At the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Franz was completely stunned upon receiving the news of a refugee wave. There was no helping it. The news was simply too shocking. After all, Belgium and the Rhineland were the heartlands of Europe, not some insignificant and impoverished backwaters. It was easy to imagine that once this news spread, all the diplomatic efforts previously made by the French government would be in vain. Even their British allies would begin to view the French government differently. Having been in politics for many years, Franz had developed a strong mental fortitude and quickly regained his composure. “Is the information confirmed? Is the refugee wave really due to the French expelling local residents, and not caused by the war itself?” Refugees caused by war and the forced displacement of locals are two entirely different concepts. The latter implies intent, while the former merely reflects the consequences of conflict. This distinction exposed the ambitions of France. Although the war had ostensibly broken out because the French wanted to seize territories west of the Rhine, the French government had never publicly admitted to any intent to annex those areas. These days, attempting expansion on the European continent not only provokes widespread public ridicule and diplomatic hostility but is also considered a grave political taboo. The legal basis for such actions cannot be ignored. To violate it is to shake the very foundations of Europe’s political structure. Those who break the rules inevitably suffer from the backlash of those same rules. The French had launched this war on the grounds of missing soldiers. Such flimsy justifications for war were all too common on the European continent. A conflict could erupt over something as trivial as a jar of honey, let alone the disappearance of soldiers. Since they had not openly revealed any expansionist ambitions and were instead operating quietly, others could pretend not to see. The various countries were happy to watch France and Austria fight each other. Many politicians were working behind the scenes, waiting for both sides to suffer heavy losses before stepping in to reap the rewards and restore the balance of power in continental Europe. With this move by the French, however, the situation was no longer the same. Especially for the smaller nations, the lid had been blown off. If they did nothing now, the major powers might follow suit, and how would the smaller countries survive? Of course, all of this was theoretical. In a certain sense, politics was like a b*tch. In this era of the strong preying on the weak, as long as one had power, no problem was truly a problem. Chancellor Karl replied grimly, “The information has been verified. The French army carried out devastating looting in the occupied areas. They stole the locals’ food, burned their homes, and forced them to leave. In addition, the French army has blocked the ports in the Belgian region and the roads leading to Switzerland and the Netherlands. It appears they are preparing to drive all the refugees toward us. According to intelligence from our informants, the French army is facing logistical problems and can no longer supply the needs of their frontline forces. This was triggered by the coalition forces destroying local roads and bridges before their retreat, as well as burning granaries and supplies. If the war continues, the French government will not only have to feed its frontline troops but also provide for tens of millions of people in the occupied regions. That demand is far beyond what the French are capable of handling. As a result, someone proposed a plan to expel the local population. Except for a few traitors who sided with the French, nearly all civilians are included in the scope of this expulsion. If nothing unexpected happens, we may soon have to take in close to ten million refugees. This is far beyond what the government had initially planned for.” After hearing this explanation, Franz had no choice but to believe it. This was no longer a matter of whether the French wanted to do it or not. They had no other choice. If they did not expel the locals, how would they solve the food problem? There are tens of millions of people in those regions. Once the local food reserves are exhausted, it will fall on the French government to feed them. Otherwise, if they go hungry, these people will rise up. Food is only a short-term issue. The real trouble lies ahead. One only has to look at the Italian regions to understand. So many years have passed, yet those areas still have not fully stabilized. If assimilating Italians has been so difficult, then assimilating the fiercely independent Germans will be even harder. The Italians now have no country of their own, so all the problems are internal. The Germans are different. Even if France wins this war, it is impossible for them to destroy Austria. Since they cannot absorb these people, keeping them will not be a benefit but rather a heavy burden. Whether from the perspective of immediate needs or long-term strategy, these local populations represent a potential threat to France. Rather than leave behind these hidden dangers, it would be better to expel them and create trouble for their enemies. As it turned out, the French had succeeded in their operation. Despite all the preparations, Austria was still unprepared to receive such a massive wave of refugees. Creating trouble is always easier than solving it. The French army had no need to worry about civilian losses. They simply and brutally expelled the local population, and one month was more than enough to do so. In contrast, Austria’s task of resettling these people was an entirely different matter. Forget about doing it in a month. Even within a year, resettling