Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 201: The "Holy Roman Empire Faction" Takes Action

On December 4, 1852, the Vienna to Salzburg railway officially commenced operation. Other than the news being published in newspapers, it did not cause much sensation.

In recent times, there have been quite a lot of Austrian railway openings already. Other than initial surprise, by now the Austrian masses were already used to it.

The most significant impact has been on the railway companies, who, after investing substantial funds, are finally seeing returns. This was directly reflected in the stock market where railway operations were thriving, once again stimulating stock price rises.

As for the strategic value of this railway, not many people seem to be paying attention. Even with the convenience of railway transportation, can it really compare to the Danube River?

Franz was naturally pleased with the situation. The idea of German unification was gaining momentum, and now it was time to initiate the next phase of the plan.

Franz jokingly said, “Prime Minister, your visit to the various states of Germany this time is an important mission. If you can convince everyone to rebuild the Holy Roman Empire, then we’ll profit immensely.”

Convincing everyone to agree to rebuild the Holy Roman Empire is no easy task unless Austria holds a dagger to their throats. Why else would they abandon the comfy status quo to accept a leader ruling over them?

In the present time, German nationalism has awakened in the region. Even if the governments of the states have high degrees of freedom, the emergence of a central government would harm their interests.

In this era, no matter how loose the empire may be, a constitution is inevitable. The autonomy of various state governments will be significantly reduced.

Forget about independent diplomatic powers; currency unification is also unavoidable. Tariffs will surely be abolished. Just these three factors imply that the central government won’t be an empty shell anymore.

With these elements in place, Franz can responsibly say that, through political means, he can control most of the small states.

If they could afford being a bit shameless, provoking an external war, they could obtain command over the armies of each state using the excuse of war.

This was exactly what the Americans did. Relying on gaining command over the states’ armies during the war to increase the authority of the central government. In the end, they transformed a loosely federated union into a unified country.

Prime Minister Felix smiled: “Your Majesty, this joke is not funny at all. If I could truly convince them, what use would there be for the army?”

Franz’s butterfly effect came into play again. Felix Schwarzenberg, who was supposed to have died in an accident on April 5th this year, was still alive and well.

A change in the prime minister was out of the question. Felix’s political skills were quite good, and he handled the cabinet’s work with ease. Franz wasn’t Emperor Chongzhen; he didn’t like unnecessary troubles.

Felix understood very well what this diplomatic mission was about. Convincing the various states to rebuild the Holy Roman Empire was just a smokescreen. The real purpose was to create a pretext for war.

Only after the efforts for peaceful unification fail, can the Austrian government launch a war for unification to gain the support of the people.

No, it should be a military unification of Southern Germany, at most including Central Germany. Any more, and it would be too much to handle. The Kingdom of Prussia is not that easy to deal with.

Of course, the slogan should naturally be the unification of Germany. Otherwise, the nationalists wouldn’t buy it, and without their support, this war would be hard to fight.

Franz solemnly said: “No matter, there are so many German states. Dupe them one by one. I do not believe that among so many small states, there are none foolish enough.”

Franz wasn’t making this up. Historically, Prussia had already succeeded in duping some small states to cheer them on. After making use of them, those states were directly swallowed up.

On the contrary, the Southern German States that resisted fiercely preserved far greater rights. Due to the fear of intervention from great powers, after the Austro-Prussian War, the Prussians did not dare to continue the civil war and had no choice but to compromise with the Southern German States.

“Your Majesty, I plan to start with the most difficult one, Prussia. After all, among the German states, besides us, the Kingdom of Prussia has the most influence. As long as they oppose, we can generate enough momentum.

However, doing so will likely increase diplomatic pressure. European countries generally don’t want to see unification in Germany.” Prime Minister Felix said.

Metternich responded: “Prime Minister, diplomatic problems are easy to resolve. We utilize negotiations to resolve German unification issues. I estimate many would see it as a joke.

What we must do now is make this plan seem even more like a joke. So long as they see all German states opposing our proposals, the pressure we face would in truth not amount to much.”

Everyone chuckled. It’s true that many countries would oppose German unification. However, if Austria merely shouts slogans without taking practical action, others wouldn’t be interested in intervening.

