Bern, affected by the tense situation in Europe, even neutral Switzerland was having a hard time.
As the "Roof of Europe," Switzerland's strategic position was far from unimportant, contrary to what later-day keyboard warriors believed.
On the contrary, situated at the heart of Western Europe, Switzerland bordered Austria to the east, Italy to the south, France to the west, and Baden and Württemberg to the north. Since ancient times, it had been a vital European transportation corridor and held immense strategic importance.
Because of its mountainous terrain, Switzerland possessed many strategic strongholds. Saint Gotthard and Saint Bernard, for example, were both places military strategists fought bitterly over.
With a continental war on the verge of breaking out, neutral Switzerland had become the eye of the storm. Which side it should choose had become a difficult question.
Bernhard Hammer, the rotating chairman, had very unfortunately been caught in the middle of it. The one consolation was that the various countries were still mainly offering benefits rather than directly forcing Switzerland to choose a side.
This was inevitable. Switzerland was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it also had the famed Swiss mercenaries. Anyone with eyes could see that it was a hard bone to chew.
Under its system of universal military service, Switzerland could still potentially field three to five hundred thousand troops. Of course, Switzerland was still dirt poor at present and could not even scrape together weapons and equipment for so many men.
But once it picked a side, those problems would no longer be problems. Neither France nor Austria would complain about having too many troops on its side.
Bernhard Hammer explained, "Your Excellency, Switzerland is a neutral country. We will not take part in continental disputes."
Bernhard Hammer had lost count of how many times