Chapter 919: The Ossa Agreement
Chapter 901 The Ossa Agreement
In the command headquarters of the allied forces, looking at the map of troop deployment sent from the front line, Archduke Albrecht frowned.
“General Desmet, isn’t your troop deployment in the coastal area a bit too weak?”
There was no way around it, the Antifa alliance had the advantage in all aspects, only the navy was at a disadvantage.
The Mediterranean line is fine, the French and Austrian naval strength is close, both countries are worried about being made a fisherman by the British, they simply do not dare to risk a duel at sea.
The North Sea area is different, both the Belgian Navy, or the German Federal Navy, in front of the French Navy is weak.
Even after Vittorio Emanuele III left London, neither navy sent a warship to meet him.
For no other reason than that they did not dare. The French Navy had already blocked the door, and warships out of the harbor just had no return.
Antifa alliance lost the North Sea area of the right to control the sea, sea defense has also become than Germany and the two countries have to face the reality of the problem.
Belgium’s coastline is not long, only 66 kilometers, but it is not a few police regiments can be defended.
As far as Archduke Albrecht knows, Belgium deployed a few police regiments, are temporarily expanded after the war.
The force structure was: a small number of retired officers and soldiers + temporarily recruited noble officers + a group of young and strong.
It is worth mentioning that the age of the retired officers and men was generally over 50 years old, and the younger ones went to the main force.
Officers and enlisted men were likewise eliminated from the main force after screening. There was no way, even if the Belgian government had prepared for it, it couldn’t change the fact that they were short of manpower.
Since the beginning of the war, the Belgian government has mobilized nearly 300,000 troops. Not to mention the quality, the mobilization ratio and speed are the highest among the participating countries.
“Your Excellency Marshal, we have deployed a large number of shore guns along the coast, the French must pay a heavy price if they want to land. Taking warships and shore guns against each other, no commander would be that stupid.
Besides, the French are attacking too hard, our main forces are all invested in frontline battles and we no longer have enough troops to deploy to the coastal areas.”
Admiral De Smet was very helpless, it wasn’t that he didn’t realize the danger of the coastal area, the problem was that there weren’t enough troops in hand and the more important battlefields had to be taken care of first.
Now can only bet that the French can not afford to take warships against the shore guns, anyway, as long as to hold out another week, Austrian reinforcements will arrive.
Archduke Albrecht shook his head: ”Your Excellency General, this judgment may not have been a problem twenty years ago, but not now.
The French could have used the warships as bait to expose your shore artillery fire points, and then bombarded them with a force of airships.
The previous battles have already proved that your airship force is no match for the French, and the sky belongs to the French for the time being.
Do not doubt the determination of the French government, warships are not as valuable as you think, France tows out a few warships every year to shoot at targets.”
The combat power of airships had already been proven, especially when it came to targeted bombing, airships were able to exert even more power.
Because of the emergence of anti-aircraft weapons, nowadays most of the airship bombing is high altitude bombing, and the hit rate is not very good, the problem is that the Belgian coast is just that big.
Bombing two kilometers against the coastline is just over a hundred square kilometers, equivalent to a city. Ship guns + blimps to cover such a small area is no longer a problem.
As long as the French are willing to pay a certain price, landing on the weakly defended Belgian coast is not a problem at all.
Warships are worth money, and relatively speaking. State-of-the-art warships are naturally very valuable, old and ready to retire warships are not the same.
Especially for the British, French and Austrian countries that often participate in the arms race, who does not have a pile of warships waiting to be scrapped ah?
The international market can not be sold, the training ship and can not be so many, in addition to pulling out to hit the target, can only be dismantled to sell scrap metal.
Take part of the warships out as cannon fodder, completely without pain.
In Archduke Albrecht’s opinion, the French did not implement the landing plan, either the commander is too stupid, did not see; or the commander is indecisive, can not afford to sacrifice ……
However, these are all temporary, as long as the front line has not been able to achieve a breakthrough, the French will sooner or later take this step.
Even if the landing operation fails, the French can still hold back a large number of troops of the anti-French alliance, creating favorable conditions for the main decisive battle.
Other than that, after the group of vassals on the coast of the German Confederation, in order to protect the security of the old home, it will not be able to send troops to the war.
Admiral De Smet nodded in disbelief: ”Don’t worry Marshal, we will pay attention.
Once the French launch their landing campaign, we will immediately send troops to reinforce them. Belgium isn’t that big, so it’s perfectly timed.
Right now, it is mainly due to the lack of troops that we are being fully suppressed by the French. The situation will change when reinforcements from your country arrive.”
More than half a month of fighting down the line was not without help. At least the Belgian military’s fear of the French had been removed quite a bit.
