The large reserve strategy has been passed, and it is inevitable to increase military spending. In the short term, the increase in military expenditure is not yet obvious, and it will be different with the increase in the number of reserves.
No matter how cheap it is to support the reservists, the military expenditure will not be lower than 15% of the regular army. Weapons and equipment can be used old goods eliminated by the regular army, and soldiers’ wages can be saved, but training expenses cannot be saved anyway.
Under normal circumstances, the Austrian reserve force has a training period of no less than two months every year. After the training is completed, the government will issue a condolence allowance to some extent.
Based on the calculation of 200,000 new reserve soldiers every year, this expenditure is equivalent to an annual expansion of the army by 30,000. After the total number of reserves reaches 2 million, it will be capped, which is equivalent to an increase of 250,000 active troops on the current basis. (deduct the existing 500,000 reserves)
According to the growth rate of Austria's fiscal revenue in the past, it is estimated that the plan will not last long, and the plan will die.
Franz couldn't help but rejoice that the industrial age had come, otherwise Austria, an agricultural country, would really not be able to support so many soldiers.
"Considering that the future overseas colonial strategy requires the close cooperation of the army and navy, I decided to establish a general staff, with Marshal Radesky as the first chief of the general staff." Franz threw a heavy bomb
There is no doubt that the General Staff Department is independent of the Army and Navy, and nominally only coordinates the cooperation of the Army and Navy.
If there is no right how to coordinate? Do you still have to send someone to reason with the troops below
In particular, the first chief of staff, Marshal Radsky, as a highly respected existence in the Austrian army, can he still oversee the General Staff
"Your Majesty, isn't it too early to set up the General Staff before our colonial overseas strategy is implemented?" Prince Wendischgritz objected.
Oppose, must be opposed. The addition of a general staff, which in many places overlaps the powers of the Ministry of the Army and the Navy, will inevitably greatly crowd out their powers.
Compared with the fierce reaction of Prince Wendischgritz, the Admiralty Minister who does not have much sense of presence does not matter.
It is a matter of time before an institution to coordinate the two armies will be established, and the appointment of Marshal Radsky as the chief of staff from the army, of course, shows the leading position of the army.
It is also difficult for a chief of staff from the army to join the navy. In the case of professional misalignment, the famous Marshal Radsky would never interfere, right
The establishment of the General Staff also marks that the Austrian government has officially determined the overseas colonization strategy, so the construction of the navy has become inevitable.
Given Austria's international status, how could the navy have to rank among the top five in the world, otherwise, it would have no confidence when it went out to grab territory.
Compared with this gain, a little loss of rights is completely acceptable to the Admiralty. If nothing else, this year's navy military spending can be increased by several million.
Franz gave a random reason to explain: "It's better to prepare earlier, so as not to be in a hurry. Now that the European continent is still in balance, it is unknown when this situation will be broken.
Although we judge that the Russians may attack the Ottoman Empire, everything is in case, if the Russians go to Central Asia to expand, or go to the Far East to expand.
Our original strategic plan is no longer possible to implement. Then the last overseas colonial strategy can also be prioritized first. "
The Russians are stupid to let the Ottomans who are close at hand not fight and go to Central Asia or the Far East to eat dirt.
Regardless of whether Prince Wendischgritz could accept it or not, Franz would save face if he dealt with it. Take it out and discuss it with everyone, it is to reflect democracy, and by the way, to check for leaks and fill vacancies.
If everyone is against it, it proves that the plan is not reliable. Either it is too advanced and everyone cannot accept it; or it is not in line with Austria's national conditions and cannot be implemented.
In such a situation, Franz will naturally withdraw from the good. Now that Prince Wendischgritz objected, the resolution was passed.
Considering that the army generals may boycott the General Staff, Franz also specially selected the respected Marshal Radsky, just to keep them speechless.
As long as the first-generation chief of staff sits firmly, everyone will get used to it later. The power of the General Staff in peacetime is actually not large, and Franz will not let them train and command.
There must be checks and balances of power. The General Staff can command the army of the whole country during the war, but the recruitment, training, and logistics support system of soldiers are still in the hands of the Ministry of the Army and Navy.
In history, Franz had been prepared for the fact that the General Staff of Germany directly oversaw the emperor.
In addition to these checks and balances, the Palace Guard and the City Defense Forces of Vienna were also directly responsible to the emperor, and neither the Ministry of War nor the General Staff had command authority.
…
Munich
It was originally thought that with the support of the foreign powers, the Kingdom of Bavaria would be able to integrate the small states in the German region, but the reality gave Maximilian I a blow.
People do not want to be annexed by Austria and Prussia, nor do they want to be annexed by Bavaria. In normal times, everyone's relationship is good, that's to keep warm and resist the threat from Pu'ao.
This is also the reason for Prussia's poor popularity in the German Confederation. The threat of Austria is separated by Bavaria, and everyone does not feel it clearly. As a neighbor of Prussia, everyone has a personal experience.
"Did Württemberg also refuse our offer?" Maximilian I asked with a frown
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Foreign Secretary replied simply
Württemberg is also considered a "big country" in the German Confederation, and its territory is second only to Austria, Prussia and Bavaria.
