The Prusso-Danish War had caused the Vienna System to collapse, and that was anything but harmonious for Europe's many small states. Without the system's protection, everyone would once again return to an age where they could barely secure their survival from one day to the next.
As the one who had broken the rules, Prussia naturally drew plenty of hatred. The most immediate consequence was that, during the Prusso-Danish War, every country had sided with the Danes.
Of course, that did not prevent everyone from supporting the Prussians in a Russo-Prussian confrontation. International politics had always been about supporting what benefited oneself and opposing whatever harmed one's interests.
In Saint Petersburg, the entire world was waiting for the Tsarist Government to act.
If this had been Nicholas I's era, there would have been nothing to say—one word: fight. With its formidable strength, it would not have been difficult for the Russian Empire to cripple Prussia.
How great a price they would have to pay was hard to say. But at least one thing was certain: as long as the Tsarist Government did not court death, the Kingdom of Prussia would never be able to stage a comeback.
One only had to look at the map to know how vast the Russian Empire was. Prussia had no possibility of striking straight at the heart of the enemy; once war began, it would become a war of attrition.
The Russians feared wars of attrition least, yet feared them most. Aside from money, the Tsarist Government lacked nothing.
Alexander II hesitated. He did not want to fight this war right now. Without money in his pocket, his words lacked conviction. Prussia was easy enough to deal with, but Britain and France behind it would be extremely troublesome.
Foreign Minister Clarence-Ivanov analyzed, "Your Majesty,