After all, you can’t make the Austrians shut up. Everyone plays politics, and politicians understand shouting slogans. Just listening to them is enough.

Even to make this play more convincing, several years ago, the Austrian cabinet began role-playing, and all of Europe knew the political stances of these cabinet ministers.

Prime Minister Felix played the role of the peace unification faction, or one could say the rebuilding of the “Holy Roman Empire faction”. The supporter within the cabinet is Finance Minister Karl, and the two of them constitute the leaders of the Austrian “Holy Roman Empire faction”.

Concurrently they were also leaders of the German “Holy Roman Empire faction”, currently supported by at least 35% of Germans, or at least sympathizing with their political philosophy.

Metternich played the role of the opposition, which has been his consistent political stance, known throughout Europe.

Otherwise, when the Vienna System was established, Austria should have chosen the Kingdom of Bavaria, not the economically prosperous Lombardy.

Within the cabinet, Archduke Louis is a supporter of Metternich. Their declared position is: German unification is impossible because the various states have been independent for a long time, and European countries will not tolerate German unity.

For this reason, both of them are often scolded harshly by German nationalists.

Due to public support, currently, the “Holy Roman Empire faction” led by Prime Minister Felix holds the advantage within the Austrian government.

So at this time, for Felix to step out advocating “rebuilding the Holy Roman Empire,” there was no problem whatsoever.

After Christmas, amidst the farewell of the people, Felix embarked on his journey.

In the eyes of German nationalists, this is a crucial step toward unification.

As the leader of the German Confederation, the Austrian government has already started efforts towards unity, marking a turning point in history.

Regardless of the negotiation results, wherever Felix traveled, there were welcoming crowds everywhere.

It’s not that the “Holy Roman Empire” label is popular; in fact, many people don’t have strong feelings about the dissolved Holy Roman Empire.

However, for those who desire the unification of Germany without wishing for war, the “revival of the Holy Roman Empire” is the best choice, hands down.

The “Holy Roman Empire faction” has become the mainstream ideology in German nationalism simply because people hope for a peaceful unification of Germany and was also known as the “peaceful unification faction.”

Unfortunately, these individuals cannot influence Germany, as the rulers of each state first consider their own interests.

……

Berlin

Although Frederick William IV supports the unification movement, it is merely a political necessity and does not mean he is willing to sacrifice his own interests for the unification of Germany.

Prussia’s pursuit of German unification has always excluded Austria. If this goal cannot be achieved, such unification was worthless to them.

Historically, Frederick William IV relied on the “Three Emperors’ League” core concept, attempting to utilize the Erfurt Union to exclude Austria.

This was also the political view of the “Lesser Germany” ideology, with the simple reason for excluding Austria: a German Empire including Austria would be too massive, to the extent that it would be intolerable for various European countries.

Of course that was only one reason. There were still many other reasons, for example: Austria contained far too many other ethnic groups that could taint German racial purity...

Prime Minister Joseph Von Radowitz said in full seriousness: “The ambitions of the Austrians have been exposed, and considering the current international situation, they are likely to have gained support from the Russians.

The Russo-Austrian secret treaty we have been speculating about is probably Austria’s support for the Russians in annexing the Ottoman Empire, in exchange for Russian support for their rebuilding of the Holy Roman Empire.

We have to admit, the Austrians are ruthless; they are even willing to negotiate with the tiger for its skin. Now they have chosen a good time, as the British and French have already declared war, diverting a significant amount of their attention.

If they were to intervene in Germany, we would have to allow the Russians to annex the Ottoman Empire. Napoleon III might prioritize intervening in Central Europe, but the British government will surely hesitate.

If the Austrian government can unify Germany through diplomatic means, even if only nominally, the French would not dare to take reckless actions.”

If the Russians annex the Ottoman Empire, the French would only lose interests in the Near East and Egypt. In the Mediterranean, the French navy could still suppress the Russians.

For the British, it was a different story. Their losses wouldn’t be confined to the interests in the Mediterranean. In Palmerston’s words: If we cannot stop the Russians on the Balkan Peninsula, then we will have to stop them at the Indus River in India.

