Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1109 - 123: A Bloodbath Caused by a Cow

Chapter 1109: Chapter 123: A Bloodbath Caused by a Cow

At the same time that the British Government received the message, the Vienna Government also received an urgent telegram from Africa—the Anglo-Austrian South Africa conflict had erupted.

According to the telegram, the incident began when one of Viscount Aguirre’s cattle, grazing in the border area, was killed by Jorge, a British farmer on the opposite side.

The compensation negotiations failed and the enraged Viscount Aguirre personally led people to loot the opposing farm, incidentally killing several unfortunate souls.

It wasn’t surprising; in the brutal world of the colonies, such plotlines had long been common.

The colonists were all desperadoes who would resort to violence at the drop of a hat; the aristocrats of Shinra were the same, equally hot-tempered, all veterans of the battlefield. Whoever showed weakness was the loser.

Especially when there were disputes over interests, patience wore thin. Since negotiations failed, they resorted to the colonial rule—solving it by force.

...

Originally, this was nothing new; killing a few in colonial conflicts had long been commonplace.

However, Viscount Aguirre had bad luck; during the retreat, he encountered the British Army rushing to the scene, and an intense battle ensued.

With his rich combat experience, Aguirre successfully fought his way out, but his identity was still exposed.

Such matters were always conducted secretively, as long as there was no evidence caught, no one would lift the veil.

Now it was different—the British had confirmed Viscount Aguirre’s identity, and that was intolerable.

Handing him over was naturally out of the question. Shinra was the dominator of Africa and certainly didn’t care about the protests from the British.

No one knew whether they were crazy or what, but after fruitless communications, the British Army chose a bright, sunny day to send troops to attack Viscount Aguirre’s domain.

According to the British, it was to capture a murderer. Clearly, this reasoning wasn’t accepted by Shinra.

Viscount Aguirre wasn’t alone. After his domain was attacked by the British Army, the surrounding nobility immediately mobilized troops to come to his aid.

After defeating the incoming British Army, the disgraced Viscount Aguirre and the supporting nobility and lords decided to demand an explanation from the British.

Then, everyone began summoning friends and allies. Half a month later, a coalition army numbering over ten thousand assembled, marching grandly towards the Cape of Good Hope.

By this point, the event had far exceeded the limits of “armed conflict”; describing it as a war was obviously more fitting.

Shinra’s Aristocratic Private Army clashed with the British colonial government, and everyone knew the affair had escalated. Neither side could cover it up any longer, only the domestic government could resolve it.

The delay in reporting was not because the South African Governor’s Office was slow or deliberately covering it up, but because of the characteristic features of the era.

With the advent of the colonial era, colonial conflicts had become commonplace. Taking the Holy Roman Empire as an example, on average, there were over a hundred disputes with neighbors each year.

From minor verbal disputes to full-scale military engagements.

Under such circumstances, if every conflict required intervention from the Central Government, the Vienna Government wouldn’t have time for anything else, constantly busy with handling aftermaths.

To improve administrative efficiency, Franz had to redefine colonial conflicts based on actual conditions.

Those not escalated to physical violence were directly ignored, with local governments handling them internally without report.

For conflicts involving armed clashes but with participant numbers fewer than a thousand and casualty numbers fewer than a hundred, simply reporting the outcomes would suffice.

Only large-scale conflicts that local governments couldn’t handle would require the direct inquiry of the Vienna Government.

These restrictions were why the conflict had dragged on until now before being reported.

…

Prime Minister Chandler: “The above outlines the overall course of events. Analyzing the entire event, Viscount Aguirre’s excessive actions were the main cause of the conflict’s eruption.

However, there was a reason behind it; Viscount Aguirre was merely protecting his private property, which is inviolable. Although his methods were somewhat excessive, they are understandable in dealing with bandits.

If it weren’t for the British Army’s unauthorized invasion escalating the conflict, the subsequent large-scale military skirmish would not have erupted.

The government believes that the British are primarily responsible for this conflict. The Noble Coalition Army’s counter-attack was merely in defense of national sovereignty and security.”

Evidently, Chandler was trying to downplay and deflect responsibility subtly. However, politics have always been about weighing pros and cons without regard for right or wrong.

