Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1022 - 36, Choice Matters

Chapter 1022: Chapter 36, Choice Matters

With the decline of the Kingdom of Prussia, the once formidable Junker aristocracy was inevitably also headed towards decline.

In fact, the decline of the Junker nobility was not just due to defeats in wars; even after losses, they remained the largest political force within the Kingdom of Prussia.

The real reason for the decline of the Junker aristocratic group was the lack of political successors. There was no helping it; too many had died on the battlefield, and there was a shortage of reserve forces.

A direct result of the two Prusso-Russian wars was that fifty-six percent of the Junkers completely lost their lands, and seventeen percent of the noble families died out.

With heavy losses in reserve forces, it was inevitable that important positions in the government previously held by the Junker nobility would need to be vacated.

As one door closes, another opens; as the Junker aristocratic group shrunk, other political forces arose.

...

As time passed, the political landscape of the Kingdom of Prussia also gradually changed. To this day, the Junker group, although still an important political force in Prussia, the idea that “the army owns the nation” had completely become a thing of the past.

Especially after the re-establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, the status of the Junker aristocratic group was once again challenged.

Before this, although they had lost their dominant position in the nation, their control over the military ensured that no political faction in Prussia dared to underestimate them.

Now it was different, with a new top authority. To overthrow the status quo, one must consider the feelings of the top authority.

Otherwise, if you overturn the table in the morning, the Rebellion Suppression Army would come by evening, and then what fun would be left?

Besides needing money, Schlieffen and his companions also had another important task, which was to strengthen relations with the Vienna Palace.

The European nobility is a tight-knit family, and this isn’t just a saying. It’s been only three years since the re-establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, but even thirty years ago, or even earlier, the Junker nobility had connections with the Habsburg dynasty.

One need only carefully study the lineages granted by Franz to see many well-known noble surnames from the German Region, including those of the Junker nobility.

One or two might be coincidences, ten or eight a significant coincidence, but when the number reaches hundreds, it’s not something that can be explained by mere coincidence.

The reason for this scene is actually very simple: the lands in the German Region were all owned, but not every noble had only one son.

Unless one was a major noble, all could be accommodated. Otherwise, only the eldest son could inherit the family estate, and younger sons had to find their own paths.

This was true even for direct family members, let alone collateral relations. In fact, most of the noble offshoots, aside from their noble surnames, were ordinary people.

Seeing colonial empires like England and France amassing wealth overseas, the people of the German Region naturally felt envy and resentment, including the nobility.

When the Vienna Government issued a call and announced joining the colonial wave, everyone’s reaction was relatively calm, but once Franz introduced large-scale land grants, they could no longer hold back.

Regardless of whether the territories were remote, the properties held the potential for earning money and inheritance, which existed nonetheless. For most, even if they couldn’t gain a title, acquiring a farm was a good alternative.

As immigration policies unfolded one after another, more and more German people participated in the colonial movement, including many nobles.

With good education, solid military training, and the support of family resources and connections, these individuals quickly stood out.

“Poor in a bustling city goes unnoticed, rich in a remote area attracts distant relatives.”

This applies on the European Continent and holds true in the world of nobility. Once one prospered, regardless of whether they were from collateral or direct lineage, their say in the family dramatically increased.

Everyone has their circles, and overseas they naturally formed their own circles, along with a series of familial alliances. Even before the re-establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, the aristocratic group of the German Region had already come together.

Since the ruling class had merged in the process of making the “big cake,” the unification of the Germany Region was also a natural occurrence.

It seemed like a matter of course, but behind it, there were “some who rejoiced, and others who were disappointed.”

Although the Junker nobility also participated, the peak of the colonial wave thirty years ago coincided with the glory days of the Kingdom of Prussia.

The victory in the first Prusso-Russian War allowed Prussia to snatch vast lands from the Russians, and the Junker nobles made a fortune.

Everyone’s attention was focused on Europe; those involved in the overseas colonial movement were marginalized, and the resources they could mobilize were negligible.

After the failure of the second Prusso-Russian War, the Junker group not only suffered a tremendous loss politically and economically, but a large number of the younger generation also perished, leaving them powerless to intervene further.

One misstep led to another.

Missing out on the colonial wave, the Junker aristocratic group not only lost potential profits from colonization but more importantly, after the reestablishment of the Holy Roman Empire, the Junker group’s influence within the Empire was minuscule.

