Most of the Berlin Government's upper ranks came from military backgrounds and had always acted with thunderous speed. Since they had decided to set the Poles up, they naturally would not show mercy.
The dispute over the Polish throne had likewise driven a wedge between Prussia and Poland. The Poles, who had only just won their independence with great difficulty, had no desire to be swallowed by Prussia.
Coupled with interference from international powers that continually magnified the contradictions between Prussia and Poland, if not for the great enemy that was Russia, the two countries would have gone their separate ways long ago.
Even so, the radicals within the Polish Government did not want to see the Prussians wagging their fingers at them. They wanted to kick Prussia aside and go it alone.
The Berlin Government saw these problems clearly and was anxious at heart. Those hot-blooded radical youngsters were not easy to handle; one wrong move could trigger a fierce backlash.
The Berlin Government had long entertained the thought of killing with a borrowed knife, but the risks involved were considerable. One slip, and it would become a disaster.
To deal with the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia needed Polish cannon fodder, but it could not let Poland be crippled.
If Russo-Austrian relations had not ruptured, Moltke would never have dared propose this suggestion. Otherwise, if the Russians took the opportunity to intervene and forcibly drag Austria into it, Prussia and Poland would be no match for Russia and Austria.
Now that the Russo-Austrian Alliance had developed problems, Austria also needed to use Prussia and Poland's hands to weaken Russia. Under these circumstances, the Vienna Government would at most teach the Poles a lesson; it could not truly cripple them.
The Berlin Government did not care in the