Chapter 650

On the day of the declaration of war, the well-prepared Austria dispatched 400,000 troops divided into three routes and launched an attack on the Kingdom of Bavaria.

The Bavarian government was caught off guard and could only passively face the enemy. The result was naturally tragic. Without any preparation, they were suddenly attacked by the Austrian army.

After receiving a request for help from the front line, the Bavarian government was in a mess. Maximilian II Of Macedon knew that they were in big trouble. Austria was too fast and the border was lost just as the battle began.

… …

Freilassing. When the news of the war between Austria and Bavaria came, the people were in a panic. The garrison commander, Colonel Andreas, instantly felt bad.

Looking at the information in his hands, he didn't know how to fight this war. He didn't know how many Austrian troops were on the other side. Anyway, there were at least tens of thousands, and he only had two garrison regiments in his hands.

More than 3,000 Bavarian soldiers wanted to stop the attack of tens of thousands of Austrian troops. Even the God of War Regeneration couldn't do it.

However, they had no other choice. The country had issued a death order, and the garrison troops had to defend to the death. It also took time to mobilize the whole country. In order to buy time, the garrison at the front line could only be sacrificed.

This was the intention of the Munich bureaucrats, and also the intention of King Maximilian II Of Macedon. Munich was too close to Austria. If there was no obstruction, the Austrian army could reach the city in at most two days.

The guard reported: "Your Excellency Commander, Mr. Marcus has come to visit."

Andreas was slightly surprised. At this time, most of the people who didn't prepare to flee were some ultra-nationalistic youths who were ready to welcome the emperor.

Marcus was obviously not this kind of person. As a celebrity in the cultural circle of the Kingdom of Bavaria, he had a high reputation in Freilassing.

"Invite him in." Andreas said.

In any case, the visitor was a guest. Moreover, the two sides already knew each other and had some friendship. Although the timing was wrong, the visitor still had to be seen.

… …

Marcus went straight to the point and said, "Andreas, I'm here on behalf of the people of Freilasin."

To be honest, Marcus was also very resistant to the idea of being a guide, but he could not resist the many people who gave him ideological work.

In addition to the Austrians, there were more of his friends and relatives. Most of the celebrities in the Freilassing region didn't want this war to happen.

War was the scariest thing. Every war was a reshuffling of interests. For these interest groups, it was unknown whether Austria could unify the German Region. Anyway, Freilassing could not stop the Austrian army.

Once the war started, they, the local tyrants, would be the biggest victims.

If it was a foreign invasion, then everyone was patriotic. They wouldn't surrender without a fight.

Obviously, Austria was not an invader. Most people could accept it under the banner of national unity. There was no pressure at all to surrender.

It couldn't even be considered a surrender. They could remain neutral. Yes, neutral. This was invented by Franz based on his experience in his previous life. He encouraged the Bavarian government and army to remain neutral in the war.

Regardless of whether Austria could unify Germany in the end, or what the final outcome of the Kingdom of Bavaria would be, they would be in an invincible position.

With the help of the German Civil Society, these people were gathered together. For the sake of everyone's common interests, they should remain neutral. Then, the Freilasin local council made a decision to remain neutral.

In order to get Marcus to act as a lobbyist, even the surrounding neighbors were mobilized. Seeing that public opinion could not be disobeyed, Marcus, who had a serious hipster disease, naturally couldn't refuse.

Andreas said angrily: "You want to surrender to the Austrians? That's impossible! As a soldier, there is absolutely no such thing as surrendering without a fight in my dictionary! "

The German Region was a warrior. Surrendering without a fight was simply the greatest insult to a soldier. This would follow them for the rest of their lives.

Marcus shook his head and said: "No, Colonel Andreas, how could I do such a thing?

I can't do such a thing as betraying the kingdom. If it was a foreign invasion, I would also fight side by side with you, but now the situation is a bit special.

Now the Austrians are waging a war of unification, not a war of aggression. I am loyal to the Kingdom of Bavaria, and also loyal to Germany.

