Chapter 533: Chapter 106: A Game of Chess
 

Franz shook his head, “The immediate interests are not important, what we now need is a new strategy, one that will make the countries of Europe believe in a grand strategy.

The former strategy for the unification of Germany cannot deceive anyone anymore. With the development and strengthening of the Kingdom of Prussia, we no longer have the capability to swallow them, and no matter how loudly we proclaim our slogan, the countries of Europe will not believe it.

If unification in the Germany Region is unattainable, we will certainly have a new strategic plan. We’ll throw out another smokescreen to distract their attention and prevent them from discovering our true purpose.”

Truth and fiction intermingled, the Vienna Government over the years has devised many strategies, yet the only one that truly convinced everyone was the “German unification strategy”.

All these strategies are genuine and fully align with Austria’s interests. It’s just that due to various practical reasons, and the small chance of success, the Vienna Government did not invest much resource into them.

For example, the plan for dominion over the European Continent, which was designed by the Vienna Government to seize dominance in Europe, ended up languishing in the archives due to its low chance of success, emerging only briefly before subsiding.

Another example is the naval supremacy strategy, a product of the arms race between England, France, and Austria, by which Austria would build a hundred ironclad ships within ten years to usurp the British’s position as the master of the seas.

It was a good plan, but when it came to implementation, difficulties arose. Aside from some grandstanding in the newspapers that provided a pretext for the Royal Navy to expand, in practice, things changed.

Ironclad ships also vary in class, with the smallest being just a few hundred tons, and the biggest over ten thousand tons. The power of different classes of battleships in naval combat also varies.

Besides making a splash, the British soon realized they had been duped. If you count by numbers alone, within less than ten years, the ships built by the Austrian Navy had surpassed a hundred.

However, these were mostly small boats, largely near-shore patrol vessels. Only a few three to five major ships were added. Even though the ten-year deadline had not arrived, no one believed that the Vienna Government would continue a shipbuilding frenzy in the time remaining.

That was all for show. If the British hadn’t intended to be deceived, the plan would have been exposed from the start. It’s not easy for the Royal Navy to expand, and to persuade Parliament to appropriate funds, they need a pretext, don’t they?

In this regard, France and Austria are still the allies of the Royal Navy. As soon as either of them says they’re going to build ships, the British promptly follow suit.

With the Royal Navy actively cooperating, fooling Parliament, a group of laypeople, naturally wasn’t difficult. As long as they agreed to the funds, even if the plan was later found out, the money had already been converted into ships.

In the original timeline, there were criticisms that the naval arms race between England and Germany was a collusion between their navies to swindle military expenditures.

“Collusion” might be too strong a term, but indeed, there was suspicion of joint efforts to cheat military funding.

The same is true now. Every time there’s naval expansion, England, France, and Austria always use each other as an excuse, and as long as the reason is sound, it’s possible to make the government pay up.

Before the three countries formed an alliance, even if someone saw through the pretense, they could only grit their teeth and follow suit, as no one dared risk halting naval construction.

International politics are extremely complex, and understanding the goals of one’s rivals is very difficult. However, it doesn’t matter. As long as we can prevent them from accomplishing what they intend to do, we are on the right track.

Since raising the banner of the German unification strategy, all the countries of Europe have been working to prevent Austria from unifying the Germany Region. England and France kept a close eye on the German Federation, fearing that Austria might suddenly turn against them.

Aside from England and France wanting to use Prussia to strike at the Russians, they were also arming Prussia to block Austria’s unification of the Germany Region.

Everyone in Europe was encircling Austria, so naturally, Franz wouldn’t look for trouble. By drawing the gaze of England and France to Europe, Austria was able to smoothly carry on with its expansion in Africa.

Austro-Africa has now grown and developed, but its foundation is not stable. Once the European nations discover the purpose of the Vienna Government, who can assure us that John Bull will not incite Austro-Africa’s independence?

When that time comes, with the French contributing ideas and the British providing the deception, and after throwing in a huge sum of money, who knows what chaos might ensue?

On the surface, Franz has continuously released the notion that Austria’s strategic focus is on unifying the Germany Region. This statement is believed by everyone, even the Austrians themselves believed it.

Apart from the top echelons of the government, no one knows that all the actions on the European Continent are a façade. Even if England and France suspected something was amiss, they would first have to ensure Europe’s security, otherwise the phrase “Turning sham into reality” might come into play.

Prime Minister Felix, “Your Majesty, if we claimed to have ambitions over Poland, I reckon no one would believe it if we said so.

Both Prussia and Russia regard Poland as easy prey, and we certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to attempt to consume Poland alone; if there is a partition of Poland, I suspect the operation would be completed swiftly, failing to attract the attention of other countries…

Why not use the recovery of the Holy Land as a pretense? If England and France don’t buy it, then let them think we want to annex the Asia Minor Peninsula, surely the Ottoman Empire is significant enough.”

Reality is indeed comical – not moving against Poland is not because Poland is too strong, but rather because Poland is too weak, so weak that it could collapse with a single push.

If Poland falls, the ultimate outcome would be partition. As the strategic goal is directly achieved, the strategy naturally comes to an end.

Unless what follows is a relentless fight against Prussia and Russia, this will be the result, gaining only a bit more territory and almost no other benefits.

Not to mention the added headache of dealing with the increased Polish population. The Vienna Government has long since stopped engaging in actions that destabilize the Empire.

