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

Chapter 1955 Wishing for World Peace

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I'm the one who should say thank you. As a soldier, you gloriously completed your mission, and I'm proud of you."

"The French have surrendered! We have won!"

The clock in Metz rang frantically, and hastily picked flower petals fell like snowflakes. Some people were so excited that they could hardly breathe, while others knelt down to pray.

Cheers and applause filled the city as people sang, danced, and celebrated together.

It was a cause for celebration for nobles, commoners, and the social elites, after all, Franz's existence was the best proof that the monarchy could be great again.

The common people felt that Franz was defending their interests, the nationalist sentiments were released, and prosperity and stability were what everyone needed.

However, what people cared about most was the victory itself; the French defeat was the best proof of the strength of the German nation.

The threat has been removed and the repression has been released, but most importantly, civilians need to celebrate to confirm that the war is really over.

In the 19th century, ordinary people did not have the internet or satellite phones; their only sources of information were announcements, newspapers, and word of mouth.

What one hasn't seen with their own eyes always seems abstract, and news during wartime is often a mixture of complexity and obscurity, with true and false information flying everywhere, and various exaggerated battle results and fake victories making people paranoid.

The lack of sufficient credibility among all parties is why ordinary people lack a sense of reality. Even after hearing it repeatedly from others, they still want to confirm it themselves.

And revelry is a form of collective validation.

As Gustave Le Bon stated in his book *The Crowd*:
“Once an individual is placed in a group, they no longer rely primarily on independent judgment to confirm reality, but are dominated by the emotions, symbols, and repetitive actions of the group.”

To put it bluntly, the group isn't confirming facts; they're creating conviction.

In social psychology, this is also known as the herding effect.

In his previous life, Franz actually believed the false news that it took "one hour and twenty-two minutes".
Franz had no interest in confirming any further information, especially since the French commander-in-chief, Pellissier, was still in the third train.

The French government's obsession with Alsace-Lorraine is truly profound; even during wartime, they did not deliberately damage the infrastructure.

However, theft was still inevitable, as using what was available was a fine tradition of the French army.

In addition, the influence of nationalism further motivated French soldiers to loot.

But whether it's the Germans or the French, they're all going to be robbed; it's just that they're being given a nicer-sounding name: "requisition."

However, the so-called "requisition" was not meant for the local French-speaking residents, but rather to give an explanation to the rear. They would not receive any preferential treatment because they spoke French.

This created a large vacuum, leaving people to hide in cellars and watch everything indifferently.

Therefore, the Austrian Empire's army was able to advance unimpeded, and the French vanguard was quickly swallowed up.

In such a situation, a typical general would choose to retreat, given the unclear enemy situation ahead.

However, his motto was "Fortune favors the brave," and he had always longed for Britain, even incorporating British elements into his family's coat of arms.

Pellisier naturally harbored deep resentment towards Austria, a country that did not recognize the British system, so he decided to take the initiative.

Behind this seemingly reckless move was actually the French general's extreme confidence in his own offensive tactics.

On the other hand, there was the French army's understanding of cavalry tactics; the Battle of Waterloo has been repeatedly studied by the French.

France learned a lesson from this: the upper limit of cavalry tactics is limited. No cavalry can defeat a hollow square formation; conversely, mastering a hollow square formation allows one to counter any cavalry tactic.

When Pellisier heard that the enemy forces were numerous and entirely composed of cavalry, he was grinning from ear to ear.

Over the years, the French army has practiced the hollow square formation diligently, and no amount of horses could break through their formation.

Even without being in the midst of the smoke and dust, Pellissier could feel the smoke of war and the neighing of men and horses.

The veteran looked at the medals and sash on his chest and said.

"Too little!"

He longed for the glory of the Napoleonic era, because there were enough wars then that allowed generals to accumulate enough military merits.

But now, looking at the generals of the Second French Empire, he only felt nauseous.

Looking at their meticulously constructed battle lines, the hollow squares fit together seamlessly, the veterans shoulder to shoulder, their steady steps protecting the artillery in the middle, just like a series of mobile fortresses.

