Holy Roman Empire

Franz didn't think it was useful to talk about patriotism with soldiers, rather than talking about so many high-level theories.

It's better to tell them directly that if they win the battle, they can get land, money, trophies, titles... These visible things are more reliable.

Prince Wendisch Gretz replied: "Your Majesty, the most important part of ensuring the combat effectiveness of the army is the officers. Our Ministry of the Army plans to expand the number of officers and assign two deputies to the officers of the frontline troops.

During a war, the army can be expanded to 100 million in the shortest possible time, so as to gain an advantage at the beginning of the war. "

Franz nodded. Judging from the current international situation, as long as the first wave of the war is successful, the war will be over.

The Kingdom of Prussia has limited national strength, so it can only engage in a wave of success. If it fails, it will not be able to do it again in a short period of time; as long as the French are defeated on the battlefield, the French people will help to kill the government.

As long as they don't have enough brains to attack the mainland of France, the new French government will fall into continuous internal strife. When their internal strife is over, the day lily will be cold.

Chapter 43 No permanent enemy

The large reserve strategy has been passed, and an increase in military spending is inevitable.In the short term, the increase in military expenditure is not obvious, and it will be different with the increase in the number of reserves.

No matter how cheap it is to raise the reserve force, the military expenditure will not be lower than 15.00% of the regular army.Weapons and equipment can be used from second-hand products eliminated by the regular army, and soldiers' wages can also be saved, but training funds cannot be saved anyway.

Under normal circumstances, the Austrian reserve forces have no less than two months of training time each year. After the training is completed, the government will issue a condolence subsidy to some extent.

Based on the calculation of 20 new reserve soldiers each year, this expenditure is equivalent to an annual military expansion of 200, and the total number of reserve soldiers will be capped at 25 million, which is equivalent to an increase of 50 active-duty troops on the current basis. (deducting the existing [-] reserves)

According to the growth rate of Austria's fiscal revenue in the past, it is estimated that it will not last long, and this plan will die.

Franz couldn't help but rejoice that the industrial age has come, otherwise Austria, an agricultural country, really wouldn't be able to support so many soldiers.

"Considering that the future overseas colonial strategy requires close cooperation between the army and the navy, I have decided to establish a general staff, with Marshal Radesky as the first chief of staff." Franz threw a heavy bomb

There is no doubt that the General Staff is independent of the Army and Navy, and in name only coordinates the cooperation of the Army and the Navy. In fact, during the war, the General Staff is above the Army and Navy.

How to coordinate if there is no right?Do you still have to send someone to reason with the troops below?

Especially the first chief of staff, Marshal Radesky, as a highly respected existence in the Austrian army, can he still overthrow the general staff?

"Your Majesty, it's not time for our colonial overseas strategy to be implemented. Is it too early to set up a general staff now?" Prince Wendisch Gretz objected

Oppose, must oppose.The addition of a general staff, which overlaps with the Ministry of Land and Navy in many places, will inevitably greatly crowd out their rights.

Compared with Prince Wendisch Gretz's fierce reaction, the Minister of the Navy who does not have much sense of presence is indifferent.

It will be a matter of time before an organization that coordinates the two armies is established. Marshal Radesky, who was born in the army, serves as the chief of staff, which of course shows the dominant position of the army.

It is also difficult for a chief of staff who is also from the army to join the navy.In the case of a professional inappropriate, the famous Marshal Radesky will not interfere indiscriminately, right?

The establishment of the General Staff also marked the formal determination of the Austrian government's overseas colonial strategy, so it became inevitable to build a navy.

With Austria's international status, no matter what the navy has to be among the top five in the world, otherwise it will have no confidence when it goes out to grab territory.

Compared with this income, some rights are damaged, which is completely acceptable to the Ministry of the Navy.Among other things, this year's navy military expenditure can be increased by several million.

Franz randomly found a reason to explain: "It is better to prepare earlier, so as not to be in a hurry. Now that the European continent is still in balance, it is unknown when this situation will break.

