As soon as the public made a fuss, the entire world knew what the French wanted to do. Belgium and Germany began preparing for war, and the other neighbors were not idle either. Switzerland called up fifty thousand militia for six months of military training. Spain expanded its army by five infantry divisions, officially declaring it was to suppress colonial rebellions. The Austrian government announced a six-month delay in the retirement of this year’s military officers and initiated nationwide anti-invasion drills. Although nothing was stated outright, everyone knew these moves were aimed at the French. Tensions on the European continent suddenly escalated, leaving the French government, now at the center of the storm, in an awkward position. Explanation? The more they tried to explain, the more suspicious it looked. Even though most believed France’s target was likely Belgium and Germany, everyone stayed on alert, fearing the French might pull a surprise move. Due to rising tensions in Europe, the Austrian Foreign Ministry became increasingly active. Countries across the continent began declaring their positions, hoping Austria could keep in check France’s ambitions. Franz had never cared much for the same old diplomatic rhetoric. He flipped through it casually, frowned, and asked, “Is there anything of substance in here? This kind of meaningless moral support might fool children, but it’s of no use to us.” No concrete support was mentioned. Everyone was just expressing support for Austria in confronting France, ideally hoping the Austrians and the French would wear each other out, so the rest could enjoy peace and quiet. Of course, those implications weren’t in the diplomatic notes, but Franz could easily fill in the blanks himself. If he were in the position of other European countries, he would have done the same. Meaningless support was still better than none at all. At the very least, it showed that Austria wasn’t isolated and still had decent relations with others. When necessary, this kind of support could be used to boost morale, strengthen the sense of legitimacy, and gain the upper hand in public opinion. Foreign Minister Wessenberg said, “Yes. The Grand Duchy of Baden has invited us to station troops there for joint defense against a French invasion. Belgium has also proposed a three-nation military exercise to deter French ambitions.” Throughout history, inviting foreign troops to station in one’s territory has always been an extremely risky political move. That the Grand Duchy of Baden bypassed the central government to invite Austrian troops surprised Franz a little. But considering the complex relationship between the two countries, he wasn’t entirely shocked. Even though the Holy Roman Empire had collapsed decades ago, its legacy remained. Especially after the rise of nationalism, the Holy Roman Empire became the legal and ideological foundation for the concept of a Greater Germany. Normally, the biggest opposition to foreign troops comes from nationalists. But in the eyes of Baden’s nationalists, Austria, as part of the German people, was considered one of their own. With no internal resistance, and the German Federation’s central government having no authority to interfere in Baden’s internal affairs, there wasn’t much standing in the way. If the central government was unhappy, then it could send troops to guard the borders itself. The Imperial Diet was still in session, and the various states were quarreling over military allocations. Even Hanover, acting as the central government, was under pressure defending the Rhineland, so sending reinforcements to Baden was truly too much to ask. Beyond all these factors, the core reason why Baden dared to invite Austrian troops was the familial ties between the two ruling houses. Austria could annex anyone, but it would never betray its own relatives by annexing Baden. Otherwise, the House of Habsburg would lose its standing among the nobility. After thinking briefly, Franz shook his head and said, “Neither of these proposals is realistic. Stationing troops in Baden at this time would not only provoke the French, but also worsen our relationship with the German Federation. If the French advance eastward, the German Federation is the best buffer we have. What we should be doing now is encouraging them to stand firm against the French, not taking the burden onto ourselves. Belgium’s military exercise plan is even less feasible. Too many participating troops would cost a fortune. The French haven’t attacked yet, and the Belgians don’t have the courage to provoke them on their own. If too few troops take part, the exercise won’t deter the French. It might even embolden them. In the end, the French government might strike first and eliminate the troops participating in the exercise.” Without a doubt, these were just excuses. The real reason was simple: Franz had no intention of being the fool who charged into the anti-French front line. Human nature doesn’t hold up well being tested. No matter how nice everyone sounded now, once France was defeated, Austria would become their next target. Rather than waste effort and gain nothing in return, it was better to sit back and observe. Once Belgium and Germany had taken a serious beating from the French, stepping in to help would be a completely different story. Prime Minister Karl said worriedly, “The situation in France is changing too suddenly. It’s hard to make sense of it. I keep feeling like someone is manipulating things behind the scenes. It’s understandable that the French, led by public opinion and with their national pride provoked, would want to take a tough stance against Belgium and Germany. But why are the Italians joining in the chaos? I don’t believe they feel such a strong sense of belonging to the French government.” France had only truly annexed Italy less than twenty years ago. The older generation was still alive, and the younger generation had grown up during that unusual period. Talking about a sense of belonging was a joke. Yes, the House of Bonaparte had Italian origins, but their foundation was shallow. In Italy, they had almost no real power. Aside from the lingering influence of the Napoleonic era, they basically had nothing. And without cooperation, influence cannot be turned into real power. The Italian capitalists who originally supported the French government had lost out in the competition with French capital and were pushed to the opposing side. If it weren’t for France’s intimidating strength, the Italian regions would have already erupted in flames. At the very least, the royal families of several puppet states who had been sidelined were all hoping to regain their power. Foreign Minister Wessenberg explained, “The situation in Italy has already been clarified by our embassy in Rome. There are signs of Italian independence