His eyes revealed an undisguised smile and a deep contempt for the Austrian army's obsession with cavalry tactics; of course, he also enjoyed the sense of smugness that came with having everything under control.

Pellisier was just curious as to why those guys had lost to the Austrians before.

The staff officer standing beside him was a refined-looking middle-aged man with a perfectly measured obsequious expression on his face.

"General, this battle will surely make you a legend. You will become a hero of France. The victory in reclaiming Alsace-Lorraine, and the avenging of the French nation's humiliation here."

The staff officer spoke with great enthusiasm, and Pellissier, standing to the side, could tell that the other party was flattering him. But how long had it been since anyone claimed to be a brilliant strategist?

He was still very happy.

Actually, the staff officer didn't want to do this either, but he was almost fifty years old, his hair was starting to turn white, and he was still a major.

He did a lot of dirty and hard work in Lyon and Toulon. But what was the result? Those sycophants who only knew how to flatter became generals.

Whether it's to prove himself, to live a better life, or to achieve a higher status, he will stop at nothing to climb the ladder.

The so-called sense of shame is no longer so important.

Of course, what he said was not entirely flattery. Based on his knowledge and learning, he couldn't figure out how the Austrian cavalry could break through the French hollow square formation. After all, the great Marshal in the Undergarments and the French Cuirassiers had both failed.

In fact, the Austrian army's actions were illogical, because the most sensible course of action after a successful raid would have been to support the defenders of Metz and coordinate with them to defeat the besieging army.

However, after annihilating the French advance troops, the Austrian army did not choose to move north to support Metz, but instead continued towards the main French force.

The advantage of cavalry lies in mobility and surprise attacks. Even a captain in France knew that cavalry must cooperate with infantry and artillery in combat.

The era of knights is long gone.
Suddenly someone shouted loudly.

"Look! Austrian cavalry!"

Pellisier, who was standing nearby, also stood up and muttered to himself, "There are probably tens of thousands, no, tens of thousands of cavalry!"

Pellissier slapped his thigh and shouted.

"Good! Well done! None of them will escape! Haha!"

However, what he received was not only cavalry, but also armored trains.

The French never imagined that the railway tracks they deliberately ignored would not become the cornerstone of their future border consolidation, but rather the noose that strangled them.

In theory, a hollow square formation could indeed withstand any cavalry charge, but in front of an armored train, it would be a sitting duck.

When the steel behemoth stretched across the center of the battlefield, the French army was not intimidated like the armies of other countries. At first, they showed great confusion, but the confusion was soon replaced by anger.

However, the French army faced absolute technological superiority, completely overwhelming the French in both firepower and protection.

Armored trains could transport heavy equipment that was difficult to use in the field to the battlefield via rails, and their concentrated artillery fire was far superior to that of the light infantry guns in the hands of the French army.

The most terrifying thing is that these heavy firepowers are right in front of the hollow square formations. When flesh and blood encounter such heavy firepower, it is like hitting a watermelon with a hammer, and the body will be instantly crushed to pieces.

Even more desperate was that when the French artillerymen frantically filled their shells, each shell that hit the rough steel plate held together by rivets left only a few marks and did not cause any real damage.

As for the rockets in the hands of the French army, they were like firecrackers in a child's hand, only good for watching the excitement and hearing the sound.

Of course, it would be naive to think that three armored trains could solve the battle, but their mission was not to annihilate the enemy, but to disrupt the French formation.

Their appearance gave the Austrian cavalry time to maneuver, broke the original French formation, and terrified some of the French troops.

When the Austrian cavalry surged in from all directions like a tidal wave, the French army had lost its previous momentum.

They will either be routed or fight individually. The only result will be utter defeat.
Of course, large-scale conflict with the French was not Franz's intention; he hoped to handle the border "dispute" in a relatively low-key manner.

Franz hoped that Napoleon III would back down, so he personally telegraphed Louis-Napoleon to inform him of the Austrian army's next move and troop deployment, hoping to clear up the "misunderstanding."

However, Napoleon III's attitude was very firm, and he insisted that Alsace-Lorraine was the territory of the Second French Empire.

Franz had anticipated that the logic wouldn't work, so he had to resort to physics.