In fact, it was not just the Junker group that suffered; the Kingdom of Prussia’s influence within the Empire was low overall.

Despite their military strength, which was only second to Austria among all the states, their say was nowhere near the top ten.

In a word, “no one influential at court.”

Although the smaller states were limited in size, their ruling class had early associations with the Vienna Government. They had made investments early on and sent their descendants to Austria to advance.

Their people were in the overseas colonies, their descendants in the Imperial Army, and their offspring could also be seen in the central government.

Decades had passed, and those who were gold had long since shone. The initial investment now reflected in politics.

Having connections in the court always brought certain conveniences. If the challenges faced by the Prussian military had been placed on other influential states, the problems would have been solved long ago.

It was just a lack of military funding, and it was not that there were no solutions. While it might not be possible to obtain the same standards as the Central Army, increasing the standard of central government funding was always feasible.

The Kingdom of Prussia was also on the border, with the Nordic Federation to the north and the Russian Empire to the east—truly a critical military region. It was entirely reasonable to ask the central government to cover 40% of the military costs.

Apart from that, they could also take on foreign garrison duties to receive subsidies from the central government.

With some luck, they might even manage to secure a couple of combat missions, which would solve all their problems.

Of course, the more money they took from the central government, the greater the influence they would be subjected to, and their autonomy would definitely be greatly affected.

This was an unavoidable issue; one could not have all the benefits. “He who pays the piper calls the tune” is a principle as old as time.

The Prussian Army currently enjoyed a high degree of autonomy; getting military funding directly from the Emperor was naturally unlikely.

Like all the inland states without military threats, the central government only covered 25% of the military costs.

The Army Department gave a very simple reason: there were no external military threats.

This was no joke, it was serious.

The Army Department also provided a detailed, logical explanation: the Russian Empire was an ally of the Empire, no need for defenses; and the Nordic Federation, with its limited strength, posed no threat to the Empire.

The same issue, phrased differently, leads to two different outcomes. Unfortunately, both arguments were valid, and purely from the surface, it was difficult to distinguish right from wrong, even making an argument was tough.

Being a member of the Prussian military, Schlieffen naturally did not accept the Imperial Army Department’s rationale. But he had no way to refute it.

Between Prussia and Russia, there were conflicts, yet that didn’t mean Shinra and the Russians also had conflicts. The Russian-Austrian Alliance had lasted for many years, and the Vienna Government had ample reason to believe that the Tsarist Government wouldn’t invade.

As for the Nordic Federation, it wasn’t even worth mentioning. To discuss the threat from Northern Europe was, Schlieffen felt, quite embarrassing.

In search for a reason to demand military funds, Schlieffen had racked his brain. As for the domestic preparations, from the moment he arrived in Vienna, he had resolutely chosen to abandon them.

Talking about the threat from Russia wasn’t easy—if he overly emphasized the Russian threat, perhaps the Vienna Government would send troops to help guard the frontier.

Specifically, one could refer to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the west; defense issues were handled by the Central Army, with the State Army only playing a supplementary role.

If it came to that, the Prussian Military’s autonomy would disappear entirely. The Central Army took on the border defense responsibilities, and establishing a military district in Prussia was both logical and reasonable.

“Three times unfortunate, the magistrate near the city.”

With a military district overseeing the regional armed forces above them, the Prussian Military had become that unfortunate “magistrate,” and being undermined was only a matter of time.

…

In a military camp outside the city, a group of Prussian officers participating in a military parade was currently drenched in sweat on the field.

As the commander, Schlieffen was visibly distressed.

“What, still worrying about the military funds?”

A familiar voice sounded from behind him, pulling Schlieffen from his thoughts. He frowned and then countered, “Mackensen, aren’t you stating the obvious?

Do you think there’s anything else that could be causing me such a headache besides this huge problem?”

Mackensen soberly replied, “There are, and many of them!”

“For instance, the Unified Officer Training and Allocation issue proposed by the Army Department, and the troop rotation plan proposed by the General Staff.”

After the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, Franz had consolidated command of the army, but this consolidation was quite limited.

The leaders of each German state had long been accustomed to doing things their own way; it was clearly impossible to suddenly reclaim power from their hands.

Besides involving themselves in the distribution of military funds to manipulate the armies of the various states, the Army Department and the General Staff also tentatively put forward suggestions, under Franz’s direction.

