"Fairness"

Frankfurt, headquarters of the Zollverein.

"Damn it! The Hungarians in Austria can't join, and the Poles in the Kingdom of Prussia should get out too."

"Right! Poles, get out!"

Friedrich Ancillon was sick of this endless argument. Now someone was openly targeting the Poles within Prussia.

"The Austrians have cut ties with the Hungarians. Prussia should cut ties with those Poles too!"

"Right! Why should those filthy Poles enjoy the benefits of the Zollverein?"

At that moment, the representative from Baden decided the time was right. The French had bought him off long ago, and he had come to help the Prussians keep Austria out of the Zollverein.

Now that Prussia's side was clearly losing ground, he had another goal: to try to bring France into the Zollverein. It was all but impossible, but the French had promised him a generous reward.

They had also told him what a miserable fate awaited him if he failed.

Baden bordered France and was the state most heavily influenced by it. More often than not, it had no choice but to act as the French vanguard.

He called out,

"If the Poles in Prussia and the Hungarians in Austria can join our sacred Zollverein, then the French can join too. France has a much larger market and better goods."

But he hadn't even finished speaking before the entire assembly erupted in fierce opposition. Some people had already begun closing in on him.

"You French lackey! You have no right to be here!"

"Get out!"

Someone threw a wineglass at the Baden representative's head. Shards of glass and wine splashed all over him, leaving him in a sorry state.

"Oh, damn it! What have you done? I'm a nobleman!"

With those words, he managed to insult both the noble-born and common-born officials in the assembly. The nobles felt he had insulted their entire class, while the commoners thought he looked down on their origins.

The result was predictable: the enraged crowd gave the noble-born Baden representative a thorough beating.

Then the famous scene played out once more: the Zollverein delegates, regardless of nationality or birth, joined forces and tossed him out the window.

Their unity was only temporary. The crash of shattering glass, the clatter of shards hitting the ground, and a heavy thud brought a brief silence to the assembly.

After a short lull, the argument resumed.

"Austria cannot join the Zollverein. It's an autocratic state. Prince Metternich and Francis II have an insatiable appetite for prying into other people's private affairs."

"Right! Austrian secret police are everywhere!"

"We cannot tolerate such an autocratic state joining our free Zollverein."

The Prussian side launched another attack.

Before the representatives supporting Austria could say a word,

Ankett of Saxony spoke up again.

"You make it sound as if Prussia isn't autocratic. You have plenty of spies yourselves. While the Zollverein was still new and its system incomplete, your spies infiltrated other states to gather commercial and military intelligence. Saxony alone has already caught more than a dozen. I don't need to spell out what the Prussians are plotting, do I?"

The representatives supporting Austria immediately counterattacked.

"Exactly! Prussia is an absolute monarchy too. What's so free about it?"

"If you ask me, the Prussians are so brazen that Austria should send its secret police to supervise the Zollverein's operations."

"Right! Austria is already the presiding state of the German Confederation. It should supervise and manage the Zollverein's operations."

Friedrich Ancillon was practically fuming. Why did those damned Saxons always have to oppose him?

"Lord Ankett, are you targeting my country, or is this the will of your King Anthony I of Saxony?"

Ankett smiled and said,

"I just find it amusing. Prussia is exactly like Austria, so why can you join the Zollverein while the Austrians can't? Is it because you've already played the whore and now want to erect a chastity arch?"

"The Zollverein belongs to Prussia!"

Ankett sneered.

"Listen to yourself. Prussia isn't even the chairman of the Zollverein yet. You want to set the trade rules, plan the trade routes, and keep other countries out. Do you really think the Zollverein belongs to Prussia alone?"

"You're talking nonsense! You—" Friedrich Ancillon was getting flustered with anger.

At that moment, the representative from Frankfurt grabbed hold of him and said, "Let's vote."

Friedrich Ancillon quickly regained his composure.

"It's true that Prussia founded the Zollverein, but all the representatives within it are equals. I propose that we decide by vote, with the number of votes determining whether Austria is admitted."

"Decide whether Austria is admitted by the number of votes. Will every state in the confederation get the same number of votes? You mean Hessen-Stadt gets as many votes as Bavaria?" the Bavarian representative asked.

Friedrich Ancillon replied confidently,

"Of course, every state gets the same number of votes. That's the only way to ensure fairness and impartiality."

Friedrich Ancillon knew that there were certainly more states on his side than on Austria's. This was a clever, open move. He didn't have to do anything; all he had to do was wait.

"I don't think that's fair. Prussia occupies an important position in Germany, and many small states have to cross your territory. So there's no guarantee they won't side with you," Ankett said.

Friedrich Ancillon smiled.

"Prussia won't do anything of the sort. That's just your speculation. If Austria can't secure the support of more than half the members, it will only prove that the people's will is to reject Austria."

At that moment, one of the representatives stood up.

"I have a request."

"Go ahead."

Friedrich Ancillon felt victory was already in his grasp and appeared magnanimous.

"I demand a secret ballot. Whether Austria joins the Zollverein or not, small countries like ours cannot afford to incur the wrath of either Prussia or Austria."

Friedrich Ancillon thought it over and saw the point. The small states on his side might indeed fear Austrian retaliation. Metternich and his secret police force had a notorious reputation.

"No problem. Of course it will be a secret ballot. You have nothing to fear. No one will retaliate against you." Friedrich Ancillon readily agreed, reassuring the assembled delegates.

Once no one objected, the vote began.

The Zollverein had 36 members and a total of 36 votes. If the side supporting Austria's admission reached half, the Zollverein would approve Austria's entry. If it fell short, Austria would be rejected.

"To ensure fairness, all ballots will be collected in public by Miss Ajani, the principal dancer of the Nice Opera Ballet Troupe. Then we'll open the ballot box right here in the center of the assembly and announce the results."

(The description here is a little boring. If readers want it, I can add it later.)