Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 535

Chapter 535: Chapter 108, The Balkans Storm Rises
 

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Matters of mutual consent always yield results with ease. Indeed, the Tsarist Government swiftly convinced Austria, and both sides unanimously decided to give the Ottoman Empire a thrashing.

Now it is just some detailed issues that still need to be communicated. For instance, when to attack? Where to start the attack from? Distribution of the benefits after the war…

Having reached a preliminary agreement, Alexander II’s mood did not relax. The state of the Russian Empire was not good, and theoretically, it was not a suitable time to provoke a war.

The Ottoman Empire was not the first choice of the Tsarist Government, and if possible, Alexander II would have preferred to strike the Kingdom of Prussia at this moment.

Unfortunately, the Vienna Government did not cooperate, no matter what terms they offered, even the support for Austria to unify the German Region, they failed to move the Vienna Government.

This was within Alexander II’s expectations, as such national promises are very unreliable, and naturally, the Vienna Government would not easily trust them.

If Austria really unified the German Region, it is estimated that Russia and Austria would turn against each other. In the face of interests, allies are simply not worth mentioning.

With no other choices left, the Far East was out of reach and too low in value to help with the domestic agricultural crisis.

The several Khanates of Central Asia were good targets, but starting a war in the Central Asia region would put all the pressure on the Tsarist Government.

Now the Tsarist Government was still waiting for the British loan as military expenses. If they went to attack a subordinate of the British, wouldn’t they be asking for trouble?

That left the unfortunate Ottoman Empire, a large enemy with plenty of spoils, enough for division between the two countries. The international pressure could be left to the Vienna Government to deal with, and Alexander II understood that they were really not good at playing diplomatic games.

In joining forces with Austria, this time the attack would not need to be a dead set on the Caucasus region, and any coastal area of the Ottoman Empire could become a battlefield.

A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. Alexander II, adept at learning, now placed great emphasis on logistics. Without gathering sufficient materials, he would not adventure militarily.

“Has the Vienna Government agreed to provide us with strategic supplies?”

The second reason for joining with Austria is logistics. This attack mainly relies on sea-based resupply, making the logistical pressure relatively small.

The key issue does not lie in transportation but in the problem of “money.” The finances of the Tsarist Government were not good, and the funds that had been raised with difficulty were going to be used for railway construction; there simply was no money for war.

No money at home naturally means looking to allies. They do not need actual silver and gold, just as long as the Vienna Government is willing to bear the cost of strategic material supplies, then they have nothing to fear.

Foreign Minister Chris Basham, “Your Majesty, the Austrians have made concessions; they agree to provide us with half a year’s combat supplies for one hundred and fifty thousand troops.

However, we have suffered some losses in the division of interests. The Austrians are very greedy; they want the Middle East and half of the Asia Minor Peninsula.”

Acting the part thoroughly, from the surface, the Vienna Government wants to make one effort to wipe out the Ottoman Empire, to completely resolve this old enemy, and naturally, there will be a struggle over interests.

Alexander II shook his head, “These are minor issues. The Middle East region is mostly desert, and its actual value is not high. We cannot reach it, so let them have it if they want.

This war is three parts military and seven parts political. If we cannot prevent interference from the European countries, we cannot swallow the Ottoman Empire at all.

So long as we get the Caucasus region and half of the Asia Minor Peninsula, we will not be at a loss.”

In this era, the Middle East leaves the impression of a desert to everyone. Although it is large, its actual value is not high.

Unaware of what he had thrown away, Alexander II naturally did not feel he was at a disadvantage. On the surface, Austria, which bore greater responsibilities, took the largest share, and that seemed normal.

Chris Basham nodded his approval, for the Tsarist Government to achieve its objectives in this war, there were many:

First, to alleviate the domestic food crisis and avoid large-scale agricultural bankruptcy;

Second, to put an end to the Ottoman Empire, and eliminate an enemy for the next Prusso-Russian War in advance;

Third, to restore military morale and shake off the shadow of the Prusso-Russian War through victory;

Fourth, to expand influence and establish the Monarch’s prestige;

…

To achieve the above objectives, preparation is naturally indispensable. The Tsarist Government cannot afford to lose, and Alexander II himself even less so.

