Chapter 20
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Chapter 20: The Resurgence of Warfare
On April 20, 1839, Prussia held an emergency military meeting. Prince Regent and his five advisers attended, with Cabinet Secretary Schultz listening in, and Royal Affairs Director Freeman taking meeting notes.
Anna felt a bit awkward as she rubbed her nose and sat in a slightly distant seat.
Other attendees held intelligence reports with serious expressions. Prussia was facing a major crisis, caused by the troublesome French people.
In the historical context of the 1848 Revolution, France, led by the Orleans monarchy, had its government toppled by a free uprising. Napoleon Bonaparte, elected through democracy, became the ruler and later declared himself Napoleon III.
But Blue Star is different, a big revolution broke out in 1839, and Napoleon III had been emperor for a while.
But regardless of who the emperor was, when there’s trouble, it needs to be addressed. The people of France were mainly upset because Napoleon III appointed a corrupt official as the Minister of Finance, and because Napoleon III lacked martial virtues.
At that time, the people of France were still enamored with the glory of Napoleon I and couldn’t let go. Napoleon III was the nephew of Napoleon I, he was good at handling domestic affairs and his diplomatic skills were decent, but he lacked military prowess.
In 1839, France was the dominating power on the continent, the ambitions of the French people were unstoppable, and eventually erupted in this great revolution.
The revolution in Prussia was about absolute monarchy, while the revolution in France was about nationalism, expansionism, and imperialism.
Both countries were nominally having Liberal Revolutions, but it resulted in something strange.
Under pressure from the masses, Emperor Napoleon III declared war on Austria. The two countries chose the battlefield in the Apennine Peninsula, which was essentially interfering in the Italian War of Independence and Unification.
France and Austria were ready for a fight, they didn’t really care about the situation in Italy. However, the conflict began to spread.
France’s nationalist fervor was too strong, pushing Napoleon III to expand the war. Prussia’s latest intelligence reports all indicated that France was planning to directly invade the South German region.
This is directly related to Prussia.
The South German princes are like Schrödinger’s cat. Before the war starts, you can’t be sure who their owner is.
Prussia needs to ensure its interests in the puppet regime of South German, safeguard the sovereignty and glory of the German Confederation, should unite with Austria to prevent the French army from invading South German.
However… the South German princes are wishy-washy. They seem to be welcoming the French army, like rolling out the red carpet for them.
Moreover, the German region is still in chaos. Only Prussia is in a normal social order, while the other princes are in disarray. The German princes can’t unite to resist the French army.
Maybe Napoleon III is swept up by nationalistic sentiments at home, being pushed by the populace. But Leader One thinks this old fox just wants to take advantage of the chaos and swallow up South German.
"Austria is still in chaos. They are battling the French in Italy, no way they can spare troops to continue fighting in South German. Can we Prussia face the French on our own?" asked the prince regent.
Chief Secretary of the Ministry of National Defense Ron regrets to say that Prussia has just disbanded the militia, and the reform of the regular army and reserves has begun. It’s the most chaotic time for military reorganization. We are not ready for war at all.
Lieutenant General Catherine’s elite cavalry can go into battle, the royal guards and Teutonic Knights cavalry can too. They are all cavalry units, good at smashing the enemy. But fighting the French without infantry and artillery is just asking for trouble.
The prince regent asked again, "What about the eighth Anti-French Alliance?"
Foreign Affairs Chief Secretary Anna expressed regret, saying that England was in chaos. Queen Victoria and the Kentish couple were fighting for power, there was an economic crisis, English workers were rioting, Spain was in revolution and civil war. The situation in Austria was mentioned before.
Should we go ask Russia, Ottoman Empire and Denmark? This is all related to the complex relationship with Napoleon III that cannot be easily resolved.
Director Freeman of the Royal Affairs Office had a sudden idea, "Why not go and ask Great Ming?"
Everyone looked at him with expressions similar to looking at someone with a disability.
Freeman said, "Oh.. oh, maybe I should keep quiet."
The prince regent sighed deeply, wondering where is the royal authority now? Where are the laws? The French openly invaded the German Confederation, does no one come forward to deal with it? Prussia is willing to take responsibility as its father.
The big brother of the German Confederation, Austria, had no choice. It was up to the second brother, Prussia… to step up at this moment. If they allowed the French to act without consequence, both Austria and Prussia’s reputation would be tarnished. Prussia wouldn’t have the face to talk about uniting the North German princes.
"Let’s fight, what else can we do? If we can’t fight, we still have to fight," Leader One decided decisively.
Prussia’s Deputy Chief of General Staff Moltke explained the situation on the battlefield in simple terms. The French army is expected to cross the border and attack South German in a week with a total of more than 17,000 soldiers.
The South German princes have not decided which side to support before the war ends.
