Franz also had to make this decision. The Austrian army had just crushed the domestic rebellion, brought down the kingdom of Sardinia, and intervened once in the Papal States.
Now he has hundreds of thousands of veterans who have seen blood in his hands. Anyone with a little military knowledge knows how precious veterans with rich combat experience are.
This means that the combat effectiveness of the Austrian Army is at its peak, no worse than that of any country in this era.
If you miss this time and wait for the veterans who have seen blood to retire, then the combat effectiveness of the Austrian army will slowly decline.
No matter how rigorous the training, it is not as effective as letting soldiers walk around the battlefield. After a few victories, he became a proud soldier.
With such a big advantage, how could Franz give up? What's more, the veterans of the Austrian military are already old, and if they don't fight them, they won't even have the chance to play their residual heat.
For example, Marshal Radesky is in his 80s. Even if he is old and strong, Franz is not at ease to let him lead troops on the front line.
At this time, these old guys can still dispatch commands in the staff department. If it is another ten or eight years, Franz will have to accept the fact that the famous Austrian generals are withering away.
This is a cycle, and it is impossible for any country to remain at its peak forever. If the layout is not completed at this time, the risk will be greatly increased in the future.
It is not that there are no successors in the Austrian army. The problem is that the famous generals are all played on the battlefield. A general who has not proven himself on the battlefield, who knows whether he is really capable, or just talking about it on paper
In the case of uncertainty about the strength of the generals, the best way is to fight dull battles, use national strength to delay the past, and not give the enemy a chance to take advantage.
This was proved during the World War. The Germans had the most outstanding generals and the most famous generals in the world, but they still lost in the end, as was the case in both World Wars.
Before digesting the South German region, it is obviously impossible for Austria to have that kind of advantage. It may be possible to overwhelm Prussia with national strength, but if you want to overwhelm the French, you should not dream.
The final result was that in 1851 Austria's military budget increased again, from the original 73.9572 million guilders to 112 million guilders.
Such spending, if there is no war, will last at most three or five years, and the Austrian government will have to give up.
These increased military expenditures are all for the army, and the navy should not count on it. Whether it is westward to the German region or southward to the Balkans, there is no chance for them to perform.
The direct consequence of the increase in military expenditure is that the active army in Austria was expanded to 512,000, and the civilians also began to form training reserves. This time, the goal is not to increase the annual increase of 200,000.
If you add the existing 586,000 reserve troops, you will theoretically have 936,000 reserve troops. In fact, this is impossible. Every year, 20,000 or 30,000 people in the reserve force are old enough to withdraw from it.
These reserve troops cannot be trained in a year. According to past experience, it takes more than three years of training for a reserve force to be comparable to a recruit who has been enlisted for one year.
Of course, there must be a veteran belt, otherwise the time will be greatly extended.
Young people who participate in reserve training are naturally given preferential treatment. For example, agricultural taxes on 3 hectares of land are exempted, and if an accident occurs during training, they can enjoy military pensions…
The Austrian government's sudden military expansion was naturally not random. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also informed the Russians that since everyone is an ally, these issues still need to be communicated.
St. Petersburg
After receiving the notice from Austria, Nicholas I knew that his strategic intentions had been exposed. There is no way out. The preparations for war are so big, how can it be kept secret
This is not a mythical novel. From the expansion of the military, the preparation of materials, to the final launch of the war, millions of people are involved. How can it be kept secret
Even if the tsarist government used the Far East strategy as a guise, it would have no effect. The Trans-Siberian Railway has not yet been built, sending hundreds of thousands of troops to the Far East, and it is estimated that they will starve to death on the way.
Open the map and know that the only place where the Russians can mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops to do things is the Ottoman Empire.
Nicholas I asked suspiciously: "Didn't the Austrian government say that it is necessary to cultivate and recuperate and not use force within ten years? Why can't they bear it so quickly?"
Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Worciel replied: "Your Majesty, Austria has come out of the civil war, and even because of the suppression of the rebels, the government has issued a sum and confiscated a large amount of property.
Our preliminary judgment is that the Austrians are preparing to take advantage of us when we attack the Ottoman Empire, specifically the South German region, or the Balkans is still uncertain. "
In short, he dared not say that the Austrian government made a fortune by copying the homes of the nobles. If the tsar becomes interested, he will be out of luck.
The Russian Empire was also aristocratic, even more conservative than Austria. Therefore, the propaganda in Russia is that the Austrian government checked the rebel capitalists, and the local nobles were taken into account for participating in the rebellion.
Nicholas I said indifferently: "This is a good thing. The Austrians are moving, and they can help us share a little pressure. Let's see if the British can take care of that."
Nicholas I had this arrogant capital. In addition to the constraints of the Vienna system, the stability of Europe in recent decades was more because European countries joined forces to suppress Russia and prevent them from expanding externally.
