On November 14th, the temperature in Berlin significantly rose compared to the previous days, but the morning temperature was still between 7 to 10 degrees Celsius. The biting cold pierced through the stylish but impractical coats of Berlin’s petite bourgeoisie, affecting every inch of their skin. People on the streets had to huddle slightly as they hurried to work.
It was on this day that news erged from Sanssouci Palace, sufficient to influence the developntal path of the Kingdom of Prussia for decades to co.
At 9 a.m., a ssage was transmitted from Sanssouci Palace to the two houses of Prussia, and then disseminated to various levels of governnt in Berlin.
"Due to a recent cold, King Frederick William IV of the Kingdom of Prussia cannot handle state affairs. Therefore, Crown Prince William Frederick Ludwig is entrusted to handle all major and minor state affairs of Prussia.
All governnt officials must follow the new Crown Prince’s orders and must not leave their posts without permission!"
As soon as the news was released, a political turmoil erupted among the mbers of the two houses of Berlin and various levels of governnt. The most anxious were the bourgeoisie mbers of the lower house, who had not forgotten that Prince William once used the military to suppress a revolution two years ago. Now, with the Crown Prince holding the regency and having a "blemished" record of suppressing the revolution, they wondered how much worse their days could get.
Thus, so mbers of the lower house gathered and went to Sanssouci Palace, attempting to verify the "truth" under the guise of visiting King Frederick William IV of Prussia.
Was Frederick William IV genuinely ill, or was he coerced and kidnapped by the Junker nobility?
If it was the forr, it would be fine, but if it was the latter, they would consider rescuing Frederick William IV under the banner of saving him.
Compared to the new Prince William, King Frederick William IV was clearly a more favorable option for them.
However, the bourgeois mbers’ cautious plans were entirely extinguished in the face of Prussian soldiers with bayonets in front of Sanssouci Palace.
The Count of Brandenburg, having anticipated the actions of the lower house mbers, had already dispatched so of the garrison troops from Berlin and Potsdam City to defend the Royal Palace before the ssage was released.
The one commanding this small force was none other than the future German Second Empire Marshal Carl Friedrich von Steintz.
Just promoted to the rank of Major General, Steintz silently stepped forward from among the Prussian soldiers, expressionless as he stood at the forefront, watching this group of mbers who attempted to rely on their numbers to break into Sanssouci Palace.
"Do you intend to rebel?" Steintz’s face was as cold as frost, and his voice was exceptionally indifferent, like a machine without any emotion.
All the mbers present were slightly leaned backward, intimidated by the aloofness exuded by Steintz and the glittering bayonets at the muzzles of the Prussian soldiers’ guns.
Even though fear gripped their hearts, so of the mbers in the crowd still mustered the courage to question Steintz: "We just want to see His Majesty. You have no right to stop us! Prussian mbers enjoy constitutional protection!"
"Yes! We want to see His Majesty! Stand aside!"
"That’s right!"
...
The clamorous voices of the mbers made Steintz more disgusted with this group from the lower house. In his view, these people were just barking here and contributed nothing to the country.
Only the Prussian army could help this country. The so-called lower house should be dissolved for the better.
"The bulletin already stated that His Majesty has caught a cold and cannot handle state affairs! Prince William is in power now; you should go back!" Steintz maintained his distant tone as he responded to the mbers present.
"We must see His Majesty! Otherwise, we absolutely won’t leave!" Steintz’s response further "confird" suspicions that the King might be imprisoned.
To protect their vested interests, the mbers decided to take a risky stand against the military.
Previous experiences told them that the military dared not engage in a massacre, especially against individuals of their status.
But they were wrong. Before them stood Steintz, a ruthless figure who couldn’t care less about the lives of mbers of parliant.
In his eyes, these mbers were no more than ruffians attempting to storm the Royal Palace.
"I’ll give you only thirty seconds!! After thirty seconds, face the consequences!" Steintz took out his pocket watch as he spoke to the mbers.
Steintz’s words made the mbers’ hearts beat like a drum; many were already entertaining thoughts of retreat.
A portion of the mbers still harbored illusions that Steintz wouldn’t actually use force.
When the ti reached the last ten seconds, Steintz’s cold voice once again emanated from his slightly pale lips: "Ten seconds left!"
At the sa ti, the Prussian soldiers also took a half-step forward with their left foot, raising the Dreiser needle guns to chest level, ready in a posture for a bayonet charge.
So forr Prussian military mbers among the group understood that these Prussian soldiers might actually use force, forcing them to hastily retreat.
