Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 654 - 227: War Breaks Out

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Shortly after the Russian-Austrian agreement was exposed, the Berlin Government openly counteracted by publishing the "Anglo-Prussian Debt Agreement" and the "Franco-Prussian Debt Agreement".

Secrecy was no longer an issue; it was now a time to boost morale. How could the citizens bravely participate in the war without favorable news?

International loans were always linked to politics, implying alliances during the provision of funding.

England and France supported the Prusso Federation, while Austria and the Nordic Federation backed the Russian Empire; other European countries also chose sides.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and the German Federation were more inclined to support the Prusso Federation, whereas Greece and Montenegro supported Russia.

The Prusso Federation still held an advantage in terms of international support, but the Russian Empire had greater potential for war, so both sides were evenly matched.

At the Vienna Palace, Franz felt no surprise at the diplomatic loss to the Russians. For the Tsarist Government to have persuaded the Nordic Federation was an overachievement given their diplomatic skills.

Denmark played a significant role in this; without the Danish effort, even with Austria’s guarantee, the Tsarist Government would not have easily convinced the Nordic Federation to contribute funds.

The old grudges between the Russians and Sweden were decades old, with the older generation gone, and the bitterness was less acute for the new. However, the grievances between Prussia and Denmark were different; being only a few decades old, they were still fresh in everyone’s mind.

No matter how much the Russians were resented, they had gone to war with Prussia on behalf of the Danish, and most Danish people felt favorably towards the Tsarist Government.

Though the Nordic Federation was centered around Sweden, the Central Government had to take into account the feelings of the Danish public when making decisions.

Moreover, the Tsarist Government’s offer was very tempting. With the Vienna Government’s guarantee, the risk of debt default had been greatly reduced.

At worst, they could even profit handsomely from the war. The Krone wasn’t an international currency; apart from spending within the Nordic Federation, the Russians had nowhere else to use it.

If luck was on their side, they could capture Finland without a fight and that would be a huge windfall.

The outside world was in an uproar over the forthcoming war, with a wide range of opinions.

Some even divided the European world into two camps, viewing this Prusso-Russian war as a chess game among England, France, and Austria.

These chaotic news reports did not affect Franz’s good mood. The situation was unfolding exactly as he had foreseen, with perhaps only minor deviations.

Having put down the newspaper in his hand, Franz said, "First, allocate 100 million Divine Shields to the Russians, and let the Tsarist Government be bold in their actions!"

Loans required installment payments; banks couldn’t transfer hundreds of millions of Divine Shields in cash without affecting their operations.

As for bonds, they had only just been issued and couldn’t be fully sold for several months; the Tsarist Government wouldn’t have the money for a while.

Receiving 100 million Divine Shields in such a short time was definitely preferential treatment; normal commercial loans were never that quick.

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Funds embolden heroes, and with the money in hand, the Russians were fully unleashed, immediately recruiting soldiers nationwide.

In the Winter Palace, Alexander II was listening to his son’s report. Unable to secure support from England and France, Alexandrovich’s European journey came to a premature end.

"Are you saying that England, France, and Austria conspired to have us mutually exhausted?" Alexander II couldn’t help but be startled, as the current situation had deviated from his expectations.

Originally, Alexander II had imagined easing tensions with England and France, hoping they would remain neutral in the conflict, at least neutral at the onset of the war. It turned out to be a vain effort.

Alexandrovich nodded, "Although there is no direct evidence proving this, their recent actions have made it clear.

The negotiations earlier were so difficult, and then suddenly an agreement was reached; this is obviously not normal.

If you analyze the turning point in the negotiations, you will realize that after the UK and Prussia reached an agreement, the Austrians suddenly made significant concessions to us, no longer requiring us to mortgage all our gold.

It’s now the end of October, in at most two more months, winter will begin, and it’s impossible to decide the outcome of the war in such a short time.

Yet, the funds have arrived just in time, and the enemy has started to expand their army massively.

If the war is delayed until the spring of next year, we will be facing not tens of thousands, but millions of well-armed troops."

The Russian Army had certain advantages in winter warfare, but these depended on timing and location.

It was an advantage when defending the homeland, but launching an offensive was a different matter.

Not all regions experienced winters as cold as Russia, particularly the Polish Region, which wasn’t cold enough.

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After pacing a few steps, Alexander II said self-deprecatingly, "It doesn’t matter, on the whole it’s still to our advantage.

It seems that the impact of our last failure has not yet subsided, the Austrians do not regard us favorably, fearing we will suffer a crushing defeat.

