Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 475: Getting Ready for a Decisive Battle

During this era, John Bull’s influence was still quite significant. Although not as overwhelming as in the same period in original history, his call to arms could still rally many to respond.

The Italian revolutionaries, the French revolutionaries—any organization with a recognizable name sent representatives to London.

Looking at the intelligence in hand, Franz’s first reaction was: The British sure have money!

In other countries, forget about whether these revolutionary organizations would give them face, it would be difficult just to find them.

Revolution was a matter of losing one’s head. If they weren’t careful and cautious, Napoleon III would have eliminated them long ago. For the British to find them all in such a short time, they must have maintained contact all along.

Beyond the “power of money,” what else could make these revolutionaries cooperate? The Italian revolutionaries could be understandable, but the British and the French are old enemies—why would the French revolutionaries listen to the British?

In any case, Franz couldn’t afford this kind of expenditure. Rather than supporting these ragtag groups, he preferred investing in domestic economic development to strengthen his own power.

It’s not that he looked down on the revolutionaries. In this era, French revolutionaries were mostly tools of the bourgeoisie, existing primarily to serve bourgeois interests.

Apart from a few individuals, most were merely failed power-seekers striving for their own gain. Though they carried the banner of revolutionaries, they weren’t true revolutionaries.

The Italian revolutionaries were relatively better; at least they fought for national independence. Despite their internal chaos and mixed composition, they could be considered genuine revolutionaries.

As a monarch, Franz naturally couldn’t align with revolutionaries. In the face of national interests, discussing justice or injustice was meaningless.

Thus, the sacred mission of supporting the revolutionaries was handed over to the British. Originally, the Americans were also involved, as they were actively spending money to promote republicanism.

After the Civil War ended, having experienced a harsh beating, both the Federal government and the Confederate government settled down and no longer dared to extend their hands to Europe.

With one fewer financier, the revolutionary momentum in Europe decreased significantly compared to the same period in history, and social order was noticeably better than in the original timeline.

It was an exception in Italy where the Italian populace, unwilling to accept French rule, continued to resist. The French were preoccupied with suppressing the rebellion, and it was understandable that they neglected social order.

It takes a thousand days to raise an army, but only one day to use it. British money didn’t come without strings attached, and now it was time to fight for the British.

Perhaps they were willing to do so anyway. After all, it wasn’t their own blood being spilled, and with British support, their chances of success were higher. If they succeeded, they would reap great rewards.

In contrast, the reactions of various European countries were much more reserved. Perhaps French diplomatic efforts had worked, or maybe Austria’s non-intervention led them to have other thoughts.

In any case, everyone was vocally condemning the French, with slogans loud enough to shake the heavens. But when it came to taking actual action, each country found numerous excuses and reasons not to send troops.

Franz wasn’t surprised by the choices of these countries. The French weren’t easy targets, and Napoleon III had already shown a readiness to fight. All governments were weighing the pros and cons, and no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.

In essence, everyone wanted to be the fisherman reaping the benefits without losing their own strength. Ultimately, it came down to interests—if Britain, the leader of the anti-French faction, wasn’t taking the lead, how could they expect their followers to be enthusiastic?

Their current approach was merely isolating France. To attack the French homeland and dismantle the Greater French Empire, a main force was still lacking.

In this regard, the French had chosen an opportune time. Russia and Prussia were recovering, Austria had an alliance with the French government, and there was no capable force among the remaining countries.

As the situation in Europe gradually stabilized, the situation in Africa changed. To support the war in South Africa, the British reinforced their troops three times, and as of now, the number of British troops in the Cape Colony has exceeded 180,000.

Of course, if you exclude the cannon fodder units, this number is reduced by half, but it’s still quite impressive.

After the Near East War, this was the largest deployment of British troops in any battle. Austria’s total forces were similar, and Franz directly treated this war as a training ground.

No, it should be called an officer training camp. Regular troops couldn’t appear on the battlefield. Otherwise, Austria’s neutral status would be compromised.

While soldiers couldn’t go to the front lines, officers could. By taking off their uniforms and participating in the war as individuals, it had nothing to do with the Austrian government.

Even the nobles who voluntarily joined were actually part of the Austrian reserve officer corps. According to the rules in the German region, nobles were required to enlist unconditionally during wartime.

Improving these individuals’ combat capabilities was also enhancing Austria’s strength in national defense. Opponents like the British were hard to find, so of course, they had to make full use of it.

The native cannon fodder units formed on the spot were there for the officers to practice with. Currently, many battles were directed by the general staff’s officer corps, who commanded these native units in tactical experiments.

Although these data weren’t fully representative—since different armies would achieve different results—anything was better than theoretical exercises.

If they could command cannon fodder units to win, wouldn’t that further prove their command abilities?

Reality was a slap in the face, as over ninety percent of the tests ended in failure. Often, the cannon fodder units were defeated, and then Viscount Falkner would lead the “Boer Republican Army” to clean up the mess.

At this point in the war, the combat effectiveness of the Boer Republican Army and the Austrian troops was about the same. They were trained in the same system, including the source of troops and officers, which were all from the German region.

This unit now had about 38,000 soldiers, and when combined with more than a hundred thousand cannon fodder troops, they were able to fight the British to a standstill, proving their combat effectiveness.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the British army was a mixed bag; many white units from the colonies were just there to get by.

