A Pair of Fellow Sufferers

"The Austro-Hungarian Empire was the main force fighting Italy. Yet the Italians bypassed us and went straight to the Germans to seek peace. This was clearly contempt for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it was something we could not accept," Crown Prince Karl continued.

All the ministers looked at Crown Prince Karl, each of them more or less angered. They simply did not display it as fiercely as he did.

"Crown Prince, what do you intend to do? Refuse to go to Berlin for the peace talks? Or directly condemn Germany and tear off all pretenses with them?" Franz Joseph I asked.

Crown Prince Karl was immediately left speechless. He only dared to talk like this; if he were truly asked to confront Germany and tear off all pretenses with them, he did not have the courage. He knew only too well how powerful Germany's military was. Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire was also one of the great powers of the age, there was an enormous gap between its military strength and Germany's. If they truly went to war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire would absolutely not be Germany's match.

Seeing Crown Prince Karl rendered speechless, Franz Joseph I could not help sighing. He was increasingly convinced that this heir to the throne was unsuitable.

"Relations between nations ultimately depend on national strength. Although we are allies with Germany, have you not seen that German strength has already far surpassed ours? That is why the Italians bypassed us and went directly to Germany for peace talks. If the Germans wished, they could even ignore us entirely. Therefore, when our strength is inferior to others', if we insist on making excessive demands, not only will it bring us no benefits, it will instead plunge the Empire into a predicament," Franz Joseph I said.

"Yes, Your