Although we judge that the Russians may take action against the Ottoman Empire, everything is in case, if the Russians go to Central Asia to expand, or go to the Far East to expand.

Our original strategic plan is no longer possible to implement.Then the overseas colonial strategy, which is placed at the end, can also be given priority to the first place. "

The Russians are stupid to let the Ottomans who are close at hand not fight, and go to Central Asia or the Far East to eat dirt.

Regardless of whether Prince Wendisch Gretz can accept it or not, it is Franz's face to deal with it.Take it out to discuss with everyone, it is to embody democracy, and to check for omissions and fill in vacancies by the way.

If everyone opposes it, it proves that the plan is unreliable.Either it is too advanced and cannot be accepted by everyone; or it is not in line with Austria's national conditions and cannot be implemented.

Encountering this situation, Franz will naturally take it back with kindness.Now that Prince Wendisch Gretz objects, the resolution will be considered passed.

Considering that the generals of the army might boycott the General Staff, Franz also specially selected the highly respected Marshal Radesky, just to keep them speechless.

As long as the first generation of chief of staff sits firmly, everyone will get used to it later.In peacetime, the power of the General Staff is actually not great, and Franz will not let them train and command.

Checks and balances of power are a must. The General Staff can command the national army during a war, but the recruitment, training, and logistics support systems of soldiers are still in the hands of the Ministry of Army and Navy.

In history, Franz had long been prepared for the German general staff's direct overhead of the emperor.

In addition to these checks and balances, the palace guards and the city defense forces of Vienna are also directly responsible to the emperor, and neither the Ministry of War nor the General Staff have command authority.

……

Munich

It was originally thought that with the support of the great powers, the Kingdom of Bavaria would be able to integrate the small states in the German region, but the reality gave Maximilian a blow to the head.

We don't want to be annexed by Austria and Prussia, and we don't want to be annexed by Bavaria either.In normal times, everyone's relationship is good, that is to keep warm together and resist the threat from Pu'ao.

This is also the reason why Prussia has poor popularity in the German Confederation. The threat of Austria is separated by Bavaria, and everyone still doesn't feel it clearly. Everyone knows the threat of Prussia as a neighbor.

"Did Württemberg also reject our offer?" Maximilian I asked, frowning.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Foreign Secretary replied bluntly.

Württemberg is also considered a "big country" in the German Federation, second only to Austria, Prussia and Bavaria in terms of territory.

The Kingdom of Bavaria wants to stand on its own, and it cannot do so without the support of Württemberg.Obviously no one wants to be a stepping stone for others, and the Württemberg government is not willing to become a vassal of Bavaria.

Even if the merger is only in name, Württemberg still retains almost all the rights, that won't work.

No one is a fool. If all the German states are now merged, then the dominant Austria will also retain their rights.For no other reason than swallowing.

Similarly, if Prussia annexed a small state other than Austria, they would not be able to swallow it and had to make a compromise.

The same is true of the Kingdom of Bavaria now. Don't look at the small territory of the remaining German states. In fact, almost all of them are economically developed and densely populated areas.

So when Maximilian I threw out the generous conditions, everyone directly rejected it.With Pu and Austria still watching, how dare Bavaria threaten them with force?

Do you really think that with the support of the great powers, you can make everyone back down?Don't forget that Pu'ao is still a big power, and everyone has not compromised with them!

No, Prussia can only be regarded as a quasi-great power. It has the military strength of a great power, but it does not have the national power of a great power.

To some extent, the Kingdom of Prussia maintains a strong army because it is afraid of being annexed by Austria.

If he had a choice, Frederick William IV would not want to swell his face to pretend to be fat.Now the Prussian government's finances may go bankrupt at any time, but their military expenditures have never been short of one point.

Undercurrents are already surging within the Kingdom of Bavaria. How could there be so many German exchange organizations in Austria not functioning?

