Chapter 8 Pu-Austrian linkage

With the Prussian top leadership led by King William I and Prime Minister Bismarck actively preparing and operating.

The army of the Kingdom of Prussia is waiting, and the army of the Austrian Empire is also on its way.

The Austrians were naturally very familiar with Prussia's ambition to unify the German region.

The rapid development of the Kingdom of Prussia in recent years is no longer a secret. With the establishment of the Customs Union, industrial development, and railway networking, the Kingdom of Prussia's voice in the German region is increasing day by day.

Therefore, the Austrians will naturally not miss this war against Denmark and cannot allow Prussia to win over the hearts of the German region.

Of course, Austria's ambition to unify the German region is no weaker than Prussia's, but unfortunately it is interfered by Britain, France and other countries and does not dare to act rashly. This time Bismarck pulled Austria into the water with the fate of jointly dominating the two northern principalities.

In the face of common interests, Austria really took the bait, which was a conspiracy. If you don't take action and wait for Prussia to win over the people in the German region, and if you take action and can't avoid Prussia and act alone, Prussia is already in an invincible position.

Schleswig and Holstein are far away from Austria. Even if Austria gains control of one of the two regions, it can only be regarded as an enclave, while Prussia can quickly digest its spoils with the help of geographical advantages.

However, Austria has countless enclaves throughout its history, but no one cares about this issue. The former Habsburgs not only had countless enclaves within the HRE, but also had enclaves throughout Europe and even the world. Prussia can make a fuss about this in the future.

This is also Bismarck's brilliance. The Austrians must accept this conspiracy. Pulling Austria to take action is tantamount to sharing Prussia's international pressure.

Austria, as the current top power in the world, is naturally not comparable to a second power like Prussia in the eyes of other countries.

In its heyday, the Habsburg dynasty had no rivals in Europe. Even now, it is a world arbiter on the same level as Britain, France and Russia.

The current Austrian Empire is not a dualist empire like the later Austro-Hungarian Empire, and its strength is still acceptable.

The old guys from the Napoleonic era have not yet withered away, and the Austrian Army is still the top army on the European continent that cannot be underestimated.

Of course, it is unlikely that these old guys will personally take command at the front line, but they can at least stabilize Austria's military morale. They are all people who have seen the world.

Even a broken ship has its flaws. Although these people's ideas may be outdated, they still have the ability and vision.

Judging from this time, the Austrian army can still keep up with the times. Although the army is in chaos, it is still prepared in an orderly manner.

As the Austrian army moved northward, a large army gathered in North Germany in an instant. Bavaria, Württemberg and other countries also raised their own armies to join.

From the perspective of mobilization capabilities alone, Prussia is naturally superior. Although geographically, Prussia basically mobilizes within the country, while Austria needs to start from the country and then go north, traveling long distances, so it is naturally at a disadvantage.

But I have to say that the Prussian army has top quality. Through the unified dispatch of railways, ports, mules and horses, the general staff formulated plans in an orderly manner.

With the interconnection and interoperability on the logistics network, the whole of Prussia is like a military station, and every link of the state machinery can achieve good connection with the army.

Uniform uniforms and complete rules and regulations created an overall clean and capable Prussian army.

The Austrian army appears to be diverse. Since there is no unified language and culture, nobles from various regions lead the armies of their respective regions with various numbers. The uniforms of the armies are not unified, retaining the characteristics of their respective regions and nationalities.

That is to say, the Austrian empire has a great cause, so its logistics has not collapsed, and it can still get support from the northern states. The Austrian army can get relatively good conditions for rest and recuperation.

In addition to the Prussian and Austrian armies, other capable states also brought their own armies to help the two countries, but compared to the Prussian and Austrian armies, they could only make a difference.

For the assembly of armies from various countries, in addition to the materials that accompany the army, it is naturally impossible to transfer all the follow-up logistics from China. Most of them are purchased from Prussia and the Northern Territory.

At this time, Ernst, who was well prepared, joined the great cause of supporting the army. The first batch of industrial products were loaded directly from factories and warehouses to the military camps, and they were given away for free.

Many troops who had not used products produced by the Hechingen Development Company found it a novelty.

Cigarettes and lighters, in particular, were very popular among soldiers, especially in the Austrian army.

Although the Austrian army is also Ernst's customer, Ernst was unable to provide products to the Austrian army on a large scale due to distance reasons.

Now Ernst will take this opportunity to popularize the product among the Austrian army. By the end of the war, Ernst's tobacco company will also build a factory in Austria.

Because the Prussian army uniformly purchased and distributed living supplies to soldiers and officers, Ernst was unable to engage in small tricks.

Austria was obviously different. Austria's mixed army, uneven officer quality, and poor military discipline brought sales to Ernst's products.

By bribing the officers, these prostitutes smoked in the barracks, and soon all the cigarettes provided by Ernst were consumed. Austrian quartermasters had to increase their requirements for cigarettes in their military orders.

Because cigarettes can indeed ensure the emotional stability of the soldiers, there is nothing to say. The Austrian generals turned a blind eye. With a stroke of the empire's pen, a large number of orders flew into Ernst's factory.

After these soldiers retire, it will be difficult to quit their dependence on tobacco. At that time, Ernst can continue his tobacco business. Convenient and cheap paper cigarettes will spread throughout Germany with these soldiers.

January 16, 1864.

Representatives of the two countries officially signed the agreement. Austria drafted a clause to continue maintaining the 1852 agreement, but Bismarck canceled it and changed it to that Austria and Prussia could only jointly decide the relationship between the two principalities, and neither country could decide on the succession issue without the consent of the other. .

In this way, the two countries will jointly bear the pressure of public opinion from countries outside the region, and the problems in the German region should of course be solved by the Germans themselves.