Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 674 - 247, The Law of the Jungle

Franz’s worries were superfluous. Without needing any reminder from the Vienna Government, the Tsarist Government had already begun taking action.

However, their means were somewhat immature, probably because they were unprepared in advance, and the evidence produced by the Russians was not persuasive enough.

There were no movies at that time, makeup had not yet become one of the four great wicked arts, and there were no special effects to speak of, so it was somewhat difficult to fake photographs.

No, to be precise, the Tsarist Government had no concept of faking it at all.

The Berlin Government had launched a media offensive, and the Prussian Army at the front had been ordered to maintain military discipline long ago, so catching the Prussians red-handed at this time was naturally not easy.

The photographic evidence provided by the Tsarist Government had even been kindly sponsored by the Austrian Government.

These were unintentionally captured by the Austrian military while collecting battlefield intelligence, with very few taken actually on the ground, and most from aboard airships.

One could hardly expect clarity; it was good enough to be able to see a human figure amidst the blur. This was partly because the airships flew too high, and partly because the cameras were not advanced enough.

If it weren’t for the newspapers intent on boosting sales and stirring up controversy, the evidence provided by the Tsarist Government would not have caused even a ripple before being suppressed.

In any case, having some controversy was better than none at all. As per usual, these kinds of public opinion debates usually ended up veering off-topic.

In the words of the mentor, "The Russian Army are bandits, the Prussian Army are robbers." In short, neither were good stuff.

With each side taking its turn, this winter, the performance of Prussia and Russia provided the European populace a grand drama to watch.

As temperatures fell, the Prusso-Russian War also began to ease. After winter set in, non-combat attrition in the Prussian Army increased day by day. To minimize losses, Maoqi had no choice but to halt the offensive.

The Russians indeed had better tolerance for cold, but they also needed to hoard strategic supplies over this winter. Unless they could ensure victory this winter, the Russian Army would have to halt their advance.

This was a necessity, with spring’s arrival and the melting snow turning the roads into muddy quagmires, making transport of supplies extremely difficult.

Having suffered from shortage of provisions, the bureaucrats of the Tsarist Government had evolved. It was better to crush the enemy flatly and squarely; why take unnecessary risks?

Of course, the "Winter Offense" had to take place. The Russian Army continued to besiege Smolensk, a fortress city conveniently located by the Dnieper River, which allowed for easy water transportation.

It was better to forego the rest of the areas, which were already on the defensive. Why not use the winter to strengthen defensive fortifications instead of going out to engage the enemy in open field battles?

…

As the Prussian-Russian battlefield stabilized, the war in South America underwent dramatic changes. The previously dominant Peru-Bolivia Alliance began to fall into a disadvantage after the British intervened.

Two months ago, 7,000 Chilean soldiers, escorted by 6 warships, landed near the Iquique Fortress, successfully defeating the Peru-Bolivia Allied Forces and reversing the balance of power.

Looking at the intelligence gathered by the Foreign Affairs Department, Franz didn’t even know how to comment. Bolivia was like ’trying to make bricks without straw’.

Who could have imagined the Bolivian military was still using bows and crossbows?

If that was all they had, it might be excusable. The issue was that Bolivia had received support from Austria and had purchased a large amount of second-hand equipment prior to the war.

Franz admitted that time was short and that the Bolivian military, filled with a large number of Indians, faced difficulties with an immediate equipment upgrade without training.

But regardless of the difficulties, they had to adapt! Even if the forces couldn’t be trained to be proficient, it should still be possible to teach them how to shoot.

There were nearly six months from preparations to the fall of Iquique. The army wasn’t the navy; there should have been ample time to urgently cobble together a force capable of putting up a fight.

Regarding the internal issues of Bolivia involved in this, Franz no longer cared. Now he was just glad he had let go in time and stopped supporting this "useless lot."

It wasn’t just the Bolivian military that was rubbish, the victorious Chilean military wasn’t much better either. For them to take so much effort to defeat such riffraff.

A war of inferiority, utterly lacking in interest, even incapable of providing lessons to be learned. Franz seriously doubted that even the Montenegro Duchy, were it placed in South America, would become a hegemon.

Initially worried about the rise of Chile and the dangers to Austria in South America, Franz now felt relieved. Should it come to war, he estimated that the Chilean military probably couldn’t even beat the local militia.

The South American War was no longer referred to as the "Pacific War." Compared to the brutal Prussian-Russian War, the battles between Chile, Bolivia, and Peru were nothing but child’s play.

European media, with undisguised mockery, began using the terms "Bird Poop War" or the "Nitre War" instead of the former "Pacific War."

