Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 212

Chapter 212: Chapter 99, We Must Remain Neutral

Translator: 549690339

On the day war was declared, Austria, well-prepared, mobilized a 400,000-strong force and launched a three-pronged attack on the Kingdom of Bavaria.

The unprepared Bavarian Government could only meet the enemy reactively, and the result was naturally tragic. They were suddenly struck by the Austrian Army without any preparation.

Upon receiving the distress letters from the front lines, the Bavarian Government was thrown into disarray. Maximilian II realized the trouble was severe, as Austria’s speed was too fast, and the border defenses had already been breached as soon as the fighting started.

In Freilassing, when news of the war between Austria and Bavaria arrived, the place became panicked, and Colonel Andreas, the commanding officer of the local garrison, instantly felt an ominous premonition.

Looking at the intelligence in his hands, he did not know how to handle the war. He was uncertain about the size of the opposing Austrian forces but presumed they numbered at least several tens of thousands, whereas he only had control over two garrison battalions.

Over three thousand Bavarian soldiers were expected to hold off the advance of tens of thousands of Austrian troops, a feat not even a reborn god of war could accomplish.

But there was no choice; the national command was clear — all local garrisons must hold their ground at all costs. Mobilizing the nation would take time, and to buy that time, the front-line garrisons would naturally have to be sacrificed.

This was the intent of the bureaucrats in Munich, as well as that of King Maximilian II. Munich was too close to Austria; without resistance, Austrian troops could arrive at the city’s gates within two days.

The guard reported, “Commander, sir, Mr. Marcus is here to visit.”

Andreas was slightly startled; at this time, those not preparing to flee were mostly extreme nationalist adolescents ready to joyously welcome the Royal Army.

Marcus was certainly not of that sort. As a cultural influencer in the Kingdom of Bavaria, he held high esteem in Freilassing.

“Let him in,” said Andreas.

No matter what, a guest was a guest, and moreover, they had known each other for some time and shared a certain rapport. Even though it was not a good time for a visit, it was still necessary to see him.

Marcus got straight to the point, “Andreas, I am here on behalf of the entire population of Freilassing.”

Frankly, Marcus was very reluctant to act as a guide for the enemy, but he was overwhelmed by the number of influential people who had worked on him.

Apart from the Austrians, these included many of his relatives and friends. Most of the societal elite in the Freilassing region did not want the war to break out.

War was the worst; with each conflict came a redistribution of benefits. For these interest groups, whether Austria could unify the Germany Region or not was still uncertain, but Freilassing could definitely not withstand the Austrian onslaught.

Once war broke out, they, as the local power brokers, would be the most severely affected victims.

If it were a foreign enemy invading, there would be no choice but to be patriotic and fight; they could not bring themselves to surrender without a fight.

Clearly, Austria was not an aggressor; flying the banner of national unification was acceptable to most, and surrendering carried no pressure.

It wouldn’t even be considered a surrender; they could remain neutral, yes, neutral. This was a concept Franz devised based on experience from past lives, encouraging Bavarian local governments and military to maintain neutrality during the war.

Then everyone’s inner and outer interests were safeguarded; regardless of whether Austria eventually unified Germany or what the final outcome for the Kingdom of Bavaria was, they would remain in an invincible position.

Under the coordination of the German Civil Exchange Organization, these people were brought together to advocate for mutual neutrality, and subsequently, the local council of Freilassing passed a resolution of neutrality.

To make Marcus an advocate, even the surrounding neighbors were mobilized. Unable to defy public opinion and suffering from a severe case of ‘literati illness,’ Marcus naturally could not escape this role.

Andreas said angrily, “You want to surrender to the Austrians? Impossible! As a soldier, the word ‘surrender without a fight’ does not exist in my dictionary!”

In the Germany Region, surrendering without a fight is the ultimate insult to a soldier’s honor, a stain that follows them for life.

Marcus shook his head and said, “No, Colonel Andreas, how could I possibly do such a thing?

I cannot betray the kingdom. If it were a foreign invasion, I would fight alongside you. But the current situation is special.

The Austrians have initiated a war of unification, not a war of invasion. I am loyal to the Kingdom of Bavaria, and I am also loyal to Germany.

