Holy Roman Empire

Once the common folk started making a fuss, the whole world knew what the French wanted to do. The Beide Countries began to prepare for war, and their neighbors were not idle either.

Switzerland called up fifty thousand militiamen for six months of military training; Spain expanded five infantry divisions and announced to the public that it was to suppress colonial rebellions.

The Austrian Government announced that this year's retired servicemen had their service extended by half a year and conducted anti-invasion drills nationwide.

Although it was not explicitly stated, everyone knew this was aimed at the French. The situation on the European Continent suddenly became tense, and the French government at the center of the storm became embarrassed.

Explanations?

The more they tried to clarify, the murkier it got. Even though everyone knew that the French were most likely targeting the Beide Countries, they still remained vigilant, fearing the French might catch them off guard with a sneak attack.

Influenced by the tense European situation, Austria's Foreign Ministry became a hive of activity. Various European nations declared their stances, hoping Austria could check France's ambitions.

To the routine diplomatic jargon, Franz always showed indifference. Flipping through the messages, he frowned and asked, "Is there anything of substance?

This kind of meaningless moral support can only be used to fool children. It's utterly meaningless to us."

There was no mention of specific support; everyone was in favor of Austria opposing the French. They would prefer a fierce, mutual destruction with the French, leaving everyone else at ease afterward.

The diplomatic notes naturally did not include the latter part, but Franz was also capable of reading between the lines, putting himself in the shoes of other European nations, he would do the same.

Meaningless support is still better than none. At least it demonstrates Austria is not unpopular and isolated.

When necessary, it could be used to boost morale and add legitimacy to their cause, gaining an advantage in public opinion.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "There is! The Baden Duchy invited our troops to station there for a joint defense against the invasion of the French Army; Belgium proposed a military exercise among the three countries to deter the French ambitions."

Historically, inviting foreign troops to station within a country has always been a move fraught with immense political risk.

The action of Baden bypassing the Central Government to invite Austrian troops was somewhat surprising to Franz. However, considering the complex relationship between the two countries, it didn't seem so strange to him.

Even though the Holy Roman Empire had collapsed decades ago, its reputation had not fallen, especially after the rise of nationalism, which had become the legal foundation of Greater Germany ideology.

Normally, nationalists who oppose foreign troops would be the main opposition; yet, to the nationalists in Baden, Austria, as a fellow member of the German People, was one of their own.

With no internal danger, the German Federal Government had no right to intervene in Baden's internal affairs. If the Central Government was unhappy, they could just send troops to guard the border.

The Imperial Parliament was still in session, and the Sub-States were squabbling over the distribution of military forces. As part of the Central Government, Hanover was already under pressure to defend the Rhineland region, let alone sending reinforcements to Baden, which would be overly burdensome.

Besides these factors, the most crucial reason the Baden Government dared to invite the Austrian troops was the kinship ties between the two countries.

Whoever Austria swallowed, they could not turn their back on kin and swallow Baden; otherwise, the Habsburg dynasty wouldn't be able to mix in nobility circles anymore.

After some thought, Franz shook his head: "Neither of these proposals is practical. Stationing troops in Baden at this time would not only provoke the French but also worsen our relations with the German Federation.

Once the French advance eastward, the German Federation would be the best shield. What we need to do now is to encourage them to stand up to the French, not to take on the pressure from the French for them.

The Belgian exercise plan is even less reliable; too many participating troops would be costly, and since the French haven't attacked yet and lack the courage to seek out the French trouble on their own.

If there are too few participating troops, it will neither deter the French nor might even inspire French ambition. Perhaps the French government would take the initiative and directly eliminate the troops involved in the exercise."

Without a doubt, these were excuses. The real reason at the heart of it all was simple: Franz was unwilling to be the sacrificial pawn at the forefront of the resistance against the French.

Human nature is fragile, and despite everyone's grand statements now, should they defeat the French, Austria would become the next target of defense.

Rather than be thankless, it's better to wait at home and observe the development of the situation. It would be quite different to offer help only after the Beide Countries had been fiercely struck by the French.

Prime Minister Carl expressed his worries: "The situation in France is changing so suddenly, it is somewhat incomprehensible, and I always feel like someone is manipulating behind the scenes.

Being guided by public opinion and having their pride wounded, the French advocate for tough measures against the Beide Countries which makes some sense.

But why are the Italians joining in the commotion? I don't believe they feel such a strong sense of belonging to the French government."

It hasn't even been twenty years since France truly annexed Italy. The older generation is still alive, and the younger generation grew up in that special era, making the talk of a sense of belonging a joke.

The Bonaparte family may have originated from Italy, but their roots are too shallow; they hardly have any power in the Italian Area.

Apart from the influence left during the Napoleonic Era, they essentially had nothing. Turning influence into power is impossible without collaboration.

The Italian capitalists who originally supported the French government had been defeated in competition with French capital and had been pushed to the opposition.

If not for the awe of France's might, the Italian Area would've been in chaos already. At a minimum, the royal families of the puppet states would want to retake their power.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg explained: "The issue with the Italian Area has been clarified by the embassy in Rome.