In the original timeline, the Boers had fewer troops, and the British launched their attacks with ten times their strength. The two sides fought for 2-3 years. If supplies were cut off, the Boers would have been unable to continue, and the war might not have lasted long.

This time, the situation in the Anglo-Boer War was entirely different. It was impossible for the British to enforce a blockade, no matter how skillfully the British government maneuvered. The Austrian African colonial government wouldn’t cut off supplies to its own people.

Additionally, the high cost of the war was not an issue for Emperor Franz, so why should the officers on the front lines be worried? Many viewed this as a strategic game between the British and Austrians, affecting Austria’s hegemony on the African continent.

By the end of 1870, the casualties in the Anglo-Boer War were so high they couldn’t be fully accounted for; even the exact number of their own casualties was unclear.

In the South African battlefield, Franz gave maximum autonomy. All officers were allowed to recruit cannon fodder units, and the losses of indigenous units were only roughly estimated.

Regardless of losing ten thousand, they could recruit twenty thousand more. If there weren’t enough recruits within the Boer republics, the colonial government in the rear would send more.

The British, on the other hand, were facing a shortage of cannon fodder units. Many young and able-bodied men were sent to the battlefield, leading to the potential extinction of numerous tribes.

Christmas was approaching, and by this time, the “Boer Republican Army” had pushed the front line deep into British South African territory, only about 200 kilometers from Cape Town.

Viscount Falkner didn’t intend to drag it out any longer; everyone wanted to finish the war and celebrate Christmas. If the war dragged on, British reinforcements would arrive, making the war harder to fight.

Advancing from the interior, logistics were always the biggest constraint. If not for the few rivers in South Africa, the war would have ended long ago.

Pointing at the hand-drawn military map on the wall, Viscount Falkner said, “Gentlemen, this is the British troop deployment map. As we push the front line forward, British resistance is becoming increasingly fierce.

If we can’t end the war within the year and it drags on until next spring, then the British fourth wave of reinforcements will arrive, making it difficult for us to capture Cape Town.

Our time to act is running out. If we can’t achieve a swift victory, it will be hard to occupy all of South Africa before the negotiations between the two countries.”

There’s no way around it. At this stage of the war, one side needs to concede to end it. The British aren’t the type to give up easily. John Bull has never been afraid of anyone.

It was only a local war. How determined the Austrian government was to take South Africa was unclear, including Emperor Franz, who was only preparing to take the gold mining area first.

How much land would eventually be taken from the British wasn’t of much concern to everyone. The main point was that only by capturing Cape Town and fully occupying South Africa could they maximize their military achievements.

Despite the war dragging on for over half a year, with everyone boasting of their battle achievements, the actual gains have been limited.

Apart from wiping out cannon fodder units, British troop losses have not exceeded ten thousand. In every engagement, they were only defeated but not completely annihilated, so naturally, the war gains couldn’t increase.

This situation is unavoidable. The British commander-in-chief, Governor Delf, is a cunning old fox, always ensuring white soldiers retreat first while using cannon fodder units to cover the rear.

If ten thousand isn’t enough, he throws in twenty thousand more, as cannon fodder units are expendable. These remnants pose a threat; if they reach populated areas in the rear, the damage could be significant. Viscount Falkner would then have to send troops to clear them out.

Even rounding up over ten thousand pigs takes time, let alone people. By the time these remnants are dealt with, the British main forces could have constructed another defensive line.

Without annihilating the main British forces, this war won’t end anytime soon.

A middle-aged staff officer frowned and said, “This might be a bit difficult. To occupy Cape Town, we still don’t have enough troops in our hands. These indigenous troops can’t be relied upon at all.

When we reach the port of Cape Town, the British will still have naval fire support. We lack heavy artillery and it will be difficult to conquer the city in a short time. Once the war drags on, the situation will change again.

The British’s nearest reinforcements only need a week to come from Ethiopia, and reinforcements from their homeland will only take a month.”

This was a real problem. Austria didn’t lack troops, but the forces that could be deployed to the South African front were very limited.

On one hand, it’s due to logistics. Regular troops are not like native cannon fodder. They can’t just be given a mouthful of food and equipped with machetes and spears.

The food problem was easy to solve. South Africa was rich in resources. The Boer republics could provide some, the rear could supply some, and they could also plunder some.

If necessary, they only needed to ensure the logistical supply of regular troops and let the cannon fodder troops seize from the enemy. This was not impossible.

But weapons and ammunition must be supplied from the rear, and this supply line is very long. Some of it goes through the Congo, while another part is sent via the Nile from Egypt.

On the other hand, this war is fought under the guise of the Boers. The small Boer republics can only field an army of 38,000, which is already remarkable. If they were to field 100,000 or even just 80,000 troops, it would be unreasonable.

Although the great powers were shameless, the Austrian government’s face wasn’t that thick. If they really angered the British, everyone would suffer.

Now both sides were still maneuvering within the rules of the game. Suffering defeats on the battlefield only proved that the British army’s combat effectiveness was poor. If they were incompetent and still started a war, they couldn’t blame others for retaliating.

Viscount Falkner enticed them, “Even if it’s difficult, we must continue the fight. Surely everyone would prefer the post-war summary to read that we annihilated 100,000 British troops and seized British South Africa.

Rather than reading that we thwarted the British plot against the Boer republics, killed 10,000 enemies, and forced the British to concede! Winning this crucial battle means promotions and titles for everyone. If we stop now, most of us will only receive a commendation.”