Chapter 1437 Recruiting Soldiers
While the Kingdom of Dalmatia was under internal martial law and clearing out ethnic saboteurs within the country, the region's troops, under the arrangement of Vienna, entered the State of Bosnia to maintain stability.
The Bosnian province had the highest concentration of Serbs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which meant that the region could become a high-risk area at this time.
The city of Ploče.
Compared with Zadar, the capital of northern Dalmatia, Ploče, a newly emerging southern port city, is the real economic center of the mixed-race Germans in Dalmatia today.
In recent years, Ploče has surpassed cities such as Šibenik and Split in the kingdom in the economic field, and its total economic output and industrial scale are second only to the capital Zadar.
The reason why Ploče is called the economic center of mixed-race Germans is that in this city, mixed-race Germans or Germans completely dominate.
In the population distribution of the Kingdom of Dalmatia, the further south you go, the higher the proportion of Germans. Therefore, in Ploče, the southernmost coastal city, the proportion of German population is close to 100%.
There is actually another reason for this phenomenon, that is, the Dalmatia region was originally underdeveloped and had too small a population.
Before the large-scale immigration to the local area, the Kingdom of Dalmatia, as a first-level administrative region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, did not actually have much presence.
In addition to the fact that this place is relatively remote, the local terrain conditions are also poor. Although there are many excellent ports, the terrain is mainly mountainous, which is difficult to develop.
This was also one of the important reasons why East Africa was able to take advantage of loopholes and spread immigrants here before World War I. Before World War I in the previous life, the entire Dalmatia had a population of only about 600,000, which is very telling.
The increase in the large number of Germans played a huge positive role in the development of Dalmatia. Although in 1926, Dalmatia's economy still ranked relatively backward in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its total population of two million could not be ignored.
Because the population of the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia in the north was only over 2.6 million.
The population of the Kingdom of Dalmatia was almost the same as that of the Slovak region.
Moreover, Dalmatia had a balancing purpose from the very beginning in the division of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Because the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a well-known dualistic state, the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a whole could be divided into two parts, namely the Inner Leithania part, which can also be called the Austrian-ruled area.
The other part is naturally the Hungarian-controlled area, which can also be called Transleithania.
At the beginning of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Dalmatia and Croatia had similar population structures and bordered each other, and the majority of the population was Croat.
However, Croatia belongs to Translethania, while Dalmatia belongs to Innerlethania, which is headed by Budapest and Vienna respectively. This division obviously contains the idea of suppressing the Croatians.
With the instigation of East Africa, the rift between Dalmatia and Croatia was accelerated. Even if the Austro-Hungarian Empire disintegrated, it would be unlikely for Croatia to take over Dalmatia as it did in the previous life.
The entire Ploče urban landscape is very similar to East Africa in the late 19th century. Germans with a combination of Eastern and Western characteristics can be seen everywhere on the streets.
Many East African companies have invested in this city, and East African capital is also an important reason for the rapid development of Ploče. Although Dalmatia's terrain is mostly mountainous, it is precisely because of this that the mineral resources here are relatively rich. What's more, it has the advantage of sea transportation. Therefore, in recent years, Dalmatia's industrial development has been relatively fast in the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After World War I, East Africa resumed investment in the area, and it became one of the key port areas for economic cooperation between East Africa and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, second only to the Port of Trieste in the north and the Port of Venice.
Of course, except for a few cities such as Ploče, Dalmatia's economy is still mainly based on agriculture. Dalmatia is very suitable for the cultivation of cash crops. It is one of the important planting areas of agricultural products such as grapes, olives, tobacco and cotton in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The only pity is that the local plain area is relatively small.
Moreover, the plains are mainly distributed in the central and southern parts, which is one of the important reasons for the rapid growth of the German population in recent years.
Recruitment Office in Ploče.
Recruiting officer Hull was introducing to the reserve soldiers who had come to report at the recruitment office: "According to the requirements of the Empire, the entire Kingdom of Dalmatia will recruit about 20,000 soldiers this time. Our city of Ploče is also among them. Based on factors such as population and economic level, we must complete the minimum quota of at least 2,000."
