Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 339: Brutal War

At the end of 1862, the regicide case that had lasted for years finally came to a close. After consolidating all the evidence, the evidence pointed to the Sardinian government as the mastermind behind the scenes.

Whether others believed it or not, the French government certainly did, and the Austrian government also accepted this explanation.

The protests from the Sardinian government were ignored. Before the assassination attempt happened, the Sardinian government had secretly provided funds to the Carbonari Party, which became the most damning evidence against them.

Most crucially, the French had eyewitness testimony. The arrested suspects confessed to the assassination attempt without reservation and came forward to accuse the Sardinian government.

The former Prime Minister Cavour was also imprisoned because of this. If unlucky, he could even be sent to the gallows.

The Prime Minister and other high-ranking officials were directly implicated, and King Victor Emmanuel II also could not escape blame. He announced his abdication two days ago.

The subsequent trade-offs in interests need not be detailed. In short, the French paid a heavy price to make all countries tacitly accept what happened.

Franz exclaimed in surprise, Did the British sell out the Kingdom of Sardinia just like that?

Initially, he thought that around the Kingdom of Sardinia, there would be a fierce struggle between Britain and France, but he didnt expect the British government to compromise so quickly.

Foreign Minister Wessenberg explained, Your Majesty, we tacitly accepted the actions of the French. The Russians are preoccupied with internal reforms and have no interest in Italian affairs. The British are incapable of interfering even if they want to.

Besides, the balance of power on the continent has not been disrupted. Even if the French annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, it still cannot change the tripartite balance of the continent.

The losses suffered by the British in terms of interests have been compensated for by the French elsewhere. The assets of the suspects seized by the investigation team are almost enough to repay the British loans.

Now that the obstacles to the French annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia have been largely cleared, its just a matter of when the French government will act.

Franz sneered, So is Napoleon III planning to rely on elections to obtain the throne again?

No matter how compelling the French reasons seemed, they were still not enough for them to legitimize their annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Conspiring and plotting regicide is unquestionably a grave crime, and the Austrian government is also holding those responsible accountable. But before annexing the Kingdom of Sardinia, they should first ask whether the Sardinians are willing.

Especially forcing Victor Emmanuel II to abdicate is a political blunder. If they were to exchange territories, it would still appear more palatable.

France has so many overseas colonies; they could have simply ceded one to Victor Emmanuel II in name, which would have been better than kicking him off the throne.

Ascending to the throne through popular election is the lowest form of legitimacy. Put simply, if one day the people are displeased with him, they can use the same method to kick him out.

Wessenberg replied, Based on the intelligence we have collected, the French are indeed preparing for elections.

Franz responded calmly, Then lets lend them a hand, and let the agents weve planted also support Napoleon III in concurrently holding the title of King of Sardinia, boosting his image in public opinion.

It is crucial whether the Kingdom of Sardinia will directly join France or whether Napoleon III will serve as King of Sardinia as well.

In the former scenario, the people of Sardinia would surely not agree. However, it aligns most with French interests. Undergoing short-term pains can ensure that the Kingdom of Sardinia will not try to become independent.

However, doing so would look bad. But they have already reached this point, so their appearance will be difficult to uphold regardless. Either dont do it or if theyre doing it, go all the way.

In the latter scenario, they are banking on France remaining perpetually strong, capable of forever suppressing the Kingdom of Sardinia. Yet, the moment France encounters any problem, the Sardinians will clamor for independence.

The Italians do not see themselves as the same family as the French, so there is essentially no basis for rule. Napoleon III would have no way to buy the support of the commoners to accept his reign.

While Napoleon was formidable, unfortunately, the Bonaparte familys foundations were too shallow. The political legacy left behind was insufficient for Napoleon III to realize his own political ambitions.

Franz had a deep understanding of this matter; Austrias successful expansion in Europe was largely due to the political legacy left by the Habsburgs.

Looking through history books, many regions in Europe had been ruled by the Habsburg dynasty for centuries. Even if they were defeated, they could still rally under the banner of restoring the dynasty, even if the legal basis was somewhat shaky.

Without ancestral political legacy, which of the German states would accept him? This included the Italian territories belonging to Austria. Legally, he had legitimacy there.

Legitimacy is valued in both Eastern and Western cultures. In the East, many rebels raise the banner of the former dynasty, not necessarily to gain supporters but mainly to prove that they are not mere rebels but to uphold a righteous cause.

Having a righteous cause is to strive for hegemony, and without it, one is just a bandit. In the end, those who succeed are basically the ones striving for hegemony. Meanwhile, its unheard of for a mere bandit to seize supreme power.

As the ancients taught, one who does not scheme for eternity cannot scheme for the moment; one who does not contemplate the whole cannot contemplate the part.

This was Franzs motto, constantly reminding himself to stay vigilant.

On January 15, 1863, with the support of the Confederate government, the region of Indiana, inhabited by Native Americans, declared independence and established its own nation.

This area served as a resettlement zone for Native American tribes by the U.S. government, with dozens of tribes forcibly relocated there starting in the 1830s.

Due to a lack of effective federal governance in the region, and due to historical animosities, there were few white settlers in the area until after 1889.

The war continues to the present, with both sides competing based on their overall national strength. To win the war, the Southern government had to rally more allies.

In any case, they had already declared independence, so betraying the federal governments interests to buy allies put no pressure on them.

To enlist Native American participation in the war effort, the Confederate government provided the newly independent Cherokee Nation with fifty thousand rifles, one hundred cannons, and ammunition.

After acquiring weapons, the Native Americans began their path of revenge. Kansas became the first victim.

Originally pressed by the Confederate army from Missouri, they suddenly faced attacks from the rear by Native Americans, causing them to collapse instantly.

