Vienna, April 28, 1725.

The Habsburgs ruled Austria since 1278 and for about the same amount of time were the owners of the Holy Roman Emperors. However, it was not able to unify the original territory of the Holy Roman Empire, and until now the Habsburg Empire has been a vast collection of scattered lands with different nationalities and languages.

In the 16th century, the Habsburgs expanded their rule to include the Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Hungarian empires and their dependencies, including Croatia, Slavonia, and Transylvania. In the 17th and early part of the century, the Habsburg royal family acquired from the Spanish branch of the family possessions in Italy, including Naples, Tuscany, and Lombardy, as well as the South Netherlands.

The diversity of peoples and cultures in the Holy Roman Empire made it more difficult to rule. In order to keep the country as one, the Habsburg royal family usually adopted the practice of enlisting the support of the local aristocracy and elite to jointly determine the local political system.

As a result, the government and its most important component, a series of key positions in the army, were held by local nobles and local powers, who had extremely limited loyalty to the emperor. Not only that, but in many areas, the local noble councils were still active, collecting additional taxes outside of the king's control, and had considerable autonomy.

In the Habsburg Empire, there were a variety of religions, including Roman Catholicism, which was followed by Roman Catholicism, Calvinism and Lutheranism, which had a large number of adherents, and Judaism, which was a minority.

In addition, there were clear ethnic and linguistic differences within the empire, with the dominant Germans, the unruly Magyars, and the ethnically complex Slavs, including Croats, Czechs, Slovaks, and Slovenes.

In order to manage vast territories of great variability, the Habsburg Empire was constantly looking for the most appropriate strategy, as well as ways to counteract separatist tendencies.

Militarily, the Habsburg Empire also faced a series of threats: in the southeast, the Ottoman Empire was constantly encroaching; In the East, Tsarist Russia grew stronger and created a new threat; To the north, the Kingdom of Prussia was on the rise, challenging the authority of the Empire; In the west, although the ambitious Louis XIV had been in office for more than ten years, his strong national power was still deeply feared.

More than 20 years ago, the War of the Spanish Succession, which was launched by the European powers, did not achieve any meaningful results, but instead caused the Habsburg Empire to consume enormously and exacerbated the deep crisis of the empire, which can be said to be more than worth the loss.

In 1711, the final year of the war, Charles VI ascended to the throne as monarch of the empire, which faced a future in which it was in danger of falling apart.

Constrained by a long period of consanguineous marriage, the Habsburgs also faced the same dilemma as their Spanish relatives more than a decade ago, that is, the problem of heirs.

Charles VI, who turned forty this year, and Elisabeth Christina, the famous queen for her exquisite beauty, gave birth to only four children despite their diligent "cultivation", and the only man, Din, Leopold John, died at the age of ten months. In the foreseeable future, the poor Emperor may not have a new male heir, and the empire will face an extremely serious existential crisis.

On the European continent, according to the ancient Salic Code, women would not be allowed to inherit the imperial throne, and as a result, Charles VI's eldest daughter, Maria Theresia, would not be able to become empress, and the empire would not be able to remain as it was unless other potential contenders for the throne signed a letter of consent to Charles VI relinquishing their right to become emperor.

Over the past few years, Charles VI has made every effort to obtain partial abstentions from the heirs of many of his relatives, which have been approved by the Hungarian Parliament.

Of course, it was not easy to gain the support of these people, because Charles VI had neither a strong army capable of forcing the consent of the other side, nor buying their wealth. In order to secure their consent, he had to trade with them with Imperial property, such as partial territorial sovereignty – allowing France the right to garrison troops in the Grand Duchy of Lorraine, certain trading rights – giving trade preferences in the South Netherlands to the Netherlands and Great Britain, and even the Empire's taxing power – giving the Hungarian parliament the power to veto land taxes.

However, Charles VI still felt that these efforts were not enough to ensure that the eldest daughter would eventually obtain the inheritance of the empire, not to mention that Prussia and France next door were full of covetous imperial territory, and even several states, including Bavaria and Saxony, were also plotting to carve up the land of the Habsburg Empire.

