Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 70
Chapter 70: Chapter 70, Preparations Complete
Translator: 549690339
The Austrian Empire is like an ailing old man, given to gluttonous binging that could lead to his demise at any moment. Franz made concessions to the French based on this consideration.
With the principle of “hitting the rabbit while gathering grass,” should the French government turn uncompromising, Austria could still tear off a chunk of flesh from the Kingdom of Sardinia.
How much is not important, what matters is the political demonstration to the outer world that the Austrian Empire remains a great power, possessing immense strength to deter the restless Prussians.
As for whether the French would grow too powerful as a result, Franz was incredibly laid-back. What’s it to him?
The French expanding their influence is a concern for the British and the Russians. Wouldn’t it be foolish for the French to attack Austria?
Don’t be ridiculous. After Napoleon’s reign, Europe’s vigilance against France is at level S.
Without breaking free from diplomatic isolation, any military action by the French could invite joint suppression from the other nations.
Metternich calmly said, “If the French back down, then we have no need to annihilate the Kingdom of Sardinia. Keeping them as a buffer between Austria and France is also a good choice.
The most troublesome are the British, despite the London Government’s promise to mediate the war between Austria and Sardinia.
However, our embassy in London has reported that a UK consortium is holding secret loan negotiations with the Kingdom of Sardinia.
With the Kingdom of Sardinia having already borrowed 3 million pounds from the British not long ago, we have reason to believe that in this war the British are on the enemy’s side.”
Metternich has never been overly interested in territorial expansion. This conservative politician believed Austria was already big enough, and the internal ethnic conflicts were troublesome enough; hence, he opposed further expansion.
Based on this policy, Austria has almost never pursued territorial expansion in the past few decades.
Franz did not think much of Metternich’s political stance, but he had a different opinion of his diplomatic manoeuvres.
The greatest diplomat of the 19th century, indisputably the “European Prime
Minister” and “Metternich Era” were the highest praises bestowed upon him by outsiders.
The collapse of the Vienna System was not a diplomatic defeat, but rather a result of Austria’s inadequate strength to withstand revolutionary shocks.
Historically at this time, Metternich had already left office, and had it not been for the British releasing smoke bombs to successfully bamboozle the Vienna Government, Lombardy and Venice might have been lost in 1848, if not for Marshal Radetzky’s insistence.
Felix said with confidence, “There’s no need to worry too much. Even if the British support Sardinia, without the backing of the Great European Nations, they are unlikely to enter the fray themselves.”
This was not arrogance but a judgment made based on the international situation and the strength of all parties.
Historically, the reason the Vienna Government let the Kingdom of Sardinia go, aside from the intervention of England and France, was mainly because they feared the French would grow too powerful if they annexed Sardinian territory.
“Well, these matters can be prepared in advance. What’s most important is the outcome of the war. If we can defeat the enemy with ease, then naturally we are the ones who will dictate the outcome!”
Franz threw a bucket of cold water on the overconfident Prime Minister. Being so proud before the war has ended is not a good thing.
It’s not surprising for Felix; after all, the Austrian Empire is a major power in Europe, whereas the Kingdom of Sardinia is just a small entity. The disparity in strength between them is enormous, so looking down on them is normal.
After a short pause, Metternich proposed again, “Your Highness, the Russians have already promised to help us suppress the rebellion. Shall we let them send troops to quell the Hungarian uprising quickly?”
Seeing the moved expressions of the others, Franz shook his head.
“No! This is an internal matter of Austria. If we let the Russians help us suppress the rebellion, in the future we would have to rely on them diplomatically.
The most difficult debt to repay in the world is the debt of gratitude. The situation in Hungary is still within our capacity to handle; there is no need to involve the Russians.
However, creating a false impression that the Russians are sending troops to
Hungary to shake the resolve of the rebels is acceptable.”
Putting on a show and actually deploying troops are two different concepts. If the Russians really sent troops to help Austria suppress the Hungarian uprising, how would future history books record it?
“Inviting foreign troops to suppress a revolution”? Wouldn’t that become synonymous with being reactionary? Would Franz’s glorious image still be intact?
Just putting on a show to scare the Hungarians and force them to divide their forces for defense is harmless.
As the victor, Franz can write history however he pleases. If a future conflict arose with Russia, he could even twist the truth and say: under the great
Emperor Franz’s leadership, the conspiracy of the Russians to interfere in the Hungarian Region was crushed.
On the surface, there would be no fault to find. Europe also has regional biases, and Russia was only integrated into European society after the anti-Napoleonic wars.
Digging up Russia’s dark history and accusing them of harboring ill intentions towards Hungary—who wouldn’t believe that if they didn’t know the truth? Even Franz almost believed it himself.
“Your Highness, news has arrived from the Venice front. The Kingdom of Sardinia is being very cautious, not rashly sending troops to attack. Our strategy of drawing the enemy deep might fail.
Marshal Radetzky urges us to suppress the Hungarian rebellion quickly, preferably gaining a swift advantage on the battlefield to force Sardinia to take the risk and send troops for a decisive battle,” the Army Minister suddenly said.
Franz helplessly massaged his forehead. History is misleading—while it’s true that the combat effectiveness of the Italian Army is lacking, that doesn’t mean they are easy to deal with. At least the current Kingdom of Sardinia is not so simple to handle.
Bardorio, that incompetent Marshal, knew to stick to a steady strategy, preferring to sustain greater losses and fight a sluggish war rather than rashly advance into the Venice Area for a decisive battle with the Austrian army.
Marshal Radetzky’s painstakingly arranged trap formation— the enemy’s main force simply wouldn’t enter. If we attack now, it might be possible to beat the enemy, but inflicting a severe blow or annihilating them is utterly impossible.
Franz had originally planned to suppress the Hungarian rebellion after defeating the Kingdom of Sardinia. Now, it’s clearly impossible. He must go after the Hungarians first to compel Sardinia to fight a decisive battle.
Many understand the concept of a chain reaction—”the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.” If Austria suppresses the internal rebellion, then the Kingdom of Sardinia won’t have any chance of winning.
“Accelerate the war preparations. Once ready, immediately send troops to suppress the Hungarian rebellion. How much longer does the Prime Minister need?” Franz asked, puzzled.
“Your Highness, strategic materials are almost fully prepared, and the deployment of the army is also basically completed, except for several newly established central provinces that need some time to integrate.
We can launch the offensive as soon as next Saturday, May 5th,” Felix pondered and answered.
