Franz had guessed correctly. There were indeed Austrian factions involved in supporting the Mahdist uprising. As soon as Friedrich set his plans in motion, he quickly established contact with the rebels. As it turned out, financiers were always the most welcomed guests. As a pioneer of the African independence movement, Mahdi greeted the Austrian military delegation with the highest honors. The two sides had a pleasant conversation, but there was one disappointment, the British had also shown up, much to Hutier and his men’s frustration. Fortunately, for now, everyone shared a common goal which was causing trouble for the French. That was enough to keep things amicable. After the welcoming banquet, some could no longer hold back. “Chief, the Austrians are being far too perfunctory,” someone grumbled. There was no doubt that the Mahdist leaders were dissatisfied with the Austrian delegation. As the saying goes, “Smooth-faced youths can’t shoulder real responsibility.” No one had faith in these military cadets fresh out of the academy. Mahdi, however, simply waved a hand and laughed. “That doesn’t matter. As long as the Austrians keep supplying us, even if they sent a group of gorillas, we would still treat them with respect. Besides, don’t you think this is actually the best outcome? If they had sent a bunch of old foxes instead, we might have ended up driving out one predator only to let in another.” Britain and Austria were not the same. The British were weak in Africa. Causing trouble for the French was one thing, but they had no real chance of seizing French colonies. Austria, however, was a different story. They were the dominant power on the continent. If not for the cooperation of the other colonial empires, Austria might have swallowed all of Africa for itself. Given this situation, Mahdi naturally had to be wary of the Austrian threat. The rebel army was not united. They had only come together temporarily due to a common enemy. Once foreign powers became involved, internal divisions could easily be magnified, leading to unpredictable consequences. He would rather have the Austrians send a group of useless troublemakers than face a team of cunning strategists. A middle-aged man complained, “But look at these Austrians. They want to interfere with military command. Do you really think these people are up to the task?” Mahdi shook his head. “No one can answer that for certain. But the troops they trained for us are actually quite decent. If they want to command the army, then let’s give them a chance. We’ll hand over the newly recruited units and let them lead. If they win, great. If they lose, it won’t be much of a loss for us. And if they suffer a defeat, they’ll have no excuse to keep interfering with our command.” Leading an unreliable group of subordinates, Mahdi felt utterly exhausted. He was beginning to suspect that launching this uprising might lead to his early death. But it was too late to regret now. At this stage, withdrawing was no longer an option. Not only would the French, eager to make an example of him, refuse to let him go, but even his British and Austrian backers would never forgive such a betrayal. … Lieutenant Colonel Hutier said, “The battlefield situation is extremely unfavorable for us. The French are already sharpening their blades, yet the rebel leadership has shown no sense of urgency. They are all busy fighting for power, afraid that our presence will disrupt the balance, without realizing that without our support, they have no chance of stopping the French. I just tested the Mahdi in private, and his attitude was firm. Gaining command over the rebel forces is impossible. Now that the British have joined in, with the resources we have, the best we can get is a ragtag militia. On the way here, we already saw what the main rebel force is like. The troops we will command will likely be the worst of the worst. I doubt they can carry out orders with precision. The combat strategies we learned in school will be practically useless here.” On the battlefield, execution is everything. Without discipline and coordination, even the best tactics will be ineffective. The key to a military unit’s ability to execute orders lies in the quality of its junior officers. In this war, that is an almost insurmountable problem. Just barely training these rebels to become soldiers was already a major challenge. Expecting to develop competent junior officers among them is simply unrealistic. The French won’t give them the time. Their counterattack is not far off. With Britain and Austria unable to intervene directly, the chances of the rebels winning were nearly zero. Any effort would only slightly improve those odds. The best possible outcome was to inflict heavy casualties on the French, forcing their government to see the war as a costly mistake, and then carve out control over some remote, desolate region. Falkenhayn agreed, “That’s exactly right. Leading this rabble into a decisive battle against the French… No wonder our superiors never had high hopes for us. Unless God himself takes command, the rebels have no chance of victory. But that doesn’t really concern us. Our mission is simply to cause as much trouble for the French as possible, ideally even spreading the conflict to the Nile Delta. The British should support us in this. They want the rebels to push all the way to the Suez Canal so they have an excuse to get involved there.” Falkenhayn might not have been the strongest military strategist among them, but his political instincts were sharp. He had immediately recognized Britain’s true intentions. Potiorek chuckled, “What the British want is precisely what neither we nor the French are willing to give them. So they’re bound to fail. The rebels will never reach the Suez Canal. The moment they show even the slightest sign of getting close, the French will go mad. The French government could send in hundreds of thousands of troops. Even if we armed and trained every able-bodied man, we still wouldn’t be able to stop them. So, if we can simply disrupt the French hold over the Nile Delta, we’ll have completed most of our mission. And if by some miracle we manage to take Cairo, we might just become the future commanders of Austria’s war against France.” Seeing the others eyeing him strangely, Potiorek quickly waved his hands, “Why are you all looking at me like that? It was just a joke, no need to take it so seriously!” Straussenburg answered firmly, “Of course it’s serious!” “If we actually pull that off, the French might as well pack up and go home. Maybe our government would even seize the momentum and launch a direct attack on France. How about giving it a shot, Major Potiorek? I can guarantee that if you succeed, you’ll become Austria’s youngest general.” Becoming a general in Austria was no easy feat. In peacetime, it took a slow, steady climb, taking at least 20 to 30 years to reach the rank under ideal circumstances. But war changed everything. With enough battlefield achievements, promotions could come in an instant. The system was clear: as long as someone’s military exploits were impressive enough, they could advance rapidly, regardless of age or seniority. Potiorek shook his head, “How about we settle for completing just half of that?” *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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