Harboring deep resentment like a sea of blood, the Native Americans launched the fiercest retaliation, massacring locals until blood flowed like rivers.

Its not just this particular battlefield; as the war progressed, both the North and South became blinded by killing. Some areas have devolved into killing for the sake of killing, with civilians becoming the biggest victims.

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Conflict zones like Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, and Virginia have all turned into hell on earth.

The nature of the war has changed; fueled by propaganda from both governments, hatred has become one of the primary factors driving the conflict.

The various countries that were originally planning to intervene were all stunned by the Americans madness and chose to stand by and watch.

Dont misunderstand; its not that they were scared. The main reason was they wanted the Americans to continue massacring each other, mutually exhausting their strength, ideally both sides being crippled in the end.

For this reason, Britain and Austria were exploring how to engage the Confederacy in diplomacy, with rallying the Native Americans as one of their ploys.

In New York, President Lincoln couldnt even bring himself to look directly at the casualty reports submitted by the federal government.

With the involvement of the Native Americans, the state of Kansas fell, and nearly the entire federal army of seventy thousand troops was wiped out. Civilian casualties exceeded three hundred thousand, with the remaining population turned into war refugees fleeing westward.

What this meant was crystal clear to him. The scope of the war had once again expanded, with the flames reaching into the central region. The political and military pressure on the federal government had escalated further.

If the Union couldnt gain the upper hand soon, many states might consider withdrawing from the war for their own safety. In the face of life and death, interests do not matter anymore.

Even when painting a rosy picture, there had to be visible hope of fruition. Otherwise, even the capitalists supporting the federal government would waver in their stance.

At the very least, the capitalists in Kansas were left with nothing, with many sacrificing even their lives. The capitalists in the frontline states, similarly, emerged as losers in this reshuffling.

Whether the federal government could gain victory or not, they had already been eliminated.

If it werent for the inadequate diplomatic abilities of the Confederate government and the desires of Britain and Austria to see the war continue, intentionally leading them astray, at least several states would have already withdrawn from the war.

The carrot and the stick was the most appropriate strategy. If the Confederacy had not targeted the Union from the beginning but instead employed a political offensive state by state, adjacent states would likely have chosen neutrality by now.

Going up against the entire federal government, the Confederacy had no guarantee of victory. But dealing with one or a few federal states would have been effortless.

The more powerful capitalists, for the most part, would choose neutrality for their own interests. Especially after the tragedy in Kansas, everyone knows that the federal government is incapable of protecting them.

President Lincoln muttered to himself, Since the civil war began, our casualties have surpassed 3 million, right?

The Secretary of State outside the door replied, Not yet, but perhaps by next week. The total casualties of the federal governments army are 1.768 million, with 456,000 killed in action; civilian casualties are 1.182 million, with 382,000 deaths.

(Authors Note: Casualties are calculated by instances of injury, so theoretically one soldier could be counted as injured dozens of times)

Lincoln sighed and said, If we add the casualties of the rebels, for the sake of this war, our population loss may have already exceeded 1.5 million.

Clearly, he regretted starting this war. Its not just Lincoln; many Americans regret it. If everyone had known how brutal the war would be, they would have compromised before the war broke out.

Although the interests of capitalists and plantation owners cannot be reconciled, its different for capitalists and plantation owners in the warring states.

Class interests do not equal personal interests. For their own interests, the capitalists had no qualms about betraying their class.

Secretary of State Seward pondered for a moment and said, It depends on how you calculate it. If we consider the decrease in immigrants due to the civil war and those who left, then this loss may increase by another million.

No, its not accurate to say immigrants. In fact, our total immigration hasnt decreased much. Its just that white immigration has decreased, while Asian and Black immigration is steadily increasing.

The increase in black immigrants was also forced. Large numbers of able-bodied men had also joined the military, causing labor shortages across all industries.

Now, during wartime, immigrants from European countries simply arent coming. Consequently, everyone has no choice but to bring in labor from outside, leading to an inevitable increase in non-white immigrants.

Lincoln nodded and said, No wonder there are more and more black soldiers in the army. It seems that many people are using them to substitute for military service.

Not everyone is willing to go to the battlefield, especially the extremely wealthy capitalists who are even more averse to it. In this capitalist nation, the federal government naturally could not force the capitalists to serve.

Hiring people to serve in the military perfectly solves this problem; the federal government obtains troops, and the capitalists fulfill their military service obligations.

Secretary of State Seward said with a troubled expression, Mr. President, I dont think you need to worry about these trivial matters. Our major trouble is coming soon. How do you plan to handle next weeks congressional inquiry?

From a strategic perspective, the federal government blocked the Confederate offensive, defended the core Great Lakes region, and also secured Washington, achieving a phase of victory.

Although Kansas is located in the center of the United States, geographically, it is surrounded by the Flint Hills to the east, the Smoky Hills and Red Hills to the west, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near the border with Colorado.

With the Confederacy controlling this area, they have no way to advance westward. Moreover, with Missouri in the east having already joined the Confederacy, there is no need to worry about that direction.

This tactical failure did not have a major impact on the overall situation. President Lincoln could still stay calm and consider future issues.

If it had been Pennsylvania that fell, he would not have been able to remain calm.

Lincoln nonchalantly said, At this point, what is there to be afraid of? Even if I was willing to immediately step down, there would need to be someone willing to take this mess.

Congress wont force us out before the war ends. And if the federal government loses the war, well still be needed to shoulder the blame for the division.

This was not giving up in despair, but rather his true understanding of American politics. The current situation is still very unfavorable for the federal government. The possibility of the country breaking apart is very high, and no one is willing to bear the blame for the division of the United States.

From the current circumstances, even if this war is won, dealing with the Confederacy afterward will similarly be a huge problem. No matter who sits in this position, the outcome will not be pleasant.