Because of the native combat, both sides fought back and forth on the battlefield. At the disadvantage that is only insufficient troops, the gap between the two sides of the fighting force, and not as disparate as imagined in advance.
Looking out the window, Archduke Albrecht did not continue to interfere. Austrian reinforcements are about to come, but not to sell their lives for the Belgians.
Vienna government’s attitude is very clear, first encourage the two countries and the French than Germany to kill, and so on to almost, and then the main battle.
Don’t ask why, anyway, it is the emperor’s strategy, the implementation of the right.
In this context, the Austrian reinforcements naturally did not move fast enough.
Of course, Franz still had the decency to not go too far.
The Austrian troops still advanced at a rate of thirty to forty kilometers per day, the specifics of which still depended on road conditions and weather.
There is nothing to say, these days everyone’s marching speed is not great, to advance thirty or forty kilometers a day, this is already the standard of the elite.
It wasn’t that it wasn’t fast, the problem was that it was difficult to sustain. Perhaps with a light vehicle, one day it was possible to march briskly and walk up to seventy or eighty kilometers in one breath.
But such a speed could not be sustained. Soldiers are human beings, and in the case of exhaustion, one should not expect combat power.
As a matter of fact, cases of troops collapsing because of marching too fast are not uncommon in military history.
……
Vienna Palace, where Franz is holding a welcoming banquet for the arrival of Vittorio Emanuele III.
In the past, Franco-Austrian relations were still passable, and although Austria recognized Vittorio Emanuele III as the King of Sardinia, it was only in private.
On the surface, the Vienna government, like the European countries, kept its mouth shut as if it knew nothing about the issue.
Now it was different; France and Austria were at war, and naturally there was no need to be concerned about the feelings of the French.
In order to build up momentum for Vittorio Emanuele III and to convince the Italian public that Austria was there to liberate them, Franz had to attend the welcoming banquet in person to show the Austrian government’s political position in favor of the regaining of independence for the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Apart from some unproductive platitudes, nothing of substance was discussed at the banquet, and Franz left in a hurry after only one appearance.
The Emperor left, and the banquet continued. The burden of receiving Vittorio Emanuele III fell on Wessenberg, as was his duty as Foreign Minister.
Vittorio Emanuele III asked with great concern, “Your Excellency the Minister, how far has your country’s war in the Italian region progressed, and when will I be able to lead the Italian Independence Movement at the front.”
There was no way around it, Vittorio Emanuele III had been stimulated a bit recently, especially by being placed under house arrest in Britain.
There was no time when the need for restoration was so urgent as now. If Franz hadn’t left so quickly and didn’t give him a chance to speak, the question now was ……
“Your Majesty, do not be in a hurry yet. Arriving in Vienna for the first time, you should go and enjoy the beauty of the place.
Believe me, Vienna will not disappoint you. It is the most beautiful city in the world.”
After saying that, Weissenberg picked up a glass of red wine and took a small sip of it slightly. Looking at the anxious Vittorio Emanuele III, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
There was no free lunch in the world, wanting Austria to help restore the country, Vittorio Emanuele III naturally had to pay the price.
Otherwise, there are so many people who are qualified to restore the Kingdom of Sardinia, why should the Vienna government support him?
Just on the basis that Vittorio Emanuele III is now the most orthodox?
Unfortunately, it’s the end of the 19th century, and orthodoxy has to give way to profit.
The Bonaparte dynasty is an example of this, and the nations of Europe did not intervene in the restoration of Napoleon III by sending troops just for the sake of an orthodox name.
Of course, the government in Vienna was more than happy to support orthodox monarchs when the difference in interests was not too great; after all, the Habsburgs were now branding themselves as orthodox and working to unify the German region.
“Your Excellency, the beauty of Vienna’s reputation has long been spread around the world, and I’ve been longing to take a tour for a long time.
But right now the Sardinian populace is still suffering under the enslavement of the French, and as their king, I am already so ashamed of my inability to free them that I really don’t have the face to do anything else.”
Putting his foot down to kiss ass was no pressure for Vittorio Emanuele III.
Unlike other monarchs, Vittorio Emanuele III had grown up in a parasitic environment from a young age, and pride simply could not be raised.
Despite not being a big fan of Vittorio Emanuele III’s ideas, Weissenberg still thinks highly of him.
As a king, not only was he able to put his foot down, but he also had a keen sense of judgment. After realizing that things could not be done, he decisively narrowed the Italian region to the Kingdom of Sardinia, implying that he had no ambitions.
“Your Majesty, rest assured. God will punish the French invaders, and the Kingdom of Sardinia will eventually gain its independence.
