War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Prince Schwarzenberg walked into Franz's office and looked at the piles of documents on the desk. He once again had the illusion that he was not dedicated enough.

The last time I went to Baron Bruck's residence was when he went there. As the Minister of Finance of the Austrian Empire and the Governor of the Imperial Central Bank, his daily workload was far beyond what ordinary people could accept.

Franz was also aware of this. After all, Baron Bruck was old, so he transferred John Sinner and old Böhm-Bawerk to the Imperial Central Bank as Baron Bruck's assistants.

"Your Majesty, the results of the Imperial Council's deliberations are out. Please review them."

Prince Schwarzenberg handed the report and minutes to Mia Arties, who served as secretary, and she passed them on to Franz.

Franz quickly glanced through the results of the meeting. To be honest, he was a little disappointed that no one in the huge Austrian Empire could understand his ideas.

But this is normal, after all, Franz came from a different era. The characteristic of the Austrian elite of this era is that all human behavior is based on rational judgment, but the facts prove that they are extremely wrong.

"Tell the Russians that our Austrian Empire will continue to honor the alliance. Let Albrecht prepare the army to assemble and rush to the front within a month."

Prince Schwarzenberg hesitated for a moment before asking.

“Should we have taken more time to prepare?”

Franz understood what Prince Schwarzenberg meant. On the one hand, the Austrian Empire's army had just returned home, and the soldiers could not bear all the tossing back and forth, which was also a huge drain on the national strength.

Moreover, this sudden war will disrupt the empire's original deployment and will be a test for all departments of the empire.

On the other hand, for geopolitical considerations, it would allow the Russians to consume more of the military strength and morale of the Anglo-Turkish alliance.

It can not only reduce Austria's consumption after joining the war, but also consume the Russians' strength. After all, Russia and Austria are also competitors in the Balkans.

The idea is good, but overall it feels a bit superfluous.

Once Russia's weak nature is exposed, Austria's threat level will inevitably rise to the first place, and then it will have to compete with the British in a battle of wits and courage all day long.

Britain is a maritime country and Austria is a continental country. It is not easy for both sides to kill each other, but it is an indisputable fact that the British Navy is recognized as the best in the world.

However, the undercurrent is much more than that:

Russia's greed is also world-famous. France also has a deep hatred for Austria. The Austrian Empire is an obstacle that Prussia cannot avoid on its road to rise. The United States has huge potential and also has deep entanglements with Austria in this world.

The Austrian Empire, located in Central Europe, is easily the target of public criticism, so it must have an ally that is strong enough and attracts enough hatred, and at this time this ally must be Russia.

"No need. We must show our sincerity to our allies and let our enemies know that our sacred alliance is unbreakable."

"But."

"There is nothing to worry about, Your Majesty. The enemy is watching us. If we choose to stand aside, the enemy will surely push us from behind. Then our allies may become enemies."

Prince Schwarzenberg was stunned, and then he thought that it was not impossible for the Russians to do such a thing given their ethics.

In fact, after many baptisms of war, the self-awareness of the Austrian imperial officials and people was very inflated. They all felt that they could defeat Britain at sea and France on land, and they had long lost their awe of war.

Therefore, anti-Russian forces rose within the Austrian Empire, Greater Germans were rampant in all departments, and even a group of prisoners dared to attack a country under the banner of Austria.

The benefit is that it enhances people's self-confidence and sense of honor, and accelerates national integration. At the same time, it also brings blindness, arrogance, and stronger xenophobia. Brave and fearless, but also impulsive and bellicosity. Stronger motivation for innovation, and a more closed mindset.

They seem contradictory, but they complement each other.

At this time, Franz naturally could not say that his country was not good. After all, a man should never admit that he was not good at any time.

Telling the truth is even worse, as this will touch the fragile self-esteem that some Austrians have just built up, as if admitting their own shortcomings is equivalent to admitting their own incompetence.

But if it is because the enemy is too despicable and unethical, and the teammates are weak and treacherous, then it is easy for people to accept the reality that they should rethink rationally.

No matter how arrogant the Austrians are, they will never think that they can single-handedly challenge the three major powers of Britain, Russia and Turkey in the Middle East. And by analogy, they will soon find that they are not so invincible and are still surrounded by wolves.

Although this may make you as neurotic as Shen Yong, it is better than being too passionate and ruining your future like Cheng Xin.

(Cheng Xin, the second generation swordsman after Luo Ji in Liu Cixin's novel The Three-Body Problem, is a more emotional person.)

"Your Majesty, you are indeed far-sighted."

Otto I personally trusted Franz, but the decision to continue the war caused a fierce confrontation between the pro-British faction led by Prime Minister Antonius Chritikos and the pro-Austrian faction led by War Minister Karl Wilhelm von Heidecke.

In fact, these two groups also each represented the contradiction between the local Greek elites and the foreign German bureaucrats. Since Otto I adopted Franz's opinion, a large number of German bureaucrats appeared in Greece at this time.

The power of the Royalists no longer existed only in the Bavarian advisory team brought by Otto I. These German bureaucrats greatly strengthened the power of the Royalists, which led to the confrontation at this time.

"Your Majesty, we Greeks are a peace-loving nation. Greece was born for peace. We don't want to make meaningless sacrifices for the Russians. Is that wrong?"

Prime Minister Antonis Kritikos expressed his grievances in an emotional voice.

"Bah! A bunch of ungrateful people! The Russians are more trustworthy than you! Back then, the Russians fought the Ottomans with real weapons to liberate Greece.

Would Greece be what it is today without the support of the Austrian Empire?

But what about you now? You want to leave after taking the benefits.

Abandoning our allies! Who will be willing to help us next time?"

As a Bavarian, Karl Wilhelm von Heidecke obviously hated the Ottomans more.