"However, there is no need to worry. The purpose of this conscription is mainly to go to various regions of the empire, especially Bosnia and other places, to maintain stability. It is highly unlikely that a war will break out."
Obviously, the performance of Dalmatian soldiers in World War I won the trust of the Austro-Hungarian government. In addition to their bravery and fighting skills, the loyalty of the Dalmatian army was more worthy of Vienna's attention.
Specifically, Dalmatian soldiers were more obedient and did not have as strong a sense of independence as other regions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Now, Dalmatian regular troops have been transferred to Hungary to quell the rebellion, but the Austro-Hungarian Empire still needs more Dalmatian soldiers to enter those sensitive places to prevent them from taking advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.
Fred, a veteran who retired after World War I, said to Hull: "Lieutenant Hull, what is the current war situation in Hungary? Does the Empire need more troops to enter Hungary to quell the rebellion?"
Fred participated in World War I and traveled with the troops to many regions during the war. He even went to the Ottoman Empire with the troops and participated in the battle with the British.
Therefore, there is no need to say much about his military qualities. However, after the war, with large-scale disarmament in European countries, Fred had to retire and return home.
Lieutenant Hull said politely: "The situation in Budapest is quite bad, but in most parts of Hungary, the overall situation is still under control."
"With the intervention of the imperial army, I believe the rebellion in Budapest will be suppressed soon."
Hearing this, Fred said with some regret: "That's such a pity. I was thinking whether I would have the opportunity to participate in the war in Hungary!"
Lieutenant Hull asked in confusion, "Why do you say that, Mr. Fred? War kills people, and many people in the empire wish they could stay away from war."
Fred smiled and said, "Actually, there aren't many reasons. After all, although war is cruel, it's not easy for ordinary people like us. Besides, I'm older now, so I want to give it a try."
There are many opportunities for low-level soldiers to make money during the war, especially when fighting abroad, and Fred was once one of them. As long as he can come back alive, his wealth will basically increase a lot.
The Kingdom of Dalmatia is not like East Africa. As a remote mountainous area of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the economic situation here is actually not very ideal, especially due to the population growth and slow economic development in recent years.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Dalmatia has become one of the main areas of population outflow in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In order to make a living, many Dalmatians choose to work in relatively economically developed areas of the Austro-Hungarian Empire such as Austria and Slovenia.
In comparison, the army is also a good choice. In recent years, the development of Dalmatian soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian army has been relatively good.
Lieutenant Hull probably understood Fred's thoughts. He said with a hint of admiration, "Dalmatia is indeed the best source of soldiers for the empire. If the people of other ethnic groups in the empire could have your awareness, the empire would not have fallen into the current predicament."
Lieutenant Hull was a genuine Austrian, even an aristocrat whose family had fallen on hard times.
As Austrians, they have a huge difference with the Germans, that is their view on mixed-race Germans.
After all, Germany is completely composed of Germans, while the Austro-Hungarian Empire is a multi-ethnic country.
Austrians, who live in a multi-ethnic country, are much more tolerant than Germans when they come into contact with other groups. After all, no matter how dissatisfied they are, they still live under the same roof.
Compared with Hungarians, Croatians, Serbs and other completely foreign ethnic groups, mixed-race Germans are considered "their own people" in the eyes of Austrians.
Therefore, the vast majority of Austrians have a favorable impression of the mixed-race Germans within the empire, while the Germans are just the opposite. In the eyes of the vast majority of Germans, mixed-race Germans are people with "impure blood."
Of course, not all Austrians can accept these mixed-race Germans, especially the extreme nationalists, but this kind of extreme nationalism is extremely rare in Austria, and some of them have fled to Germany.
Similarly, most extreme nationalists who distinguish based on bloodline do not like East Africa.
