Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 904 - 167, Sabotaging Teammates Mid-Section

Wave after wave, one problem follows another.

Before the Vienna Government could complete the aftermath of destroying the canal, the Central European battlefield underwent another change.

After a bitter struggle of 27 days and at the cost of nearly 50,000 casualties, the French Army still broke through the Luxembourg Line carefully maintained by the German Federation, leaving the gates to the Germany Region wide open.

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There’s a skill to letting down your ally. If it had been earlier, Archduke Albrecht wouldn’t have minded the French romping through the Germany Region. After all, Austria’s reinforcements were still too far away to be criticized by anyone.

But now it’s different. The Austrian reinforcements had already reached the front lines, with the nearest troops less than thirty kilometers from Luxembourg. Standing by and watching an ally be destroyed was now out of the question.

However, rescuing them was no easy task. These troops had their own missions, and the Belgian people were counting on them for salvation.

Unlike the German Federation, Belgium was a truly tiny country. War had pushed the entire nation to its limits, necessitating the call to arms of all able-bodied men and full mobilization of its war potential.

There was no choice; it was an issue of geographical fate. After the war broke out, the weak Belgian Kingdom had no choice but to bear the brunt of the combat duties in the Anti-French Alliance.

With Austria too far away and the German Federation acting too slowly to provide timely support, the Belgian Kingdom had to bite the bullet and hold firm, now reaching its limit.

Since Belgium had held on until now, Archduke Albrecht couldn’t just stand by and watch them fall. As soon as the reinforcements arrived, he immediately ordered additional troops to aid Belgium.

As for Luxembourg and the Rhineland front, the German Federation had more manpower and relatively sufficient forces.

However, reality can be ironic. The teetering Belgian Kingdom hadn’t yet collapsed when the more powerful German Federation’s defense line was the first to be breached.

"How could the line in Luxembourg, defended by 350,000 troops, suddenly collapse, when more than 400,000 German soldiers in the Rhineland region could have provided support?"

Archduke Albrecht asked irritably.

He had every reason to be angry. The Luxembourg Line should not have failed now, of all times.

If the line had collapsed a few days earlier, Austrian reinforcements would still be on their way, and naturally, there would be no responsibility to bear. If it had held on for a few more days until the main forces of the Austrian army had arrived, there wouldn’t have been a fear of confronting the French in battle.

But not now. The Austrian vanguard that had reached the front consisted of only fifteen divisions, sufficient to reinforce Belgium and stabilize the defense line.

To engage in a decisive battle with the French without being several times larger was hopeless. Archduke Albrecht certainly didn’t believe the Austrian army could overcome the odds.

The German Federation Army General Herr Adrian, responsible for coordination, explained with a bitter taste, "Your Excellency the Marshal, this was entirely unexpected.

You know we have many sub-states. This is the first time the states are acting in concert, and inevitably there are some command issues, so..."

To say there were "some command issues" was a generous description from General Adrian.

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In reality, the command issues of the German Federation’s military had never been sorted out.

Each sub-state’s army had its own command authority. The commander-in-chief appointed by the central government served more like a coordinator in a military alliance, without binding power over the troops of the sub-states.

Even the battle plans were made collectively by representatives of the sub-states. Even in a crisis, decisions had to be made in meetings, or else the states’ troops would simply ignore the command.

Fortunately, the German Army always relied on fortress fortifications for defense, requiring little troop movement. Otherwise, this chaotic command system would have led to their defeat by the French long ago.

What can be deferred will one day come to pass. The consequences of this chaotic command system finally erupted, costing the German Federation the Luxembourg Line.

Archduke Albrecht waved his hand to cut off General Adrian’s lengthy discourse, "All right, now is not the time to assign blame, and I’ve no interest in those rotten issues.

Tell me now, how far have the French advanced, and what is the situation with the front-line troop losses? Or rather, how many troops do you have control over?"

Defeat on the battlefield inevitably leads to chaos. Especially since the German Federation’s army was in disarray, the situation was even more perilous.

At this moment, Archduke Albrecht could only hope that his troops would demonstrate their potential when fleeing, managing to preserve their vitality as much as possible to slow down the French’s advance in the upcoming battles.

Adrian replied solemnly, "After continuous fighting, the troops at the front are already exhausted in body and mind. When sudden defeat struck, many units were scattered.

We are currently regrouping the dispersed soldiers, and preliminary estimates are that we have lost more than half of our forces.

With the enemy breaching the defense line, they have split into two directions, one marching towards Belgium and the other advancing into the Rhineland region."

With a heavy heart, he stopped there. It was too embarrassing to continue. Not only was their own defense line breached, but they had also let down Belgium miserably.

Letting down an ally might not be such a terrible thing, and General Adrian was no saint, but if Belgium fell, the German Federation would not escape disaster either.

The Austrian allies had indeed come, but the Austrian forces that had reached the front were limited and simply unable to fill the gap.

