German Red Prince

Page 124

Germany is not paying much attention to weapons research at the moment. Perhaps their great victory has made them think that there will be no more wars. The simplest example is firearms design. This world's Germany has not been defeated and is not restricted by the Treaty of Versailles, but their progress in firearms is very slow.

During the war, Germany designed the world's first true submachine gun, the MP18. However, after the war, the German high command quickly lost interest in this type of gun, so much so that this old gun is still in service in the army today. It's been 28 years, and according to the original timeline, the MP28 would have been built by now.

Thorne naturally wouldn't neglect his research on firearms. Having traveled from the future, he knew how intense the battlefields would be. It wouldn't be like positional warfare anymore, where you could hold out for years on a single line using bolt-action weapons.

Back when airplanes and tanks dominated the battlefield, firepower had to keep up, otherwise there would be no advantage on the battlefield. Now it is the end of the 1920s, and countries have begun to replace their weapons. Thorne will not miss this opportunity and will strive to make the Rhine Kingdom's army completely new by the 1930s.

Time travelers often have a collecting habit, and Thorne is no exception. When he first arrived, he encountered a series of legendary figures, including Adolf. In addition to people, Thorne also has a strong collecting habit when it comes to companies.

The Kingdom of Rhine has many famous companies, such as Mercedes-Benz, Rheinmetall, and Mauser. However, Thorne has a big appetite and will not be satisfied with just that.

"Your Highness, news has arrived from Bavaria."

Thorne, who was lost in thought about the future, was interrupted, but he perked up when he heard that the news came from Bavaria. He had been busy with this matter for some time, and now it should finally have a result, right?

"What did Bavaria say? Did they agree?"

"Your Highness, although BMW was interested and things went very smoothly initially, the Bavarian government intervened forcefully, and our cooperation with BMW failed. Not only with BMW, but our cooperation with many Bavarian companies was also forcibly terminated."

"The Bavarian government intervened forcibly? What does that mean?"

Thorne was somewhat surprised to hear this report. He wasn't going to steal anything, so why was Bavaria forcibly intervening?

"The Bavarian explanation is that this is to protect domestic industries."

"Protection of domestic industries?"

Hearing this, Thorne almost choked. Domestic industry? This is in a country, and you still call it domestic industry? Besides, he wasn't the one who came to take advantage of others; can't even normal cooperation work out?

"This is normal cooperation, not plunder, so why would you refuse?"

"Your Highness, they said our cooperation has a government background and is not a cooperation between enterprises, so they rejected it."

Upon hearing this, Thorne became even more agitated. Bavaria had approached Mercedes-Benz to collaborate a while ago, and he hadn't stopped them then. Why was it different with them?

The idea of ​​protecting domestic industries sounds awkward to us. After all, Germany is still a unified country in name only, and the restrictions between kingdoms are not so strict. This move makes it seem like we are not in the same country. No wonder there are so many calls for German reunification now.

The increasingly dire economic situation and oppressive international environment are making it difficult for Germany to move forward. Germany's overall economic situation is not good, so the relations between the kingdoms are also becoming tense. Everyone is afraid of being taken advantage of. If this continues, the gap between the three kingdoms will widen, and in a more dangerous situation, they will fall into endless civil war.

"Your Highness, according to their wishes, if we want to continue cooperating with their companies, we will have to pay them more taxes and various fees..."

After listening to the report, Thorne understood the situation. If they wanted to continue cooperating, they could, but they would have to pay more. He never expected Bavaria to do something like this, which was unprecedented among the three kingdoms.

"He charges us more, but what about Prussia?"

"The same goes for Prussia, but I heard they've already sent people there to negotiate, though the specific outcome is still unknown."

"They've gone mad, Bavaria has truly gone mad."

Thorne couldn't help but sigh. The thought that it wasn't just the Kingdom of Rhine that reassured him, however, still left him with some questions. How did Bavaria suddenly become so bold? Had they developed a rebellious streak and become the first to jump out and cause trouble?