Fred said to Lieutenant Hull, "Lieutenant Hull, thank you for your understanding. Of course, personally, I just want to find a stable job. The army is a good choice. Unfortunately, after the World War, we were laid off by the army."
"When I was in the army, I could not only eat and drink enough, but also send money home. After leaving the army, I mainly worked as a farmer at home in the past few years, but the economic situation has not been very good in recent years, so the army is more suitable for people like me."
Lieutenant Hull also has his own thoughts on the poor economic situation of the Empire. He said: "In fact, among the major powers in the world, the economic development of the Empire is relatively slow compared to other countries."
"One of the most important reasons is the fragmentation of the empire. This de facto fragmentation made it impossible to effectively integrate the industry of the entire empire. Therefore, in international competition, the empire was actually at a disadvantage."
"If the rest of the empire could be as thoroughly Germanized as Dalmatia, the economic situation might improve significantly."
"Let's not talk about anything else. Take our army for example. There are actually several languages and many dialects in the army of a country."
"This has greatly hindered the development of the Imperial Army. If it were not for this, perhaps the Imperial Army would have achieved greater results in the World War."
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a true federal state, and it even had two political centers, Vienna and Budapest.
This also made it impossible for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to integrate its own resources and industries, resulting in unnecessary internal friction and waste.
The feedback at the economic level was that the Austro-Hungarian Empire gradually fell behind other major powers in international competition.
Fred could not understand Hull's idea very deeply. After all, he had only received the most basic compulsory primary education. And in Dalmatia's compulsory education, apart from the active promotion of German, there was not much that could be learned.
So, after a brief chat with Fred, Lieutenant Hull went back to his work.
The conscription work in Ploče went smoothly. In less than half a month, all the targets were met.
These hastily recruited soldiers were hastily transferred to other places by the Austro-Hungarian Empire after a simple training.
Because many soldiers had participated in World War I, they did not have to worry too much about combat effectiveness. Moreover, their main task was to go to some turbulent areas to maintain stability, rather than to go to the Hungarian front to quell the rebellion.
After the conscription was completed, the soldiers from Ploče were sent to Mostar by rail for reorganization, and then went to the Bosnia region, especially focusing on guarding the border area between Bosnia and the Kingdom of Serbia.
However, the Kingdom of Serbia obviously had no intention of taking advantage of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during this period, because the Labor Party Incident also broke out in Serbia.
As the loser of World War I, Serbia's situation can be said to be quite bad. Not only did it cede territory and pay compensation, but its economy has never recovered.
Moreover, before World War I, Serbia was an important ally of Russia. Therefore, after the establishment of the Soviet Union, it also attached great importance to Serbia.
At the same time as the Hungarian events, the Serbian Labor Party also began their actions to overthrow the Kingdom of Serbia.
Moreover, compared with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Serbian Labor Party has a greater chance of success because the Kingdom of Serbia has long lost the support of the people.
Before this, Serbia had experienced many upheavals, and the Royal Serbian government could be said to have been in a state of survival.
Therefore, the Labor Party has a high chance of success in Serbia this time, and unlike Hungary, the Soviet Union directly expressed its support for the Serbian Labor Party.
After all, Hungary involves the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although the Soviet Union also hopes to disintegrate this feudal monarchy, the Soviet Union does not want to confront the Austro-Hungarian Empire directly due to economic development. Unless the Hungarian Labor Party can perform beyond expectations, or the Austro-Hungarian Empire handles the Hungarian incident very poorly, the Soviet Union will not end easily.
As for Serbia, the Soviet Union did not have so many concerns, because Serbia was previously a member of the Allied Powers. The Soviet Union had no concerns about Britain and France, after all, the two countries were too far away from here.
At the same time, Serbia is a small country, so providing military assistance to Serbia is well within the Soviet Union's capabilities.
Thus, in 1926, Austria-Hungary and Serbia, two mortal enemies during the world war, were simultaneously caught up in the Labour Party's troubles, which further intensified the other imperialist countries' vigilance and hatred towards the Labour Party.
(End of this chapter)
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