”

“That’s right, that’s right. I’ve always thought so.”

“Chancellor Bismarck is emphasizing the unity of Germans only in consideration of diplomatic relations, but I think we need to be more daring now.”

It was a feast of crazy claims that anyone could see, but the runaway train without brakes didn’t know how to stop.

The country’s population, economy, and military power continued to grow, and they had never tasted failure.

Here, the prime minister who has been in power for a long time, the key figures in the military, and the core of the government are all from the same Junker background, so what is there to be afraid of?

The alliance between Austria and Great Britain has strengthened, which is a bit of a problem, but Prussia was also a clear ally of Great Britain.

So, the plan to seize more land in the east and increase their territory could not be dismissed as mere delusion.

In this situation, when Bismarck announced that he would further strengthen the alliance through marriage with France, everyone cheered with joy.

“Kya! As expected of Chancellor Bismarck. He’s planning to stabilize the west in this way.”

The military was relieved about the reduced tension with France.

“If France calms down, shouldn’t we really expand the east further?”

Politicians dreaming of a second Eastern Colonization Movement.

“The current Prussia is too small for the ever-increasing number of Germans to settle down stably! We must expand the living space to guarantee the right to life of Germans!”

Even thinkers and scholars, stimulated by Russia’s movements, all spoke in one voice about Germany’s expansion.

“Lebensraum [German for ‘living space,’ a key concept in Nazi ideology]? That’s a very impressive word.”

In fact, no one opposes the expansion of their country’s territory.

That’s when Pan-Germanism was in full swing as the latest trend.

The attempted assassination of the Crown Princess of Great Britain by those who called for Greater Serbianism broke out in Berlin.

* * *

Of course, Bismarck didn’t harbor ill feelings towards all Junkers.

He himself is a Junker, so it doesn’t make sense to hate himself.

Of course, that might be the case if he was a person full of self-hatred, but Bismarck was generously evaluating himself to the point that he thought there were fewer than five people in the world as outstanding as himself.

[Those who advocate extreme nationalism are causing conflicts all over the world.]

[The Serbian military, which advocated extreme nationalism, made the king a puppet and controlled the country, carrying out a military dictatorship.]

[This kind of nationalism eventually leads to military expansion and creates an environment where the military cannot help but gain power. It is clear that a majority of those who actively agree with this have these thoughts, according to the famous scholar Marx…]

A hurricane swept through, and a tsunami covered the area [metaphor for the widespread impact of these ideas].

Bismarck and Killian didn’t simply stop at declaring that extreme nationalism is bad.

There was a very good example in Serbia, so there was no reason not to use it.

Even though it was a diagram that jumped over several stages of logical structure, there was nothing wrong with it if you only looked at the results.

This target was Serbia, but everyone knew that the same logic could be applied to Prussia as it was.

“Uh… General Moltke! I would like to ask you a word! I heard that you once made a statement that the military should promote an active expansion policy…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about at all. I am always just a loyal soldier who is loyal to His Majesty and the country. If there are those who say such unjust things in the military, I will make them take off their uniforms immediately.”

“Count Waldersee! I heard you said that the Germans need more land…”

“That’s a rumor, a rumor! I am a soldier who has lived his whole life with loyalty to the royal family! It is not good for soldiers to talk about politics, so I will refrain from saying more.”

Bismarck’s linking Pan-Germanism with military dictatorship was definitely a brilliant move.

The Serbian incident was so shocking that most citizens had an amazing realization that nationalism was just an excuse for military dictatorship.

If you connect it with common sense, isn’t that right?

Until now, most of the people who strongly advocated Pan-Germanism were Junkers, and there were many soldiers among them.

If the military’s power becomes stronger, the possibility of them intervening in politics naturally increases, and the possibility of the king or parliament becoming a puppet increases like Serbia.

Then, wouldn’t Prussia eventually become a toy for soldiers?

Serbia has already clearly demonstrated what the end will be by committing an absurd suicide against Great Britain.

Of course, the military personnel were so frustrated that they were going crazy.

“Prime Minister! What is being reported in the world is not true at all!”

“That’s right. Military dictatorship. This is really… it doesn’t make sense… ah, I’m really going crazy. Prime Minister, you know us!”

The key figures in the military, including Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke, who lightly trampled on Denmark and rose to become a national hero of Prussia, immediately ran to Bismarck.

“Of course, I don’t think you guys had such dark intentions. Especially with the Chief of Staff, how long have I spent with him; how can I not know his heart?”

“Thank you for understanding. I have previously expressed my concern to the Prime Minister that excessive militarism is not right. It doesn’t make sense that I, who am aiming for a military dictatorship, am I right?”

“But it is also true that there are many testimonies that several generals in the military have agreed with such opinions.”

“That’s just because I thought the military’s power could become stronger, so I helped a little. Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t like it when the budget increases and the authority becomes stronger?”

Helmuth really looked frustrated, and Bismarck also knew very well that they were frustrated.

As he said, which country’s military in the world would refuse to have their power strengthened?

But suddenly, the label of military dictatorship was attached to it, so the military generals who were standing still were just like being struck by lightning while taking a nap.

Some of the generals, who were united with pride in fighting for the glory of Prussia, were so frustrated that they even shed tears.

“Okay, okay, I know your frustration well, so don’t worry too much. His Majesty will not doubt the military, and I will try to talk to him so that such a thing does not happen.”

“Thank you. As expected, the Prime Minister understands.”

“However, in order to resolve your frustration, it is necessary to take actual action. Ah, of course, don’t worry, I’m not going to weaken the military’s power. I’m just saying that because I think it’s necessary to adjust the situation so that such words don’t come out again.”

“We should definitely help you since you’re resolving our frustration. We will support you in anything.”

Bismarck got up from his seat to personally make coffee for the Chief of Staff.

Then, he covered his mouth and turned his body as if stirring the coffee spoon.

It was to hide the corners of his mouth that kept going up.