Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 916 - 179, Christmas Offensive

It turned out that finding allies was not an easy task. In those days, there were very few countries qualified to ally with France, and due to matters of interest, even fewer could actually become allies with France.

Alliances had to adhere to a principle of equivalence; if the gap in strength between two parties was too large, it was not about finding an ally but rather seeking a subordinate.

Deep down, Napoleon IV naturally wanted to gather subordinates. But who was foolish enough to become a subordinate to France without any reason?

Theoretically, once France showed signs of defeat, the British would likely support them for the balance of the European Continent, and other countries in Europe would stop their sabotaging antics.

Regrettably, this remained purely theoretical; it presupposed that all government leaders maintained absolute rationality, unswayed by personal sentiments.

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Clearly, that was impossible. Politicians were human as well and possessed ordinary human emotions and desires. Once emotions were involved, their decisions would inevitably be influenced.

Given France’s relations with other countries, there were plenty who wanted to see them destroyed; feigning weakness could well lead to actual downfall.

Napoleon IV dared not gamble, for even as the situation in Africa deteriorated and France began to face strategic disadvantages, he could only cover up the situation, feigning strength to deter the countries of Europe.

"Allies?"

"Who could truly become our allies?"

This was a question that stemmed from the depths of the soul. Currently, France’s only ally was Britannia, but regrettably this ally was unreliable.

In a nutshell, the chances of stabbing an ally in the back were slightly higher than those of stabbing an enemy.

Of course, if the French government had thicker skin, they could also count Monaco. However, this was pointless; a mere seaside park could not influence the balance of power between the warring parties.

Under the expectant gazes of his colleagues, Foreign Minister Karl Chardlets braced himself and answered, "Your Majesty, to break the political stalemate, the Foreign Ministry has conducted in-depth research.

The British have already allied with us. Although this ally is not reliable, we still need to stabilize them.

Since the outbreak of the war, nearly a third of our strategic materials have been imported from Britannia, drawing the British in is of significant importance.

Strategically speaking, it would be best to draw the Russians. However, it is difficult to achieve, as the Russian-Austrian Alliance has been in place for many years; it is unrealistic to expect the Tsarist Government to suddenly switch sides.

In an attempt to dismantle the Russian-Austrian Alliance, the Foreign Ministry has exerted much effort, but to little avail.

Although there is no concrete evidence, based on some clues, the Foreign Ministry believes that Russia and Austria might have reached an agreement. The Austrians have likely promised the interests of India to the Russians.

We…"

Before Karl Chardlets could finish, Napoleon IV impatiently interrupted him, "My Foreign Minister, stop with the nonsense.

It’s an open secret that Russia and Austria have a commercial agreement; everyone in the world knows it.

After the Austrians occupied the Ottoman Empire, they stopped expanding further east. Without an internal deal between Russia and Austria, that would be the real surprise.

India is a matter for the British to worry about. You only need to tell me, is it possible to pull the Russians to our side?

If the Russians cannot become our allies, who else could become our allies?

It does not need to be a great power; even a second-tier country would suffice. Even if you bring Switzerland over, I would still hold a celebration for you."

This was sincere; Napoleon IV truly was not picky at this point. A blood-soaked lesson had taught him that it was better to have more allies.

Just look at neighboring Austria: as soon as the Continental war broke out, they gathered a bunch of subordinates and formed the Anti-French Alliance.

Although most were just for show, their numbers alone directly overwhelmed France in terms of momentum.

After hesitating momentarily, Karl Chardlets responded, somewhat exceptionally, "Your Majesty, breaking up the Russian-Austrian… Alliance… requires time; it’s not something that can be achieved overnight. Explore more at novelbuddy

We are making efforts to draw Switzerland to our side, but… the results… are not very promising, though we have managed to ensure the Swiss Government remains neutral in the war.

To turn the situation around, the Foreign Ministry is working with the United States and Colombia, who have always been interested in Austro-America but have been deterred by Austrian power from taking rash actions.

There are also the Japanese, whose strength has increased significantly after the Meiji Restoration, nearly catching up to Belgium.

They have conflicts of interest with the Austrians in the Southeast Asia, and the Foreign Ministry plans to draw them into splitting Austro-Southeast Asia.

Furthermore, the Foreign Ministry is attempting to draw the Far Eastern Empire…"

Faced with the Emperor’s pressing inquiries, even Karl Chardlets was impressed by his own quick wit in producing a response so swiftly.

On the surface, if these allies were persuaded, France could escape the awkward situation of fighting alone, and their strategic circumstances would greatly improve.

In reality, everyone present knew these were merely pie in the sky.

Theoretically, drawing in the United States and Colombia would not only strike at the Austrian colonial system in America but also help France import agricultural products from the two countries.

Regrettably, America wasn’t just made up of these few countries; although the power of the United States was not weak, they were unfortunately restrained by their archrival, the neighboring United States.

Whether they could win was another question; wasn’t an expedition to Austro-America precisely providing the enemy with an opportunity?

Not to mention Colombia; even if they joined the war, it would at most involve two infantry divisions. Any more than that, and the Austrian army would sweep through Colombia again.

The situation in America was stagnant, and so was Asia. At this time, the Japanese were still in a stage of yielding submission, not as arrogant as in later generations.

Before a victor was determined in the European war, they were unlikely to get chestnuts out of the fire for France.

The crux was that their strength was deficient; although Karl Chardlets wanted to boast on their behalf, he truly did not know what to say and ended up making a comparison with Belgium.

Although Southeast Asia was not the focus of the Vienna Government, the region still had a population of tens of millions, and it was feasible to arm several hundreds of thousands of soldiers. If a battle truly ensued, who would defeat whom was still a question.

