NOVPUBVienna Palace had been tense until the news of the outbreak of the war between England and Russia reached them, which considerably relaxed Franz.
After many years as Emperor, always being extremely cautious, his aim was to avoid the kind of potential sieges that had occurred in the original timeline.
The national policy of Austria was also established around this center. It began by inciting division in the United States on the other side of the ocean, followed by extinguishing the budding state of Italy.
Then, they effectively dismantled the once mighty Prussia, concurrently weakening the Russian Empire, until the outbreak of the war between England and Russia, which finally freed Austria from the threat of encirclement.
Although the policy of the British Government was "there are only eternal interests, no eternal enemies", it did not mean that nations that were at each other’s throats could immediately become allies.
Governments can be shameless, but the public may not accept such a drastic turn. Even if the interest groups suppressed public opinion, cooperation from the Russians was necessary.
If the Russians won this war, venturing south toward India would be the future national policy of the Tsarist Government, and no one could stop it.
Unless the British were willing to retreat, the two nations could only continue to clash fiercely.
If the Russians lost the war, an impossible scenario, Franz had already decided to support the Tsarist Government to continue fighting.
If it came to it, Austria would provide funds and materials towards the end, and the Russians would provide troops to continue draining the British.
If one year was not enough then two years, if two years didn’t suffice then three or five years, and the war would not stop until there was a bloodbath.
By the time the war ended, both Britain and Russia would likely be exhausted. For a long while into the future, they would be unable to interfere in European affairs.
…
Franz said, "Sell our newly equipped mortars to the Russians, the Afghan Region is mostly mountainous, and they need a lightweight cannon."
The Great Britain Empire had deep reserves and had not suffered any devastating defeats. To ensure both ended up weakened, Franz needed to enhance the capability of the Russians.
Franz had originally planned to give the Russians the Maxim machine guns as well, but thinking of the Tsarist Government’s poor logistics, he decided not to add to their troubles.
More advanced technologies were naturally reserved for Austria’s enemies and could not be revealed yet.
The only exception was the mortar, a weapon of low technical content that had been developed by the Russians in the original timeline; on the battlefield, they even adapted retired naval cannons on site.
Army Minister Feslav, somewhat embarrassed, reminded him, "Your Majesty, the Russians introduced a mortar production line three years ago and already have several divisions equipped with it."
The Russian-Austrian Alliance wasn’t just a simple alliance—it started straying during the first Near East war, and since then, Russian armaments began to be Austriacized.
After a prolonged period of adaptation, the Russians also became wise, procuring any weapon the Austrian army equipped in large scale.
Weapons like mortars, with low technical content, simple operation, and wide utility had not been regarded as confidential military equipment; the military had long equipped them.
In fact, any universally employed weapon could hardly be kept confidential.
After all, weapons and equipment also required time to be integrated to perform effectively, not something that could be handed to soldiers and utilized in battle immediately.
The Maxim machine gun had not been immediately issued; that was because the Austrian army had already been equipped with Gatlings, and a similar weapons upgrade required little time for adaptation.
In reality, Austria’s truly confidential weapons and equipment were airplanes, tanks, and armored vehicles, though it is fair to say that even the airplanes had not been kept confidential.
It wasn’t for lack of trying, but it was simply impossible. Tanks and armored vehicles could be developed in secrecy in some discreet corner, but airplane test flights had to take to the skies.
An airplane test flight might cover a distance of several hundred miles, and thinking it wouldn’t be seen across such distances was fanciful.
Instead of making futile attempts to arouse curiosity, it was better to display them openly, even charge admission.
Since what was public were only the first-generation models, any major industrial nation could manufacture them. If they hadn’t delved deeper, it was because they hadn’t recognized the true value of airplanes.
As for tanks and armored vehicles, those were the real deals intended for lab product, outwardly labeled as automotive research centers.
Purely private ventures with no links to military manufacturing. Even the funding for research came directly out of Franz’s own pocket, never involving the military budget.
It wasn’t just the public that was unaware, even the upper echelons of the Austrian Government were oblivious to it, and within the military, only a few participants knew of it.
…
Franz asked in surprise, "The Russians place such great emphasis on arming?"
In his subconscious, the Tsarist Government did not prioritize the upgrading and replacement of military equipment.
Due to financial constraints, the Russian military also showed a lack of enthusiasm in this regard unless switching was unavoidable; they typically preferred to cut costs.
In the last twenty years, Russian army had not hesitated in acquiring second-hand equipment from Austria, especially during the Prusso-Russian War, when the Russians literally cleared out stock.
The intention was to reduce expenses, after all, second-hand weapons equipment was substantially cheaper, typically costing only one-third to one-fourth of the price of new equipment, with some weapons even available at a tenth of the cost.
Though slightly outdated, as long as they were well-maintained, they could still be used for many more years and were ideal for a cash-strapped military.
Foreign Minister Weisenberg, who was the most familiar with the Russian Empire, explained, "Your Majesty, the Tsarist Government’s lack of funds is not contradictory to the introduction of weapons production lines.
In fact, each military procurement contract we signed with the Russians included massive kickbacks. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
To prevent the Tsarist Government from discovering this, the bureaucrats in charge of procurement even demanded that all contracts and even the taxes on the transactions be paid in accordance with the trading price.
The kickbacks returned to them were also not given in cash but were carried out through covert profit transfers.
Thanks to these secretive bribery tactics, the International Procurement Department of the Russian military became the most incorruptible department within the Tsarist Government, even creating a ten-year record of no one being held accountable for corruption or bribery."
