On October 23, 1850, the German Federal Parliament convened in Frankfurt. When Austria proposed a common cabinet of all states, it quickly gained support in the General Assembly.

The only role of the support of the small states is probably to give Austria a strong momentum, and in fact the final decision is still in the hands of the big states.

Prussia and Bavaria were naturally resolutely opposed, and it was strange that they could agree to such a bad idea when everyone formed a cabinet and each country sent a representative.

Austria was the eldest of the German states, and once this cabinet was formed, the chancellor would naturally be Austria's representative, and there was no doubt at all.

As long as you think about it, you will know that the cabinet of more than 30 people naturally has quarrels when encountering things, and it is naturally the prime minister who makes the final ruling.

Under such a system, Bavaria and Prussia would naturally have their voice at the lowest point, and would not be much different from other small states.

They still have influence on other states for a short time, and after a long time, small states won't buy it, anyway, under the federal system, everyone has the same rights, and they have the ability to bite me?

After winning over the small states, Austria can naturally start the pace of unification, such as the unification of the federal currency, the unification of the federal army, and the unification of the financial ......

Don't be in a hurry, take your time and boil the frog in warm water. One hundred and eighty years later, the German Confederation was truly united.

These are all ideals, and the reality is that after Prussia and Bavaria opposed it, Britain, France, and Russia also ran out to oppose it.

To sum it up, the German regions cannot be reunited, even in name.

The British even proposed to dissolve the German Federal Parliament and let Bavaria and the small German states merge to form a new state, and Austria and Prussia naturally got out.

The Kingdom of Bavaria supported this proposal, and neither France nor Russia had an opinion. However, it was fiercely opposed by the representatives of Prussia and Austria.

It was still an enemy just now, and at the suggestion of John Bull, Puo instantly united. It once again proves that between countries, there are only eternal interests, and there are no eternal enemies.

Seeing that the field had been swept away by the British, and that the purpose had been achieved, the Austrian delegates naturally did not propose to elect an emperor again to provoke the Prussians.

The purpose of the British was also achieved, and the seeds of division were successfully planted. Contradictions arose in all three countries of Oppa, and the support of the great powers undoubtedly stimulated Bavaria's ambitions, just waiting to take root.

If the strength of the Kingdom of Bavaria increases by two or three times, it may not be possible to really divide Germany with the support of the Great Powers.

After all, the law of triangle is the most stable, as long as the weak are united against the strong, under the intervention of other European countries, whether it is Prussia or Austria, the opportunity to unify Germany will be lost.

It's a pity that in addition to his ambitions, Maximi I's Bavarian strength and the political skills of the rulers are not half a star.

With the Kingdom of Bavaria weak, it was necessary to win over other small states if it wanted to compete with Prussia.

Theoretically speaking, all the small states in Germany combined, with a population of nearly 17 million, are almost the same as the Kingdom of Prussia in terms of overall strength.

This time, Bavaria went over and joined forces with the Kingdom of Prussia and proposed the establishment of a "three-country cabinet", which undoubtedly harmed the interests of these small states.

In this case, Bavaria's leadership among the small states was shaken. For the sake of illusory interests, losing his own foundation, Franz involuntarily lowered the Bavarian threat by two notches.

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

The War Office proposed to the Austrian government to expand the reserves, and the Austrian Empire now had more than 500,000 reserves in addition to the more than 300,000 active army forces.

Theoretically, after the outbreak of war, the Austrian government could mobilize another 500,000 troops within a month.

In fact, in 1848 the Austrian government's mobilization mechanism proved to be inadequate, and it took the same amount of time to mobilize more than 200,000 troops.

Of course, this also had something to do with the inefficiency of the Austrian government at the time, and this speed should be greatly improved now.

Mobilizing the reserve force is not only about gathering people, but also about recovering combat effectiveness after some training. Reserves of weapons and equipment, ammunition and materials are also an indispensable part.

Prince Wendy Schretz analyzed: "In order to ensure the national defense and security of the Austrian Empire, the mobilization mechanism can no longer meet the needs of reality.

Since the February Revolution in Paris, the French have been freed from the shackles of the Vienna system, and in the past two years their military strength has been rapidly recovering.

Once the French government's internal struggle is decided, will it provoke a new round of external expansion? Where is the direction of expansion?

No one knows about this issue, and we must be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.

The Kingdom of Prussia next door has not been in peace all these years, has their military expenditure been less than 40 percent?

Such high military spending cannot be without purpose. In recent decades, the Kingdom of Prussia has expanded several times over, and now they want to unify Germany.

Whether delusional or not, we must dispel their attempts.

And our ally, the Russian Empire, I know it's immoral to doubt allies here, but the Russians are really too powerful.

If one day we have a conflict of interest, the Austrian Empire cannot even have the strength to fight a war, right?

In the future international changes, in order to ensure the national security of the Austrian Empire, our military strength must be improved.

Given the financial affordability, it would be too difficult to continue to expand the number of active forces, and we believe that it is reasonable to increase the number of reserves to two million while restructuring the mobilization mechanism. ”

The "French threat theory", "Prussian threat theory", and "Russian threat theory" have thrown out three major threats in a row, and it is obvious that Prince Wendy Schretz has done his homework.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl said with a smile: "The War Department wants to increase the reserve by two million, and I fully support it, as long as it does not increase military spending." ”

How is this possible without increasing military spending? Even if the reserve is much cheaper than the active army, but it is necessary to conduct simple military training every year?

