The world is always full of coincidences. Nicholas II, who had been hesitating about whether to begin construction on the Trans-Siberian Railway, made a decisive decision to proceed with it after learning about the setbacks on the front lines. It was clear that when the front-line logistics encountered problems, instead of holding the Tsar accountable, they turned to the Joint Command controlled by the Holy Roman Empire for help. This deeply angered Nicholas II. In order to break free from the Holy Roman Empire’s influence, he no longer cared to investigate America’s true intentions. The railway would not run away after all. As long as the Trans-Siberian Railway was completed, whatever the Americans might be plotting, the initiative would remain in the hands of the Russian government. Any so-called “conspiracy” was meaningless in the face of absolute strength. Apart from Britain and Austria, there was no other country in the world that the Russian government had to fear. As the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began, the Austrian government had yet to respond, but the exiled Carlos could no longer sit still. The Russians had gone too far. To save manpower and win popular support, Nicholas II decided that all laborers required for the railway would be conscripted from France. Anyone with the slightest sense knew what kind of place Siberia was. Given the Russian way of doing things, it was obvious that the laborers’ living conditions would be terrible. If the French workers were truly sent to Siberia to build the railway, it would be a death sentence for most of them. Since the outbreak of the Continental War, France’s able-bodied population had already declined sharply. The number of French soldiers killed in the war alone exceeded that of World War I in the original timeline. Adding the losses from civil war, population decline, and injuries that reduced the labor force, in just six short years, France had lost more than three million able-bodied men. At first glance, three million might not seem like a large number, but remember that at its peak, France’s total population was only about thirty million. Assuming that forty percent were of working age, that made around twelve million laborers. Split evenly between men and women, the total number of able-bodied men would have been about six million. To lose half of them, what that meant for a nation was self-evident. In the original timeline, France lost a million men and had hundreds of thousands disabled in World War I, and even by the time World War II began, the country had not fully recovered. Now the situation was far worse. In that original history, France’s total population had not decreased much despite the heavy military losses. But in this timeline, France’s total population had fallen by a full third. At this point, talk of “enduring humiliation” or “revenge” was meaningless. If Russia was allowed to continue its devastation, the Ottoman Empire’s fate would soon be repeated. No matter what others thought, Carlos was truly terrified. After all that had happened, he had come to understand clearly that the real power suppressing France was not the Russians on the surface, but the Austrian government behind the scenes. Even if the Coalition Forces managed to defeat the Russians, the Anti-French Alliance could always rise again. From the moment the Joint Command intervened, this war had fundamentally changed in nature. Under the current circumstances, no matter how this anti-Russian war ends, France will be the biggest loser. Look at the destruction the Russian army is causing. Even if they were annihilated, France would suffer devastating losses. It is easy to start this plan, but hard to stop it. Neither the Russians nor the resistance groups scattered across the country will stand down because of a single order. … When he saw the foreign minister return, Carlos hurriedly asked, “What do the Austrians say? Under what conditions would they intervene to stop the Russian army’s brutal conscription of our men?” In any case, negotiating with the Austrian government, which at least follows rules, is better than negotiating with the lawless Russian government. The Austrian government still cares about appearances. Meanwhile, the Russians have far fewer scruples; as long as there is profit, that is enough for them. There is no doubt that conscripting French laborers to build the Trans-Siberian Railway will relieve domestic pressure and benefit the Russian Empire. Against that backdrop, any protest we lodge with the Russian government will be futile. Foreign Minister Pietro answered bitterly, “I am sorry, Your Majesty. The Austrian government has been very indifferent and will not give us an opportunity for serious discussion. Although Wessenberg has verbally promised to condemn the Russian army’s forced conscription, such a condemnation is meaningless. It is clear the Austrians have tacitly accepted the Russian atrocities and have no intention of intervening.” There is no straightforward betrayal here. The enmity between the Holy Roman Empire and France stretches back a thousand years to the Frankish Empire. For continental hegemony, the two countries have fought from the Middle Ages to the present. The Austrian government has many reasons to suppress France and none to support it. The end result is that when they tried to seek a deal with the Austrian government, they could not even secure a single chance to negotiate. Carlos sighed, “The Russians have already begun their actions. France is weeping and the people are at their limits. If we cannot persuade the Austrian government to intervene, then we will have to fight the Russian army sooner rather than later. In any case, we cannot allow the Russians to take our people away.” Unlike previous exiles, this forced conscription severs the very roots of France. If they fail to strike back now, there will be no future opportunity to retaliate. If the Russians are allowed to take another one to two million able-bodied men, France will be on the countdown to destruction. If an opportunity arises, the countries of the Anti-French Alliance will not hesitate to carve up France once more. … Potential is often forced out by desperation. In the face of a life-or-death crisis, the French people too displayed astonishing resolve. Ever since news of the Russian army’s forced conscription spread, the overburdened citizens of France began joining resistance groups one after another. The French resistance movement quickly reached its peak. While the people at home fought desperately, the expatriates abroad were no less active. They donated money and supplies generously and launched a wave of public opinion campaigns. Although governments across Europe had yet to react, public opinion was already in an uproar. Thanks to the efforts of the French, reports of the Russian army’s atrocities soon spread throughout the entire continent. Even Frederick in the Hofburg Palace far in Vienna could feel the pressure. Although the people of Europe had little affection for France, that did not mean they