Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 919 - 182, A Special Christmas

The airshow was valuable not only for its spectacle, but it also served as a means for the Tsarist Government to flaunt its military might to the outside world. Regardless of how these airplanes were acquired, possession was all that mattered.

In a sense, being able to purchase airplanes was also a display of strength. After all, many countries wished to buy them but couldn’t.

Perhaps intentionally, or perhaps not, during the airshow, Alexander III also invited envoys from various European countries to attend, including the French Ambassador.

According to European convention, an ally’s ally is not necessarily a friend, nor is an ally’s enemy necessarily a foe.

The Franco-Austrian War and the Anglo-Russian War are considered separate conflicts not interfering with each other.

Thus, even as wars raged across Europe, France and Russia maintained normal diplomatic relations.

Once it was confirmed that the Russians were equipped with airplanes, the French Ambassador became immediately concerned. Ever since Paris was bombed, the French government had been troubled over airplane manufacturing technology.

As it turned out, self-reliance was not so simple. Without technical experts in the field of aviation, the French government could only bring together a group of civilian enthusiasts and mechanical engineers to form a makeshift research team.

Not to mention their inability to produce industrially, it was enough that the airplanes produced in the laboratory were still in the primitive stage, of "depart without return" kind.

Simply achieving safe round trips and landings would require a great deal of experimentation and trial and error—something the French Army on the front lines could not afford to wait for.

According to Envoy Albion, in order to acquire airplane manufacturing technology as quickly as possible, the government did not hesitate to seek collaboration with the British, even at the cost of pride.

But there was no follow-up. Although Britannia’s industrial strength was somewhat stronger, when it came to airplane manufacturing, they were as much novices as France, with not a single airplane factory to be found throughout the country.

This was undoubtedly an opportunity, if airplane manufacturing technology couldn’t be obtained from Austria, then it could be obtained from Russia.

Of course, the Russians did not have airplane manufacturing technology, but they did have ready-made airplanes!

Self-research and development required a great deal of time, but having a physical model to reference and imitate could undoubtedly save a vast amount of time.

Don’t look at European countries with disdain; in fact, most industrial powers in Europe started by copying others, including France was no exception.

Copying, imitating, Envoy Albion felt no pressure. The only problem was how to obtain an airplane from the Russians.

…

"Your Grace, this deal is too tricky, it’s beyond my capabilities," said the middle-aged man as he pushed the check back. From his eyes, it was clear there was a profound reluctance; he did not want to give up the check.

But there was no choice, as the French were not to be trifled with. Taking money without delivering results could bring endless trouble.

"Duke, you are being too modest. Who doesn’t know your great name? In St. Petersburg, there is nothing you cannot do.

A trifling matter for you, you just need to…"

Praise, endless praise. In order to achieve his goal, Envoy Albion abandoned his bottom line.

After speaking, Envoy Albion pushed the check back again, and took out a blank check to place on top of it.

The meaning was crystal clear: as long as the goal could be met, the price was whatever the Duke wanted.

Upon seeing this scene, Duke Oremed’s stance wavered once again. Although collaborating with the French might offend the Austrians, the French were offering a high price!

Although there were many who sought his help, it was the first time he had received a casually written check.

After hesitating for a moment, Duke Oremed shook his head again, "Your Grace, it’s not that I’m unwilling to help.

The problem now is that the Austrians are watching closely, and all those responsible for aircraft maintenance are Austrians. We simply cannot get the aircraft out of Russia right under their noses.

You know the influence Austria has in Russia. Once they discover a problem, the government will surely have to give them an explanation."

Money is good, but life is more important.

Ordinarily, if stealing a piece of military equipment from the barracks, Oremed had plenty of ways to manage it, whether it was to write it off or to declare it decommissioned.

But not now, the Austrians were watching too closely. Should the Austrians get a handle on him, the Tsarist Government would certainly have to provide an explanation to Austria for the sake of the bilateral relationship.

In such a context, even the most powerful network of connections would not hold up. Oremed hadn’t lived long enough and was not ready to court death.

After being rejected again, Envoy Albion’s face darkened. With his many years of life experience, he could tell that the Russian duke in front of him was not trying to raise the price, but genuinely didn’t dare.

