Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 585: Time at Sea

The enthusiasm for the pilgrimage was unstoppable. After a day of rest in Venice, everyone was back to full strength, and the journey resumed the next day.

Because of his seasickness, Franz didn’t like traveling around, and as a result, the Austrian royal family didn’t even have a dedicated cruise ship. For this trip, they borrowed a luxury passenger ship from the royal shipping company.

Even though it was a luxury passenger ship, it still felt a bit inadequate for such a large group of people.

There was no other choice as the time was too short. The date for the coronation had been set early, and they only had about three or four months to prepare. Even if a shipyard could finish building a ship in that time, Franz wouldn’t dare risk sailing on something rushed through construction.

The core members of the Habsburg dynasty were all on board. Any accident would be catastrophic, and he couldn’t take that kind of risk.

Initially, Franz had planned to travel by warship for safety, convenience, and prestige. Unfortunately, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. With elderly family members and children insisting on coming along, comfort had to be taken into consideration.

What seemed like an ordinary trip was actually accompanied by the full force of the Austrian Mediterranean fleet. Over a hundred warships, large and small, were stationed along the route, and more than a dozen main battleships escorted them.

This grand display was essentially a show of military strength.

The entire route along the eastern Mediterranean was lined with Austrian ports, and Franz and his entourage only traveled by ship during the day, resting on land at night. They only had to spend one night on the ship, so there were no real safety concerns.

Earlier that year, the Austrian navy had already cleared the eastern Mediterranean of pirates. Even if there were any stragglers, no one would be foolish enough to come out and get themselves killed at this time.

It was another calm day, and a bored Franz stood on the deck, gazing into the distance.

“Looking out at the sea again? Since when did you develop a liking for the ocean?” Empress Helene’s voice rang out.

Franz shook his head and handed over the binoculars, “Take a look yourself. It’s the youngsters who love the sea.”

Following Franz’s gesture, Empress Helene looked in the direction he pointed, and after a while, she remarked, “It’s good to be young!”

Her tone carried a hint of melancholy as if she were reminiscing about her lost youth.

Franz nodded in agreement. Time had flown by, and in the blink of an eye, he’d already been emperor for over twenty years.

Youthful passion and carefree days, unfortunately, that wasn’t the life of an emperor. In his younger years, he had to act mature and steady to earn people’s trust.

Now, after all these years, his power and status were firmly established, and he no longer needed to pretend. But sadly, the youth that had slipped away could never be regained.

After a moment of reflecting on the passage of time, Franz asked in a tone that suggested he was seeking advice, “What do you think about letting Frederick serve in the navy?”

Serving in the military was an essential part of life for members of the royal family. As the heir, Frederick would be no exception, the only question was whether he would join the army or the navy.

Back during the Near East War, Franz had been ready to send Frederick into the military for some experience. However, the new conscription law required soldiers to be at least 20 years old, and Frederick had been a little too young at the time.

As the rule maker, Franz was well aware of the consequences of breaking protocol. What might seem like a small change could actually mark the beginning of the collapse of a system.

Moreover, Frederick was the crown prince, and military achievements would only be the icing on the cake, with little substantive value. Franz had no intention of grooming a Napoleon-like successor. Austria needed a ruler who would maintain stability, not a conqueror.

Empress Helene firmly responded, “That’s a very bad idea! Austria is fundamentally a land-based power. Even though the navy has expanded rapidly in recent years, that hasn’t changed the country’s core nature.

Frederick is the crown prince. If he joins the navy, it would send the wrong political message to the outside world and spark a new round of land-sea rivalry.”

After so many years as empress, Helene was no longer a political novice. She had developed a solid ability to assess situations.

Austria’s geographic position made it impossible to shift away from a land-based strategy. With Russia, France, and Prussia—three major land powers—as neighbors, Austria was destined to maintain a strong continental army.

While outsiders may not have known this, the upper echelons were well aware that Franz placed great importance on developing the army. Although the total number of troops hadn’t expanded significantly, the size of the reserves had been steadily increasing.

The General Staff’s reserve plans were becoming ever more ambitious. As of today, should a major war break out, the Austrian government could mobilize three million reservists within a month, and that number could rise to five million within three months.

If it weren’t for Franz’s consistently stable governance, many might have suspected that the emperor was planning to sweep across Europe, given the seemingly extreme reserve system he had put in place.

Over time, however, people grew more at ease. His Majesty the Emperor preferred diplomacy, and the idea of him challenging the world seemed out of the question.

The international supporters of Austria believe that Franz’s massive reserve force is primarily meant to demonstrate fairness.

In the minds of many, wars don’t actually require such large numbers of soldiers. No matter the conflict, they think that a huge army won’t be needed.

The fact that everyone, from the royal family down to ordinary citizens, has to serve in the military, with no exceptions, is seen as a clear symbol of fairness.

Franz nodded helplessly and said, “That is indeed an issue, but it’s not unsolvable. Let Frederick make the choice for himself. I can handle the consequences for him.”

Even though Franz was confident he could keep the military in check, he still found it a bit of a headache. The rivalry between the army and the navy is something every major power faces, and it’s a problem that’s nearly impossible to fully resolve.

In fact, if the army and navy were ever to get along so well that they didn’t even bother competing for the budget, that would be a real disaster.

Take, for example, Montenegro which was newly elevated to the Kingdom of Montenegro. They’ve never had a land-sea rivalry.

Ever since the Ottoman Empire withdrew from the Balkans, Montenegro has truly let down its guard.

It must be said that this was a smart approach. For a small nation with a population of just 200,000, maintaining an army is a huge luxury.

Of course, Montenegro nominally still has an army and a navy. The police on land are considered the army, and the officers patrolling against smuggling on the sea are called the navy.

Thinking of expanding their military? That’s out of the question. Their neighbors aren’t easy to deal with, and if they provoke the Austrian government, they could be wiped out in no time.

Even fervent nationalism requires the right conditions to ignite. The rulers aren’t fools. No one would risk everything for a cause with no real hope of success.

Without that pressure, Montenegro, focused on peaceful farming, is doing quite well. While they haven’t become wealthy, they are on the road to prosperity.

On this trip, Franz had no intention of visiting neighboring countries. He was only passing through three nations. Greece and Montenegro weren’t important enough for him to court, and as for the Ottoman Empire… Well, they were already enemies, so there was no need for a visit, just battles to be fought.