Holy Roman Empire

Colonel Hutile interrupted, "Enough, the two of you, stop playing around. We don’t need to lighten the mood right now; we need to think about countermeasures as quickly as possible!"

Botiolayek waved his hand helplessly, "All right, Colonel. But given the current situation, I don’t think there is any need to develop strategic tactics.

Most of the rebel army’s main force is of this caliber, and one can easily imagine what the ragtag elements look like. It’s already quite an effort to bring them to the battlefield.

Frankly, I’m not optimistic about this mission at all. Now I completely agree with what His Excellency the Governor said: we should first learn to survive on the battlefield.

Right now, the most important thing is to take command of the army and give this motley crew some basic training, at least teach them to follow orders."

Joking aside, Botiolayek was not foolhardy enough to attack Cairo with a bunch of rabble.

The French Army of those days still held a lot of deterrent power, and no one dared take them lightly.

With the current strength of the rebel forces, not to mention taking Cairo, even bringing the fight to the Nile Delta would be a military miracle.

Regular troops have their way of fighting, and a rabble has its way; all greenhorns, naturally, they lack sophistication.

Strategies and tactics, for an army of rabble, are completely superfluous and simply unattainable.

Colonel Hutile nodded, "You being aware of this, it seems my worries were unnecessary.

However, we’re not completely without a chance. Just because the French Army’s main force is invincible doesn’t mean the Egyptian people can’t be overcome.

When the time comes, let the Mahdi and others hold back the French Army’s main force, and we will specialize in sabotage.

I hear Egypt is one of the most important cotton-producing areas for the French; destroying these plantations will probably cause them enough pain.

If we’re lucky and can incite the Egyptians to join the rebellion, the effect would likely be much better.

If that’s not feasible, find an opportunity to blow up the Nile River and deliberately create a...

...

Compared to Austria’s casual attitude, the British took matters much more seriously. To create an opportunity to intervene in the Suez Canal, the British Government directly dispatched a military instructor group led by General Jeret.

On one hand there were fledgling military academy cadets, and on the other, an experienced general; any normal person knew which to choose.

General Jeret did not disappoint Mahdi, coming up with a perfect battle plan, or at least it sounded perfect.

A spirited General Jeret, with a baton in hand, pointed on the map, "Here is Egypt’s core, the Nile Delta, which is also a focus of French operations.

To drive out the French, we must first destroy their foundation here. Without the Delta as support, the cost for the French to deploy troops would at least double.

For France, Egypt is at least one part of their numerous colonies; the Paris Government can’t possibly invest resources indefinitely.

As long as we hit them hard and make them realize that colonizing Egypt was a mistake, the French government will weigh the pros and cons.

With our strength, it’s unrealistic to take the Delta region directly from the French.

However, we too have our advantages—the Nile River.

Find an appropriate place to build a dam and store water, then blow up the dam, and the flood will drive away the French for us..."

Pure bluffing, but the Rebel Army leadership liked to hear it. Compared to the Austrians’ proposal of ruling over a region, the temptation to drive the French out of Egypt was too great.

To keep the Rebel Army leader in the dark, General Jeret had put in great effort and crammed knowledge about the Egypt Area.

Only then had he devised a perfect operational plan that increased the chances of victory for the Mahdi Rebel Army at least tenfold.

But this was of no use, a hundred times zero is still zero, let alone ten times?

Unless something drastic happened on the European Continent, like Paris being breached in the original timeline, the French government would never consider giving up the Suez Canal.

The combined population of half of Sudan plus Egypt was only a few million, and their military strength absolutely couldn’t compare to that of the Ottoman Empire, which had been annihilated by the Anti-Turkish Alliance.

Even if the cost of war increased, how much could it possibly increase? The great revolution two years earlier had only made the French government poorer, not the French citizenry.

Driven to desperation, the French government could commit genocide. As long as the military might was sufficient, the troubles of the colonies were not an issue at all.

Listening to the bright blueprint Jeret outlined, Mahdi was moved, yet he did not show it on his face. Enjoy new adventures from empire

For a leader, personal image is also very important. Once this plan was implemented, those Egyptians who had supported him might very well reconsider their stance.

With some trepidation, he asked, "General, wouldn’t this be too..."

