The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1813 Misunderstanding
Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.

Franz casually flipped through records about the North American war; the entire war was so tedious it made him want to sleep.

The British army only achieved a few major victories in the early stages before being bogged down by the American army's human wave tactics.

Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and others in the Austrian Empire seemed to have only learned how to dig fortifications and build ramparts, but that seemed sufficient to deal with the Redshirts at this time.

According to Benedek, the British Army's tactics always gave the impression of being rather unintelligent.

"The British seem to be stuck in their past victories. Even after decades, the Redshirts are still using the most traditional and standard line infantry tactics."

Franz asked, somewhat puzzled.

Are other countries like this too?

Benedek immediately explained.

"No, Your Majesty. Various countries have long since begun to study light infantry and skirmish lines, and have generally begun to pay attention to the impact of terrain on warfare."

Even the most stubborn French are undertaking military reforms; the French army is learning our tactics, and from firepower to troop deployment, they are aligning themselves with us in every aspect.

Benedek paused for a moment and then said.

"However, the British kept their ranks very well, and their soldiers were very disciplined, just like the Prussians."

We should also strengthen military discipline in order to maintain our relative advantage.

Franz raised his eyes. He understood that the British had probably developed a path dependency. However, the British had an excuse before, but after this war, they would probably have to start reforms.

"Are our Austrian soldiers really that undisciplined?"

Franz had a good understanding of his army; at least the soldiers he saw were well-disciplined.

Franz also had his own channels, and the information he obtained from those channels confirmed his ideas.

"No, Your Majesty. I mean our soldiers don't seem very enthusiastic about phalanxes and formations."

Benedek's concerns were irrelevant to Franz, as phalanx and formation tactics had been largely phased out in the Austrian Empire at this time.

The greatest loss during the entire Austrian Civil War was caused by Field Marshal Radetzky's insistence on line warfare tactics.

The most advanced tactics of the past have now become a negative buff; whoever uses them more will suffer greater losses.

"It's harmless. Leave the formalities like formations and squares to the honor guard. The most important thing for the army is combat effectiveness and survivability. We don't need to worry about other things too much."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

Benedek paused for a moment and then said.

"The selection system for British officers is also very outdated; they place more emphasis on aristocratic status and wealth."

Benedek was actually alluding to the British system of purchasing military ranks, suggesting that the Austrian Empire would have been in a similar situation if Franz hadn't implemented reforms.

For example, the famous General Li Qi could still become the supreme commander of an important military region even without systematic military training.

Even though he suffered repeated defeats, no one could shake his position.

Selecting generals under this system is similar to drawing a lottery, except that this lottery has no guarantee of success and may even have negative consequences.

In fact, some modern historians, when reflecting on this period, tend to characterize it as the corruption of the aristocracy.

But in reality, the armies commanded by the sons of social elites were even more incompetent. Not only were their armies easily defeated, but they also turned warfare into a business. Embezzling military pay was commonplace; to save money, they would even incite soldiers to take more extreme actions.

"But these things are none of Franz's business," he said, looking at Benedek.

"The British have indeed gone astray, so let them stay in that misconception."

General Benedek, you rose through the ranks from the bottom. I would like to hear your opinion on our country's officer selection mechanism.

Benedek hadn't expected Franz to ask these questions. He had actually left the government before the reforms, but he still had a good understanding of the grassroots level.

"Your Majesty, compared to Britain, it would not be an exaggeration to describe our system and selection mechanism as perfect."

However, some officers came from remote areas and were unfamiliar with the new Austrian language, finding many words difficult to understand.

A class typically has a dozen or so students, and it's impossible for our teachers to attend to everyone's needs, which could potentially bury talented individuals.

Furthermore, our current officers are too arrogant. They become disrespectful after merely reading a couple of military books, and cheating on exams is widespread among military academy students. Marshal Radetzky should have mentioned this to you.”

Marshal Radecki did complain about the plagiarism, but it wasn't as serious as Benedek made it out to be.

This practice mainly exists among some high-ranking nobles who bring their attendants to school. After all, ordinary military officers who dare to do this would have been dismissed long ago, and might not even be able to enter the gates of a military academy.

However, while the death penalty could be avoided, the punishment was far from over. In addition to a fine, he would also be subjected to caning.

These officers, many of whom came from noble families, had families with high-ranking imperial officials, such as marshals.

However, at this point, it is not an advantage, but a disadvantage.

The 19th century was an era of dramatic change. Generals of the past believed that nothing could be learned from books. They liked to call military academy graduates "bookworms who like to bite their pens." They believed that the best classroom was the battlefield.

Many generals spend their entire lives making choices based on the advice of their staff. Some make the right choices and go down in history, while others make the wrong choices and retire.

In their experience, as long as you don't rush to do things yourself, the advice from the staff will usually be pretty good.

These people have been using one-click to accomplish things for hundreds of years. Their descendants have naturally seen the absurdity of it, but countless historical experiences have told them that it is the right thing to do.

As a result, the idea that "studying is useless" began to circulate in the army.

Franz understood that the world was a giant makeshift operation, but he didn't want his world to remain a makeshift operation forever.

The changes in the 19th century were particularly dramatic, with military science suddenly becoming more specialized. Now, a regimental commander who doesn't understand the intricacies of staff work might not be able to comprehend the orders from headquarters.

In the past, anyone who could read or understand speech could command and dispatch tens of thousands of people according to orders.

Franz is the best example; initially, he didn't need any help from his staff with those military documents. But starting with Franz's reforms in 1848, those military documents began to become increasingly complex.

Even Franz, who had systematically studied staff science and military command, began to struggle, especially with the increasing number of technical terms, which he probably wouldn't have been able to guess if he hadn't come from a later era.

When reviewing military documents at this point, Franz would usually have his staff summarize the key points first, and then he would compare and verify them himself.

Franz knew that reasoning with those aristocratic officers who preached the "uselessness of studying" was pointless.

"Rest assured, General Benedek. The plagiarism issue will definitely be resolved. The Imperial Army needs a relatively fair environment."

If they are caught cheating on the exam again, then send them to the battlefield starting as privates, or have their families take them home so they never have to embarrass themselves again.

(Franz's "never leave" meant a lifelong confinement; even if these people later became heads of their families, they could not leave their residences, they had to be treated at home if they were sick, and they had to be buried at home if they died.)