Chapter 232 Marriage

Otto I's fantasy didn't last long before it was shattered. He didn't need anyone to remind him, he knew it was impossible.

Regardless of domestic public opinion, they sent troops to attack the Ottoman Empire this time, and they had an inescapable responsibility for the defeat of the coalition forces in the Second Bulgarian Battle.

In this battle, the British suffered heavy losses, and Downing Street had changed owners. If they let them go like this, would the British lose face?

The London government can still accept that they did not win the Russians. Originally, the British had low expectations for the Army, and losing to the Russians is not too shameful.

But after participating in a war, the British can't just watch the French show their power and become spectators, right?

In any case, the British Army desperately needs a successful victory to prove its strength. Unfortunately, Greece is their soft persimmon of choice.

Had it not been so, the Greek government would not have gotten nothing for so long in government PR in London.

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

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

There is no way, this army is all pieced together, and it is all supported by nationalism and patriotism. Once this breath is vented, it will be revealed immediately.

It was a dream to count on this mob to defeat the enemy.

"deserter?"

Otto I's eyes lit up, and he seemed to think of something, but he couldn't grasp it, and he kept saying: "deserter", "deserter"...

Seeing the king who was caught in a demonic barrier, everyone tacitly chose to remain silent.

After a half-hour, Otto I said in a low voice: "What if we let the troops break down and leave?

As long as no evidence is caught by the British, they will not do anything to us! "

It has to be said that Otto I was still a wise man, and there was no such thing as a foolish alliance with the Russians.

The geographic location of Greece dictated strategic choices, and even if the Russians won the war, they would not be able to escape the influence of Britain and France.

If they jump into the arms of the Russians now, I am afraid that they will be finished before the war is over.

The Prime Minister reminded: "Your Majesty, if you do this, you will lose a lot. 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 naturally not good. There is revenge and grievances. The war is going on, and the seeds of hatred between the two sides have long since taken root.

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

And it is not possible to run back directly to the Kingdom of Greece, otherwise the enemy will follow and kill, and they have to be scattered and detoured from other areas to 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 turn into a rout, and there are obviously not many people who can run back alive.

The Greek kingdom's family is not rich, and this army is most of the young and strong in their country. Once the losses are heavy, it will be a situation of "every family wears filial piety and everyone weeps".

"Do we still have a choice? If we can't defeat the enemy on the battlefield, and the Russians are unwilling to send troops to rescue us, we can't count on the Principality of Montenegro next door to rescue us, right?" Otto I asked rhetorically.

This war cannot be brought to the negotiating table, otherwise the British cannot afford the liquidation. Domestic nationalism is not easy to provoke, these people not only do not cry without seeing the coffin, but also the master who cannot afford to lose.

Anyway, they are going to lose, and Otto I naturally has to find a way to get out.

The front-line army can't win, and everyone is scattered to break through. No matter how much the loss is, it has nothing to do with the king on the bright side, at least he doesn't have to bear the political responsibility for the failure.

...

Vienna

The Empress Dowager Sophie gave Franz an ultimatum. No matter what, the marriage must be ordered immediately. Even if it is not to marry her niece, you must find a match.

This is not only her personal will, but also represents the will of the Habsburg family, as well as the will of the people of the empire. Everyone can't bear the emperor's continued singleness.

Free love? Franz regretted that he had not had time to fall in love yet!

If that's the case, then it's better to get engaged to someone you know, than marry someone you don't know anything about. What if you get green?

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

Face value is justice, and Franz is still very satisfied with the buy-one-get-one-free situation.

How messed up is the European aristocracy? This question cannot be answered. In short, apart from the fact that blood cannot be mixed, there are a lot of messy things, and the concept of chastity is terrifying.

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

After the engagement, Franz and Princess Helen were restricted from intimate contact by the Queen Mother Sophie, and it was absolutely not allowed to become pregnant out of wedlock.

Encountered a crisis of confidence, Franz was very helpless. He repeatedly assured that he was not someone who did not understand the rules.

But Empress Dowager Sophie didn't believe in his character, and bluntly pointed out what he thought was a secret before. Obviously, there were not many things in the palace that could hide from the hostess.

Before, it was to fool Franz and his niece to get engaged. Naturally, he didn't mind these little things. Now that the overall situation has been decided, we must guard against it and not make jokes.

