Chapter 435

Ever since the declaration of war with the Osman Empire, Austria had entered a state of war. Large amounts of strategic resources were transported along the Danube to the The Balkans. Two hundred thousand Austrian troops were also sent there.

From the surface, it seemed like Austria was seeking revenge against the Osman Empire. The hatred between the two could be traced back hundreds of years. If it wasn't for the Osman Empire, the House of Habsburg would have unified Germany a long time ago.

This time, Franz lied to the entire world. The army and strategic resources kept pouring into the The Balkans. Even within Austria, it seemed like they wanted to destroy the Osman Empire.

Only a few of the higher-ups knew that the The Balkans offensive had come to an end. Austria's army and strategic resources were gathered along the Danube River. The main purpose was to quickly redeploy troops after the westward invasion.

Didn't Russia still need the strategic resources transported to the The Balkans? Even though the Tsarist government had prepared for war for two years, they still couldn't solve the transportation problem.

Originally, the Tsarist government wanted to solve the logistics problem by sea. They gathered the strategic resources at the ports along the coast of Ukraine. With the Black Sea Fleet escorting them, it was foolproof.

But the plan couldn't keep up with the changes. When the British and French navy arrived, the sea route was blocked.

At this time, they needed allies. Austria had a Danube River that could connect directly to Bulgaria. There wasn't a big problem with logistics.

It could be said that the Danube River was a gift from the heavens to Austria. Before the railway was completed, water transportation was the most reliable method.

The Danube River originated from Baden, passed through Württemberg, Bavaria, and entered Austria. It passed through Wallachia and Moldavia to the sea. It was the logistical lifeline for Austria to invade South Germany and the The Balkans.

Of course, it was better if the railway could be built. After all, the Danube River couldn't cover all areas. It was more convenient to have a railway that ran from east to west.

Vienna

The Austrian General Staff. The army's requests for war were piling up. Soldiers needed military merits. Occupying the two Danube River Duchies didn't even fight. What did they rely on to get promoted?

Had it not been for the fact that Marshal Radusky had been able to suppress the pro-war faction in the army, these messy petitions would have landed on Franz's desk.

According to the archives, the General Staff received more than one hundred thousand requests for war in 1852. Almost all of the soldiers' names appeared on these requests.

A middle-aged officer hugged a thick stack of documents and said with a bitter smile, "Marshal, this is the request for war from the 19th Division."

He had lost count of the number of times he had carried documents over. Ever since the war with the Ottoman Empire broke out, the Austrian military had been rubbing their fists, preparing to go all out.

Every day, the General Staff received a large number of requests for war and countless battle plans. In short, everyone was very anxious, afraid that the Russians would fight too fiercely at the front and they would not have a chance to perform.

Marshal Radski thought for a moment and said, "Throw it to the archives. From now on, you don't have to give me any such reports."

In the beginning, he was very happy. It was a good thing that the army was willing to fight! As time passed, Marshal Radski became numb to it.

Ever since they had successfully occupied the two Danube Duchies, many people viewed this war as an armed demonstration, as if the Ottoman Empire would collapse with a single blow.

It wasn't just the active soldiers who were tempted. Even the hedonistic sons of nobles were looking for connections everywhere, hoping to enter the army.

It was naturally impossible for him to join at this time. In order to carry out the westward strategy, the Austrian government's higher-ups kept a close eye on it, and no negligence was allowed.

The middle-aged officer didn't leave. Instead, he seemed to be in a hurry.

After saying that, the middle-aged officer did not leave. Instead, he seemed to be in a hurry, as if he had something to say.

Seeing this, Radski asked curiously, "Major General Laffitte, is there anything else?"

"Marshal, the people are furious. We can't suppress them anymore." Major General Laffitte said nervously.

Marshal Radski said sternly, "If there's anything that can't be suppressed, just tell them to get ready. They don't have to worry about when the war is going to start.

If anyone has any objections, order them to go home. The Austrian army doesn't have such lawless people! "

"Yes, Marshal!" Major General Laffitte quickly replied.

The Austrian army didn't have the tradition of subordinates succeeding their superiors. It wasn't up to the soldiers to make decisions.

If they were to be ordered to go home, then they wouldn't be able to participate in the war. It would be a huge loss for those who wanted to gain fame on the battlefield.

Suppressing the voice below, General Radski sighed. This was indeed a rare opportunity to invade the The Balkans, but reality didn't allow it.

The Austrian army's main force was active in the two lower Danube duchies. On the surface, it was to eliminate the rebels and establish effective local governance. But in reality, it was for the convenience of gathering.

Even the Austrian navy's warships that could navigate the Danube River were on standby in the Black Sea. At this time, they were escorting the Danube River.

With so much preparation, they couldn't give up the westward strategy just to gain some advantages in the The Balkans, right?

It was easy for the army to disperse, but it would be difficult to gather. With just one order, the Austrian army and Russia would join forces and attack. It wouldn't take long to occupy the The Balkans.

But once the The Balkans were occupied, Austria would be stuck there, and it would be difficult for them to get away.

Far from the Danube River, there was no water transportation. By the time they gathered hundreds of thousands of troops and transported them from the The Balkans to South Germany, it would be too late.

Fairspring Palace

Franz asked with concern, "Mr. Stein, how far has the construction of the main railway in the country progressed, and when will it be completed?"

The construction of the railway network in Austria started in 1849. It had been three years since construction started, and some of the roads in the plains were already open to traffic.

But for the entire transportation network, it was still a drop in the bucket. Not to mention the railway that had to cross the Alps, it might not be open to traffic even after three years of construction.

As for the mountain railway, Franz's requirements weren't that urgent. The most important thing now was the railway from Vienna to Salzburg, which had to be opened to traffic ahead of schedule.

