Holy Roman Empire

Under the scorching sun, a luxurious train sped by. On both sides of the track, the mature crops seemed to be startled, bowing low and trembling occasionally.

Inside the luxurious carriage of the special train, a young man dressed in elegant attire was intently reading a newspaper, occasionally furrowing his brows.

The young man was none other than Alexander Alexandrovich (Alexander III), who was on a state visit abroad. He had high hopes for this trip to Paris and was busy gathering information even while on the move.

He had grown tired of the information provided by the Russian government. To Alexander, those materials were obviously biased or rather, politically correct.

In his view, to get a preliminary understanding of France, it was enough to read the French economic and political newspapers. Alexander Alexandrovich was no expert or scholar so these basic materials sufficed.

The more he learned, the more he was filled with emotion. From the news in the newspapers, he realized the enormous gap between Russia and France.

This gap was one of “quality,” not something the bureaucrats in St. Petersburg could claim would be bridged in three to five years.

What troubled him was that the French public had a poor impression of Russia, as evidenced by the adjectives used in the newspapers.

“Barbarians,” “liars,” “rogues,” “decadent”...

These words deeply wounded Alexander Alexandrovich. His discontent had no effect. The French newspapers were beyond his control and would continue to write as they pleased.

Although much of the content was exaggerated, it was not entirely unfounded. Russia indeed had a history of dark chapters.

In general, people wouldn’t bring up these old accounts. But with Alexander Alexandrovich coming for a visit, newspapers looking to capitalize on the buzz became active.

“Franco-Russian friendship” does not exist—at least, these newspapers do not believe there is a traditional friendship between the two countries, though there is plenty of animosity.

What is even more infuriating is that they were the losers. Everyone still clearly remembers that it was the Russians who buried the First French Empire.

The Near East War did not allow them to exact revenge, which left the French very dissatisfied. In the recent Russo-Prussian War, the French people donated the most to Prussia, even exceeding the total from the German Federal Empire and Austria.

Alexander Alexandrovich did not understand what there was to be proud of. In any case, he realized that many in France were not welcoming of his visit.

While at home, Alexander Alexandrovich had no idea that Russia was so unpopular in Europe.

Initially, he was resentful of the defeat in the Russo-Prussian War, but now he understood—how could they not lose when fighting against all of Europe?

After reading the newspapers, Alexander Alexandrovich fell into deep thought. A voice deep within him kept telling him that he must do something to change the perception of the Russian Empire in Europe.

Isolation means danger. Currently, the Russian Empire has many enemies and only one ally, and even now, that last ally is drifting away.

If this situation does not change, the Russian Empire will find it challenging to achieve victory in the next war.

Although the war had not yet broken out, Alexander Alexandrovich already knew that the next conflict would likely involve Poland, Prussia, the Ottoman Empire, and possibly several Central Asian khanates, and even the Far East might not be stable.

Modern warfare relies heavily on logistics. In the last war, the Russian Empire lost due to its transportation issues. Although some at home blamed their ally Austria for not pulling its weight, Alexander Alexandrovich knew very well that the cause of the Russian defeat lay within themselves.

They managed to purchase supplies from Austria but lacked the ability to transport them to the front lines in time. This led to insufficient forces at the front, giving the Prussians the opportunity to strike.

If there were no logistical constraints and a million Russian troops could be deployed to the front lines simultaneously, even with all of Europe providing logistics to Prussia, they couldn’t have withstood it.

There is no fairness in war. If you have the troops and don’t use them, trying to win with fewer forces is foolish, and such fools usually meet a terrible end.

In the history of warfare, the stronger side almost always wins. The reason why victories of the weak over the strong are celebrated is that they are rare.

In terms of military strength, the Russian Empire ranks at the bottom among the European powers when forces are roughly equal.

Alexander Alexandrovich is well aware of the reasons: the differences in weapons, equipment, and training, which ultimately come down to a lack of money.

Most of the soldiers in the Russian army are conscripts who do not need to receive a salary, so a symbolic amount is enough.

Cheapness had become the hallmark of the Russian army. Economically speaking, increasing the number of soldiers provides a greater increase in combat power than enhancing training or upgrading to the latest weapons.

This calculation has long been understood: the cost of one French soldier is enough for the Russian government to recruit two of these inexpensive soldiers and still have some extra left. On the battlefield, one French soldier definitely cannot defeat two Russian soldiers.

This is how the “gray livestock” concept came about. Because of their economic advantage, the Russians favored the human wave tactic.

As the train slowed down, Alexander Alexandrovich knew they had arrived in Paris. Looking at the buildings along the road, he showed a hint of admiration.

