The Helplessness of Small Countries

The autumn air was crisp and refreshing; it was another year of abundant harvests.

Franz had been in a very good mood lately. Russia and Austria had reached an agreement, and the Near East War could now be considered settled.

As for the Greeks, they would accept reality within a few days. If not for the uproar stirred up by domestic nationalists, King Ludwig would have compromised long ago.

Ambition needed strength to support it. Ordinary people might not understand that, but the ruling class had to keep a clear head.

Having come from a small country himself, King Ludwig naturally understood the way small countries survived.

House of Wittelsbach had managed to rise again in the Kingdom of Lombardy after losing the Bavarian throne not merely because of family ties.

If they had not recognized the times, seen that the tide had turned, and decisively admitted defeat to Austria, then no matter how much Franz cared about appearances, he could not have arranged a good place for them.

In Athens, the atmosphere within the Greek royal palace was exceedingly oppressive. Ludwig I's permanently furrowed brow in recent days had forced the palace staff to tread carefully.

In truth, anyone in Ludwig I's place would not have fared much better. Greece's surging nationalism was truly a huge headache.

"Greater Greece" was a colossal pit—one that would bury the nation the moment it jumped in—yet Greek nationalists regarded it as their goal and prepared to put it into practice.

According to the vision of Greater Greece, Greek territory would include Constantinople, with a land area roughly five or six times its current size.

To achieve this goal, the prerequisite was to "punch Austria and kick Russia."

Frankly speaking, not just anyone could have dreamed up such a grand strategy. At