This is a good thing, as such judgment will prompt the Vienna Government to increase their support for us in the early stages. If we can take this opportunity to severely damage the enemy this winter, the situation will be completely different."

Years of imperial life had matured Alexander II, and he had become a competent monarch. He was able to find the advantageous aspects in the shortest time and strived to amplify this advantage.

The foundations of the Prusso Federation were not solid; should they fail once, they would be greatly weakened. If they were to be dealt a serious blow, they definitely wouldn’t recover over one winter.

By contrast, the Russian Empire’s advantages were much greater. With its population advantage, even if it suffered a defeat, one winter would be enough to recover.

Crown Prince Alexandrovich was on the verge of speaking out about the conspiracy of England, France, and Austria, which was aimed at preventing the outbreak of war; however, reality told him this was not possible.

The power of hatred is immense, and even knowing this news did not waver Alexander II’s determination to wage war.

Deep down, Alexander II also did not wish to launch a war at this time. But he had no choice, and neither did the Russian Empire. Discover hidden tales at NovelBin.Côm

If they didn’t act now, waiting for the enemy to be fully prepared would only decrease their chances of victory even further.

The Russian Empire was simply too vast. Several main railway lines had already been completed, and it was not possible to significantly improve transport again in the short term; however, the enemy could. If delayed another year or two, the railway network within the Prusso Federation would be interconnected.

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Minister of the Army Parladro Wald: "Your Majesty, we have completed our war preparations and are awaiting your orders to launch the attack.

As of yesterday afternoon, we have mobilized 1.68 million troops, and this number is still increasing at the rate of 150,000 per month. Of these, 820,000 troops have already assembled on the border.

Frontline strategic materials are all ready, sufficient to support the needs of one million troops for half a year of combat.

Moreover, we have stockpiled a large amount of food in major cities along the way, which can be distributed nearby to minimize logistical pressure."

Without a doubt, the Russian People were much better prepared for this war than the last. A large amount of strategic materials had been transported and stored at the front line in advance, so as not to find their army waiting for logistics at the outbreak of war.

The facts proved that Alexander II’s reforms were not in vain. Compared to before, the efficiency and execution of the Tsarist Government had greatly improved.

War fosters growth, and this saying is utterly true. After having been defeated once, the Tsarist Government, through trial and error, had managed to establish a wartime mobilization mechanism.

How effective this was, still needed to be tested. But even the poorest mobilization mechanism was better than directly conscripting serfs onto the battlefield as before.

After pondering for a moment, Alexander II made his decision: "Shame can only be washed away with blood; since we are ready, let us declare war on the Prusso Federation!"

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While the Tsarist Government decided to wage war, the Prusso Federation’s war machine was also set into motion, with the high levels of the Berlin Government gathered around a roughly ten square meter sand table.

A year ago, Marshal Maoqi resigned from his position as Prime Minister and returned to his post in the General Staff.

Maoqi, holding the baton, was much better at this than being Prime Minister. In fact, during his many years as Prime Minister, he spent most of his time busy with military construction, rarely interfering in political issues.

His tenure as Prime Minister was the result of a compromise of various interests, and personal ability was actually the least important factor.

Prussia was a military with a state, and the Prusso Federation inherited this well. The military had a very large say in politics, and without the overpowered Bismarck, no one could suppress these proud soldiers.

Wilhelm I was quite capable, but as King, he couldn’t personally handle everything, so he had to find a way to maintain balance in politics.

Maoqi, while pointing with his baton at the sand table, explained, "Your Majesty, you see, the blue flags represent the Russian Army’s forces. The enemy has deployed about eight hundred thousand troops along the border.

This is just the beginning, as the enemy has amassed a large number of forces in the rear that can be sent to the front at any time.

It’s already October, and winter is not far off. It’s almost impossible to achieve a quick battle and quick victory, quickly defeating the enemy in a short period of time.

The General Staff plans to launch an offensive from the Polish Region before the arrival of winter, with the aim to push the battle to the Dnieper River and cut off the enemy’s water transportation routes."

The Dnieper River originates from the southern foothills of the Valdai Hills, flowing south through Belarus and Ukraine into the Black Sea. Most of the river can be navigated, holding high strategic and economic value.

Utilizing this waterway, the Russians could directly transport supplies from Austria to the hands of their frontline troops.

In the last war, it was after the Prussian Army cut off this waterway, increasing the transportation pressure on the Russians, that the Russian Army at the front found itself in a plight due to the shortage of supplies.

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