Louis Napoleon's threat was simple, direct, and effective. Within a rigid framework of either this or that, it was all too easy for the other side to make mistakes under pressure.
Especially since that pressure was not something ordinary people could bear, and whether individuals or organizations, seeking fortune and avoiding disaster was instinct.
Accepting Napoleon III's proposal would undoubtedly greatly improve Prussia's odds of victory. Even if they could not win, they could still drag the war into a protracted conflict.
According to Bismarck's assessment, Britain would certainly intervene, and the Austrian Empire's internal contradictions would erupt, just as they had during France's great rebellion years ago.
But the most frightening part was that Napoleon III had issued a direct threat: if Prussia refused, he would seek out Prussia's enemies.
If France and Austria joined forces, Prussia would likely have no hope at all. Never mind that the French had been building momentum for Prussia all along, sending volunteer forces and providing funds.
But before national interests, such superficial positions meant nothing at all. A change of stance could happen in the blink of an eye.
Some pits had to be stepped into even when one knew they were pits. If not for Napoleon III's earlier proposal of marriage, William I and Bismarck would likely have hesitated as well.
But with Austria and Russia's earlier examples before them, William I and Bismarck now had an extra measure of confidence and certainty.
After the Kingdom of Prussia rejected Napoleon III's proposal, the French state letter was immediately placed on Franz's desk.
Franz did not hesitate to toss it into the wastebasket. The people around him were merely taken aback for a moment, with little other reaction.
After all, Franz's response had long been within their expectations.
"Your Majesty, the Prussians