Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 181: Everyone Is Playing the Game of Killing with A Borrowed Knife

Clear water, blue sky, and green grass; Vienna is a city where a hundred flowers vie for beauty.

In May, Vienna belongs to the flowers. The streets and alleys are filled with the presence of flowers, as if the people of Vienna have a particular fondness for planting them.

Sch?nbrunn Palace is particularly lively, with flowers of all kinds competing for attention, adding a different charm to the refreshing month of May.

Reading, appreciating flowers, making tea, attending concerts — these are all hobbies of Franz. If not for two little lolis following him, actually appreciating some dancing would not be bad either, especially the long-legged kind.

It’s purely an appreciation of art, as Franz’s private life is very upright. He doesn’t associate with high society ladies, has no vices, and doesn’t even have a lover — truly a moral model among the nobility.

If not for him being flanked by two little lolis, it would further prove this point.

Well, for nobles, a bit of chaos in their private life is normal. Life is so tiring, with constant intrigues and power struggles; it’s necessary to relax the mind from time to time.

Franz is already quite restrained; at least, he hasn’t created any palace scandals. He just teased the two little lolis a bit, which is hardly worth mentioning.

The etiquette in the Habsburg dynasty’s court is still quite strict, and the two little lolis, who received court education together, deeply feel this.

Although princesses don’t have the same demands as princes, they still have to learn a lot more compared to ordinary people.

Princess Helene was doing well; she quickly adapted and even found joy in it. However, Princess Sisi was in a sorry state. The happy childhood bid her farewell. For a girl yearning for freedom, this is undoubtedly a shocking blow.

Skipping classes? If a school has a hundred and eighty students and one of them skips class, it’s not a big deal. But if you’re the only student and you skip class, won’t the teachers collectively take a vacation? Moreover, in the palace, with strict security, where could she possibly run off to?

Although court life is comfortable, it lacks freedom. For Princess Sisi, this is undoubtedly a form of torment.

The arm can’t twist the thigh. Whether willing or not, her mother Princess Ludovika had already decided for her.

If not for the family’s poor financial circumstances, Princess Sisi would have already received this education. These court etiquette lessons were basic knowledge all nobles had to grasp.

Princess Helene being with Franz was arranged by Archduchess Sophie, ostensibly to nurture their relationship early. When Princess Sisi joined in, it was purely for the purpose of skipping classes.

The world works in mysterious ways, intertwining the destinies of three individuals. What happened afterward is hard to put into words, but in any case, Franz ended up romantically involved with both young ladies at the same time.

Of course, by the standards of this era, they were no longer young. Princess Helene was nearly 18, Princess Sisi already 15—an age suitable for discussing marriage.

Their mother Princess Ludovika was happy to see this. In the realm of royalty, mismatches in status are common, and to facilitate this union, a bit of drama in the royal family is nothing out of the ordinary.

Archduchess Sophie cared even less. Her son was her own, her nieces were others’. As long as no premarital pregnancy scandals occurred, she would not interfere.

Of course, Franz would not admit to wicked thoughts. Broadly speaking, this beguiled the enemy, making the Kingdom of Bavaria relax its guard. After all, with intermarriage between the royal houses, why worry?

On a smaller scale, he saw it as saving underage girls. The Bavarian royal lineage destined them to marry for political alliances. Sisi’s personality ensured that any marriage she entered into would not end well.

Freedom was too extravagant for high nobles. From birth, they shouldered heavy responsibilities.

The 19th century was also the last glory of the nobility, and at this time, wise individuals knew that danger was approaching. Making a wrong move in politics was already tragic, and if one’s stance was not firm and easily influenced to participate in politics, the ultimate result could only be a tragic ending.

If added with an unwillingness to have children, it is estimated that no family would be willing to accept them. Love always tends to be eroded by reality, and what can be relied upon to sustain one’s appearance in the face of aging?

......

Prime Minister Felix said: “Your Majesty, the Battle of Bulgaria has ended. The final result was not unexpected, with the Russians defeating the Ottomans.

However, the performance of the French this time is quite surprising, actually sending reinforcements to the Balkan Peninsula so swiftly. It appears Napoleon III has stabilized domestic affairs.”

It is normal for the Russian army to defeat the Ottoman forces, even though the Russian army may be a ragtag group, they are a fierce one. When facing the similarly ragtag Ottoman army, they naturally have the upper hand.

