Chapter 161: Everyone Is Getting Ready
Franz made this decision out of necessity. The Austrian army had just crushed domestic uprisings, defeated the Kingdom of Sardinia, and even intervened in the Papal States.
Now, he had tens of thousands of battle-hardened veterans in his ranks. Anyone with some military knowledge knew that experienced soldiers were incredibly valuable.
This meant that the Austrian army was at its peak fighting condition and was on par with or even superior to any other army of the era.
If they missed this opportunity and their battle-hardened veterans retired, the fighting capabilities of the Austrian army would gradually decline.
No matter how strict the training, there’s nothing as effective as having soldiers gain experience on the battlefield. After several victories, they became proud and fierce warriors.
With such a significant advantage, there was no way Franz could give it up. Moreover, the Austrian military’s old generals were aging, and if they didn’t seize this opportunity, they might not even have a chance to make use of their remaining strength.
For instance, Marshal Radetzky was already in his eighties, and even if he remained healthy, Franz wouldn’t feel comfortable sending him to the frontlines to command troops.
At this moment, these veterans could still contribute in strategic planning, but in another decade or so, Franz would have to accept the reality of Austrian military legends fading away.
This is a cycle, and no country can maintain its peak indefinitely. If strategic planning is not completed at the right time, the risks increase significantly in the future.
It’s not that there are no successors within the Austrian military, but the problem is that great military leaders are usually forged on the battlefield. Without proving themselves in actual combat, it’s hard to know whether a general possesses real capabilities or is just a paper tiger.
In situations where the strength of leaders is uncertain, the best course of action is to engage in minor conflicts, testing and training the next generation of leaders, ensuring they gain real battlefield experience.
This approach also strengthens military advantage through national power and prevents the enemy from exploiting weaknesses.
This principle was demonstrated during the world wars. The Germans had some of the world’s most outstanding military leaders and a large number of renowned generals, but they still ended up losing both world wars.
It was clear that Austria couldn’t possess that kind of advantage until it consolidated control over Southern Germany. Relying on national strength might allow them to overpower Prussia, but dreaming of defeating the French was far-fetched.
The end result was that Austria’s military budget increased once again in 1851, rising from the originally planned 73,957,200 guilders to 112 million guilders.
With such expenditures, if there was no war, the Austrian government will have to give up if it persists for three to five years.
All these increased military expenditures are for the army. The navy shouldn’t expect anything. Whether it’s westward expansion into the German territories or southward into the Balkan Peninsula, there won’t be any opportunities for them to show off.
The direct consequence of increased military spending is that Austria’s active duty forces have been expanded to 512,000 troops. At the same time, reserve forces are also being organized and trained among the civilian population. The goal this time is not to increase by 200,000 annually, but to increase the reserves by 350,000 in 1851.
If combined with the existing 586,000 reserve troops, in theory there would be 936,000 reserve troops. In reality this is impossible, as 20-30 thousand reservists age out and leave the reserves each year.
These reserve forces cannot be trained in just one year. Based on past experience, reserve forces need over 3 years of training before they can match up with new recruits who have enlisted for 1 year.
Of course, there definitely needs to be veterans leading them, otherwise the training time would be much longer.
The young and middle-aged men participating in reserve force training naturally receive preferential treatment, such as exemption from agricultural taxes on 3 hectares of land, and access to military pension benefits in case of accidents during training…
Austria’s sudden military expansion actions are of course not random. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also notified the Russians that since they are allies, it was important to maintain open channels of communication on such matters.
Saint Petersburg
After receiving Austria’s notification, Nicholas I realized that his own strategic intentions had been exposed. This was inevitable, as the movements in war preparations are so massive, how could they be kept confidential?
This is not a myth. From military expansion and war preparations, to finally launching the war, hundreds of thousands or even millions of people are involved, so how could it be kept secret?
Even if the Russian government used the Far East Strategy as a cover, it would be of no use. The Trans-Siberian Railway has not yet been built. If they sent hundreds of thousands of troops to the Far East, they would probably starve to death halfway there.
By just opening a map, one would know that the only place worth mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Russian troops to make trouble is the Ottoman Empire.
Nicholas I asked in puzzlement: “Didn’t the Austrian government say they would recuperate and could not start a war for 10 years? How could they not restrain themselves so quickly?”
Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode replied: “Your Majesty, Austria has already emerged from civil war, and even profited from suppressing the rebels and confiscating large amounts of property.
Our preliminary judgment is that Austria intends to take advantage of the situation when we attack the Ottoman Empire, though it’s still uncertain whether they specifically covet Southern Germany or the Balkan Peninsula.”
Nesselrode kept his words brief, as he did not dare mention that the Austrian government profited by raiding nobles’ homes. In case the Tsar became interested, he would be in big trouble.
The Russian Empire also had an aristocratic system, even more conservative than Austria’s. Therefore, the propaganda in Russia was that the Austrian government raided rebellious capitalists, while the involvement of local nobles in the rebellion was glossed over.
Tsar Nicholas I indifferently said: “This is good news. With Austria making a move, they can help share some of the pressure on us, and keep the British occupied over there.”
Nicholas I had the arrogance to say this, because the stability in Europe over the past decades was not just due to the constraints of the Vienna System, but more so due to the joint efforts of European countries to contain Russia’s expansionism.
