Chapter 918: Crisis on the Western Front
Chapter 900 – Crisis on the Western Front
The bright sunlight, reflecting on the turquoise blue sea, had a different flavor.
On a windy and sunny day, and a foreign fortune that was about to arrive, Colonel Richard’s mood was extraordinarily comfortable.
With many years of experience, he had discovered early on that there was something wrong with the ship in front of him, and tried to chase it for a while, and sure enough, the original shape was revealed.
Ordinary merchant ships would likewise stay away from the Royal Navy when they saw it on the high seas, but no matter how far they stayed away, they didn’t throw their merchandise into the sea just to run away.
Although the Royal Navy had a history of skewering pirates, that was all in the past and had been tightened up a lot in recent years.
Even if they were going to rob, it would be in disguise. When flying the navy flag, at most they would extort a protection fee.
If you have a relationship, you can even get a discount. As long as the money is in place, there is no harm in even smuggling.
The performance of the Fulda was undoubtedly telling them that there was no money here, and such a Bean was not seen much anymore, so Colonel Richard naturally would not let it go.
The officer in charge of the semaphore said excitedly, “Colonel, we have encountered Vittorio Emanuele III, right in front of the warship, he has already identified himself.”
In order to capture the runaway Vittorio Emanuele III, the London government was furious, and the Royal Navy was almost out in force.
It could not be said to capture, after all, a king, John Bull is also to pay attention to the international influence, so the Royal Navy’s task is to invite the person back.
Hearing this good news, Colonel Richard’s face was happy. You know that in order to stimulate everyone’s motivation, the country has offered a heavy reward.
As long as one was able to invite Vittorio Emanuele III back, not only would there be a generous bonus, but one could also move up a level.
Richard was already a colonel, and the next step up would be crossing the threshold of general. It may seem like only a hair’s breadth away, but in reality it’s a world of difference.
There are a lot of colonels in the Royal Navy, but only one in ten can actually cross the threshold of the general. There is no way, now is the era of peace, there is no war merit to promote naturally difficult.
“Then what are we waiting for, tell them to stop the ship immediately and invite Vittorio Emanuele III over.”
Colonel Richard bit the word “please” very heavily. Even the most downtrodden king is still a king, and must be given enough respect.
There was no way, the relationship between the royal families in Europe was very messy, there were relatives everywhere, and the connections of any royal family could not be underestimated.
The young officer’s face instantly became ugly, and he replied with a headache, ”We have already sent out an invitation, but Vittorio Emanuele III did not agree.
And he warned us not to follow him or we would be held responsible for any accidents that happen in the middle of the journey.”
In the end, he still reacted, the young officer decisively chose to avoid the important points and did not directly say the words that Vittorio Emanuele III threatened.
Colonel Richard was directly dumbfounded, he never expected that Vittorio Emanuele III would be so uncooperative.
Firing a gun to threaten is impossible, in case of bad luck to send Vittorio Emanuele III to meet God, no one can afford to take the blame.
Glaring at the young officer, Colonel Richard reprimanded, “He refuses, you won’t persuade him!”
That’s right is to persuade, no matter how down and out, to the vast majority of ordinary people, Vittorio Emanuele III is a big man.
Seeing the young officer look confused, Richard continued to add: “Stupid, Vittorio Emanuele III we can not move, you can not find a way to coerce the other people on board?
Pass the word to speed up and put pressure on them ……”
……
The semaphore still proved to be inadequate, or at least not shocking enough when it came to conveying the meaning of the threat.
After ascertaining that the British did not dare to open fire, the crowd on board the Fulda quickly recovered, but of course the emotions were still somewhat agitated.
Vittorio Emanuele III golden mouth, everyone is all nobles, provided that the King of Sardinia can be restored to success.
Anyone who has made a living at sea knows that riches and honor are to be found in the midst of danger. Captain Petra also appropriately exaggerated the success rate, telling everyone that because the French were at a disadvantage on the battlefield.
It was to save the French from defeat that the despicable British government seized Vittorio Emanuele III.
There is nothing wrong with that, it is the despicable and shameless British government. Don’t look at us all as British, but there is a difference between the British and the English.
