Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 892 - 155, Declaration of War

On September 25, 1890, France and Belgium nearly simultaneously mobilized for war, and everyone knew that things were about to get serious.

The eyes of Europe were focused on Vienna. As the leader of the Anti-French Alliance, the stance of the Austrian Government would directly impact the subsequent changes on the European Continent.

Vienna Palace

Franz asked, "Has the German Federation not yet quarreled out a result?"

On their own, Belgium’s strengths could not withstand the French, and waiting for the Austrian reinforcements to arrive meant that cooperation from North Germany at this time was particularly important.

Everyone understood the principle that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Once the French Army occupied Belgium, North Germany would become a battlefield—there would be no chance of remaining unscathed.

Under such circumstances, it was inevitable for North Germany to send troops to support Belgium. However, this was only theoretical.

Having more people did not necessarily mean greater strength. With so many Sub-States within the German Federation, each with their varied core interests, not everyone was willing to fight to the death with the French.

There are always fools in the world, and the German Federation was no exception. Some were fantasizing about betraying Belgium for peace at this time.

Disputes arose, and with them came arguments. After all, the purpose of the Imperial Parliament was to provide a place for everyone to quarrel.

Minister Weisenberg said, "Regarding the issue of sending troops to reinforce Belgium, a preliminary agreement was reached among the parties. However, conflicts have arisen over the allocation of military forces and command authority.

George I was very passive and did not rush to urge everyone to send troops, suggesting he wanted to preserve his strength."

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People are inherently selfish. Franz was certain that both Prussia and Germany would want France and Austria to suffer mutual losses—even a mutual downfall—in order to reap the greatest benefits.

It was no surprise that George I was slacking off; after all, the battlefield was far from Hanover, and even if the front lines were losing, Belgium and Baden would be the first in trouble.

By the time the western territories had fallen, the Austrian reinforcements should have arrived, and by then, it would be right to cheer them on.

In the original timeline, during the Prussia-Austria War, Austria was doomed by the passive and slacking allies and had to face an enemy with twice their number.

Franz frowned, falling into hesitation. Frankly speaking, he had not been prepared to betray his allies before this, since the strength of both Prussia and Germany was limited, and there was no point in deliberately weakening them.

However, the scene unfolding before him forced him to consider the possibility of using others to eliminate his rivals.

A German Region with heavy losses seemed more conducive to the stability of a unified country, reducing some unnecessary troubles.

"Cancel the original emergency mobilization plan and simply mobilize at normal intensity. Deploy troops to reinforce the Prussia-Germany front line after one week.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must do a good job in coordination and communication, and we must obtain the right to dispatch the railways along the route. By the way, tell the Belgians that reinforcements will arrive within a month.

As for George I, let’s not worry about him for now. Once war breaks out, they simply won’t be able to avoid it."

Franz still had integrity; he only delayed the deployment of troops by a week, which was completely justifiable to his allies.

No one could accuse Austria of betraying its allies, for long-distance expeditions certainly required preparatory work, and a week’s time was genuinely not much.

In fact, the Austrian army was not going to Belgium by train this time but on their own two feet.

There was no choice; the railway capacity was limited, and too many countries were involved, preventing efficient use of the railways.

The precious transport capacity had to be used to transport logistics supplies and weapons. As for ordinary soldiers, they still had to march there.

Marching over a thousand kilometers in twenty-plus days, even with light equipment, was quite an achievement on the European Continent.

...

Without further explanation, the Vienna Government had already shown its stance with actual actions. The continuously arming troops were the most powerful response.

This made the Tsarist Government anxious. As a fight between France and Austria seemed imminent, without their financial backers and logistical leaders, how would the war continue?

Without a doubt, they must mediate!

St. Petersburg

Alexander III scolded angrily, "What is the Foreign Ministry doing?

I asked you to delay the outbreak of war on the European Continent, and in such a short time, the situation has become unmanageable..."

From the moment he entered the room, Oscar Hemenes kept his head down, trying his best to reduce his presence, but he still couldn’t avoid the wrath.

There was no choice, the Foreign Ministry had made a strategic miscalculation. They had believed that the French wouldn’t start a war until they were fully prepared.

Unfortunately, plans can’t keep up with changes, and the French weren’t foolish; while they were preparing for war, so were their enemies.

By the time they were ready, so were their enemies, and the scale of the war would not just be tens or hundreds of thousands, but millions of troops clashing in decisive battles.

Such a war, even if won, would severely deplete one’s strength, serving only to benefit the fisherman on the side, a complete loss.

Otherwise, Napoleon IV wouldn’t have chosen to take action even knowing that a plot was being orchestrated against him.

After Alexander III had vented, Oscar Hemenes tentatively explained, "Your Majesty, the main reason the European war has started earlier is that the French economy couldn’t hold up.

The Foreign Ministry has already made emergency preparations, we have signed a contract with Austria, and even if the European war breaks out, we’ll still ensure our supply of strategic materials.

With the industrial strength of the Anti-French Alliance’s three countries, supporting warfare on multiple fronts is not a problem, and the war in Europe won’t affect the Afghanistan battlefield."

Based on industrial strength alone, the Anti-French Alliance has an absolute advantage; the industrial strength of Prussia and Germany combined already closely matches that of France.

Against this backdrop, Austria only needs to ensure the logistical supply of its own army, while the logistics of Prussia and Germany’s armies can be managed independently.

Even if there is a shortfall, it would only be in industrial raw materials and grain. The French don’t have the power to blockade the Anti-French Alliance, and these materials can be provided by Russia and Austria.

Looking at the size of the industrial base, it’s no problem for Austria to support three to five million troops in combat, though they certainly won’t need that many troops at the front.

Therefore, Austria will have spare capacity in logistics, and promising to ensure the export of materials to Russia is theoretically feasible.

Alexander III sneered, "Indeed, it may not affect us, but as a consequence, we must support Austria unconditionally in this war.

If the Anti-French Alliance is defeated on the battlefield, we would have to send troops to help them fight. Otherwise, if Austria is defeated, we will be defeated as well. Find your next read on novelbuddy

By the way, I recall that recently some fool sold all of this year’s grain export quota to Austria in one go.

We have been bound to the chariot of Franz for a long time now, it’s just that the binding has become even tighter.

From now on, let’s all pray that the Austrians prove themselves somewhat useful, otherwise the Russian Empire will suffer as well.

Moreover, we must also pray that the Austrians aren’t too competent, for if they defeat the French too quickly, we can only hand over supremacy in Europe!"

Alexander III had every reason to be upset; before the European war even started, the Russian Empire had already lost all strategic initiative.

Unless they could make a swift and decisive sacrifice, abandoning the Afghan Region right away, they would have no choice but to follow Austria to the very end in this European war.

The Tsarist Government’s powerful weapon, the grain, had been sold off early to Austria by bureaucrats greedy for profit, making it impossible now to have second thoughts.

Unless the Russian Empire’s grain exports never pass through the Black Sea Strait and they do not purchase logistics supplies and industrial equipment from Austria in the upcoming war in Afghanistan.

Being angry was no use; what had happened had happened. Now, apart from hoping for a mutual weakening of France and Austria, there wasn’t much the Tsarist Government could do.

...

Time flies like an arrow, and 48 hours flashed by; the delay Leopold II had hoped for didn’t materialize.

The French were resolute in their stance, not giving them the chance to explain; even international mediation was useless.

On September 27, 1890, the French government officially declared war on the Belgian government, citing a Belgian plot to kill French soldiers as the reason.