It doesn’t matter that the Noble Coalition Army has just started retaliating; even if they had already seized the Cape of Good Hope, the Vienna Government would still blame the British.

The responsibility for the war lies with the British; there’s no need for internal inquiry within Shinra. Moreover, defining the situation as a war now isn’t precise.

From start to finish, the Vienna Government hadn’t been involved, it was simply an ordinary civilian conflict; how could it be called a war?

Although the scale of the conflict had enlarged somewhat, a conflict is still just a conflict, distinct from a war.

Just refer to the history books of the Holy Roman Empire. Over the past few centuries, its vassals and foreign entities had countless skirmishes, but central government involvement was exceedingly rare.

Not only for the Holy Roman Empire, this was similar for other European countries. Private feuds among nobility do not equate to wars between nations; they are merely civilian “friendly matches.”

Currently, only about ten thousand people are involved in the conflict. Believe it or not, in a few months, the number participating could increase tenfold?

It’s clear that Prime Minister Chandler has made up his mind. As long as I deny it’s a war, then it’s just a civilian armed conflict.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.

As for the British Government, they are welcome to retaliate on their own. If they really feel aggrieved, they can declare war outright, and the Vienna Government will handle everything.

In a sense, it’s also the British’s own fault. The insistence on retaining a colony of tens of thousands of square kilometers in South Africa is enticing. If they had only retained a port city, the nobility definitely wouldn’t have had as much enthusiasm.

After all, according to the national condition of the Holy Roman Empire, important ports and large cities are under central government control, with other areas being enfeoffed.

Although it can’t be said that whoever conquers the land owns it, taking away the richest piece of the cake is still a necessity.

War is a gold-devouring beast; without sufficient profit motives, even if surrounded by relatives, such efficiency would not be possible.

The territory was already coveted, and now with a ready-made excuse delivered to their doorstep, how could they not take action?

The cause of the event?

Noble Coalition Army: “Sorry, all we saw was the British invasion. Our deployment was to protect our homeland, and now we are simply pursuing the invasive enemy.

As long as the British-South African Government hands over all participants and holds the responsible parties accountable, compensating for losses will suffice.”

“Regarding the events that have transpired, we regret that it is merely the colonial government’s side of the story, and with your country’s integrity, we have every reason not to believe.”

In any case, they claim ignorance; all responsibilities are absolved and they are instead deemed heroes defending their homeland against aggressors.

From the Vienna Government’s perspective, at least, that’s the definition that must be adopted. Regardless of the myriad reasons and causes the British might claim, their unsanctioned incursion constitutes the original sin.

At this stage, it’s clearly impossible to stop. The frontline has already engaged in battle; even if we called a halt now, it would be too late.

Moreover, given the current international situation, the whole world knows that a battle between Shinra and Britannia must soon unfold.

Whether it starts a few months earlier or later does not fundamentally make a difference.

At this point, discussing causes and consequences has no substantive significance other than verbal wrangling. In the end, both sides blame each other and the loser bears all responsibility.

As soon as these words were uttered, Army Minister Feslav, filled with righteous indignation, declared, “Your Majesty, the British Army dared to trespass unsanctioned, clearly disregarding our Empire. We must strike them decisively.”

Even though the Army no longer plays the leading role in the war with Britain, it still remains the main force in the colonies!

Despite the recent decent development of the Navy and Air Force, in the grand colonial movements, they have only played minor roles.

Looking back at the wars over the past decades, it’s clear that all were won by the Army. In this context, naturally, most nobility awarded military titles come from the Army.

Even if relegated to a supporting role this time, the Army still remains the main force when seizing territories.

War is unpredictable; if a naval battle is lost, it would still be up to the Army to turn the tide.

Though unspoken, from their actions, it was evident that the Army had little faith in the Shinra Navy’s victory.

To address the potential negative impacts of a naval defeat, the Army Department even devised the “Sky-Tipping Maneuver” plan.

Its content was simple and brutal: deploy the main force from the Middle East through Persia toward India, with a secondary detachment marching from Malaysia through the Indochina Peninsula to flank India.

In summary: the strategy was to capture India and bring Britannia to its knees.

