Chapter 333

Franz had no choice but to make this decision. The Austrian army had just suppressed the rebellion in their country, defeated the Kingdom of Sardinia, and interfered with the Papal State.

Now, he had hundreds of thousands of veterans who had seen blood. Anyone with a little military knowledge would know how precious veterans with rich combat experience were.

This meant that the Austrian army's combat power was at its peak, not inferior to any other country's army in this era.

If they missed this opportunity, when the veterans who had seen blood retired, the Austrian army's combat power would slowly decline.

No matter how strict the training was, it would not be as effective as letting the soldiers walk on the battlefield. After a few victories, they became proud soldiers and valiant generals.

How could Franz give up such a big advantage? Moreover, the veterans in the Austrian army were already old. If they did not fight now, they would not even have the chance to play their role.

For example, Marshal Radski was already in his eighties. Even if he was old and strong, Franz would not be at ease letting him lead the troops on the front lines.

At this time, these old fellows could still make arrangements in the General Staff Department, but in another eight to ten years, Franz would have to accept the fact that Austria's famous generals had withered.

This was a cycle, no country could remain at the peak forever. If they did not complete the plan now, the risk would greatly increase in the future.

It was not that there were no successors in the Austrian army, but the problem was that famous generals were all fought on the battlefield. For a general who had not proven himself on the battlefield, who knew if he was really capable or just an armchair strategist?

In a situation where the strength of the general was uncertain, the best way was to fight the war and use the country's power to suppress the enemy, not giving the enemy any opportunities.

This was proven during the World War. The Germans had the world's most outstanding generals and had the most famous generals, but they still lost in the end. It was the same in both World Wars.

Before digesting South Germany, Austria would not have that kind of advantage. They might be able to crush Prussia with the country's power, but it was impossible to crush France.

The final result was that Austria's military budget in 1851 increased again, from the original 73,957,200 guilders to 112 million guilders.

With this kind of expenditure, if there was no war, the Government of Austria would have no choice but to give up after three to five years.

This increase was for the army, and there was no hope for the navy. Whether it was invading the German Region in the west or the The Balkans in the south, they would not have a chance to perform.

The direct result of the increase in military expenditure was that Austria's active troops were expanded to 512,000. At the same time, the civilians began to form reserves. The goal was not to increase by 200,000, but to increase by 350,000 in 1851.

If the existing 586,000 reserve troops were added, in theory, there would be 936,000 reserve troops. In fact, this was impossible. Every year, twenty to thirty thousand people in the reserve forces would retire when they reached the age limit.

These reserve troops could not be trained in one year. Based on past experience, the reserve troops had to go through more than three years of training before they could match up to the recruits who had been in the army for a year.

Of course, there had to be veterans leading them. Otherwise, it would take much longer.

The young men who participated in the reserve training were naturally given preferential treatment. For example, the exemption of agricultural taxes on three hectares of land, and those who had an accident during training could enjoy military pension …

The Government of Austria's sudden expansion of the army was not random. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also notified the Russia. Since they were allies, these issues still needed to be discussed.

St. Peter Castle

After receiving the notification from Austria, Nicholas I Of Russia knew that his strategic intentions were exposed. There was no other way. The war preparations were so big. How could it be kept a secret?

This was not a fairy tale. From the expansion of the army, to the preparation of supplies, to the final war, millions of people were involved. How could it be kept a secret?

Even if the Tsarist government used the Far East strategy as a cover, it was useless. The Siberian railway had not been built yet. If they sent hundreds of thousands of troops to the Far East, they would probably starve to death halfway.

When they opened the map, they knew that the only place that was worthy of the Russians mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops was the Osman Empire.

Nicholas I Of Russia asked doubtfully, "Didn't the Government of Austria say to recuperate and not to use force for ten years? Why can't they hold back so soon?"

Foreign Minister Carr Woeser replied, "Your Majesty, Austria has come out of the civil war. The government even confiscated a large amount of property because of the suppression of the rebels.

Our preliminary judgment is that the Austrians are ready to take advantage of us when we attack the Osman Empire. Whether they are plotting against South Germany or the Balkans is still uncertain. "

He did not dare to say that the Government of Austria had made a fortune by confiscating the property of the nobles. If Tsar became interested, he would be in big trouble.

The Russian Empire also had an aristocratic system. It was even more conservative than Austria. Therefore, the propaganda in Russia was that the Government of Austria was investigating the rebellious capitalists. The involvement of the local nobles in the rebellion was simply ignored.

Nicholas I Of Russia said indifferently, "This is a good thing. If the Austrians make a move, they can help us share some of the pressure. Let's see if the British can take care of them."

Nicholas I Of Russia had the right to be proud. The stability of Europe in recent decades, in addition to the constraints of the Vienna system, was mostly due to the European countries working together to suppress Russia and prevent them from expanding.

Even if they were confident, they did not think that they could take on the whole of Europe. Therefore, the Tsarist government in the Vienna era was quite content.