groups behind this. They’ve gotten involved in order to stir up a continental war, creating an opportunity for Italian independence. Based on where their funding comes from, the evidence points directly to the British. Considering the current international situation, the British government certainly has the motive to provoke a European war.” Funding is the easiest to trace. The Italian independence movement had only two major financial backers. Since the Austrian government hadn’t provided the money, it had to be the British who paid for it. Even if other countries had the will, they wouldn’t have the courage. If news of it leaked and they were blamed for sparking a European war, that would be politically fatal. Minister of Finance Mark Leo von Joseph said, “The truth doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is whether the war can still be avoided. If possible, I wish we could delay it by another ten years, even five would do. By then, we’d be able to crush the French in one blow.” Eliminating the French in one go would be the ideal outcome. The fact that previous anti-French wars failed to truly resolve the France problem already says a lot. On the European continent, defeating a country is easy, but completely eliminating it is hard. The cost on the battlefield is one thing, but the real issue is international intervention. France, being a major European power, cannot be left lingering if it is not dealt with thoroughly. Otherwise, it will become an endless source of trouble. Austria does not have the strength to ignore the interference of other European countries, which means that after fighting one war with France, there will be a permanent enemy on the western border. If that were not the case, Austria would have already taken advantage of the Paris Revolution and struck France while it was down, without waiting until now. Wessenberg shook his head and added, “That question will have to be answered by the French. If they are intent on carrying out a Central European strategy, then this war will be unavoidable. From the current situation, we must prepare for the worst. Mere deterrence likely won’t be enough to extinguish French ambitions.” Austria’s Near East development plan has already begun to take shape. Ordinary people may not feel much of it, but it is obvious to sharp-eyed politicians. The Russian government was lured into Central Asia, partly to reclaim lost territory and wash away their previous humiliation, and partly because they had no choice. Watching Austria grow stronger by the day while the Russian Empire weakens, anyone in their position would feel the pressure. If no alternative is available, Russia and Austria will surely go their separate ways and eventually clash due to conflicting strategic interests. Just then, the British showed up. Originally, the Russian government had planned to stop after reclaiming Central Asia, but when they saw how weak the British forces were, they couldn’t resist the temptation of India and pushed forward. Strategically speaking, the Russian government’s decision was not wrong. Fighting the British on land offered a higher chance of victory than fighting Austria, and the rewards of defeating Britain were greater than those of defeating Austria. Once India is annexed, Russia’s weaknesses would be covered, and Austria would no longer pose a threat. With the Russians taking the initiative and the British forced to respond passively, among the great powers, only France and Austria have any capacity left for action. After the production capacity crisis broke out, and with British incitement, the heavily damaged French interest groups and ambitious factions could no longer hold back. Once the issue was made clear, the politicians could no longer play ostrich. If the Central European strategy wasn’t completed, France would remain at a disadvantage in future international competition. After a long silence, Franz slowly spoke: “There’s no point hoping anymore. At this stage, the French government has no other choice. Unless the entire French government is made up of men with no ambition at all, content to muddle through life, war is bound to break out sooner or later. From now on, the country will enter Level Three Alert. All military industries must begin full operations immediately. Local governments are to register and catalogue retired officers and soldiers within their jurisdictions. The government must ensure that within one week of war breaking out, 500,000 reservists can be mobilized. The governors of the Near East and East Africa are to enter Level One Alert. If the French invade Central Europe, we will seize the Suez Canal and Egypt. Notify all federal state governments that an Imperial Council will be convened on the 11th of next month to discuss how to resist a French invasion.” Regardless of which direction the French attack from, Franz had already made up his mind. He was going after the Suez Canal. As for the rest of Africa, since those areas were not strategic locations and were blocked by vast deserts, Franz had no interest in them for the time being. To the Austrian government, the coming war was both a disaster and an opportunity. Up until now, the Austrian government had only gained control over currency issuance and tariffs. Command of the army still rested with the Emperor, and the central government had no right to intervene. The judicial system was technically unified, but to ensure fairness and independence from external interference, the judiciary of the New Holy Roman Empire operated outside of government authority. Institutions such as courts and the anti-corruption bureau reported directly to the Emperor. Given this structure, the central government had no real power over the highly autonomous state governments. Apart from exerting economic influence, the Austrian government had never issued any formal administrative orders to the state governments. In theory, if a state government became so unpopular that the people were enraged, the central government could step in. Unfortunately, all the states had benefited from expansion and economic growth in recent years. Their reputations were solid, and the central government had no opportunity to intervene. Now, things were different. Once war broke out, the state governments would no longer be able to refuse coordination with the central government. This was especially true for the frontline states. Without the support of the central government, they wouldn’t be able to hold out. How exactly this would be implemented was a matter between the Cabinet and the state governments. Power struggles have always been won through action, no one gains power by standing still.
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH) Support the translation at https://ko-fi.com/dragonlegion
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