Chapter 401: Chapter 88: The Times Create the Hero
 

The British stepping in to meddle has once again plunged the war into confusion and uncertainty. Whether the Tsarist Government’s wallet will be emptied first or the Kingdom of Prussia can no longer hold out on the battlefield is something nobody knows.

Having lost their maritime transport routes, the Russian plan to concentrate forces and swiftly defeat the Prussians has gone bankrupt.

Ever since the Russians lost the Polish Region, grain prices in St. Petersburg have been on a continuous rise, having increased by thirty percent compared to before the war.

This is the result of Alexander II’s timely measures to control prices, otherwise, a doubling of grain prices was also a possibility.

The Russians have plenty of grain stockpiles; the only problem is transportation. Transporting grain from the Ukraine and Moscow area to St. Petersburg inevitably means an increase in price.

In a military meeting at the Winter Palace, the Minister of the Army, Hellemed, analyzed, “Based on our current transportation capabilities, the forces we can deploy to the front lines will not exceed four hundred thousand.

With so few troops, it is almost impossible to win this war. The original battle plan is no longer appropriate, and the Army Department has decided to change it.

We will carry out strategic defense in the Baltic Sea and Belarusian Region, and concentrate our main forces in the Ukraine Region, attacking towards the Polish Region along the Prusso-Russian border.

In this way, our troops can directly obtain supplies from Austria, reducing the distance of logistic transport.

First, we’ll reclaim the Polish Region, and then we can rely on the rivers within Poland to transport materials from Austria, ensuring the supply of our troops.”

The battle plan looks good and solves the problem of logistics. However, Alexander II feels very uncomfortable inside—it means asking Austria for help.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Conducting the war with the support of Austria will certainly come at a cost.

Alexander II is unwilling to see the Russian Army fighting desperately on the front lines, only for the greatest benefit to fall into someone else’s hands, even if they are allies.

Finance Minister Kristan opposes, “This plan looks good, but it’s not easy to get the Austrians to cooperate. It’s not just a matter of money, politics must also be considered.

The Vienna Government has been in a paradoxical state during this war. On the one hand, they want to use us to cripple the Kingdom of Prussia, creating favorable conditions for unification; on the other hand, they want to preserve the territorial integrity of the Germany Region.

Unless we are willing to pay a heavy price, they will not cooperate fully. Without their support, even with Austria behind us, it is difficult to get ample supplies.”

The stance of the Vienna Government is not a secret; they want to watch Prussia and Russia both suffer heavy losses. This aligns best with Austria’s interests—creating conditions for national unification while securing the territorial integrity of the Germany Region.

Only when Prussia is socially beaten down will its separatism die out, turning to merge with Austria.

At present, the advocates for establishing Great Prussia are the Junker aristocracy, who as landlords would see their interests jeopardized should they merge with Austria and their domestic agricultural products impacted.

The more severely Prussia is beaten, the more people will support German unification, provided that the Kingdom of Prussia is not annexed by Russia.

Against this backdrop, it isn’t easy to expect Austria to support them in winning the war wholeheartedly.

Foreign Minister Clarence Ivanov continued, “We have communicated with the Austrians about this issue.

The Vienna Government’s attitude is clear; they will abide by the Russian-Austrian Alliance, but only to the extent stipulated in the alliance agreement.

Changing their decision would come at too high a price, utterly not worth the loss.”

In the face of interests, even alliances must step back. Those present are all savvy; they aren’t so naive as to think that allies will cooperate unconditionally.

Speaking directly through interests is, in fact, the best way to maintain ally relationships. Alliances that talk only of friendship but not interest do not last.

Alexander II ordered: “Send someone to rent some warehouses on the Austrian border, stockpile some materials inside as a trading hub for commerce between the two countries.

Let the military first reclaim some territory adjoining Austria, then start trade nearby to save on transport costs.”

This is playing close to the line, stockpiling goods on the Austrian border beforehand so that the Russian Army could resupply nearby upon arrival.

Although many procedures are still needed, this saves time. Time is life on the battlefield; with adequate material supplies, the Russian Army can fight a battle of attrition against the Kingdom of Prussia.

They hold an absolute advantage in this respect; just by expending a few hundred thousand more lives, the Kingdom of Prussia will no longer be able to hold out. Unless England and France intervene directly, they will be the victors of this war.

Unfortunately, Polish winters are not cold enough to take advantage of the Russian Army’s capability to conduct winter operations.

…

In Vienna, Franz put down the intelligence report in his hands and played the spectator, quietly watching Prussia and Russia each showing their skills.

The 19th century was the last flourish of monarchy, an era that forged heroes, a true eruptive period for rulers.

