NOVPUBTo partition Poland, it wasn’t sufficient for only Prussia and Russia to reach an agreement; it was also necessary to gain the recognition of other European countries, especially to obtain the understanding of France and Austria.
Vienna Palace
Foreign Minister Wessenberg, "Your Majesty, we have reached an agreement with Prussia and Russia. They openly support our unification of the Germany Region in exchange for our neutrality on the Poland issue."
This was not an empty promise, but it was even less reliable than one. If Austria truly moved to unify the Germany Region, the most intense reactions would come from Prussia and Russia.
In the face of interests, such verbal commitments held no binding force; whether they could be fulfilled depended entirely on everyone’s integrity.
Franz did not believe that Prussia and Russia would fulfill their promises. Despite their life-and-death struggles, if Austria were to take action to unify the Germany Region, the two countries would quickly ease their conflicts.
The Prusso-Russian hatred was deep, but could it match that of the English and the French? After the rise of the original time-space German Second Empire, England and France could set aside their hatred; Prussia and Russia could do the same now.
In the final analysis, it was all about interests. The unification of the Germany Region by Austria had already threatened their security, especially for the Kingdom of Prussia, where politically it was a fatal blow.
In recent years, the Berlin Government had intentionally downplayed German unification, advocating the concept of Great Prussia, because the Junker nobles feared being breached from within by Austria.
Austria’s annexation of the German Federation Empire would inevitably provoke German nationalism within Prussia, which the Berlin Government could not accept at all.
It was much the same for England, France, and Russia; none wanted to see Austria continue to grow stronger. Once Germαny was unified, Austria would be the de facto hegemon of Europe, seriously threatening their strategic security.
If Franz took this step, even if he played diplomacy to perfection, he would not be able to avoid the fate of being ganged up on.
One-on-one, Austria did not cower; facing two adversaries required careful consideration; against three, there was almost no chance of winning; and facing four, might as well surrender outright, for seeking death need not be like this.
Prussia and Russia obviously had no good intentions. Rather than supporting Austria’s unification of the Germany Region, it was more like they were luring Austria to come forward to share the international pressure and divide the alliance of the three giants, England, France, and Austria.
Franz nodded, "It’s as expected. The secret dealings of Prussia and Russia are meant to guard against our intervention. Let them enjoy their moment of pleasure for a while. When are the British planning to make their move?"
He who schemes is always schemed against. Great power diplomacy was about today you outmaneuver me, tomorrow I outmaneuver you; each relying on their means. Between nations, there were only interests, no right or wrong, good or evil.
Wessenberg replied, "The exact timing is still uncertain. The British do not trust us and have been keeping it a secret from us until now.
The approximate timing is before the accession of Wilhelm I; they want to force the Kingdom of Prussia to yield, so it must be before the Berlin Government’s plans are realized."
When it comes to trading and compromising, Austria was at the pinnacle. The current political landscape of the European Continent had been shaped through Vienna’s trades and compromises with various countries.
Otherwise, the Russians would not have gotten Constantinople, the French could not have annexed Italy, likely even the Prusso-Russian war might not have broken out, and the Kingdom of Poland would have had no chance at independence.
It was normal for the British to be worried; who could remain unmoved in the face of interests, and no one could guarantee that the Vienna Government wouldn’t take this opportunity to cut a deal with the French.
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In some ways, the diplomatic philosophies of Anglo-Austria were most closely aligned, with both focusing on international interests at their core. When encountering problems, their first thought was not to resolve the issues but to maximize national interests.
After pondering for a moment, Franz made a decision, "If that’s the case, then let’s strengthen the power of the Russian Empire to prevent Prussia from becoming too big a nuisance for us.
"The Tsarist Government wants to train troops, so let them. Let’s agree to the Russians’ plan to increase troops, and we will supply the strategic materials."
International politics is a case of the whole body being affected by the pulling of a single hair, and it was only when playing the balance strategy that Franz understood the difficulties faced by the British.
Maintaining the Prusso-Russian balance was already difficult, yet the British were playing the balance of the European Continent. It involved more countries, required more considerations, and naturally, the complexity of operations was self-evident.
No wonder the original time-space erupted into a world war; dancing on eggs every day, an error was bound to happen eventually. The London Government in the original timeline must have been bewildered, with the French actually bringing themselves to ruin.
...
