CHAPTER 246: CHAPTER 235 "ROME’S" PLOT.

Speaking of the Italian issue, Franz’s face turned somber. After the Prussia and Austria war, Italy took away Venice, and before that, with the support of the French, Italy similarly took Lombardy and a host of Austria-Hungarian Empire’s Italian affiliated powers through the same means. Indeed, Italy is currently the greatest enemy outside the Austria-Hungarian Empire’s borders.

Prussia gained leadership in the German region, and indeed, there was no real combat, but Italy, this weakling, surely knows how to pick sides well, taking away Austrian Empire’s territories. This has resulted in Austria now having only the Trieste port to maintain a fragile navy, a great humiliation Austria has endured in recent years.

Franz silently cursed Italy, Prussia, and the rebel Hungary in his heart, as internal and external troubles followed one after another.

"Do you have any ideas?" Franz asked.

Currently, protecting the Pope Country are the French. Napoleon III could be considered the greatest promoter of Italy’s unification. During his early years in exile in Italy, he even joined Italy’s "Carbonari." In 1851, when Napoleon III declared himself emperor, he explicitly put forth the "principle of nationalism," supporting Italian unification. In 1856, the Crimean War broke out. In the war’s final stages, the Sardinian Kingdom took advantage of the rift between the British and French, siding with the French, earning Napoleon III’s trust. To win over France, the Sardinian Kingdom offered Savoy and Nice as rewards, defeating the strong enemy Austria with France’s help, taking the Lombardy region controlled by Austria, and at the same time annexing small states like Tuscany, Parma, and Modena, which were within Austria’s sphere of influence, initially unifying Italy.

Looking at it this way, the geopolitical environment involving Prussia, France, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the messed-up relations with Russia, is truly atrocious.

Ernst said, "Now the question is, will France suffer a loss on the European battlefield, leading them to withdraw troops from Rome to support the French mainland."

Franz and Ferdinand exchanged incredulous glances, "Are you suggesting that Prussia could pose a significant threat to France?"

It’s not that they underestimated Prussia, but France is universally acknowledged as the strongest power on the continent, even Austria-Hungary, also a major power, has to admit this.

France has consistently given the impression of being very powerful, especially during the Napoleonic era, standing alone against multiple enemies. Even after Napoleon III’s restoration, the French army’s might remained strong, recovering face from Russia in Crimea, and in recent years making Austria suffer in Italy.

"To be blunt, you yourselves have faced Prussia. Back then, Prussia defeated Austria with just its own forces."

"That’s different. Prussia had Italy as an ally, and at that time the internal condition of the Empire wasn’t good..." Franz retorted.

"Not winning is just not winning, and you know the level Italy is at. To be honest, the Italian army’s level might not even be able to take down the Abyssinian Empire in East Africa smoothly."

"Heh..."

Franz and Ferdinand didn’t believe it; how could the level of natives compare with Europe? It might be different if the opponent was East Africa.

"If you don’t believe it, fine, no need to be sarcastic. Surely you’ll admit that Italy’s military lags behind yours!"

The example from the previous war is there; it cannot be overturned.

"Besides, Prussia was just Prussia before; now it’s the entire North German Federation. The growth speed of the Prussian army over these years is well-known, from a weakling during the anti-French war to a draw with Denmark, later avenging, and a few years ago turning the Austrian Empire into Austria-Hungary, while gaining leadership in Germany. Now, four years later, the Prussian Army must have reached a new height."

"You’re exaggerating a bit here..."

"Whether I’m exaggerating, I think I am somewhat qualified to speak. The quality of Prussian military equipment has improved significantly over the years, as I too grew my business from the dividends of the Second Schleswig War, and the Prussia and Austria war took my enterprise to a new level. The upcoming Franco-Prussian War will also mean a luscious profit," Ernst said smugly.

