Chapter 449 The Sorrow of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Nivelle's so-called spring offensive is already very large in scale. The outstanding French army alone is as high as hundreds of thousands, including the British Expeditionary Force, the Balkan Alliance and the Italian Army. The total number of troops dispatched by the Allies will be as high as more than 3 million.

You must know that this was shortly after the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme. Britain, France and Germany had already suffered a large number of casualties. Being able to dispatch an army of this scale for a new round of battles is already the result of the efforts of the entire Allied Powers.

It can be said that except for Russia, which is in a defensive posture, the five powers of the Allied Powers, Britain, France, Australia and Italy have dispatched a considerable number of troops to participate in this battle.

It is precisely because of this that all countries attach great importance to this upcoming battle and even regard it as an opportunity to resolve this war.

At present, all countries are urgently transporting supplies and ammunition to the front line, waiting for a real full-scale attack in a few months.

Because of the importance attached to this battle, the efficiency of transportation resources of various countries is very efficient. Even Australasia is frantically using transport ships and airships to transport supplies to the Balkans.

At present, the Australasia Expeditionary Force has stockpiled two million rounds of artillery shells, which will become a powerful weapon for attacking and destroying the defenses of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany.

For the Allies, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is having a very hard time. Even because the old Emperor Franz I had just passed away not long ago, the government that originally supported the war firmly in the country gradually split into two factions. One faction firmly supported the continuation of the war, and the other faction believed that the Austro-Hungarian Empire needed more time at present, and the importance of peace was far greater than that of war.

Obviously, Karl I did not have the prestige of the old emperor, but as the Emperor of Austria, the King of Hungary and the King of Bosnia, Karl I did not have much say in the imperial government and the government of the Kingdom of Hungary.

In addition, Karl I's character and peace-loving advocacy have always been disliked by many war factions, and his presence in the government is even lower.

If the old emperor had not left enough prestige in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, I am afraid that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would not be arguing about war and peace, but monarchy or republic.

For the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although the war between the British, French and German forces last year basically did not involve itself, the attack of Italy and the Balkan coalition forces on the southern border was real.

Although the combat effectiveness of the Italian army was not strong, the equipment of Italy was not weak. In addition, the Balkan coalition led by the Australasian army with better equipment and combat effectiveness made the Austro-Hungarian Empire exhausted, and even quickly lost a large amount of territory including Sarajevo.

Fortunately, the main attack direction of the Balkan Front coalition forces was Bosnia, otherwise, the Hungarian Royal Government, which was worried about the capture of the Hungarian region, would probably urge the imperial government to speed up the peace talks.

No one dared to guarantee whether the enemy's army would plunder in their own area. If the Hungarian region was really at risk of being captured, the Hungarian Royal Government would definitely surrender quickly.

Although the Balkan Front coalition forces chose to attack the Bosnia region with their main force, the Hungarian region did not have to worry about the danger of being captured for the time being.

But the problem is that Bosnia and Trieste are the only outlets of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If Bosnia falls, it also means that all the outlets of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will fall.

If there is no outlet, the navy will either be captured or fight to the death with the enemy.

Once the Austro-Hungarian Empire loses its outlet, it also means that the Italian army will join the Balkan Front coalition forces.

This is a fatal blow to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Not only the Hungarian region, but also the Austrian region is likely to fall.

With the successive defeats of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on the southern front, the drawbacks of the repressive policy adopted by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Yugoslavia have gradually emerged.

At the call of Serbia, a large number of Serbian Bosniaks took up long guns and joined the team against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, rapidly strengthening the strength of the Balkan Front.

Even in areas that have not been visited by the Balkan coalition forces, there have been many uprisings by Yugoslavs against the tyranny of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Especially after the death of the old Emperor Franz I, these people did not have much good feelings towards the new Emperor Karl I.

The only option for the Austro-Hungarian Empire at present is to seek help from its powerful ally, the German Empire.

It is worth mentioning that Karl I dismissed Conrad, the Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, shortly after he ascended the throne.

In fact, Conrad's various battle decisions since the outbreak of the war are still very good, but his self-righteous attitude is not welcomed by Karl I.