Large-scale military preparations cannot deceive anyone. As the Russians took action, Prussia, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire also followed suit, with the smoke of war spreading across Europe.

Wilhelm I did want to profit from the confusion, but before the war broke out, no one could guarantee that the Russians would not make a feint at one point, then turn around and come for them.

Prussia’s underlying strength was not solid. Just one defeat could lead to irreparable disaster. The Berlin Government could not afford to gamble and could only follow suit in the arms race.

Conversely, Austria, one of the main players, was unusually quiet. It was not that Franz was overconfident; it was mainly because he was just not prepared to wipe out the Ottoman Empire in one fell swoop.

As long as the Russians were willing to fight hard, Franz would not oppose it. After all, the strategic supplies the Vienna Government provided were finite. Surely the Ottomans could not withstand tens of thousands of Russian troops for even half a year?

If there was to be a decisive battle, it wasn’t that Franz looked down upon the Ottoman Empire. In this era, the Sultan Government truly was not up to it.

In recent years, to consolidate power, the Ottoman Empire had never been at peace internally. Ongoing power struggles within the government saw the Reformists brutally cripple the Conservative faction.

That wasn’t enough, as the dispersed powers of the Conservative faction among the populace remained strong, often cloaking themselves in religion, making matters even more complicated.

The Reformists’ reforms did have some positive effects, but did not solve the internal ethnic conflicts. Within the Ottoman Empire, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and Slavs all wanted independence.

While foreign forces certainly played a role, spreading nationalism, even more, were the internal inequalities among the ethnic groups, mainly revolving around religion.

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An enemy riddled with flaws is naturally no concern for Franz. He had already decided to slowly erode from the Middle East Region, engaging in a protracted war of attrition, or what could be called a live-action training exercise.

Steady and deliberate actions meant that even if England and France were to provide aid to the Ottoman Empire, it would be in vain unless they were willing to exhaust themselves. Otherwise, the Sultan Government would surely suffer defeat.

The year 1873 was already more than halfway over, and starting a war within the year had become impossible. Although Alexander II had increased the efficiency of the Tsarist Government, they were still unable to organize an expedition of tens of thousands of troops within a few months.

Alexander II wanted to win this war decisively, so the “gray beasts” also had to be properly trained, which required time.

Should the timeline drag on, Franz certainly had no objections. Strategic layouts also needed time; inducing various parties to make the decisions he wanted was definitely no simple task.

If there were any slip-ups along the way, he would need to take care of the aftermath and prevent these issues from affecting the overall situation.

To ensure foolproof plans, Franz was extremely concerned about the health of Napoleon III. Despite reports that after falling ill in January of that year, Napoleon III’s health had been on the decline.

Since June, Napoleon III had not made any public appearances, with Crown Prince Eugénie attending many events in his stead.

While the formidable enemy lived, vigilance was warranted. If actions were taken after the death of Napoleon III, then the prospects were even more assured.

The youthful Crown Prince Eugénie wouldn’t have been a problem during times of peace, gradually accumulating prestige and systematically taking control of power; unfortunately, he was born in an era of great conflict.

In recent years, France had begun to keep a low profile, with Napoleon III wishing to create as relaxed an international environment as possible for his son, so that the enemy wouldn’t come knocking as soon as he died.

Within the plans of inducement, the Vienna Government also had a top-secret plan targeting the French. This plan had a very low success rate and could only succeed if the French willingly cooperated.

To put it simply, the goal was to induce the French to send troops to occupy Belgium, the Rhineland, or any part of the German Federation Empire. The presence of the junior emperor himself leading the troops would be ideal.

Defeating the French on their own soil was an extremely difficult task. But if the French Army’s main forces could be lured out, the odds of victory would significantly increase.

The smooth annexation of the Italian Area had left many French with their heads in the clouds. Were it not for the firm control of Napoleon III, they would have already struggled to resist annexing the territory west of the Rhineland.