In terms of weapons and equipment, Russia and the Ottomans are considered equally outdated. Just who was more backward ultimately depended on the bureaucrats’ integrity.

The efficiency of the French government once again proved that one man making decisions was far more efficient than hundreds deciding together.

While the British government had just persuaded Parliament to dispatch troops, the French had already sent their army onto the battlefield. This fully demonstrated Napoleon III’s control over the French government, to the point of his word being the law.

But these were all small issues. Franz did not care about French domestic affairs, as he had no way to intervene anyway.

“How was the French army’s combat strength? Anything requiring particular attention?” Franz asked concernedly.

Marshal Radetzky analyzed: “Your Majesty, this French expeditionary force’s combat strength was quite good. From the intelligence we gathered, we can ascertain that these 50,000 French troops were the elite forces of the French army.

It seems that Napoleon III has spared no expense this time to achieve commendable military achievements.

However, he should be feeling the pain now. Despite achieving a higher exchange ratio on the battlefield, it is still a pyrrhic victory for them.

At the Battle of Razgrad, the French virtually lost an entire elite division. Replacing these elite soldiers is not easy.

Elite forces are not easily trained, and within the French army, units with such combat capabilities are rare. Now, they are being consumed in an insignificant theater of war.

Not to mention achieving a 1:1.3 casualty ratio against the Russians, even if they achieved a 1:3 exchange ratio, the French would still suffer a significant loss.

If this French force had not blindly engaged in battle, if they had not faced the Russians without adapting to the environment and had instead confronted them after acclimating, their achievements would have been more brilliant.

In a direct confrontation on the battlefield, an elite force of 50,000 like this would be sufficient to defeat 100,000 Russian troops.

If this French army could have arrived half a month earlier and served as the main force in this decisive battle, the outcome of this battle might well have changed.”

Franz nodded indifferently. These French troops were indeed elite forces, and their heavy losses had evidently weakened the combat strength of the French army.

However, claiming Napoleon was pained might not be true. These elite troops were amassed during the July Monarchy and were loyal supporters of the regime.

If not for King Louis Philippe’s continuous blunders, failing to immediately deploy these forces, suppressing the rebellion would have been easy with them present.

For the country of France, these forces were crucial for national defense, but for Napoleon III personally, they were a hidden danger.

For his own interests, consuming these forces on the battlefield was likely Napoleon III’s established strategy.

Current circumstances completely aligned with Napoleon III’s interests.

Despite facing unfavorable conditions, the frontline French forces still managed to achieve a high exchange ratio, earning him significant political points.

Through this war, by severely depleting these forces, they would need to rebuild their combat capabilities, inevitably requiring the recruitment of new soldiers.

As long as he exploited this opportunity well, Napoleon III could prop up his own followers to take charge, slowly controlling these forces.

As for the issue of diminished combat strength, in the face of loyalty, it was not worth mentioning at all. If roles were reversed, Franz might have made a similar decision.

Metternich tentatively asked: “Marshal, if we find ways to annihilate these forces, how greatly would it impact France’s military power?”

Marshal Radetzky pondered briefly before answering: “These forces comprise around two-tenths of France’s current military power. But that does not equal two-tenths of France’s military might being these tens of thousands of French soldiers. They can still conduct national conscription, only the combat power of new recruits would be very low.”

France was no small country, with considerable military power. Achieving such a significant reduction in the enemy’s strength in a short period is already quite remarkable.

Metternich shook his head and said: “If that’s the case, then this matter is not worth our involvement. Let’s leave this enemy for the Russians to deal with; I believe they would appreciate it.

This French expeditionary force now only has some 36,000 combat ready troops left. After a few more battles with the Russians, they would be virtually annihilated.”

The French commitment to the Balkans is too small, and even if their entire force is annihilated, it won’t significantly weaken them.

At this point, Austria’s optimal choice was not to let the Russians swallow this French elite force in one go, but rather use it as pretext to goad Britain and France into continuously feeding armies into this war.

A major defeat could well make Britain and France reconsider their involvement. Then the plan to consume the strength of Britain, France and Russia through the Near East War would fail.

Napoleon III could borrow the Russian knife to purge dissenters. Austria could also emulate this. Utilizing Russian forces to attack Britain and France, then using British and French forces to attack Russia, was an excellent option.

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