Now that the kingdom’s government and the Empire stand on opposing sides, the people of Freilassing have decided to remain neutral in this war. I am here on behalf of the entire citizenry, hoping you and your men will respect the people’s choice.”

There was such a strategy? Colonel Andreas was somewhat dumbstruck. After pondering, he realized its potential for success was quite substantial.

Resisting to the death was out of the question, as the disparity between the forces was too great. Even if Andreas was willing to clash with the Austrians to the bitter end, it would not alter the outcome.

Casually, Andreas asked, “What would be the consequences if I refuse?”

Marcus’s expression became grave as he replied seriously, “If you reject the people’s choice, you will be expelled from the country.

The people of Freilassing have the right to make their own decisions. Even if we cannot contribute to the unification of Germany, we cannot become sinners who hinder it!”

Seeing Marcus’s stance, Andreas let out a sigh of relief internally, happy that he no longer needed to engage in a desperate fight with the Austrians.

No one wants to die. To reluctantly fight a battle you know you cannot win is foolish. If it were an external invasion, for military honor, Andreas could still motivate his troops to fight together.

But he wanted no part in a unification war. He hadn’t lived enough yet and didn’t wish to die for nothing.

The war had just erupted, and he had already cursed the entire bureaucracy of Munich. Wouldn’t establishing Shinra have been better? Why did they have to make it like this?

Andreas also had aspirations and a desire to achieve great merit. But merit could only be achieved with certain prerequisites.

For instance, if the attacking Austrian army consisted only of a battalion or even fewer, he wouldn’t mind showing the Austrians the might of the Bavarian forces.

But in the current situation, even if the entire Bavarian military were to assemble here, they would be inadequate against the enemy forces.

If he commanded resistance and his subordinates betrayed him, he would have nowhere to turn for comfort. Even worse, after the war, he could be charged with the crime of disrupting national unification. Andreas felt it was better for someone else to undertake such actions!

Pretending to be troubled, Andreas said, “Mr. Marcus, since it is the people’s choice, of course I’m willing to respect it. However, for a matter of such importance, I must convene a meeting with the officers to unify our stance.”

After considering, Marcus replied, “That’s no problem, but we don’t have much time left. You need to make a decision quickly—the Austrians are about to launch their attack.”

The result, naturally, wasn’t a surprise. At the military conference, Andreas’s proposal—to respect the will of the people—passed with a high number of votes.

Of course, it’s not as if they could be blamed; with just two understrength battalions of defenders, facing tens of thousands of Austrian troops, it was indeed difficult to muster the courage to resist.

The so-called “will of the people” conveniently solved their problem, given it was a civil war. Neutrality was always better than surrender, and surrender better than dying in battle. After all, no one was ready to die just yet!

Then, after the outbreak of war, a surprising scene unfolded: cities and garrisons in Bavaria’s border regions one after another declared neutrality.

Occasionally some garrisons resisted, but were quickly annihilated by the onrushing Austrian Army, not even capable of buying time.

This couldn’t be blamed on them either. Bavaria was no Prussia, constantly at war. Their standing army was only about forty to fifty thousand men, with just about ten thousand posted along the Austrian border.

Those ten thousand had to defend nearly a thousand kilometers of border against the onslaught of four hundred thousand Austrians. They truly were powerless.

Under these circumstances, if the bureaucrats in Munich had ordered them to hold at all costs, it would’ve driven them into a corner.

The local power brokers, who constituted the largest anti-war faction, along with radical nationalists, collectively made it easy for the local assemblies to pass neutrality resolutions.

With local socialites running to do the work with the military, things were naturally much easier. It wasn’t as if they were asking for surrender, just maintaining neutrality.

Once someone took the lead, many others were willing to follow. In a sense, the Bavarian Government profited as it failed to send reinforcements in time.

Otherwise, most of the troops sent would have likely also declared neutrality. The great tide of public sentiment can be terrifying, and the local assemblies’ decisions led the officers to believe it represented the will of the Bavarian people, inevitably influencing them.

Human nature is very complicated and, once these areas had made their decisions of neutrality, they inevitably started leaning toward Austria. Under the guidance of pro-Austrian media, many began to criticize the Bavarian Government.

Under such influence, it gradually became an unconscious belief that the Bavarian Government had lost the people’s support, and the public was willing to support Austria in unifying Germany.

