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

Chapter 1953 Unstoppable

According to Napoleon III's plan, Prussia would inevitably have to cede territory and pay reparations, and Hanover would most likely only need to admit defeat and pay reparations to weather the crisis.

Louis Napoleon thought this way mainly because of historical lessons. After all, in 1848, Franz almost became the so-called emperor of the German Empire, but at the crucial moment he chose to back down.

He'd rather fight a civil war than become the so-called Emperor of the German Empire. What was he worried about? Was it the princes he had defeated?

He was also well aware that no great power would allow a unified German Empire to emerge in Central Europe.

The Duke of Morny did not understand why Napoleon III was so certain, but being a self-preserving man himself, he said...

"I understand, Your Majesty. I will send people to continue to negotiate with the Austrians and try to delay their military advance."

At the same time, I will send telegrams to London and St. Petersburg, instructing them to cooperate with our operation as soon as possible.

Napoleon III let out a long sigh of relief, though it was unclear whether he had finally convinced the other party or himself.

The Second French Empire had indeed prepared extensively for this war, even deliberately choosing the timing of its declaration of war, but the current situation is far worse than anticipated.

In his mind, if he couldn't quickly seize Alsace-Lorraine, the war would likely turn into a war of attrition. Even if Britain and Russia intervened to mediate, France would be severely weakened.

The British response was indeed quite strong, but those who had been clamoring to send troops fell silent.

The fact that the Austrian Empire had actually defeated Prussia was something they hadn't anticipated and that made them terrified.

Land warfare was not the British’s forte to begin with, and coupled with the shadow of the previous North American war, fighting a land power like the Austrian Empire on its home turf left them somewhat hopeless.

This group of people suddenly realized that what Prime Minister Palmerston said seemed to make a lot of sense, and that the so-called freedom and truth were not so important.

"A bunch of idiots!"

Palmerston slammed his fist on the table in anger, scattering the tea leaves sent from the Far East all over the floor.

“Your Excellency, the doctor said you must not get angry.”

The secretary kindly offered a reminder, but was met with a reply in return.

"The doctor also said not to be promiscuous!"

Palmerston actually meant to use a different word, as that would have been more in line with his arrogant and domineering personality. However, since he was now the Prime Minister, it would have been inappropriate to say it that way.

"The doctor said too much, I can't remember it all!"

After venting his frustrations, Palmerston finally felt a bit better.

"Now report to me on the battle situation, sir."

The secretary, who had been by Palmerston's side for a long time, was used to such storms, so his tone remained unchanged.

"His Majesty King George V has safely left Hanover and is now on his way to London."

A roar echoed throughout the room.

"How dare he! How dare he!"

Palmerston felt a rush of blood to his head and the world spin around him; his secretary quickly supported him.

"Your Excellency, what's wrong?"

Palmerston waved his hand and sat down again.

"I'm fine. Immediately go and protect His Majesty King George V! No one is to approach without my order!"

Also, summon all cabinet members; I have something to announce.

Louis Napoleon's judgment was accurate; Palmerston showed no joy at the sudden collapse of the German Confederation.

Under no circumstances could Britain allow the Austrian Empire to truly unify Germany, not even if there was a possibility of it.

Even if Prussia cannot be preserved, Hanover should be kept as intact as possible.

In fact, Palmerston had already decided to use Hanover as a pretext to intervene in the affairs of the German Confederation. Given the relationship between Britain and the Kingdom of Hanover, sending troops to intervene was perfectly justifiable.

Moreover, as long as British troops are in the Kingdom of Hanover, the Austrian Empire will have to be wary, and if it is wary, it can proceed with the second step of its plan.
However, George V actually left Hanover, and this act of desertion in the face of battle was detrimental to morale and would only create more trouble.

If George V had held firm and refused to retreat, there would have been much to discuss. If, however, he had died in Hanover, that would have been true immortality.

Some people may be a menace while alive, but once they die, they become remembered and may even become heroes who can change the world.

Palmerston hoped that George V would die in Hanover as a true king, so that the Austrian Empire would completely lose its moral foundation.

Fortunately, it is still possible to send George V back now; otherwise, if he had died in England, things would have been very complicated.

