Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1059: Chapter 73, Central Asia Railway Opens to Traffic
 

Stirring discord between Russia and Austria has always been a part of Britannia’s state policy. Despite not achieving any substantial effect, the British Government spared no effort in promoting it.

When it comes to patience, there are probably few in the world that can rival the British.

In this era of unprecedented change, which hasn’t been seen for two thousand years, the whole of humanity has become more impatient. Those who can adhere to a diplomatic policy for decades are truly rare.

With the development of science and technology, people’s patience continued to decline, and politics was no exception.

In this era that increasingly values short-term interests, persisting in a state policy for a long time is definitely not an easy task.

From this perspective, it was no fluke that the British became the dominant power of the 19th century.

As the trendsetters of the age, Britannia always followed pragmatism. In their view, whether it was through covert or overt means, as long as it was effective, it was acceptable.

Leondro’s tactics, though not refined, still managed to spark dissatisfaction within Moros towards the Vienna Government. Although this sense of dissatisfaction temporarily had no impact on the international situation, emotions can accumulate.

Those who are able to restrain their emotions and remain rational are always in the minority, and Envoy Moros was clearly not one of them.

With dissatisfaction brimming within him, Moros naturally had nothing good to say in his telegrams to St. Petersburg.

He didn’t even need to exaggerate—the title of “Second Roman Empire” alone was enough to set off Nicholas II.

The European world’s obsession with Rome far exceeded later generations’ imaginations. Almost every European country was trying to find a way to tie themselves to Rome, as if it would elevate their nobility.

For Nicholas II, Rome was of even greater importance. One should know the Tsarist crown came from the Eastern Roman Empire; the matter of Rome had already entangled the legitimacy of the Tsarist throne.

If the Holy Roman Empire, the successor of the Western Roman Empire, were to become the legitimate heir of the Roman Empire, then the Russian Empire, the heir to the Eastern Roman Empire, would be in an awkward position.

When it came to the issue of the crown, Nicholas II naturally wouldn’t yield.

However, as of now, it was only the European media that cried out for the “Second Roman Empire,” and from beginning to end, the Vienna Government had not made an explicit stance on this issue.

This was awkward. One could hardly protest to Vienna over European media slogans, asking them to change “Second Roman Empire” to “Second Western Roman Empire,” right?

If one were to actually do that, the entire world would likely laugh at them. It wouldn’t solve the problem, but instead expose their insecurity.

After a bout of sulking, Nicholas II ended up doing nothing. However, his determination to break away from Shinra became even stronger.

In the adult world once a rift is formed, it tends to grow larger and larger, and mending it is almost impossible.

The gap between Russia and Austria wasn’t an overnight issue, it had arisen during Alexander II’s time and was now merely expanding.

The only difference was that times had changed, and the Vienna Government’s demand for the Alliance had been consistently decreasing, lessening the incentive to bridge the gap between the two countries.

…

As a salvo of resonant ceremonial cannon fire rang out, the mainline of the Central Asia Railway, which would profoundly affect Eurasiac politics, finally opened on June 16, 1899.

Anyone with a little international common sense would understand the influence the railroad, which starts in Moscow and stretches south to the Afghan Region, had once it opened.

The world’s attention focused once again on London and St. Petersburg. Compared to the strategic conflict between England and Russia, the small rift between Russia and Austria hardly seemed a big deal.

After attending the opening ceremony in person, Nicholas II quickly transitioned from excitement to worry.

With the mainline of the railroad opened, anti-British sentiment within the Russian Empire surged, and “Marching south to India” became a hot topic in society once again.

Compared to the public’s frenzy, the high levels of the Tsarist Government were exceptionally calm.

Ordinary people only saw the wealth of moving south into India and overlooked the risks involved. With just a little prompting, it was all too easy to lose oneself.

For the government’s senior officials, that wouldn’t do—they had to consider comprehensively the risks and benefits of moving southwards into India, conducting a thorough and comprehensive assessment.

…

Prime Minister Sergei Witte, “The opening of the mainline of the Central Asia Railway is good news, as it will help us strengthen control over the Central Asian region. However, the sudden rise of war fever within the country is problematic.

The British are not weak, and we have clashed with the British Army before. Aside from having fewer numbers, their army’s combat capabilities are not inferior to that of the Empire army.