After pondering for a moment, Envoy Albion unwillingly asked, "Your Grace, it can’t be that the maintenance staff are all Austrians indefinitely, can it?"

Duke Oremed nodded, "Of course not, we have already arranged for technicians to go in and learn. In no time at all, logistics maintenance will be carried out by our own people.

If Your Grace can wait, in two or three years, you should be able to get your wish."

Waiting two or three years, the opportunity would be long gone. In such a long time, France’s own research should have yielded results, making it entirely unnecessary to pay a high price.

Albion, still not giving up, asked, "Doesn’t your country want to make replicas? We can send engineers to help, and once the technology is deciphered, we can share it between our two countries, and..."

Before Albion could finish speaking, Oremed interrupted, "Why replicate? What’s in it for us?"

It sounded nonsensical, yet that was the truth. At the beginning, after importing Austrian equipment, the Tsarist Government was keen to introduce technology and make replicas.

But faced with the exorbitant production costs, the Tsarist Government had to accept the concept of "better to buy than to manufacture."

Ordinary military equipment was already thus; not to mention aircraft. With the industrial strength of the Russian Empire, even if they could decipher the technology, they would not be able to mass-produce it.

...

In the face of ruble persuasion, in the end, Oremed agreed to arrange for a few French engineers to join the logistics maintenance team.

How much they could learn by stealth was up to the French’s luck, but Duke Oremed was not optimistic about their chances.

Logistics maintenance and aircraft manufacturing are two completely different concepts. Without the ability to thoroughly study the internal structure of the aircraft, deriving the aircraft manufacturing technology would take nothing short of a great deal of time and money to conduct experiments, and there was simply no other way.

The money invested was still manageable, as there would always be some if squeezed tight, but time was the key issue. Reverse-engineering aircraft manufacturing technology within one or two months was drastically different from spending one or two years on developing it.

...

Snowflakes fluttered down, covering the banks of the Rhine River in a layer of silver. With the silence of gunfire, the usual smoke of gunpowder was gone, and in the soft sunlight, it seemed particularly pleasant.

Another Christmas day, watching the soldiers celebrating with laughter, Marshal Patrice McMahon could not feel any joy.

At the onset of the battle for the Rhine, the Austrian army across had only amounted to three hundred thousand, the rest being remnants and defeated soldiers from Prussia and Germany.

In just a short time, the total strength of the Austrian forces had exceeded eight hundred thousand, and with the troops from Prussia and Germany, the disadvantage in numbers of the Anti-French Alliance was no longer evident.

If the current situation continues, perhaps by next month, the opposing forces will have a reversal in their numbers. By then, the momentum of attack and defense will have switched sides.

There is no helping it. In terms of manpower, financial resources, materials, and industry, France is no match for the Anti-French Alliance.

The only advantage is that the French Army’s reputation is at its peak, bolstered by past victories, giving them a psychological edge against the enemy.

Unfortunately, all this was shattered by the Austrians not long ago in the Battle of the Rhine River.

The French Army did not continue the myth of invincibility, and the so-called superiority in combat strength has now become a fantasy.

Frankly speaking, Marshal Patrice McMahon did not want to cease fire for Christmas because it would give the enemy an extra day, further complicating the breakthrough of the Rhine Defense line.

"Marshal, the Christmas banquet will start in half an hour."

The guard beside him reminded.

This is a tradition of the French Army; banquets are inevitable, especially on Christmas.

Originally, Patrice McMahon was supposed to return to Paris to attend the banquet held at the Palace of Versailles, but because of the heavy snow that blocked the roads last night, his journey was delayed, and he stayed at the front line.

Since he stayed here, as the front line’s leader, Patrice McMahon naturally had the duty to preside over the Christmas banquet and take the opportunity to boost the troops’ morale.

"Understood, I will attend on time!"

Having said that, Marshal Patrice McMahon closed his eyes to rest. Hosting a banquet also required energy, and for the aging Patrice McMahon, it was a burden.

...

While the French Army celebrated, the Allied Forces were doing much the same. Apart from the necessary duty personnel, most of the officers and soldiers were celebrating this special Christmas.

Different from the French Army was that Archduke Albert, the commander of the Allied Forces, was absent from the banquet. The main guest became King Leopold II of Belgium.

