NOVPUBThe British Army continues to fight hard on the Afghan battlefield, while on the Central Asian battlefield, the outcome has been decided, with the Russians proving themselves to still be that awe-inspiring steamroller of Europe.
Of course, this victory is touted by the Tsarist Government, and the rest of the world remains in the dark about the actual situation.
What can be confirmed is that the Russian Army did indeed defeat the main forces of the three Central Asian countries and has taken the initiative on the battlefield, as for whether they will be engulfed in a sea of people’s war, that is something only the Russians would know.
Though Franz followed the situation in Central Asia, he didn’t send people to collect intelligence on the ground; most of the information in the hands of the Vienna Government came from Britain and Russia themselves.
This point in time was too sensitive; if Austria got too involved, it could easily be mistaken by both Britain and Russia as having ambitions in Central Asia.
"How far have the Russians gotten with their war preparations, and when can they launch an attack on the Afghan region?"
In fact, the Tsarist Government had started preparing for war as early as a year ago. However, at that time, the goal was only to capture parts of Central Asia.
Afghanistan wasn’t even in the Tsarist Government’s plans; at most, it aimed to support a regime filled with guilt to act as a buffer between Britain and Russia.
As the progress on the battlefield went smoothly and with the British Army’s poor performance, the Russians’ expectations kept on rising, and now they want to swallow the Afghan region.
Under these circumstances, the original war preparations naturally became insufficient. Approximately three months ago, Alexander III issued a national war readiness order.
But "national war readiness" is not the same as "national mobilization." The geography of the Afghan region limits the troops both sides can deploy; as long as there is sufficient material, a mere few hundred thousand soldiers wouldn’t require the Russians to mobilize the entire country.
Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "This is just a local war, theoretically speaking, after such a long time, the Russians should have completed their war preparations.
However, analyzing the Russian Empire’s military movement, material flow, and railway transport, it seems that they still need some time to coordinate."
War is a true test of a government’s organizational ability, and Franz held no confidence in the Russian bureaucracy—inherent chaos was inevitable.
Preparing for war is not just about producing materials; what’s crucial is getting those supplies into the hands of the soldiers at the front to be effectively utilized.
The First World War in the original timeline was a crowning achievement of Russian bureaucratic inefficiency, with soldiers on the front lines starving while food rotted in warehouses at the rear.
Similar incidents occurred during the two Prusso-Russian wars. In fact, in the First Prusso-Russian War, the Russian Army was also doomed by domestic bureaucracy. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
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"By the way, British media published news yesterday of Russian troops committing massacres in Central Asia, complete with photos.
If the news is true, then the situation in Central Asia isn’t as peaceful as the Tsarist Government claims."
Hearing the news of the "massacre," Franz’s brows furrowed. Since the late 19th century, reports of massacres had become rare worldwide.
However, given the Russian Army’s manner, a few massacres wouldn’t be surprising. After all, the Central Asian Khanates were still branded as traitors, and the Russians were certainly out for revenge against traitors.
If this news weren’t released by the British, then the credibility would be even higher.
There’s no helping it; the integrity of the British is truly low. Even with pictures as proof, they could also be falsified.
It’s just a matter of changing uniforms; as long as there are political needs, Franz believes John Bull would be up to the task.
Although massacring the natives wasn’t a big deal in those days, it did still significantly harm a country’s international image.
At this critical juncture, where a war between England and Russia could break out at any moment, the side with the better international image would find it easier to gain the support of international public opinion during the war.
After pondering for a moment, Franz seriously said, "Send someone to verify the truth of the news as quickly as possible; prepare the propaganda department for opinion guidance work, and ensure the massacre doesn’t affect us."
Russia and Austria are allies, and if the Russian massacre were confirmed, Austria would also be scolded by public opinion.
It’s one thing to be criticized internationally—Franz, even if he wanted to, couldn’t reach that far.
But domestic public opinion must be controlled; under no circumstances should public opinion be allowed to hijack government decision-making.
