Chapter 236 The "Roman" plot.
Speaking of the Italian issue, Franz's face darkened. After the Austro-Prussian War, Italy took Venice. Before that, Italy used the same method to take Lombardy and a number of Italian affiliates of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with the support of the French. Italy is indeed the biggest enemy outside the Austro-Hungarian Empire at present.
Prussia gained leadership in the German region, although they had never fought. However, Italy, the newbie, was too good at taking sides, and what it took was the territory of the Austrian Empire. As a result, Austria now only has the port of Trieste to maintain its fragile navy. This is indeed the greatest humiliation Austria has suffered in recent years.
Franz greeted Italy, Prussia and the rebellious Hungary in his heart. Internal and external troubles were coming one after another.
"Do you have an idea?" Franz asked.
The French are now protecting the Papal States. Napoleon III can be said to be the biggest promoter of the unification of Italy. During his early years in exile in Italy, he also joined the Italian "Carbonari". After Napoleon III became emperor in 1851, he clearly put forward the "nationalist principle" to support the unification of Italy. In 1856, the Crimean War broke out. At the end of the war, the Kingdom of Sardinia took advantage of the rift between Britain and France and stood with the French to win the trust of Napoleon III. In order to win over France, the Kingdom of Sardinia defeated the powerful enemy Austria with the help of France in exchange for Savoy and Nice, and seized the Lombardy region controlled by Austria. At the same time, it annexed small states such as Tuscany, Parma, Modena and other small states under the influence of Austria, and initially unified Italy.
From this perspective, the geopolitical environment of Prussia, France, Italy, Hungary, Austria-Smania and Tsarist Russia, which had messed up relations, was extremely bad.
Ernst said: "The question now is whether France will lose on the European battlefield and withdraw its troops from Rome to support mainland France."
Franz and Ferdinand looked at each other in disbelief and said, "You mean to say that Prussia can pose a huge threat to France?"
It’s not that they look down on Prussia, but France is recognized as the most powerful country in Europe. Even the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is also a member of the great powers, has to admit this.
France has always given people the impression of being very powerful, especially in the Napoleonic era, when it single-handedly challenged many heroes. After the restoration of Napoleon III, the French army was still powerful. It regained ground from Tsarist Russia in Crimea and made Austria suffer in Italy in recent years.
"To put it bluntly, you have fought against Prussia yourself, and at that time Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire on its own."
"That's different. Prussia had Italy as an ally, and the situation in the empire was not very good at the time..." Franz retorted.
"We haven't fought before. We haven't fought before. And you all know what Italy's level is. To be honest, the Italian army might not be able to successfully conquer the Abyssinian Empire in northern East Africa if it were in Africa."
"hehe……"
Franz and Ferdinand obviously didn't believe it. How could the level of the natives be comparable to that of Europeans? If the opponent was East African, it would be about the same.
"It's fine if you don't believe it. There's no need to be sarcastic. Just admit how inferior the Italian army is to yours!"
With the example of the last war in mind, it is indeed impossible to overturn the verdict.
"Besides, Prussia was just Prussia before, but now it is the entire North German Confederation. Moreover, the Prussian army has grown rapidly over the years. From a weakling in the anti-French war, it fought a draw with Denmark and later succeeded in revenge. In the past few years, it turned the Austrian Empire into the Austro-Hungarian Empire and took the lead in Germany. Now that four years have passed, the Prussian army should have reached a new height."
"You are exaggerating a little bit..."
"Whether I am bragging or not, I think I still have some say. Apart from anything else, the quality of the Prussian army's equipment has improved a lot in recent years. After all, I made my fortune with the dividends of the Second Schleswig War. Even the Austro-Prussian War helped my business to reach a higher level. I will make a lot of money in the Franco-Prussian War next." Ernst said proudly.
Prussia declared war on France. Apart from anything else, with so many troops, military expenses had to be raised, and a lot of war bonds would definitely be issued. The current size of the Hechingen Bank was just right for doing some business, and it would inevitably have to take its share of the 5 billion war reparations.
"The last time Prussia fought you, it mobilized more than 500,000 troops in a short period of time. If Prussia attacks France this time, it will probably mobilize a million troops!"
Franz and Ferdinand did not refute this time. Prussia, which had integrated the northern German region, did have this ability. Prussia's mobilization capabilities during the Austro-Prussian War were terrifying, but that was not Prussia's limit, because there were many Austrian allies mixed in the Prussian territory at the time, and Prussia's railway system could not use its full strength.
In addition, in the last war, the states incorporated into the North German Confederation are all densely populated and economically developed regions. Their population in recent years should be at least close to 30 million, while the population of France is about 38 million. The difference between the two sides is not that big, because the southern German region has not been counted. The strength of several southern German states is not bad. The last Austro-Prussian War established Prussia's leadership in the German region, so several southern German states will also support Prussia. Bavaria alone can make up for the population gap between the two groups.
The total population of the Lesser Germany region exceeds 40 million, and Southern Germany can tie down part of the French military forces without exerting its full strength.
"Prussia must have a war plan against you. Although this war will never break out, they will definitely be on guard against you siding with France." Ernst teased unkindly.
I think so! Franz said in his heart. In fact, Austria-Hungary could not participate in the war. As his foreign minister said, "Austria-Hungary is already a 'defensive country' that cannot engage in territorial expansion. This country is already 'overweight' and can't carry anything. Whether it is soil or gold, it will capsize."
"If Prussia and France fight, it will probably be a very tragic war. The French are not to be feared, because Napoleon III is not Napoleon the Great. Regardless of winning or losing, France and Prussia will do their best at the beginning. The Roman garrison closest to France will probably have to return home to support!" Ernst sighed, "What do you think Italy will do at this time?"
"Take this opportunity to annex the Papal States!"
"That's right, so this is the last chance for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is difficult for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to expand, but it is still possible to cause trouble for its enemies."
"But how can we interfere in Italy, especially the Papal States? It is on the west coast of Italy. Even if we want to mobilize troops to intervene, it will be difficult! Besides, the French haven't left yet, and we have no reason to interfere in the affairs of the Papal States." Franz asked.
"So, send the troops there first!"
"How do we arrange this? This is impossible!"
"The military doesn't have to wear uniforms or carry weapons. You say it's the military, but to me it looks like devout believers making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land."
"You mean to disguise yourself as a Christian and enter the Papal States! There must be a lot of people who want to interfere in the affairs of the Papal States!"
"So we can slowly make arrangements over the next two months. It would be safer to have at least 5,000 people, and enter the Papal States in batches. As long as they can hold Italy back, the Empire will be able to successfully threaten Italy from Venice."
"How to deal with weapons!"
"Of course, they should be transported by merchant ships. At the same time, a special diplomatic person should be appointed to contact the Pope in time when the French army is preparing to withdraw, and invite Austria to send troops to achieve justice."
Franz fell into deep thought. This plan was still feasible, but its implementation was quite difficult. Any mistake in any link could lead to failure. It was like gambling, which made Franz, the emperor who was devoted to maintaining stability, hesitant.
Ernst continued to instigate, "If you miss this opportunity, you won't even have anything to regret. You know what Italy hates most, they are France and Austria-Hungary. According to the principle of picking the weakest persimmon, Italy will only be more aggressive towards Austria-Hungary in the future. The hatred has already been established, and southern Austria and even the eastern Balkan Peninsula are Italy's homeland that it has always missed."
"Okay, I will consider this matter, but this plan is too risky. I still have to think carefully about it. Military affairs should not be taken lightly. I will discuss the feasibility of the plan with the army first, and then make a decision."
(End of this chapter)
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