If Prussia fails to reach an agreement, it will likely retaliate against Bavaria. If all three countries do the same, it will truly become three separate countries, a spectacle on a global scale. They really aren't afraid of being laughed at.

"Alright, I understand. You can go now."

Thorne waved his hand, then summoned the Stasi in charge of Bavaria and inquired about the situation. Bavaria dared to do this, there must be someone backing them up, otherwise, what were they doing? Weren't they afraid of taking the iron fists of two kingdoms?

"You're in charge of the Bavarian region. Have you heard anything from Munich lately?"

"Your Highness, there is indeed news."

The minister picked up the report, which contained various materials collected during his time at the Stasi in Munich.

"Your Highness, Bavaria is currently in frequent contact with Austria-Hungary. The relationship between the two countries has been very close recently. Moreover, not long ago, the Minister of Economic Affairs of Austria-Hungary went to Munich and was personally received by King Rupprecht."

"No wonder."

Thorne pondered for a moment. No wonder they were so impulsive; it turned out they had someone backing them up. They were all family, so a little commotion wouldn't hurt. But Bavaria hadn't forgotten Austria and was siding with outsiders.

Since that's the case, then don't blame Thorne for being impolite. He's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve, and isn't the Leipzig Conference coming up soon? Let's see how we deal with him at the conference.

There will be a Bavarian Soviet Republic in the future, and Thorne wouldn't mind replicating one in this world. Then, he can let Rupprecht run away with William.

223. Why are things always so bad in Austria-Hungary?

Before Germany rose to prominence, Austria was the dominant power in the German world, and people generally believed that the Habsburg family would reunify Germany.

Later, a young Prussian emerged and defeated him, and the Seven Weeks' War completely destroyed any possibility of Austria unifying Germany.

From then on, Austria seemed to have run into bad luck. Its national strength gradually declined, and there were constant problems within the royal family. Compared with the vigorous and powerful Germany, Austria, the former eldest brother of Germany, appeared old and decrepit.

The Austro-Prussian War ended in a crushing defeat for Austria. After that, it became clear who was capable of leading Germany. Austria then chose to give up competing with Prussia, was forced to withdraw from the German Confederation, and began planning to form the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary.

Although Austria did not choose the wrong side in the war, nor did it switch sides like the Kingdom of Italy, and ultimately stood on the world stage as a victorious nation, by the end of the world war, Austria was left with nothing but ruins and had gained nothing but victory.

Despite being among the victors of the World War, the war so clearly revealed the cultural, class, and ideological divisions within the empire, and even after the war ended, the turmoil within the empire continued.

Following in the footsteps of the assassinated Franz Ferdinand, Emperor Karl attempted to transform the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire so that it could survive in the 20th century, and launched a series of large-scale reforms in this regard.

However, his efforts were met with fierce resistance from the Hungarian nobility, which slowed down his plans and limited them to the inner Leitanian side of the empire, that is, within the territory of the Austrian Empire.

However, many believe that the empire still has hope. The past few decades have indeed been very difficult for the empire, which nearly collapsed several times during the wars, but fortunately, the efforts to reform have begun to take effect.

The Inner Leitania region, which has now completed its internal reorganization, has calmed down, which shows that Emperor Karl's reform policies were very correct. However, the situation is very bad for Outer Leitania.

It was unlikely that the Carpathian Basin would remain in the hands of the Magyars, as the foreign peoples of the Kingdom of Hungary were always eyeing the freedom across the Leita River, yearning for the same autonomy, and a series of complex issues awaited resolution. Whether the reforms could reach Hungary was perhaps only God's knowledge.

During the war, the weak Austro-Hungarian army was severely defeated by the Russian army and then repelled by the Italian army. After the war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell into a large and rapid decline. Unlike the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not experience a rapid economic boom after the war. On the contrary, the Austro-Hungarian economy was in a slump and on the verge of collapse.

There are many reasons for this. First, Austria's industry was not as strong as Germany's. Second, the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not accept a large number of colonies like Germany did after the war, and could not rely on supplies from the colonies to achieve economic recovery in the short term.

