Holy Roman Empire

After the Near East war escalated fiercely, the French civil war also neared its end.

Since the United Kingdom had mediated the conflicts between the three major Protecting the King factions, the forces dragging their feet were greatly reduced, and the Monarchist faction gained an absolute advantage over the Revolutionary Party.

The scope of control of the Revolutionary Government was suppressed to a corner of Paris; although this was the essence of France, it could not withstand the ravages of war.

After Napoleon IV blockaded Paris, the isolated Paris Revolutionary Government gradually fell into a shortage of materials.

With a pile of factories but not enough industrial raw materials, even the timely emergency measures taken by the Paris Revolutionary Government to unify the distribution of materials were not enough to stave off depletion.

Besides the Italian Independent Organization, this "ally" that was still stubbornly struggling, revolutionary movements in other areas of France were essentially flattened by Napoleon IV.

On June 29, 1882, the government troops defeated the main forces of the Revolutionary Army on the outskirts of Paris, clarifying the situation.

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The volatile situation in France had drawn Franz’s serious attention. Despite the jokes made by the French in later generations, in those days, they were still the formidable French Empire.

In the Vienna Palace, Foreign Minister Weisenberg analyzed, "Looking at the current situation, under the government troops’ counterattack, the Paris Revolutionary Government won’t last long.

Once the Paris Revolution ends, the Italian Independence Organization won’t last long either, especially after both we and the British have withdrawn our support for them.

Having resolved the internal conflict, the French will refocus their attention internationally. On the Near East issue, England and France are very likely to stand on the same side.

With an added ally, it is probable that the British Government will not remain so compliant in the days to come.

To ensure infallibility, the Foreign Ministry suggests intensifying our offensive against the Ottomans, striving to annihilate the Ottoman Empire and create a fait accompli before England and France take action." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Franz shook his head, "That’s hard to achieve. An ancient empire, faced with the threat of extinction, is not to be underestimated in terms of the potential it can unleash.

After the fall of the Paris Revolutionary Government, Napoleon IV will be able to concentrate his troops to suppress the Italian independence movement. It would be miraculous if that ragtag bunch lasts two months.

This revolution has indeed brought severe losses to France, but with the crisis comes opportunity. In this civil war, Napoleon IV also eliminated many of his enemies, easing relations with the Orleans and Bourbon Dynasties, and indirectly consolidated his rule.

If managed properly, the following period could be a time of least internal conflict for France.

Against this backdrop, a year later, Napoleon IV’s government will likely be quite stable and ready to turn its focus outward once more.

We may have the capacity to destroy the Ottoman Empire within one year, but this will leave many aftereffects, and we will inevitably pay a higher price during the post-war governance."

From a purely military perspective, of course, it is most valuable to move swiftly and end the war in the shortest possible time, minimizing the cost.

However, Austria is not fighting this time just to defeat the Ottomans, but to annex them.

Albrecht’s deliberate delay of the Allied Forces’ actions, giving the Ottoman Empire ample preparation time, was not due to a lack of military understanding.

While quick resolution can reduce losses, it also diminishes the losses on both sides of the enemy, leaving a host of resentful survivors after the war.

Rather than dealing with guerrillas after the war, it is better to let the enemy fully mobilize and resolve them on the battlefield, which would only lower the cost.

The more people the Sultan Government arms, the smaller the post-war trouble left for the locals.

Those who take up arms are the enemy, and in the post-war reckoning, we could engage in group punishment, exiling entire families.

Therefore, from the beginning, Franz had set a plan for a long-term campaign. After all, the impact of this economic crisis is profound, and it will not end in the short term; it is an opportune moment to divert the crisis through war.

"Your Majesty," Prime Minister Felix reminded, "if the French regain their strength, our plan to annex the Ottoman Empire may not go so smoothly."

Franz nodded, "That’s inevitable, but no matter how bad it is, England and France are not likely to support sending troops to intervene.

The situation in France is not good; even after quelling the civil unrest, Napoleon IV does not have the courage to provoke a war at this time.

With the Anti-Turkish Alliance sharing international pressure, even if England and the rest of Europe exert pressure through the alliance, we can withstand it."

Of course, the aftereffects are not so simple; with this stimulus, England and France will undoubtedly accelerate their rapprochement.

It’s a matter of time; even without the Near East war, as Austria grows stronger, England and France will come together.

European balance is a fundamental policy of the London Government. With the weakness of France revealed, the balance has been disrupted, and the British’s target for suppression naturally becomes Austria.

