Chapter 1678 - 1584: The True Southern German Dual Core

Chapter 1678: Chapter 1584: The True Southern German Dual Core

Almost all German states, as well as the vast majority of European countries, sent high-level representatives to attend the royal wedding between the Bavarian and Wurttemberg royal families.

Even the Regent of France appeared at the wedding ceremony.

What shocked the people most was that he personally officiated the marriage of 17-year-old Ludwig and 19-year-old Catherine.

The Bavarian Royal Family spared no expense and completely refurbished the Royal Palace, and the entire Munich City was in a carnival during these days.

The only regret for everyone was that the situation in Rome had been somewhat chaotic recently, so the Pope did not send a Cardinal Archbishop to preside over the wedding.

In fact, this was an arrangement made by King Maximilian I of Bavaria under the instructions of Joseph.

The entire wedding deliberately downplayed the Catholic factor, and there wasn’t even a process for the Protestant bride to convert.

Yes, the Wurttemberg Royal Family had begun to convert to Protestantism since Carl Eugen ascended the throne more than 60 years ago. Although there were still many Catholics in Wurttemberg, Protestantism had already gained the upper hand.

If Bavaria wanted to fully cooperate with Wurttemberg, the religious issue was an unavoidable barrier.

On the third day of the wedding, the court celebrations had come to an end, fireworks were still being set off in Munich City, and Maximilian I and Duke Friedrich III of Württemberg went to the room where the Regent of France was staying, saying they were there to bid him farewell.

Yes, this time Friedrich III broke the European monarchs’ convention of not easily traveling abroad and personally came to Munich. The outward explanation was that he loved his daughter and came to attend the wedding, but in reality, it was to meet Joseph.

The two kings showed some restraint, and upon entering the room, they took the initiative to bow slightly to the young Regent of France—if Joseph represented the ruler of France, then their actions were not out of line.

Joseph smiled and returned the salute: "It truly was a grand wedding to remember. I sincerely thank you for your generous hospitality these past few days."

Maximilian I said they came to bid Joseph farewell, but he and Friedrich III sat right down on the sofa.

Eman immediately gestured for the attendants to leave and gently closed the door.

Maximilian I first exchanged a few polite remarks like "Thank you, Regent, for attending Ludwig’s wedding," but soon got to the point:

"Regarding the matter you proposed earlier, Count Montegelara set off for Graz yesterday."

Count Montegelara was the current Chief Minister and Foreign Minister of Bavaria, so anything that required his involvement was certainly significant.

In fact, he was representing the king in making a stern diplomatic protest to Austria.

This was an important step in Joseph’s plan to tear apart the Holy Roman Empire through Bavaria.

Initially, Maximilian I was painstakingly looking for excuses to "stir things up," such as the Emperor of Sanctum not congratulating him on his coronation as king or trade frictions between the two countries.

As it turned out, the O’Leary Army of Austria had previously crossed the border to pursue people from the National Assembly, even clashing with the Bavarian Army, which became an excellent point to leverage.

According to the plan, Bavaria would make a fuss about the "Austrian invasion incident" and show extreme toughness, continuously escalating diplomatic friction until breaking completely with Austria.

Joseph nodded: "Congratulations. You have won a prosperous future for Southern Germany."

After Maximilian I finished speaking, he turned to look at Friedrich III beside him.

The latter cleared his throat and said, "Your Highness, perhaps you would like to hear about the ’cooperation’ between our country and Bavaria. The current proposed plan includes—

"Aligning our diplomatic stances as much as possible, with the ’Dual Core’ dealing with countries like Prussia and Austria as a whole. Neither side shall privately sign any diplomatic documents with other countries.

"The armies of both countries will conduct annual joint exercises, unifying training and armaments as much as possible, and sign a defensive alliance agreement.

"Mutually abolish tariffs, coordinate all border trade issues, and form a unified market.

"And as you mentioned, both countries will implement religious freedom policies to downplay religious influence."

When they finished speaking, both monarchs looked nervously at Joseph.

You must understand, without the support of France, the united plan of the two countries would basically be impossible to implement—either Prussia or Austria alone could overpower them.

Joseph, however, frowned and shook his head: "I’m afraid this won’t work."

Both Maximilian I and Friedrich III had eyes full of disappointment. The former even glanced at the latter with some dissatisfaction, clearly expressing "I told you we couldn’t be this radical. See, now we’ve hit a wall."

Friedrich III took a deep breath and said bravely, "Your Highness, actually, our main hope is to form a unified market, and all other measures are in service of this goal."

He felt a bit guilty after speaking because unifying military training and armaments had nothing to do with forming a unified market.

Joseph’s tone was serious: "With all due respect, according to the proposal you’ve outlined, there is almost no necessity for a ’Southern German Dual Core.’

The two kings’ faces changed dramatically, just about to argue, when they heard the Regent of France continue: "First of all, regarding the unified market issue that you are most concerned about, merely coordinating tariffs and trade disputes does not offer more than what the Stuttgart Trade Agreement system can achieve."

’Dual Core’ must have more ambition. For example, jointly establish compatible commercial, financial, and tax laws, share a patent system, adopt the same technical standards, and even use a unified currency system."

The two kings were immediately wide-eyed, wondering if they were dreaming.

Joseph continued: "In terms of political and diplomatic affairs. You need to at least establish a mechanism for regular high-level meetings between the two countries, preferably setting up a Munich-Stuttgart Policy Coordination Bureau to facilitate constant communication and consultation.

"In important international conferences, the ’Dual Core’ should send only one diplomat.

"Oh, and for diplomatic affairs, it’s best to conduct bilateral pre-voting. For diplomatic decisions that must be made despite serious differences, Munich will have the ’final vote.’"

Friedrich III was clearly somewhat dissatisfied: "Your Highness, the ’Dual Core’ needs complete equality..."

Joseph gestured for him to be patient: "And as compensation, Stuttgart will have greater leadership in foreign trade."

This left both kings silent.

Bavaria clearly had a higher international status and more diplomatic clout, while Wurttemberg held the two countries’ foreign shipping routes and was more familiar with trade with other countries.

With this balanced, both sides could play to their strengths and have means to restrain each other.

Most importantly, every matter needs someone to make decisions, or else hardly anything can be accomplished. This is also why many alliances fail to leverage their member states’ strengths.