Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 066
Chapter Title: Constitution Improvement (2)
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It was only natural that new faces would rise to power with the ascension of a new king.
Friedrich wasted no time after becoming king, making bold appointments right away. One of them was naming the just-turned-thirty Heinrich von Podewils as his advisor.
There wasn't any special reason for it.
The late king's close aides were all too old, and they still viewed the world through the lens of the old order far too obviously.
"As Lady Wilhelmina relayed, it seems His Highness Franz Stefan plans to shake up the empire's board through politics rather than military force first."
"That figures. The man's got more than enough talent for it."
"The timing couldn't be better. If things go well, it won't just strengthen Austria's position—it'll boost our own presence even more."
Friedrich's mood lifted at Heinrich's cool-headed analysis.
Unlike the other senile fools, Heinrich understood that every action Franz took was laced with deep meaning and insight.
The recent war had ended in glorious victory thanks to Franz himself, but without his prior stage-setting, that satisfying triumph would have been impossible.
Heinrich had pinpointed even that detail, which was exactly why Friedrich had promoted him to a ministerial position so dramatically.
After all, the man was someone he could actually talk to.
"Vienna says we can use rough methods if needed, but how rough are we talking?"
"Anything short of actual military clashes should be fine. In my view, pushing it to the point where they feel a real crisis—like we might actually go to war—would be ideal."
"That I can do. I've got plenty of experience watching and learning."
"...That doesn't mean you can actually hit them. It could become impossible to manage."
"I know that too. I've sworn a hundred times over never to live like that."
Now that he was on the throne himself, he couldn't deny how much it had helped to watch Wilhelm up close all those years.
The man's actions had been so extreme that spotting his virtues and flaws had been child's play.
"I get it now after taking a few beatings myself. The scary thing about violence isn't the pain—it's the fact that it could strike at any moment. Once it starts, surprisingly, fear fades. What takes over is raw defiance and hatred from the agony."
"...I see. That's a valid point."
It was an insight most nobles, safe from physical harm, could never grasp.
A nation was like a massive living organism, so Friedrich's hard-earned experience was bound to prove useful.
"In Your Majesty's view, then, who's the right target?"
"Target? There's only one choice."
"...Pardon? The empire's overflowing with electorates."
"Tsk tsk. You wouldn't get it since you've never laid hands on anyone. Listen up: beating down a weakling who can't fight back is something only someone with our late king's stellar character would do."
Just swinging at someone too helpless to even raise a hand was mere thuggery, something that only stirred disgust.
To truly flaunt power and inspire fear rather than loathing, your opponent had to have the stature to withstand it.
"...So, Bavaria, then?"
"Exactly. Quick on the uptake—love that."
"Persecuting the archbishops would turn it into a religious issue right away, Saxony's already bowed to us and Russia, and the Palatinate's elector is too elderly. We might come off as kicking someone when they're down."
"Just as you say, the Bavarian Electorate makes for perfect prey."
Of course, in raw power, Prussia outmatched Bavaria by more than double, but in prestige, Bavaria actually ranked higher.
Its history of producing emperors, lofty social authority, and deep-rooted traditions.
At least in the public eye, Bavaria wasn't some inferior foe to Prussia.
"Let's see how deliciously they take their lumps."
"I'll implement it immediately."
Friedrich could already picture how Elector Albrecht of Bavaria would react.
The key was showing that Friedrich, fresh off crushing France and seizing the crown, was now utterly uncontrollable.
Beating down an opponent in open battle was fun, but laying traps and herding them in wasn't half bad either.
For a moment, he could almost understand how much fun Franz must have had toying with France.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ While the empire's electors watched the rising imperial authority with growing unease...
"That bastard Friedrich!"
The spark had been lit not by Austria, but Prussia itself.
"Has winning one war blinded him completely? That punk?"
Bavarian Elector Karl Albrecht shot up from his seat, bellowing like thunder after reading the proposal.
"One damn victory and he thinks the whole world's his? What an insolent little shit!"
-The Elector of Brandenburg has reclaimed the Rhine's lower reaches from French control, returning them to the empire. To invigorate imperial river trade, we propose establishing the Rhine Economic Alliance.
That sounded reasonable enough on the surface, but the details were the problem.
-We hope for cooperation from other electorates in our proposed zone, though participation is voluntary. However, those who freeload on the economic benefits without joining will face strict transit tolls and tariffs.
Prussia had always been blocked from the Rhine by Hanover and Brunswick territories.
Now, having seized the lower Rhine from France, they'd opened that lifeline—only to weaponize it immediately.
They had more power and land now, so strutting around was understandable.
Bavaria had bullied minor states plenty themselves.
But for Prussia to draw its "Rhine Economic Alliance" zone slapping Bavaria right in the middle? Infuriating.
This indirectly declared the Electorate of Brandenburg superior to Bavaria's.
They hadn't said it outright, but the intent was blatant.
Albrecht had no intention of playing along with this farce.
[We will adhere to standards approved by the Imperial Diet. Prussia's policy blatantly violates them...]
[Fine, don't join. Tolls and tariffs at 30%.]