The bigger problem was the political system and national character of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In some respects, Austro-Hungary and Germany were indeed very similar. The German Empire was a dual monarchy under three kingdoms, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was also a constitutional dual monarchy.

The difference lies in how Germany handles national issues. Bismarck's iron-fisted policies ensured that Germany's political system remained relatively stable, with three kingdoms maintaining a balance of power within the empire, while the central government held the reins of control over the entire nation.

However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was different. As time went on, both Austria and Hungary wanted to take control of the country. Although Austria was the nominal ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungary also wanted to try its luck with its deteriorating economy. In addition to this issue, the most serious problem for the Austro-Hungarian Empire was its ethnic issues.

The German Empire had a dominant ethnic group that constituted the vast majority of its population, while no single ethnic group within the Austro-Hungarian Empire comprised more than a quarter of the empire's total population.

Although the Germans and Hungarians held supreme power in the country, these two ethnic groups were only slightly larger than the others and did not constitute the majority of the empire.

It did not have a dominant ethnic group, and the population and strength of the various ethnic groups were not significantly different. In addition, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was located in Central Europe, at the crossroads of Eurasia, and bordered many countries. This meant that about 60 percent of the population in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a so-called cross-border population, and these ethnic groups maintained close ties with other European countries.

Especially in the contemporary era of rising nationalism, the problems that have emerged are even more alarming. Differences in language and religion, coupled with issues of treatment, have led to varying degrees of loyalty among different ethnic groups within the empire to the empire, with some ethnic groups even showing greater loyalty to foreign powers.

Nationalists are stirring up trouble, trying to carve up this ancient empire. Hungary, an important part of the empire, has recently seen its relations with Austria deteriorate. Like Germany, Hungary is also protecting businesses within its territory in the face of a continuously declining economic environment.

What went even further was that the Kingdom of Hungary refused to pay its share of taxes to the Council of Ministers due to the Illyrian issue, unless it received compensation from Croatia.

Faced with internal contradictions and divisions, the German Empire itself yearned for integration to achieve complete unification, let alone Austria-Hungary.

As the recession continues, a national populist party called the United Aryan Party is rapidly rising in popularity.

The Unity Aryan Party's ideology was quite radical, so radical that it made the Austro-Hungarian government uneasy, but the people seemed very interested in it, and Austria's deteriorating situation made the party increasingly popular.

The complex domestic situation prevented the emperor from undertaking radical reforms. The ruling Christian Social Party and Social Democratic Party, the Austrian Social Democratic Workers' Party, and the previously mentioned Unity Aryan Party were locked in a stalemate. However, faced with the Unity Aryan Party's powerful offensive and grassroots influence, the three parties did form a united front to resist the Unity Aryan Party.

Rumors were spreading throughout the streets that the United Aryan Party would be banned from elections. On the streets, the United Aryan Party's protests intensified, demanding more power. Each of their activities made the situation worse, and they were growing stronger year by year. No matter how the government tried to stop them, it seemed to have no effect. Countless crackdowns only made them grow larger.

Whenever Emperor Karl opened his eyes, the first thing he thought of was the complicated situation in Austria-Hungary, which made him envious of Germany. Why was the situation in Austria-Hungary always so bad?

Despite the numerous difficulties, Austria-Hungary still had to continue to forge ahead in the coming years. Before seeing the dawn, the empire had to weather the darkness.

224. Madmen and the Party of Madmen

Karl I's greatest fear now is waking up, because every time he opens his eyes it means the start of a new day, and a whole host of things are waiting for him to deal with.

To be honest, he really didn't want to deal with the mess Austro-Hungarian Empire was having now. Franz I's son, the heir to the empire, had committed suicide because of a failed love affair. This was a disgrace to the entire Habsburg family and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. For a long time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire couldn't hold its head high in Europe because of this scandal.

The cruel fate did not spare the Habsburg family. Karl's uncle, Archduke Ferdinand, the next heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated, which triggered an unprecedented war that completely reshaped the world order. The Austro-Hungarian Empire also suffered another blow in this war.