In the 19th century, Paris was definitely one of the most coveted cities in the world. Of course, Alexander Alexandrovich’s interest in Paris was not because it was the holy land of revolution.

As a crown prince, especially the heir to the Russian government, he was inherently a part of the reactionary faction and could never align with the revolutionaries.

His interest in Paris was solely because it was the capital of France and had the most advanced industry.

As one of the three most famous European cities of this era, although Paris was known worldwide as the holy land of revolution, it was no less impressive in other aspects.

After the reconstruction by Napoleon III, Paris had shed its reputation for being dirty and chaotic, and its urban environment was now far superior to that of smelly London.

...

Franz had no interest in Alexander Alexandrovich’s European tour. Even though he would become famous in later generations, it did not move him.

History is the easiest thing to mislead people with, and exaggeration has always been a favorite of literary figures. For example, the highly praised three Italian heroes became ineffective due to changes in the international situation.

Franz admitted that they were indeed capable, but unfortunately, luck was not on their side this time. Just a slight change in circumstances altered their destinies.

Garibaldi and Mazzini led a failed revolution and were forced into exile. The renowned Prime Minister Cavour fared even worse. His strategy of alliances and coalitions failed right at the beginning.

Austria’s stance differed from historical events. It allowed France to expand in Italy, and Napoleon III found that annexing Italian territories was more beneficial than cooperating with the Kingdom of Sardinia.

One decision from those in power rendered all of Cavour’s efforts useless. In the original timeline, success was built on luck, and now they just lacked that bit of luck.

Countless real-world cases taught Franz that the abilities of the failures were not necessarily inferior, and they often lacked just a little bit of luck to succeed.

This slight difference often led to a stark contrast in outcomes, like the difference between heaven and hell.

Napoleon III was also an example. In the original timeline, he had already failed. However, due to Franz’s butterfly effect, Napoleon III was now referred to as “Napoleon the Great” by the French.

Looking at the intelligence in his hand, Franz frowned. If nothing unexpected happened, his unfortunate brother would soon meet misfortune.

Unable to find a buyer internationally, the French government decided to withdraw troops from Mexico. Without the support of French soldiers, Franz did not believe Maximilian could stabilize the situation.

Without hesitation, a secret order flew from the Vienna Palace to the Austrian Central American colony. After all, it was still his brother, and he couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.

Franz had even considered the resettlement issue. He decided to send him to a rural castle since the Habsburgs had no shortage of castles.

Idealists like Maximilian, after experiencing failure, wouldn’t have the courage to come back and face people. Living out his days in the countryside would be just right for him.

In the original timeline, Maximilian refused to flee. Franz suspected he was afraid of losing face and being ridiculed, which made him reluctant to return to the European continent.

This mentality is not surprising, much like people who work but fail to earn money and are too embarrassed to return home for the New Year.

Franz was not a psychologist and couldn’t solve Maximilian’s mental issues. He knew about them, but how to treat them was beyond his capabilities.

Perhaps he could pass this problem to Archduchess Sophie, giving her something to do and relieving Franz of some nagging.

Mexico City was not far away, and with proper preparation, military intervention wouldn’t be too difficult, especially since the new Mexican government could be made to foot the bill.

Unlike the French, the Austrian Central American Colonial Empire was right next door to Mexico. The landowners there had long wanted to annex the Yucatán Peninsula. Franz merely hesitated to act against Mexico because of appearances.

Once Maximilian I failed, that obstacle would no longer exist. It would be a matter of grabbing as much as possible.

The strength of the Austrian Central American colony was equivalent to 1-2 major states in the Americas. Even if the Germans were slightly better at fighting, it would still only be equivalent to 2-3 major states, which was not worth mentioning.

However, for the Mexican Empire, this force would be enough to wake them up. Of course, this assumed that the Mexican rebels would provoke a fight.

If they were smart and simply sent Maximilian I away without a military excuse, Franz, who was mindful of appearances, wouldn’t take action against them.

In truth, the Americas were not a primary focus for Austrian expansion. The Austrian government had limited energy and couldn’t concentrate on too many places at once.

Even strategic locations like Panama were left untouched by Franz, so why bother with Mexico?

Franz was already considering which of his sons to appoint as king in Central America. Managing such a distant colony directly was challenging due to the rise of nationalism. It would be easier to establish a federal state.

This was also in line with the Habsburg tradition. Their ancestors had split Spain and Austria, so Franz could naturally separate a colony.

Not just the Central American colony, but Southeast Asia might also become a federal state in the future. Better to keep it within the family than lose it altogether.

By affiliating these federal states with the Holy Roman Empire, they could all play within the same economic circle, which wouldn’t count as a failure.

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