Chapter 4: Reduction of Armed Forces

With the cooperation of Pope Pius IX, the Austrian government successfully persuaded the bishops. Naturally, pressure came down from level to level.

'No punishment when many are involved?'

That doesn't exist. There are plenty of clergymen aspiring to be bishops.

Even if most of the church's property is lost, the church is still a wealthy institution, with ample public funds available for their use without any oversight.

Franz has always advocated convincing others with reason. This deal with the church was a fair trade, a point personally confirmed by Pope Pius IX.

For the clergy who do not understand, they naturally need to be persuaded with kind words. If that doesn't work, then continue with ideological work, re-educate the stubborn ones, and finally help them correct their bad habits.

After dismissing a chief bishop, eighteen local bishops, auxiliary bishops, and more than a hundred priests who were deemed insufficiently devout, everyone actively cooperated with the government in the handover.

Normally, when clergy are deemed to lack devotion, the outcome is tragic.

But this time was an exception; Franz pleaded for them. All they need to do in the upcoming battle to recover the Papal States is to prove they are devout believers.

To solve the church's problems without shedding blood made the Austrian government realize the importance of the Papal States. A pro-Austria pope would help manage the clergy.

Simply put, if they disapprove of a bishop, they send him to serve God in the Papal States, for example, guarding the holy land is a very promising job.

After Pope Pius IX did what he had to, it's now Austria's turn to pay.

Franz detests unpaid wages and naturally wouldn't become the person he loathes most.

"How is Marshal Radetzky doing? Do we need to reassign troops from within the country?" Franz asked.

"Your Majesty, the withdrawal from the Kingdom of Sardinia is almost complete. The frontline morale is high and can continue this operation. However, Marshal Radetzky suggests sending these soldiers back and reassigning some troops to intervene in the Papal States,' replied Prince Windisch-Graetz, the Minister of the Army.

Clearly, he was somewhat displeased with Marshal Radetzky's suggestion. It's easier said than done.

The high morale was natural. The Sardinian army was easy pickings. They hadn't faced tough battles and were merely pushed back.

Casualties were low, but the spoils of war were plentiful. Even after discounts, each soldier could get hundreds of shillings (1 shillings equals approximately 11.69 grams of silver), equivalent to several years of income for ordinary people.

Besides this unexpected wealth, the land promised by Franz is about to be delivered. Soldiers are naturally willing to fight such battles.

Considering Marshal Radetzky's suggestion, Franz felt it was necessary to send the new recruits to the battlefield for experience.

Primarily, Vienna's city defense army, equipped with the best weapons but lacking combat experience, might be the weakest in the Austrian army.

Franz found an excuse, "The frontline soldiers have been fighting continuously for nearly half a year. It's time for them to rest.

Follow Marshal Radetzky's advice. Reassign some new soldiers to replace them and send the Vienna city defense army for combat training."

Purely from a military standpoint, a unit that has been fighting continuously for half a year, no matter how elite, would feel fatigued.

This Austro-Sardinian war, which nominally lasted four to five months, had both sides engaged for less than a month, with the Austrian army pushing from Venice to Turin.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" replied Prince Windisch-Graetz.

No one would defy Franz on these minor issues.

Intervening in the Papal States relies more on military deterrence; the chance of a full-scale war is small. Even though the revolutionary government now controls the government, some domestic forces still support the pope. The indecisive bourgeois government fears sparking a civil war and hasn't purged the army.

Prime Minister Felix said, "Your Majesty, the domestic situation has stabilized, and the international environment is favorable to us. Continuing to maintain such a large army puts financial pressure on the government. The cabinet suggests demobilizing some troops and redirecting the savings to production and construction."

During wartime, the army is expanded; when the war ends, the army is reduced. This is the norm.

Although the situation in Europe is not very peaceful right now, it's the revolution that's causing the turmoil. Conflicts between countries have not yet erupted. In this context, the possibility of a war between major powers is almost zero.

"How many troops is the government planning to reduce?" Franz asked with concern.

Felix confidently replied, "Given that we will soon intervene in the Papal States, the government proposes to reduce 100,000 troops this year and another 130,000 troops next year. Our final total force will remain at about 350,000."

The reduction mainly concerns the regular army; the local temporary recruits have gradually been sent back after the war ended.

Many places are still working on resettling the demobilized troops. This was an innovation of Franz; before this, Austria did not have a demobilization resettlement concept.

Currently, the government owns a vast amount of industries. Under the planned economy system, naturally, there are enough positions to resettle these people.

It's worth noting that almost all soldiers who received substantial land rewards chose to return home to farm.

To the people of this era, factories are not an attractive place to work. Given a choice, most people would not want to become a factory worker.

State-owned factories are slightly more popular than private ones, as there's no fear of the boss withholding wages. After all, these state factories have been piece-rate from the beginning. There's no room for idleness, and everyone works equally hard.

At this moment, Franz was thankful that he was clear-headed and did not rashly annex the Kingdom of Sardinia. Otherwise, instead of reducing the army, they might need to expand it.

A few hundred thousand Austrian troops could conquer the Kingdom of Sardinia, but ruling it might require twice that number.

This is the aftermath of nationalist awakening. It's challenging to govern a region without a significant cleansing. The best method would be to deport the local population, ensuring stability.

If it were the 21st century, relocating five or six million people would be no big deal if there's enough investment.

But it's still the mid-19th century. Even if the Austrian government focused solely on organizing ships for this task, it would take at least five to six years.

After relocating the populace, Franz would be left with barren land. With that effort, it might be better to develop colonies. Even with just 1% of the investment, the returns could be many times the size of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Prince Windisch-Graetz objected, "Prime Minister, we are negotiating with the Russians. We will likely reach an agreement soon and will inevitably deploy troops to the Balkans. With the army reduction, will we have enough time?

If we can't achieve a swift victory and end up in a stalemate with the Ottoman Empire, intervention from England and France could jeopardize our interests."

For Austria, the Balkans present an opportunity for expansion.

Recently, the Austrian government made concessions to the British on the Sardinian issue and gained their support for Austrian expansion in the Balkans.

In order to instigate conflict between Austria and Russia, the British were unusually generous, recognizing all of Austria's interests in the Balkans.

It was unexpected for Palmerston to realize the Austrians were negotiating with the Russians. After all, once the Russians take control of the Black Sea Straits, Austrian interests in the Mediterranean would be threatened.

If the Russians expand in the Mediterranean, Austria would be trapped in the Adriatic Sea, losing its strategic advantage.

The Austrian government's top brass were all concerned about this, but in the end, they were all persuaded by Franz.

The reason is simple: the Russians can't defeat the British at sea. The British Mediterranean fleet can easily blockade the Russians in the Black Sea.

Prime Minister Felix shook his head and said, "Who said we're going to start a war with Russia right now?

Austria just experienced a rebellion. The top priority now is to restore production. The division of the Balkan Peninsula with Russia is merely a strategic need. We've clearly told the Russians that Austria needs to recuperate and won't expand in Europe for at least ten years.

If they can't wait, they can act first. Austria can support them with supplies, but we won't join the war directly.

That's the premise of our alliance, so you can rest assured about the army reduction. There won't be a war in the short term."

This explanation was a blow to Prince Windisch-Graetz. As the leader of the Near Eastern faction, he was already preparing for war, only to be told that it wouldn't happen.

The military must serve politics. Due to the butterfly effect caused by Franz, the Austrian military's power hadn't expanded. They had significant influence in domestic and foreign affairs but lacked decision-making power.

On this issue, Franz supports the government. Austria's priority is to recover and develop national strength. Expansion can wait until the nation is stronger.