In the Middle East, General Feslav quietly watched through his binoculars as crowds gathered and moved towards the north of Jerusalem.
The besieging Austrian Army turned a blind eye, as if the north had been forgotten.
A burly young officer reported, "General, the sentries on patrol found traces of camel caravans passing through the north, suspecting that supplies were transported to Jerusalem last night."
Since the patrol team intentionally let their guard down, there was no need to send anyone at night. This had given the enemy the chance to swiftly transport supplies into the city.
General Feslav spoke nonchalantly, "Don’t alarm them just yet. Have someone watch them secretly, and we’ll round up all of the Ottoman Empire’s spies at once after digging them out."
After a pause, Feslav shook his head, "Forget it, don’t investigate. Post a notice that from now on: anyone providing any assistance to the Ottoman Empire will be treated as a traitor.
No need to elaborate on the specifics. Let’s wait until the reporters have passed, and then we’ll settle accounts with them slowly."
The young officer hesitated to speak and ultimately stayed silent. The Ottomans had been entrenched here for centuries, with a deep and established rule. Even if their dominance had been destroyed by the Austrian Army, it couldn’t be eradicated in a short time.
It was normal for some people to be loyal to the Sultan Government and to transport supplies for the defending forces. But how much could these stealthy shipments provide each day?
For the tens of thousands within the city, these goods were a mere drop in the bucket. Moreover, there were also devout congregants from all directions coming to protect the Holy Land, and they needed food as well.
General Feslav probably understood the intentions of the Vienna Government, which was not in a hurry to reclaim Jerusalem at all. The General Staff also ordered that no advances were to be made into Jordan until Jerusalem was recaptured, practically saying to drag out the fight.
In such a case, it was best to just lie low. War should serve politics, and since politics called for a delay, then the war might as well continue.
Otherwise, he would have already ordered his troops to cross Jerusalem and advance into the Jordan area. Now, most of the Ottoman Empire’s forces in the Middle East Region were concentrated around Jerusalem, unable to withstand the Austrian army’s might.
Due to the presence of reporters, General Feslav hadn’t even started to clear the local powers of the Ottoman Empire.
Knowing of traitors, Feslav was too lazy to investigate. It wasn’t that he was neglecting his duties, but there was simply no need to waste the effort.
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In order to prevent desertification in the Holy Land, Vienna Government had already dispatched geological and hydrological experts to assess the soil and natural environment of the Middle East Region, with reporters following to document the process.
The data collected so far is very pessimistic. The land in the Middle East Region has been overly cultivated, with severe soil erosion and desertification. It is necessary for the local land to undergo comprehensive fallowing.
According to experts, the Middle East Region needs at least twenty years of fallow to restore the local ecology.
This issue has caused an uproar on the European continent, where many condemn the Ottomans for their boundless greed, recklessly exploiting nature.
If all goes as expected, postwar Austrian Middle East will implement a land fallowing plan that will last for twenty years. For twenty years, no cultivation or development of animal husbandry will be allowed, and the locals will certainly have to leave.
According to past practices, these people will definitely be repatriated back to the Ottoman Empire. It sounds good that they can all safely return to their country, but in reality, it’s not that simple. Does the Sultan Government have the capacity to settle so many people?
Especially for the local vested interests, their land and wealth all revert to zero, and they need to start over from scratch.
This is almost impossible. The class structure in the Ottoman Empire has already solidified, and everyone wants a share of an ever-shrinking pie, so the future Sultan Government is sure to be bursting with activity.
The ones who are able to provide financial support to the Jerusalem garrison are none other than the local nobility, who after repatriation will all have become bankrupt and destitute.
This psychological gap is probably harder to bear than death. Even if they are mentally strong and accept reality, these fellows are still a problem for the Sultan Government. So, why should Feslav dirty his hands?
...
Inside the reporters’ exclusive camp, war correspondent Brad complained, "This damn weather is practically killing me with heat. If I had known it would be like this, I would never have come."
Brad was an experienced war correspondent who could be found wherever there was conflict. He had come on assignment from The London Daily News.
Of course, undertaking a pilgrimage to Jerusalem was also a motivating factor. However, the plan changed when the unstoppable Austrian army came to a halt outside the city of Jerusalem.
The reason they stopped was the fear that the Holy Land might be damaged by the indiscriminate firing of cannons on the battlefield.
This explanation was infuriating, but politically correct. Due to the unique religious status of Jerusalem, devout followers naturally could not engage freely in battle there.
