Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 499

Chapter 499: Chapter 72, Preparing for the Aftermath
 

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Under the scorching sun, a luxurious train sped by. On either side of the road, the ripened grain seemed startled, bending and bowing, occasionally trembling.

In a sumptuous carriage on the special train, a young man dressed in ornate clothing focused intently on a newspaper, occasionally frowning.

The young man was none other than Alexandrovich (Alexander III), on an official visit abroad. He was full of hope for his trip to Paris and did not forget to gather information on the way.

He had grown tired of the data provided by the Tsarist Government, which he found to be excessively biased or politically correct.

In his view, to gain a preliminary understanding of France, it was sufficient to read the French economic and political newspapers. Alexandrovich was no expert scholar, and these basic materials were adequate for him.

The more he learned, the more he was moved. Through the news in the newspapers, he became aware of the vast gap between French-Russian relations.

This gap was qualitative, and certainly not something that could be caught up with in three to five years, as the bureaucrats in St. Petersburg claimed.

What troubled him was the poor image of Russia among the French public, as he could tell from the adjectives used in the newspapers.

“Barbarians,” “liars,” “rogues,” “decadent”…

These words deeply wounded Alexandrovich’s heart. His dissatisfaction was useless; the French newspapers were not under his control and would write as they pleased.

Although most of the content was exaggerated, it was not completely fabricated—the dark history of Russia was indeed substantial.

Under normal circumstances, people would not dredge up these old issues. But now that Alexandrovich was visiting, newspapers looking to capitalize on the event became active.

“French-Russian friendship” did not exist, at least not in the eyes of these newspapers, which saw no traditional friendship between the two nations, only abundant enmity.

What was more annoying was that they were the losers, and everyone vividly remembered that it was the Russians who buried the First French Empire.

The Crimean War did not bring vengeance, and the French were very dissatisfied. During the recent Prusso-Russian War, the French public donated more money to Prussia than even the combined total of the German Federation + Austria.

Alexandrovich did not understand what there was to be proud of. In any case, he realized that there were many French who were unwelcoming of his visit.

Back home, Alexandrovich had no idea how unpopular Russia was in Europe.

He had been brooding over the defeat in the Prusso-Russian War, but now he understood—how could they not lose while fighting against the whole of Europe?

Having put the newspaper aside, Alexandrovich fell into deep contemplation. An inner voice kept telling him that he must do something to change the European nations’ perception of the Russian Empire.

Isolation meant danger, and at that time, the Russian Empire had many enemies yet only one ally, who was even then moving away from them.

If this situation did not change, it would still be difficult for the Russian Empire to claim victory in the next great war.

Even though war had not broken out, Alexandrovich already knew that in the next conflict, at least Poland + Prussia + the Ottoman, and possibly a few Khanates in Central Asia, might be involved, and even the Far Eastern region was not necessarily stable.

Modern warfare is all about logistics, and it was transportation where the Russian Empire lost in the last war. Despite domestic blame directed towards allied Austria for not pulling its weight, Alexandrovich was very aware that the reason for the Russian Army’s defeat lay within.

Supplies were available from Austria, but there was no capacity to transport them to the front lines in time, resulting in insufficient frontline forces, which gave the Prussians an opportunity to exploit.

If logistics were not a constraint and a million Russian soldiers could be deployed to the front, even if the whole of Europe provided logistics to Prussia, they would not withstand the assault.

There is no fairness in war, and when an army is not utilized, playing the game of victory with fewer numbers is foolhardy—such fools usually die tragically.

In the history of warfare, it is almost always the stronger power that wins battles. The reverence for the weaker overcoming the stronger exists because it happens so rarely.

When forces are equal, the fighting power of the Russian Empire’s army indeed ranks last among the European powers.

The reasons were clear to Alexandrovich, mostly due to the gap in weapons equipment and training, and ultimately, due to lack of money.

Most of the Tsarist soldiers were conscripts, who did not require a salary, and a symbolic amount was sufficient.

Cheapness became the hallmark of the Tsarist army. Compared to enhancing training and replacing equipment with the most advanced weapons, increasing the number of soldiers was more economically effective in boosting combat power.

Someone had already done the math: the cost of one French soldier could recruit two such cheap Tsarist soldiers, with some money to spare. In battle, one French soldier would definitely not defeat two Russian soldiers.

This is how they came to love the tactic of overwhelming numbers, because economically, it was cheap, and thus Russians preferred the human wave attack.

As the train slowly decelerated, Alexandrovich knew they had arrived in Paris. Gazing at the buildings on either side of the road, he revealed a hint of longing.

Paris was undoubtedly one of the most coveted cities in the world during the 19th century. Of course Alexandrovich was interested in Paris, but it certainly wasn’t because it was the Revolutionary Holy Land.

