Re: Blood and Iron - Chapter 920: The News of the World
Chapter 920: The News of the World
News of the referendum spread across Europe with remarkable speed.
Telegraphs buzzed, newspapers rushed to print late editions, and government offices from Paris to London began receiving official diplomatic confirmations.
Belgium and the Netherlands had voted. The union of the two countries had birthed the Kingdom of Lower-Lorraine.
And the borders of the German Reich had moved west once again.
The rain fell softly across the city of Paris.
From the balcony of the Élysée Palace, the streets looked almost peaceful. Carriages and automobiles moved slowly through the grey afternoon, their tires hissing against wet stone. Shopkeepers pulled awnings forward to shield their storefronts from the weather.
To a casual observer, the capital of France looked much as it always had.
But appearances were deceiving.
Inside the palace, King Henri, Count of Paris, now styled Henri VI, King of France, sat quietly at a long oak table.
A copy of the morning’s diplomatic cable lay open before him.
The message was brief.
Referendum results confirmed. Belgium and Netherlands integrated into the German Reich as the Kingdom of Lower-Lorraine. German military administration assisting transitional governance.
Henri exhaled slowly.
The document might as well have been titled The Map Changes Again.
Across the room stood his Prime Minister, a thin man with spectacles who had served three different governments in the past fifteen years. He watched the king carefully, waiting for a reaction.
Henri finally spoke.
“So it has happened.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Prime Minister folded his hands.
“The German government has already issued a statement recognizing the referendum results. Berlin is sending economic reconstruction funds immediately.”
Henri nodded slightly.
“Of course they are.”
He stood and walked toward a large map mounted on the wall. It had been updated recently.
Germany stretched across central Europe like a great steel spine. Poland, Austria, and the eastern territories had long since been integrated into the Reich’s system.
Now Lower-Lorraine filled the Low Countries. Another piece of the continent sliding quietly into Berlin’s orbit. Henri studied the border carefully.
“The Dutch resisted longer than I expected.”
“The economic crisis weakened them,” the Prime Minister replied. “Once their industrial sector collapsed, the outcome became inevitable.”
Henri gave a faint smile.
“I suppose we should consider ourselves fortunate.”
“Fortunate, Your Majesty?”
“That the Germans allowed France to keep its crown.”
The room fell silent.
Both men understood the reality of their situation. France had survived its arrogance. And in doing so the crown returned to the house of Orleans.
France may still have its parliament. But the balance of power had shifted long ago.
Berlin dictated the strategic order of Europe now, and France was just another player in its orbit.
Henri rested a hand on the edge of the map.
“Lower-Lorraine,” he murmured. “An old imperial name.”
“The Germans are fond of their history.”
His silence was answer enough. Henri looked toward the window where the rain continued to fall. After a moment he turned back to his Prime Minister.
“Prepare a message of congratulations to Berlin.”
The Prime Minister hesitated.
“Congratulations?”
“Yes.” Henri’s voice remained calm.
“France must appear supportive of the new order. The last thing we need is to appear… resentful.”
He paused.
“And send another message to Brussels.”
“What shall it say, Your Majesty?”
Henri returned to his chair.
“Wish King Albert success in his new kingdom.”
The king leaned back slowly.
“And remind him that France remains his neighbor.”
Across the Channel, the reaction was very different.
In the study of Buckingham Palace, King George VI sat quietly with a folder of intelligence reports spread across his desk.
British intelligence had been watching the situation in the Netherlands for years. Still, seeing the final result written plainly on paper felt unsettling.
George removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
“Lower-Lorraine.”
The name sounded strange when spoken aloud.
Across the room stood the Prime Minister and several senior advisors.
One of them stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, the German government insists the referendums were conducted legally.”
George chuckled softly.
“I’m sure they were.”
The advisor shifted awkwardly.
“They had observers present from several neutral states.”
“Of course they did.”
George leaned back in his chair.
“Berlin rarely leaves things to chance.”
Silence filled the room. Everyone present understood the deeper implications. Britain had survived the wars. But survival was not the same as victory.
The empire was shattered, industry was rebuilding, and Parliament was a smoldering ruin.
Yet across the English Channel, Germany was stronger than ever. George glanced again at the map laid across his desk.
