Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: The War Ends

The Austro-Prussian War was a well-prepared conflict, with the entire German Empire clearly taking sides.

The conflict had already begun in April, but due to the hesitation of the King of Prussia, Prussia did not begin preparations for combat until May.

However, in this war, it was obvious that Prussia was the better-prepared side. The Prussians were already ready for the unification of Germany, while the Austrians were still indulging in the imperial dream, unaware of the perilous situation the Austrian Empire was in.

As time entered June 1866, the flames at the Prussian and Austrian borders were further ignited.

The Kingdom of Bavaria in southern Germany attempted to initiate a Confederate vote, taking the opportunity to stop both Prussia and Austria from preparing for war.

But the war preparations of the two countries had reached such a stage that a small Bavaria could not stop them.

As the Iron Chancellor Bismarck declared the parliament’s decision invalid and demanded the dissolution of the Confederate Congress, the whole of Germany engaged in a fervent alignment.

This upcoming war was not only to decide the victor but also to determine the ultimate ruler of the German region.

On the Prussian side were Mecklenburg, Oldenburg, and other states of Northern Germany, as well as the three free cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Lubeck.

On the Austrian side were Saxony, Hanover, Bavaria, Baden, Wurttemberg, Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Darmstadt, and other member states of the German Confederation.

In terms of the number of states, population, and area siding, the Austrian side had the advantage. However, in terms of military strength, Prussia was clearly stronger.

With the arrival of June 14, the long-prepared war erupted.

Carlo was not worried about this war at all. Even if Prussia alone faced Austria, Austria would never be a match for Prussia.

Although the Italian army could not play a significant role, it could at least pin down part of the Austrian army in the early phase of the war.

Moreover, Garibaldi had already prepared an army of over ten thousand in advance, ensuring that at least this army would not be a liability.

If the Austrians were truly complacent, perhaps Italy could not only reclaim the Venice Region but also make demands for the long-coveted South Tyrol.

It is worth mentioning that, due to concerns about Garibaldi leading the army alone, Vittorio Emanuele II agreed to Carlo’s request to invite Garibaldi’s second son, Giotto, to be Carlo’s ducal court military officer.

This position carried no real power, as Carlo was not entitled to a guard.

Giotto’s daily task was to accompany Carlo to the military academy for study and to handle some miscellaneous tasks for Carlo.

While Carlo was immersed in tedious military studies every day, the war between Prussia and Austria was raging fiercely.

Although the entire battlefield was divided into three parts, the decisive action was in the Bohemia region.

This was not only the site of the main conflict between the Prussian army and the Austrian army but also one of the most vital parts of the Austrian Empire.

The good news was, through his connections, Carlo could easily obtain the latest frontline reports and then publish them in his 24-hour Sun Newspaper.

Alongside occasional news about Garibaldi, this solidified the 24-hour Italian Sun Newspaper’s position in the Italian public opinion sphere.

With the wind of the war’s outbreak, the Italian Sun’s daily sales had broken through 15,000 copies, and it was quickly advancing toward 20,000 copies daily.

If not for the limitations of the era’s printing and communication technology, the Sun could potentially become the largest newspaper in Italy.

The entire war did not last long because Prussia was worried about French intervention, leading to a grand beginning and a hasty end to the war.

The good news was that Italy successfully received a war reward, the complete Venice Region and a part of the South Tyrol.

The bad news was that the Italian army and Vittorio Emanuele II showed a particularly poor performance in the war, with the performance of the tens of thousands of Italian troops not even matching the over ten thousand in Garibaldi’s army.

However, as the saying goes, the flaws do not obscure the virtues. Compared to the nationwide celebrations brought by the recovery of Venice and the annexation of half of South Tyrol, the poor military command of Vittorio Emanuele II could be actively overlooked by the Italian populace.

At the very least, in this matter, Vittorio Emanuele II and Garibaldi reached a compromise.

Garibaldi hoped to see a unified and strong Italy within his lifetime, while Vittorio Emanuele II wished to complete the great goal of a unified Italy during his tenure, thus the two hit it off.

This also had benefits for Carlo.

The suggestion for Garibaldi to recruit and prepare for war came from Carlo, and it proved to be quite effective.

Had it not been for Garibaldi’s army playing a significant role on the southern front, Italy reclaiming Venice would have been challenging, let alone annexing part of South Tyrol.

The biggest factor here was Prussia’s concern about French intervention.

In the original history, after the Italian army was defeated, Garibaldi took charge in critical times, and even with a hastily assembled army of 38,000, he repeatedly defeated the Austrian army, almost reaching the Tyrol region.

But at that time, Prussia was worried about French intervention and demanded with extreme firmness that the Italian government immediately withdraw troops.

Garibaldi had no choice but to withdraw from South Tyrol, which resulted in Italy only capturing the Venice region that the Austrians voluntarily abandoned in this war.

But now, because of Garibaldi’s proactive assault, they had already captured most of South Tyrol before the Prussians requested withdrawal.

This became the leverage for the Italian foreign department to demand South Tyrol. Although they only gained less than half of South Tyrol in the end, it was still a better outcome than in original history.

Compared to Italy, the Kingdom of Prussia was definitely the biggest gainer from this war.

After this war ended, the German Federation announced its dissolution, and Austria had lost control over the German region.

Prussia then rose to become the leader of all states in the German region and annexed the Kingdom of Hanover, becoming the new hegemon in the German area.

This was still quite friendly to countries like Italy. With Prussia distracting the attention of England and France, Italy could lay low and develop for a while, and Carlo need not worry that some of his operations would lead to greater unforeseen events.