Prussia can send out half of the Royal Guards Cavalry, totaling 3,500 cavalry soldiers. The remaining troops will defend Berlin to ensure stability within the country.
Leader One asked Anna to contact the princes in the North German region and gather troops. Prussia will provide cavalry, while they will contribute infantry and artillery, even if they are irregular or militia.
Anna stood up briefly and then sat back down.
"Your Highness, I must remind you that the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg is the quickest and most willing to send troops among the North German princes. However, she may have certain conditions for her assistance," Anna said with a dark expression.
Leader One momentarily forgot who this princess was, oh… she’s the neighbor, her territory is located between Prussia’s lands. The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg is a big fan of his, even considering a marriage proposal in the past.
Leader One currently has no intentions of marriage, especially after seeing the portrait of the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg and finding her unattractive.
The prince regent said, "I like to benefit without commitment. I won’t marry her, but I want her to send troops. Anna, this is the diplomatic mission you should help me with."
Anna, "Yes, Your Majesty."
In the office, while a meeting was still being held on military issues, Anna went out alone to prepare for diplomatic affairs. As she walked down the corridor, she bumped into a group of officials and secretaries.
News of the French preparing to invade South Germany had spread, with the military intelligence department finding out two hours in advance. Meanwhile, the prince regent’s meeting was not over yet, and the newspapers were selling like crazy, with headlines about France and the upcoming war dominating the front pages.
Ministers and the Chief Secretary were in a frenzy, rushing to see the prince regent. Waiting in the corridor for a long time, they only saw Anna come out.
"Mrs. Bismarck, please take a look at these newspapers."
"22 domestic newspapers have front-page stories, and one newspaper is criticizing Your Highness the Regent for inaction."
Anna frowned, "Which newspaper?"
The secretary of the propaganda department replied, "The Rhine Political, Commercial, and Industrial Daily, a newspaper from the city of Cologne in the Rhine District, edited by your college classmate Karl."
"Shut it down for a month first."
The secretary of propaganda quickly said, "The main newspapers in the various German regions have reported the news of the impending invasion by the French army. Currently, the feedback shows that the civilians in Germany are highly motivated for battle and have a strong resistance mindset."
Anna smiled confidently, with a plan in mind.
Mecklenburg is the top follower of Prussia. Whatever Prussia does, Mecklenburg follows, because the female duke admires and adores the Prince Regent of Prussia.
Between the capital of Mecklenburg, Schwerin, and the capital of Prussia, Berlin, not only is there a railway connection, but also the introduction of a radio station. The radio station is a new and interesting device, and Prussia is the first in Europe to use it on a large scale.
The German princes are mainly extremely conservative, not very interested in new things. Some people think the radio station is sorcery, while others believe that it can shorten people’s lives if they are nearby. Professors Gauss and Weber from the Prussian Academy of Sciences have not yet proven that radio waves affect human health. The princes’ beliefs tend to be the more uneducated, the more harmful.
Other princes are unwilling to install radio stations, making it difficult to communicate immediately. However, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg finds it easy.
Anna urged the carriage driver to quickly take her to the City Palace in Berlin. Upon entering the office of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, she called for the technician.
The German radio communication uses Redel Morse code, and in the early days, radio operation was complex and had a high failure rate, requiring a specialist to operate. Anna dictated the content while the technician sat in place tapping on the radio.
"Prussia will send elite cavalry troops of 3,500 to resist the French invasion. Please have the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg also send around 5,000 infantry and artillery to assist in the battle. The German Confederation should…"
"Excuse me, Mrs. Bismarck, the radio communication needs to be shorter."
The technicians were almost breaking down, as the radio required many operations to compose a single character, just like wrapping an old lady’s feet.
Anna thought to herself, "Switch to English, urgent peril, swift rescue, five thousand infantry, train, to Berlin."
Following that, Anna began writing another letter, the other North German princes either had messengers on fast horses deliver it or took a train to deliver.
The usual loose alliance of the German states suddenly became very unified at that moment. In just three days, the princes had begun sending troops or confirming their intent to join the war.
Were they fighting for their homeland? For the honor of Germany? Or because it was everyone’s duty to resist the French invaders? None of these reasons.
Anna’s words had touched these princes deeply.
"Is your family facing a serious revolution? Are the liberals pressuring you to give up your monarch’s power for a constitutional monarchy? If you wish to maintain your rule, join the battle."
"The unity of the German states fighting against the evil French invasion is the will of the people. This is an absolutely just defensive war. Winning it will increase the monarch’s prestige and strengthen their rule; losing it will blame the domestic revolutionary faction, accusing them of causing trouble to consolidate power."
"If you are leading soldiers outside, and rebels start a violent uprising at home, it’s great because you can bring your army back home to fight for justice. While I’m fighting the enemy invaders, those rebel troublemakers dare to ruin everything?"
