Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 899 - 162: Idiotic Strategy?

Although the Kingdom of Sardinia still existed in theory, the international influence of the "Treaty of Osso" was naturally limited.

Apart from being published by the newspapers of a few members of the Anti-French Alliance, the international media were very indifferent.

Actually, there’s no need to talk about international public opinion at this point.

There are only so many countries in Europe, and if you include Montenegro and Greece, who were brought in to make up the numbers, the Anti-French Alliance already accounts for half.

Among the remaining neutral countries, some lean towards the Anti-French Alliance; compared to France fighting alone, the Anti-French Alliance has won without fighting in terms of political propaganda.

The reason the public isn’t interested in the Treaty of Osso is mainly because it’s too obviously a political show, which is precisely what intellectuals dislike the most.

These people constitute the main subscribers to newspapers; the press won’t go against their customers. Since it’s news that customers don’t like, it’s better filtered out.

Even if it is mentioned, it’s only in passing. Right now, Central Europe and Southern Europe are caught up in the flames of war, and there are plenty of other news reports available.

The media’s lack of interest does not mean politicians are uninterested. People from different backgrounds see issues from completely different perspectives.

The Treaty of Osso might seem insubstantial, but in reality, it signals the Vienna Government’s political stance — it will not annex Italian territories.

Perhaps ordinary people might think that with the European war ongoing, it’s too early to discuss these issues. Should the Anti-French Alliance lose the war, it would be a laughing stock.

But politicians don’t see it that way; the Vienna Government’s clear statement of no territorial ambitions in Italy is good news for many countries.

Especially for neutral countries that lean towards the Anti-French Alliance who can now breathe easier and boldly hinder the French without worry.

...

Paris

Even with prior preparation, Napoleon IV was stunned by the dire international situation. The British, on whom he had placed great hopes, did not play the role they should have.

After stabilizing Switzerland and Spain, the British Government just sat back and watched, waiting for France and Austria to fight it out.

Even London’s media, which was more critical of France than the Anti-French Alliance, did not help to guide public opinion—the British Government wasn’t lifting a finger to help.

Throwing down the Treaty of Osso, Napoleon IV roared, "What is Victor Emmanuel III doing in Vienna, and what exactly do the British intend to do?"

He had every right to be angry as nearly a quarter of the French Army’s soldiers were Italians. Victor Emmanuel III falling into Austria’s hands was like an unexploded time bomb.

You should know that France and England had an agreement beforehand; the British Government promised to detain the leaders of the Italian Independence Organization to ensure they would not cause trouble.

Napoleon IV also knew that the British couldn’t be relied upon, promises were worthless. However, he believed that even if the British Government were to renege, it would only be after the outcome of the war in Europe was decided.

If France were to win, or at least gain the upper hand, then it would be a normal strategy to release Victor Emmanuel III to stir up trouble as part of maintaining the balance in Europe.

The problem was that the war in Europe had only just begun, and although the French Army was beating Prussia and Germany in Central Europe, in terms of the overall situation, Austrian reinforcements were still on their way and France hadn’t gained the upper hand.

In some ways, France was still at a disadvantage. With the frontlines failing to make a breakthrough and Austrian reinforcements arriving, the Anti-French Alliance would be the ones with a numerical advantage.

Anyone with a bit of military common sense knows that France’s strength lies in the combat ability of its army. If it can’t break through early on, and the war turns into one of attrition, it would be a repeat of the Prusso-Russian war.

With France at a disadvantage in terms of population, industry, and economy, if it can’t achieve victory early, there’s even less chance later on.

Of course, if another figure like Napoleon were to emerge, there would still be a chance to turn the tables.

At this time, the release of Victor Emmanuel III by the British to strengthen the Anti-French Alliance was clearly a move to end France’s life.

What if the Italian soldiers in the French Army were bewitched and started to slack off on the battlefield? How could this war continue then?

"Your Majesty, the British Government has explained that it was an accident. Victor Emmanuel III left secretly, and by the time they discovered it, it was already too late.

The Foreign Office has already confirmed that the British did indeed restrict Victor Emmanuel III from leaving the country, but the official in charge neglected his duty and let him slip away,"

As Foreign Minister Karl Chardlets said this, his face was a picture of embarrassment. Convincing the British to restrict the movement of the Italian Independence Organization was one of the diplomatic achievements the Foreign Office prided itself on.