Even with their confidence, they did not believe they could take on the whole of Europe alone, so the Russian government was quite docile during the Vienna System era.
After so many years, the Russians could no longer restrain themselves. Now Austria has abandoned its previous position and agreed to their expansion into the Ottoman Empire.
With the signing of the Austro-Russian Secret Treaty, the last shackle restraining their expansionism has been removed. The Russian government can no longer hold back.
In allying with Austria, Russia did not expect to gain military assistance from them. The Tsar has no lack of soldiers, Austria just needs to provide some assistance.
This was Russia’s positioning of Austria. The alliance was made like this - in the east, Russia and Austria would jointly contain the Kingdom of Prussia, in the south deal with the Ottoman Empire, and they could fight separately.
Neither Austria nor Russia had any qualms about bullying the Ottoman Empire, and did not see any need to form a joint army.
In fact, due to geographical locations, it was not convenient for the two sides to organize a joint army. This also involved the issue of dividing the spoils after the war.
Do not think a secret treaty can settle everything. It is still more reliable to conquer the spoils of war by oneself. Otherwise if the situation on the battlefield changes and they fail to take the territories originally agreed upon, would the previous agreement still be valid?
If one side conquered an area alone, then there can be no dispute - whoever conquered it, it belongs to them. But if an area was jointly captured, with both sides exerting effort, there would be disputes during the division of spoils.
To avoid such situations, both sides made an agreement to fight according to their own delineated spheres of influence. If one side overstepped the boundary, their efforts would be in vain.
Contrary to later propaganda, the Russian government did not harbor ambitions of unifying the European continent. Not only the Russians lacked this ambition, even Napoleon did not intend to unify the entire European continent. What they wanted was to establish a consolidated hegemonic position over continental Europe.
It’s not that they didn’t want to unify the European continent, but that it was simply impossible to achieve. Apart from Ancient Rome, the European continent was never unified again.
Even the overpowered Napoleon only expanded his territory a bit, then propped up pro-French regimes, without unifying the entire European continent. Nicholas I naturally would not think Russia had the ability to unify the continent.
This was also the prerequisite for the Austro-Russian alliance to be established. If the Russian government wanted to unify the European continent, historically when the Hungarian Revolution erupted, Russia would not have helped Austria suppress the rebellion, but would have directly crushed Austria instead.
……
Russia didn’t care and was indifferent to Austria’s reaction, but some people could not restrain themselves.
The ones who understand you best are not necessarily friends, more often they are your enemies. The Ottoman Empire was undoubtedly tragic, as they had generations of enmity with both Russia and Austria.
Seeing the reactions of the two neighbors, the Ottoman government was already in a panic. Abdulmejid I dared to swear on his *** that these two neighbors were definitely harboring malicious intentions.
There was no other way, anyone in his position would think the same. After all, they had been arch-enemies for hundreds of years, who didn’t understand the other? Russia and Austria were traditional allies, and traditional enemies of the Ottomans, so what’s the issue with them joining hands against the Ottomans?
Forget about the two powers together, even in a one-on-one match, Abdulmejid I felt he could not withstand it.
Do not think that just because reforms were carried out, the Ottoman Empire had become a European power. One knows one’s own circumstances best - the Ottoman Empire’s core problems were never truly resolved.
On the surface they were also a modernized country, but in reality due to heavy internal contradictions, the Ottoman Empire’s strength was only superficial.
Of course, the two enemies of the Ottomans were also not that powerful in reality. Whether Russia or Austria, their outward display of strength was greater than their actual capabilities.
They were all typical cases of paper tigers. It’s just that the internal contradictions of Russia and Austria were suppressed better, giving them an edge in this area over the Ottoman Empire.
Regrettably, even in terms of strength on the surface, the Ottoman Empire was much weaker. Compared to most European minor states, the Ottomans could be considered a major power, but when compared to any Great Power, they were a “pushover”.
Abdulmejid I asked with concern: “What do Britain and France say?”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs’ face darkened. With such a vast distance, and no telegraph connection, how could he know what was happening thousands of miles away?
However, Abdulmejid I was not one to be trifled with either. Compared to other European countries, the Ottoman Empire’s ministers had the least job security - offending the Sultan meant losing one’s head.
“Your Majesty, there has been no news yet. But previously, when we notified the British that Russia was preparing for war, the British government already replied that should another Russo-Turkish war erupt, they would stand on our side.” The Foreign Minister quickly responded.
This news slightly eased Abdulmejid I’s nervousness, but the worries were still there.
Even with British support, they still could not withstand it! Facing two enemies alone, the Ottoman Empire at its peak would have no issue, but now they really could not endure it.
“How are our preparations?” Abdulmejid I continued asking.
The Minister of War quickly replied: “Your Majesty, as of now, we have already expanded the army to 530,000 troops, and expect to reach 800,000 within the next three months.
Once war breaks out, we can also mobilize another 300,000 troops, sufficient to deal with any emergencies on any front.”
If they really had so many regular troops, then the Ottoman Empire would not have been crushed by Russia in the Crimean War either.
As a declining former empire, the Ottomans had no shortage of problems like corruption, embezzlement, skimming supplies, profiteering from military provisions...
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