Prussia declared war on France. Regardless of anything else, with so many troops, war expenses must be met, and many war bonds will certainly be issued. The current scale of Heixinggen Bank is just right to partake in some business, and a fifty billion war indemnity won’t be without his share.

"The last time Prussia faced you, they mobilized over 500,000 troops in a short time. If Prussia takes action against France, this could be an army of a million!"

Franz and Ferdinand didn’t refute this time. Prussia, having integrated the North German region, indeed has that capability. During the Prussia and Austria war, Prussia’s mobilization ability was terrifying but not the limit since many Austrian allies interfered in the Prussian territory, and Prussia’s railway system couldn’t be fully utilized.

Adding the previous war, territories incorporated into the North German Federation are densely populated, economically developed areas, with a population that should be approaching thirty million in recent years, and France’s population is roughly around thirty-eight million. The difference isn’t large, as the Southern German region hasn’t been counted. Southern German states are also not weak. The last Prussia and Austria war established Prussia’s leadership in Germany, so the Southern German states will support Prussia too. Bavaria alone can offset the population gap between the two groups.

The population of all of Little Germany exceeds forty million. Even without full force, Southern Germany can hold back part of France’s military.

"Prussia surely has a combat plan against you. Although this war will definitely not happen, they will definitely guard against you siding with France," Ernst slyly mocked.

I wish! Franz mused internally. In reality, Austria-Hungary wouldn’t be able to participate in the war. As his Minister of Foreign Affairs puts it, "Austria-Hungary is already a ’defensive country’ that cannot engage in territorial expansion; this country is ’overweight’ and cannot carry any more, whether soil or gold, or it will capsize."

"If the Franco-Prussian War breaks out, it’s likely to be a very brutal war. The French are not frightening because Napoleon III is not Napoleon the Great. Whether they win or lose, both France and Prussia will initially exert all their might, and the stationed French troops closest to Rome will probably have to return home for support!" Ernst lamented, "What do you think Italy will do at that time?"

"Take advantage of the opportunity to annex the Pope Country!"

"Exactly. So this is Austria-Hungary’s last chance. It’s very difficult for Austria-Hungary to expand, but it’s still possible to create trouble for its enemies."

"But how can we intervene in Italy, especially in the Pope Country? It’s on the west coast of Italy, and even if we want to mobilize troops for intervention, it would be very difficult, right? And the French haven’t left yet; we have no reason to meddle in the affairs of the Pope Country," Franz asked.

"So, first, position the troops over there!"

"How do we position them? This seems impossible to achieve!"

"The troops don’t necessarily have to wear military uniforms or carry weapons. You say they are troops, but to me, they look like devout pilgrims to the Holy Land."

"You mean disguise them as pilgrims to enter the Pope Country! But to intervene in the Pope Country’s affairs, the number has to be significant!"

"So spend the next two months arranging this slowly. At least five thousand to be safe, entering the Pope Country in batches. As long as they can hold off Italy, the Empire can threaten Italy from the direction of Venice to almost succeed."

"How do we handle the weapons?"

"Of course, by transporting them through merchant ships, concurrently appointing a special diplomat, who, once the French army is ready to withdraw, contacts the Pope in time and invites Austria to send troops, thus gaining justification."

Franz fell into deep thought; this plan was indeed feasible but the execution posed a significant challenge. Any error in the process could lead to disaster. It’s like gambling, causing the stability-focused emperor Franz to hesitate.

Ernst continued to urge, "Should you miss this opportunity, you would have nowhere to regret. I don’t need to tell you which countries Italy resents the most, it’s no more than France and Austria-Hungary. According to the principle of choosing the softer target, Italy will only become more aggressive against Austria-Hungary in the future. Resentment has been established long ago, and Italy continuously covets lands in southern Austria or even the eastern Balkans."

"Alright, I’ll consider this matter, but this plan is too risky. I must consider it carefully; national military affairs are not trivial. I need to discuss the plan’s feasibility with the Army before making a decision."