could tolerate the Russian army’s unchecked brutality. After more than a thousand years of division, Europe was no stranger to a sense of “shared crisis.” The smaller nations in particular were the most sensitive to it. Once the sentiment of “the fox mourning the death of the rabbit” began to spread, public opinion turned to sympathize with the suffering of the French people. Even within the Holy Roman Empire, voices condemning the Russian army’s atrocities began to appear. Rubbing his forehead as he looked at the newspaper in his hand, Frederick sighed. Although the Austrian government had laws controlling the press, concrete international reports like these could not be suppressed. The blame lay entirely with the Russians themselves, who were too incompetent even to keep secrets, letting everything become public knowledge. Before, they had committed robbery and murder, only to be caught on film; now they were forcing conscription and once again making headlines everywhere. All the scolding they were receiving was well deserved. Were it not for his political position, Frederick might have written an article himself to openly condemn the Russian army’s brutality. Although the Holy Roman Empire and France had a long-standing grudge, it was largely a matter of history. As the victor, only the people of Luxembourg and the Rhineland still felt strongly about it. It is natural to sympathize with the weak, especially when the Russians kept causing trouble. Public resentment toward the Russian government grew even more intense. As time went on, more and more media outlets joined in condemning the Russian army’s atrocities. Every day, influential figures wrote letters to the government, urging the Austrian government to fulfill its responsibility as a great power and intervene to stop the Russians’ inhumane actions. “Your Highness, King Carlos is here again.” The attendant’s voice pulled Frederick out of his thoughts. Lately, Carlos had been coming to the palace almost every day as if clocking in for work. At first, Frederick received him with formal courtesy, but after a while, he grew tired of it and began responding perfunctorily. Every meeting was about the same topic, and anyone would have grown weary. Yet Carlos seemed oblivious to this and kept returning to the Hofburg Palace with relentless determination. Well, that too was born out of necessity. As the King of France, while his people suffered at home, he had to do something. Unable to find any practical measure, he could only rely on symbolic gestures. Regardless of their real effect, his perseverance still earned wide respect. Although forced into exile overseas, Carlos has generally received favorable coverage from the European press. He became a useful boost to others’ reputations. Franz’s standing was already at its peak so he could afford to ignore this small matter, but Frederick could not. As heir apparent, he too needed to polish his image. Everyone wants to be the lead, no one wants to play a supporting role. If Frederick were not worried about bad optics, he would have ordered Carlos expelled long ago. Frowning, Frederick said helplessly, “Bring him in.” No matter what, he is still a king and basic courtesies must be observed. As an old hand in the European monarchic scene, Franz would not be criticized for avoiding him, but if Frederick followed suit he would be denounced by the nobility.
… Seeing Frederick’s impatience, Carlos spoke first, “Your Highness, the Russian army’s atrocities in France openly violate the Vienna Treaty and are intolerable to the civilized world. As the head of the civilized world and leader of Europe, the Holy Roman Empire should assume its responsibilities as a great power and stop the Russians’ actions—” Before he finished, Frederick rolled his eyes and interrupted, “Your Majesty, we have discussed these issues many times. Let me reiterate: the Holy Roman Empire does not seek hegemony and owes your nation no special obligation. As for the Russian army’s atrocities, I suggest Your Majesty discuss them with the Russian government directly. This is a matter between your two countries and I trust you can handle it.” Frederick had no intention of foolishly intervening in the Russian operation just to curry favor. From the Austrian government’s point of view, the best outcome is to let France and Russia bleed each other out. The more casualties between the two, the more secure the Holy Roman Empire’s dominance. If the Russians could truly destroy France, Frederick would not mind covering their war costs and might even offer a bonus. Helping France is something to consider only in thought. The hatred is already planted and will not vanish quickly. Long before the Russians occupied Paris, the Austrian government had a plan: use Russian forces to strike at French resistance and wear down their desire for revenge. By all appearances, the Russians have more than achieved this. Although hatred remains, its target has shifted. Those French who once sought revival and vengeance against the Anti-French Alliance have now lowered their goal to driving out the Russians. This is a promising start. If this persists for a few years, the French people will remember only the Russian Empire as their enemy. Carlos pressed on, “But Your Highness, tens of thousands of French citizens are suffering terribly right now. Do you not want to do something for them?” Standing and looking out the window, Frederick answered coldly, “No.” “Everyone must pay for the choices they make. From the moment France launched its war of aggression, its fate was sealed. When an avalanche falls, no single snowflake is innocent. Your people are simply paying for what they did before. The Russians have committed atrocities, yes, but your country once did the same to others. The Italian states, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Rhineland have all suffered. You cannot do wrong to others and then complain when misfortune comes to you.” That was blunt mockery without any concealment. Frederick had become so impatient that he did not bother to mince words. Whether Carlos could accept such words was not his concern. He wanted only to send Carlos away quickly to avoid further trouble. The method was clumsy but effective. Carlos’s face flushed with anger as if he might explode at any moment. But having grown through setbacks, he soon reined in his emotions. “Your Highness, you are being too rigid. It was the Napoleonic government that started the war and the capitalists who pushed it from behind. Ordinary people had no real choice. They were tricked into the war and, like Belgium and Sardinia, we are all victims of war. Now...” Frederick, unwilling to be drawn into an argument, interrupted, “Your Majesty, there is no point in arguing here. Unless you can persuade the people of Luxembourg and the Rhineland under the Empire to abandon their hatred of you, we cannot support your country. Rather than waste time here, you should think about how to handle the aftermath.”
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Comments
Post a Comment