Holy Roman Empire Chapter 794 - Night and Day Difference (Bonus Chapter)

        

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        With Chancellor Felix stepping down, Austria’s political landscape faced a reshuffle. Franz appointed Finance Minister Karl as the new Chancellor.         In reality, this was merely a transitional appointment. Karl Ludwig von Bruck, born during the Napoleonic Wars, was only seven or eight years younger than Felix.         Given that stability was the top priority, Franz avoided making drastic changes. He simply followed the established government procedures: when the Chancellor steps down early, the second-in-command, the Finance Minister, automatically takes over.         A full cabinet reshuffle would have to wait until the current term ended, which wouldn’t be until 1889. Considering the timeline, Karl’s tenure as interim Chancellor was not exactly short.         By the time this term concluded, Karl himself would be nearing retirement age, making way for the next generation of leaders.         Austria’s political transition proceeded smoothly without any major upheavals, disappointing many who had hoped for a power struggle.         ...         In Paris, one of those disappointed observers was Napoleon IV, who had been closely watching the situation in Austria.         Like it or not, Austria and France had become each other’s greatest rivals on the European continent.         Although both governments maintained a facade of restraint, behind the scenes, they had frequently undermined one another.         Since the Paris Revolution, a weakened France had gradually fallen behind in international competition.         To stabilize the situation, the French government had been forced into a strategic defensive posture, further fueling Napoleon IV’s resentment toward Austria.         While he could watch the drama unfold from afar, he lacked the power to interfere in Austria’s political transition.         …         “Your Majesty, great news!”         Before the person even arrived, their voice had already reached him. Seeing the Foreign Minister’s delighted expression, Napoleon IV felt his gloomy mood lift considerably.         “Tell me, what’s the good news?”         Foreign Minister Terence Bourquin handed a thin document to Napoleon IV and responded excitedly, “The Annam War is over. We got everything we wanted at the negotiating table. This is the treaty sent by our envoy in the Far East.”         Hearing this, Napoleon IV immediately understood why Terence Bourquin was so thrilled.         What they had failed to secure on the battlefield had been won through diplomacy, a rare miracle in diplomatic history.         With this achievement alone, Terence Bourquin had every right to compete for the position of France’s next Prime Minister.         This was one of the changes brought about by the Paris Revolution. Napoleon IV had needed someone to serve as a buffer for political conflicts, and after much internal deliberation, he had decided to restore the prime ministerial system.         After reviewing the treaty’s contents, Napoleon IV nodded approvingly. “This is indeed great news. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has done an excellent job!”         This praise was sincere as the treaty’s gains had far exceeded his expectations. Initially, all he had hoped for was a dignified end to the war.         Since the Paris Revolution, the once-mighty France has begun its decline. Multi-front military campaigns had already stretched the government’s resources to the limit.         Annam was far less important than Egypt. The moment France chose to negotiate, the government had already decided to temporarily abandon its plans to annex Annam.         The world works in strange ways. What you desperately seek may elude you, but when you finally decide to let go, it unexpectedly returns to you.         Happy moments are always fleeting. Just as everyone was celebrating, the Minister of War, Lusquinye Hafize, walked in with a grim expression and reported, “I apologize for interrupting everyone’s good mood. A message has just arrived from Egypt. After enduring immense hardship, Governor Adolphe’s suppression army finally defeated the main rebel forces in the Aswan region two days ago.”         Defeating the main rebel forces… this should have been good news. The room fell into confusion as everyone stared at Lusquinye Hafize, waiting for him to continue.         “However, just as our forces secured victory, the despicable enemy destroyed an upstream dam. The ensuing flood devastated our army.”         Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions darkened… Some were furious, others bewildered.         After taking a moment to process the heavy news, Napoleon IV asked, “How severe are the losses?”         With a mournful expression and a hushed tone, Lusquinye Hafize replied, “As of yesterday afternoon, out of nearly forty thousand troops in the suppression army, fewer than six thousand have returned to active service and two-thirds of them are Egyptians.         Governor Adolphe estimates that, at most, around ten thousand soldiers will eventually regroup, with only about four thousand being regular troops.         