African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 1485 -32: German-Austrian Military Intervention

In just a few months, the situation in Ukraine and other regions has reversed astonishingly, and this time, countries around the world have genuinely felt the terror and powerful destructiveness of Russian ideological threats.

When change occurred in Russia, the world’s attention was focused on World War I, whereas the developments in Ukraine and other Eastern European regions this time placed the reality directly in front of all nations.

September 11, 1921.

Berlin.

Austria-Hungary’s Crown Prince Rudolph urgently rushed to Germany to discuss strategies with German Emperor Wilhelm II, as the upheaval in Eastern Europe was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

“The situation in Ukraine is extremely critical now, and we can’t guarantee how many people might secretly be in cahoots with the Russian Labor Party. The weapons and supplies we’ve sent to Ukraine haven’t been as effective as intended.”

“The Ukrainian government itself is a complete mess, plagued by corruption, abuse of power, and loss of public faith. Much of the unrest within Ukraine can be blamed on the government’s unpopularity, as they’ve driven more Ukrainians towards the Russian Labor Party.”

On meeting, Rudolph was visibly upset and said this to Wilhelm II.

Wilhelm II: “The situation is indeed as you say, but the Ukrainian government is one we’ve supported, which means we can’t just abandon them.”

“We’re aware of the chaos within the Ukrainian government now, but isn’t this what we intended to see?”

After all, the fundamental motive between Germany and Austria-Hungary was to control Ukraine by manipulating puppet governments.

Given this motive, the agents supported by the two countries are evidently dubious, as they would even sell out their own nation’s interests; compared to that, acts of corruption and abuse are relatively minor.

Rudolph said, “While that’s true, we must also recognize that without reforms to the current Ukrainian government, they’ll never achieve stability in Ukraine.”

“Therefore, we must intervene immediately in the Ukrainian situation to prevent Russians from reclaiming the territories occupied during the Tsarist era.”

“Russia is our real major threat; if they regain Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic States, a country even more terrifying than Tsarist Russia will emerge on the Eurasian continent.”

“I don’t know about other countries, but Russia will certainly become the enemy of both our countries, regardless whether they’re Tsarist Russia or the current Labor Party Russia.”

Russia’s expansion always prioritizes Europe, and now, Russia essentially borders Germany and Austria-Hungary, albeit with Ukraine and other countries in between. These countries, at least from the perspective of Germany and Austria-Hungary, are part of their sphere of influence.

Germany and Austria-Hungary have substantial interests in Eastern Europe, inevitably binding them with Eastern European countries.

Wilhelm II was well aware of this fact, saying: “It’s evident that the Slavs cannot be trusted. If the situation exceeds what we can bear, at necessary times, we ought to directly send our troops to stabilize the situation in Eastern Europe.”

Here, Wilhelm II wasn’t doubting the loyalty of the puppet governments, but rather questioning their abilities—otherwise, they wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the Russian Labor Party.

However, Rudolph still thought Wilhelm II was somewhat conservative, saying: “It’s already a necessary moment; rather than waiting, we should deploy troops to Eastern Europe now to assist these newly independent countries in stabilizing their governments, preventing Russian expansion.”

“Understand, the frontline’s defeat is practically certain now. Hope in the current Ukrainian or Polish governments to continue resisting Russia is nearly impossible.”

“I know, having just gone through a world war, you surely have concerns. But losing our sphere of influence in Eastern Europe will only make our situation more difficult, as it’s the chief war trophy from our five-year conflict.”

Due to World War I, Germany and Austria-Hungary became hesitant, not wanting to experience another war with Russia again, at least not in the short term.

Rudolph continued: “We should at least preserve regions like Western Ukraine and western Poland, so we can dispatch troops to these areas first, not necessarily directly provoking a war with Russia.”

“This way, even if Ukrainian and Polish forces collapse at the frontlines, they wouldn’t be completely annihilated by Russia, allowing us to continue using them to deplete Russian forces.”

“But first, stabilize the confidence of the Ukrainian and Polish governments, so deploying troops is a necessary measure to bolster their resolve against Russia.”

Rudolph’s words somewhat convinced Wilhelm II, whose once mighty spirit had been somewhat drained by the world war and the post-war dire conditions within Germany.

Wilhelm II said: “Alright, your plan seems prudent; we should at least first help Eastern European countries stabilize their backlines, enabling them to confidently confront the Russians.”

Ultimately, the world war wore down Germany and Austria-Hungary’s spirit. Had this been before World War I, the two countries would have undoubtedly deployed troops to Ukraine, Poland, and other regions to confront Russia directly.

Presently, the war between Russia and Ukraine, Poland, and other countries has lasted for over a month already, but Germany and Austria-Hungary haven’t taken any significant actions yet.