Even the Russians might be coaxed into forming an Anti-Austrian Alliance, suppressing the development of the Austrian Empire. Influenced by geopolitical factors, the ambitious Mao Xiong is very likely to tilt towards England and France.

That being the case, Franz naturally wanted to take down the Ottoman before England, France, and Russia had time to adjust their mindsets.

If possible, Franz wouldn’t mind going a step further, teaming up with Russia to divide Persia and become neighbors with the British.

When interests are at stake, anything can happen. For the impoverished Tsarist Government, the allure of India is no less than that of advancing into the European Continent.

This is a blatant strategy. Compared to competing for dominance over Europe, conquering India is obviously the lesser risk. The former means making enemies of all European countries, while the latter only involves confronting John Bull.

Once the Russians are lured into India, the likelihood of a British-French-Russian Alliance forming would wither, as the British would definitely not want to share their own interests with an ally.

Without Mao Xiong as a meat shield, Franz certainly isn’t intimidated by the Alliance of England and France. An Austrian Empire spanning across the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa naturally stands on invincible ground.

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Outside the City of Paris, the flag of the Bonaparte Dynasty had already begun to fly across oceans, and at this moment, Napoleon IV was at the front, boosting morale.

It’s not easy being the Monarch of France; the greatest enemy is always—the Revolution.

From Louis XVI who was sent to the guillotine, to Louis-Philippe who fled in panic, two successive dynasties have fallen to the Revolution.

Frankly speaking, after the outbreak of the Paris Revolution, Napoleon IV was also flustered.

If not for his unwillingness to admit defeat, he would have been persuaded by the Empress to flee the turmoil in France. Because he couldn’t bear it, he chose to stay and fight back, leading to the counter-attack today.

In this regard alone, he’s already much stronger than Louis-Philippe.

If, at the time, Louis-Philippe I hadn’t been in such a rush to flee the country and had instead organized the military to suppress the rebellion, the Orleans Dynasty wouldn’t have been so easily destroyed.

In theory, in France, as long as the army remains loyal to the King, any rebellion can be quelled.

The French people’s enthusiasm for revolution is high, but such fervor "comes quickly and goes even faster". As soon as people realize the revolution is harming their own interests, they quickly abandon it.

This revolution is a real-life case study; along the way, Napoleon IV has pardoned more than tens of thousands of Revolutionaries.

The revolutionary wave swiftly receded once the people realized the revolution did not bring them benefits.

The Parisians felt this most acutely. Affected by the economic crisis, their standard of living plummeted, with some unable to even fill their stomachs, which led them to revolt. Discover hidden stories at empire

After the revolution succeeded, everyone suddenly found that aside from chasing away the Emperor, their standard of living did not improve—in fact, for most, it dropped.

The nascent Revolutionary Government lacked governance experience, with orders often being contradictory and causing widespread distress.

All this wasn’t the worst; the actual reason for the revolution’s failure was that the Revolutionaries didn’t spread the revolutionary seeds immediately but were in a rush to form a government and fight for power, missing the best opportunity.

Of course, this cannot be blamed on the Revolutionary Government; it was completely misled by the successful experiences of their predecessors.

The First Republic and the Second Republic both witnessed a nationwide response to the Paris Revolution’s success, without the need to fight their way through the country.

This erroneous belief made everyone overlook that the Bonaparte Dynasty was not like the previous two hated dynasties; they actually had the support of the peasant class and had a foundation in the provinces.

Thanks to the policies implemented by Napoleon III, most French workers had a favorable impression of the Emperor.

Many local revolutions erupted due to unemployment waves, hyperinflation, and soaring prices, causing people to lose their income and become unable to eat, not because they wanted to depose the Emperor.

Napoleon IV managed to get to the outskirts of Paris so quickly not because of superior military skill, but because he had money to aid the unemployed people, unlike the Revolutionary Government.

The roar of cannons signaled the start of the battle for Paris. Holding a telescope, Napoleon IV surveyed the battlefield, seeing nothing but plumes of thick smoke rising.

The Guard Commander urged hastily, "Your Majesty, it’s dangerous here! Please take cover in the bomb shelter!"

Napoleon IV waved his hand and said, "Don’t worry, Gorman. We’re a good five or six kilometers away from the battlefield; enemy shells won’t reach us that easily."

Gorman was already opposed to the Emperor coming to the front, and this scene only heightened his anxiety. If anything happened to the Emperor on his watch, it would be a grave offense.

Hesitating for a moment, Gorman steeled his heart and directly grabbed Napoleon IV…