Once the Russians annex the Ottoman Empire, Persia won’t be able to halt their advance, posing a threat to India.

In this era, Britain only controls India and hasn’t entirely absorbed it yet. If the Russians emerge to disrupt the situation, their most vital colony might be at risk.

Faced with this dilemma, hesitation was inevitable.

After all, the rebuilding of the Holy Roman Empire remains a loose entity. Before achieving internal consolidation, expansion abroad is not feasible. Moreover, with the French blocking the way, the British are not likely to face an immediate threat in the short term.

Frederick William IV sneered, “The Austrians are thinking too optimistically. Franz, that little brat, probably got fooled into believing nonsense!

As long as we don’t agree, the German states cannot unify. Does he really think the German states are willing to be unified by the Austrians?

If they can’t rebuild the Holy Roman Empire through political means, what will the Austrians do? Is there a possibility that they’ll use military force to unify the German states?”

Joseph Von Radowitz shook his head: “Your Majesty, that’s impossible. While Austria’s military strength is formidable, it’s unlikely that they can unify the German states in the presence of the great powers’ intervention.

Once Austria resorts to force, we can form an alliance with the German states to resist their invasion.

We can even deliberately allow the Austrians to eliminate the military forces of these small states. As long as we don’t rashly engage in a decisive battle with them and delay until the French intervene, Austria is bound to lose.

If we handle it well, after the war, these small German states will be severely weakened, and our opportunity to unify the German states will emerge.

Metternich, that old fox, cannot possibly fail to see this. Felix is also pushing for peaceful unification precisely because of this. With them in the Austrian government, it’s impossible for them to take risks.”

Prime Minister Joseph Von Radowitz’s judgment was not wrong. This was also one reason Franz did not dare take risks.

As long as the Prussian army did not come out for a decisive battle against Austria, whether they defend the cities or retreat, it would be impossible to eliminate their main forces in the short term.

With the French intervention force arriving within one or two months, the joint resistance of Prussia and France would be too much for Austria to handle.

If it were delayed for a few more days, intervention forces from Britain, Spain, and other small European countries would also join.

In such a situation, Austria could not see any hope of victory. Betting everything on a risky move, once it failed, it would be disastrous.

Could they expect the Austrian army to suddenly erupt with overwhelming strength and defeat both Prussia and France before the intervention forces from various countries arrive?

Major countries pursued stability while minor countries took risks.

Having thoroughly studied history, Franz was clear that only the last survivor could truly claim victory. Nations that relied solely on a burst of victories often ended in tragic outcomes.

Japan and Germany are typical examples, both boasting formidable combat capabilities, erupting with overwhelming strength, only to be collectively beaten down by others, relinquishing their earlier gains.

On the contrary, Italy, which had consistently maintained a low profile, managed to end up on the winning side in both World Wars, reaping significant benefits.

Even the mighty French, after suffering a setback, understood the value of playing it safe and avoiding unnecessary risks.

With so many historical precedents, Franz dared not be reckless. Despite the apparent strength of the Austrian army after training, the issue was that they could only unleash a short burst of power!

Once they couldn’t achieve a swift and decisive victory, the weaknesses of Austria, a multi-ethnic country, would be exposed over time.

According to their current plan, the operation would be safer, focusing on regions with a stable population base. The smaller the scale of the operation, the lower the risk.

After completing the operation, internal consolidation could be achieved in the shortest possible time. If the French dared to intervene, they would be seen as aggressors, allowing Austria to benefit from the morale boost of defending their homeland.

Frederick William IV sighed and said, “It’s a pity. If it weren’t for these old foxes, we could still send someone to try. Now, we should find a way to disrupt the Austrians’ plan, preferably without arousing public resentment. Our reputation really can’t afford more trouble.”

Once a reputation is tarnished, everything becomes difficult. After being collectively deceived by the German states, Prussia’s government reputation has been poor up to the present moment.

Not only in Germany but also domestically, Prussian citizens are not particularly fond of the government.

No matter how they explain, the promises made by the government have not been fulfilled, and people always feel the government has cheated them out of their money. Nationalists, in particular, are dissatisfied with the government’s compromise with the Russians.

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