As for competing for territories on the African Continent, that was merely a routine diversion, hardly the main course.

The plan established, the prerequisite for implementation was clear: War between Shinra and Britannia.

Regardless of whether the Vienna Government has prioritized the development of its Navy now, once war erupts, the sole goal is—victory.

If the Army could overcome in India, they would be the war’s principal victors, with the Navy and Air Force merely following.

The government of Vienna was, of course, fully aware of the Army’s plans. Although not entirely supportive, the possibility of having an extra option was too good for anyone to refuse, and the resources invested were substantial.

Mainly, everyone had less confidence in the Navy and excessive confidence in the Army.

Even though the Army’s plan faced equally massive challenges, everyone believed it was surmountable with enough commitment.

Air Force Minister Conrad agreed, “The Marshal is correct, we must deliver a head-on blow to the enemy. The era of the British is over; now it’s our turn to perform.”

The Army wanted war, and the Air Force was even more eager. As the youngest armed branch, the Shinra Air Force faced the same dilemma as the Navy—lack of war achievements.

The military is a place that venerates the strong, and their power could only be proven on the battlefield.

Compared to the Navy, the Air Force was somewhat more confident. Although recently established and having participated in few wars, the enemies it had faced were novices.

At least the Shinra Air Force had experience in bombing and dealing with airships, whereas the British Air Force was entirely green.

Moreover, as Shinra had an early start in the aviation industry and significantly stronger industrial capabilities than the British, this translated to superior aerial combat capabilities in military terms.

With so many advantages, unless they sabotaged themselves, the Air Force had no reason to fail.

In contrast, the Navy’s situation was much more sorrowful. Despite being a focus of government resource allocation, it still fell short against the Royal Navy.

Both the Army and the Air Force were regarded as number one globally, boasting formidable strengths, except for the Navy, which only ranked second.

Until the newly built principal vessels were commissioned, the Navy simply lacked the capability to challenge the Royal Navy.

Unfortunately, time waits for no one, and the situation has evolved to a point where waiting for the Navy to prepare is no longer feasible, not least because the British oppose waiting.

In a culture that values honor over retreat, seeing his counterparts clamoring for war, Navy Minister Castaigne, too, had no choice but to step up: “The Navy is prepared. Once war breaks out, we will adopt a strategy of disruptive warfare, raiding the enemy’s maritime trade routes.

Once the new warships are commissioned, we will take to the seas to decisively confront the British and break the hegemony of the Royal Navy.”

He had no choice but to concede in the last moment. Originally, Castaigne wanted to shout more inspiring slogans, but seeing the scrutinizing looks from everyone, he instead opted for honesty.

Fortunately, Castaigne pulled back in time; had he continued to declare an immediate confrontation with the Royal Navy, it would have likely turned everyone completely cold.

Self-awareness is a virtue, and in the military, it is no exception. It’s not dreadful to be less powerful than the enemy. What’s truly fearsome is lacking self-awareness.

Especially for government leaders, a single decision could affect the nation’s fortune for decades to come; accurate self-perception is thus crucial.

…

Frantz, with a composed demeanor, surveyed everyone and ordered, “The Navy and Air Force shall immediately initiate first-level strategic mobilization, and the Army second-level tactical mobilization. All government departments prepare for coordinated action.

The Foreign Ministry will submit a protest to the British Government, condemning the despicable act of the British Army’s illegal invasion and assault on civilians, demanding they hand over the perpetrators; the Propaganda Department will launch a media offensive, throwing all blame onto the British.

Embassies shall commence evacuation operations, except for the intelligence departments, other institutions within Britannia and its allies should aim to complete evacuation within two months.

In tandem with the British, commence evacuation operations, and if necessary, make arrangements with neutral countries.

Customs, using the tense international situation as a basis, shall intensify the screening of strategic materials exports, ensuring as far as possible that resources do not flow to The British Isles.

Shift the domestic economy to a wartime model, focusing resources on manufacturing ships and aircraft. The General Staff should determine the combat strategy promptly.

Instruct all colonial governments to activate a comprehensive wartime system; if necessary, parts of the territory may be relinquished.

…”