From beginning to end, Franz’s focus was on Austria itself. As for the troubles of the Russians, could those be considered real troubles?
If it were at all feasible, he would be keen to support the Central Asian peoples’ anti-invasion war.
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St. Petersburg
"The British smear our international image extensively, what do you think we should do in response?"
One could tell from his tone that Alexander III did not take this seriously.
Being scolded was just part of the routine; after all, the Russian Empire also had a tradition of being scolded internationally, and life had continued just the same despite hundreds of years of European criticism.
In Alexander III’s view, whether the Russian Army had massacred in Central Asia was not essentially important.
The Russian Empire’s image in the European world was that of barbarians, not something that could be reversed with just a few words.
Barbarians massacring was entirely normal. If the Russian Army had not committed any offenses in Central Asia, that would have been strange.
Foreign Minister Oscar Ximenes replied, "Your Majesty, the massacre that the British speak of took place in Central Asia, and the dead were all native heathens. The European world will not pay too much attention.
If we try to clarify directly, we will fall into the British trap. No matter how much evidence we present, there will be people who are predisposed to believe that the massacre is true.
Instead, we should do the opposite. If the British accuse us of massacres in Central Asia, we can also expose their atrocities in the Afghan Region and in India...
If we still cannot withstand the pressure, then we should dredge up past affairs and drag all the colonial empires into the mire to dissipate the international opinion’s pressure."
Perhaps other countries could accuse the Russians of massacring, but the British had no right to do so. The things they had done in the Afghan Region were no better than massacring.
In fact, in this era of comparative degradation, no one was cleaner than the other. Every colonial empire was built on mountains of corpses and seas of blood, without exception.
In recent years, there had been little news of massacres, but that did not mean they had not occurred.
Only that everyone had learned to be more subtle and handle things quietly. The impact of a massacre was too detrimental; although they might have been less frequent, colonial killings still happened often.
Alexander III nodded. There was no need for explanations; his own people knew their own affairs. How the Russian Army’s discipline was, everybody was crystal clear about it.
Perhaps they did not resort to massacring at every turn, but massacres happening were nothing out of the ordinary, and moreover, this was tacitly permitted by the Tsarist government.
From the moment the three Central Asian Khanates stabbed Russia in the back, the Tsarist government had resolved to retaliate. The Russian Army on the frontline was simply carrying out this will.
"The problem of public opinion is a minor one; it won’t affect the upcoming war. The key is the situation in Central Asia.
Marshal Ivanov, how much longer does the military need to clear the area and initiate the next operational plan?"
Although not particularly focused on details, Alexander III still recognized the instability of the situation in Central Asia.
The Russian Army on the frontline was not madmen; they would resort to extreme measures only when social order collapsed.
Under normal circumstances, they would at most rob wealth and women. Without adequate benefits, one would have to be full and idle to engage in massacring.
Marshal Ivanov, having kept his head down in silence trying to minimize his presence, realized he could not avoid speaking and stiffly replied, "Your Majesty, given the current situation, I cannot provide an exact timeframe.
Central Asia is too vast. After defeating the enemy’s main forces, numerous scattered soldiers and bandits are rampaging across the land, causing havoc. We find it difficult to locate their hideouts for the time being.
The Army Department plans to first clear some areas, creating a safe corridor to the Afghan Region. After seizing control of the Afghan Region, we can then turn back to deal with them."
This was indeed the fact. Central Asia was too vast, spanning several million square kilometers, a region that hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers simply could not fully cover.
Truly clearing the area would take years, something the Russian Empire sorely lacked at the moment.
The British already controlled the Afghan Region, and although resistance organizations still existed, no one could guarantee how long they could persist.
Once the British eradicated the guerrillas and secured their foothold, taking Afghanistan from their hands would be difficult.
After some thought, Alexander III spoke slowly, "Let’s do it that way! However, the military must speed up the process, so as not to miss the opportunity for war."
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