Palmerston had no desire to go to war with the Austrian Empire, but the situation had become so dire that war was the only option.

If a behemoth like the Western Roman Empire were to emerge in Central Europe, what would Britain be able to compete with?
Even if Britain could hold the island, what about France and Spain?
Will Austria and Russia become polarized in the future? In that case, Britain will either be a spectator or be put on the dinner table along with those other countries.

He knew the situation in Britain better than anyone else, but now it was no longer a question of whether or not to fight, but how to fight.
Britain must make its stance clear, but it should avoid direct conflict with the Austrian Empire unless absolutely necessary.

Palmerston wanted to rely on the French and Russians. The French had already begun their actions, which reassured him somewhat, but the Russians had shown surprising indifference in the German Confederation's civil war.

Palmerston believed that the Russians were the main force suppressing the Austrian Empire. In reality, as long as the great powers could maintain a consensus, the Austrian Empire would have no choice but to retreat or be forced to retreat.

He had previously tried to contact the Russian side multiple times, but had received no response.

The intelligence was delivered, of course, but contrary to his usual practice, Nicholas I neither announced support for the allies nor showed any intention to intervene.

Should they remain neutral? But that goes against the logic of Russians' daily behavior, and Palmerston had a vague sense of unease.

It's hard to say what the outcome would be if Britain, now devoid of fighting spirit, France, and the nearly paralyzed German Confederation were to try to confront the Austrian Empire.

Palmerston lit a cigar.

"When did things start to spiral out of control?"

He shook his head; the most urgent task now was to persuade those short-sighted fellows in parliament.

Now is not the time to play it safe. If the Austrian Empire were to grow stronger, its threat would far exceed that of Russia.

Russia could only nibble away at Britain's power step by step over land, facing various continental powers along the way. No matter how powerful Russia became, it could not shake the status of the British Empire. But Austria was completely different; it could truly undermine Britain's dominance. After all, Britain had seized the title of the British Empire from the Spanish, and they knew all too well the process.

Britain's colonial model dictated that Britain must always maintain a sufficiently strong influence and military power, otherwise its rule would immediately crumble like a candle in the wind.

Leaving aside the grand narratives of class contradictions, ethnic contradictions, and economic contradictions, the very concept of indirect rule, which is mythologized, has huge flaws.

For example, the colonial agents supported by the British had an almost instinctive tendency to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune.

This group of people would not resist surrendering to their new masters in any way, nor would they feel any psychological burden. For example, the princes and wealthy merchants of India had been flirting with Austria and France.

When Franz took over the British colonies, there was very little resistance, and many people even thought that expelling British immigrants was unnecessary.

Because the British who were forced to remain showed an extraordinary willingness to integrate, their arrival greatly accelerated the Austrian Empire's control over the colonies.

However, Franz knew very well that these people were quick to surrender and quick to defect. If the British were to actually return, they would be the first to betray them again.

Moreover, their very existence is a destabilizing factor; they could choose to defect at any time or act as British spies to pass on intelligence.

Once the Austrian Empire controls the entire Central European region, all of Britain's previous plans and theoretical frameworks will collapse.

A super-empire spanning Central Europe would make it much harder for Britain to intervene in European affairs, and the so-called balance would vanish, at least Britain would no longer have a superior position.

However, there are few visionary politicians in the British Parliament now; instead, there are opportunists who like to express their emotions.

These guys had neither the ability nor the courage to fight the Austrian Empire.

"It seems I'm the only one in Britain who truly understands Europe."

Palmerston stood up, knowing he was carrying a great mission concerning the future of Britain.

However, the moment Palmerston stood up, everything went black before his eyes, and he collapsed to the ground.

In fact, French troops had already amassed on the Alsace-Lorraine border long before the war began.

However, Guizot and Thiers had long been prepared for war, intending to use the Moselle River as a natural defensive line, and had already completed mobilization.

Both sides were well prepared, and the French offensive did not go smoothly because Fanny Cotte, the commander of the Alsace-Lorraine army, was not a professionally trained officer. Although she had audited classes at military academies, she was still largely untrained.

As soon as the war began, she went all in, unleashing a barrage of rockets and artillery shells that severely damaged the French forces who wanted to engage in direct combat.