After hearing this explanation, Franz rolled his eyes. As expected, the Tsarist government was still the same Tsarist government he knew, and its bureaucrats were just as unabashed in making money as ever.
This change was merely a result of their prolonged contact with Austria—learning the money-making skills from Austrian bureaucrats, which allowed them to progress beyond their domestic peers, knowing to act discreetly.
One could imagine how terrifyingly effective the evolved Russian bureaucrats would be.
Given the Tsarist government’s monitoring capability, the Russian Army’s international procurement department likely made money through under-the-table benefits, something that mostly went undetected, otherwise, it couldn’t have become the cleanest department within the Russian Government.
Even due to the incomplete legal system, many obscure methods of making money probably didn’t even constitute crimes in the Russian Empire.
Despite their money-grabbing, these bureaucrats did play a role, at least in driving the upgrade of military equipment for the Russian Army.
Wrong, they actually contributed to the modernization of military equipment for the Austrian army.
Due to their industrial technology, the weapon production costs in Russia had always been exceptionally high, not only was there a high rate of defects, but the performance of the products was also unstable.
Whether it was the bureaucrats in state-owned military factories or capitalists in private military enterprises, all pursued maximizing profits.
Purchasing production lines was just for show, to pass inspections—a way to snatch orders from the government. Stay updated via freewebnovel
Organizing their own production was too costly. To cut costs and decrease accident risks, everyone tacitly chose to smuggle.
Don’t think that just because there were problems with Russian military equipment, no one would be held accountable. Compared to other countries, the Russian Army could withstand more, but there was still accountability for excessive failure rates.
Indeed, during the Prusso-Russian war, many capitalists lost their heads. Most of the state-owned military enterprises in the hands of the Tsarist Government were confiscated from those times.
Initially, everyone followed the rules, importing only new equipment. Later, for greater profit, they tacitly chose to substitute it with cheaper second-hand equipment.
It was simply rebranded—it wasn’t second-hand, it was all genuine Russian Empire products.
It might look somewhat old, but that was because the armory took its responsibility seriously, testing each weapon hundreds of times for quality.
If not satisfied, there was always the option of brand-new equipment straight from the factory, though these were not performance-tested and quality could not be guaranteed.
The choice was clear, and after trials, everyone knew which to choose. Even knowing there were issues, in view of the Ruble, it was all fine.
To meet client needs, the Austrian military even moved forward the timelines for weapon modernization to ensure that by the time it reached the Russian Army, it didn’t appear too outdated.
In fact, even selling at a discounted international trade price was enough to cover the costs of weapons production, and they even made a profit on some weapons.
In a way, this was also a win-win situation. The Austrian military saved on defense spending, the Russian Army ensured the quality of weapons, and Russian bureaucrats and capitalists made money.
If such a thing had happened in Austria, Franz would certainly have launched a crackdown, but since it was in the Russian Empire, he chose to turn a blind eye.
After all, these manipulations by the Russian bureaucrats also benefited Austria. In case Russia and Austria fell out one day, the Russian military-industrial complex would immediately unravel.
…
On the Afghanistan battlefield, a week had passed since the outbreak of war, and the Tsarist government’s expected surprise attack had naturally failed.
The British generals were no ordinary folk; they had built defenses early along the border, and their scouts were everywhere, giving the Russian Army no opportunity.
Yet, the decision of the war still depended on strength, and after a week of combat, Andehui was already on the brink of collapse.
This wasn’t the core area defended by the British forces; strategically, the best attack route for the Russian Army was along the Hari River towards Herat and then upriver into the heart of Afghanistan.
However, General Okinets was no ordinary man; Herat was naturally within the scope of attack, but he chose to focus on breaking through at Andehui.
In the Russian Army’s temporary headquarters, General Okinets asked with concern, "Has contact been made with the Afghan Resistance Organization?"
No doubt, in his strategic plan, the Afghan Resistance Organization was also a significant force.
In his view, being able to render thousands of British soldiers helpless, their strength was definitely not weak, and it would be a pity not to utilize them.
The young officer in charge of communication, Colonel Roznitsa, replied helplessly, "Commander, we have made contact.
However, the number of resistance organizations in Afghanistan was unexpectedly large; just those we made contact with number twenty-seven groups.
According to the intelligence we gathered, there are at least a hundred such organizations in the Afghan region, possibly even more than two hundred.
They are nominally under the leadership of King Amir, but in reality, these organizations have long been acting on their own and are not bound to each other.
Because of religious reasons, the relationships between these resistance organizations are also not very harmonious, making it nearly impossible to integrate them."
The figures "one hundred" and "two hundred" completely shattered General Okinets’s expectations. According to his estimation, there were at most two or three Afghan resistance groups.
Having too many groups would lead to fragmented power, making it difficult for them to coordinate with each other and unable to exert their maximum combat strength.
The reality, however, was quite the contrary; the Afghan Resistance Organizations were disorganized, each acting independently, yet they still managed to exhaust the British.
"If they were integrated, wouldn’t they be able to…"
This enticing thought had just arisen when General Okinets snuffed it out. The Russian Army’s purpose in coming here was not to bring warmth to the Afghan people.
Essentially, both Britain and Russia were aggressors. It just so happened that the British occupied Afghanistan now, and the Russian Army naturally didn’t mind raising the flag of liberating Afghanistan.
Once the British were driven away, the Russian Army would also occupy the Afghan Region—this was a national policy already decided by the Tsarist Government.
In this context, the Afghan Resistance Organizations could only be used as cannon fodder and would need to be cleared away in the future. Bolstering their strength was just creating trouble for themselves.