Franz could only say that Louis Napoleon failed to grasp the essence of the British political philosophy; a true British politician would not have stubbornly resisted to this extent.

Up to this point, Franz's thinking was still primarily focused on strategic deterrence. However, strategic deterrence also requires a major tactical victory, so the Austrian military had been keeping busy.

When the Austrian military presented Franz with their operational plans, he could hardly believe it.

This method of warfare seems to have never existed in history, but it could actually succeed in this particular era.

Of course, even if it failed, the Austrian Empire could afford the losses. Moreover, even if the battle plan failed, Franz did not think he would lose; at least the cavalry could escape.

Furthermore, the cavalry of the Austrian Empire cannot be evaluated using traditional concepts, since rocket cavalry did not exist in European tradition.

Besides rocket cavalry, the Austrian Empire's horse artillery units were also formidable. It would be a grave mistake to assume that the Austrian cavalry only engaged in charges and close combat.

After the civil war in 1848, the Austrian Empire almost eliminated hussars, leaving mostly dragoons, who could charge on horseback or shoot from dismount.

In terms of cavalry tactics, the Austrian Empire was actually quite advanced.

Most importantly, after the railways were restored, the Austrian Empire's troop deployment speed within the German Confederation was absolutely the fastest in the world.

With more than a dozen railway lines operating simultaneously, tens of thousands of troops and supplies could be transported to different assembly points every day.

In contrast, the French mobilization capacity was somewhat lacking. According to intelligence from the Austrian Empire, the French army had already deployed 150,000 troops to the front lines and planned to send an additional 100,000.

Louis-Napoleon really went all out. At that time, France's standing army numbered only 350,000, but he immediately deployed 250,000 men, which was more than half of the country's military strength.

But if Franz were given just two weeks, the Austrian forces in Alsace-Lorraine would outnumber the French forces.

Because of the excessive losses suffered by the Second French Empire, even with ongoing internal strife, Louis Napoleon dared not conscript soldiers on a large scale, as he simply could not afford to support them.

Moreover, he was also afraid that another Napoleon would emerge.
Whether in battle or in a contest of national power, the Austrian Empire held an absolute advantage.

But wars are not about size; otherwise, many wars would not have happened.

In fact, the generals of the Austrian Imperial General Staff had an even more insane plan: they wanted to defeat France once and for all.

Because of the close relationship between the Austrian Empire and the Orleans and Orthodox factions in France over the years, it also came into contact with many resistance forces within France.

Not to mention the church forces that had long been flirting with Rome and Austria.

From the start of the French Rebellion, the French Church lacked trust in the French government, let alone the fact that the person in power was named Napoleon.

Besides these traditional forces, those whom Louis Napoleon relied on did not truly like him, especially given the increasingly difficult situation.

It was precisely because of these pressures that Napoleon III was so eager to launch the war.

Another counterintuitive point is that French national capitalists were not opposed to Austria; in fact, they were quite willing to lend money to the Austrian Empire in order to create more opportunities for cooperation.

Based on a comprehensive analysis of intelligence from various sources, the Austrian Imperial General Staff believed that it was now entirely possible to completely defeat France.

These people are also planning to take further drastic measures against France and install a puppet government.

Franz could only say that these people had forgotten the pain once the wounds healed; they seemed to have forgotten why the Austrian Empire had fallen in the first place.

In this era of nationalism, anything that incites nationalistic sentiment is extremely dangerous.

What makes a group of people who were nearly driven to despair by Albanian rebels think they can take advantage of France?

Franz really didn't want to get involved in politics and military affairs, but why did this group always like to fight on multiple fronts?

What Franz had been doing all these years was trying to avoid the predicament of fighting on multiple fronts, but the Austrian Empire just happened to be located in the center of Europe.

No one wanted the Austrian Empire to become too powerful, which is why he was so cautious.

Although Napoleon III wouldn't listen to Franz's advice, he was fortunate enough to accept the advice of his commander at the front.

On August 8, 1859, the Austrian Empire and the Second French Empire issued a joint statement: "The misunderstanding has been cleared up, and may the world be at peace forever."

(End of this chapter)