Even though it was a temporarily arranged ship, the Austrian Embassy could not have failed to investigate. The Fulda made the cut, naturally, because the crew were all Irish.
If the crew had been Englishmen, who had the strongest attachment to Britain, it would have been a different situation now.
The distance between the two sides was constantly being drawn closer, and the atmosphere on board the Fulda was beginning to get tense, so much so that Vittorio Emanuele III had to take it upon himself to calm the nerves.
Suddenly, several small black dots appeared in the sky, and the crew of the observation deck reported back, “A flotilla of ships has been sighted ahead, heading in our direction.”
Vittorio Emanuele III breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, “Those are the ships that have come to meet us, lean over immediately.”
After saying that, he also pretended to be calm and entered the cabin of the ship.
The middle-aged man accompanying him couldn’t help but remind, “Your Majesty, we picked our own route to leave this time, even the Austrians didn’t know the exact route and didn’t arrange for a ship to meet us!”
Having been in exile for so many years, the Italian Independence Organization had also suffered from social beatings, and now they didn’t trust anyone.
Even now that they were allies with Austria, Vittorio Emanuele III didn’t accept the escape route arranged by the Austrian Embassy, and instead temporarily changed his route to board the Fulda.
Vittorio Emanuele III slowly said: “Whether or not there is someone to meet me is not important now, as long as someone knows that I am on board the Fulda ship.
It is now less than a hundred nautical miles from Holland, and there are only two British warships chasing after us, so they are not capable of exterminating all the people on a flotilla.
Once close, tell them that there is an honorable king on the Fulda. The pursuing British officers behind us will let us go as long as they are not stupid.”
In theory, the Royal Navy would not dare to commit regicide. But there are accidents in everything, and in this vast ocean, the disappearance of a ship is not a big deal.
Vittorio Emanuele III’s boarding of the Fulda was a completely ad hoc decision, known only to a limited number of people.
And these people in the know were all in London, so once the British got mad and did a killing spree, who would be able to prove that it was the British who did it?
There might be traces left behind, but the problem is that someone would have to look down the line, and it couldn’t be an ordinary person.
The people on board the Fulda are all temporarily recruited juniors, and their loyalty can’t be tested at all. When I said earlier that the British wouldn’t dare make a move, it was to boost morale.
……
On October 9, 1890, escorted by the Royal Navy, Vittorio Emanuele III arrived in the Netherlands.
The pursuing Colonel Richard was still very politically astute and made a decisive change at the critical moment, defining the trip as an escort for Vittorio Emanuele III.
As for the unpleasantness that occurred in the middle of the trip, it was a minor issue. Not to mention that Vittorio Emanuele III had not yet succeeded in restoration, even if he really became the King of Sardinia, he could not afford to offend the British.
The strength is not as good as others, this loss he does not eat also have to eat, and even have to show a look of eating very happy, to prove to the outside world that the British and Sardinian friendship.
On the western front, after half a month of fighting, the anti-French alliance was at an absolute disadvantage.
Even if it is a local battle, in front of the absolute strength gap, Belgium still has not been able to reverse.
Austrian reinforcements are still on the way, the German Confederation is slow to act, the Belgian Luxembourg line has faltered, and even the Rhineland defense line is in trouble.
The form of the battlefield is becoming increasingly severe, Leopold II also no longer have the old mood.
“The situation is getting more and more unfavorable for us, when will the reinforcements from Germany and Austria arrive?”
Frankly speaking, the Belgian army’s performance this time was still passable. Able to use inferior strength, in the battlefield hard to resist the French attack for half a month, has already taken the hand.
Foreign Minister Jules replied, “The main force of the Austrian army arrived in Baden yesterday afternoon, of which the vanguard has already arrived in the Rhineland region and is expected to enter our country in five days.
The mobilization of the German Confederation is a bit slower, only the western states’ have completed their military mobilization so far, the eastern states are still in the process.
However, the troops mobilized by the western states have not arrived at the front line at the first opportunity, and we have communicated with the German Federal Government, and they can’t do anything about these states.”
The lack of command unity was a persistent problem of the German Federation, without these internal problems, they would have joined the club of powers long ago.
