As the Rhineland was undergoing a massive migration, the London Conference had also reached its critical moment. Between Belgium and the German Federation, the British chose the German Federation, while Belgium chose to draw closer to France.
Strategically speaking, Belgium's alignment with France was an inevitable outcome. On the European Continent, only Austria could stand against France. Though the British wielded immense influence, once matters moved onto land, their voice was greatly diminished.
Belgium was too far from Austria and too close to France. Even knowing that the French harbored ambitions of annexing them, the Belgian government still had no choice but to maintain good diplomatic relations with France in order to ensure its own security.
Small countries had their own way of survival. While aligning itself with France, the Belgian government also maintained good relations with both the United Kingdom and Austria, hoping to use the strength of those two nations to curb French ambitions.
No matter how sound the strategy was, it was useless if the French supported Belgium. Thus, to contain the French, Austria could only support the German Federation.
The three great powers split into two camps. With two against one, the Rhineland naturally fell into the hands of the German Federal Empire.
The United Kingdom and Austria had also wracked their brains over how the German Federation should govern the Rhineland. To curb French expansion, the two countries ultimately had no choice but to compromise.
Under the compromise plan, the Rhineland would be placed under the direct jurisdiction of the central government—not under the Emperor's direct rule, but under the direct rule of the Imperial Parliament.
To a certain extent, this also accelerated the German Federal Empire's process of integration. The Imperial Parliament, which had originally existed only to check the Emperor, now possessed real