Jeret glared harshly at Mahdi and interrupted, "War always requires sacrifices, whether it’s soldiers or civilians. As long as victory can be secured, these sacrifices are worthwhile."

Without a doubt, he had seen through Mahdi’s real purpose. Orders that were bound to be controversial were something no one wanted to be responsible for.

What seemed like indecisive questioning was actually a way to make Jeret take the blame. But for the sake of the grand strategy of the Great Britain Empire, Jeret chose to bear it.

There was no point in getting angry with a dead man, after all, the fate of this Rebel Army had been sealed from the beginning.

After hesitating for a while, Mahdi said helplessly, "Very well! In order to escape the French yoke, we will have to inconvenience the people of the lower regions. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Abdullah, send someone to tally the losses of the populace, and after we drive out the French, we will compensate them in the future."

Having made this decision, Mahdi seemed to have lightened his burden considerably.

...

With a "perfect" plan of action, the high command of the Rebel Army paid even less attention to the Austrian Officer Corps.

If Hutile and his men hadn’t been holding the weapons and equipment they desired, and if they didn’t need support from Austria, they probably wouldn’t even bother meeting with them.

"General, the French forces are formidable..."

Mahdi cut Hutile off before he could finish, "Colonel, we already have a perfect operational plan. For safety reasons, I’m afraid we can’t disclose it, please understand."

The atmosphere in the room became awkward instantly, as good intentions were misconstrued, infuriating Hutile to the point where his face turned red with anger.

If it weren’t for the consideration of his mission, he would have stormed off. Even so, he was now teetering on the edge of bursting out.

It was one thing not to accept advice, but that line "For safety reasons, I’m afraid we can’t disclose it," was as good as having "distrust" written all over it in bright lights.

No sooner had the words left his mouth did Mahdi realize his slip of the tongue. Some things are okay to think, but not to say.

The speaker may have been thoughtless, but the listener read into it deeply.

"A perfect operational plan" amounted to saying that Hutile and his men were incompetent, having devised a rubbish combat strategy.

"For safety reasons, I’m afraid we can’t disclose it," only revealed a thick sense of mistrust, didn’t it?

Mahdi hurried to remedy the situation, "Colonel, I meant no suspicion towards you. It’s just that this matter is of great importance, and we must be extremely careful. Please understand."

With a cold snort, Hutile mocked, "Of course, I fully comprehend your approach.

In such matters, whoever it is would keep secrets from outsiders. After all, outsiders are unreliable. What if they ran off to inform the French?"

Seeing the atmosphere grow even tenser, Mahdi realized the danger. He was no ignoramus and was very aware of the French prowess.

Here on the African Continent, the British had limited influence and were utterly powerless against the French. Without the support of Austria, their dream of independence was a joke.

He patiently explained, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. I have no doubts about your intentions. If you wish to know, you are welcome to attend our upcoming military conference."

He had never doubted that Austria would snitch. In Mahdi’s view, the reliability of the British and Austrian delegations on this issue was higher than that of the top leaders within the Rebel Army.

The fact that these individuals had arrived here already indicated the stance of their respective governments. To inform would be treachery.

If the French could turn the representatives of England and Austria, it would no longer just be about African independence; it would mean England, France, and Austria were set for a direct clash.

The great powers also had their pride. The French could not accept the idea of meddling in their internal affairs, and just as much, England and Austria could not accept the French planting spies in their midst.

Should such an event occur, Mahdi would wake from his sleep laughing. If the great powers were to clash, the French would have no time to attend to them.

In fact, Mahdi’s ostentatious reception of the British and Austrian delegations, apart from military aid, was undertaken primarily for the sake of his subordinates.

The organizational structure within the Rebel Army had always been problematic with flawed systems. The bond holding the Rebel Army together was mainly Mahdi’s personal charisma.

This was clearly insufficient. People’s loyalty is fragile and unreliable. Any unexpected turn on the battlefield could lead to the disintegration of the Rebel Army at any moment.

Reorganizing the Rebel Army was impossible in the short term, and the French would not grant them that much time.

Therefore, the introduction of foreign forces was essential. England and Austria were both powerful allies. Having the support of these two would undoubtedly boost the confidence of his men.

So far, the effect was significant. Ever since the arrival of the British and Austrian delegations, the morale within the Rebel Army had quickly stabilized.