After all, French soldiers were only flesh and blood, and could not gain any advantage in the face of steel and gunpowder.

Over the years, the Duchy of Alsace-Lorraine has taken advantage of its position between France and Germany to engage in numerous smuggling activities.

Ample funding has given them the confidence to launch such a massive bombardment.

Fanny Cotte even organized a counter-offensive in some areas; if it weren't for the French army's superior strength, they might have been pushed back to Verdun by now.

However, the French have not completely given up over the years. They had long witnessed the power of the Austrian Empire's rocket forces, so they had developed a whole set of countermeasures.

Moreover, Alsace-Lorraine is only a small region, and it is too much of a stretch for it to contend with the behemoth that is France.

Despite the addition of German mercenaries and volunteers, it was a pipe dream for the forces in Alsace-Lorraine to hold the entire defensive line.

That's why Fanny Curt chose to take the initiative, but the cost was enormous. In just one day, both sides suffered nearly 10,000 casualties.

Such casualties would have been unimaginable in the past, but the French army still crossed the Moselle River under the guidance of collaborators.

Fortunately, this was an era of national unity, and both sides were highly accepting of war casualties. However, hatred accumulated and would eventually completely tear the two groups apart.

People in Alsace-Lorraine who longed for France kept providing intelligence to the French army, helping them bypass the defenders of Alsace-Lorraine.

French soldiers who longed for Germany were also betraying French intelligence, and assassinations, sabotage, and desertion were commonplace.

Instead of developing battle plans with a group of generals in Strasbourg, Fanny Cotter chose to stay at the front line in Mays.

Because the Austrian Empire had previously used rockets frequently in war and achieved very good results.

At this time, even the French army, which looked down on the Austrian army the most, was equipped with a large number of rockets. However, because of this, the defensive side's countermeasures were also being upgraded.

After Metz was captured by the Austrian army in a single day, it underwent a comprehensive upgrade. The wooden structure was completely abandoned, and the new Metz fortifications were entirely built of mud and gravel.

In addition, a complete fire protection system was established, and water from the Moselle River was diverted.

The same number of bombardments, the same 24-hour relentless bombardment, but this time Metz not only did not surrender, but also launched a counterattack.

Although the French army also used rockets, their rocket technology was clearly outdated.

Their designs remained stuck in the era of the Anti-French War, and their accuracy, propellant charge, and range were completely incomparable to the rockets of the Austrian Empire.

Even the continuous bombardment of tens of thousands of rockets did not cause much damage, only creating some fire and smoke.

However, due to the change in building materials, most of those flames simply couldn't ignite, and even those that did were quickly extinguished.

Although the French rockets looked spectacular from a distance, they had little effect. The situation was entirely different for the defenders; for years, Guizot and Thiers had considered France their primary enemy.

The strategies devised by the generals of the Duchy of Alsace-Lorraine were specifically designed to target the French army, and many of them were even former French generals.

In this situation, the French army naturally could not gain any advantage. However, the total strength of the French army exceeded 100,000, while the Duchy of Alsace-Lorraine had a total of only 50,000 troops.

Meanwhile, French reinforcements were continuously crossing the Moselle River, and the previously chaotic German Confederation could not provide many volunteers.

The defenders in Metz were growing increasingly exhausted, and Strasbourg did not send reinforcements, as if they had been abandoned.

The Count of Paris also had his own concerns. After all, he didn't have many troops at his disposal. If he supported Metz, what would he do if the French army launched a surprise attack on his rear?

Moreover, who can guarantee that the French troops in front of us aren't besieging the city and ambushing reinforcements?
Therefore, the garrison in Metz received only one telegram.

"For the future of the Orleans family, you must defend Mays to the death."

The Count of Paris found the telegram very moving, but to outsiders it was quite incomprehensible, and some even thought he was a bit shameless.

At night, deafening gunfire came from afar, which puzzled the defenders of Metz. After all, without reinforcements from Strasbourg, it was impossible for the German Confederation's volunteers to cause such a commotion.

The next day, at dawn, the besieging French troops began their retreat and quickly disappeared from sight. Shortly afterward, the command post in Metz received a telegram.