The news that the Bavarian government wanted independence was passed on, and an anti-separation demonstration was already in preparation.

In order to avoid suspicion, the German nationalists who were responsible for planning the parade, and organizations and individuals related to Austria, were just waving their flags.

……

Berlin

Since the end of the Pudan War, the Kingdom of Prussia has embarked on the road of reform.The first problem before the government is - finance.

Unlike in history, the Pudan War has been delayed for a little longer, which means that military expenditures have increased by 6000 to [-] million dong.

In theory, as long as they get the funds raised by the people in the German region, they can basically fill in this hole.

Obviously this is impossible, not to mention getting the rest of the money.Now the embassies or offices of the Kingdom of Prussia in various states are often harassed by debt collectors.

Facing these people, they can't even touch them, and they can't even scold them. Reasonable people insist that they are liars.

As a last resort, these workers dare not even go out to buy vegetables, for fear of being hit by UFOs. All living problems are resolved by the host country government.

In order to divert the public's attention, the Prussian government even made concessions, and together with the Kingdom of Bavaria proposed a "three-nation responsible cabinet".

Unexpectedly, it aroused the fear of the great powers, and due to diplomatic pressure, the plan died as soon as it was implemented.

It is impossible to say that Frederick William IV had no grievances in his heart.It's a pity that he has nowhere to vent his anger.

In this series of measures, the Prussian government performed quite well and did not make too many mistakes, and the responsibility for the failure cannot be blamed on them.

The reactions of Austria, Bavaria and other countries couldn't be more natural. Everyone considers issues based on their own interests, and no one owes anyone else.

"Prime Minister, how far has the matter of borrowing from the British progressed?" Frederick William IV asked with concern

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's impossible to borrow from the British. They have proposed an unacceptable condition." Prime Minister Joseph von Radowitz replied with a wry smile

"What kind of conditions, there is no room for negotiation?" Frederick William IV asked suspiciously

Joseph von Radowitz sighed: "The British demand that we leave the German Confederation permanently!"

"What?" Frederick William IV asked incredulously

Withdraw from the German Confederation?If the Kingdom of Prussia withdrew from the German Confederation, then the dream of a great power of the Kingdom of Prussia would be directly shattered, and they would be a medium-sized country at their current size.

Frederick William IV was sure that once Prussia withdrew from the German Confederation, the British would unite with France and Russia to force Austria to make the same decision.

At that time, once the remaining German states are merged, they will become a medium-sized country again.Under the complex international situation, this newly established country may not be aggressive enough, but it is definitely more than enough to protect itself.

After a pause for a while, Frederick William IV came to his senses, and then said, "No, we absolutely cannot accept such a condition, we must contact the Austrian government as soon as possible, presumably they are not willing to leave in such a disheveled way! "

There is no doubt that Frederick William IV was undoubtedly wrong, thinking that the British were ready to split the German Confederation.

Don't look at them always wanting to break the German Federation dominated by Austria, but the German Federation has really split, and the most worrying thing is definitely not Austria.

Even after leaving the German Confederation, the Austrian Empire is also a big country in Europe, but the Kingdom of Prussia is no good. If they want to go further, they have no chance.

Prime Minister Joseph von Radowitz analyzed: "Your Majesty, we can't be anxious about this issue. The Austrians will not give up the German region either. We just need to disclose the news to the Austrian government through some channels.

The British want to go back, but if they really want to turn this plan into reality, they still can't do it.

Even if Britain, France and Russia jointly exert pressure, as long as we and Austria don't let go, they can't do anything. They can't start a war against us because of this matter, right? "

There is also a problem of initiative in the alliance between Prussia and Austria. If Prussia just sent it to the door, wouldn't it give up the initiative in the alliance?

Chapter 44 A Wonderful Misunderstanding

Since receiving the news from the Prussian government, the top leaders of the Austrian government felt bad instantly.