This last monarch of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who is famous in later generations, did not hesitate to completely shatter the last hope of saving the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The ability of Chief of the General Staff Conrad is still very good. In history, he has repeatedly struck down the attacks of the Italians, allowing the Austro-Hungarian Empire to survive for more time.

Some historians and military strategists even think that he is a very good strategic genius, but he is limited by the weak military strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Of course, these discussions have become meaningless now. Chief of the General Staff Conrad was demoted to commander-in-chief of the Trentino Front and removed from the highest echelons of the Austro-Hungarian military.

In the palace of Vienna, Karl I was looking at the war report in his hand with a panicked look. The war report pointed out that the Italians and the Balkan coalition forces were frequently mobilized, and it was expected that a large-scale campaign would be launched in a short time, and the staff was requested to prepare in advance.

If it was just the attack of the Italians, the Austro-Hungarian Empire would be able to resist it completely.

If there was also an attack by the Balkan coalition forces, especially the Australasian army, at least a sufficient number of German troops would be needed to defend against their attack.

But the problem is that the Germans only sent one army group to support the Austro-Hungarian Empire, because two armies were withdrawn from the previous Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme.

At present, this army group only has three armies, with a total of only about 150,000 people.

The Balkan front currently has a total of 800,000 combat troops, plus more than 500,000 Italian troops, which adds up to 1.3 million combat troops.

At present, the total number of troops of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is only about 1.5 million, with 400,000 and 200,000 being tied up by Russia and Romania respectively. In addition to the troops defending in other areas, the number of troops that can be mobilized does not exceed 800,000.

Even if the German army group is added, the total number of troops that the Austro-Hungarian Empire can mobilize will not exceed 1 million, and there is still a lack of corresponding weapons, equipment and supplies.

"Sir, is there any good way to solve the dilemma we are about to face?" Karl I looked at the new Chief of Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Waldstatten, hoping that the general who had just been promoted by him could have good opinions.

"Your Majesty, we can mobilize less than 800,000 troops, and it is difficult to defend the offensive of the Italian and Balkan fronts by our own strength. In addition, the front-line troops are currently short of supplies, and the frequent defeats have led to the collapse of the army, making it difficult to achieve better results in the defensive war." said Waldstatten, Chief of Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Knowing that the Austro-Hungarian Empire is a country composed of many ethnic groups, the population proportion of any ethnic group in my country is dominant.

This also led to the fact that the Austro-Hungarian army was made up of a variety of nationalities, including Germans, Hungarians, Bohemians, Italians and Yugoslavs.

Most of the elite troops were Germans, and their combat capabilities were at a first-class level.

But a considerable number of troops were composed of chaotic multi-ethnic groups, and communication between them was a problem, and the commander's orders could not be better conveyed in the army.

With the failure of the Austro-Hungarian Empire again and again, it was difficult to guarantee that the soldiers of these other nationalities would remain loyal to the royal family and the empire.

Especially the Bosniaks and Italians, they would obviously be more loyal to Serbia and Italy, rather than the Austro-Hungarian Empire that occupied their territory.

Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire could mobilize up to 800,000 troops, the troops that could be truly trusted were definitely no more than 500,000.

If the Bosniaks were allowed to engage in a firefight with the troops on the Balkan front, I am afraid that the surrender of these Bosniaks would be unstoppable.

Therefore, the first thing the Austro-Hungarian Empire had to do was to avoid letting these ethnic minority troops confront the enemy head-on.

"Your Majesty, I suggest a certain scale of redeployment with the southern German army. If at least 15 to 20 divisions can be exchanged with the German army, the problems I face will be alleviated to a certain extent." Waldstatten suggested.

It is definitely more reliable for the Germans to fight the Balkan Front Army and the Italians than for the Austro-Hungarian army to fight these people.

First, the multi-ethnic chaos in the Austro-Hungarian army is already a serious problem, and second, the combat capability of the Austro-Hungarian soldiers is far inferior to that of Germany.

But it is precisely because of this that Karl I has some worries: "Your Excellency the Chief of Staff, will the Germans really agree to our request? You know, there is still a big gap between the combat effectiveness of our army and the German army. Doing so will not be good for the Germans."

"They will, Your Majesty." Waldstatten said firmly: "If the Germans do not want to see us withdraw from the war because of defeat, they must accept our request. We are not only fighting for ourselves, but also for the entire Allied Powers."