Looking at the map, Archduke Albrecht said coldly, "There will be no more reinforcements. The situation at the front has gone too far, and these ten-odd divisions at my disposal can’t cover both fronts.

The immediate priority is to figure out how to hold the Rhine River and create conditions for a counter-attack. As for other regions, now is the time to abandon them if necessary.

Your Excellency should understand the importance of the Rhine River. If you don’t want to see the French galloping through the heartland of the Germany Region, then immediately consolidate your forces and defend the position."

Appearing troubled on the surface, Archduke Albrecht was inwardly delighted.

Engaging in a decisive battle with the French on German soil as opposed to French territory, was a completely different scenario.

Apart from military gains, the political gains are even more important. The defeat of the German Army on the front line will inevitably awaken the German People’s sense of crisis.

In some ways, the more tragic the defeat at the front now, the higher the call for unification after the war.

Especially the people who have personally experienced this war will be able to appreciate the importance of a strong nation even more.

Lesser Germany, led by Hanover, clearly cannot meet everyone’s needs. By then, public opinion will spontaneously drive the unification of the Germany Region, forming a major trend.

As for the numerous Sub-State governments with their own hidden agendas, after experiencing this war, they should be about ready to face reality, especially the Sub-States that suffered directly from the war, which will need Austria’s help more after the conflict.

Taking a pause, Archduke Albert added, "By the way, you’ll have to explain things yourself regarding Belgium."

Explaining, when things have reached this point, any explanation is futile. No matter how eloquently spoken, it won’t change the reality of Belgium being betrayed.

If it doesn’t want to lose everything, the Belgian government will have no choice but to give up most of the country’s territory and defend a few military strongholds.

If they’re lucky, they might hold out until the main Austrian army arrives; if they’re unlucky, they will have to go into exile.

One can imagine that for a very long time to come, the relationship between Germany and Belgium will not improve. In the wars that follow, the two countries can hardly be expected to cooperate.

But this is of no concern to Archduke Albert. For the great cause of unifying the Germany Region, some sacrifices are inevitable.

It’s better to use the French as a tool to deal with these princes than for the Vienna Government to take matters into their own hands directly and reduce the power of the nobility.

"Marshal, there is still hope to plug the gap if we dispatch troops now, there’s even a chance…"

Before General Adrian could finish, Archduke Albert cut him off assertively, "Your Excellency, this is all wishful thinking on your part.

If it were possible to plug the gap, the Rhine Legion would have acted already. But so far, there has been no movement from them. Are they waiting for my orders, perhaps?

At this point, the most important thing is to stabilize the situation and create opportunities for a counterattack, not to gamble on the off-chance.

You should be aware that we cannot afford to lose now. If the front line suffers another defeat, the international situation will reverse, and countries that were inclined towards us might turn to the French."

There are always excuses aplenty, and Archduke Albert, having made up his mind to make a scapegoat of others, naturally won’t be swayed.

...

In the Palace of Brussels, Leopold II, who had just woken up from a nap and had not yet had time to freshen up, received the shocking news of the collapse of the Luxembourg Line.

Anyone with even a little military knowledge knows that once Luxembourg falls, Belgium’s flank will be exposed to the French Army’s front.

At this point in the war, the Kingdom of Belgium has already exhausted all its efforts; it simply cannot muster sufficient troops to form a left flank defense line in a short period.

"Incompetent!"

"They’re all incompetent!"

"Nearly eight hundred thousand troops, and they can’t even hold onto a single Luxembourg. Are the generals of the German Federation idiots...?"

...

Facing the King’s endless curses, no one bothered to correct the minor point that the German troops defending Luxembourg did not number eight hundred thousand.

"Your Majesty, the German troops are retreating, our left wing is now directly exposed to the enemy, and now we can only..."

Prime Minister Auguste still had political acumen; not knowing Leopold II’s stance, he refrained from suggesting exile.

Perhaps the earlier venting had eased his mood, or maybe the Prime Minister’s persuasion had an effect; the calmed Leopold II spoke gravely:

"Didn’t Archduke Albert send us reinforcements? Send these troops up, they surely can’t all be incompetent as well!"

"Your Majesty, those troops are not coming. We’ve just received a telegram from the Allied Command; Archduke Albert is planning to establish the Rhine Defense line.

They suggest we consolidate our forces, abandon unnecessary defenses, and only guard a few key areas, waiting for the next big counteroffensive."

Army General Desmet responded.

"Humph!"

"Waiting for the big counteroffensive, he says it as if it’s easy. The battlefield isn’t in Austria, so it doesn’t matter to them how it goes.

But what about us?

What about our six million Belgian people?

Do we defend Brussels to the death, or do we flee to Austria?

..."

Leopold II raised a series of questions, continually assaulting everyone’s psyche, as if conducting a soul-searching interrogation with no end in sight.

...