Now, Franz somewhat understood why the European populace was so proud. It wasn’t a matter of their arrogance or short-sightedness; it was all highlighted by their weak challengers.

Indeed, the center of the world in the 19th century was in Europe, where all the major powers of the time were concentrated on the European Continent, without a single challenger in sight worldwide.

If there had been no World War in the original timeline, this advantage would have continued for many years. History is devoid of "ifs," and World War was both a coincidence and an inevitability.

Even now, on the European Continent, Franz couldn’t guarantee that a great war would never break out. Plainly put, war is the continuation of politics, and politics are driven by interests.

...

Foreign Minister Weisenberg, "Your Majesty, this morning the Chilean envoy extended an invitation to us, hoping that we could mediate the Pacific War, England and France have received the same invitation."

There’s nothing surprising about that, ever since England, France, and Austria announced their alliance, conflicts around the world have been their responsibility to mediate.

Even without an invitation, the three countries would offer their services, under the noble pretense of "world peace," but the real purpose was naturally...

After looking at the map of South America for a while, Franz finally said, "The current Chilean Government is not bad, knowing when to stop, but would Peru and Bolivia agree to it?"

The Chileans had already occupied regions like Antofagasta, Tarapaca, Arica, and Tacna, which happened to be the main sources of saltpeter and guano.

Having obtained the benefits they desired, the war could not yield any greater benefits if continued, so the Chilean Government’s choice to secure the gains was undoubtedly the wisest move.

If the war went on, it was uncertain whether they could gain more, and if it dragged on until the Prussian-Russian war ended and France and Austria turned their attention back to South America, it would then be difficult to digest the spoils of war.

Weisenberg answered, "That might be difficult. Militarily speaking, Peru and Bolivia still have the capacity to fight.

Especially Peru, with a much larger population than Chile, can still withstand the current losses, so continuing the fight might give them a chance to turn the tables.

Politically, the situation is even clearer. Due to defeats at the front, both Peru and Bolivia have changed governments, with a strong pro-war atmosphere among the public, leaving them with no option but to continue fighting.

Chile’s invitation for us to intervene is mainly to use our and England and France’s influence to force the two governments to compromise."

"Maintaining world peace" is the banner and political program of the England, France, and Austria alliance, having declared this stance, the Vienna Government cannot reject the Chilean Government’s mediation invitation, even if just for appearances.

Not just this "mediation" invitation, the three countries would send delegates to any global mediation invitations.

The three nations’ eagerness to engage in international affairs was naturally not without purpose. What seemed like simple mediation was also a division of regional interests.

As the three most powerful countries in the world today, involvement ensured that they could each take a share, which is the very essence of the Imperialist era.

"Go through the motions, we don’t have much at stake in South America. If Peru and Bolivia want to continue the war, let them be.

As a responsible great power, we must fully respect the opinions of small countries and not impose our will on them without consideration."

While speaking, Franz waved his hand indifferently, as though the matter was of no concern to him, yet a frown between his brows betrayed his inner dissatisfaction.

Stopping the war at this point would undoubtedly see the British taking the lion’s share, with Chile right behind them grabbing the meat, and France and Austria relegated to a supporting role.

Situations like this had happened more than once or twice. Being short-changed multiple times would inevitably cause dissatisfaction.

In this dog-eat-dog era, your strength dictated the benefits you could claim—it was not inherently unjust. The problem lay in the shifting balance of power among England, France, and Austria, where the division of interests had not changed in line with their power.

Encouraging Peru and Bolivia to continue the war was Franz’s retaliation. Since the British wanted to take the biggest share, let them keep investing!

If by chance the Peru-Bolivia Alliance got lucky and turned the tables on the battlefield, the situation would change drastically. Even if the odds were low, Franz was willing to take a gamble.

If he lost the bet, it would be a nuisance for the British; if he won, he might even destabilize their dominance in South America.

From Austria’s perspective, no matter how you looked at it, it was worth it.

As for Peru and Bolivia, they had made their choice and must see it through, even if in tears.

Not forcing them to cede territory and pay indemnities to end the war was the greatest form of respect in itself.

Austria wasn’t just sweet-talking with empty promises; there was support in the form of armaments and ammunition. Though payment was required, securing loans and military supplies during wartime was a form of support in itself.

Whatever caused the "Guano War" doesn’t matter anymore, nor who’s right or wrong.

For Peru and Bolivia, the enemy is already at the door. The war is no longer about guano or saltpeter, but a battle to defend their territory.

If it’s about defending the homeland, they must step up themselves. Can they really expect others to help?

...