so many people would not be an easy feat. The Austrian government certainly had extensive experience in handling immigration and resettlement, but it was not equipped to handle the sudden placement of nearly ten million people in such a short time. To make matters worse, maritime routes were currently blocked, and Austrian ships could only operate in the eastern Mediterranean, which further increased the difficulty of resettlement. It was clear that because of this refugee wave, the anti-French coalition would lose the initiative on the Central European front for a long time. “Things are as they are now. Our first task is to handle refugee resettlement properly. Since the French have made their move, we must respond. The refugees are not all elderly, women, and children. A portion of the able-bodied men can be assigned to road maintenance, which will reduce the number of domestic laborers we need to conscript. From Central Europe to Africa, we have tens of thousands of kilometers of railways and roads. That should be enough to accommodate a large number of people. One way or another, we must give the refugees jobs. They cannot be allowed to sit idle. These refugees share many of our cultural traditions, so integration should not be too difficult. How many of them stay after the war will depend on everyone’s ability and effort. As long as we can keep one-fifth of them, the investment we make now will not be in vain. The Foreign Ministry must also take action. Expose the French atrocities to the world and call on the nations of Europe to stand together in opposition.” The resettlement strategy was simple enough, though financially burdensome. But compared to the potential benefits, Franz was still willing to take on the cost. Of course, all of this depended on Austria having no food shortages. As long as there was enough to eat, there would be no need to worry, no matter how many refugees arrived. Otherwise, this opportunity would turn into poisoned meat. Foreign Minister Wessenberg said, “Your Majesty, the Foreign Ministry has already taken action, but the outcome may not be very optimistic. What the French have done will certainly provoke hostility from the other European powers, but it has also implicated us. Judging from the current situation, France is not the only one that could annex the German regions and Belgium. We could as well. The French have already created the opportunity. After the war, there will be almost no people left in the Rhineland and Belgium. It could even be said those lands will be without an owner. As long as we win this war, we will have enough justification to annex those territories. Due to historical reasons, our chances of successfully incorporating those regions are even higher than France’s. It is likely that at this point, Europe’s vigilance toward us has also reached a new level. Under such circumstances, any sanctions taken against the French will likely be all bark and no bite. The French must have calculated this clearly before taking action.” There was no way to explain this. In a certain sense, explanation is just another form of concealment. No matter how the Austrian government tried to explain itself, no one would believe it. Besides, annexing the German regions had always been part of the plan. To carry it out, the Austrian government had already spent decades preparing. Anyone who dared to speak of abandoning that plan would be drowned in public outrage. As for Belgium, it was indeed not part of the Austrian government’s plan. Franz himself had no interest in it. But making a separate promise not to annex Belgium would not only be useless, it might also expose the real intention to annex the German regions. Even though nearly everyone was already aware of that plan, saying it out loud and quietly carrying it out were two completely different things. In politics, many things can be done but not said. In this context, the only thing the Austrian government could do was pretend not to know. It could neither admit nor deny anything, leaving the outside world to imagine as it pleased. If Austria’s international reputation was poor, then it might as well drag its competitors down to the same level. Faced with such a helpless tactic, Franz could only sigh. “Do what we can. In the end, the key to winning this war will still be decided on the battlefield. As long as Britain and Russia do not join the fight, the other nations may want to intervene, but they will lack the strength to do so. Now that the refugee wave has delayed our decisive battle, the next phase of the campaign will have to be adjusted. Let us hold off action in Europe and shift our main focus to the African continent. The era of carving up Africa is long past, but now we have an opportunity to redistribute interests. This is a chance we absolutely cannot afford to miss.” No one could tell exactly when it started, but the world had begun to favor a logic built around established facts. For the great powers, once they established a fact on the ground, it usually meant the spoils were theirs to keep. If they seized French Africa, France’s decline would be inevitable. Even if Napoleon were reborn, there would be no turning back. Chancellor Karl reminded him, “Your Majesty, shifting our strategic focus so suddenly may not be wise.” National strategy is a delicate system. Once it is set in motion, making sweeping adjustments becomes nearly impossible. Especially when the change runs so strongly against conventional wisdom. A strategy that prioritizes Africa over Europe would completely upend the worldview of the European powers.
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH) Support the translation and read more chapters at https://ko-fi.com/dragonlegion
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