Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 071
Chapter Title: Rome vs. Rome (2)
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The fact that Austria and Russia would clash with the Ottomans had already become a half-foregone conclusion.
It wasn't as if one side had raised a fist; both were brimming with the will to fight, and now no one could stop them.
"The Ottomans have threatened to declare a jihad against the Empire. This isn't just a war—it's a declaration of intent to invade our territory."
"True, but haven't they been talking about jihad forever? They threw that word around in the last war too..."
"Hey! This time it's on a whole different scale. Word is, the Ottomans have made massive preparations to make up for their last defeat."
The Ottoman Emperor receiving a fatwa from the Sheikh ul-Islam to declare jihad had become something of an annual event.
But just as even the best medicine loses its effect if overused, constant talk of jihad dulled its impact.
There was none of the terror that once made Europe tremble at the mere mention of an Ottoman jihad.
Still, the Imperial Diet was trying desperately to frame this as a major war threatening the Empire's security.
Because for something as grave as a war or civil strife involving the entire Empire, the committee would gain the authority to handle the agenda.
In the spirit of the eighteenth century, having a gun made you want to fire it at the neighboring state, and holding a hammer tempted you to swing it at your neighbor's spine.
The committee, which had gone from cold rice to being likened to the Roman Senate, was itching to wield this newfound power.
"First, if the Ottomans declare jihad against the Imperial House as Austria proposes, the Empire must respond on a national level."
"Austria has already announced it will pay its troops with the reparations from France. Funding won't be an issue."
"Then we just need to decide how many troops to send."
The committee, representing the Empire that claimed to be Rome, was handing down a death sentence to the fake Rome.
With each member mentally draping a toga over their shoulders, they solemnly passed the resolution like true senators.
Of course, the committee only approved the declaration of participation; it didn't specify how many troops each electorate had to provide.
Here, Prussia seized the opportunity once again, striking a shrewd deal with Austria.
"If the Empire allows us to use the title of king internally, we'll actively dispatch troops to the war against the Ottomans."
The Elector of Brandenburg was also King of Prussia, but within the Empire, he couldn't use the royal title.
Because his electoral lands within the Empire remained subject to the Emperor and Imperial law.
Allowing the kingly title even inside the Empire would naturally imply Prussia's superiority over the other electors.
It was naturally a sensitive issue, and the electors assumed Austria would reject it.
"If you commit at least 50,000 troops, we'll accept Prussia's demand. However, you must continue using the existing seal domestically, reserve the royal seal for documents and treaties outside Imperial borders, and prominently list 'Elector' before the title in all internal Imperial documents."
"We accept."
"Additionally, a portion of the profits from Rhine logistics surpluses must be used to purchase Imperial war bonds."
"We gladly accept."
There were some restrictions, but they could finally use the kingly title!
The electors, who had expected rejection, felt like they'd been struck from behind, but it was awkward to voice public discontent.
Jealous? Then support the war as aggressively as Prussia.
Who could complain about sending 50,000 troops and buying Imperial bonds?
Besides, it only allowed the title; it didn't touch sensitive issues like protocol precedence for electors.
Speaking out rashly here might prompt demands for their own troop contributions, so they kept their mouths shut.
The pleased Emperor beamed, praising the Empire's rare unity for the first time in ages, while the princes chuckled along, inwardly hoping for victory without an overwhelmingly decisive triumph.
It was a happy ending for everyone.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The declaration of war came swiftly.
The war-mad Friedrich wanted to come down personally and smash the Ottoman skull, but my dissuasion prevented that.
No matter how much support we were sending, the king himself couldn't show up, you fool.
Acting too chummy might make the other princes suspicious.
"Heh heh, still a shame. The King of Prussia's presence would have been a huge help."
"Troops alone are enough. We have plenty of capable commanders anyway."
Eugène de Savoie, now fully retired, nodded from his plush sofa.
"If you're referring to Moritz, I agree. Not quite on Friedrich's level, but he has rare strategic insight. Your Highness truly has a knack for finding such talents."
"Good luck."
"Luck alone doesn't explain it... Anyway, in my view, the troop composition is more than sufficient. The real key now lies elsewhere."
In the history I remembered, Eugène was long dead when war broke out with the Ottomans.
Austria suffering such humiliating defeats against an enemy they'd beaten twice in a row surely had reasons like this.
Even if Eugène was older, wars weren't decided solely on the battlefield.
Fortunately, the current Eugène was still vigorous enough to review and devise strategies, even if frontline command was out of the question.
Avoiding the overwork and defeat-induced stress from before had likely extended his life.
Anyway, as Eugène said, the troops were ample, and I was focusing on aspects beyond combat.
"I've already prepared everything. Here are the instructions I issued since last year—could you check for any shortcomings?"
"Heh heh... You've been moving behind the scenes again. Understood. First, securing the supply lines... Of course, that was essential. Well done."
Austria's slog against the Ottomans in original history had reasons.
Absence of a successor to Eugène? Sure, but deeper issues abounded, with logistics collapse being the most critical.