Now that the royal government and the empire are united on opposite sides, the people of Freilassing have decided to remain neutral in this war. I come on behalf of the people of the city, and I hope that you and your subordinates will respect the people's choice. "

Colonel Andreas was a little dumbfounded to see such a thing happening. After thinking about it, he found that it seemed to be very operable.

It was impossible to fight to the death. The difference in strength between the two sides was too great. Even if Andreas was willing to lead the army to fight to the death with the Austrians, it still wouldn't change the outcome.

Andreas asked casually: "What will be the consequences if I refuse?"

Marcus' face darkened and said solemnly: "If you refuse the people's choice, then you will be expelled.

The people of Freilassing have the right to make their own choice. Even if we can't contribute to the unification of Germany, we can't become sinners who stop the unification of Germany! "

Seeing Marcus' attitude, Andreas heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. Finally, he didn't have to fight to the death with the Austrians.

No one wanted to die. Only a fool would force themselves to fight a war they knew they couldn't win. If the enemy invaded, then for the glory of the soldiers, Andreas could still encourage the morale of the army and everyone would fight together.

Forget about the unification war. He hadn't lived enough and didn't want to die in vain.

As soon as the war broke out, he greeted the families of the bureaucrats in Munich. Wasn't it good to establish Shinra? Why did it have to be like this?

Andreas also had his own goals, and he longed to make a career. But to make a career, there must be some basic conditions, right?

For example, if the Austrian army came to attack with only a regiment or less, he didn't mind letting the Austrians see the power of the Bavarian army.

But in this situation, the entire army of the Kingdom of Bavaria was gathered here, and it wasn't enough to fight the enemy.

If he gave the order to resist, and his subordinates sold him out, where would he go to cry? Even after the war, he would be charged with destroying the unity of the country. Andreas expressed that whoever wanted to do this kind of thing could do it!

Andreas pretended to be troubled and said, "Mr. Marcus, since it is the choice of the people, of course I am willing to respect it. But such a big matter, I must call a meeting of the officers to unify everyone's position. "

Marcus thought about it and said, "No problem, but we don't have much time. You must make a decision quickly, the Austrians are about to attack."

… …

The result was naturally no surprise. At the military meeting, a high vote passed Andreas's proposal to respect the will of the people.

Of course, they couldn't be blamed. There were only two unorganized garrison troops, and it was difficult to muster the courage to resist against the tens of thousands of Austrian troops.

The so-called will of the people helped them solve the problem. In any case, this was a civil war. Neutrality was better than surrendering, and surrendering was better than dying in battle. No one had lived enough yet!

Then after the war broke out, a shocking scene appeared. The cities and garrison troops at the border of Bavaria all declared neutrality.

Occasionally, the garrison troops resisted, but they were quickly annihilated by the Austrian troops. They couldn't even delay for time.

This couldn't be blamed on them. Bavaria wasn't the militaristic Prussia. They had a standing army of forty to fifty thousand people, and there were a total of ten thousand people at the Austrian border.

These ten thousand people had to guard the nearly thousand kilometer long border. They were powerless against the attack of four hundred thousand Austrian troops.

Under these circumstances, the Munich bureaucrats ordered them to defend to the death, which forced them into a dead end.

The local power, the biggest anti-war faction, and the radical nationalists worked together. Under the joint efforts of these people, the local council naturally passed the resolution of neutrality.

It was naturally much easier for the local celebrities to do the work of the army. They weren't asking them to surrender, just to maintain neutrality.

As long as someone took the lead, there would be more people willing to follow suit. The Bavarian government couldn't send reinforcements in time, but to a certain extent, it was still a gain.

Otherwise, the troops sent out would most likely be neutralized. The general trend of the people's will was very terrifying. The decision of the local council made the officers think it was the will of the Bavarian people, and they couldn't help but be influenced.

The human heart was very complicated. After these areas made the resolution of neutrality, these people inevitably began to lean towards Austria. These people inevitably began to lean towards Austria. Under the guidance of pro-Austrian media, many people began to criticize the Bavarian government.

Under the influence of this, everyone unconsciously thought that the Bavarian government was unpopular, and the people were willing to support Austria to unify Germany.

Munich was too close to Austria. Because the defending troops at the front line were neutral, the Austrian troops were already at the city on the third day of the war.

