Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: The Pragmatist

Translator: 549690339

The main industries of the Italian Area in this era were all concentrated in the northern regions. Due to political and geographical factors, it divided into the “Turin—Genoa” industrial zone and the “Milan—Venice” industrial zone.

Without a doubt, the Industrial Revolution in the Italian Area had just begun, and it was still dominated by traditional handicrafts, only that more mechanical tools had been added.

The capitalists of the Venice Area and those of the Kingdom of Sardinia both cooperated and competed. Many capitalists had industries in both places, and their relationships weren’t so easy to clarify.

When the conditions proposed by Marshal Radetsky spread throughout the Venice Area, the capitalists responded one after another. As for whom they truly supported in their hearts, that was hard to say.

This was all irrelevant; after all, it was an open strategy. Even the capitalists most hostile to Austria also needed the Kingdom of Sardinia to dispatch troops to Venice as soon as possible.

For every day the war continued, it brought incalculable losses to them, including the local capitalists of the Kingdom of Sardinia. National mobilization also hindered their ability to make money.

Turin became even more lively. The capitalists from the Venice Area joined the public opinion offensive, seemingly becoming the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Watching the dark mass of demonstrators, Charles Albert had no choice but to order the army to launch an early attack.

For this, he also dispatched the last 40,000 troops that could be mobilized domestically. The Sardinian Army alone amounted to 190,000 troops, and if allied forces were included, their total theoretical strength had already approached 250,000.

The reason it was only theoretical was that, apart from the Sardinian Army, the other Sub-State armies were still dawdling

Especially the Neapolitan troops, who were the farthest away, had stopped in the Papal State due to many soldiers suffering from heatstroke. Only God knew why they were experiencing heatstroke in spring.

In any case, the promised 40,000-strong Neapolitan force would not make it to the war in time. However, for the sake of Italian unity at the earliest, they still sent several hundred brave souls to fight despite illness.

No matter how ridiculous the reason, one thing was certain: the Neapolitan army would not arrive.

Franz did not credit the Foreign Ministry for this. One could tell just by looking at the background of the current King of Naples, Ferdinand Il.

This man was the son of Francis I of the Two Sicilies and Clementine, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold Il. (The Kingdom of Sicily and Naples joined to create the Two Sicilian Kingdom, with Naples playing a leading role).

Simply put, this man was a puppet installed in the Italian Area by the Habsburg Family, and although Austria’s international reputation had declined, this was not enough for them to revolt.

Looking at a map, one could tell that even if Austria was ousted from Italy, Naples, being separated by the Papal State, would not receive any substantial benefits.

Every Italian Sub-State had ambitions to unify the Italian Area, and siding with the enemy at this moment was not a wise choice. Even if Austria occupied

Venice and Lombardy, it would be more in their interest than if the Kingdom of Sardinia did so.

History had changed, as Austria now had stronger military power in the Venice Area. The Kingdom of Sardinia had already started to perform the Demonic Disintegration Method; it was a battle for national destiny.

By May, the Austrian reserves mobilized had, after more than a month of coordination, started to show combat capability. Franz discreetly reinforced Hungary, and war was on the brink of breaking out.

Vienna

Franz once again sighed at how good a comrade Nicholas I was, as the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that 300,000 Russian troops were fully prepared and ready to deploy at any moment to help Austria and Prussia suppress the revolution.

The strong support of the Tsarist Government created a highly significant impact in Europe, dealing a heavy blow to the revolutionary parties in both Austria and Prussia.

The newly independent Hungarian government became precarious, and Head of State Kossuth of the Hungarian Republic was losing sleep, fearing the Russians might stab them in the back at any time.

Metternich said confidently, “Your Highness, the French have been swayed. They have ceased all aid to the Kingdom of Sardinia, and now we are discussing the division of Sardinia’s territory.”

Franz felt a surge of joy in his heart, thinking to himself, “Indeed, Metternich is still suited for diplomacy. Being Prime Minister is completely outside his area of expertise!”

Being able to cheat the French meant there would be no surprises on the Italian battlefield. Without French assistance, the Sardinian Army was like a lame duck.

In just over a month, the Sardinian Army had swollen rapidly from twenty to nearly two hundred thousand men. Anyone with even a little military know-how knew such an army was unreliable.

Of course, if the Sardinian soldiers were fearless or obediently followed orders like the German soldiers, then there wouldn’t be much of a problem.

It seemed the Kingdom of Sardinia was deluded by the radical public opinion within its own country, believing that these soldiers would perform on the battlefield just as impressively as when they chanted slogans.

Franz made a decision, “Hmm, sign a treaty with the French government as soon as possible. They change governments almost as quickly as a woman changes clothes; we don’t need any more complications!”

“Your Highness, if we sign a treaty right now, we would be at too great a disadvantage. The French appetite is larger than we anticipated,” Metternich warned.

“It doesn’t matter. Whether the treaties we sign with the French can be carried out depends on whether they can withstand the pressure from the British. Looking at the current situation, the French government is continually courting favor with the British. As long as the London Government takes a tough stance, the French will most likely compromise.

If they choose to give up on their own, then they have no one to blame but themselves. In fact, at that time, we can even condemn them for their betrayal,” Franz said indifferently.

It wasn’t just this provisional government that was ingratiating itself with the British; several subsequent French governments also followed suit. Expecting them to stand firm against the British within the next five years was unrealistic.

“Your Highness, if the French back down, then we may also find ourselves unable to manage alone. Given the current circumstances, it is not advisable for us to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia!” Archduke Louis warned.

“What a pity to miss such an excellent opportunity. It is not so easy to have the Kingdom of Sardinia deliver itself to our doorstep!” Prime Minister Felix sighed.

Dominating Italy was not just the dream of the French but also that of Austria. However, this was just a dream, as the European powers would not allow them to succeed.

“There is nothing we can do when our bite is not as strong as it should be. If we really take a bite out of the Kingdom of Sardinia, we must prepare to choke to death!” Franz said helplessly.