“Belgium and the Netherlands were always our buffer.”
The Prime Minister nodded.
“They were.”
“And now they are part of the Reich’s economic system.” George sighed. “So the Channel is once again the only thing separating us from them.”
No one replied. The king stood and walked toward the window overlooking the palace gardens.
Rain clouds drifted slowly over London. The city was still scarred from the war. Factories were rebuilding, neighborhoods were being restored. But recovery would take years.
Meanwhile Germany seemed to grow stronger every month.
George spoke quietly. “I sometimes wonder if we misunderstood the nature of this conflict.”
The Prime Minister looked confused.
“Your Majesty?”
“We fought the Germans in two great wars… believing we were preventing domination of the continent.”
George gestured toward the map.
“And yet here we are.”
He paused.
“They have achieved it anyway.”
The Prime Minister considered the words carefully.
“There is a difference, Your Majesty. They did not conquer the Low Countries with armies.”
George smiled faintly.
“No… They simply convinced them to join.”
The king turned back toward the room.
“And that may prove far more dangerous.”
Another advisor spoke.
“What course should Britain take?”
George returned to his desk.
“For now? We rebuild.”
The king closed the intelligence folder.
“Germany has its empire on the continent.”
He looked toward the Channel on the map.
“And we remain separated by sea.”
—
In Russia, the news was received with considerably more enthusiasm. The summer sun shone across the Neva River as courtiers moved through the halls of the Winter Palace.
Inside the Tsar’s private office, Emperor Alexei Nikolaevich stood near a large window overlooking the city.
A diplomatic telegram rested in his hand. Across the room several ministers waited patiently. Alexei finished reading the message and smiled.
“So the vote has passed.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied his foreign minister. “The results were decisive.”
Alexei walked slowly toward a large map table. The borders of Europe had changed dramatically over the past decades.
Russia stood stronger than ever. A modern and industrial state, with one of the largest economies on the planet.
And Germany had established itself as the center of the European world. The two Empires stood as allies, the bonds of brotherhood between them forged through the blood spilled of two world wars.
Alexei traced a finger along the Rhine.
“Lower-Lorraine,” he said thoughtfully. “A fitting name.”
The foreign minister nodded.
“It reflects the historical region of Lotharingia.”
Alexei chuckled softly while he folded the telegram carefully.
“My father-in-law must be quite pleased.”
A few of the ministers exchanged amused glances. Bruno von Zehntner’s influence was well known throughout Europe. Alexei continued studying the map.
“The Low Countries were always strategically important. With them integrated into the Reich’s system, Germany’s economic position becomes even stronger.”
One of the ministers spoke cautiously.
“Some European states may be… concerned.”
Alexei waved the concern away.
“They have reason to be.”
He smiled slightly.
“But Russia does not.”
The Tsar returned to his desk.
“Our alliance with Germany has brought stability to the continent.”
He picked up a pen.
“Prepare a message to Berlin.”
The foreign minister bowed.
“What shall it say, Your Majesty?”
Alexei wrote the first line himself.
“Congratulate Chancellor von Zehntner and the Kaiser on the peaceful integration of Lower-Lorraine.”
He paused.
“And remind them that Russia stands ready to continue our partnership.”
The Tsar placed the pen down.
“The future of Europe will be built by strong nations working together.”
He looked once more at the map.
Germany in the west and Russia in the east.
Alexei smiled.
“Yes,” he said quietly.
“I believe the future looks quite promising indeed.”
—
Bruno received Alexei’s letters not long after. He had to admit, these last two years since the war had come to an end. Russia had surprised him.
For the first time in its history, the nation that never needed anything outside its own borders finally had what it had always been missing.
Competent, sober, and wise leadership. From Bruno’s perspective, Russia had always been a land simultaneously blessed and cursed.
It wanted for nothing… nothing save for men actually fit to rule. And in the rare circumstances that those men had appeared throughout history. Their ends were written before their reigns had truly begun.
But Alexei was different. Bruno had seen to that. Whether it was his daughter Elsa’s influence through marriage, or the fact that Alexei had grown up admiring Bruno and studying his every move.
He had become a Tsar capable of ruling Russia’s might, and Germany, for once in its long history, had found in Russia not a rival… but a partner worthy of respect.
