Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1114: Chapter 128: The Grand Scheme of Things
 

Accompanied by a series of telegrams, the news of the Suez Canal attack spread quickly around the world. The already tense situation in Europe became even more uncontrollable at this moment.

That very evening, the Vienna Government held a press conference and announced a vow to fight to the death with the mastermind behind the attack.

Despite not stating it explicitly, everyone understood that there was no second suspect capable of being labelled “mastermind” other than the British.

The investigation team had just set out, and even before the Vienna Government could reach a conclusion on the canal attack, tension had already escalated between the citizens of the two countries.

Armed conflicts were no longer confined to South Africa; large battles of varying scales had erupted in East Africa and the Malay Peninsula, with the total forces involved from both sides having already exceeded one hundred thousand.

Such a scale of combat without a declaration of war was a fresh shock to the understanding of the European world, as the two governments’ shrewd maneuvers unfolded once more.

An unnamed political dignitary expressed: “It’s not undeserved that they’re the dominant nation, just this ‘composure’ (thick skin) alone is not something average countries can have.”

…

In the Vienna Palace at this moment, Franz was engaged in a fierce battle of wits with Frederick, the blunderer at chess; the outside world’s commotion seemed to have entirely bypassed them, as if they were beyond the realm of worldly troubles.

Escape was impossible; at such a crucial time, even the slightest relaxation was not to be tolerated. However, it was true that they were not affected by the Suez Canal tragedy.

The reason was very simple: whether the Suez Canal was blocked did not significantly affect the course of the war.

Using the media’s words: “The Mediterranean is our inland sea, the great Holy Roman Empire will illuminate the world, this is our era.”

Though a bit exaggerated, this was fundamentally in line with reality. The Mediterranean could indeed be considered Shinra’s inland sea.

With both the European-African-Middle Eastern Railways and Mediterrenean sea transport, Shinra’s core territories were still firmly in the hands of the Vienna Government, ensuring a steady supply of raw materials.

With the foundation secure, Franz naturally remained calm. Not to mention a few months, even if the Suez Canal were blocked indefinitely, the Holy Roman Empire could bear it.

As for the strategic impact, if they could not proceed east, then they simply shouldn’t be hasty about going east. They could wait until all the battleships in the docks were commissioned, and then find the British to settle accounts.

By comparison, the harm caused by the oil spill was much more significant. Tens of thousands of tons of crude oil gushed out, polluting not only the canal but, it was likely that the entire Red Sea would suffer a disaster.

If Franz hadn’t reacted quickly enough, ordering cleanup and interception as soon as he got the news, the Mediterranean might also have been affected.

Frederick: “Father, since the British orchestrated this attack, they will definitely excuse themselves from it. The investigation team is unlikely to achieve much.”

Neither Britannia nor the Holy Roman Empire stands alone; a war would mean a group fight.

Starting a war requires looking at issues not only from one’s own perspective but also considering the reaction of the domestic public in allied countries.

Old and obvious tactics like soldiers going missing are easy to see through, and others are not likely to be fooled by them.

Indeed, allies can be forcibly dragged on board, but in doing so, what we get aren’t allies, but a group of resentful and incompetent partners.

This time, Europe’s incompetent partners had already gathered, and if public relations were not well managed, the Vienna Government would have trouble leading them.

Not to mention other things, just borrowing their airports and ports requires the cooperation of the locals.

Otherwise, a local snake could easily cause trouble, or simply delay the transportation of materials, leading to the failure of military plans.

In fact, one of the key reasons why this war has yet to commence is the lack of a reasonable pretext for war.

The attack on the Suez Canal doubtlessly provides an excellent point of entry. Though the economic lifeline is in the hands of the Vienna Government, the beneficiaries are most of the countries in Europe.

As long as it’s proven that the attack was orchestrated by the British, retaliating with war then follows logically.

“Don’t worry, there will definitely be findings. Even if it truly has nothing to do with the British, we can still implicate them.

The current investigation is merely a formality. Inviting representatives from various countries to participate is simply to have them co-signature the outcome.

Of course, what’s fake is fake after all; however perfectly it’s arranged, there will always be loose ends and traces left behind.

If possible, it’s best to find concrete evidence. Otherwise, being exposed in the future could also pose a big problem.

In the future, for similar matters, just leave them to the Cabinet Government to handle. As a Monarch, we must learn to feign ignorance at the right moment.”

Acting in one’s self-interest is a basic human nature, and an Emperor is no exception. Especially for these underhanded maneuvers, it’s best to stay as far away as possible.

As long as one has not been involved, even if the truth comes out in the future, the excuse of “being unaware” can suffice as a response.

Although it was just a formality, the investigation still needed to be meticulous. For example, the duration of the investigation depended on the state of anti-British propaganda by various national governments.

Once the anti-British sentiment among the European public had been stirred up, it was time to wrap things up. Only when the entire nation supported war was it the best time to initiate it.