There was no other way. Under his butterfly effect, the war in the Near East broke out a year earlier than the Crimean War in history, which reduced the preparation time for the westward strategy by a year.

A year was enough to change a lot of things. Vienna was only about 200 kilometers away from Salzburg. Franz wasn't worried at all about the railway being built in four years.

The construction conditions of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway were so bad, and it had only been built for less than four years. This section of the railway didn't need to rely on manpower to dig through the Badaling Tunnel, nor did it need to build the Huailai Bridge.

It would be difficult to do it without a year of construction time. For the sake of confidentiality, Franz couldn't specifically ask about this section of the railway. It would be troublesome if it attracted the attention of people with ulterior motives. Now they could only let the main railway lines of the country rush the construction time together.

According to the general staff's plan, once the westward strategy was launched, the Austrian army would attack in three ways. One would attack along the Danube River, one would set off from Salzburg and go straight to Munich, and one would follow the Rhine River into Bavaria.

It had to be said that it was good to have a developed water system. Even when entering Bavaria from Salzburg, there was still the Salzach River that connected to the Rhine River.

In this era, the Bavarians hadn't built a canal between the Rhine and the Danube River. Otherwise, the war to unify South Germany could have mobilized supplies from Vienna.

Now, there was an additional logistical supply point — Salzburg. Therefore, before the war broke out, it was crucial to build the railway between Vienna and Salzburg.

The Minister of Railways, Stein, handed a document to Franz and said, "Your Majesty, this is the schedule of the railway construction and the estimated opening time. Please take a look.

Currently, all the major railway companies in the country have increased their construction speed. It will take at least two years for the main road to be completed, and three of the sections will be open to traffic within this year. Some of the mountain railways may be delayed until 1856. "

Franz nodded. The railway construction speed in Austria didn't seem slow in this era, especially after the introduction of the government's stimulus policy. Several railway companies were rushing to complete the project.

From this year onwards, the Austrian railway would usher in a wave of opening to traffic. Many sections would be opened to traffic one after another, and the transportation situation in the country would be greatly improved.

After flipping through the document and finding the answer he wanted, Franz smiled and said, "I'm very satisfied with this speed. Mr. Stein, you have worked hard. You can go back to work now."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After saying that, Stein turned around and left. The following meeting wasn't something a technocrat like him could participate in.

Franz didn't plan to cultivate a well-rounded bureaucrat. Most of the government officials were talented in one area. If they were proficient in one area, they could pack up and go home. The Government of Austria didn't need all-rounders.

If there really was such a genius, Franz felt that it was better to send him to do scientific research. It was too dangerous to do politics, and even he, the emperor, was afraid of it.

After watching Stein leave, Franz said, "Everyone, if there are no accidents, the railway from Austria to Salzburg will be open to traffic before the end of the year. At present, the construction of the railway roadbed has been completed.

The original plan hasn't changed, and now it has to be delayed for at least half a year. Is Mr. Metternich okay with that? "

The Foreign Affairs Minister Metternich, who was called out, thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, this depends on the situation on the Balkan front.

According to the information we gathered, the Russian Army has invested 251,000 soldiers here. The Osman army has 450,000 soldiers in name, but in reality, there is a shortfall of at least one-fifth. I'm afraid the combat power isn't optimistic.

If the Russians end the war quickly and capture Constantinople before the British and French intervene, then it will be difficult to continue with our original plan. "

On the surface, it seemed like the Osman army had more soldiers, but in fact, Metternich was more optimistic about the Russians. Although the Osman army had more soldiers, it didn't mean that they had more soldiers on the battlefield.

Now that the Russians had thrown the two Danube Duchies to Austria, they had actually thrown the responsibility of maintaining the stability of the rear to Austria. This included the logistics and transportation work in this area, which was done by the Austrian army.

The Osman Empire was fighting in their own territory, but unfortunately, the Russians in Bulgaria were more popular. With the support of the Russians, the number of local guerrillas had exceeded five digits. The Osman's advantage in fighting in their own territory had become a disadvantage.

Marshal Radski commented confidently, "Mr. Metternich, you don't have to worry. This is a terrible war.

After our contact with the Russian Army that entered the The Balkans, we can basically determine that the combat power of the Russian Army is much lower than we previously thought.

First of all, the Russian Army's military deployment is very chaotic. The military establishment is still stuck in the era of the anti-French war. There is serious corruption in the army, outdated equipment, and a chaotic logistics system.

Secondly, the Russian Army's military discipline is lax, and the Cossack cavalry is a group of locusts. They are a scourge along the way, and they can still win battles, but once they encounter a defeat, they will immediately collapse.

The Osman Empire's army hired French instructors to train them, but they only learned the surface of the French. Other than looking like a modern army, they are actually still the same old.

In terms of corruption, the Osman Army is even worse. At least the Russians are able to fill up the ranks, but the Osman officers are directly eating off the salary, and the army is seriously lacking.

Many of the soldiers were forcibly recruited by the officers to make up the numbers. I don't have any expectations for them to have any combat power.

Overall, the Osman Army's combat power is worse. If there is no external intervention, they will most likely lose this war, but it is not a big problem to defend Constantinople. "

Franz agreed with Marshal Radski's comments. In the history of the Crimean War, the Russian Army's combat power could only be described with one word — terrible, and the Osman Army showed everyone that there is no worst, only worse!

Overall, during this period, the Russians and the Osman Army were at a low point. It was not only them, in fact, France, Austria, Spain, and Prussia were the same. Other than the British, the European powers were collectively not in a good state.

Under Franz's butterfly effect, Austria was rescued. With the Russians and the Osman Army as a foil, Marshal Radski was confident.