Holy Roman Empire

Rudolph's worry was not unreasonable. There were many German states, but there were very few big ones. Each of these small states could send eight thousand troops at most, and they couldn't cause any waves on the battlefield.

Austria's strength is not weak. Once established facts are created and the Russians acquiesce, the pressure from Britain and France will not be enough to make them make concessions.

"Mr. Rudolf, this situation may indeed happen, so we must act. At least the armies of the German states must be organized, so that we can destroy the Austrian conspiracy without paying a heavy price." Chancellor Josef von Radowitz replied

In short, it is impossible to fight Austria head-on. If the Kingdom of Prussia wants to be the last fisherman, it cannot fight Austria and lose precious troops.

……

Britain and France pinned their hopes on the German states to send troops to stop Austria, and these small states of Germany also pinned their hopes on the intervention of the great powers.

Everyone wanted to be the last fisherman, and then the kingdom of Bavaria was in tragedy, and at the beginning of the battle they had to fight alone.

When there are internal disputes among countries, the battle has already started.

I don't know that the Bavarian government, which was sold off, is mobilizing the army with full confidence after receiving affirmative answers from various countries, preparing to fight a homeland defense war.

Chapter 99 We Want Neutrality

On the day of the declaration of war, Austria, which had been prepared for a long time, dispatched 40 troops in three groups to attack the Kingdom of Bavaria.

The Bavarian government, caught off guard, could only passively meet the enemy, and the result was naturally tragic.Without any preparation, it was suddenly attacked by the Austrian army.

After receiving the request for help from the front line, the Bavarian government fell into chaos.Maximilian II knew he was in big trouble. Austria was too fast, and the border was lost as soon as the battle started.

……

In Freilassing, when the news of the war between Austria and Bavaria came, there was panic here, and Colonel Andreas, the commander of the garrison, felt bad instantly.

Looking at the information in his hands, he didn't know how to fight this war.He didn't know how many people there were in the Austrian army on the opposite side. Anyway, it was at least tens of thousands, and he only had two garrison regiments in his hands.

More than 3000 Bavarian soldiers have to block the attack of tens of thousands of Austrian troops, even if the God of War is reborn.

But there is no choice. The defenders from all over the country must stick to the death order issued in the country.It also takes time to mobilize the whole country. In order to gain this time, the defenders on the front line will naturally have to sacrifice.

That's what the Munich bureaucrats meant, and that's what King Maximilian II meant.Munich is too close to Austria. If it is not blocked for up to two days, the Austrian army can approach the city.

The guard reported: "Your Excellency, Mr. Marcus is visiting."

Andreas was taken aback for a moment. Those who were not prepared to flee at this time were probably some ultra-nationalistic middle school teenagers who were ready to welcome Master Wang.

Markus is obviously not this kind of person. As a celebrity in the cultural circles of the Kingdom of Bavaria, he has a high reputation in Freilassing.

"Ask him to come in," Andreas said.

In any case, the visitor is a guest, and the two parties have known each other for a long time, and there is still some friendship. Although the time of coming is not right, the person still needs to meet.

……

Markus said straight to the point: "Andreas, this time I am here on behalf of the people of Freilassing."

To be honest, Marcus is also very resistant to being a leading party, but there are many people who can't help him to do ideological work.

In addition to the Austrians, more are his relatives and friends.Most of the socialites in the Freilassing region do not want this war to start.

The most terrifying thing about war is that every war is a reshuffle of interests.For these interest groups, it is not known whether Austria can unify the German region. Anyway, Freilassing cannot stop the Austrians.

Once the flames of war ignite, they are the biggest victims.

If a foreign enemy invaded, then there is no need to say that everyone is also patriotic, and they cannot do things that surrender without a fight.

Obviously Austria is not an aggressor. Under the banner of national unity, most people can accept it, and there is no pressure to surrender.

Not even a surrender, they could be neutral, yes neutral.This was invented by Franz based on his previous life experience, to encourage Bavaria's local government and army to remain neutral in the war.

Then everyone's face was taken care of, no matter whether Austria can unify Germany in the end, or what the final result of the Kingdom of Bavaria is, they will remain invincible.

These people were brought together under the needlework of the German non-governmental exchange organization. Let's be neutral for the common interests of everyone, and then the local council of Freilassing made a neutral resolution.

In order to make Marcus a lobbyist, even the surrounding neighbors were mobilized.Seeing that public opinion cannot be violated, Marcus, who is seriously ill, naturally cannot shirk it.

Andreas said angrily: "You want to surrender to the Austrians, that's impossible! As a soldier, the word surrender without a fight is absolutely not in Andreas's dictionary!"

The German region is martial, and surrendering without a fight is simply the greatest insult to soldiers, and it will accompany them throughout their lives.

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

I can't do such a thing as betraying the kingdom.If it is a foreign invasion, I will fight side by side with you, but the current situation is a bit special.