Munich was too close to Austria and, with the front-line garrisons having declared neutrality, the Austrian troops had arrived at the city’s gates on the third day of the war.

The choices before Maximilian II were clear: flee, resist, or surrender.

Prime Minister August advised, “Your Majesty, there’s still time to leave. If we wait any longer and the Austrians surround Munich, escaping will become difficult!”

Resistance was impossible. At the outset of the war, they had some confidence, thinking that the Kingdom of Bavaria could hold off the enemy while waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

But ever since receiving a thick stack of declarations of neutrality, the Bavarian Government had completely lost confidence, believing the people had abandoned the government.

The marching speed of the Austrian army revealed everything. Without encountering any resistance along the way, how else could they have covered a distance of a hundred and eighty kilometers in just two days?

It should have taken at least four or five days; of course, an extra two or three days wouldn’t solve the problem, but wouldn’t it boost everyone’s confidence?

Instead, now everyone was uneasy, distrusting each other, fearing the guards might betray them.

Maximilian II said with a bitter smile, “Is there a point?”

This matter had dealt him a heavy blow. He had believed he was popular with the people, but the harsh reality was quite the opposite. The flurry of declarations of neutrality seemed as if all the Bavarian people couldn’t wait to see him gone.

Finance Minister Bazel consoled, “Your Majesty, it is only the dissatisfaction with the war that agitates the people; they have not gone over to the Austrians…”

Maximilian II said disappointedly, “It’s all the same, they have made their choice with their actions, to support the unification of the German Region, and we are but futilely resisting, aiming to establish a ‘Big Bavaria’!”

Flee?

Maximilian II did have some political acumen, wondering if now were the time to flee, could he ever return in the future?

Even with the support of major powers, if he faced resistance from the public, how could he securely sit on the throne as King?

If the Kingdom of Bavaria were to be annexed by Austria, running away would amount to the same end. Anyway, the Austrians would not mistreat their King, he would still have to be well provided for.

Prime Minister August continued to persuade, “Your Majesty, perhaps things are not so dire, even if we have lost Munich, we could still establish ourselves in the Western Region.

“It is the severe infiltration by the Austrians in the eastern part that has led to the current situation.

“As long as we hold the Western Region, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements from other countries, the situation might change, they will not stand by and watch Austria swallow up Bavaria.”

Before Maximilian II could make a decision, a servant hurried in, panicked, “Your Majesty, there’s terrible news. The Munich municipal council has just made a decision, declaring neutrality in this war, and the situation in the city is likely to change.”

Neutrality can be contagious—who would want to continue a war doomed to fail?

The Munich Council expressed that they had wanted neutrality long ago; if it weren’t for the Central Government being in the city, would they have waited until now?

At this time, the Austrians were already at the city gates. The city had long been in a state of panic, with the fear that a battle would cause heavy casualties or worse, result in death.

Neither the capitalists nor the nobility wanted to engage in this hopeless war.

Directly advising the King to surrender was too risky; no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out. It was then that the council played its role, expressing on behalf of the public that the war could not go on.

After all, so many places had already declared neutrality; almost half of Bavaria was neutral, and they were simply following the trend, with no intention of betraying the King.

These people were still somewhat civilized, which fully indicated that the daily work of the Bavarian Government was effective; otherwise, the people in the city would have rebelled by now.

Maximilian II understood the underlying message, the general reluctance to fight this war, which he could understand, as he himself had no desire to engage in a war with no future.

Intervention by the great powers did indeed occur. European countries such as England, France, Russia, and Spain all condemned Austria’s barbaric actions, commanding them to cease hostilities.

Yet the Austrian Army still appeared outside the gates of Munich—the collective intervention of the nations had not yet been organized, and the Kingdom of Bavaria was on the brink of collapse.

This meant that Austria could ignore the threats of the great powers, which implied much more behind the scenes. If by this time Maximilian II still could not guess the reason, he would truly be a fool.

The Vienna Government could not possibly undertake military action under the pressure of all the great powers; no country in the world could ignore the collective will of the great powers.

The only explanation is that the great powers were divided. With Austria’s strength, as long as one of the great powers supported or acquiesced, it could ignore such threats.