A huge chunk of Bavaria's exports went down the lower Rhine to the Netherlands and England.
Tariffs at 30%? Was this madman seriously itching for war?
[The lower Rhine is vital to imperial trade, yet Brandenburg seeks unfair profits merely from occupying it...]
[Make it 50% tariffs.]
They jacked up the rates daily like it was a game, every time Bavaria pushed back.
This was a straight-up declaration of war if Bavaria got fed up enough.
In a panic, Albrecht sought the one man who could rein in Friedrich's outrage.
Franz Stefan.
This good soul would surely take his side.
It had only been months since he'd summoned the electors' envoys, pleading to uphold imperial traditions.
"Your Highness Franz! Have you heard? The Elector of Brandenburg must've eaten something bad."
"You mean the recent fuss over that Rhine Economic Alliance?"
"Yes! And look what that lunatic Friedrich submitted to the Imperial Diet!"
[The Bavarian Electorate pursues its own interests over the empire's, yet the Diet lacks means to mediate. Thus, we propose a subcommittee to prioritize imperial military, fiscal, and trade matters.]
"Hmm... There's some truth to criticisms that the Diet can't make swift decisions. It'd be great if it had authority to rationally mediate such issues."
"In principle, yes, but Friedrich will obviously try to bend that body to his will. Absolutely unacceptable."
"True enough."
Albrecht half-expected Franz, Prussia's ally, to side with them, but surprisingly, he nodded agreeably.
Even allies wouldn't stomach Prussia overstepping, especially not a state that had produced emperors.
"In my view, the only power in the empire that can check Brandenburg's arrogance is Austria. No one else is positioned for it."
"His Majesty has voiced similar concerns."
Traditionally, when major imperial conflicts arose, pulling in outside forces was the German way of resolving them.
But the timing now was awkwardly delicate.
France lacked the slack after its recent crushing defeat, Russia was content with its Polish stake and busy clashing with the Ottomans, and England—ever eager to pour oil on a neighbor's fire—couldn't intervene openly this time.
Prussia and Hanover were allied, and in the last war, Prussia and Austria had bolstered Britain's prestige by accepting its mediation promptly.
With even France and Russia staying put, opposing Prussia would burden them too.
"If Austria steps in, Friedrich will surely back down."
"Hm... Maybe. But with Friedrich riding high right now, I'm not sure he'd stop just because we tell him to."
"...You mean he'd even fight Austria?"
"Didn't you see it recently? His Highness Friedrich's military prowess isn't just 'a bit above average.' Even Prince Eugene praised it as a talent unlikely to reemerge for another century."
If Prince Eugene said so, there was no denying it.
Truth be told, that's why Albrecht had come whining to Vienna—fear of Friedrich.
Let's be honest.
No amount of logic or justification would matter once Friedrich's patience snapped and he charged in with a "Die, then." Bavaria would be razed that day.
No matter Albrecht's title as Bavarian Elector, facing the monster who pulverized France's 70,000 in five hours was terrifying.
"So only Austria can stop him..."
"Your Highness, if Prussia and Austria end up at swords' points, can you bear the aftermath?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Objectively, Prussia and Austria hold unrivaled power in the empire. Neighboring states are too busy with their own fires to meddle here. If those two clash now, it'll go all the way."
Albrecht caught Franz's drift at that point.
"No matter who wins..."
"Exactly. Whoever wins, it won't be good for the other electorates."
If Austria crushed Prussia, Charles VI would become an absolute ruler no one dared defy.
If Prussia won, northern Germany—and even Bavaria—would be reduced to Prussian vassals, unable to breathe without permission.
Either way, no happy ending for Bavaria.
To realize this simple truth only now... He'd been so fixated on Friedrich's rampage that he'd overlooked the bigger picture.
"Th-thank you. You've snapped me right awake. But you didn't have to tell me this..."
"Didn't I say His Majesty shares these worries? We'd win, but Friedrich's no pushover—we don't want to gamble. That's why we married his sister to my brother. We'd prefer an institutional solution."
"...Possible? Everyone sees Friedrich's reason dulled by his victories."
"Ordinary methods won't cut it, but luckily, they've handed us one. We'll turn it against them. Alone, no chance—but with Bavaria, Austria allied, and the Palatinate pulled in? Worth a shot."
An Imperial Diet subcommittee with priority over major military, fiscal, and trade matters, empowered to mediate.
Friedrich would pressure it for his gain, but Austria's involvement could change that.
"We can't be overt or Prussia catches on—let's work discreetly. With Your Highness Albrecht's help, I'll throw my weight in too."
"...Strengthen the Diet to check Prussia."
"If they reject even that, the justification's ours—they're reneging on their own proposal. Then we unite the empire against Prussia."
Albrecht nodded slowly.
Empowering a new body felt uneasy, but survival came first.
And if handing out a sword, better the Diet than Prussia.
No matter how sharp, the Diet's nature meant it wouldn't wield real power except in crises like this.
And so, Albrecht leaped headlong into the dragon's gaping maw, evading the wolf's claws.