After so many years, the Russians could not wait any longer. At this time, Austria abandoned its previous position and agreed to their expansion into the Osman Empire.

After the signing of the Russian-Austrian secret treaty, the last shackle that hindered their expansion had been removed. The Tsarist government could no longer hold back.

By forming an alliance with Austria, the Russians did not expect to receive military assistance from Austria. His Majesty Tsar did not lack soldiers. Austria only needed to be a good nurse.

This was the position that the Russians had given Austria. This was also how the two sides formed an alliance. In the east, Russia and Austria would work together to suppress the Kingdom of Prussia. In the south, they would deal with the Osman Empire.

Whether it was Austria or Russia, there was no psychological pressure to bully the Osman Empire. They did not think that there was a need to form an alliance.

In fact, in terms of geographical location, it was not suitable for both sides to form an alliance. This involved the problem of dividing the spoils after the war.

One should not think that a secret treaty could settle everything. These spoils of war had to be fought by themselves. Otherwise, if something happened on the battlefield and they did not take the originally reserved territory, would the original agreement still be valid?

If it was a territory that one party fought alone, then there was nothing to say. The territory belonged to whoever fought it. If it was a joint effort and everyone contributed, there would be a dispute when it came to dividing the spoils.

In order to avoid this situation, both sides made an agreement that they would fight according to their own areas of influence. If they crossed the boundary, it would be a waste of effort.

Different from what was propagated in the future, the Tsarist government did not have the ambition to unify the European continent. They wanted to establish a solid hegemonic position in Europe.

It was not that they did not want to unify the European continent, but it was simply impossible. Other than ancient Rome, the European continent had never been unified.

Napoleon only expanded his territory and then supported a pro-French regime. He did not unify the entire European continent. Nicholas I Of Russia naturally did not think that Russia had the ability to unify the European continent.

This was also the prerequisite for the establishment of the Russo-Austrian Alliance. If the Tsarist government wanted to unify the European continent, the historical Hungarian Revolution broke out. The Russians would not help Austria suppress the rebellion. Instead, they would take the opportunity to directly destroy Austria.

…

The Russians did not care. They were both allies. They could ignore the expansion of Austria's army, but some people could not help it.

The people who understood you the most might not be your friends, but there would definitely be your enemies. The Osman Empire was undoubtedly tragic. They had a feud with Russia and Austria.

Looking at the reaction of the two neighbors, the Government of Sudan was already anxious. Abdul Mejid I dared to swear in the name of Islam that these two neighbors definitely did not have good intentions.

It could not be helped. Anyone in his position would think the same way. After all, they were old enemies for hundreds of years. Who didn't know each other? Russia and Austria were traditional allies, and they were traditional enemies. What was the problem with joining forces to deal with them?

Not to mention the two together, even if it was a one-on-one fight, Abdul Mejid I would not be able to bear it.

Don't think that after the reform, the Osman Empire was a powerful European country. The core problem of the Osman Empire had never been solved.

On the surface, they were also a modern country. In fact, because of the internal conflicts, the strength of the Osman Empire was just a bluff.

Of course, their two enemies weren't actually that powerful. Whether it was Russia or Austria, the strength that they showed on the surface was stronger than their real strength.

Both of them were strong on the outside but weak on the inside. It was just that the internal conflicts between Russia and Austria were suppressed. In this aspect, they were stronger than the Osman Empire.

Unfortunately, even if it was on the surface, the Osman Empire was much weaker. Compared to most of the small European countries, they were strong. Compared to any of the big powers, they were the "cups" on the coffee table.

Abdul Mejid I asked with concern, "What did England and France say?"

The Foreign Minister's face sank. At such a distance, the cable and telegraph were not connected. How would he know what was happening thousands of miles away?

However, Abdul Mejid I was not someone to be trifled with. Compared to other European countries, the ministers of the Osman Empire were the most insecure. If they angered the Sultan, they would be beheaded.

"Your Majesty, there is no news yet. But previously, we reported to the British that Russia is preparing for war. The Government of London has given us a reply. Once the war between Russia and Turkey breaks out again, they will stand on our side. "The Foreign Minister said.

This news made Abdul Mejid I's nervous mood a little better, but he still couldn't help worrying about it.

Even if the British supported them, they still couldn't handle it. When the Osman Empire was at its peak, it didn't feel any pressure. But now, they really couldn't handle it.

"How are our preparations?" Abdul Mejid I continued to ask.

The War Minister quickly replied, "Your Majesty, so far, we have expanded the army to 530,000 soldiers. It is estimated that in the next three months, it will expand to 800,000 soldiers.

Once the war breaks out, we can mobilize another 300,000 soldiers. It is enough to deal with any sudden situation. "

If they really had so many regular soldiers, then during the Crimean War, the Osman Empire wouldn't have been suppressed by Russia.

As an old empire that had fallen, corruption, bribery, embezzlement, selling military supplies … These series of problems, the Osman Empire didn't lack any of them.