Holy Roman Empire

If the Ottoman Empire goes cold, all their early investment will be in vain, and even their interests in the Mediterranean will be lost.

Napoleon III's daring to send troops to intervene in the Near East War was also based on the fact that the Ottoman Empire had a certain strength. Otherwise, let them single out the Russians. In fact, the French were also very timid.

For no other reason than the number of gray cattle is too great.Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. Back then, Napoleon was killed by the Russians with numbers, and there was also an Austrian Empire. They couldn't help but pay attention to it.

"Humph!"

Napoleon III sneered, expressing his dissatisfaction.The British made it clear that they were the first birds.

"Tell the British, don't forget that there is another Austria. If you don't send troops to support the Ottoman Empire, I'm afraid it won't be long before we hear the news of their defeat." Napoleon III thought for a while and said

It is very important for the British to use diplomatic means to split the Russian-Austrian alliance, and it is not a bad idea to pay some price for this.

But for Napoleon III, it was different.The stage has already been set up, and the audience is waiting to watch the show, so we can't suddenly say no to the show.

Since Napoleon III came to power as Napoleon's successor, it is only natural to avenge his uncle. The French people are watching him and cannot allow him to back down.

There is no way, the French people in this era are so willful.Since Napoleon III made a promise to everyone before he succeeded to the throne, it must be fulfilled.

This is what Napoleon III did in history. The Crimean War ended the Russian hegemony in Europe and won the support of the people.

"Your Majesty, if the Russians and Austria really join forces, we may not be able to defeat them in the Near East." Rue reminded

The deputy emperor is not called for nothing, if he loses the battle, he will be the one who takes the blame, and he must be prepared to prevent the erroneous progress.

"Don't worry, it's impossible for them to cooperate sincerely. With the appetite of the Russians, Austria would not dare to let them obtain the Black Sea Strait." Napoleon III affirmed his judgment.

An overly powerful Russian Empire is not in the interests of Austria. The Russians annexed the Ottoman Empire, and the pressure on Austria will be great.

……

Balkan Peninsula

On April 1852, 4, after some consultations between the Austrian government and the Russian government, the two sides signed the "Balkan Treaty".

The treaty stipulated that: the Russian army handed over the duchies of Moldavia and Wallachia to Austria; the Russian army obtained the right of free passage; Austria provided logistical support for the Russian army in the Balkans.

The two sides took what they needed. Austria got the pre-agreed territory and successfully covered up the westward strategy; the Russians got the chance to continue fighting from the Balkan Peninsula, which increased the odds of winning the war.

If you look at the map, you will know that without the material support of Austria, after occupying the two duchies of the Danube, the logistical supplies will make the Russian army lose the ability to continue to attack.

The sudden letting go of the Russians stunned the Sudanese government, which was preparing to watch the conflict between Russia and Austria.

Without hesitation, 25 Russian troops were setting off along the lower reaches of the Danube, heading straight for Bulgaria.

Anyone with a bit of military common sense knows that once Bulgaria falls, the capital of the Ottoman Empire will be in danger.

In fact, if the Sudanese government had not invited the British and French navies into the Black Sea in time, the Russian offensive would have been smoother.It is much easier to transport supplies by sea than by land.

With the strength of the Russians, if they hadn't lost their sea power, they could have chosen to land at multiple points, exhausting the Ottoman Empire.

A wave of unrest, a wave of up again.

The Russians also came prepared. Through the connection of the Orthodox Church, the Bulgarians are now ready to welcome the king.

Not only the Bulgarians, but other ethnic groups within the Ottoman Empire are also ready to move.It's just that at this time, they still lack effective organization, nationalism has not yet spread, and their fighting power is limited.

In short, the current Ottoman Empire is full of wind and rain, and with the addition of Austria as an enemy, they will face even greater troubles.

Chapter 63 It's all about foil

Since the declaration of war with the Ottoman Empire, Austria has entered a state of war. A large amount of strategic materials were transported along the Danube to the Balkan Peninsula, and 20 Austrian troops also killed them in a mighty manner.