Austria-Hungary is currently Germany's only ally and the only member of the Allied Powers besides Germany.

If Austria-Hungary withdraws from the war, it is not as simple as Germany fighting alone.

First of all, there is only one great power in the Central Powers, which is five times the number of the five great powers in the Allied Powers.

Secondly, even a great power like Austria-Hungary cannot withstand the attack of the Allied Powers, so which country will help Germany?

As long as Austria-Hungary surrenders, in the eyes of other countries, it is only a matter of time for Germany to surrender.

As Germany's long-standing staunch ally, Austria-Hungary has long been tied to Germany in terms of interests.

The surrender of Austria-Hungary will cause a severe blow to Germany both at home and abroad, which is something the Germans absolutely do not want to see, and they will not sit idly by.

Hearing what Waldstatten said, Karl I nodded with relief, and then asked solemnly: "Mr. Chief of the General Staff, please tell me truthfully, what is the probability of us winning this war?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. At present, the probability of the Allies winning is less than 30%, and it will only happen if Britain and France make major strategic mistakes. In addition, if the United States can provide strong support At the same time, I want to find a way to withdraw Russia from the war, and instigate one of Italy and Australasia to rebel. It may be possible to achieve a positive victory in this war." Walderstein thought carefully for a while, and then smiled bitterly. replied.

The Allied Powers were cut off from their overseas supply lines by the Allied Powers, which was equivalent to the Allied Powers taking the lifeblood of the Allied Powers.

Unless the Allies could end the war within a short period of time, the hope of final victory in this war was slim.

Karl I nodded as if this was indeed the case, and finally asked: "What if it's just us? I mean, excluding the Germans, how likely is it that we will achieve partial victory and end this war? "

"If we don't rely on the Germans, Your Majesty, our probability of victory will not exceed 10%. It would be easier if there were only Italians. We are also facing the attack of the Australasian army, and those damned The Balkan coalition, and the Russian army that is holding us back, we cannot defeat them on our own, and it is impossible to achieve peace on the premise of victory,” Waldsteden continued.

"So, is it almost inevitable that we will lose this war?" Karl I breathed a sigh of relief as if relieved, and said involuntarily: "Continuing the war means losing, and we may have to face the possibility of being vassalized by the Germans after the war. Risk. You know, we are now fully dependent on the Germans. Without the Germans, we can't do anything. So is it necessary to continue this war? Even if we win in the end, we will not be the ones to achieve the results. ”

Hearing Karl I's rebellious remarks, Waldstadden's expression changed and he quickly said: "Your Majesty, you should not say these words easily, as you may be easily used or even impeached by those damn guys in the government."

If it were the old emperor Franz I, even if he directly insulted the government, he would not have to worry about impeachment by the government.

After all, the old emperor had enough prestige in the empire, and his status could not be shaken easily.

But Karl I was different. As the emperor who had just ascended the throne for more than two months, Karl I had no close confidants in the government, and the military had only just supported Walder Staden, who was loyal to him, as the new chief of the imperial general staff.

Under the premise that the military has not yet fully loyal to itself and the government has not fully recognized itself, if such anti-war and opposition to government policies are frequently mentioned, it is very likely that Karl I will suffer a great loss in the government's prestige, or even be directly dismissed. The government people are arrogant.

As for Waldstadden, who was single-handedly promoted by Karl I, he obviously did not want to see his back legs lose power.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chief of Staff, I'm just talking. If possible, who doesn't want to see the empire win?" Karl I smiled and patted Waldstadden on the shoulder, pausing this question. A very taboo topic for De Staten.

Although Karl I was a pacifist, at least his mind was not confused to an extreme.

Although this Allied attack put the Austro-Hungarian Empire in crisis, it was also an opportunity for the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

If the Germans can be used to win this war and stabilize the southern border, Austria-Hungary will have enough confidence to negotiate with the Allies and strive to exchange for peace with no losses.

For the current Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is definitely more cost-effective to withdraw from this war at a smaller cost than to continue the war.

If the war was not ended soon, Karl I even believed that sooner or later the people in the country would overthrow the government and overthrow him, the emperor who had just ascended the throne.

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