The temperature in the Middle East Region is unbearably high for ordinary people. Recently, the non-combat attrition of the Austrian army had exceeded double digits.
If the soldiers couldn’t stand it, the accompanying reporters were not faring much better. The Austrian army did not pamper anyone, of course, there was no way they would make ice to cool them down.
Henry, his tentmate and partner, joked, "It’s not too late to leave now. Austria has supply ships arriving weekly with goods, and they wouldn’t mind taking one extra person."
Brad’s face turned ashen, as abandoning a war coverage halfway was extremely embarrassing and related to his professional integrity.
"Get lost! I’m not one to shrink back in the face of battle, you won’t get to enjoy the glory of reporting this war all by yourself. This is the reconquest of the Holy Land; it’s a one-off opportunity, and I’d regret it for life if I missed it."
For a war correspondent, a resume matters. The more significant battles they report on, and the more valuable the news, the higher their status in the industry. The special war of recapturing Jerusalem naturally receives a lot of attention.
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Of course, if it weren’t for the reconquest of the Holy Land, there wouldn’t be hundreds of war reporters gathered here, and they wouldn’t need to squeeze two people into one tent.
Take, for example, the Austrian army’s attack on Kuwait. Aside from domestic newspapers sending reporters, the major newspapers of Europe couldn’t be bothered to dispatch anyone.
For such trivial news, it was sufficient to take the official information released by Austria, or the news published in Austrian newspapers, copy it, make some changes, shift the perspective, and it would be casually mentioned in the international section of their newspapers.
Only a high-profile campaign like Jerusalem, that had the whole nation’s attention, warranted dispatching someone to gather first-hand data, which would then be artistically processed and prominently featured.
The treatment for a large vs. a small number of reporters was starkly different. If there were only one or two war correspondents, the army would probably receive them with great enthusiasm. But when a few hundred reporters all turned up at once, anyone would be annoyed.
Now, every movement of the Austrian army was closely watched by this bunch of reporters. If not for concern over their image, General Feslav would have driven them away.
Therefore, the expenses of these reporters were covered by their respective newspapers. The Austrian army merely provided a safe camp and the most basic life support, essentially the same standard as for soldiers.
If they wanted better living conditions, they had to sort that out themselves. Unfortunately, this was the Middle East Region, where due to the war, all industries had withered and order was in disarray. Not only was it hard to spend money, but even traveling required caution, and one must not stray far from the military camp.
A few bold colleagues who ventured out to interview the locals ended up being sent to meet God, though it’s also possible they met Allah.
Except for one lucky individual who was rescued by a passing Austrian patrol, the rest turned into corpses, one of them even became the main course on a refugee’s barbecue.
After this lesson, everyone dared not wander off anymore. Now with the Austrian army besieging the city and no news to report, all we could do was pass the time in the camp.
Henry said with a smile, "Just a joke to lighten the mood, don’t be so angry, Brad. Life is hard enough as it is, and without an optimistic heart, how can we get through these days?"
Brad nodded, "Alright, let’s say you’re right. Life now is really boring. May God bless us and let us reclaim the Holy Land soon."
Without hesitation, Henry retorted, "I don’t think God’s blessing is all that reliable, otherwise Jerusalem wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of the Ottomans.
You should talk to the Austrians and tell them to launch an attack soon, to reclaim Jerusalem sooner, so we can all go home quicker.
Given the current situation, I guess we’re going to spend Christmas here this year. Not just this year, but maybe next year’s Christmas will be spent here too."
For war reporters to spend Christmas on the battlefield was not unusual; no one could guarantee the war would end before Christmas.
But this time the circumstances were unique, not only due to the harsh climate. Everyone was accustomed to roughing it on the outside, and a bit of hardship was not a big deal.
The troublesome part was the Austrian army’s strategy of besieging without attacking. If you look in history books, there are cases where sieges lasted three to five years. Given Jerusalem’s special status, everyone believed the Ottomans must have made preparations well in advance.
Brad’s good mood vanished in an instant, he rolled his eyes, "That’s obvious, the excuse for the Austrians’ siege without assault is the fear of damaging the Holy Land. Why should I urge them to attack?
Didn’t you see the cities along the way? If the Austrian army really went all out, even if Jerusalem were to be reclaimed, it would be nothing but ruins. Who could take responsibility for that?"