There are shadows of the Italian Independent Organization behind this. They are involved to provoke a European war, creating an opportunity for the independence of the Italian Area."

"Looking at the sources of the activity funds, the trail leads directly back to the British. Considering the current international situation, the British Government indeed has the motive to provoke a war on the European Continent."
Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire

"The activity funds are the easiest to trace. The Italian Independence Organization has two major financial backers; since the Austrian Government didn't contribute, it must have been the British Government footing the bill."

"Other countries might have the desire but not the courage. If the news leaks, the responsibility for triggering a European war is a burden that could crush someone."

Finance Minister Mark-Leo-Von-Joseph said, "The truth no longer matters, what's crucial is whether the war can still be avoided.

"If it's possible, then we ought to postpone it by another ten years, or even five would do. By then, we would be able to kill the French in one fell swoop."

To solve the French problem once and for all would be ideal. The fact that the Anti-French Wars failed to truly resolve France demonstrates many issues."

On the European Continent, it's easy to defeat a country, but difficult to eradicate one completely. The price paid on the battlefield aside, the key issue is international intervention.

A European great nation like France, if not eradicated in one go, would become an endless source of future troubles."

Austria doesn't have the strength to ignore the interference of other European nations, which means that after fighting the French, we would have a mortal enemy to our west."

Otherwise, during the Paris Revolution, Austria would have already kicked the French while they were down. There would have been no need to wait until now."

Weisenberg shook his head and said, "I'm afraid we have to ask the French about that. If they want to implement their Central European strategy, then this war cannot be avoided.

"Given the current situation, we must prepare for the worst. Mere deterrence is unlikely to curb the ambitions of the French."

Austria's Near East development plan was beginning to reveal itself, not deeply felt by the common folk, yet unable to escape the attention of astute politicians.

The Tsarist Government was lured to Central Asia, half because it wanted to reclaim Central Asia and erase its previous dishonor; the other half was due to being cornered.

Watching Austria, their neighbor, grow increasingly stronger while the Russian Empire declined, would make anyone feel pressured."

If there were no other options, Russia and Austria would definitely part ways, eventually turning to opposition due to strategic conflicts.

Then, the British turned up right on cue. The Tsarist Government, originally planning to stop after reclaiming Central Asia, couldn't resist the temptation of India and rushed in upon seeing the inefficiency of the British Army."

Strategically speaking, the Tsarist Government's decision wasn't wrong. Fighting the British on land would definitely be a safer bet than taking on Austria; the gains from defeating the British would also be greater than those from defeating Austria.

Anyway, once India was swallowed up, Russia would no longer need to fear Austria, as it would have offset its weaknesses."

With the Russians taking the initiative and the British forced to respond, the only great nations left with free time were France and Austria."

After the outbreak of the production capacity crisis, with just a little instigation from the British, the heavily affected French interest groups and careerists became restless."

The issue was made clear, and politicians could no longer pretend to be ostriches. Without completing the Central European strategy, France would always be at a disadvantage in future international competition."

Franz, who had been silent for a long time, slowly stated, "There's no use in hoping anymore. At this stage, the French government has no choice.

"Unless the French government is full of people without a shred of ambition, who only want to scrape by until death, otherwise a war is inevitable sooner or later."

"Starting now, the country will enter a state of third-level alert. All military factories must start operating at full capacity from now on."

"Local governments must register retired military officers and ensure that, in the event of war breaking out, they can draft five hundred thousand reservists within one week."

"Order the Governors of the Middle East and East Africa to be on the highest level of war readiness; if the French invade Central Europe, seize the Suez Canal and Egypt immediately."

"Inform the governments of the Sub-States that an Imperial Parliament meeting will be convened on the 11th of next month to discuss resistance to the French invasion."

No matter where the French attack, Franz was determined to set his sights on the Suez Canal."

As for other regions in Africa, they weren't strategic hotspots and were separated by vast deserts; Franz was not interested in them for the time being.

For the Vienna Government, the impending war was both a catastrophe and an opportunity."

Prior to this, the Vienna Government had only secured the right to issue currency and collect tariffs. Military command belonged to the Emperor, with the Central Government having no authority to interfere.

The judicial system, though unified, was placed outside government influence to ensure impartiality. Including courts and anti-corruption agencies, these departments were only responsible to the Emperor.

In this context, the Central Government naturally had no power over the highly autonomous Sub-State Governments."

Besides exerting influence through economic means, the Vienna Government had never issued any formal administrative orders to government of Sub-States."

In theory, should a Sub-State Government incite great public ire, the Central Government could intervene."

Sadly, having reaped the benefits of expansion, Austria's economy has been doing well in recent years, and the reputations of the Sub-State Governments had been favorable; thus, the Central Government has had no chance to get involved."

But now things are different. Once war breaks out, Sub-State Governments will no longer be able to refuse the unification by the Central Government, especially those situated on the front lines, who cannot withstand the pressure without support from the Central Government."

As for how to proceed, that's a matter between the Cabinet and the Sub-State Governments. Power struggles are always fought for, never handed to you while you stand still."