Compared to Spain, Switzerland, caught between France and Austria, was in an even more tragic situation. Neutrality was out of the question. Small countries had no right to choose. If Austria’s efforts to win over Russia and Spain were based on political necessity, then pulling Switzerland into the alliance was purely about making up the numbers. Not taking sides wasn’t a problem in itself. Austria was a peace-loving power and wouldn’t force anyone to join. However, when it came time to build the postwar international order, non-participants would simply be left out. In the original timeline, Switzerland enjoyed its neutrality and didn’t even bother joining the European Union. But that was based on a world where the United States had risen and Europe had declined. In this situation, drifting outside the system meant only one thing: deciding how you would be eliminated. Just one food embargo would leave Switzerland starving in under a year. One tariff wall, and its early-stage industry would collapse back into the Middle Ages. There was no doubt that postwar Austria would have the power to make that happen. Whether it was a defeated France or an independent Kingdom of Sardinia, no one would challenge Austria on Switzerland’s behalf. Put simply, every dominant power needed to show strength. Usually, they would select a weak state to make an example of. Austria was no different. The only uncertainty was which country would end up as the target. For small nations, survival depended on understanding the moment. After Spain declared war on France, Switzerland, unable to bear the pressure, followed and did the same. With that, the anti-French coalition was finally complete. Austria had gathered an unstoppable force. Even if Britain joined the war directly, it would no longer be enough to turn the tide. In the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Franz looked at the map crowded with flags and slowly said, “The time for the final battle has come. With Russia, Spain, and Switzerland all joining, the morale of the French army has sunk to its lowest point. Order our frontline forces to launch a full-scale counteroffensive. I have only one request and that is to weaken the French military as much as possible. The Foreign Ministry must continue its efforts. Before France surrenders, we need to bring every neutral European nation into this war to lay the foundation for rebuilding the international order after the conflict ends. Britain, of course, is the exception.” That’s right. From beginning to end, Franz never counted on the military strength of these new allies. The main reason for bringing them into the war boiled down to two objectives: First, to bind more countries to Austria’s war chariot and create as many enemies for France as possible. The more nations involved, the more the hatred would be spread around. Second, to break the morale of the French army, weaken their will to resist, and increase Austria’s chances of victory in the final battle, all while reducing its own casualties. Of course, there were many side benefits as well. There were only so many countries on the European continent. The more of them that joined the war, the fewer were left to serve as mediators. Even if the British wanted to intervene, they wouldn’t be able to gather enough powerful allies. Foreign Minister Wessenberg said, “Your Majesty, there are only three neutral countries left in continental Europe. They have almost no interests tied to France. Trying to tempt them with rewards is unrealistic. If we force them to declare war on France, they might agree under pressure, but they would surely harbor resentment. At the same time, we would come across to the outside world as overbearing, which would hurt our efforts to build a postwar international order. Since they’re not powerful enough to influence the outcome, their participation would have little practical effect. We may as well leave them be.” Without a doubt, these three neutral countries did not include Britain. Ever since relations between Russia and Britain began to deteriorate, the Austrian government had consciously excluded the British from continental affairs. Franz glanced at the map and nodded thoughtfully. The remaining neutral countries were Portugal, the Netherlands, and the Nordic Federation. Even if they joined the war now, there was no chance they would make it to the front lines. It wasn’t just them. Even Russia, Spain, and Switzerland wouldn’t be allowed to take part in the final battle. Due to geography, Spain and Switzerland might have a chance to join in on beating a collapsing enemy, provided they reacted quickly enough. But other countries with no shared borders could forget about it. France’s reserves were still substantial. While participating in the final battle would require a certain cost, the rewards far outweighed the risk. Being the leader was never easy, especially when it came time to divide the spoils. If Austria wanted the others to be satisfied, it had to ensure at least a basic sense of fairness. Franz had already drafted a plan to implement a system where spoils would be distributed based on contributions. Those who contributed more to the war effort would receive more after the victory. Those who made minimal contributions would only receive what was originally promised. Beyond that, they would not be entitled to a share of the remaining spoils. It couldn’t be helped. If Austria wanted to monopolize French Africa, it couldn’t allow too many other countries to join the final battle. Otherwise, trying to keep it all would be far too conspicuous. In addition, there was another goal and that was to flex military muscle and show the world that Austria truly deserved to be the hegemon. It was a way of warning others to think