As for the Far Eastern Empire, they might as well wash up and go to sleep. They were still busy with their internal struggle, lacking both the mood and the courage to join this fray.

"Since the Foreign Ministry has already made plans, go ahead and implement them as soon as possible. I’ll be waiting here for your good news!"

By now, Napoleon IV’s expectations had hit rock bottom. Although these potential allies were of little value, who else could France turn to for the lack of allies?

After all, having them is better than nothing. He didn’t expect them to contribute much to defeating Austria but at least they could help by waving flags and annoying the Austrians.

Pausing for a moment, Napoleon IV added, "Our strategic core is still on the European Continent. The focus of the Foreign Ministry’s work should also be on the European Continent.

Whether it is the British or the Russians, if we can drag one of them into this, it would completely reverse the dire situation we are facing.

If all else fails, you can also try stirring up the Nordic Federation. Don’t the Danish people always reminisce about the Schleswig-Holstein Duchies? Then give it to them.

There are also the sub-states within the German Federation where you could work some influence, not to have them switch sides, but just to passively drag their feet."

No matter how low the success rate, Napoleon IV did not mind trying. Who could blame him when the French Army hadn’t shown the battle strength it should have?

So much for the promise of ’a breeze sweeping away the fallen leaves.’ Though the wind had risen, unfortunately, the direction was wrong, blowing the leaves right back into their own yard.

...

While France was in action, Austria was not idle either. Encouraged by the Vienna Government, the Russian Army launched one attack after another into the Afghan Region.

Seizing the Afghan Region before the European war ended, to open a gateway to India, was far too tempting a prospect.

Many high-ranking officials in the Tsarist Government were so seduced by the visible benefits that they couldn’t extricate themselves.

Visible benefits were something no mere promises could match. Despite England and France making lofty promises, the Russians felt that seizing India was a more credible option.

Of course, the most crucial factor was that the Russian Army had already occupied most of the Afghan Region and victory seemed within reach.

Once the Afghan Region was occupied, subsequent battles would be easier. No government encouragement needed; the soldiers would jubilantly march into India.

If the Tsarist Government was willing, it could well emulate Austria in establishing overseas colonies, letting the nobility lead their private armies to solve the problems.

When it came to their own plundering, the combat effectiveness of the Mao Xiong was absolutely explosive, something the Lobster Soldiers simply could not withstand.

It’s no exaggeration; as long as the Russian Army obliterated the main force of the British Army in the Afghan Region, the British wouldn’t be able to replenish their forces quickly enough. Without the British Army to reinforce them, the Indian Colonial Army was a joke.

...

"Capture the Afghan Region before Christmas, whose idiotic order was this?"

In the Russian Army Command, General Okinets looked at the order in his hand and cursed in disbelief.

The Afghan war was indeed at a critical moment, but the greater the pressure, the fiercer the enemy’s resistance.

The Russian Army had managed to advance smoothly so far, thanks not only to their willingness to sacrifice lives but also due to the British Army’s long, frequently attacked supply lines by Afghan Guerrillas.

According to statistics compiled by the Russian Army, nearly two-thirds of the British Army’s strategic materials would disappear en route.

Whether it was destroyed by the Afghan Guerrillas or divided up by domestic bureaucrats was a matter of perspective.

In any case, this was a boon for the Russian Army. Limited by logistics, the frontline British Army had formidable firepower but couldn’t fully unleash it.

Even with natural barriers to rely on, the British Army was being steadily pushed back.

To maximize his military accomplishments, General Okinets naturally could not report the specifics.

In the eyes of the Tsarist Government, it was all about the Russian Army fearlessly sacrificing themselves, overcoming hardships and obstacles, and triumphantly marching forward, bleeding for victory.

Every coin has two sides; a series of victories not only stoked the ambitions of the Tsarist Government but also wore down their patience.

Now someone couldn’t help themselves; they wanted to capture the Afghan Region before Christmas to add splendor to the annual celebration.

Hearing General Okinets’s curses, the middle-aged military officer delivering the telegram hurriedly reminded him, "Commander, this is an order from the Army Department. It also includes the opinion of the Cabinet, essentially a domestic consensus."

It was an inevitable disaster. General Okinets dared to curse domestic bureaucrats because his own status had risen to a level comparable to the domestic elites.

If nothing went wrong, after winning this war, General Okinets would be promoted to Marshal.

And he wouldn’t just be a figurehead but also a major figure in the Russian Army following Marshal Ivanov.

No Emperor likes his subordinates to be too unified, so the fiercer General Okinets cursed, the more pleased Alexander III would be.

General Okinets could curse, but not everyone could listen. If something went wrong later, causing high-level conflicts, perhaps those who cursed wouldn’t suffer, but these listeners could end up as collateral damage.

In a sense, this was also about taking sides. Not stopping him meant agreeing with General Okinets’s view.

Those with strong backing didn’t care, but those without could become the victims of political struggles at any time.

"Humph!"

After a cold snort, General Okinets decisively quelled the urge to curse further. There was no other way, too many people were involved, he simply couldn’t afford to offend them.

Blindly cursing was fine when unaware, but once aware, one had to be discreet; such is politics.

"Send a telegram back to the Army Department that we will launch the final offensive as soon as possible, but we are running out of logistical supplies.

To capture the entire Afghan Region before Christmas, we at least need twelve billion bullets and three million shells..."

A classic overreach, but there was no other way. General Okinets wasn’t confident about capturing the Afghan Region before Christmas, so he had to find excuses first to facilitate shifting the blame if the mission failed.

This was also a basic skill for Russian Army commanders, nearly every high-level Russian commander was an expert at shifting blame.

Lack of strategic materials had always been the Russian Army’s perfect excuse for domestic urgency. As long as they played this trump card, the government had nothing to say.