Holy Roman Empire

Otto I's illusion didn't last long, and he knew that it was impossible without anyone reminding him.

Despite the public opinion in the country, they sent troops to attack the Ottoman Empire this time, and they have an inescapable responsibility for the defeat of the Allied forces in the second Bulgarian battle.

In this battle, the British army suffered heavy losses. Downing Street changed their owners. If they just let them go, would the British have any face?

Without winning the Russians, the London government is still acceptable. The British had low expectations of the army, and losing to the Russians was not too shameful.

But after participating in a war, the British could not just watch the French show their power, so they became spectators?

In any case, the British Army desperately needs a victory to prove its strength.Unfortunately, Greece is the soft persimmon they chose.

If this is not the case, the Greek government will not get nothing from the public relations in the London government for so long.

Otto I said helplessly: "Can the army really not fight? Even if it is just a tie, we also have the capital to negotiate!"

The Minister of War replied sideways: "Your Majesty, since the defeat against the British, the morale of the army has disappeared, and every day people run away. If it is not restricted by military law, the soldiers on the front line do not know how many are left.

There is no way, this unit is all made up in a patchwork, all supported by nationalist patriotic ideas.As soon as this breath was lost, it immediately revealed itself.

It is simply a dream to expect this group of people to defeat the enemy.

"deserter?"

Otto I's eyes lit up. He seemed to think of something, but he couldn't grasp it. He kept talking about "Destroyer", "Destroyer" ...

Seeing the king trapped in a magical obstacle, everyone tacitly chose silence.

After the half-kung fu, Otto I said in a low voice: "If we let the troops become zero, how about dispersing the breakout?

As long as there is no evidence caught by the British, they will not treat us!"

I have to say that Otto I was still a wise man, and he didn't have a silly alliance with the Russians.

The geographical location of Greece determines the strategic choice. Even if the Russians won the war, they cannot escape the influence of Britain and France.

Now if they jump into the arms of the Russians, I am afraid they won't wait until the war is over.

The Prime Minister reminded: "Your Majesty, if you do this, the loss will be great. Once these soldiers fall into the hands of the Ottomans, I am afraid that few will survive."

Since it is a civilian armed force, military discipline is of course no better. There are revenge and complaints. When the war is now going on, the seeds of hatred on both sides have already taken root.

At this time, the so-called scattered breakout actually means that you can't win, let's run away!

And it is not yet possible to run directly back to the Kingdom of Greece, otherwise the enemy will follow and kill, and will divert from other areas and return to the country.

In the case of the Greek army, an orderly evacuation does not exist. It is estimated that the order will directly become a defeat, and obviously there will not be many people who can run back alive.

The family of the Greek Kingdom is not solid. This army is the majority of their country. Once the losses are heavy, it is the situation of "everyone is crying".

"Do we have any choice? We can't win the enemy on the battlefield, and the Russians refuse to send troops to rescue. Can't we count on the Principality of Montenegro next door to save us?" Otto I asked back.

This war can not be said at the negotiating table, otherwise the British liquidation they cannot afford.Domestic nationalism is also not easy to provoke. These people not only can't see the coffin and not cry, but also can't afford to lose.

Anyway, it is necessary to lose, Otto I naturally have to find a way out.

The frontline army cannot win, everyone breaks through, no matter how much the loss is, it has nothing to do with the king, at least he does not have to bear the political responsibility for failure.

...

Vienna

The Empress Sophie gave Franz an ultimatum. Anyway, the marriage must be booked immediately. Even if you do not marry your niece, you must find a right person.

This was not only her personal will, but also the will of the Habsburg family and the will of the imperial people. Everyone could not bear the emperor to continue to be single.

Free love?Franz regretted that he hadn't had time to fall in love!

In this case, it is better to get engaged with a familiar one, it is better to marry a person who knows nothing, what if you get green?

The day after Christmas in 1853, Franz was engaged to Princess Helen of the Wittelsbach dynasty.The whole process was arranged by Empress Sophie, and Franz just followed the procedure.

The value of face is justice, and in the case of buy one get one free, Franz is still very satisfied.

How chaotic is the European nobility?This question cannot be answered. In short, apart from the fact that the blood can not be mixed, there are a lot of messy things, and the concept of chastity is indifferent.

Although this marriage is not a match, but everyone is a sweetheart, fiancee entered the Vienna Palace early to ensure that it is the original product.

After the engagement, Franz and Princess Helen were restricted by the Queen Sophie's intimate contact, and never allowed unmarried pregnancies.

Faced with a crisis of trust, Franz was very helpless. He repeatedly assured himself that he was not a person who did not understand the rules.

However, Empress Sophie did not believe in his character, and pointed out innocently what he believed to be confidential before. Obviously, there were not many things in the royal palace that could hide the hostess.