Therefore, Charles VI needed the support of more great powers, especially European powers that did not conflict with the interests of the empire. And King George I of England – who also holds the title of Elector of Hanover – was one of the most valued and co-opted members of the Empire.

"Your Majesty, we can't attack the Ottomans for the time being." After listening to His Majesty's words, Prince Eugen von Savoy pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said: "In December last year, the Ottoman Empire, under the diplomatic pressure of Qi, had withdrawn all the troops that had invaded Persia to its country. At the same time, together with the state of Qi, they also put pressure on Russia, forcing the Russian army to withdraw from the Caucasus. In this situation, the Ottoman Empire had completely lifted the military threat from the northeast and east, and began to focus on consolidating the military defense of Wallachia and Moldavia. In addition, the Ottomans obtained a new loan from the Qi state for the payment of salaries and the purchase of equipment for the domestic army to strengthen the army's combat effectiveness. Therefore, if we were to attack the Ottomans now, it would not be the best time. ”

"What if the Poles and Russians also attack the Ottomans?" Charles VI was faintly dissatisfied with Prince Eugen's questioning.

"Huh?" When Prince Eugen heard this, he was stunned for a moment, "Didn't the Russian tsar just die?" How could they attack the Ottomans at this time? In addition, the Polish parliament had issued a decree eight years earlier, stipulating that the king did not have control over the standing army in the country, could August II say that the parliament should send troops to attack the Ottomans? ”

"England will naturally say that the Poles and Russians will join us in attacking the Ottomans." Charles VI said impatiently: "What is needed of you now is to immediately prepare the army, launch an imminent attack on Wallachia, and try to drive the Ottomans out of the north bank of the Danube." ”

"Your Majesty, this is too risky......"

"Nine years ago, when we launched a counterattack against the Ottomans, didn't we take risks?" Charles VI said: "At that time, we had just experienced a brutal and vast war in Europe, and we were weaker than the Ottomans in terms of national strength, the size of the army, and the armament. But the Imperial Army, under your command, showed great perseverance and perseverance, first defeating more than 100,000 Ottoman troops at Petrovaradin, then inflicting another heavy defeat on the Ottoman army in Belgrade, and then conquering the city, creating a great victory that shocked all of Europe. This battle, the farthest advance of the imperial army into the Balkans, not only completely removed the threat of the Ottomans to the empire, but also revitalized the prestige of the empire. Did you know, Prince Eugen, that after the war, the ode "The Noble Knight" composed by the unknown soldier in the army has been widely circulated in the Empire, and has inspired the people and troops of the Empire to move forward without hesitation. Now, after all the years of baptism, are the former warriors of our empire timid when they attack the Ottomans again? ”

"Your Majesty, I will be as courageous as ever to all the enemies of the Empire, including the Ottomans." Prince Eugen's face turned a little blue, and he said solemnly: "All my achievements are given by the Empire, and my honor also comes from the Empire. I am willing to sacrifice my life to protect the safety of the Empire. But, as your faithful courtier, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial army, I am compelled to make a reasonable suggestion about Your Majesty's hasty decision. At this time, it was not the best time to attack the Ottomans, because the imperial army was undergoing reform and reorganization, and it did not yet have the favorable conditions to wage a large-scale war. ”

"Prince Eugen, I need to warn you." Charles VI took a deep breath and said in a very stiff tone: "According to the news from the Ottoman side, their Praetorian Guard and Sipaxi Legion are also carrying out corresponding military adjustments and reforms under the guidance of the Qi Military Staff Committee, and are purchasing and equipping more advanced weapons. In such a situation, we must preemptively launch a surprise attack on the Ottomans in order to disrupt the process of their military change. Otherwise, when the Ottomans had amassed enough military strength, they would surely launch a new round of fierce attacks on the empire. ”

"Your Majesty, with the rapid advance of the fortifications of the southern fortress group, if the Ottomans dare to attack, we will surely be able to use those series of strong fortresses to break their heads and pay a very heavy price. In this way, the empire can completely deplete the enemy's living forces at a small cost. …… So, there is absolutely no need for us to attack first. ”

"......" Charles VI's face has become extremely ugly, why is this famous imperial general in Europe unwilling to obey his orders and attack the Ottomans?

Don't I know what you're talking about?