What the Austrians are now launching is a war of unification, not a war of aggression.I am loyal to the Kingdom of Bavaria, and I am also loyal to Germany.

Now that the kingdom government and the empire are on opposite sides, the people of Freilassing have decided to remain neutral in this war. I am here on behalf of the people of the whole city. I hope you and your subordinates will respect the choices of the people. "

There is also this kind of operation, Colonel Andreas is a little dumbfounded.After thinking about it, he found that it seemed to be very operable.

It is impossible to resist desperately. The strength gap between the two sides is too great. Even if Andreas is willing to lead the army to fight the Austrians, it will not change the outcome.

Andreas asked casually: "What will happen if I refuse?"

Marcus said with a serious face: "If you reject the people's choice, then you will be deported.

The people of Freilassing have the right to make their own choices. Even if we cannot contribute to the unification of Germany, we cannot be the sinners who hinder the unification of Germany! "

Seeing Marcus' attitude, Andreas was relieved, and finally he didn't have to fight the Austrians.

No one wants to die, and it is a fool to forcefully fight a war that he knows he can't win.If foreign enemies invade, for the glory of the soldiers, Andreas can still inspire the soldiers and let everyone fight together.

Forget about the unification war, he hasn't lived enough, and he doesn't want to die in vain.

As soon as the war broke out, he greeted the whole family of the bureaucrats in Munich.Isn't it good to build Shinra, why make it like this?

Andreas also has pursuits, eager to make contributions.But to make meritorious deeds, there must be basic conditions, right?

For example, the Austrian army that came to attack has only one regiment or less, and he doesn't mind letting the Austrians see how powerful the Bavarian army is.

But in this situation, all the troops of the Kingdom of Bavaria are concentrated here, and they are not enough to fight against the enemy on the opposite side.

If he ordered resistance and his subordinates betrayed him, where would he cry?Even after the war, he was charged with undermining national unity.Andreas said that whoever likes to do this kind of thing can do it!

Andreas pretended to be embarrassed and said: "Mr. Marcus, since it is the choice of the people, of course I am willing to respect it. But for such a big matter, I must call a meeting of military officers to unify everyone's position."

Marcus thought for a while and said: "No problem, but our time is running out, you have to make a decision quickly, the Austrians are about to attack."

……

The result was naturally no surprise. At the military meeting, the proposal of Andreas was passed by a high vote - respecting public opinion.

Of course, this is not their fault. There are only two defenders who are dissatisfied with the regiment. Facing tens of thousands of Austrian troops, it is really difficult to muster up the courage to resist.

The so-called public opinion just helped them solve their troubles. Anyway, this is a civil war.Neutrality is better than surrender, and surrender is better than death in battle. Everyone hasn't lived enough yet!

Then after the war broke out, a dumbfounding scene appeared. The cities and defenders in the Bavarian border area declared their neutrality one after another.

Occasionally, there was resistance from the defenders, and they were quickly annihilated by the Austrian troops who rushed up, and they couldn't even delay the time.

It's not their fault, Bavaria is not militaristic Prussia.Their standing army has a total of 5 to [-] people, and there are a total of [-] people distributed on the Austrian border.

There are only 40 people who have to guard the nearly [-]-kilometer border. They are really powerless in the face of the attack of [-] Austrian troops.

In this case, the bureaucrats in Munich ordered to stand firm, driving them to a corner.

The powerful faction in the local area is the largest anti-war faction, together with radical nationalists. With the joint efforts of these people, the local council naturally passed a neutral resolution.

It is naturally much easier for local celebrities to go to work in the army.It's not about making them surrender, it's just about keeping them neutral.

As long as someone takes the lead, there will be more people who are willing to follow suit.The Bavarian government failed to send reinforcements in time, and to some extent, it still made a profit.

Otherwise, most of the troops sent out will be neutralized.The general trend of people's aspirations is very terrifying. The decision of the local council made the officers think that it was the will of the Bavarian people, and they were involuntarily affected.

People's hearts are very complicated, when these regions make neutral decisions.These people also inevitably began to lean toward Austria. Under the guidance of the pro-Austrian media, many people began to criticize the Bavarian government.

Affected by this, everyone unconsciously believed that the Bavarian government was unpopular, and the people were willing to support Austria to unify Germany.

Munich was too close to Austria. Since the defenders on the front line were neutralized, the Austrian army was already approaching the city on the third day of the war.

The options before Maximilian II were: run away, resist, or surrender.

Prime Minister August persuaded: "Your Majesty, there is still time to leave now. If it is later, the Austrians will surround Munich, and it will be difficult to leave!"

Resistance is impossible. When the war just broke out, they still had a little self-confidence, thinking that the Kingdom of Bavaria could resist and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

Since receiving a thick stack of declarations of neutrality, the Bavarian government has completely lost confidence. In their view, this means that the people have abandoned the government.