At the end of 1916, Franz I fell seriously ill, and Karl inherited many of the Habsburg titles, leading the Austro-Hungarian Empire in continuing the war they had started.

This was perhaps the only good news: the war ended in victory for the Allies, and with this victory, the young monarch's approval rating in the empire increased significantly, and people hoped that he could revitalize the aging empire.

Austria was then suffering from an outdated and corrupt political system and internal turmoil. Emperor Karl was forced to undertake the arduous task of reforming this ailing empire in the face of numerous internal and external threats.

Sometimes he really wished he could get shot too, so he wouldn't have to rack his brains dealing with those complicated problems.

Compared to Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had a more relaxed approach to its national system. Perhaps this was because the central government did not have such strong power, or because of the multi-ethnic nature of the country. At that time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was more like a loose alliance.

In 1924, Emperor Karl I was crowned King of Bohemia, which aroused strong dissatisfaction among nationalists and further divided the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Slavs were the first to raise the banner of rebellion, and the Yugoslav partisans fought against the Viennese army for three years. In order to avoid imminent internal collapse, Emperor Karl made concessions.

The drafting of the "Federal Plan" began, and in order to preserve the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire, Karl I initiated the federalization of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He also agreed to the demands of the Slavs and established the Kingdom of Illyria. The governorates and relatively independent kingdoms together formed a community called the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Of course, these concessions were only temporary. Although these relatively independent kingdoms had their own armies and political parties and could handle their own affairs, they had to acknowledge the rule of the Habsburg family. Their armies also had to be under the unified management of the central government during certain periods, and more importantly, they had to pay taxes to the central government regularly.

Don't ask why Hungary could refuse to pay, and why the Empire didn't punish them; it's because they had the power. If anyone dared to follow suit, Vienna's army could have stormed over the next day to violently collect the debt.

All compromises and concessions were made for the sake of moving forward. Karl I endured hardship and humiliation, all for the sake of one day completely resolving these problems of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Because Austria-Hungary's situation was similar to Germany's, they learned from Germany in handling some matters, essentially learning by example.

The Leipzig Conference in Germany was about to be held soon. The main purpose of the Leipzig Conference was to eliminate the differences between the three kingdoms to the greatest extent possible and promote the unity of Germany. Therefore, apart from Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was probably the most concerned about this matter.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire had a similar problem, and it was even more serious, to the point that whenever it held a meeting, the Austro-Hungarian Empire would send people to "sit in".

The Kingdom of Hungary's refusal to pay taxes was a major headache for Emperor Karl, as it concerned the prestige of the imperial government and the Habsburg family. If they tolerated it today, the problems would only worsen and could potentially lead to more crises.

How to effectively solve this problem was the main issue that Emperor Karl and Prime Minister Strømsgodz were dealing with during this period. They could not agree to hand over the Croatian region to Hungary, otherwise Hungary would inevitably take advantage of the situation.

Austria and Hungary are both facing economic growth difficulties, a problem faced by major countries around the world. Therefore, Karl has changed his approach and wants to win over Hungary, not just their government, but their people.

If Austria can effectively resolve its economic problems and gain the support of the Hungarian people, then their government will likely have no choice but to cooperate with Austria, which will then resolve the issues much better.

Just then, Bavaria and Austria were becoming increasingly close, and King Rupprecht was frequently in contact with Austria to seek further economic and political cooperation, which was great news for Karl.

Bavaria was originally pro-Austrian, and although Karl didn't dare to hope to win Bavaria over, simply reaching a cooperation agreement with them was already a huge victory for Austria, both politically and economically.

Just then, Austrian political parties are holding general elections, with economic issues as the main theme. The Christian Social Party and the Social Democratic Labour Party have both put forward their methods, and it will be up to the people to choose.

Although Austria seems to be thriving now, there are still some difficult problems to deal with, such as the reports on King Karl's desk concerning the Unity Aryan Party.

This party gave Carl quite a headache. He didn't know where it came from, nor did he understand what its merits were or why it had so many supporters.

The United Aryan Party, which had previously been banned from participating in elections, has now formally submitted its request to participate in the next election.