The Austrian reserves, like those of most countries, are made up of retired officers and soldiers. It is also simple to increase this number by either expanding the years of reserve service or shortening the length of service of active duty soldiers.

Theoretically, it is not at all difficult to increase the number of reservists to two million, except for the need for money.

Now that the God of Wealth doesn't give money, isn't this plan? This funding gap is not a few million, which can be filled by the War Department with a lot of money, but tens of millions.

Prince Wendy Schretz said helplessly: "Mr. Karl, don't be joking. Two million reservists, so many people have to undergo regular training every year, if your Ministry of Finance doesn't give money, do you want me to go out and ask for food? ”

There is no doubt that the main purpose of the military's proposal to expand the number of reserves at this time is to compete for the next year's budget.

With the influx of foreign capital, Austria in 1850 was already a bit of a boom, with factories springing up, and even though many businesses were tax-free, they also brought a lot of tax revenue to the government.

This is not a contradiction, and the fact that some companies are exempt from tax does not mean that their upstream raw material supply and downstream sales channels are also exempt from tax.

Although the concept of the industrial chain has not yet been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, it has indeed emerged. The benefits created by a factory are definitely not limited to the factory itself.

In addition to driving the upstream and downstream direct industrial chain, it has also driven the development of supporting industries such as catering, clothing, and non-staple food.

Regardless of whether the capitalists' investment is rational or not, it is an indisputable fact that the Austrian economy has grown rapidly.

Rapid economic growth means rapid growth in fiscal revenue, and when the government has money, everyone can come out and grab the budget, and the War Department just has too much appetite.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl was unmoved: "It is impossible to expand the reserve to two million in one step, right?"

According to the current situation, even if the reserve is increased by 200,000 per year and the overage personnel are subtracted, it will be ten years before it is finally completed.

Your "Great Reserve Strategy" budget can actually cut off the back zero, and you can squeeze out a few million dong yourself. ”

Sure enough, it was not a fuel-efficient lamp, and no matter how Prince Wendy Schretz tried to cover it up, this weakness was exposed.

Prince Wendy Schretz explained: "It cannot be said that the international situation is very complicated, and as soon as the Russians intervene to break the situation, we must take action to increase our military strength as much as possible, which is the most effective means of ensuring the security of the Austrian Empire."

There are many ways to expand the number of reservists, and it is not necessary to wait for the soldiers to be converted after they retire, and we can completely organize young and strong men to carry out some simple military training.

After the outbreak of war, it only takes a month or two for them to become qualified soldiers, much faster than simply recruiting new recruits and training from scratch. ”

Karl thought for a moment and said, "It's a good idea, but it's too expensive. Even if the Russians do it, the war will not end in a short time, and the Ottoman Empire is not a paper paste.

According to past experience, it will take two or three years at the shortest, and if it drags on for a long time, it is not impossible to fight for ten or eight years.

When the time comes, you can use it well, and rest assured that once the international situation changes, the government's focus will shift to the military, and you will have no problem expanding it as much as you want. ”

Franz encountered this kind of thing a lot, basically every year before the budget, almost every time Karl was a battle of words.

"Okay, there is still time for the annual budget of the financial problem, you go down and discuss it slowly. Let's first discuss whether it is feasible for the War Department to put forward a reserve plan. ”

Prime Minister Felix replied: "Your Majesty, the establishment of a large reserve force is indeed very important for our national security.

Especially in our next strategy, being able to mobilize a large army in the shortest possible time can minimize the risk. ”

Franz knew that everyone was ready to learn the tactics of the Russians, and now it was the era of platoon guns, and there was indeed an advantage in the number of people on the battlefield.

Demographically, Austria and France are almost the same, except for the pervert of the hairy bear, there are many people on the European continent, and the Austrian Empire is not cowardly.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

……

Everyone quickly reached an agreement on this issue, and the truth that there is great strength in numbers has once again been proved to be feasible in practice.

Franz asked solemnly: "Then my Minister of War, how can such a large army ensure their combat effectiveness?" ”

You can't use it as cannon fodder just because there are many soldiers, Austria is not a hairy bear, and soldiers who die in battle must also be given a pension.

Franz did not think it was useful to talk about patriotic fervor with soldiers, rather than to talk about so many lofty theories.

It's better to tell them directly that if they win, they can get land, money, loot, and knighthood...... These visible things are more reliable.

Prince Wendy Schretz replied: "Your Majesty, the most important link in ensuring the combat effectiveness of the army is the officers. Our War Department is preparing to expand the number of officers and assign two deputies to the officers of the front-line units.

In wartime, it is possible to expand the number of troops to one million in the shortest possible time, so as to gain an advantage at the beginning of the war. ”

Franz nodded, judging from the current international situation, as long as the initial reckless wave of the war succeeded, the war would be over.

The Kingdom of Prussia had limited national strength, and could only engage in a wave, and if it failed, it could not afford to do it again in a short time; As long as the French are defeated on the battlefield, the French people will help to take out the government.

As long as they don't attack the French mainland, the new French government will fall into continuous infighting, and when their infighting is over, the daylilies will be cold.