Berlin
Austria's grand and highly publicized moves had no intention of being kept secret, so naturally the Prussian government received the news as well.
Frederick William IV had still been hesitating over whether to join the intervention forces. Now there was nothing left to consider. If they did not find a way to deal with this, the Kingdom of Prussia would become history before the allied army was even formed.
Foreign Minister Andrea analyzed, "Your Majesty, Austria is trying to intimidate us. There is no benefit to France, Russia, and Austria dividing us among themselves. Once we are finished, Austria, caught between France and Russia, will be in an awkward position.
"The gains they could reap from dividing us would never exceed those from annexing South Germany, yet the price they would have to pay would be far greater."
This was inevitable. In dividing Prussia, France and Russia could commit only limited forces. The Russians could still send some two hundred thousand troops, but the French could at most field a little over a hundred thousand. The task of leading the main assault would certainly fall upon Austria.
The Kingdom of Prussia's military strength was not weak. At a moment of life or death, it was entirely possible for it to raise an army of five or six hundred thousand men.
If they truly fought to the bitter end, even if Prussia could not defeat the combined forces of the three nations, it could still knock a few of Austria's teeth loose.
After paying such a great price, most of the postwar gains would be taken by France and Russia. A Kingdom of Prussia stripped of Prussian Poland and the Rhineland would not be worth as much as the South German territory Austria had already secured.
Moreover, it would be