Nearly all the army’s supplies were lost, over eighty percent of its weapons and equipment were destroyed, and every single artillery piece was lost.         To prevent further unnecessary losses, Governor Adolphe is leading the remaining troops back to Cairo.         Egypt is now in its most perilous state, and the colonial government is requesting reinforcements from the country.”         There was nothing that could be done. No one expected the rebels to sacrifice their own forces along with the French. While the main rebel army was engaged in a decisive battle with the French forces, the dam upstream was suddenly blown up.         In this era, there were no wireless telegraphs, and the rebels lacked the capability to lay wired telegraphs or install telephones. The flood struck just as the battle ended.         Based on the timing, the rebels must have destroyed the dam while the battle was still raging. This meant that from the very beginning, the main rebel forces that had appeared on the battlefield were nothing more than expendable pawns.         What made it even more infuriating was that this Aswan Dam had been funded and built by the French government itself.         Egypt was a crucial part of France’s grand plan for African development. To protect the downstream regions from flooding and safeguard the fertile Nile Delta, the French government, after resuming its African development projects in 1875, made the Aswan Dam one of the first major infrastructure projects. This was 23 years earlier than the British-built Aswan Dam in the original timeline.         In a fit of rage, Napoleon IV tore the documents apart and roared, “How could they fall for such a trap? Does Adolphe have shit for brains?!”         As an experienced general, Adolphe should never have overlooked the strategic importance of the upstream dam. Under normal circumstances, even during a military campaign, he should have exercised greater caution.         The Minister of War, Lusquinye Hafize, braced himself and explained, “The colonial government did receive intelligence about the rebels planning to use flooding as a tactic.         However, the expected attack wasn’t supposed to involve blowing up the Aswan Dam. Instead, the rebels were believed to be targeting a riverbank upstream near Isna, intending to destroy a natural embankment and reroute the Nile to flood the lower delta.         In fact, the Aswan Dam is still quite far from the delta, and since it isn’t flood season, destroying it shouldn’t have had a significant impact downstream.         If the rebels hadn’t deliberately chosen a low-lying battlefield and lured the suppression army into it for a decisive engagement, even the destruction of the dam wouldn’t have caused such devastating losses.         Based on reports from the front lines, the rebels suffered at least three times the casualties we did. No one could have predicted that they would sacrifice their own main forces as bait. So…”         Lusquinye Hafize understood Governor Adolphe’s reasoning. This was no mere desperate gambit, for their enemy was undeniably a madman.             In an era of limited communication, using the main force as bait was a perilous gamble. Had the French not taken the bait and the upstream dam been destroyed, the tactic of mutual destruction would have become unilateral suicide.         History, however, deals in realities. Though the rebels likely suffered greater losses in numbers, they secured a strategic victory.         The counterinsurgency force was devastated, leaving Egypt incapable of organizing a second campaign in the short term. They could only await reinforcements from the homeland.         For at least half a month, the rebels would rampage unchecked, expanding their territory and rallying more to their cause.         With this outcome, the rebels had earned the renewed attention of their two shadowy benefactors, who would now invest greater resources into supporting them.         Napoleon IV interjected, “Enough. No amount of justification can mask failure. When did the French Army fall to the point of making excuses for defeat?”         Faced with the Emperor’s outburst, Lusquinye Hafize swiftly chose pragmatism. Inwardly, he already mourned Governor Adolphe’s fate.         In such circumstances, escaping unscathed would require divine intervention. Were it not for the military taboo of replacing commanders mid-campaign, Adolphe would already be en route to a court-martial in the capital.         After a tense silence, Napoleon IV declared coldly, “The Ministry of War will draft a new counterinsurgency plan. I will tolerate no further failures.         Ensure capable officers are dispatched from the homeland to oversee operations in Egypt. Fools like Adolphe need not apply.”         A defeated commander remained just that and no amount of excuses could obscure the fact of his loss. That Napoleon IV restrained himself from immediately punishing Governor Adolphe was already a concession to broader strategic interests.         Minister of War Lusquinye Hafize hurriedly assured, “Your Majesty, rest assured. The Ministry of War will exercise utmost caution in selecting personnel. There will be no repeat of this debacle.” *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)

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