Crisis Arrives

The Prussian-Russian negotiations had already concluded, and the Vienna Conference had entered its most critical stage: disarmament and the establishment of a new international order.

Disarmament had progressed relatively smoothly. Everyone agreed that armies had to be reduced. The heart of the dispute lay in exactly how many troops each nation would be allowed to retain.

The smaller countries were one thing. Their armies were limited to begin with, they threatened no one, and whether they disarmed or not made little difference.

The central contradiction lay among Russia, Austria, and France. Austria proposed a troop ratio of 10:10:7—that is, Russia and Austria would each maintain total land forces of 500,000 men, while France would retain 350,000.

The French representative, David Proval, protested fiercely. "For a great power, this is an insult to France.

"We cannot accept this ratio. France must possess an army commensurate with her own strength. I propose that France, Russia, and Austria maintain armies of equal size!"

Austria's foreign minister, Wessenberg, shook his head and smiled. "Your Excellency, the essence of disarmament is to reduce military expenditure, preserve the military balance on the European Continent, and prevent war from breaking out.

"Your country's army is the strongest in the world. With equal troop numbers, who could possibly be your opponent? How, then, could this balance be maintained?"

That flattering explanation soothed the anger in David Proval's heart, but he still insisted, "No!

"France has numerous colonies to protect. We cannot consider military combat strength alone. We must take every factor into comprehensive consideration."

In this age where the strong devoured the weak, strength was the embodiment of status. What was being allocated now was not merely troop quotas, but also the right to speak on the European Continent.

If France secured an army equal in size to