Previously it was for framing Franz and his niece to get engaged. Naturally, they don't mind these little things. Now that the overall situation is settled, then we must guard against stubbornness and not make jokes.

Franz doubted that he was calculated by the old lady, but after confirming it again and again, he had to admit that he had too little willpower to resist the temptation.

He was sure that this was definitely not his problem. This must be a sequelae of the trip to St. Petersburg. It was brought down by the Russian aristocracy before the willpower fell.

These are all minor issues, anyway, he is in charge, Franz does not counsel.Even if he is not responsible, he also does not counsel, his son is always higher than the niece.

In the context of the marriage between the two, all the factors of disharmony must be strangled in the cradle, Franz does not worry about trouble.

This marriage is more important to the Wittelsbach dynasty than the Habsburg dynasty.Maximilian II, who had just arrived in Milan, wanted to secure his throne, he couldn't do without the support of the Habsburgs.

Franz agreed to this marriage, in addition to having a good relationship with Princess Helen, but also took into account political factors.

The annexation of the Kingdom of Bavaria has made the newly joined royal families of Saxony, Hessen, and Württemberg a bit worried. Even if they gave the Lombardy throne of the Wittelsbach dynasty, they were not enough to reassure them.

If it were not for these royal families, there would be no princesses of the appropriate age, and the target of this marriage might be replaced.Don't doubt Franz's morality, often involuntarily in front of politics.

Unable to win over them through marriage, the marriage with the Wittelsbach dynasty can also play a role. The Lombard Kingdom ’s political voice is reduced, but it is nominally mobilized.

On this issue, it is basically settled by negotiation. The Habsburg family did not have an enmity with the Wittelsbach dynasty. It is naturally feasible to eliminate that unhappiness through marriage.

In the common interest, everyone became an ally again.By the way, the royal families of Saxony, Hessen, and Württemberg were also relieved. The Habsburgs had a good taste, and they would not swallow them all at once.

Franz can be sure that they think too much.Apart from reducing the difficulty of reunification, the most important thing is that the unification of force will cause indigestion.

National reunification is different from external expansion. Many excessive means are not available.In the absence of major cleansing, if the people's hearts cannot be recovered, the locality will not be stable in the next ten or twenty years.

The overthrow of the royal family and interest groups will want to restore, there is no way to restore, they can also be turned into a revolutionary party to overturn the table, everybody breaks up, no one should think better.

For details, we can refer to the February Revolution in France, where Napoleon III can be elected president, and we know the role of the Bonaparte in this uprising.

The so-called usurpation of the fruits of the revolution is actually inaccurate. Everyone is the leader of the revolution from beginning to end. It is only hidden behind the scenes and manipulated, and finally the moment jumps out. Otherwise, how could Napoleon III easily seize power?

As an emperor, Franz does not want to leave hidden dangers to his rule, the first thing to consider is stability.

In the history of the Second Empire, Bismarck advocated leaving so many states. In addition to being unable to swallow the power, more is for long-term stability.

Facts have proved that this method is very effective. No matter how many contradictions between the local government and the central government, they are carried out within the scope of the rules. I have never heard of a state rebellion.

The biggest gain from the merger of these German states is not resources, strategy, or political interests. The biggest gain is still the population, and it is still a high-quality population.

According to the demographic statistics two years ago, the total population of the Austrian Empire exceeded 37 million, which is only the Russians in the European continent, but the main ethnic group is only 8.7 million.

In order to make the data better, under the instructions of Franz, the Austrian government directly divided some mixed races of German descent into Germans.

Then the number of main ethnic groups rapidly expanded to more than 10 million, and the main ethnic groups only rose from 23.5% to 27.8%.

Okay, this is a bit too far-fetched.Only a quarter and one-eighth of many people of German descent have become Germans, and Franz is not so rigid. It would be nicer to be more flexible.

This situation has now been effectively resolved, and the number of main ethnic groups has finally exceeded 40%.

With the development of the economy and the acceleration of population mobility, this marriage across nations will definitely increase in the future.

I have to admit that this oldest way of national integration is actually the most effective and least hidden way of national integration.

At present, the driving force behind this national integration is the imbalance of the ratio of men and women in Germany, where men are more women than women is an urgent social reality. This situation continued until World War II before it reversed.

The Hungarian region is just the opposite. There are more women and less men. In addition to the decrease in the number of young and strong locals caused by the civil war, it is also caused by its own geographical environment.

Of course, the situation in the two principalities of Serbia and the Danube Basin is more serious, and the number of young and strong locals has declined sharply due to the hesitation of war.

If nothing is done, Franz can be sure that these regions will experience negative population growth in the next two decades, especially in Serbia.

These social backgrounds have created favorable conditions for national integration. How could Franz give up this opportunity?

The question now is what to do to enable everyone to marry, which is a headache.In this regard, Franz ’s unsuccessful experience can be used for reference.