On the surface, Austria is looking for revenge from the Ottoman Empire.The hatred between the two sides can be traced back hundreds of years ago. If the Ottoman Empire did not add chaos, the Habsburg dynasty would have unified Germany long ago.

This time Franz deceived the whole world, and the army and strategic materials continued to pour into the Balkan Peninsula. Even in Austria, it seemed that this was all about killing the Ottoman Empire.

Only a few high-level people know that the Balkan Peninsula offensive has come to an end. The Austrian army and strategic materials have been assembled in the Danube River Basin. The main purpose is to quickly deploy troops after the westward strategy is launched.

Don't the Russians still need the strategic materials shipped to the Balkans?Even if the tsarist government prepared for the war for two years, it still failed to solve the domestic transportation problem.

Originally, the tsarist government was planning to rely on sea transportation to solve logistical problems. They concentrated strategic materials to ports along the coast of Ukraine, and the Black Sea Fleet escort was foolproof.

As a result, the plan could not keep up with the rapid changes. When the British and French navies came, the sea routes were blocked.

At this time, allies are needed to contribute. There is a Danube River running through Austria, which can go directly to Bulgaria, and the supply logistics problem is not big.

It can be said that the Danube is a treasure given to Austria by God.Before the railway is completed, water transportation is the most reliable way.

The Danube River originated in Baden, entered Austria through Württemberg and Bavaria, and entered the sea through the duchies of Wallachia and Moldavia.

Of course, the railway can still be repaired.After all, the Danube cannot cover all areas, and it is more convenient to have a railway running from east to west.

Vienna

At the Austrian General Staff, the army's request for battle reports have piled up like a mountain.Soldiers need military merits. The two duchies that occupied the Danube River Basin didn't fight much at all. How can you get promoted?

If Marshal Radesky's prestige was not high enough to overwhelm the main combat faction in the army, these messy battle reports would have come to Franz's desk.

According to the statistics of the Archives Bureau, in 1852 the General Staff received more than [-] war requests, and the names of almost all officers and soldiers appeared in the war requests.

A middle-aged officer held a thick document with a wry smile and said, "Your Excellency, Marshal, this is the request for battle report from Division No. 19."

He didn't know how many times this was the first time he had brought documents. Ever since the war with the Ottoman Empire broke out, the Austrian military had been gearing up and preparing for a big fight.

The General Staff receives a large number of battle reports and countless battle plans every day.In short, everyone was very anxious, for fear that the Russians would fight too hard in front, and there would be no chance for them to perform.

Marshal Radesky thought for a while and said, "Let's leave it to the archives. From now on, all such reports don't need to be brought to me."

At the beginning, he was very happy. It is a good thing that the army is warlike!As time went on, Field Marshal Radesky also became numb.

Since the successful occupation of the two duchies of the Danube, many people have regarded this war as an armed parade, as if the Ottoman Empire was about to be broken.

Not only the officers and soldiers in active service were tempted, but even the dudes among the nobles were looking for connections everywhere, wanting to join the army to be gilded.

It is naturally impossible to join at this time.In order to implement the westward expansion strategy, the top officials of the Austrian government are closely watching, and no negligence is allowed.

"Yes, Marshal!" The middle-aged officer replied

After finishing speaking, the middle-aged officer did not leave, but was a little hurried, as if he had something to say.

After seeing this, Marshal Radesky asked suspiciously: "Major General Lafitte, what else is there?"

"Your Excellency Marshal, the people below are so angry that we are about to be overwhelmed." Major General Lafayette said anxiously.

Marshal Radesky said solemnly: "If there is anything you can't hold back, just tell them to prepare for me. When there is a war, they don't have to worry about it.

If anyone has an opinion, he will be ordered to retire and go home immediately. There is no such lawless person in the Austrian army! "

"Yes, Marshal!" Major General Lafitte replied hastily

The Austrian military does not have a tradition of defeating superiors, and it is not up to the officers and soldiers below to make decisions about this kind of military affairs.