William I of Prussia, Alexander II of Russia, Napoleon III of France, Emperor Meiji of Japan, Queen of England Victoria, and the protagonist himself—none were simple characters.

These are some of the more well-known figures, and there are others who are less noticeable, such as Thai Rama IV and Rama V, who also managed to preserve themselves in tumultuous times, which was no mean feat.

For example, Abdul Mejid I of the Ottoman Empire promoted modernization reforms and extended the life of the Ottoman Empire.

Including Carl XV of Sweden, Belgian Leopold II, Nicholas I of Montenegro, Luxembourg…

If these individuals had existed at different times, they each could have stirred the winds of an era. Unfortunately, they all collided in the same period.

Monarchs of small countries naturally didn’t have much room to maneuver. Surviving in the crevices between the great powers was a kind of skill.

This required supreme political artistry, certainly not something a passive player could achieve. Every act of taking sides was a test for the smaller states.

Now, it was Alexander II and William I’s turn to duel, with the victorious continuing down the path of dominance and the vanquished facing elimination into obscurity.

The King of Sardinia had already become a sacrifice of the times, first to be eliminated, living a life of exile in London.

The carefree days were brief and soon disrupted.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg reported, “Your Majesty, Francis II has sent a telegram requesting assistance. Garibaldi’s-led Italian Rebels have crossed the Strait of Messina and continue to march north. The Two Sicilian Kingdom’s Rebellion Suppression Army has been defeated again.

The domestic situation is now out of control, and insurrections are emerging one after another. There are already thirteen different rebel groups within the territory of the Two Sicilian Kingdom.

Just three days ago, Garibaldi called for the rebel factions to head to Naples for a union. The capital of the Two Sicilian Kingdom is likely to fall.

The most troublesome issue is the foolishness of Francis II, who has also sent a telegram requesting help from Napoleon III, complicating the situation even further.”

Rubbing his forehead, Franz also realized the thorniness of the problem. If it were only a matter of seeking aid from Austria, then without a doubt, he would have immediately dispatched reinforcements to help suppress the rebellion.

No matter how later generations would glorify the Red Shirts Army, Franz looked upon them with disdain. Military power had to be supported by national strength, and the Two Sicilian Kingdom was simply an agricultural nation.

Blockading the ports with a navy, depriving them of ammunition, the rebels would be reduced to guerrillas in at most three to five months.

Not every country can engage in guerrilla warfare, especially not the Two Sicilian Kingdom, which is limited in size and split in two by a strait, with a population of just over 8.7 million, it simply does not have the capacity for prolonged conflict.

In reality, all these measures were superfluous; sending troops to steamroll over them would suffice. If the Austrian army couldn’t handle an Italian Rebel army, it might as well be disbanded.

Franz said dissatisfied, “Francis II did not seek help from the Spaniards but turned to Napoleon III. It seems that in recent years, the French have been quite active under our noses.

The General Staff must promptly come up with a battle plan. The Two Sicilian Kingdom cannot fall into the hands of the French again, or else the Mediterranean will become France’s private land.”

Franz knew about the French’s maneuvers, but he never imagined Francis II would be influenced.

Seeking help from the French was like inviting a wolf into one’s home.

It’s easy to invite spirits but hard to send them away. The French would certainly take root given such an opportunity.

Even if counterbalancing was needed, France, with its towering ambitions, should not be the choice! It would be better to have the British intervene militarily than the French.

Without Francis II’s plea for help, the French would never dare reach out to Italy. But now the situation was different; the Two Sicilian Kingdom was delivering itself to their doorstep.

A conflict between France and Austria over Italian issues is about to erupt. For Franz, this might be a minor inconvenience, but for the Two Sicilian Kingdom, it meant life or death.

Could Franz not sell the Kingdom of Sicily just as he could sell the Kingdom of Sardinia? As for whether the French would expand their influence, it would likely be the same scenario.

As long as the interests are right, many issues are negotiable. Conversely, the French might sacrifice the Two Sicilian Kingdom in exchange for concessions from other Austrian territories.

Using one barbarian tribe to control another is not that easy; if both countries cannot agree on an interest swap, what’s to stop them from partitioning the Two Sicilian Kingdom?

Such is the morality of the great powers: as long as the interests are sufficient, they will get involved. The Two Sicilian Kingdom was not a core interest for Austria, merely a peripheral area, and it was much the same for the French.

Of course, if Napoleon III really wanted to unify Italy, then without a doubt, it would be an indispensable part of the plan.

Worst comes to worst, France and Austria could divide the Mediterranean interests along Sicily and conspire to oust the British together.

So far, collaboration between the two countries has been going well, with the British firmly suppressed in the Mediterranean, their attempts to reach Egypt blocked by the two nations.