Leopold II asked suspiciously, “Some days ago, didn’t George I say that he would personally come to the front to supervise the war, how come there is no movement?”
War is a risk and an opportunity, it is not easy to ascend the throne of the emperor, George I naturally will not easily give up.
In fact, George I’s throne is unstable, in addition to the Austrian tiger eyeing, more importantly, or his personal monarch prestige is too low.
This is a historical legacy, the German Federation is a product of a special period, is Britain, France, Russia and other European countries imposed on the German people’s empire.
The empire that was forced out naturally could not satisfy everyone, especially to the nationalists, this empire is a disgrace.
Against this background, the smaller states below naturally would not buy the central government’s argument.
In order to weaken the authority of the central government and safeguard their own power, there were even people who deliberately propagated the Hanoverian sell-out theory.
The newspapers openly proclaimed that the crown of the Gotha Dynasty was a reward from the Great Powers for their obstruction of the unification of the German region.
There was no way around it. With the limited strength of Hanover, its inability to subdue this group of small states, and the fact that the people did not support the central government, the German Confederation was in a weak position from the very beginning of its establishment.
In order to change this passive situation, both generations of German federal emperors made a lot of efforts, such as: striving for economic development, opening up colonies, merging the Kingdom of Prussia and a series of other measures.
The results were remarkable, but the effects were mediocre. After all, they did not satisfy the nationalist appetite.
In a sense, the war against France was George I’s last chance. As long as he had built up enough prestige during the war, he would have a fighting chance after the war.
“Your Majesty, the internal problems of the German Confederation are too troublesome. If George I wants to gain prestige in the war, he cannot do without the support of the Kingdom of Prussia.
The problem is that after the lessons of the two Russo-Prussian wars, the Prussian government has gradually tended to be conservative and is not willing to continue to take risks.
Because of the political changes, the Prussian government was now not prepared to fulfill the terms they had originally agreed upon.
George I was struggling to convince the Prussian government, and judging from the current situation, there was a good chance that it would fail.
The main thing is that the Austrians will not give him that chance, and once the government of Vienna intervenes, all the efforts made by George I. will have been in vain.”
Foreign Minister Jules explained, causing Leopold II to cry. Whether or not the German region was unified, it had nothing to do with Belgium.
Whether it was an integrated German Confederation or a unified Shinra Empire, it was the difference between an elephant and a baby elephant for Belgium.
Elephants can’t be messed with, and small elephants can’t be messed with either. Anyway, they are all with their tails between their legs, and the end result is the same.
After contemplating for a few moments of effort, Leopold II said fiercely, “Urge the Vienna government again, and tell them that if there is no reinforcement, we are going to cast …… the end of the line.”
Fortunately, Leopold II reacted in time, or else it would have to make a joke of “surrender” threatened allies.
……
Although the reinforcements have not arrived, the officer corps has already arrived at the front line.
In order to win the final victory, Franz sent Archduke Albrecht to the Western Front.
This is also a helpless move, it is not that Austria has no generals, the key is that the western front battlefield needs joint command.
Undoubtedly, the command of the allied forces fell into the hands of Austria. Even if the two countries of Belgium and Germany wanted to compete, they did not have the strength.
It is easy to get the right to command, but it is not easy to command a multinational allied army. Without a person of sufficient weight to be the commander-in-chief, it will not be able to suppress the front.
Archduke Albrecht, who was the loudest in the Austrian army, became the best candidate.
The coalition army was not formed, but the coalition command was born in advance, and Archduke Albrecht began to fulfill his duties in advance.
The situation is getting more and more unfavorable for the allied army, and the Ardennes Forest is about to be lost. Putting down the information in his hand, Archduke Albrecht was also a bit unable to sit still.
It seems that the current war and Austria does not have much to do with, anyway, the deaths are not Austrians, the loss of heavy is also the matter of the allies.
But in reality, not so much. Whether it is Belgium or the German Confederation is an important force against the French, now they have heavy losses, the future on the counterattack on France’s heavy responsibility can only be by the Austrian own resistance.
Especially they also control strategic places, once fell into the hands of the French, and then want to get back, the back is bound to pay a bigger price.
(End of chapter)