In the command center, Archduke Albert was examining the latest battlefield map, with several high-ranking Austrian officers who had also skipped the banquet present.

In war, speed is of the essence. Though an attack couldn’t be launched on Christmas, it didn’t mean nothing could be done on the holiday.

"Has the newly arrived Armored Troops been settled in properly?"

Without a doubt, the significant event that caused the high command of the Austrian army to collectively skip the banquet was the recent arrival of the Armored Troops.

The movement of the Armored Troops was no small matter; under normal circumstances, eluding the French surveillance was sheer impossibility. Christmas presented a unique opportunity.

To hide their movements, the Austrian army also carried out a series of deceptions.

For example: they increased the number of vehicles at the front line and would occasionally deliberately make noise to deaden the ears of the French.

To reduce the risk of exposure, the Armored Troops didn’t come directly but were transported by waterways straight to the front line halfway through the journey.

A middle-aged officer responded loudly, "Marshal, rest assured, the Armored Troops have been dispersed and stationed in several camps that were prepared in advance. I personally inspected them.

The location of the camps is relatively secluded, and the patrol units in the vicinity had been replaced with our men a week ago.

There’s also a motor transport unit nearby for cover; unless there’s close contact, it’s unlikely for anyone to notice."

Thank goodness we eliminated the French airship troops, or else it wouldn’t have been easy to conceal an armored troop division.

Although armored troops are nearly invincible in this era, if they were exposed prematurely and the French were prepared, pulling off a complete victory would be difficult.

Dealing with armored troops can be hard or easy. Just by digging a few pits along the route of the armored troops, one can delay their speed.

Once the armored troops lose speed, they are essentially just a powerful army, unable to play a strategic role.

Having received an affirmative response, Archduke Albrecht nodded and added, "We must ensure secrecy is maintained, declaring these camps as munitions depots and forbidding any unauthorized personnel from approaching.

For the sake of safety, let’s not inform Beide Countries of the armored troops’ arrival for the time being.

Our strategic objective this time is to capture the majority of the French Army’s main force, inflicting the maximum casualties on France’s living forces.

To achieve this won’t be easy. Therefore, we must take advantage of the armored troops’ strength and catch the French off guard."

If we allow the French to regroup and retreat their main force back into their own territory, this war will become difficult to fight."

This is a fact, as it is much easier to fight the French on the banks of the Rhine River than on French soil. Discover more stories at novelbuddy

Not to mention, it will be much easier to capture fleeing soldiers after winning the war. The German People certainly won’t help French soldiers escape, and the envelopment of the people’s war awaits them.

An older officer, expressing his doubts, asked, "Marshal, are the armored troops really that formidable?

With just over two hundred tanks and seven hundred armored vehicles, I’m afraid it might be somewhat…"

Unfortunately, the armored troops were subjected to the strictest secrecy, so much so that even within the Austrian army’s higher echelon, they were "known only by name, not by sight".

Apart from a few officers who had observed the armored troops during exercises, no one knew the true power of the steel flood.

Archduke Albrecht was aware that this skepticism wasn’t just one person’s doubt; most people present questioned whether the armored troops could truly deal a significant blow to the French Army.

After all, the total strength of the opposing French Army was quickly approaching two million. In such a vast sea of people, such a small number of armored troops really wouldn’t be impressive.

"Friedrich, you are the commander of the armored troops. Now, please explain to everyone the combat methods of the armored troops!"

Nepotism is ubiquitous, and the Austrian army was no exception. The Habsburg Family was the largest beneficiary.

The rise of Archduke Albrecht also used this connection; otherwise, it would not have been so easy for him to become the foremost person in the Austrian army following the death of Marshal Radetzky.

Archduke Albrecht never concealed his intent to promote his nephew and political successor.

Of course, what was most important was that Friedrich was indeed talented. There were many members in the Habsburg Family, but if there had been no capability, Albrecht would not have supported him.

Essentially, the purpose of promoting Friedrich was to strengthen the Royal family’s control over the army.

This political and military structure has continued for over a century, serving as one of the key means to safeguard imperial authority.

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One can look at the era of Ferdinand I, when the Emperor was unable to govern for decades, yet the power of the Vienna Palace did not wane.

It is also the reason Franz was able to swiftly take control of the situation after his ascension. The army never slipped from the control of the Royal family.

...