Austria is different from France, we are a peace-loving country and have no ambitions to expand in the Italian region’s territory.
Supporting the independence of the Kingdom of Sardinia has always been our political advocacy, but we will also need to pay a very heavy price to drive out the French.
I’m sure you’ve heard that we have formed an anti-French alliance with Belgium and the German Confederation.
In order to safeguard the interests of all, we are obliged to adopt the principle of quid pro quo. After the French have been driven out, all participating countries will distribute the spoils of war according to their contributions.
Given your country’s current situation, I am afraid that it is difficult for it to contribute to this war, and it is logically ineligible to share the spoils.
However, under the traditional friendship between Austria and Sardinia, we will support the independence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, but as a price, your country must share part of the military expenses.
The exact figure will be determined based on the actual expenses after the war. Of course, if you are able to make a certain contribution on the battlefield, then a portion of the amortization can be reduced accordingly.”
Hearing “Osa Friendship”, Vittorio Emanuele III’s face was slightly unnatural.
There was no way, if this word got out, it would be another joke of this century.
Austria is also responsible for the current state of Sardinia, and can even be said to have played a decisive role.
If Austria hadn’t beaten them half to death, the French wouldn’t have been able to occupy Sardinia so easily, and perhaps it would be a different situation now.
Unfortunately, there are no ifs in history, and what is even more tragic is that the Austro-Sardinian War was initiated by the Kingdom of Sardinia, which makes Vittorio Emanuele III’s father still bear a bad name to this day.
The reality is so cruel, people only remember the successful, the failure is the sinner, even if the intention is great.
Whitewashing is impossible. The failure of the Wars of Ossa directly led to the inability of the Kingdom of Sardinia to resist the invasion of France.
Vittorio Emanuele II became synonymous with stupidity and egomania, even though he was pushed into battle by the Sardinian population.
At the end of the day, he had weathered the storm, and after a brief period of discomfort, Vittorio Emanuele III immediately recovered and carefully pondered Weissenberg’s words.
What made him hesitate was not that the Austrian conditions were too harsh, but that they were too generous, so generous that Vittorio Emanuele III could not believe it.
Just share a portion of the military expenses, in exchange for the restoration of Sardinia, such a cheap thing, where to find?
After hesitating for a moment, Vittorio Emanuele III tentatively asked: “How many troops are the French army investing in the southern front?”
Apart from the tense war situation and the urgent need for an ally, Vittorio Emanuele III couldn’t think of any other reason for Austria to offer such a lenient condition.
Weissenberg shook his head, “Fortunately! The French have focused their strategy on the Central European theater and are mainly on the defensive in the Italian region.
Your Majesty, you should know that the terrain of the Italian region is not suitable for large regiments to engage in decisive battles.
A duel in the Italian region is a replica of the Anglo-Russian war in Afghanistan, and as long as everyone is willing they can keep fighting.
If it wasn’t for the purpose of liberating the Italian region and helping the countries to get rid of the French slavery, we wouldn’t have tangled with them on the southern front.”
Knowing the doubt in Vittorio Emanuele III’s mind, though, Weissenberg had no intention of explaining.
It wasn’t that the Austrian government wanted to give preferential treatment to the Kingdom of Sardinia, it was just that it simply didn’t know what to ask for at the moment.
Territory?
Austria has no shortage of it at all, the best parts of Italy are in Austrian hands, the rest is just bad land.
Continuing to expand has no value other than adding to the trouble.
Including Sicily, which seems to be very strategically important now, has no value to Austria after the war.
It could not be helped that the present Kingdom of Sardinia existed only in theory. Vittorio Emanuele III had nothing but a proper name.
Even if he wanted to squeeze the oil, he would have to wait until the Kingdom of Sardinia became independent. If Vittorio Emanuele III signs a bunch of unequal treaties without even getting started, how will he be able to hold down the fort in the future?
Austria needs a stable Sardinian Kingdom that will constantly give the French a hard time; not a Sardinian Kingdom that is in a state of flames and needs to be rescued all the time.
The pie came crashing down, with or without poison, Vittorio Emanuele III, who was already hungry, had to eat it.
……
On October 21, 1890, Vittorio Emanuele III signed the Ossa Agreement with Weissenberg.
The content of the treaty, naturally, was to talk a great deal about the friendship of Ossa. Which original unpleasantness was a deliberate plot by the French to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Anyway, time has passed for so long, even if the old generation is still alive, now there are more hateful French people to pull hatred, Ossa hatred that is not a matter.
With the signing of the treaty, the decades-long feud between Austria and Sardinia since 1847 came to an end, and relations between the two countries entered a new level.
(End of chapter)