"Send out the troops, whether we win or lose, no matter if there’s a rebellion at home after sending out the troops, the ruler will still be the winner."
Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg, "I’m sending five thousand light infantry, and we’re almost at Berlin by train."
King of Hannover, "I’m sending five thousand infantry, and my troops will gather in Cologne."
Aldenburg, "A thousand cavalry, plus five river warships."
Sachsen, "A thousand infantry, heading to gather in Berlin right away."
Hessian-Kassel, "Six hundred light infantry."
Besides the larger princes, there were more than thirteen hundred people gathered from the twelve small states in central Germany.
In the end, the German league assembled a fighting force of seventeen thousand four hundred people, which was equal in number to the French army’s separate unit that was about to invade South Germany.
Anna didn’t ask Prussia for any real benefits, just a few words gathered tens of thousands of allied forces. Even though the quality of the troops was worrying, the command system was chaotic, and the weapons and logistics were a nightmare, at least she managed to bring in a bunch of reinforcements.
She organized all the information of the participants in the allied forces: when they would depart, when they would arrive, where they would assemble, the troops’ formations, weapons, and the commanders’ information.
Several days of effort finally condensed into seven pages of paper.
Once again, at the prince regent’s meeting, Anna presented this information about the reinforcements.
"I have done everything I can, now it’s time for the generals to take over."
Ron, Moltke, Hans, Catherine, "Bismarck, amazing!"
Prince Regent Redel was very pleased with Anna’s diplomatic achievements, and he verbally praised her to show appreciation.
In Leader One’s mind, this level of achievement for Anna was nothing special. If she couldn’t even handle this, she wouldn’t be Anna.
Anna waited for half a day, but the prince regent didn’t give her any concrete rewards. She sat on the sofa feeling sulky.
Leader One is playing a game where he sends Anna to do tasks for him. Then he pretends to be Anna in the game. Look at how upset the child looks sitting on the sofa, hmm.
"Feel free to take anything you like from my office, Anna. Meanwhile, some generals and I will discuss military issues."
Anna also didn’t hold back and took a painting by the Renaissance master Dürer called "The Apocalypse" from the wall.
According to the information, a French army of 17,000 troops will invade South Germany in two days.
The German coalition army also consists of 17,000 troops, but they are from different regions with their own leaders, no unity among them, split into two assembly points in Cologne and Berlin.
Even though the French army’s second-line troops are strong, they are united as a whole. The German coalition army is weak and scattered, disorganized in terms of ownership, organization, and weapons, perfectly showing a disorganized group.
The coalition army was initiated by Prussia, and naturally, the commander-in-chief of the coalition army is Prussian. During this time, it was a bit difficult as Ron shouted for two days in the General Staff Department but no general wanted to lead the troops.
Ron reported the situation to the prince regent, who was not angry. He could forcefully appoint a general as the commander-in-chief, but the people in the General Staff Department said, "If you make me lead the troops, it will be a disaster."
There are a total of 22 senior officers in the General Staff Department, with 15 of them over sixty years old. These old men are fine sitting at home chatting but sending them to the frontlines might result in them falling ill along the way, not every old general is as capable as Blücher.
The General Staff Department had a clear gap after Napoleon’s war, around 1840 was a difficult time.
"I need a young general who can work wonders, someone who can lead scattered soldiers to victory, or at least a draw against the French army," Leader One said, scanning the room.
Catherine, "Your Highness, you know me well. I am a skilled cavalry commander, but as a woman, how can I lead the army?"
Hans, "Your Highness, you know me well. Although I have the ability to lead the army, as a commoner, I won’t be able to command those people."
Ron, "Your Highness, you know me well. I hold the highest military rank as General Ron, but I’m more of a theorist, not experienced in actual warfare."
Moltke covered his face, thinking to himself, "Not again. Why do I always end up leading troops in chaotic situations? Last time during the South German battle, I almost had a stroke. Now, leading the German coalition forces, I might just die of frustration."
"There’s no other choice. Currently, our Prussian military is in a difficult situation – facing reforms, lacking experienced leaders, and outdated weapons. We have no option but to rely on you," said Leader One.
Moltke asked, "Your Highness, will you be leading the troops to the front lines this time?"
Leader One hesitated…
This South German War is not like the last South German squabble, it is a high-level battle against a strong enemy, the front line is very dangerous. As a monarch of a country, if you go to the front line to lead the troops, and then you are captured by the enemy… that wouldn’t happen, right? No monarch would be that incompetent.
Leader One said seriously, "If needed, I will go to the front line. If things get tough and it turns into a stalemate, send me a telegram and I will put down what I’m doing to support the frontline. But I believe Moltke won’t lose. So, I wish General Moltke a great victory in advance! Triumph!"