Britain has been in control of the Indian region for over a century. Our multiple attempts to incite an independence movement in India have all ended in failure, which side-proves the entrenchment of British rule there.

If the British wished, they could easily arm millions of Indians to fight against us, something we already experienced during the last war with Britain.

Even though these colonial forces are not very strong, the sheer number of Indians can be overwhelming. They are like maggots in a dung heap, impossible to exterminate.

Once the strategy to move south begins, it would inevitably lead to a long and drawn-out war. The Empire has limited finances and simply cannot sustain a prolonged war.

Looking at the current international situation, initiating a strategy to move south now could easily allow others to benefit as bystanders.

It would all be worth it if we could capture India, meaning the Empire’s efforts were not in vain. But I’m afraid that if we push the British into desperation, they might directly compromise with the Holy Roman Empire and choose to fight us to the bitter end.”

Prime Minister Sergei Witte’s concerns were not unfounded; India was indeed the lifeline of the British. Essentially, British global dominance was built on the premise of owning India.

Losing India, the Great Britain Empire’s power would shrink by at least forty percent, second only in importance to the homeland. If pushed into desperation, the London Government might even choose to forsake its hegemony to defend India.

Just look at the Vienna Government’s colonial preferences to understand, they quite obviously favor sparsely populated colonies; populous India is not to their taste.

As long as the Vienna Government does not seek control over the Indian region, and the British are willing to give up global hegemony, there’s the possibility of a compromise between the two countries.

Should the Anglo-Austrian two countries indeed reach a compromise, the Russian Empire would become a tragedy. Not only would it end up tailoring a wedding gown for others, but it would also place itself in jeopardy.

The Russian-Austrian Alliance could only ensure the stability of the western front, it did not mean that the Vienna Government would definitely support them. Over the past years, Russia and Austria had been riddled with mutual betrayals.

Foreign Minister Mikhailovich, “The Prime Minister is right, the current international situation really isn’t suitable for initiating a southern strategy.

Although the mainline of the Central Asia Railway is open, the construction of branch lines has only just begun. The Austrians have concluded their aid program to us; the rest of the follow-up projects will need to be completed by ourselves.”

Based solely on one main line, it is impossible to support the logistics of a large army moving southward for combat. Rash action would only be futile and a waste of precious national strength.

The trouble now is that the British simply do not trust us. Since the news of the Central Asia Railway opening spread, the British Government has repeatedly reinforced its troops in the Afghan Region.

Currently, the number of British troops stationed in the border area has exceeded 500,000. Though these forces are mostly colonial troops, they still exert significant pressure on our front lines.

“If the British take the opportunity to start a war while we’re building the railway branches, the Empire would be very passive.”

It’s only natural for there to be distrust. Countless experiences have taught the world that as a neighbor to the ‘Mao Xiong,’ one must maintain high vigilance at all times, or suffer great losses sooner or later.

The conflict between England and Russia has been ongoing for more than a day or two. Beginning with the first Near East War (the Crimean War), relations between the two countries have never been good.

…

The southward strategy faced opposition from the civil official group, and Yevgeny, being the Army Minister, looked extremely displeased.

In his view, though the southward advance to India indeed carried risks, they were not as severe as everyone claimed.

“If Anglo-Austria compromise” were that simple, the world wouldn’t be full of conflicts like it is now. Once interests are involved in anything, it can never be simple.

World domination is not just a title; it also comes with a vast array of interests. Whether financial harvest or convenience in foreign trade, they are enough to make people flock to them.

Such huge interests aren’t something that a politician can just give up by saying so. Otherwise, there would be no battles for hegemony in this world.

He knew this, but Yevgeny didn’t know where to start his rebuttal, as verbal jousting had always been the civil officials’ strength.

After hesitating for a while and organizing his thoughts, Yevgeny slowly said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the risks of heading south to India are indeed significant, but the gains are even greater.

Competition in the modern world is increasingly intense, and the struggle amongst the great powers is getting fiercer. Over the past few decades, several powerful nations have declined due to this competition.

Looking back at history, we can see that the current situation is unlike any other time we’ve faced. Continuing to view problems with old perspectives will lead to severe losses.