You can tell by looking at the speed of Austria's march. There was no resistance at all along the way. Otherwise, how could the [-] kilometers be covered in two days?

It will take at least four or five days. Of course, two or three days longer will not solve the problem, but this can increase everyone's confidence?

Otherwise, it will be the same as it is now, and everyone will be worried about it, for fear that the defenders will sell them.

Maximilian II smiled wryly and said, "Is this useful?"

This incident brought him a big blow. At first he thought he was popular with the people, but the reality turned out to be very cruel. The declaration of neutrality that came flooding in seemed like all the Bavarian people wanted him to hurry up. fuck off.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Bazel comforted: "Your Majesty, the people are only dissatisfied with this war, they did not turn to the Austrians..."

Maximilian II said disappointedly: "It's all the same. They have already made a choice with practical actions. They want to support the unification of the German region, but we are doing the same thing and want to build a Great Bavaria!"

run away?

Maximilian II is still a bit politically minded. If he runs away now, will he be able to come back in the future?

Even with the support of the big powers, if he is resisted by the people, how can he sit still as a king?

If the Kingdom of Bavaria is annexed by Austria, it will have the same ending whether he runs or not.Anyway, the Austrians wouldn't do anything to him as a king, and they had to provide him with delicious food and drink.

Prime Minister August continued to persuade: "Your Majesty, things may not be so bad, even if we lose Munich, we can go to the western region to gain a foothold.

The eastern part was too infiltrated by the Austrians to cause the current situation.

As long as we hold the western region and wait for reinforcements from various countries to arrive, the situation will change. They will not watch Austria annex Bavaria. "

Without waiting for Maximilian II to make a decision, an attendant rushed in and said in a panic: "Your Majesty, the big thing is not good. The Munich City Council has just made a decision and announced that it will remain neutral in this war. The situation is likely to change."

Neutrality is also contagious. Who wants to fight a war that is doomed to failure?

The Munich Parliament stated that they wanted to be neutral a long time ago. If it weren't for the fact that the central government is in the city, would they have to wait until now?

At this time, the Austrians were already approaching the city.People in the city have long been in panic. If there is a fight, the loss will be heavy, and the death will be the worst.

At this time, neither the capitalists nor the nobles wanted to fight this doomed hopeless war.

Directly persuading the king to surrender is too risky, and no one wants to be the first bird.At this time, the parliament will play a role. The parliament will represent the public opinion and tell the king that the war cannot continue.

Anyway, there are so many neutral places, and half of Bavaria has declared neutrality. They can be regarded as following the trend and have absolutely no intention of betraying the king.

These people are considered civilized, which fully shows that the daily work of the Bavarian government is not bad, otherwise these people in the city will rebel now.

Maximilian II understood the inner meaning. He can understand that everyone does not want to fight this war, and he himself does not want to fight this war without a future.

The intervention of the great powers did appear, and European countries such as Britain, France, Russia and the West condemned Austria's barbaric behavior and ordered them to stop the war.

As a result, the Austrian army still appeared under the city of Munich. Before the joint intervention of various countries could be organized, the Kingdom of Bavaria was about to end.

This means that Austria can ignore the threat of the great powers, and there are many things behind it.If at this time, Maximilian II still can't guess the reason, he is really a fool.

It is impossible for the Vienna government to take military action against the pressure of all the great powers, and no country in the world can ignore the collective will of the great powers.

The only explanation is that the great powers were divided.With the strength of Austria, as long as one of the big powers supports or acquiesces, this threat can be ignored.

Chapter 100 Bluff

When the war broke out, Franz's nerves became tense, not only his entire Austrian government, but no one dared to relax.

Although the front line is advancing very fast and smoother than planned, the Austrian government is still mobilizing across the country.

Perhaps in the eyes of many people, this is a bit of a big deal. 40 troops were dispatched to fight the Kingdom of Bavaria, and millions of reserve troops were mobilized in the country.

As the person involved, Franz can say very clearly that this is not a fuss, but a strategic need.

The lion and the elephant fight the rabbit with all their strength.

It is the current state of Austria. If it is only to deal with a Bavaria, maybe [-] to [-] troops can complete the task.

Anyway, Munich is close at hand, and it is enough to launch a sneak attack of [-] to [-] troops.There is absolutely no need to make a fuss over a molehill and engage in such a big battle.

This is only military, but politics determines this war and cannot be treated with common sense.

For example, many local governments and armies in Bavaria are now declaring neutrality. This is the result of a combination of the power of 40 troops and political offensives.

If there are only [-] to [-] troops, will Bavaria's local powerful faction easily compromise?Without the cooperation of these people and the absolute advantage in strength, can Austria neutralize the defenders of Bavaria?

The real situation is not because of Franz's destiny, nor how popular the Habsburg dynasty is, but because of its strength.

The people of Bavaria saw the strength of Austria, and the local ruling class was intimidated. At this time, lobbyists came into battle, and they naturally made the choice that best suited their own interests.