The Ottoman Empire is different. It’s sufficiently large on its own and can’t be swallowed by Austria in one gulp, and it has few competitors.

“`

The greatly weakened Russian Empire had no right to contest Austria for the Ottoman Empire, at most they could follow along and get a share of the spoils.

As long as we control the tempo and do not kill the Ottoman Empire in one blow, it is still preferable to have an evenly matched struggle, slightly in our favor. The European nations would still be pleased to see Austria and the Ottoman Empire locked in a fierce dispute.

If England and France want to trip us up, they will most likely prop up the Ottoman Empire. Franz is not worried at all about this, as a crumbling wall cannot be shored up—this is no joke.

The child of destiny has yet to be born, and the internal contradictions within the Ottoman Empire are too severe for it to be reborn from the ashes.

This stalemate benefits everyone, Austria can deceive under the guise of confusion, England and France would achieve their goal of containing Austria, the Ottoman Empire would be fooled into receiving aid, while Prussia and Russia could rest assured and continue their own conflict.

In the process of this drawn-out struggle, we could quietly nibble away at the Middle East Region, ensuring not just a century’s worth of energy, but also securing half of the dominance over the world.

Every three years, a minor scuffle; every ten years, a major conflict. This drama could be prolonged indefinitely. The Habsburg dynasty and the Ottoman Empire are historical enemies, there is never a lack of pretexts to attack them, vengeance is the best excuse.

After looking at the map, Franz pointed to Poland, “This is still not enough to make the plot more convincing. We need to add a few supporting roles.

Isn’t the Kingdom of Prussia pining for Poland? Let’s satisfy them, and find the right opportunity to sell it at a good price.

If the Prussians could crush Russia, the land here would become ours. Strengthening their power a bit and reinforcing the resolve of the Junker nobles is also necessary.”

Franz circled a large area on the map; swathes of Russian land were encircled, and the Black Sea essentially became an internal sea of Austria. The Russians’ two hundred years of effort would be lost overnight.

After this ordeal, it would be extremely difficult for a diminished Russia to rise again. Even if they did become strong once more, they would have to face the Kingdom of Prussia first.

As for Austria, how could Franz crudely annex Russian territory? Wouldn’t the deflated Tsarist Government need someone to pull them up?

A high-stakes operation like this surely requires compensation. When the time comes, the Vienna Government would just need to pay a sum of money and buy these territories.

In this regard, the Americans have done quite well. The French were coerced into buying and selling, yet they couldn’t raise a complaint, as it was legally done.

Observing the circle Franz had drawn, everyone exchanged looks as if they had seen nothing. Scheming so calculatively against an ally, they were almost matching John Bull himself.

However, by then the Russian-Austrian Alliance would be about to expire. Once the alliance ends, such actions would seem all the more justifiable.

Although drawing up grand plans is enticing, few were optimistic about Prussia. There might be a chance to defeat the Russians, but crippling them seemed rather unrealistic.

Without bringing the Tsarist Government to the brink of collapse, it’s unlikely they would accept Austria’s extortion, making this third strategic goal far from easy to achieve.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg, “Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Prussia’s territory is too scattered, facing too much pressure on national defense. If they cannot concentrate their forces, they might not even defeat the Russians.

After annexing Poland, Prussia’s strength has become very formidable, and we cannot continue to allow them to grow unchecked.

I suggest that we convince the Prussians to give up the Rhineland region. The Berlin Government is now financially desperate, but the German Federation Empire is wealthy. Why not have them purchase the Rhineland region?”

This proposal is highly constructive; the Rhineland region is rich in coal and iron resources, and local industry is well-developed. Cutting off this exclave would cripple the heavy industry of the Kingdom of Prussia, significantly weakening their potential for future growth.

As long as it’s handled properly, Franz is not worried that the Berlin Government will refuse. Potential is just that—potential. Only by overcoming the current crisis can there be a future.

Resolving the financial crisis and concentrating all military might are essential for them to win the next war.

The Rhineland region is attractive, but being next to the French, it suddenly becomes less desirable. In the event of war, this exclave would be indefensible.

England and France are very vigilant against Austrian expansion in the European Continent, but they definitely would not worry about the expansion of the German Federation. Even with the addition of the Rhineland region, the German Federation Empire would remain a middle-ranking nation, barely touching the threshold of a great power.

With Austria’s influence in the German Federation, promoting this transaction would not be difficult. Even if the Imperial Parliament does not approve, manipulating one of the Sub-States to make the purchase is equally viable. In the German Federation, Austria is never short of vassals.

Having clarified his thoughts in the shortest time, Franz nodded, “This plan is very good, without the Rhineland region, the strategic focus of Kingdom of Prussia would have to shift completely eastward.

The specifics of the plan should be perfected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is not appropriate for us to intervene directly. It would be best if we could perform it through the hands of the British.

In order to fragment the Germany Region, the British have spared no effort. As long as they believe that enhancing the strength of the German Federation will increase our difficulty in unifying the Germany Region, I trust the London Government will take care of everything for us.

The French would likely remain subdued for the moment, but we can’t let down our guard. We must prevent them from taking advantage of any loopholes and end up making wedding dresses for others.”

Years ago, with the help of the British, Germany was divided into three parts, curbing the rise of the Kingdom of Prussia. Now, Franz certainly wouldn’t mind doing it again.