The Kingdom of Bavaria wants to stand on its own, and it cannot do it without the support of Württemberg. Obviously no one wants to be a stepping stone for others, and the Württemberg government is not willing to become a vassal of Bavaria.
Even if everyone is only merged in name, in fact Württemberg still retains almost all the rights, that is not enough.
No one is a fool. If the German states were to merge now, the dominant Austria would also retain their rights. For no other reason, I just can't swallow it.
Likewise, if Prussia annexed a small state other than Austria, they would not be able to swallow it and had to make a compromise.
The same is true for the Kingdom of Bavaria now. Don't look at the small size of the remaining German state. In fact, almost all of them are areas with good economic development and dense population.
So when Maximi I threw out the favorable conditions, everyone refused directly. With Prussia and Austria still watching, would Bavaria dare to threaten them with force
Do you really think that with the support of the foreign powers, you can make everyone back down? Don't forget that Puo is still a foreign power, and no one has compromised with them!
No, Prussia can only be regarded as a quasi-power, with the military strength of the powers, but not the national power of the powers.
To a certain extent, the Kingdom of Prussia maintained a strong army for fear of being annexed by Austria.
If there is a choice, Frederick William IV is not willing to be swollen and fat. Now the Prussian government's finances may go bankrupt at any time, but their military spending has never been short of a cent.
Undercurrents are already surging within the Kingdom of Bavaria. How can there be so many German exchange organizations in Austria that they are not functioning
The news that the Bavarian government wanted independence was passed on, and a demonstration against the division of the country was already in the works.
In order to avoid suspicion, those responsible for planning this parade are all German nationalists, and Austria-related organizations and individuals are just waving their flags.
…
Berlin
Since the end of the Purdan War, the Kingdom of Prussia has embarked on a road of reform. The first issue facing the government is finance.
Different from history, this time the Pudan war dragged on for a little longer, that is to say, the military expenditure increased by 50 to 60 million dongs.
In theory, as long as you get the funds raised by people in the German region for them, you can basically fill this hole.
Obviously this is not possible, let alone getting the rest of the money. Now the embassies or offices of the Kingdom of Prussia in various states are often harassed by people who collect debts.
In the face of these people, they can't touch them, they can't scold them, and they insist on being a liar when they are reasonable.
As a last resort, these staff did not even dare to go out to buy groceries, for fear of being hit by UFOs, and all living problems were solved by the government of the host country.
In order to divert the attention of the people, the Prussian government did not hesitate to make concessions and proposed a "three-country responsibility cabinet" together with the Kingdom of Bavaria.
Unexpectedly aroused the fear of foreign powers, due to diplomatic pressure, the plan died just after the implementation.
It is impossible to say that Frederick William IV had no resentment in his heart. It's a pity that he has nowhere to express his anger.
In this series of measures, the Prussian government behaved quite well, and there were no major mistakes, and the responsibility for the failure could not be blamed on them.
The reaction of Austria, Bavaria and other countries could not be more natural. Everyone considers the issue in their own interests, and no one owes the other.
"How far has the Prime Minister, and the British borrowing, progressed?" Frederick William IV asked concernedly
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid it is impossible to borrow from the British. They have put forward an unacceptable condition." Prime Minister Josef von Radowitz replied with a wry smile.
"What kind of conditions, there is no room for negotiation?" Frederick William IV asked suspiciously
Josef von Radowitz sighed and said, "The British demand that we leave the German Confederation permanently!"
"What?" Frederick William IV asked in disbelief
Exit the German Confederation? If the Kingdom of Prussia withdraws from the German Confederation, then the great power dream of the Kingdom of Prussia will be shattered directly, and they are a medium-sized country with their current size.
Frederick William IV was certain that once Prussia had withdrawn from the German Confederation, the British would then unite France and Russia to force Austria to make the same decision.
At that time, the remaining German states will be merged, and it will be a middle country again. Under the complex international situation, this newly established country may not be enough to be aggressive, but it is definitely more than enough to protect itself.
After a pause for a while, Frederick William IV reacted and said casually: "No, we absolutely cannot accept such conditions, we must contact the Austrian government as soon as possible, presumably they are not willing to leave in such a disheartened manner. !"
There is no doubt that Frederick-Wilhelm IV was wrong, thinking that the British were ready to break up the German Confederation.
Don't look at them always wanting to break the German Confederation dominated by Austria, but the German Confederation has really split, and the most worrying one is definitely not Austria.
Even if they left the German Confederation, the Austrian Empire is also a big country in Europe, but the Kingdom of Prussia will not work. If they want to go further, they have no chance.
Prime Minister Josef von Radowitz analyzed: "Your Majesty, we can't rush this issue, the Austrians will not give up the German region, we just need to disclose the information to the Austrian government through some channels.
The British want to think about it, but if they really want to make this plan a reality, they can't do it.
Even if Britain, France and Russia join forces to put pressure on us, as long as we and Austria do not let go, they can't do anything. They can't start a war against us because of this, right? "
There is also the issue of initiative in the alliance between Prussia and Austria. If Prussia just sent it to the door, wouldn't it give up the initiative in the alliance