One mber’s withdrawal sparked a chain reaction, and all the mbers in front of Sanssouci Palace fled one after another.
Watching the ragged mbers, Steintz displayed a contemptuous smile, gently gesturing for the soldiers to lower their raised rifles.
Unwilling to relent, the legislators resud their actions upon returning to Berlin. They pressured local newspapers in the Berlin Region in the na of the legislators. By the afternoon, reports of legislators being attacked by brutal troops at the Sanssouci Palace spread widely. At the sa ti, a wave of resistance against the Prussian army surged in the Lower House.
As the leader of the liberal faction, Radovitz was well aware that provoking the military at this critical juncture would lead to no good. Calling for restraint in the Lower House in response to sudden occurrences, he was angrily denounced by fellow legislators as a "traitor."
Frederick William IV’s cold seed to beco a contradictory trigger, once again sending Berlin into chaos.
In the Sanssouci Palace, Regent King William I, upon receiving intelligence from Berlin, grew even more disgusted with those Lower House legislators.
anwhile, the arrival of two letters further determined William I’s resolve to cleanse the Lower House’s influence.
One was from the Poznan Region, reporting from the border that the Russian Empire was massing troops on a large scale in the Polish Region.
Prince Paskievich of Poland similarly announced a military exercise in Poland.
The other was a letter from Count Frangel, commander of the Prussian troops in Kassel. In the letter, Count Frangel reported facing a joint attack by Prussian and Bavarian forces.
The battle raged for two days, ultimately ending with the outnumbered Prussian army withdrawing from the battlefield.
This war signified a complete failure of Prussia’s strategy in Hesse-Kassel.
What was even worse, an increasing number of people might choose to join the Austrian Empire in punishing Prussia.
In 1848, Prussia’s arrogance was finally facing "retribution" at this mont.
"My Lord Count, I decide to dismiss Radovitz tomorrow!" Regent King William finally made up his mind to dismiss Radovitz.
"As you command!" replied Count Brandenburg with a smile, acknowledging that choosing William as regent was indeed a wise decision.
On November 15, Count Brandenburg arrived at the Cabinet to publicly announce Prince William’s decision.
"Mr. Radovitz, you are dismissed!" Count Brandenburg said smilingly to Radovitz, the then Pri Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Upon hearing the news, Radovitz felt a buzzing in his head, as if struck by a heavy hamr, and he staggered to his chair.
Although he knew this day would co sooner or later, he still made a fool of himself upon actually receiving the news.
"I understand," Radovitz responded to Count Brandenburg, struggling to hold back his inner sorrow.
"However, you still have a mission!" Count Brandenburg changed his tone, continuing, "The Regent King hopes you can go to Britain as a special envoy to discuss forming an alliance!"
"I understand," Radovitz nodded bitterly.
As Radovitz left the Cabinet, his once upright body now hunched, his once vibrant spirit instantly transford into a dispirited deanor.
Count Brandenburg succeeded Radovitz as Pri Minister smoothly, leaving the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs to the more timid and conservative Mantel.
On November 16, Prince William, as the Regent King, announced the termination of the Prussian Constitution drafted in 1848, reverting to the constitution of 1842.
This declaration instantly sent Berlin into a frenzy.
Abolishing the 1848 Constitution ant the abolition of the bicaral system. If the Lower House ceased to exist, how would the capitalists of the Rhine Land, Berlin, and Silesia fight for their rights?
They certainly couldn’t have their taxes collected without any power, like before 1848!
Petitions from the Berlin Region ca flooding in, with many pleading for Regent King William to rescind his decision.
The revolution, which had been suppressed, began to stir restlessly once more.
A small number even declared they would initiate a second revolution.
But they were mistaken. They did not realize that they were no longer facing a seasoned politician like Frederick William IV, but rather Prince William, such a bloodthirsty butcher.
Particularly now, when Prince William was only in his fifties, even after experiencing the failure at Fulda, he still had a certain perseverance.
As soon as the order was issued, the Prussian army was instantly assembled, entering Berlin to suppress civilian opinion.
To support the military’s actions, Regent Prince William issued a "proclamation against rebels" to the Junkers across the regions. The Junker nobility everywhere cheered the return of the old tis, with Bismarck leading the Prussian Junkers back to their hotowns to recruit loyal Prussian "serfs" to protect their "benevolent" Regent King, resembling a hotown reunion.
Under the manipulation of Regent King William, the whole of Prussia instantly fell into political disarray.
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