Unfortunately, the British allies were unreliable and dropped the ball at a critical moment. The Italian Independence Organization was indeed held back, but Victor Emmanuel III, the big fish, slipped through the net.

Napoleon IV scoffed, his tone dripping with irony, "An accident?"

"No accidents happen early or late, but precisely at the critical moment, an accident occurs. Do we even need to say what the British are hinting at?"

The key to maintaining an alliance relationship lies in trust, which just so happens to be the very thing that is most lacking between England and France. If there aren’t any problems, all is well; but as soon as a problem arises, cracks immediately appear in the alliance.

Upon hearing the Emperor’s words, Karl Chardlets’s expression grew even uglier. He looked to his colleagues for help with his eyes, but all he received in return were wishes for his own good fortune.

With no other option, Karl Chardlets could only stand his ground and explain, "Your Majesty, indeed the British are unreliable, and we have never held any hope for them.

The current unfavorable situation ultimately comes down to our army’s failure to achieve a breakthrough on the battlefield. Once we defeat the Anti-French Alliance, everything will be turned around."

As the saying goes, "better for one’s friend to die than for oneself," Chardlets decisively opted to pass the buck to avoid his own misfortune.

Blindsided by this unexpected problem, the Army Minister Luskinia glared angrily and scoffed, "Rest assured, Your Excellency, the French Army is not like some who are incompetent in what they do and only good at shirking responsibility and idling their days away.

We have already devised a comprehensive plan, and if it weren’t for Victor Emmanuel III’s sudden appearance, we would have already commenced."

Small as this issue may seem, it’s actually an excellent opportunity to weed out those with divided loyalties in the army."

Though he spoke casually, in reality, Luskinia was already cursing inside.

For political reasons, after incorporating the Italian Area, it was inevitable to incorporate Italian soldiers into the army to demonstrate France’s magnanimity.

Initially, it was fine as the Italian soldiers were few in number and could not stir up much trouble.

But everything changed with the outbreak of the European war. Seeing the extent to which the Anti-French Alliance expanded its army, France had no choice but to grit its teeth and keep up.

It couldn’t be helped. Since entering the 19th century, the French population’s birthrate had not been enthusiastic, and up to now, there were just over thirty-seven million people.

Compared to the Anti-French Alliance, this number wasn’t even one-third.

Austria announced an expansion of five million troops; the Beide Countries together expanded by one and a half million troops. With the addition of troops from each country, the total force was about to break through eight million.

The classic case of "the ants biting the elephant to death" had already occurred in the previous Anti-French war. To avoid repeating the same mistake, the French government had no choice but to utilize manpower from the Italian Area to avoid a significant disparity in troop numbers.

Ever since Napoleon IV approved the five million troop expansion plan, a large number of Italian soldiers appeared in the French Army’s combat order, and at this point, no one could ignore the Italians’ feelings.

As for the influence wielded by Victor Emmanuel III, it remained a mystery, as he had never had the chance to exercise it. No one knew how significant it was.

However, the pride of a soldier wouldn’t allow Luskinia to back down now.

...

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On the southern line, to welcome the arrival of Victor Emmanuel III, General Mörck specially launched a winter offensive.

From a geographical perspective, Austria occupied the most fertile areas of the Po River Plain, while the other Italian areas were mostly mountains and hills.

In times of peace, this naturally brought substantial economic benefits, but during times of war, the situation reversed.

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Inside the headquarters

General Mörck was waving the baton at the sand table, "This is a topographical map of the Italian Area, which you all have seen many times and should be familiar with in your minds.

Launching an attack from the Lombardy Region, we have only three routes, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

First, advancing westward towards Turin using the Dora Riparia River and the Po River;

Second, attacking Monferrato along the Tanaro River towards the middle;

Third, launching a southward offensive to capture Bologna and San Marino, along the Secchia River and Po River basin.

Without a doubt, capturing Turin holds the greatest benefit as once it is taken, the Kingdom of Sardinia would be able to re-establish itself, causing a fatal blow to France’s rule in the Italian Area.

However, the greater the benefit, the greater the risk. The French had deployed a large number of troops in the Turin area, making it very difficult for us to achieve a breakthrough in a short time.

An advance towards the middle to capture Monferrato would be strategically essential and almost similar to capturing Turin to the west.

If we capture Monferrato, the next step would be to liberate Genoa and split the Italian Area in two, striking at the French rule in the region.

But this strategy not only requires defeating the enemy head-on but also exposes both flanks to the French Army’s range of attack, carrying the greatest military risk.