Franz was well aware that the French annexation of the Italian Area had already crossed the line for many European countries, and that no Anti-French Alliance had been formed was simply due to a lack of leadership and the inability of Prusso-Russian interests to align.

If France continued its expansion, the European countries would have no choice but to take action. These small nations might have limited strength, but they could still contribute more than the straw that broke the camel’s back.

As for the worry of creating mortal enmity by crippling France, Franz was not the least bit concerned. When debts mount, one ceases to worry, and history reveals a multitude of muddled accounts between France and Austria to settle.

Moreover, the two countries didn’t share a border; would the French really dare to fight their way over?

In the original timeline, the conflict between France and Germany wasn’t about war; it primarily concerned Alsace and Lorraine, an issue over which neither side could yield.

Alsace and Lorraine were former territories of Shinra, part of the Germany Region, which the German people certainly could not relinquish. With nationalism in France at an all-time high and John Bull fanning the flames, the Paris Government likewise dared not compromise.

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This issue wouldn’t bother Austria; at worst, they could just cede it to the German Federation Empire and Austria could be satisfied with a portion of the colonies.

If the French deployed troops for revenge, the German Federation would be crying and screaming to join Shinra, and by then no one could stop them.

The precondition is that Napoleon III dies first. The little Emperor can’t suppress the War Party within the country; otherwise, the French would stay home and not show their heads, and Franz wouldn’t dare to attack.

This relates to the problem of force deployment. If the Austrian homeland troops could exert ten-tenths of their combat strength, then putting the battlefield in France would reduce that to at most six-tenths.

It’s not that the military’s combat strength has declined, but mainly due to logistics problems. The Kingdom of Prussia won its gamble in the original timeline because they were truly blessed by God. Napoleon III personally led his troops right to their doorstep.

The Emperor was captured, and a revolution broke out within France. They eliminated the government themselves, so resistance was out of the question.

Otherwise, just a few months of dragging out the war, once the French were mobilized, the outcome would have been entirely different.

Intelligence chief Tyren: “Your Majesty, there’s trouble in Greece. Last night, a revolution erupted in Athens. The rebel army defeated the government forces and captured Prince Ludwig, who had not yet ascended to the throne.”

Prince Ludwig was the same person as King Bavarian Ludwig III in the original timeline. Now, Ludwig II hadn’t reached the time to fall ill, and his father Prince Luitpold hadn’t even had the chance to serve as regent.

In the succession order of the Lombard throne, Prince Ludwig was ranked beyond fifth, making his probability of ascending to the throne almost zero.

In theory, he didn’t even have a share in the Greek throne, but since those ranked before him were unwilling to come, it was his turn.

Having encountered such unfortunate events, Franz could only conclude that Ludwig had a misfortune attribute. Sending him to be king in Greece was the right move.

In the original timeline, he was the first monarch to abdicate during the World War. This time was even worse; he hadn’t even become king before he became a prisoner.

“Inform the General Staff via telephone to prepare for military intervention in Greece, and also summon the on-duty Cabinet Minister for a meeting.”

In Franz’s view, this was just a minor issue, unworthy of summoning all Cabinet Ministers for discussion. He wasn’t worried about Ludwig’s safety in the slightest.

Currently, Ludwig’s primary identity was a prince of the Lombard Kingdom within the New Holy Roman Empire, rather than just one of the heirs to the Greek throne. If the Greeks dared to harm him, that would serve as a pretext for war.

Austria hadn’t annexed Greece, for they were mindful of their manners. On the European Continent, swallowing up a sovereign state without cause could have very serious consequences.

If the Greeks took the initiative to cause trouble, that would be a different story. Even if annexation wasn’t viable, punishing them would be quite simple.

Many people could come to this simple conclusion. Thus, those who should be most concerned about Prince Ludwig’s safety would be the rebels themselves.

If by chance this man was to die unfortunately, they would be in for bad luck too. Even if just for the sake of face, Austria would be compelled to send troops to avenge Ludwig.