As expected by the Grand Moltke, the 19th Corps commander, Erwin, took command of the 2nd Corps without incident.
The original plan was for the 2nd and 19th Corps (a total of 40,000 men) to storm the Zwinger Palace in Dresden from the rear and capture the entire Saxon royal family.
Archduke George, who loves his family and home, will cower under the threat of a Prussian kingdom that holds his family in its hands.
To make matters worse, the Saxon army will be cut off from food and ammunition supplies when its rear is ambushed.
"With this one shot, the Prussian-Saxon war is over.... With this one shot...."
That was the plan....
That was the plan....
.
.
.
"Fucking Austro-Hungarians!!!"
A few days ago.
When the Austro-Hungarian Empire sent an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to threaten me, I was more stunned than angry, to be honest.
I'll give him this....
"Small countries are small for a reason.... How dare a pseudo power protest against the great German Empire?"
"Francis Joseph I, monarch of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He's a senile old man, still living in the heyday of the Habsburgs, occupying a Venetian territory still flowing with milk and honey, and holding the office of Chancellor of Germany."
"..."
I nodded at Bismarck's relentless words.
Is that why?
A conventional, unthinking statement came out of my mouth.
"So eating up the Kingdom of Bavaria-"
"No!! Never!!!!"
"..."
"Have you forgotten that Elisabeth, the wife of Franz Joseph I, is a princess of the Kingdom of Bavaria?"
Yes, I have.
That is why, of the two kingdoms represented in the Group of Eight, I am leaving the Kingdom of Bavaria alone and only beating the Kingdom of Saxony.
Because behind the Kingdom of Bavaria is the Austro-Hungarian Empire, formerly the Holy Roman Empire.
At its height, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was so powerful that the Russian, French, and Ottoman Empires, not to mention the Kingdom of Prussia, didn't even dare to breathe.
Only the British Empire.
35 million square kilometers, 25% of the world's land area.
450 million people, 20% of the world's population.
Enough said, only this insane hegemonic power that wouldn't be out of place running the world could look at them with a straight face.
***
June 23rd, 1888.
Berlin Palace, capital of the German Empire.
I rubbed against a young Victoria, the first time I'd felt that in a long time.
"Emperor.... William.... Hmmm, I haven't felt that for a long time..."
"Me too...."
However, the room filled with hot air and joy was short-lived and completely shattered.
No matter what the higher-ups were doing in the closed room.
Whether the two couples were making love or not.
Whether they were playing hardball or not.
Because suddenly there's a Bismarck who doesn't give a shit about civility once he's got his sights set.
-Vulture
"Your Majesty! We're in trouble!"
"Gahhhhhh!!!"
"What the fuck is wrong with this bitch?"
But was it because Bismarck was also human?
Her expressionless face hardened at the dark, flesh-colored scene that greeted her as soon as she opened the door.
...or was it?
Was she blushing in embarrassment?
"E,emperor... I,i don't have time to rub up against the empress right now."
"Why is that?"
".... It is not only the Southern Border Guard that we expected, but also the Southern Collective Army, which is said to be the strongest in the Austro-Hungarian Empire."
"The Southern Collective?"
I'd heard that name before.
Wasn't it the army that brought the Austro-Hungarian Empire its only victory in World War I, when it was fighting a multi-front war?
Of course, by the end of the war, they were less and less successful as they called up reservists on a whim.
"Yes. The Confederate Army, composed entirely of Germanic peoples, was not a bunch of meat shields for publicity. With the full backing and support of the Habsburgs-"
"They are no match for the German Imperial Army in terms of fighting power, and their loyalty to the Imperial Family is second to none.... Tsk."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The Austro-Hungarian Empire has fallen on its sword.
Fuck. The mere kingdom of Bavaria is so important?
How dare a pseudo power, no matter how connected by blood, point a sword at me….
This is the end.
Crown Prince....
No. Even Rudolf Franz Karl Josef, the crown prince who was supposed to be killed in the Meyering incident next year, didn't seem to place much importance on family when he was alive.
"..."
"..."
'I wonder if we should start a second Prussian-Austrian war to complete the Greater Germany?'
Was it the realization in my face?
Bismarck, who was standing next to me, stopped me immediately.
"Kaiser... Don't be silly."
"..."
"Even if the Austro-Hungarian Empire is now ridiculed as a pseudo power, half-assed by nationalist fever... A great power is a great power."
"I know. I know."
"..."
"Isn't that why you attributed the suppression of the Great Moltke Rebellion to the Kingdom of Saxony, not the Kingdom of Bavaria?"
The Kingdom of Bavaria, the second most powerful of the Four Kingdoms.
If you want to completely annex the Kingdom of Bavaria instead of unifying it, you will have to deal with the 600,000 standing troops of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
600,000 meat shields that don't even talk to each other is hard enough for the German Empire in peacetime, not in the middle of a civil war, but 600,000 more enemies when you're attacking the Kingdom of Saxony with 5 legions?
The German Empire may return to its Prussian roots, but the downfall of the House of Hohenzollern is certain.
"Besides, the Kingdom of Bavaria has a very low industrial power compared to not only our Prussian Kingdom, but also the Kingdom of Saxony. Its main products are agricultural and marine products."
"...That's right. The Kingdom of Bavaria accounted for 15% of the power of the German Empire because of its enormous territorial size and population."
"But the Kingdom of Saxony is different. They have the industrial and technological power to rival us."
"..."
"To make matters worse, they're right next to the capital city of Berlin, so they can attack the Kingdom of Prussia at any time."
I nodded at the logic of Bismarck's words.
But there's no reason for this bitch, who even uses the emperor as a tool, to be so kind as to explain it to me.
...She must be after something.
"If she's giving me this long-winded explanation... Hmm. So what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to put your head down."
"...!!!!"
"And give me the Kingdom of Bavaria for a few years.... Uh, no. I want you to write a memorandum saying you won't invade for at least a decade, so the old Habsburgs can relax and not push the border with their southern border guards."
"Fuck!!!"
"..."
"As the leader of the Aryan people, I.... I, the Patriarch of the House of Hohenzollern, should bow down to a Habsburg prick?"
"Yes. If you really want to be the leader of the Aryan people... How do you expect to rule over the unstable German Empire without suffering a moment of shame?"
"..."
Bismarck smiles as he looks at me with fresh eyes….
This is so shameful.
'Shit. Shit. Shit. We'll see.... Bismarck.... No. You mustachioed bastard for making me suggest this to our beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Bismarck!!!'
'Wow.... Our emperor seems to have a hard time hiding his facial expressions....'
'An asshole who can't even control his wife, let alone the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A son.... No. A fucking asshole who even let his daughter commit suicide.'
'It is written all over your face that you want to kill someone. You're lucky your anger isn't directed at me....'
'I will pay you back for this!'
The Austro-Hungarian Empire must have realized that day.
How great is the rage of an inferiority complex fueled by life as an eight-year-old idiot.
***
June 24th, 1888.
The border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Saxony.
The 100,000-strong army is in a murderous mood.
Erwin, commander of the Second and Nineteenth Corps, holding the Austro-Hungarian Empire at bay, receives a telegram from Berlin.
"The Kaiser himself has seen the negotiations with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.... You want us to march directly to the Saxon Palace?"
"Uh.... Well, that's what the Morse code says, so it must be an order, right?"
"That makes sense."