In Berlin Palace, the Junker nobles had laid their cards on the table before the government. They still had some sense—they knew to inform the government and seek its cooperation before attacking Denmark, rather than striking first and talking later.
Prime Minister Frank's face turned livid with anger. He, too, came from the Junker nobility. They had only informed him when the arrow was already on the string and had to be loosed—clearly, they did not regard him as one of their own.
This was extremely serious. By this time, power in the Kingdom of Prussia had already fallen into the hands of the Junker nobility. The parties and parliament controlled by the bourgeoisie had been reduced to supporting roles.
If divided according to a joint-stock system, the Junker nobles already held sixty-five percent of the shares in the company called Prussia. They were the absolute majority shareholders.
This incident meant that Frank's standing within the Junker nobility had already been shaken. It was a political signal that their support for him had waned.
William I's expression was equally grim. Even he, the king, had been kept in the dark. He glared murderously at the military representatives; if they could not give him a reasonable explanation, he would not be courteous.
Being unable to do anything about the Junker nobility as a class did not mean he could not touch a few senior military officers. Besides, were the Junker nobles still truly a solid block?
The birth of the Sea Faction and the Continental Faction had also been partly William I's doing. No monarch liked his subordinates forming a solid block; dividing them was simply instinct.
Under his stare, Roon, who served as both Minister of War and Minister of the Navy, felt his scalp tingle and hurriedly explained, "Your