Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Road to War (4)
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While Hans was meeting with Piłsudski and representatives of other subjugated peoples dreaming of independence under the Russian Empire's rule, turning his vision into reality and preparing for the coming great war...
France, the great rival of the German Empire, was also sensing that Europe's peace was growing increasingly unstable day by day.
Especially after the Bosnian Crisis, the full-blown conflict between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire, along with the chaos in the Balkans, instilled in France a sense of crisis that war might erupt between Russia and Austria-Hungary at any moment.
If Austria-Hungary and Russia went to war, Germany, as Austria-Hungary's ally, would inevitably join, and France would have to follow suit to aid Russia.
Abandoning their long-time ally Russia was not an option for France.
It wasn't just a matter of loyalty.
If France stood by and watched Russia collapse, it would find itself isolated in Europe, which would mean the revival of a Bismarck system even stronger and more solid than before—and that would lead to a future where mighty France bowed to Germany and Britain.
To avoid that nightmare above all else, France was redoubling its efforts to bolster its military strength.
The army was important, of course, but the navy was in dire straits: even combining the French Navy with its ally the Russian Navy couldn't match Britain, and they were even outmatched by the German Empire.
At first, the French Navy tried building Friedrich-class battleships to overcome this, but soon Germany launched the Kaiser-class battleships—super-dreadnoughts straight out of original history—and France's modest dream was shattered in an instant.
"The orthodox approach won't stop those pirate bastards and Kraut fleets. We need to find another way!"
If things continued like this, the French fleet would surrender the great seas of France to those Germanic brotherhood scum without a fight and suffer through commerce raiding for the entire war.
On top of that, Britain or Germany might leverage their superior naval power to land on French shores and strike from behind.
Thus, France blanketed every possible landing coast with coastal artillery while attempting to compensate for its naval shortcomings through mass introduction of asymmetric assets like submarines.
Of course, even as the French Navy struggled to survive, the French Army wasn't idle: they established air squadrons and expanded artillery forces, pushing military buildup relentlessly despite budgets screaming in protest.
France's communists and anarchists, the leftist rabble, were busy daily decrying how France had become Prussia.
But most French people either turned a blind eye or actively supported the government's army expansion to defend the Republic against the evil alliance of the German Empire and the British Empire.
The French still hadn't forgotten the Franco-Prussian War and the humiliation of Versailles.
To prevent mighty France from being trampled once more under the filthy boots of those Prussian pigs, a strong army was absolutely essential.
And for that, even freedom-loving French citizens could overlook the government's militaristic strides this time.
And France's bold moves weren't limited to the military—they extended to diplomacy as well.
France was stoking Italy's greed for its irredenta territories, wounded by the Austro-Hungarian Empire over the Bosnian Crisis, trying to pull it from the Triple Alliance into the Franco-Russian Alliance.
Then, in August 1911.
"Chief of Staff Joffre! We've just received word from our spies dispatched to the German Empire—they've obtained the German Army's war plan!"
"Oh! Is that true?!"
The French military establishment buzzed at this opportunity that could tip the scales in France's favor during the war. Joseph Joffre, who had become the Army Chief of Staff—effectively the top commander—last month, was among them.
"...So the Krauts plan to bypass our French defenses through Belgium, not Alsace-Lorraine, when war breaks out."
As Joseph Joffre rubbed his temples to organize his thoughts, the French generals and staff officers in the meeting room let out groans and sighs of relief in unison.
And rightly so, for the German war plan struck precisely at the flaw in France's grand strategy against Germany.
The current French General Staff assumed that, in case of war with Germany, the Germans would come straight through Alsace-Lorraine on the border, just like in the Franco-Prussian War.
Thus, under Plan XVII drafted in 1913, they planned to march into Alsace-Lorraine immediately upon war's outbreak, establish invincible trench lines, and meet the Germans there.
Once German forces weakened, they'd launch a massive artillery barrage and counterattack in the spirit of élan vital to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine.
That was France's envisioned war plan.
Of course, like Plan XVII, they hadn't thought beyond that at all.
But what if the Germans bypassed via Belgium instead of Alsace-Lorraine and raced for Paris?
Had they been caught off guard, the French Army would have become like a dog chasing a chicken, handing Paris over to the Germans once again.
"We deemed the possibility of a German bypass through Belgium low, but this plan was devised by the former Chief of the German General Staff, Schlieffen?"
"Yes. They say it's named the Schlieffen Plan after him."
"As expected of the famed strategist whose name echoes across Europe. We nearly got completely blindsided."
Joffre felt as if he'd narrowly escaped death. He recalled the words of his close friend Ferdinand Foch, who had recently been promoted to major general and division commander after teaching at the École de Guerre.
Foch had warned against fixating solely on Alsace-Lorraine, urging caution toward German divisions in the lowlands and along the northern coast.
In fact, in original history, Foch—as principal of Britain's Camberley Staff College and a Francophile—had seriously considered a German invasion of Belgium while discussing Anglo-French cooperation with Wilson.
He hadn't pinpointed whether it would be a full invasion or mere feint, but still.
His reputation as the first Allied Supreme Commander wasn't for nothing; Foch had foreseen a German bypass through Belgium this time too, and indeed, the Germans planned exactly that.
'I should have made Foch my deputy chief of staff.'
It was absurd that Foch, just a year younger than Joffre himself, had only now become a major general.
But the Third Republic, under former President Émile Loubet's strict separation of church and state, maintained a hardline stance against Catholicism—and Foch was a devout Catholic.