Currently, the only powers that can be called major forces in the world are Britannia, the Holy Roman Empire, and us, a total of three.

The number of powerful countries is decreasing, meaning the era of multipolarity is fading away. If the Empire does not want to become the next declining superpower, then bolstering our strength is the only option we have.

Yet now we are indecisive, swaying from west to east, constantly diluting our national strength without even a clear strategic goal, which will lead to major losses.”

Yevgeny didn’t bother to disguise the clear accusation in his words. It was apparent that he was quite dissatisfied with the Tsarist Government’s strategy in recent years.

“Towards the West” naturally referred to the troops stationed in France. To outsiders, the Tsarist Government’s stationing of troops in France was mainly seen as an attempt to extort war reparations.

However, that was just the surface. Aside from seeking benefits, the Tsarist Government had a deeper purpose in reinforcing Paris—”to preserve the vitality of the French and leave an enemy for the Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe.”

But plans never keep up with changes, and due to an underestimation of the Russian Army’s execution abilities and an oversight of military discipline, an unexpected conflict arose.

As a result, the Tsarist Government, which originally intended to preserve French vitality, became the eager front-runner in suppressing France.

Either do nothing or do it thoroughly. The Tsarist Government saw this point very clearly.

Seeing their support of the French fail, for its own interests, the Tsarist Government quickly leaned toward Vienna, becoming the vanguard in the suppression of France.

As the saying goes, ‘you reap what you sow.’

Although the plan to preserve the Holy Roman Empire’s enemy failed, the Tsarist Government also reaped substantial benefits during the process of suppressing the French Resistance Organization.

France’s top talent had been entirely scoured during the European wars, but there were still many second-tier talents available.

The world only saw the Russian Army forcibly conscripting strong men in France, acting recklessly, without noticing the hidden doctors, engineers, and technicians among these conscripts…

Had it not been for the Russian Army vigorously fighting on the frontlines, displaying an irreconcilable stance with the French, it would have been impossible to scour talent from France.

After the war, there was now free labor for railway construction and foundational talents to drive national industrialization.

The most crucial aspect was military funding, which was advanced by the Vienna Government. In a war to suppress France, the Tsarist Government had only provided manpower in reality.

In this regard, the “Westward” strategy was undoubtedly a success. Aside from a loss of face, the Russian Empire had profited substantially in reality.

If these talents could be utilized properly, by exploiting France’s blood, the Russian Empire’s industrialization process could accelerate by at least ten years.

By contrast, the “Eastward” strategy was less impressive. The Siberian Railway was under construction, with completion still far off.

In any country, talents are few and far between. The blood of the French is not infinite, and from the current situation, it seems the “Westward” strategy is about to come to an end.

Yevgeny’s intended message was clear: it was futile to continue relying on the western front, and given the indefinitely distant transportation logistics, heading south soon would be the best option.

As for staying put and waiting for the completion of the Siberian Railway to implement the “Eastward” plan, that was easier said than done—it’s not every country that has such patience.

Even if the high officials of the Tsarist Government could wait, those below could not. There was no helping it, India was simply too rich, and its wealth had blinded many Russians.

With the topic broached, everyone’s mood became heavy. Although the Russian Empire had no tradition of usurping power from above, it was not rare for those below to take matters into their own hands.

No one understood just how bad Anglo-Russian relations were better than those present. Especially at the moment when the Central Asia Railway had just begun service, the slightest spark on the border could trigger a war.

…

Nicholas II, “No matter how you look at it, the Central Asia Railway is currently only open as a main line. Many areas along the route still require a tremendous amount of manpower to transport materials.

If war were to break out before the completion of the branch railway construction, we would simply have no capability to guarantee logistics for the troops at the frontline. The Empire has already suffered many similar losses and absolutely cannot repeat the same mistakes now.

To avoid the worst-case scenario, the Empire should do everything possible to avoid conflict with the British. The military must keep a close watch on the frontier troops; the Empire can’t afford to be troubled right now.”

With no way to solve the problem, Nicholas II decisively adopted the strategy of ‘delaying.’ By using the need for time to complete the branch railways as a pretext, he managed to stabilize the War Party within the military.

As for when the branch railways would be completed, that would depend on how the situation developed.