If he is ordered to retire and go home at this time, he will miss out on this war, and it will be a big loss for those who are interested in gaining fame on the battlefield.

Suppressing the voice below, Marshal Radesky sighed.At this time, it is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go south to the Balkan Peninsula, but unfortunately reality does not allow it.

Now the main force of the Austrian army is operating in the two duchies on the lower reaches of the Danube River. On the surface, they are purging the rebels and establishing effective local rule. In fact, it is not for the convenience of gathering.

Even the warships in the Austrian Navy that can navigate the Danube River went to the Black Sea to stand by before the war broke out, and they were all escorting the Danube River Basin at this time.

After preparing so much, we can't even give up the westward strategy in order to gain some advantage in the Balkan Peninsula, right?

It is easy to disperse the army, but it is difficult to gather it together.All it takes is an order, and the Austrian army and the Russians join forces to attack, and it won't be long before they can occupy the Balkans.

But once the Balkan Peninsula is occupied, Austria will be dragged here, and it will be difficult to get out.

Far away from the Danube River Basin, there is no waterway transportation, and when hundreds of thousands of troops are assembled and transported from the Balkan Peninsula to South Germany, the day lily will be rotten.

Schönbrunn Palace

Franz asked with concern: "Mr. Stein, to what point has the construction of the main railway line in China been carried out, and when will it be completed?"

The construction of the Austrian railway network began in 1849, and it has been three years since the start of construction, and some sections of the plains have been opened to traffic.

But for the entire transportation network, it is still a drop in the bucket.Needless to say, the railway that needs to cross the main line of the Alps will not be able to open to traffic after another three years of construction.

For the mountain railway, Franz's request is not so urgent. The most important thing now is the railway from Vienna to Salzburg, which must be opened to traffic in advance.

There is no way, under his butterfly effect, the Near East War broke out one year earlier than the Crimean War in history, which reduced the preparation time for the westward strategy by one year.

One year is enough to change many things. Vienna is only more than 200 kilometers away from Salzburg. It took four years to complete the railway, and Franz was not worried at all.

The construction conditions of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway were so bad that it took less than four years to complete the construction. This section of the railway did not need to be dug through the Badaling Tunnel by hand, nor did it need to erect the Huailai Bridge.

It would be difficult if the construction period was less than one year.For the sake of confidentiality, it is impossible for Franz to specifically ask about this section of the railway.If it attracts the attention of caring people, it will be troublesome.Now we can only let the main railway lines across the country meet the construction period together.

According to the plan of the General Staff, once the westward strategy is launched, the Austrian army will attack in three ways.All the way along the Danube, all the way from Salzburg to Munich by land, and all the way to Bavaria along the Rhine.

It has to be said that a well-developed water system is good. Even entering Bavaria from Salzburg, there is a Salzach River that can connect to the Rhine.

In this era, the Bavarians had not yet built a canal between the Rhine and the Danube, otherwise it would have been enough to mobilize supplies from Vienna for the Southern German Unification War.

Now a logistics supply point has been added - Salzburg.Therefore, before the war broke out, it was very important to build the railway between Vienna and Salzburg.

Railway Minister Stein handed over a document to Franz, saying: "Your Majesty, this is the progress schedule of the railway construction and the estimated opening time, please have a look.

At present, major domestic railway companies have increased their construction speed.The overall completion of the main road will take at least two years, of which the third section of the road will be open to traffic within this year, and the opening of some mountain railways may be postponed until 1856. "

Franz nodded. The speed of railway construction in Austria is not slow in this era, especially after the introduction of the government's stimulus policy, several railway companies are rushing to meet the deadline.

Starting from this year, Austrian railways will usher in a wave of opening to traffic, and many road sections will be opened to traffic one after another, and the domestic transportation situation will be greatly improved.

Flipping through it casually, and seeing the answer he wanted, Franz smiled and said, "I am very satisfied with this speed. Mr. Stein has worked hard, and now you can go to work."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After speaking, Stein turned around and left. He, a technocrat, could not participate in the following meetings.