"Relying solely on the upper Danube risks fatal supply issues during inland advances. So I've preemptively built triple warehouses at Niš-Lardan, and instead of single-line Danube supply, we'll cycle logistics continuously via Trieste and Durrës sea routes."
"Perfect. Or rather, coldly speaking, it was the obvious thing to do."
Sorry. In my past life, failing that obvious step wrecked supplies in just eight days.
"Command to Joseph will go smoothly... The Imperial troops joining as allies will be fine under Moritz too. No worries there. The key is countering Ottoman cavalry night raids, but leveraging local Albanian intel will make preemptive blocking easy."
Even though reports came in, they were ignored, and a third of the supply convoy got wiped out in ambushes—or so I recalled.
They didn't even align plans, formats, or ciphers with Russia, delaying cooperation and wasting the advantage of joint assault.
What a feat, Austria!
To think they'd planned to win fighting like that.
Even if the Ottomans were Europe's sick man, Austria—the Empire's crybaby—was hardly sane either.
Looking back, it was no wonder the badmouthing stuck: not Western Rome vs. Eastern Rome, but just a Germanic tribal chiefdom slugging it out with kebab addicts.
My chest tightened.
"I'll do everything possible. Ultimately, my role is to set things up so the generals on the front lines can focus solely on crushing the enemy."
"Agreed. On equal footing, we can't lose."
One correction: not equal—we need to stack the odds overwhelmingly in our favor.
Just countering the Ottomans' initial strategy would inflict massive damage.
After that, Joseph and Moritz could handle the rest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ From the moment I got my second chance, my top priorities were two.
Victory in the War of the Polish Succession, followed immediately by triumph over the Ottomans.
Solving those two would turn Austria's history 180 degrees and shatter the Empire's power structure.
Sure, winning a bunch of other wars would be great, but that's unrealistic.
The more I intervened, the greater the butterfly effects, altering history's flow.
Western and Northern Europe were already unfolding far differently from my memories.
The Balkans and Anatolia would veer into unimaginable directions after this war.
So, the wars where I could wield past knowledge like a cheat code ended with those two.
With foundations laid via France, I needed to squeeze every last drop from the Ottoman war.
To the point where people wondered if the Ottomans might just collapse.
For that, legitimacy was paramount.
To smash the Ottomans and carve up the Balkans like cake, no meddlesome states could interfere.
Inducing the Ottomans to declare jihad was precisely for this moment.
"...So Your Highness intends to pursue the grand cause of liberating the Balkans in this war?"
"Of course. Those lands were originally Christian soil. Even if Orthodoxy dominated, they were still fellow believers in Christ—cousins of a sort. How tragic that they can't practice their faith properly under Ottoman oppression."
Best not mention how most of these folks had cheered when the Orthodox were trampled by Islam.
Anyway, the Papal Nuncio to Vienna, Domenico Silvio, and the Archbishop of Mainz, Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich, were devout Christians and shrewd politicians.
They nodded at my words, fingering their crosses and sighing as if their hearts would break.
"I've heard the Ottomans pretend to guarantee religious freedom, but it's only within the confines they allow. Thinking of those souls deprived of the true Gospel pains me too."
"That's why I want to frame this war around Christian liberation. Theresa and the Archbishop of Vienna will send envoys to the Holy See. If His Holiness officially endorses our Eastern Christian Liberation thesis, it'll be a great help."
"So states that originally followed Orthodoxy will keep doing so afterward? Not convert to Catholicism?"
"Those who wish to convert can, but we should respect those who want to stay Orthodox. Either way, the fact that they'll regain their faith through the Empire and Catholicism is unchangeable."
Of course, that's just for religion; any new principalities will uniformly fall under the Emperor and Pope's protection.
But declaring in advance that the goal is liberating Balkan Christian states leaves no room for anyone to block us from divvying up Ottoman lands.
'Centuries under Islamic conquest... the suffering our Balkan Christians endured...!'
Any opposing state becomes an Islamic sympathizer ignoring these poor souls.
Besides, the Pope wouldn't pass up a starring role in such a major event.
With Habsburg heiress Theresa going to Rome herself, crafting a compelling image would be easy.
"Understood. I'll convey it to His Holiness. We salute Your Highness's resolve to prioritize Christian liberation over territorial gain."
Yes, yes. This isn't a plot to expand electorates and swallow the Diet—purely noble intent.
Not Habsburg aggrandizement, but creating multiple independent states for Christian coexistence and prosperity.
As expected, the Pope enthusiastically endorsed my proposal and issued a public statement.
📰 Breaking News The Wave of Christian Liberation Begins Anew! 📰 Breaking News Habsburgs Declare: Not Conquest, But Liberation of Persecuted Christians Comes First—True Faith on Display! 📰 Breaking News Holy See Confirms: The Empire, Guardian of Christendom, Truly Deserves the Name of Rome! 📰 Breaking News In This Greedy Age Chasing Money and Power, Franz and Theresa's Unwavering Faith Shines! These promotional pieces, lightly spiced from the Pope's statement, flooded the Empire.
It was a week after Joseph and Moritz's Eastern Christian Liberation Army crossed the border.