Those who were wavering and contemplating defecting to the French had now halted their steps towards betrayal.

Nobody wanted to be enslaved if they could establish an independent nation.

After all, colonial rule at that time was truly brutal. Even the local dignitaries might have their heads relocated at any moment in front of the colonists.

No one wished to live in constant fear of the next day. Given hope, they were all willing to take their chances.

Listening to this explanation, Hutile’s expression eased somewhat, yet he still did not offer Mahdi any warm gestures.

"No need, General. I have no interest in your plans. I joined simply because we share a common enemy.

You have been to the European Continent and should know that we and the French are archenemies. We are only too pleased to cause trouble for them whenever possible."

There was no talk of friendship; that was too unreliable.

Since the rise of the Habsburg dynasty, Ottoman Empire territory fell under the Sultan’s rule, which placed them directly opposed; thus, there was no room for friendship.

Compared to friendship, hate could bring two parties closer. Anyone familiar with European history would know how the "France and Austria" rivalry originated.

After competing for centuries and still opposing each other, France and Austria had every motive to undermine one another until the struggle for hegemony on the European Continent was unequivocally resolved.

The Rebel Army sought to overthrow the rule of the French, thus standing against France as well. Having a common enemy provided the grounds for both sides to gravitate towards each other.

By this point in the conversation, Mahdi had understood Hutile’s intentions, which were within his bottom line.

Mahdi echoed, "Right, it’s to take down our common enemy.

However, Colonel, we’ve encountered a bit of trouble and need your assistance."

"You’re aware that the Rebel Army was only recently established and hasn’t had the chance to perfect its internal organization, particularly the lack of sufficient excellent officers."

"I know you’re a top graduate of the Austrian Military Academy, and I’d like to ask for your help in training the Eighth Division and to temporarily act as the acting Division Commander."

After a pause, Mahdi added, "The Eighth Division is newly formed, and there is a bit of a shortage in weapons and equipment, so…"

Nominally, the total number of the Rebel Army had already surpassed one hundred thousand, and eight infantry divisions had been organized based on European military structures. In reality, the only ones who had seen actual combat were those of Mahdi’s direct line in the First Division.

The rest of the forces were composed of rebels who had subsequently joined, with a complex mixture of backgrounds.

The Eighth Division was the most recently established force, with the weakest combat capabilities among all the Rebel Army units, and their equipment was in total disarray.

The entire division, numbering over nine thousand men, together possessed only eight hundred rifles. Mahdi was now ready to take back even those meager eight hundred rifles as he handed the division over to the Austrians.

There was no way around it, the Rebel Army was in dire need of weapons and equipment. It was true that England and Austria supported them, but the military equipment didn’t just blow in with the wind from Anglo-Austria.

Before seeing any results, the level of investment from the two countries was very limited.

The British provided seven thousand five hundred rifles, three hundred pistols, five field guns, and a quantity of ammunition, barely enough to equip an infantry division.

The assistance from Austria was similar to that of the British. The military aid from both countries together was enough for only two infantry divisions, with the rest left to fend for themselves.

Until the Rebel Army could prove themselves on the battlefield, it was difficult to secure more substantial aid.

Mahdi’s assigning the Eighth Division to Hutile’s command was essentially out of desperation—how could a force where not even one in ten had a rifle enter the battlefield?

In Mahdi’s view, the Austrian Officer Corps’ eagerness to join the battle was simply these restless young men wanting to prove their capabilities on the battlefield and to secure a chance for promotion.

Since these men wished to achieve results on the battlefield, they had to first solve the issue of arming the Eighth Division.

Even if they were all embroidered pillows, useless in battle, he still had a chance to pick up some weapons and equipment for free.

If the Austrians could train the Eighth Division competently, it would only please him even more.

The French counterattack was imminent, and Mahdi wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to strengthen his hand.

As for the troubles that might arise in the future, those were issues to be dealt with after the French were driven away. If they failed, there would be no future to worry about.

"At your service! We can find a way to solve the equipment issue," Hutile decisively agreed after a brief moment of consideration. It was just weapons and equipment, trivial matters.

Everyone had their allotments; an infantry division didn’t need that much weaponry, and it could be scraped together with ease.

It was not easy to get a chance for real combat practice. Giving up some decommissioned weapons and equipment was truly no big deal.

…