Inner strife was smoothed away for a time under the feeling of fellowship which had seized upon all parties. Those in chief command, however, did not dare give themselves up to too great illusions. It was not, indeed, on account of the military ability of the Bavarians, but on account of the moral support coming from that land, that the Prussian leaders, with Bismarck at their head, so highly praised King Ludwig's action. The commanders of the South-German army, whom the Prussians derisively called les flaneurs batailles, had shown themselves to be incapable in the war of 1866. Only the mere semblance of a command was given them in 1870, all real authority was being invested in the hands of the Prussian generals. The Crown Prince of Prussia received orders to take chief command of the South-German army. That Friedrich was not without anxiety is apparent from the following expression in his diary: "It is a difficult task for me to fight the French with troops who do not like us Prussians, and who are not educated in our school." On his way to the army he paid visits to the allied Princes whose troops he was to lead, going first to Munich and thence to Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. At all the stations where the train stopped preparations to welcome him had been made. Ludwig II. went part of the way to receive him, and the two Princes met each other with cordiality. Together with the King and Prince Otto, he drove in an open carriage through the streets of the capital of Bavaria. Waving handkerchiefs and shouts of hurrah followed in their train. In the evening the King and his guest were present at the Hof Theater, where Schiller's Wallensteins Lager was given. Shouts of delight filled the house when the Crown Prince showed himself by Ludwig's side. The Queen-mother, too, who but very rarely visited the theatre, was also present. The curtain was raised. The actor Possart repeated a prologue: "Denn was im Drange der Gefahr auf's Neue Ein edles Fürstenpaar zum Kampf vereint, Das Königswort, es heisset: Treu und Treue! Mit diesem Feldgeschrei verjagt den Feind! Heil! Dreifach heil! dem hohen Fürstenpaar, Dem Deutschlands alte Treue heilig war!" At the words "Treue um Treue" and "Heil! dreifach Heil!" there was a movement which spread all through the theatre. All were deeply affected. The King of Bavaria stepped forward with his guest. They shook hands with one another, and formally sealed their compact in the eye of the people. At this indescribable moment the warmth of popular feeling rose to a storm of rejoicing. Seized by the solemnity of the moment, the two Princes stood hand in hand. CHAPTER XVII During the War--The German Empire is Proclaimed