…

In Sulawesi, at the Governor’s Mansion of the Austrian Southeast Asia. A group of military and political officials had gathered, and in the middle of the year, Prince Wilhelm was eagerly discussing battle plans with everyone.

The British aimed to launch a surprise attack on the Southeast Asian Fleet, and the Southeast Asian Fleet also wished to catch the Royal Navy’s Far Eastern Fleet off guard. Both sides were calculating against each other, resulting in a stalemate.

Commander Arest of the Southeast Asian Fleet said, “Your Highness, we have failed to lure the enemy multiple times, and I fear that continuing the attempt is unlikely to yield results.

Either the British have seen through our plans and simply aren’t taking the bait, or their ambitions are too great, and they want to swallow us whole.

The likelihood of our plans being leaked is slim since there are very few who are in the know. If it’s the latter, then we’ve been headed in the wrong direction from the start.

The biggest issue is that war hasn’t broken out; otherwise, we could form an allied force with the Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish nations and have a considerable chance of defeating the British.”

Wilhelm asked with doubt, “Although our fleet is smaller than the British, we still have an aircraft carrier group. Isn’t there a chance of victory in a direct confrontation with the Far Eastern Fleet?”

Commander Arest shook his head, “Your Highness, although the aircraft carriers have demonstrated good offensive capabilities in exercises, actual combat is different and involves many more factors.

We lack experience in using aircraft carriers in real combat; in fact, there’s not a single case study in the world to refer to, and specific tactics are still being explored.

Out of responsibility for the Empire, I dare not overestimate the combat capability of the aircraft carrier group without real combat experience.”

Throughout these years, the prevailing naval mindset remained focused on big guns and large warships, and the Shinra Navy was no exception. Even with the Emperor’s support, the advocates of aircraft carriers were still at a disadvantage.

The main problem for the proponents of the carrier concept was the lack of real combat examples to support their case. Support for the big ship and big gun theory wasn’t just out of enthusiasm; it was more for safety.

In military affairs, it’s not scary to make mistakes, but it is frightening to deviate from the norm when everyone else is on the right track.

If other countries are all investing in big ships and big guns, then it makes sense to follow suit. If there’s a mistake, everyone is in it together, effectively meaning no one is at fault.

The greatest challenge in promoting a new concept is uncertainty. Even if the aircraft carrier philosophy could be proven correct, it wouldn’t necessarily mean the carrier groups would be combat-effective.

Having the right concept is just like heading in the correct direction; but on that path, there are many forks, and one might easily veer off course.

The main limitation was aircraft technology, and only in recent years had there been a technological breakthrough that initiated the progress of aircraft carrier development.

Before this, there was research, but investment was far less compared to that in battleships.

There was no choice; there were too many areas needing investment, and even the largest defense budget couldn’t cover everything. Without certainty in the effectiveness of carriers, it was inevitable to allocate more resources to battleships.

After a pause, Commander Arest added, “Actually, the role of the carrier group might not necessarily be in decisive battles; I think they would be more effective in launching surprise attacks.

Similar to the Air Force’s ‘Bull Hunting Plan,’ we could concentrate a number of bombers to strategically bomb the enemy’s ports and shipyards.

In the Far Eastern region, the British have limited anti-aircraft firepower, which poses little threat to the fourth-generation bombers.

If we could get a clear picture of the layout of Cam Ranh Bay, the chances of a successful surprise attack would be very high. After the bombing, we could move in and decisively engage the enemy, significantly increasing our odds of victory.

Unfortunately, the timing isn’t right. If we were to act prematurely, it would ruin the Air Force’s plans.

Unlike us, the Air Force has more planes and rich bombing experience. If the ‘Bull Hunting Plan’ succeeds, the benefits would far outweigh defeating the Far Eastern Fleet.”

“Grand strategy” – this was a compulsory course for every senior officer. A surprise attack that severely damages the British Far Eastern Fleet is completely different from one that devastates the British home fleet.

Defeating the British Far Eastern Fleet might at best bring fame to the Southeast Asian Fleet; but defeating the British home fleet would signify a shift in dominance.

National interests are paramount, so local battlefields must give way to the overall situation. No matter how many thoughts Commander Arest had, he could only keep them to himself for the moment.

“Commander, that is an excellent idea. We can start preparing now and act immediately after the Air Force operation.

Even if it fails, it doesn’t matter. The British can’t very well chase down planes with ships, can they? We can consider it a bombing drill and accumulate experience for the next attempt.”

After discussing for most of the day, they finally developed a reliable plan, and Wilhelm was naturally not stingy with his words.

As the future King of Southeast Asia, Wilhelm also needed to accumulate prestige and merits. Although the Holy Roman Empire had not evolved to the extreme where “honor is only gained in the saddle,” war remained the best way to accumulate merits.