These were mere “probes”—the unification of officer training and allocation, and the rotation of troop stationing might seem mundane on the surface but were in fact deeply tied to the powers of personnel appointments and peacetime military command.

If these powers were obtained, the so-called state armies would cease to exist.

Especially personnel powers. If the Army Department, during allocation, exchanged officers from different states, thereby preventing their native sons from serving locally, the inheritance of power would be broken.

The command of the peacetime army also had tremendous influence. Rotating stationing directly disrupted the tradition of local garrisons by the state armies. Once they no longer stationed in their states, would they still be state armies?

This touched on the core interests of the aristocracy within the state militaries, and such proposals were essentially unfeasible.

If they were forcibly implemented, the recently unified Holy Roman Empire might soon fall back into disarray.

After all, Shinra Empire relied on the ancient traditional feudal system.

If the Central Government wantonly seized rights from the states, what would the overseas aristocrats think? No one wanted their hard-earned domains to eventually make wedding dresses for others.

Building trust takes many years, but destroying trust often only takes once.

Schlieffen shook his head disdainfully, “Nonsense, those proposals are a joke, they can’t possibly pass, they don’t even qualify for a parliamentary vote.

The constitution clearly states that state armies are only subject to dual command by the Emperor and the King. Neither the Army Department nor the General Staff has any authority over the state armies.

Their purpose is merely to assist the Emperor in managing the military, not to manage it for the Emperor, which is a completely different concept.

It seems like you are in a good mood, perhaps you met with a friend and had an unexpected gain?”

When the word “friend” was mentioned, Mackensen’s expression became unnatural. Unlike Schlieffen, who was born into the Junker aristocracy, Mackensen was a representative of rising from humble beginnings.

Born in Saxon, Mackensen’s entrance into the Prussian Army was also due to an accident.

His grandfather had been a commander of the Hanoverian Cavalry, but by his father’s generation, the family had fallen into decline, lacking not only noble titles but also being reduced to land agents.

In his youth, Mackensen was determined to become a cavalry officer. At that time, Austria had not yet become powerful, and the Kingdom of Prussia had not declined.

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Soon, an opportunity presented itself, either through Austria’s recruitment for its overseas colonies or the outbreak of the Prusso-Russian War, with the Berlin Government recruiting.

The spirited young Mackensen decisively chose to join Prussia, to fight the detestable Russians.

With exceptional talent and luck, Mackensen quickly distinguished himself and even received unexpected appreciation from Wilhelm II; sadly, the Kingdom of Prussia was still defeated.

At that point, turning back was clearly impossible. As a commoner, Mackensen had no choice but to keep going.

Constrained by the stage of the Kingdom of Prussia, Mackensen, of commoner origin, quickly encountered a ceiling.

There’s only one slot for each carrot, and the Prussian military, with its limited scale, couldn’t support too many high-ranking officers; Mackensen, without any background, could only rise to the rank of colonel.

That was already a privileged position unless there were substantial promotions. Otherwise, colonel would be his endpoint.

Unfortunately, with the Kingdom of Prussia having only four divisions, and the Vienna Government recognizing no more than fifteen general officers, such few positions were hardly available for him above the Junker nobles.

Coming from a common background and reaching his current position was already a miracle. Throughout the entire Prussian Army, there was not a second like him.

By contrast, his childhood playmates caught the fast train with the rise of Austria, breaking through barriers one after another.

If it were just these, it wouldn’t be too much, as differing national conditions and development are normal. The key issue was the unification of the Holy Roman Empire, and then the differences became stark.

One was a major general in the Central Army, and the other was a colonel in the state army—it was clear who had a more promising future.

This was no longer a question of capability; no matter how capable Mackensen was, with only so many positions in the Prussian military, those ahead wouldn’t step down, and those behind couldn’t move up.

Despite some melancholy, there was no sense of regret. After all, to rise from commoner status in Austria was also rare.

Mackensen’s friend’s success, besides luck and capability, also benefited from their last name.

Declining nobility’s side branches, ordinarily almost similar to commoners, but once turned around, quickly extend their family connections.

After a brief pause, Mackensen replied, “I guess so! He advised us not to act rashly, but first to strengthen our relations with the Vienna Palace.

After all, we have offended Austria many times when we were strong.

There might not be a settling of accounts in the fall, but certainly, there are enough people inside the Vienna Government who dislike us. These people might not be able to achieve much, but spoiling our affairs is very easy for them.”