'And his brother Germain Foch was a Jesuit priest who thoroughly pissed off the French government.'
As a result, Foch—thoroughly persona non grata—faced discrimination and mistreatment in the military.
Of course, his delayed promotions were also due to refusing colonial postings, which guaranteed fast advancement, because he swore revenge on Germany after watching them trample Alsace-Lorraine firsthand during the Franco-Prussian War, insisting France's sole enemy was Germany.
In any case, even former Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau—a staunch anticlerical—had recognized Foch's talent and made him director of the École de Guerre, preventing him from languishing in dead-end posts and retiring due to age.
Unfortunately, Clemenceau retired in 1909, and current War Minister Adolphe Messimy, like others, recoiled at Foch's faith.
Thus, despite Joffre's recommendations, Messimy refused to appoint Foch as deputy chief—effectively chief of staff.
Instead, he chose Édouard de Castelnau, who in original history drafted Plan XVII.
He was capable, to be sure, but what exasperated Joffre was that Castelnau was such a conservative Catholic—even the deeply pious Foch couldn't stand him.
The other French generals called him the "Fighting Priest" or "Jesuit General"—that said it all.
"But will Britain truly tolerate German troops setting foot in Belgium?"
By now, Joffre inwardly grumbled that War Minister Messimy had just brushed off the idea because he didn't want Foch as deputy—when Castelnau raised his hand, as if on cue.
It was a valid point.
Belgium was neutral, with its neutrality guaranteed by Britain.
"But Britain is Germany's ally. The possibility is plenty high. Besides, doesn't this Schlieffen Plan state that 'passing through Belgium should pose no issue, as discussions with Britain are progressing well'?"
With the Schlieffen Plan and Foch's trusted words reinforcing it, Joffre's thinking tilted toward the Germans coming through Belgium.
To him, bypassing via Belgium was the best way for the German Empire to catch France off guard.
Moreover, if bribery was involved, Joffre figured that infamous yellow Bismarck of Germany—Hans von Choi—could easily sway Britain.
At first, Joffre had dismissed him as a lucky Oriental kid upon hearing his name, but after that devil struck France's rear with the Anglo-German negotiations, Hans von Choi had risen in Joffre's and every French person's mind as Germany's most dangerous figure to watch.
It wasn't for nothing they called him "Bismarck," the bringer of unforgettable humiliation to France.
Thus, Joffre believed Hans von Choi could easily broker a deal with Britain over Belgium.
Perhaps he'd already roped in Belgium by promising French territory postwar.
Albert I, who succeeded the much-reviled Leopold II two years ago as King of the Belgians, was kin to both the British and German royals, after all.
Of course, royal blood ties meant little in this era, but as a republic, France couldn't ignore the Anglo-German royal network.
"Then how should we respond to the Schlieffen Plan?"
"The best defense is a good offense. If necessary, we should consider preemptively invading Belgium before Germany does upon war's outbreak and fortifying trench lines there."
The staff officers murmured at Joffre's hawkish proposal to strike the neutral nation first.
But Joffre's resolve was firm.
"We can't let those German scum set foot in mighty France again. We're still at a disadvantage compared to Germany. To overcome that, we need to act even more aggressively."
Especially since Belgium boasted some of Europe's strongest fortresses, like Liège and Namur.
Seizing them before the Germans arrived could steer the war more favorably for France.
"Britain's guarantee of Belgian neutrality..."
"Ha! Why should we care about that?"
There was no reason to. The British had long been in bed with Germany anyway.
Thus, Joffre dismissed Britain's neutrality guarantee as irrelevant; Britain would obviously join on Germany's side when war broke out.
However, Joffre and the French overlooked two key facts.
First, Britain had less honor than France imagined.
Britain was less the shonen manga hero rushing to aid a friend in crisis and more the ruthless villain discarding allies without mercy when needed.
And second, would Hans really sit idly by while the top-secret Schlieffen Plan leaked to France?
The answer was "no."
"Looks like France took the bait, Count Schlieffen."
"Heh, so it seems. Who knew it would actually work."
Schlieffen chuckled heartily, rod in hand by the riverbank, as if the mere thought delighted him.
By now, France was probably gloating over the Schlieffen Plan, convinced they'd read German intentions.
But what faces would they make upon learning the truth?
That the Schlieffen Plan in their hands was a "fake" one I'd deliberately leaked.
"Joseph Joffre and the French General Staff are likely considering a preemptive strike on Belgium by now."
Given France's fear of Anglo-German talks, their offensive doctrine summed up by élan, and the trench-warfare obsession dominating their generals' minds, the odds were high.
Of course, it was just speculation; in actual war, France might hesitate to invade Belgium preemptively.
But if German forces then moved as if heading straight for Belgium?
Whish!
"Oh, a keeper!"
They'd be hooked, just like the fish Schlieffen had reeled in.
And with 99.9% certainty, Britain—wavering on intervention—would be dragged into the war too.
Even if France stubbornly came via Alsace-Lorraine, Plan B accounted for that—no worries.
France wouldn't voluntarily surrender to Germany unless they went mad; aiding Russia left no other choice.
"Foreign Minister."
As I grinned from the rare French fishing trip, my secretary urgently whispered in my ear.
"An urgent telegram just arrived from our ambassador to Russia."
"...Russia, you say?"
"Yes. Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin has been assassinated."
At the secretary's words, I looked up at the sky with complex eyes mingling relief and regret.
Stolypin was dead.
And with him fell the Russian Empire's last hope.