As a crown prince, especially one from the Tsarist Government, he was inherently conservative and could not possibly join forces with the Revolutionary Party.

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Alexandrovich was interested simply because Paris is the capital of France and boasts the most developed industry in the country.

As one of the three most famous cities in Europe at the time, Paris was renowned as a Revolutionary Holy Land, but it was second to none in other respects.

After the renovations by Napoleon III, Paris had shed its image of dirt and disorder, the urban environment had improved by much more than that of Stinky London.

…

Franz had no interest in Alexandrovich’s European journey, not even the latter’s illustrious future reputation could move him.

History is all too easily deceiving, and hyperbole has always been a favorite of literati. For instance, the Three great men of Italy, who were highly praised by posterity, ended up achieving nothing due to international situation changes.

Franz acknowledged their capabilities, indeed strong, but regretted their bad luck this time. Just this slight change turned their lives upside down.

Garibaldi and Mazzini, leading the revolutions to failure, were forced into exile. The famously praised Prime Minister Cavour fared even worse, his grand strategy collapsing before it could truly begin.

The stance of Austria differed from history, allowing France’s expansion in the Italian Area. Napoleon III saw the annexation of the Italian Area as more beneficial than cooperating with the Kingdom of Sardinia.

A decision by those in power rendered all his efforts futile. There’s no helping it; the success in the original timeline was built on luck, and now that was precisely what was missing.

Countless reality cases had shown Franz that the abilities of the unsuccessful were not necessarily lacking; they were often just a stroke of luck short of triumph.

This subtle difference usually meant heaven and hell’s difference in the outcome.

Napoleon III was another example; in the original timeline, he had failed. Yet, due to Franz’s butterfly effect, Napoleon III was now hailed as “Emperor Napoleon” by the French.

Looking at the intelligence in his hands, Franz frowned tightly. If nothing went wrong, his unlucky brother was about to face misfortune.

Unable to find an international buyer, the Paris Government nonetheless decided to withdraw from Mexico. Without the backing of French troops, Franz did not believe Maximilian could stabilize the situation.

Without any hesitation, a secret command flew from Vienna Palace to the Austrian Central American Colony. He was nominally a brother, after all—how could he simply ignore his plight?

Franz had even thought about the arrangements for asylum. Toss him into some rural castle, where the overabundance of Habsburg fortresses was evident.

Maximilian, the idealist, lacked the courage to face others after his failure. Laying low in the countryside suited him just well.

In the original timeline, Maximilian I refused to flee, and Franz suspected it was fear of losing face and ridicule that deterred him from returning to the European Continent.

Such mentality was not surprising, akin to a worker who didn’t earn money feeling too embarrassed to return home for the New Year’s celebration.

As for Maximilian’s psychological issues, Franz was no psychiatrist. Though he understood the problem, treating it was beyond his capabilities.

Perhaps he could toss this issue to Empress Sophie; it would give her something to do and lessen Franz’s earful of nagging.

Mexico City wasn’t far after all; with ample preparation, a military intervention would not be too difficult, and in the end, the cost could always be billed to the new Mexican government.

Unlike the French, the Austrian Central American Colonial Empire was right next door to Mexico. The local landowners had long desired to annex the Yucatan Peninsula. Franz, however, was too embarrassed to strike at Mexico on account of appearances.

Once Maximilian I fell flat, that obstacle would be gone. Capturing the hares while cutting the grass—a matter of seizing whatever benefits were available.

To the Americans, the military force of the Austrian Central American Colony might be comparable to just one or two major states at best; even if the German Descendant could fight a bit, it amounted to the power of merely two or three major states, hardly worth noting.

But for the Mexican Empire to start with, this military force was certainly enough to give them a wake-up call. Of course, this was under the condition that the Mexican Revolutionary Army was seeking a fight.

If they were smart enough to simply escort Maximilian I out of the country, without a pretext for war, Franz, conscious of decorum, would not lay a hand on them.

After all, the American region wasn’t the priority expansion target for Austria. The Vienna Government had limited resources and couldn’t possibly manage so many places at once.

Even the strategically vital Panama area could be abstained from by Franz, let alone Mexico.

Franz was now considering which of his sons to send to the Central American region to serve as King.

These distant colonies, with the rise of nationalism, were too challenging for the Central Government to control directly; it was simpler to establish a Sub-State.

This was in line with the tradition of the Habsburg dynasty; after all, the old ancestors had separated Spain and Austria, and now Franz certainly could divest a colony.

Not just Central American Colony, even a Sub-State might eventually be established in the Southeast Asia region. After all, it was better to have meat stewing in one’s pot than to lose it entirely.

By affiliating these Sub-States with the Shinra Empire, playing in the same economic circle, this wouldn’t be construed as a failure.