Chapter 913: Declaration of War
Chapter 895 Declaration of War
On September 25, 1890, France and Belgium mobilized for war at nearly the same time, and everyone knew it was about to get real.
The eyes of Europe converged on Vienna, as the boss of the anti-French alliance, the position of the Austrian government at this time, will directly affect the next continental changes.
Vienna Palace
Franz asked, “Hasn’t the German Confederation made any noise yet?”
Belgium’s power alone could not hold back the French, wanting to wait until the arrival of Austrian reinforcements, the cooperation of North Germany at this time was particularly important.
Everyone understands the reasoning of lips dying and teeth chilling, once the French army occupies Belgium, North Germany will be reduced to a battlefield, and it is simply impossible to stand alone.
Against this background, it was a foregone conclusion that North Germany would send troops to support Belgium. However, this was only theoretical.
Many people are not necessarily more powerful, there are too many states within the German Confederation, and their respective core interests are different, not everyone is willing to fight the French to the death.
The world is never short of fools, the German Confederation also has such an existence, at this time there are still people who fantasize about out *** profit time in exchange for peace.
Conflicts arise, so let’s quarrel, anyway, the Reichstag exists to provide a place for everyone to quarrel.
Foreign Minister Weissenberg: “On the question of sending troops to reinforce Belgium, the North German states have reached a preliminary agreement.
However, on the distribution of troops and command authority, the parties have again disagreed.
George I is acting very passively and is not urging everyone to send troops in a hurry, it looks like he wants to conserve his strength.”
People have selfishness, and Franz was sure that both Belgium and Germany wanted France and Austria to lose both, or even to die together, in order to maximize their profits.
George I passive-aggressive is not surprising, anyway, the battlefield is far from Hanover, even if the front line lost, the first bad luck is also Belgium and Baden.
When the western territories have fallen, Austria’s reinforcements should also arrive, then follow the flag on the right.
The original time and space of the Austro-Prussian War, Austria is by a group of passive allies to the pit of death, had to face twice the strength of the enemy.
Franz frowned and fell into hesitation. Frankly speaking, before this he was not prepared to sell his teammates, after all, the strength of both Belgium and Germany is limited, it is not necessary to deliberately weaken.
But the scene that happened in front of him forced him to consider killing someone with a borrowed knife.
A German region with heavy losses seems to be more conducive to stability after unification and reduce some unnecessary trouble.
“The original emergency mobilization plan is cancelled, just mobilize according to normal intensity, and send troops to reinforce the Bidde front in a week.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should do a good job of coordinating and communicating, and must get the right to dispatch the railroads along the way. By the way, tell the Belgians that reinforcements will arrive within a month.
As for George I, leave him alone for now. Once war breaks out, they simply can’t hide.”
Franz still had the decency to delay the departure of troops by just a week, fully deserving the name of ally.
Anyone can not accuse Austria of pit allies, laborers will certainly have to do the preparatory work, a week is really not a lot of time.
In fact, the Austrian army, this time also not by train to Belgium, but by two legs to walk over.
There is no way, the limited capacity of the railroad, the countries involved and more, simply can not play the efficiency.
Valuable capacity can only be used in logistics and weapons and equipment transportation, as for ordinary soldiers, or to walk across.
More than twenty days of marching more than a thousand kilometers, even if it is lightly loaded, this speed in the European continent also take the hand.
……
There is no superfluous explanation, the Vienna government has used practical action to show the position, constantly armed troops, is the strongest response.
This can be anxious about the tsarist government, looking at the French and Austrians will fight, without the gold master and logistics captain, the next battle how to fight?
There is no way to say, must be mediated ah!
St. Petersburg.
Alexander III angrily reprimanded: “What is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for?
How long has it been since you were told to delay the outbreak of a continental war, and the situation has become uncontrollable ……”
From the moment he entered the room, Oscar Jimenez kept his head down, minimizing his presence as much as possible, how could he not escape it?
There was no way around it, the Foreign Office had made an error in judgment. It was originally thought that the French would launch the war only after they had completed their preparations for war.
Unfortunately, plans don’t change as quickly as they should, the French are not stupid, they are making preparations for war, and the enemy is likewise making preparations for war.
When they are ready, the enemy is also ready. By then the scale of the war will not be tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, but millions of large armies for a duel.
This kind of war, even if you win will be greatly injured, will only be cheap aside the fisherman, completely is not worth the loss.
Otherwise, Napoleon IV would not have chosen to take advantage of the situation even though he knew that someone was planning it.
Only after Alexander III had finished venting did Oscar Jimenez tentatively explain: ”Your Majesty, the advancement of the Continental War was mainly because the French economy could not hold up.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already made emergency preparations, and we have already signed a contract with Austria to secure our strategic supplies even if a continental war breaks out.
With the industrial strength of the three anti-French alliance countries, there is no problem supporting a multi-front war, the continental war is not going to affect the Afghan battlefield.”
Purely from the point of view of industrial strength, the Antifa Alliance has an absolute advantage, the light than the industrial strength of Germany and Germany combined, has been very close to France.
In this context, Austria only needs to guarantee the logistical supply of its own army on the line, than the German two countries of the army logistics of its own to be able to handle.
Even if there is a gap, there is only a shortage of industrial raw materials and food. The French do not have the strength to blockade the anti-French alliance, these supplies Russia and Austria can provide.
From the point of view of industrial volume, Austria to support three to five million troops to fight is no problem, but the front certainly can not use so many troops.
Then Austria logistically would have room to spare, and a commitment to guarantee the export of supplies to Russia would be entirely feasible in theory.
Alexander III sneered: ”It is true that it can be without influence, but as a price, we will have to support Austria unconditionally in this war.
If the Antifa Alliance loses on the battlefield, we will also have to send troops to help them fight. Otherwise, if Austria loses the war, we will have to follow suit.
By the way, I remember some time ago, there was some idiot who sold the entire share of this year’s grain exports to Austria as a package.
We’ve been tied to the chariot by Franz for a long time, and now we’re just tied a little more rigidly.
From now on, let’s all just pray that the Austrians behave neutrally, or the Russian Empire will follow suit.
Also let’s pray that the Austrians don’t become too competent, if they defeat the French in three to five, then we’ll have to give up our European hegemony!”
No wonder Alexander III wasn’t angry, the strategic initiative of the Russian Empire was all gone before the continental war even started.
Unless they can immediately cut their meat and decisively give up the Afghan region, otherwise in this continental war, they can only go one way with the Austrians.
Originally belonged to the tsarist government’s powerful weapons of grain, by the bureaucrats greedy for profit, early sold to Austria, now want to backtrack are impossible.
Unless the Russian Empire’s grain exports, never go through the Black Sea Straits; and in the next war in Afghanistan, do not purchase logistical supplies, industrial equipment from Austria.
There is no use getting angry, it has already happened. There is not much the Tsarist government can do now except pray that France and Austria will lose both.
……
Time flies, 48 hours passed by, and the delay Leopold II fantasized about was not able to materialize.
The French were so adamant in their stance that they were not given a chance to explain themselves, even with international mediation.
On September 27, 1890, the French government officially declared war on the Belgian government on the grounds that Belgium had conspired to kill French soldiers.
(End of chapter)