The problem is that this war is not at all considered strategic and tactical, it is a war of great political significance. In addition to fighting the religious heresy of the Ottomans, the Empire needed this war, to show England our allied position.

True, the reason why Charles VI suddenly wanted to provoke a war against the Ottoman Empire was a diplomatic proposal made by the English.

It stands to reason that although England and the Ottoman Empire had different religious beliefs, there was no irreconcilable contradiction in essence, and even those pagans did business.

So why did the English encourage the Habsburgs to attack the Ottomans?

Without him, in order to fight the Qi country behind the Ottomans!

As we all know, the Ottoman Empire had two powerful alliances, one was France, which was called the "rebel" and "blasphemous ally" of Catholicism, and the other was the number one power that dominated the Indian Ocean region - Qi.

Compared with France's lip service alliance partners, the damned Qi country seems to be the "godfather" of the Ottomans, for more than 60 years, to the Ottomans countless support, and the amount of money is absolutely real money, the amount of aid is high, the abundance of materials, so that the Habsburgs and other European countries are amazed.

As the mortal enemy of the Ottomans, the Habsburgs naturally hated the Qi country to the core. Originally, the Ottoman Empire, with its large population and abundant military virtues, tossed them to death, and came to Vienna several times. Fortunately, several times relied on the many friends of the Catholic Church to unite to beat the Ottomans down, but the Qi State always gave them a lot of money and material support at this time, rescued them alive, and then hibernated for several years and made a comeback again.

It is for this reason that the Holy Roman Empire, controlled by the Habsburgs, was the only one of the major European powers that did not have any diplomatic ties with the Qi state, and even the Habsburgs forbade even people-to-people trade and cultural ties, and regarded the eastern country as an evil empire like the Ottomans.

Although the Habsburgs hated Qi very much for supporting the Ottomans without a bottom line, it was really impossible to strike at this country. Because they don't have a strong navy, how can they touch the edge of the Qi country?

Moreover, the Empire's main enemies were always the Ottomans on land, and the ill-intentioned France. Oh yes, and that rising Prussia.

As for Qi State, it can only be ranked at the bottom.

In addition to preempting the process of disrupting the Ottoman military reform process, the war against the Ottoman Empire was launched at the request of England to attract the attention of the Qi people as much as possible, forcing them to divert the vast amount of resources that should have been used for the war against England to the Balkan battlefield.

The reason for the fire of the English people was that Charles VI received a guarantee from England that King George I, who held the title of Elector of Hanover, would support his eldest daughter, Maria Theresia, in the future as the legitimate successor to the throne.

At the same time, the English government promised to stand firmly by their side in the event of a war between the Empire and France, and to give strong financial and military support. To this end, the English government would sign a separate secret treaty of military alliance with the Empire on the basis of the original Four-Power Alliance Treaty, formally stipulating the rights and obligations between the two sides.

With the unwavering support of the English, the future continuation of the Habsburg Empire would be assured, and Charles VI did not hesitate to take a military risk and attack the Ottomans on his own initiative.

Of course, he did not expect the Imperial army to achieve the same victory in Belgrade again, as the English envoy said, as long as it could inflict a slight heavy blow on the Ottomans and attract the attention of the Qi people, so that they could not launch an expedition against England with all their might.

It can be seen that England was extremely cautious (nervous) about the war provoked by the Qi country, and did not hesitate to spend a huge amount of money to create problems for the Qi people from various regions in order to distract them.

It is said that in addition to mobilizing the Habsburgs, the English also wanted to encourage Tsarist Russia in the east to attack the Ottomans from the Black Sea or Persia from the Caucasus, so as to exert some pressure on the Qi people.

Therefore, in the view of Charles VI, this attack on the Ottomans, with the help of Russia, is actually not very risky. If you take 10,000 steps back, even if you can't win a big victory, at least you won't suffer a big defeat.

On 30 April, Charles VI dismissed Prince Eugen from his posts as privy ambassador and field marshal of the State Council, and instead appointed Duke Karl Ludwig as the new commander-in-chief of the army, ordering him to reorganize the army, stockpile war supplies, and prepare for an attack on the Ottoman Empire.

(End of chapter)