Franz did not prepare to train all-round bureaucrats, and most government officials were proficient in a certain aspect.If you are proficient in everything, you can pack your things and go home. The Austrian government does not need all-rounders.

If there is such a genius, Franz thinks it would be better to send him to do scientific research, because it is too dangerous to engage in politics, even the emperor would be afraid of him.

After watching Stein leave, Franz said: "Everyone, if there are no accidents, the railway from Austria to Salzburg will be open to traffic before the end of the year, and the construction of the railway roadbed has been completed.

The original plan remains unchanged, and now it will be delayed for at least half a year. Is there any problem with Mr. Metternich? "

The foreign minister who was named Metternich thought for a while and replied: "Your Majesty, it depends on the battle situation on the Balkan front.

According to the information we have collected, the Russian army has invested 25.1 troops here, and the Ottoman army has 45 troops in name, but in fact there is at least one-fifth of the shortfall. The combat effectiveness may not be optimistic.

If the Russians take Constantinople quickly and before the British and French intervene, it will be very difficult to continue with our original plan. "

Don't look at the seemingly larger number of Ottoman troops, but in fact Metternich is still more optimistic about the Russians.The large number of troops on the Ottoman side does not mean that there must be a large number of troops on the battlefield.

Now that the Russians have lost the Danube duchies to Austria, they have actually left the responsibility for maintaining the stability of the rear to Austria, including the logistics and transportation work in this area, which is done by the Austrian army for them.

The Ottoman Empire fought on its own territory, but unfortunately the Russians were more popular in Bulgaria.With the support of the Russians, the number of local guerrillas has exceeded five digits, and the advantages of the Ottomans in local operations have become disadvantages.

Marshal Radesky commented very confidently: "Mr. Metternich, don't worry, this is a worse war.

After our contact with the Russian army entering the Balkan Peninsula, we can basically judge that the combat effectiveness of the Russian army is much lower than we thought before.

First of all, the Russian army is very chaotic in terms of troop allocation. The troop establishment is still in the era of the anti-French war. The internal corruption of the army is serious, the weapons and equipment are outdated, and the logistics system is chaotic.

Secondly, the military discipline of the Russian army is lax, and the Cossack cavalry is a bunch of locusts. They are going all the way to harm all the way.

The Ottoman army hired French instructors for training, but they only learned the fur of the French. Apart from looking like a modern army, they were actually old-fashioned.

On the issue of corruption, the Ottoman army was even more serious. The Russians were able to make up for it anyway, and the Ottoman officers directly ate empty pay, and there was a serious shortage of troops.

Many soldiers were forced to join the army by the officers, and they were pulled to make up the number. I don't have any expectations for them to have some combat effectiveness.

In general, the Ottoman armies were far worse at fighting.If there is no external intervention, they will probably lose this war, but it is not a big problem to hold Constantinople. "

Franz agreed with Marshal Radesky's comments.The combat effectiveness shown by the Russians in the Crimean War in history is just one word-rotten, while the Ottomans told everyone that there is no worst, only worse!

In general, this period was at a low point for both the Russians and the Ottomans.Not only them, but France, Austria, Spain, and Prussia are also the same. Except for the British, the European powers are collectively absent.

Under the butterfly effect of Franz, Austria was rescued, and under the backdrop of the Russians and Ottomans, Marshal Radesky gained confidence.

Chapter 64 All parties choose

London

The direction of the war in the Near East left the British dumbfounded.The Russians actually gave up the two principalities in the Danube Valley in exchange for Austria's logistical assistance.

This means that the Russians have a very big appetite this time, and only greater interests can make the Russians give up the Principality of Moldavia and Wallachia.

John Russell said with a gloomy face: "Our previous plan failed, and Austria and the Russians reached an agreement. If we don't take action now, the Ottoman Empire is definitely not their opponent.

Mr. Palmerston, is there anything you can do at the Foreign Office to break up the alliance between the Russians and Austria in the shortest possible time?

Together, the two countries are basically invincible in the Near East.Even if we act jointly with the French, it will be difficult to win. "