Chapter 34 Mobilization
The time came to May 1866.
Today, Ernst attended a class reunion. He felt ashamed to say that he relied on backdoor connections to study in Berlin, but ended up abandoning his studies halfway.
Today's gathering place is a large hotel 960 meters south of the University of Berlin, where many dignitaries who come to Berlin stay.
In the magnificent hall.
"Welcome, sir!" As soon as he arrived at the door, Ernst, dressed in a suit and tie, was greeted by the service staff.
Second floor
"Sir, please show me your invitation!"
Ernst handed the invitation to the waiter. After carefully observing Ernst's invitation, he said politely: "Your Excellency Ernst, please come in. I wish you a good time!"
…
In the party hall, the crystal chandelier hung high on the dome, illuminating the entire hall. Many people had already arrived at the venue.
"Ernst, here!"
Garrett, dressed in officer's uniform, waved to Ernst.
"Garrit, you joined the army?" Ernst looked surprised.
Garrett said complacently, "Oh! The old man said that my grades were too poor and he insisted on finding me a position in the army."
"In which unit?"
"Isn't this the Empire's plan to expand its military? That's why the old man told me that now is the best time to gain experience. As long as I fight on the battlefield, I'll have experience in the future. Now I'm the staff officer of the 3rd Company of the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the Kingdom."
Ernst patted Garrett on the shoulder and said, "Very good. Now it's your chance to play."
"Ernst, do you have any inside information? Can you tell it to me?" Garrett said with a wink.
"You have misunderstood me. I am more of an entrepreneur now, and I don't have any inside information about the military. However, I do know a little about the procurement of military supplies, but it's a pity that it won't be of much help to you."
"Ah! Forget it. Doesn't your father, Prince Constantine, serve in the General Staff? Didn't he tell you about the army?"
Ernst smiled and said, "I am not interested in military affairs, and my father and I have never discussed this topic. Besides, the kingdom now attaches great importance to training young people. As a university student in Berlin, are you still worried that you won't be able to make a name for yourself in the military camp?"
"Haha... No, I'm just being a little gossipy. After all, everyone wants to take a peek at the answers before the exam, right?"
Ernst nodded: "It's human nature, I understand."
"The main thing is that now Ernst, you have made your own career. We were both poor students, and we agreed to study together, but you ended up going solo! Ever since you stopped coming to school, I've been the one with the worst grades."
Garet smiled and said, "Business has been good in the past few months! Our troops have purchased a lot of your company's products."
"It's just a small business. If you become successful in the army, don't forget to support your old classmates' business!"
Garet said speechlessly: "Don't show off. Everyone knows the relationship between the royal family and you. Damn second generation, I still need you to help my younger brother in the future."
Ernst teased, "Alas, who can tell about war? What if you are a military genius like Moltke? Maybe you will have a place in the upper echelons of the kingdom in the future."
Ernst originally wanted to say Napoleon-like genius, but changed his mind when he thought of Napoleon's reputation in Germany.
"Okay, let's stop talking about this and go drink. We must get you drunk today!" Garrett said fiercely.
…
Prussian Royal Palace.
William I was discussing preparations for war with Prime Minister Bismarck and Army Chief of Staff Moltke.
William I: "Prime Minister, what are you going to do now?"
"Your Majesty, the war funds have been collected, and we have also won over the Italians as allies. Russia is temporarily unable to interfere in European affairs, and they fell out with Austria last time. Even if a war breaks out, they will side with us. Britain and France have no intention of intervening. They hope that both we and Austria will suffer losses. Therefore, we must quickly win the military victory to avoid interference from the great powers. As for the military, it still depends on the army's preparations."
Moltke said: "We have made perfect preparations this time. The three new corps have been completed, and the railway network has been connected to the military camps. We can quickly deploy 200,000 people to the front line. At present, there are 50,000 troops ready at the border. In addition to the previous reforms, we can call up hundreds of thousands of reserve troops to the front line in a short time with the help of railways. With the containment of the Italians, we have an advantage over Austria in terms of military strength."
Then Moltke placed his hand on the map and pointed to the center of Prussia: "This time, we must first deal with the northern German princes. Many of these princes are inclined towards Austria, and they are located in the heart of the Kingdom of Prussia, which may cause us trouble. As for the southern German countries including Bavaria, they are not determined to go to war. We must strive for their neutrality in diplomacy."
Bismarck said: "Don't worry about this. As long as we focus on the Austrian battlefield and focus on defense in the southern German region, these Austrian allies will not try their best. As long as we can deal with the Austrian army in a short time, other countries will inevitably succumb to the powerful power of Prussia."
In short, both of them agreed to give priority to solving the Austrian problem. Once Austria was solved, all problems would be solved.
William I walked in front of the table with his hands behind his back, thinking, and said, "A lion will use all its strength to fight a rabbit. Austria's reputation in Europe is not comparable to those small countries. Although Austria's development in recent years has not been satisfactory, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, especially the Austrian army, which has not declined significantly as a whole, so we should focus on increasing our offensive against Austria."
He walked to his desk, sat down, picked up a pen and crossed out the original plan.
"This is a battle for Prussia's fate. We must put everything on the line. The previous plan was too conservative. General Moltke, I now officially appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the Prussian Army. Prussia has entered a wartime state. All reservists must enter the army for training in advance. The railways must increase train schedules, and weapons must be replaced as soon as possible..."
William I went on to say: "Prime Minister, your government must cooperate with the military's requirements and do its utmost to facilitate the military. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must actively observe the dynamics of various European countries and not allow any accidents to happen..."
Following William I's orders, Prussia began its final mobilization before the war, and the three newly formed corps were sent directly to the western region of Prussia.
The number of military trains increased significantly every day, and trains carrying soldiers, artillery and supplies were moved across Prussia.
The reserve forces were called up in advance, the military camps were overcrowded with soldiers, the government began to build new training grounds in various places, and idle land was converted into new barracks.
The railway network was rearranged and railway workers began working overtime to maintain the lines to provide support for the sudden increase in train numbers.
At the same time, Prussia began to increase the construction of wired telegraph lines from the border to Berlin, and quickly popularized telegraph equipment on a large scale in the military.
When Prussia was mobilizing, Austria and Italy were also preparing, but their results were obviously not as good as that of Prussia, which pursued militarism.
(End of this chapter)
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