War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

"What? The French are crazy! Are you crazy too? Do you want to defeat all five parties?!"

Albrecht was shocked and couldn't hold back his voice. In fact, as the top nobleman of the Austrian Empire and a senior general in the army, he really didn't need to pay attention to this.

It's just that the two people in this command room happen to be the ones he needs to pay attention to. One is his father, and the other is the future emperor of the empire.

Archduke Karl's reaction was much calmer. He just put down his tea cup and asked seriously.

"Franz, are you sure you want to do this? Have you thought about the consequences of failure? If we only break one road, we will be more than 90% sure of any road except the sea."

Archduke Karl looked at Franz, his eyes were not at all leisurely and casual as usual. In the end, he only let out a long sigh, and then changed the subject.

"Franz, you have to think carefully. If we all go out together, we will only be 50% sure at most."

"Are you 50% sure? This is already very high for a gambler. But I am not a gambler. I am 100% sure that I can win."

Franz's tone was firm and did not seem to be hypocritical, but Archduke Karl laughed out loud.

"Franz, you should be the most courageous and courageous monarch in the Habsburg family after Empress Theresa. But you don't need to pretend to be calm, we are willing to take a gamble with you."

"Grandpa Karl, I am really 100% sure!"

"Every gambler thinks he can win."

Franz said somewhat helplessly.

"Grandpa Karl, at this time, the French army commanders have not received this combat plan."

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The battlefield is one-way transparent, which is indeed a factor that can change the situation.

“Have the French fallen so far?”

Archduke Karl sighed helplessly and disappointedly.

People may like to sigh when they get older, but at this time, Albrecht couldn't understand his father's feelings at all. He only knew that the war was definitely won.

It would take up to a month for the French to complete their deployment and launch their attack. However, the mobilization on the Austrian side had already been completed. Coupled with the embryonic railway network, the French had no way to take the lead.

Before 1848, the total strength of the French Army had been the largest in Europe and the second largest in the world.

However, after the collapse of the Orleans Dynasty, rebellions continued in various places, and with the blessing of various tricks of the Second French Republic, the total number of troops that France could use at this time was around 300,000.

(The Qing Dynasty, the world’s largest population, has 800,000, France has the second, 650,000, and Russia, the third, has 600,000.)

On the contrary, the strength of the Austrian Imperial Army had been around 440,000 before 1848. After losing 80,000 Hungarian local defense troops, it surged to 660,000 within a few months.

The Italian Legion alone has nearly 300,000 people, the vast majority of whom are soldiers from the Six Nations, the so-called Italian Allied Forces. In addition, there are a large number of refugees.

After the war, the composition of the refugees was very complex, including fleeing farmers, abducted citizens, rebels, and deserters.

If left unchecked, their damage to regional order and peace will be immeasurable.

The work-for-relief program that Franz usually uses is not suitable for these people. What they lack is not job opportunities, but the minimum guarantee of survival, food, water, housing, and most importantly, a sense of security.

In addition, after the war, a large amount of infrastructure was destroyed and the original social structure was broken up. At this time, it seems inefficient to use refugees to complete the reconstruction work.

These people often do not have professional skills, and most of them have psychological problems or psychological trauma. It is no exaggeration to say that they themselves are time bombs.

Minimum living security and security are most easily provided by the military. Strict discipline and a relatively equal and inclusive environment make it easier for these people to gain a sense of belonging.

One hundred thousand people in the Vienna area enlisted in the army, which is somewhat incredible for a city with only one million people, but what is even more incredible is that 80% of these 100,000 people came from other German countries.

In fact, the German region has always had a tradition of joining the army in Austria, especially some small nobles who have little chance of getting ahead in their own country.

Because Austria often suffers defeats, and once it suffers a defeat, the big nobles who were originally sitting on a plain diet have to give up some of their positions and opportunities. This is the opportunity for the small nobles to rise to power.

There is no doubt that this group of people also have the highest military literacy and fighting spirit, and many of them are even soldiers from other countries.

There are also a large number of people joining the army in Galicia, and the reasons for joining the army are also varied. Some people join the army to protect their country, some people want to support their families, and some people just want to get ahead.

But they had the same belief. They all believed that the Austrian Empire could win.

However, Franz did not intend to send the Galician recruits to the battlefield, for no other reason than because their quality was too poor, and in the war of the German Confederation, it always felt weird to send a group of Slavs to the battlefield.

Bohemia and Moravia are two extremes. The recruitment office in Bohemia is deserted, while the recruitment office in Moravia is crowded.

Although the rebellion in Prague was quickly suppressed, its impact was surprisingly bad.

This is naturally the result of the British, otherwise the farmers in Bohemia would have nothing to do with the gentlemen in the city.

Of course, this is also an unavoidable problem in ethnic border areas. Foreign Germans compete with local Germans and Czechs for living space and work opportunities, and the conflict naturally cannot be eliminated.

It is undeniable that the quality of German immigrants is generally higher than that of Bohemian Czechs. However, due to the Austrian Empire joining the German Customs Union and the rapid development of industry and economy, the contradiction between the two sides has been much more intense than in history.

Most Germans who join the army will also go to Vienna. In their hearts, that is their city, so the recruitment office in Bohemia has to face the reality of being empty.

In the Moravia region, Germans, Czechs, and Jews have long been integrated together without distinguishing each other. At the same time, the economy, politics, and culture are all closely connected with Austria.

Moreover, the loyalists in Moravia are powerful. Historically, they suppressed the rebellion themselves and then sent troops to help suppress rebellions in other regions.

The development of the Austrian Empire over the years has also indirectly promoted local development. As beneficiaries, they are naturally more willing to serve the country.

In addition, in order to avoid the decline of Moravia, Franz sent a large number of geologists to search for local resources, because the largest coal mine in the Czech Republic was in Moravia, not Bohemia.

The hard work paid off, and the exploration team finally discovered a huge coal mine in southern Moravia. This coal mine can ensure that Moravia does not decline in the industrial age.

However, in Franz's personal plan, Moravia should still be dominated by agriculture.

In short, except for the 100,000 troops stationed at the borders of the three countries, the 120,000 troops guarding Vienna, and the minimum troops to maintain local order, the remaining 440,000 troops can be devoted to the battle against France.