Despite repeated rejections, the large-scale protests have caused Austria's security situation to deteriorate, with the members of the Unity Aryan Party storming police lines like a group of fanatics.

The party's leader, Liebenfels, was a notorious racist, mystic, Aryan occultist, and former Cistercian monk. The Unified Aryan Party was a maverick in Austrian politics, and in Karl's eyes, this group of people were madmen.

This party's ideology is unlike that of the traditional proletariat or bourgeoisie; rather, it is a combination of philosophy and religion—Aryan mysticism. This school of thought was founded by Libenfels and advocated for the purity of the Aryan race, believing them to be God's chosen people.

This mystical movement, which combined Christianity, Germanic paganism, and holistic philosophy, was dedicated to proving that the Aryan soul, or Germanic soul, was the purest existence.

Aryan mysticism believes that all inferior races in the world, including the disabled and the mentally unstable, should be eradicated and their reproduction stopped so that their genes will die out.

At the same time, Libenfels believed that by encouraging the Aryans to reproduce, the complete purity of the Germanic Aryan bloodline could be restored, which would grant the people the supernatural power of their demigod ancestors.

Their extreme nationalist views, oppressive and violent methods, and the threat they pose to the country are extremely dangerous. If they were to seize power, the consequences would be unimaginable; they would lead Austria-Hungary to the next abyss.

Karl would absolutely not allow such a cult-like political party, led by a madman, to participate in the governance of the country.

225. To do evil

"Bavariania is now our main target for winning over. Austria and Germany desperately need a diplomatic victory to gain the support of the imperial people."

Emperor Karl analyzed the situation thoughtfully with Imperial Chancellor Strøreowitz.

Although the victory won the war and the Austro-Hungarian Empire avoided disintegration, the national question became increasingly intractable. In addition to reshuffling the world order, the war also awakened a strong sense of national independence among various nations. In order to deal with these complex issues, some ancient empires in the post-war period waged long-term counterinsurgency wars.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire should feel fortunate, because it had two predecessors ahead of it: the Ottomans and the German Empire. Moreover, the two empires had different focuses. The Austro-Hungarian Empire had two wishes fulfilled at once, and the Ottoman Empire only began to truly address its national problems during this period.

Ethnic conflicts and divisions brought the Ottoman Empire to the brink of collapse, while tensions between Turks and Arabs were tearing the country apart. Long-term political oppression and religious problems fueled the growing flames of independence in the Arabian Peninsula.

The Ottoman Empire was also plagued by many problems, so this one issue didn't make a difference. The issue of ethnicity was only brought to the forefront after Kemal Pasha came to power.

Also in an effort to avoid the empire's fragmentation, Kemal Pasha proposed the concept of the Ottoman nation to integrate the various ethnic groups within the empire. To address this issue, they were demonstrating the empire's resolve through a war with the French Republic.

Emperor Karl was also trying to create an "Austrian-Hungarian nation" and integrate the various ethnic groups within the empire. However, ethnic integration is a long process, just like in China, where the integration of multiple ethnic groups took nearly a thousand years. Emperor Karl's policies were unlikely to achieve much in the short term.

If the desired effect in the short term is to quickly unite all the nationalities, then war is probably the only way. However, war would be far too costly for Emperor Karl, and given Austria-Hungary's current vulnerability, he really doesn't dare to do so.

Austria-Hungary copied the Ottoman Empire's national issues and Germany's governmental issues. They even copied the homework of two other countries. They couldn't get a perfect score, but they could at least pass, right?

"Bavarian has shown us goodwill; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we must seize it."

Emperor Karl reiterated to Strømsgodzic that as long as there was an opportunity for cooperation, Austria-Hungary could certainly further strengthen its ties with Bavaria and enhance political relations.

“Your Majesty, rest assured, our Minister of Economic Affairs has already traveled to Bavaria to further explore the possibility of cooperation,” Strørewitz smiled.

"The political problems within the German Empire are intensifying, and friction between the three states is increasing. In order to leave themselves more options, Bavaria will inevitably have to deepen its cooperation with us."