In March 1867, Austria conducted military exercises on a massive scale along the Austro-Prussian border, leaving the Prussians trembling with fear.
Having just finished the Prusso-Russian War, they were busy licking their wounds and had no courage left for another Austro-Prussian War.
If war broke out at this time, not only would they have to spit out all their previous gains, they would struggle even to protect themselves.
Inside Berlin Palace, Foreign Minister McKet said, "The Austrians are merely flexing their muscles. They will not start a war at this time.
"Once war breaks out, the Russians will certainly continue it. The Tsarist Government need only trail behind and coast along to reclaim Poland and the Baltic Region.
"This is not what the Vienna Government wants to see. A powerful Russian Empire does not serve their interests. The Russo-Austrian Alliance exists only temporarily because of shared interests; sooner or later, they will clash over European hegemony.
"And given the current international situation, the Vienna Government cannot possibly fail to take it into account. None of the European countries wants to see an overbearing Austria. If they start a war now, they will be isolated.
"If the French strike at the Rhineland after war breaks out, will the Vienna Government intervene or not?
"If they intervene, it could very well trigger a full-scale Austro-French War; if they do not, how can they claim to be the leaders of Germany?"
McKet did not voice the real reason for their fearlessness. They certainly could not win if they fought; the Kingdom of Prussia was already utterly exhausted.
But so long as the Berlin Government was shameless enough, they still had a chance to screw Austria over and reverse their current disadvantage.
Once the French invaded the Rhineland, the Prussian Government could directly admit