The advantage of the last southern line strategy is the support of the navy; the Adriatic Sea is our domain, so there is no need to worry about logistical problems.

It holds the least risk, but also the least benefit, serving only to win a battle, to spruce up appearances, and has little military value otherwise.

To expand the results of the battle, we must cross the Northern Apennine Mountains. Or move forward along the peninsula, looking for a breakthrough.

This would rely on the French making mistakes; otherwise, we could only seize some territory and make it seem as if we had the upper hand to the outside world."

Despite General Mörck playing down the southern strategy, everyone clearly understood he advocated for it.

The reason was simple – stability.

Moreover, the southern strategy was not entirely without value. Ordinary people don’t care about strategy; in many views, whoever occupies more territory is at an advantage.

Austria was mobilized this time under the banner of liberating Italy; any occupied land could be directly handed over to the Independence Organization, eliminating the need to maintain local stability.

As long as we achieve more victories, the nationalist uprisers in the Italian Area will respond, and the emergence of a national uprising is only a matter of time.

Once the Italian Area is in chaos, the French Army must disperse its forces to suppress it, making it impossible to fight the Anti-French Alliance with full strength.

Over time, the advantage of the Anti-French Alliance will grow, eventually overpowering the French with sheer strength.

Conservative thinking was mainstream in the Austrian Army, and there was no other reason except that the fame of the French Army was so great that no one was confident about a rapid victory.

Victor Emmanuel III naturally understood what Mörck meant, but as the saying goes, ’where you stand depends on where you sit.’ Regardless of strategy, what he needed now was the restoration of his country.

"Your Excellency, the Commander, please forgive my bold interruption. Looking at the current international situation, we need a victory, one that can shatter the invincibility of the French Army.

Only by winning on the battlefield can we pull neutral countries like Switzerland and Spain into our fold, and grow the ranks of the Anti-French Alliance.

Of course, it is not a problem for your country to defeat the French on its own. However, this would inevitably inflict a painful toll on your country.

The Prusso-Russian War has already shown how dreadful protracted warfare can be. The longer it drags on, the greater the wartime losses it incurs.

If all goes well, your country will emerge as the new dominator of Europe after this Anti-French War.

A dominator needs to be established through war. Merely using national power to crush the French may leave many unconvinced, such as the British and the Russians, which could introduce uncertainties into the future.

The best choice is to ascend to power by stepping on the French and elevating the Austrian Army to an exalted position, dispelling any unrealistic fantasies in people’s minds.

..."

Groveling, with no limits to flattery.

Hearing the words of Victor Emmanuel III made even General Mörck blush.

So defeating the French is as easy as slaughtering chickens. Since when did Austria become so powerful, and why was I unaware?

There was no choice; if these words had come from an ordinary person’s mouth, General Mörck could have just laughed it off. But coming from the mouth of a king, he couldn’t help but feel proud.

Praise can lead to delusion, but fortunately, General Mörck, being in high office and used to flattery, did not let it get to his head.

No matter how pleasing Victor Emmanuel III’s words were, they were nothing more than an attempt to agitate Austria to send troops to Turin and help him restore his country.

These days, the credibility of European countries was not great, and even Austria, known for its decent reputation, was not entirely trusted by Victor Emmanuel III.

The war between France and Austria had already started, but who knows, they might reconcile soon. Such maneuvers had occurred too frequently in European history.

After all, the war declaration between the two countries was due to a Central European conflict, and following its outbreak, only a few symbolic battles were fought without genuine animosity.

If anything unexpected happened, such as a sudden ceasefire between France and Austria, his restoration movement would be doomed.

After calming down, General Mörck slowly said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Our military strength is quite sufficient, and we can launch a three-front offensive simultaneously."

"Three-line simultaneous attack," such a brain-dead strategy. Victor Emmanuel III seriously doubted his ears, wondering if he had heard wrong.

"Your Excellency, the Commander, are you planning to use two fronts as a feint?"

It was not impossible to launch attacks on three fronts simultaneously, but the issue was that logistics would not be able to keep up unless the Austrian Army stayed in place without any significant gains.

Otherwise, as the battle lines pushed forward, logistical chaos was inevitable. No amount of coordination could prevent it, for there are only so many roads. Once these exceed their carrying capacity, chaos is bound to ensue.

General Mörck smiled faintly and looked at a group of people from the Italian Independence Organization, offering no explanation.