Franz had some doubts that he was being plotted by his mother, but after re-confirmation, he had to admit that his willpower was too poor to resist the temptation.

He is sure that this is definitely not his own problem. This must be the after-effects of the trip to St. Petersburg. It is only after the Russian aristocracy has brought it down that his willpower has declined.

These are all small issues, and he is responsible for them anyway, and Franz is not at all cowardly. Even if he is not responsible, he is also not cowardly, and his son always has a higher status than his niece.

Under the background of the marriage between the two families, all discordant factors must be eliminated in the cradle, and Franz is not worried that there will be trouble.

This marriage was more important to the Wittelsbach dynasty than the Habsburg dynasty. Maximilian II, who had just arrived in Milan, wanted to secure his throne without the support of the Habsburg family.

Franz agreed to this marriage, not only having a good relationship with Princess Helen, but also taking into account political factors.

The annexation of the Kingdom of Bavaria made the newly joined royal families of Saxony, Hesse, and Württemberg a little worried. Even if the Lombard throne of the Wittelsbach dynasty was given, it was not enough to reassure them.

If it weren't for these royal families and there were no princesses of the right age, the object of this marriage might have been replaced. Don't doubt Franz's integrity, he is often involuntarily in the face of politics.

If it is impossible to win them over through marriage, then the marriage with the Wittelsbach Dynasty can also play a role. The Lombard Kingdom's political voice is reduced, but it is still nominally equal.

On this issue, it was basically settled by negotiation. The Habsburg family did not enmity with the Wittelsbach dynasty, and it was naturally feasible to eliminate the unpleasantness through marriage.

Under the common interests, everyone became allies again. By the way, it also reassured the royal families of Saxony, Hesse, and Württemberg that the Habsburg family has a taste and will not swallow them all in one bite.

Franz can say with certainty that they think too much. In addition to reducing the difficulty of reunification, not annexing these states is more important because unification by force will cause indigestion.

National reunification is different from external expansion, and many excessive means cannot be used. In the absence of a major purge, if people cannot be regained, the local area will not be stable in the next ten or twenty years.

The overthrown royal family and interest groups will want to be restored, but there is no way to restore it. They can also turn into a revolutionary party and overturn the table.

For details, you can refer to the February Revolution in France. Napoleon III can be elected president, and you know the role of the Bonapartist party in this uprising.

The so-called usurping the fruits of the revolution is actually inaccurate. Everyone is the leader of the revolution from beginning to end, but it is hidden behind the scenes and manipulated, and only jumped out at the last moment. Otherwise, how could Napoleon III seize power so easily?

As an emperor, Franz did not want to leave hidden dangers to his rule. The first consideration was stability.

In history, the Second Empire, Bismarck, advocated leaving so many states, in addition to being too weak to swallow, it was more for the sake of long-term stability.

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

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

According to the census two years ago, the total population of the Austrian Empire exceeded 37 million. On the European continent, there are only Russians, but the main ethnic group is only more than 8.7 million.

In order to make the data look better, at Franz's suggestion, the Austrian government directly and artificially divided some mixed-race children of German descent into Germans.

Then the number of the main ethnic groups rapidly expanded to more than 10.3 million, and the main ethnic group rose from 23.5% to 27.8%.

Well, that's a little too far-fetched. Many Germans with only one quarter and one eighth of their ancestry have become Germans, and Franz is not such a rigid person. It looks much better with flexible data.

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

With the development of the economy and the acceleration of population mobility, this kind of cross-ethnic marriage will definitely increase in the future.

It has to be admitted that this oldest way of ethnic integration is actually the most effective and least hidden way of ethnic integration.

The current driving force for this kind of national integration is the unbalanced ratio of men and women in the German region. It is an urgent social reality that there are more men than women. This situation has not been reversed until after World War II.

In Hungary, on the contrary, there are more women than men. In addition to the decrease in the number of local young people caused by the civil war, it is also caused by its own geographical environment.

Of course, the situation in Serbia and the two principalities of the Danube Valley is even more serious. Hesitating the relationship between war, the number of local young people has dropped sharply.

If nothing is done, Franz can be sure that in the next 20 years, there will be negative population growth in these regions, especially in Serbia.

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

The question now is what to do so that everyone can get married.

Headache problem. In this regard, Franz has no successful experience to draw from.