Can the British do this?There was no doubt at all that John Bull's integrity was only so high.

At the last Frankfurt meeting, the British put forward a proposal to split the German Federation.It is completely normal for them to exert diplomatic pressure on the Kingdom of Prussia in order to implement this plan.

Franz was also taken aback. In fact, the British had all the motives for doing this. This was determined by their national policy - the continental balance strategy.

According to this plan, the German Confederation becomes one big country and two medium countries.It has a certain strength to prevent France and Russia from continuing to expand to Central Europe, and there is no possibility of threatening their status.

This kind of European structure is theoretically the most stable. No matter which country, France or Russia, expands to Europe, it will be resisted by at least two of them, and it is appropriate to add the support of the British.

Whoever wants to unify the German region must be prepared to single out the major European powers. Even if Austria has the support of the Russians, there is no possibility of success.

It's not that Franz underestimated himself. It's not a worry for the scattered small German states to be a mess, but once they merge into one country, no matter how wasteful they are, they can pull out an army of 40 to [-].

Coupled with the participation of Britain and France, unless Austria joins the Kingdom of Prussia to carve up this new country, otherwise it will be Russia and Austria VS Britain, France and Prussia + small German states, and there may even be armies from other European countries.

Franz had no doubts about the means of the British to win allies.It is estimated that Belgium and the Netherlands will join the ranks of preventing the unification of the German region, and maybe Switzerland will stab Austria with a knife.

Where are the odds?Anyway, Franz didn't find out.Unless the battlefield is placed in Russia, maybe the enemy can be frozen to death in winter.

Of course, the fear is the fear, and the Austrian government still did not persuade.

The Russian Empire is also the overlord of the European continent. In everyone's mind, it is no problem for the Russians to single out Britain and France on land. It is also possible for Austria to settle Prussia and the German states.

In their opinion, the only troublesome geographical location.I am afraid that Britain and France will let the Russians not fight, and they will catch Austria and beat them to death, and then they will be finished.

It is always good to have confidence. At least it proves that the Austrian Empire has not fallen, and the arrogance of a great power is still there. If the government is persuaded to hear the news, then Franz will really be unable to move.

Metternich said angrily: "Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, we need to give the Kingdom of Prussia a hand. As long as they persist, the sinister intentions of the British will not be realized."

Although he also opposed the expansion to the German region before, but that was before. Since the signing of the Russia-Ottoman secret treaty, Metternich has slowly changed his position.

He knew that Austria could not turn back, and had no choice but to expand its power abroad and strengthen its own strength as much as possible.The westward advance to the German region is an indispensable part of this strategy.

Without the population of South Germany, Austria wants to expand abroad. It is estimated that it will take two to 30 years to digest the implementation of the Balkan strategy.

For such a long time, the strength of each country has grown to what extent.In this era of the weak and the strong, once you fall behind, it means that danger is about to come.

Prime Minister Felix thought for a while and said: "This news was released by the Prussian government, and I'm afraid they don't want to compromise.

Mr. Metternich, based on your understanding of the Kingdom of Prussia, if we now propose to join hands to carve up the German region, how likely is he to agree? "

Metternich analyzed: "It depends on how to carve up, but I guess it will be difficult to reach an agreement.

The failure of the Pudan War hit the radicals of the Prussian military, but they still had great influence on the government.

According to the original plan, we want to annex South Germany, and North Germany counts as much as we can eat. Even if we make concessions now, we will give up North Germany at most.

These interests may not be able to feed the radicals of the Prussian military, but many people in the Prussian government should be satisfied, not everyone is so ambitious.

Perhaps someone in the Prussian government would have forced Frederick William IV to come to terms with us if the British had put more pressure on them. "

Now the relationship between Puao and Ao is still on the mend. We are playing tricks on each other secretly, but we have not broken our skins on the surface. We are still cooperating with each other on many issues.

According to the British plan, the Kingdom of Prussia was kicked out of the German Confederation almost without a hair.