The choices in front of Maximilian II Of Macedon were: run, resist, or surrender.

Prime Minister Ogyust advised, "Your Majesty, it's not too late to leave now. If we wait any longer, the Austrians will surround Munich, and it will be difficult to leave!"

It was impossible to resist. When the war first broke out, they still had some confidence that the Kingdom of Bavaria could resist for a while and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

Ever since they received a thick stack of neutrality declarations, the Bavarian government completely lost confidence. In their view, the people had abandoned the government.

Looking at the speed of the Austrian troops, they didn't encounter any resistance along the way. Otherwise, how could they finish the hundred and eighty kilometers in two days?

It would take at least four or five days. Of course, two or three more days wouldn't solve the problem, but wouldn't it increase everyone's confidence?

Otherwise, it would be like now. Everyone was worried about everyone, afraid that the garrison would sell them out.

Maximilian II Of Macedon smiled bitterly and said, "Is this useful?"

This incident had dealt a huge blow to him. Originally, he had thought that he had won the hearts of the people, but the reality was very cruel. With the declaration of neutrality flying in, it seemed like all the Bavarian people wanted him to get lost quickly.

Finance Minister Bazeer comforted, "Your Majesty, the people are only dissatisfied with the war. They didn't join the Austrians …"

Maximilian II Of Macedon said disappointedly, "It's all the same. They have already made their choice with their actions. They want to support the unification of the German Region, but we are like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. We want to build a Greater Bavaria!"

Run?

Maximilian II Of Macedon still had some political sense. If he ran now, would he be able to come back in the future?

Even if he had the support of the great powers, if he was resisted by the people, how could he sit firmly as king?

If the Kingdom of Bavaria was annexed by Austria, the outcome would be the same whether he ran or not. The Austrians wouldn't do anything to him as king, and he would have to be provided with good food and drinks.

Prime Minister Ogyust continued to persuade, "Your Majesty, things might not be that bad. Even if we lose Munich, we can still go to the western region and establish ourselves.

The eastern region has been heavily infiltrated by the Austrians, which resulted in the current situation.

As long as we defend the western region and wait for the other countries' reinforcements to arrive, the situation will change. They won't watch as Austria annexes Bavaria. "

Before Maximilian II Of Macedon could make a decision, an attendant rushed in and said in a panic, "Your Majesty, it's not good. The Munich City Council just made a decision and announced that they will remain neutral in this war. I'm afraid the situation in the city will change. "

Neutrality was also contagious. Who would be willing to fight a war that was destined to be lost?

The Munich City Council expressed that they had long wanted to remain neutral. If it wasn't for the central government in the city, would they have waited until now?

At this time, the Austrians were already at the city gates. The people in the city were already panicking. If a war broke out, the best case scenario would be heavy losses, and the worst case scenario would be death.

At this time, neither the capitalists nor the nobles wanted to fight this hopeless war.

Directly persuading the king to surrender was too risky, and no one wanted to be the first to stand out. At this time, the council played its role. The council represented the public and told the king that the war couldn't continue.

Since there were so many neutral places, and almost half of Bavaria had declared its neutrality, they were just following the trend and had no intention of betraying the king.

These people were still considered civilized, which fully showed that the Bavarian government was doing its daily work well. Otherwise, the people in the city would have rebelled.

Maximilian II Of Macedon understood the underlying meaning. He could understand the people's feelings of not wanting to fight this war, and he himself didn't want to fight this war with no future.

The intervention of the great powers did occur. Britain, France, Russia, and the West all condemned Austria's barbaric behavior and ordered them to stop the war.

In the end, the Austrian army still appeared at the city gates. The Kingdom of Bavaria was finished before the countries' joint intervention could be organized.

This meant that Austria could ignore the threat of the great powers, and there was a lot more behind this. If at this time, Maximilian II Of Macedon still couldn't guess the reason, then he was really a fool.

The Government of Vienna couldn't take military action against the pressure of all the great powers. No country in the world could ignore the collective will of the great powers.

The only explanation was that the great powers were divided. With Austria's strength, as long as one of the great powers supported or acquiesced, they could ignore this threat.