twice before challenging its authority in the future. … On the Central European front, the elderly Marshal Patrice de MacMahon dragged his exhausted body to deliver one final rallying speech. It was plain to see that the old marshal was running on fumes. Were it not for the strength of his convictions, he might have collapsed already. Ever since news of Russia’s entry into the war broke out, a sense of despair had begun spreading through the French military camps. Italian soldiers were the most restless, with some even openly spreading anti-war sentiments within the barracks. To restore order, MacMahon immediately gave the order to crack down on this. Several hundred were executed before the situation was brought under control. Such iron-handed tactics might instill fear, but they could not bring back morale. Perhaps the bureaucrats back in Paris did not understand, but the commanders at the front certainly did. The French army had fallen into a crisis both from within and without. “You’ve all likely heard by now. The international situation has shifted suddenly. The Russians have declared war on us. Spain and Switzerland have also joined in to kick us while we’re down. This is only the beginning. If we cannot defeat the enemy before us on the battlefield and crush their ambitions, more enemies will soon follow. France is facing its most perilous hour. Now is the time for us to take up arms and defend our homeland. They may appear numerous and powerful, but in truth they are nothing more than a motley rabble. As long as we bring down Austria, the leader among them, the anti-French forces across the world will scatter…” Marshal Patrice de MacMahon spoke in a booming voice, pouring out motivational words that even he barely believed, hoping to ignite the troops’ determination and win a glimmer of hope for France. As for whether it would work, that was open to interpretation. Russia might be far away, making it hard for them to intervene right away, but Spain and Switzerland were just next door. Even if those two countries didn’t send troops, they would still force France to commit large numbers of soldiers to deter them. Spain was manageable. The Pyrenees mountains lay in between, and as long as France stationed around 100,000 to 200,000 troops there, they could hold the line. Switzerland was another matter. The border between France and Switzerland stretched across open plains, and the natural defenses were all inside Swiss territory. If the Austrian army marched through Switzerland, they would emerge straight into the heart of France. To be precise, it was not a matter of “if” but “already.” At the very moment Switzerland entered the war, an Austrian unit had already set out from the Principality of Liechtenstein and entered Swiss territory. The target was clearly France. Unlike the numerically superior anti-French alliance, France’s war mobilization was nearing its limit. Up to this point, total French military losses had exceeded two million. This included between 800,000 to 900,000 lost on the African continent and another million on the European front. Not all of them had been killed in action. Many were severely wounded or captured. But in essence, they could no longer return to the battlefield. And this was only the beginning. Ever since the French government decided to push for a quick victory, the French army had been suffering over ten thousand casualties every day. No matter how large the population, France could not sustain such heavy losses for long. Faced with such brutality, frontline soldiers were full of resentment and despair. Marshal MacMahon could not be everywhere. He had to rely on high-ranking officers to pass messages down the chain of command. These officers were tasked with maintaining morale and inspiring the soldiers to keep fighting. Before MacMahon could finish speaking, a young officer burst into the room and interrupted him. “Marshal, the Austrians have launched their attack. According to telegrams from the front, this is a full-scale offensive. The hills are crawling with iron-clad monsters. They’re incredibly powerful, and we have no way to stop them. Our first line of defense has collapsed. The 7th, 16th, 23rd, and 42nd Divisions have all sent urgent calls for reinforcements.” Hearing the words “iron-clad monsters,” MacMahon’s face darkened. He remembered that one of the previous intelligence reports had mentioned something like this among Austria’s secret weapons. Unfortunately, Austria had far too many so-called secret weapons. Most were just decoys, and before they appeared on the battlefield, no one really knew what they could do. Because of incomplete intelligence, MacMahon had dismissed the report at the time. Even if he had known more, it likely would not have helped. Without witnessing the power of armored units in action, most people thought of them as heavy cavalry with slightly better armor. With Franz’s command, the steel flood that had been hidden for so long finally surged forward. From Southern to Central Europe, tanks and armored vehicles filled the landscape. Since the war began, the long-awaited decisive battle between France and Austria had finally broken out. On one side stood the French army, desperately seeking a quick victory. On the other stood Austria’s armored force, charging with full momentum. This clash became one of the most intense spectacles in European history. A battle? No. More accurately, it was a massacre. The confrontation between flesh and steel was never fair. Moreover, the French army had been on the offensive for most of the war, and their defensive positions were not well established. The result was a catastrophe.
*** 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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