No matter how confident they are, they don't think they can single out the whole of Europe, so the tsarist government in Vienna was quite peaceful.
After so many years, the Russians have long been unable to hold back. At this time, Austria abandoned its previous position and agreed to their expansion into the Ottoman Empire.
After the Russian-Austrian secret treaty was signed, the last shackles that hindered their expansion had been opened, and the tsarist government could no longer bear it.
Allied with Austria, the Russians did not expect military assistance from Austria, and His Majesty the Tsar had no shortage of soldiers. Austria only needed to be a good nurse.
This is the position that the Russians gave Austria, and the alliance between the two sides did the same. In the east, Russia and Austria joined forces to suppress the Kingdom of Prussia, and in the south, they dealt with the Ottoman Empire.
Neither Austria nor Russia felt any pressure to bully the Ottoman Empire, nor did they think it was necessary to form a coalition.
In fact, geographically, the two sides are not suitable for organizing coalition forces, which involves the issue of dividing the spoils after the war.
Don't think that a secret contract can be done, these spoils are more reliable if you fight them yourself. Otherwise, an accident happened on the battlefield, and the originally reserved site was not won. Is the original agreement still valid
If it is a site that one party has taken down alone, then there is no need to say, who takes down who belongs to whom, if it is taken jointly, everyone will contribute, and there will be disputes when the spoils are divided.
In order to avoid this situation, both parties have made an agreement that they will fight according to their own spheres of influence.
Contrary to what later generations preached, the tsarist government did not have the ambition to unify the European continent. What they wanted was to establish a consolidated European hegemony.
It's not that they don't want to unify the European continent, but they simply can't. With the exception of ancient Rome, the European continent has never been unified again.
Napoleon, who was stunned, only expanded his territory a bit, and then supported the pro-French regime without unifying the entire European continent. Naturally, Nicholas I would not think that Russia had the strength to unify the European continent.
This is also a prerequisite for the establishment of the Russian-Austrian alliance. If the tsarist government wants to unify the European continent, and the Hungarian Revolution breaks out in history, the Russians will not help Austria suppress the rebellion, but will take the opportunity to directly defeat Austria.
…
The Russians don't care. The two sides are allies. They can ignore Austria's military expansion, but some people can't help it.
The person who knows you best is not necessarily your friend, but there must be your enemy. The Ottoman Empire is undoubtedly tragic. They have a feud with Russia and Austria.
Looking at the reaction of the two neighbors, the Sudanese government is already in a hurry. Abdul Mejid I dared to swear in the name of ***, these two neighbors are definitely uneasy and kind.
There is no way, whoever is in his position will think so, after all, they are old enemies for hundreds of years, who doesn't know who? Russia and Austria are traditional allies, and they are traditional enemies. What's wrong with joining forces to fight them
Don't say that the two are together, even if it is a one-on-one match against Abdul Mejid I, he can't stand it.
Don't think that after reform, the Ottoman Empire is a European power. My family knows their own affairs, and the core problems of the Ottoman Empire have never been solved.
On the surface, they are also a modern country. In fact, because of internal contradictions, the strength of the Ottoman Empire is only puffy.
Of course, their two enemies are actually not too strong. Whether it is Russia or Austria, the strength shown on the outside is stronger than their real strength.
Everyone is a typical example of foreign power and China, but the internal contradictions between Russia and Austria have been suppressed, which is stronger than the Ottoman Empire.
Regrettably, even in its apparent strength, the Ottoman Empire was much weaker. Compared with most small European countries, they are considered powerful countries, and compared with any other power, they are "cups" on the coffee table.
Abdul Mejid I asked concernedly: "What do Britain and France say?"
The Foreign Minister's face sank. At such a long distance, there is no cable and telegram connection. How can he know about things that are thousands of miles away
However, Abdul Mejid I is not easy to provoke. Compared with other countries in Europe, the ministers of the Ottoman Empire are the most insecure. If you provoke the sultan, you will lose your head.
"Your Majesty, no news has come back yet. But before, the Russians we informed the British were preparing for war, and the London government has given a reply. Once the Russo-Turkish war breaks out again, they will be on our side." Diplomacy The minister said in a flash
This news made Abdul Majid I nervous a little bit better, but worries were still indispensable.
Even if the British support them, they still can't stand it? With one against two, the Ottoman Empire at its peak expressed no pressure, and now they really can't stand it.
"How are our preparations?" Abdul Mejid I continued to ask
The Minister of War quickly replied: "Your Majesty, so far, we have expanded our army to 530,000, and it is expected to expand to 800,000 in the next three months.
Once the war breaks out, we can mobilize another 300,000 troops, which is enough to deal with emergencies on any side. "
If there are so many regular troops, then in the Crimean War, the Ottoman Empire will not be suppressed by the Russians.
As an old-fashioned empire that has fallen, Ottoman has no shortage of corruption and bribery, eating empty noises, and reselling military supplies.