Holy Roman Empire

Vienna Palace, Franz was playing with his grandson, just a few months old.

In recent times, as England, France, and Russia had all been busy, and operations within the country were running smoothly, Franz had no choice but to spend his leisure time fussing over the little one.

A burst of wailing cries suddenly erupted, throwing Franz into a flurry.

At that moment, a maid hurried over, speaking urgently, "Your Majesty, news has just come from outside the palace that Prime Minister Felix fainted just after leaving the house today, and he is currently undergoing emergency treatment."

Struck by this terrible news, Franz could no longer pay attention to his crying grandson and promptly handed Little Charlie over to the maid.

He ordered, "Prepare the carriage immediately, I must leave the palace!"

Human beings are not heartless like grass or trees.

Since the era of the Great Revolution, Felix had been the Prime Minister of Austria. The two had worked closely for over thirty years, saving the Habsburg dynasty from the brink of hell.

In terms of achievements, Felix could be considered the primary contributor to the revival of the Habsburg dynasty.

Born in 1800, Felix Schwarzenberg was now 85 years old, an age that was double the average life expectancy of that era.

With this thought in mind, Franz felt his heart sink.

Time spares no one; even as Emperor, he could only watch helplessly as the people around him dwindled away, one by one.

An advanced age of 85 years was difficult to recover from, not just now but even in the 21st century.

…

As the Prime Minister of Austria, Felix naturally had his personal doctor at his service at all times, and even various medical equipment were always on hand at home.

Mainly because there wasn’t much medical equipment available at that time. If it were like the 21st century, with a plethora of devices, it wouldn’t be possible to have them at the ready.

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Everything being readily available, treatment naturally took place at home. By the time Franz arrived, the medical experts from Vienna had almost all gathered.

A large group of nobility from Vienna also arrived, but there weren’t many colleagues from the government. There was nothing to be done; it was the rule. It was working hours now, and even without the Prime Minister, the government still had to function normally.

Seeing Franz arrive in person, the crowd wasn’t surprised. He always made a point to visit each minister who was seriously ill.

Faced with Prime Minister Felix, who was in an unresponsive coma, Franz swallowed all his words and silently waited outside the sickroom.

There was no time for pleasantries, as Franz was in a troubled mood and had no energy to deal with too much.

Seeing the Emperor’s somber expression, everyone understood that it was not the time to approach, or they would certainly be asking for a scolding.

Seconds and minutes ticked by, and the sky gradually darkened. The Guard Commander reminded him, "Your Majesty, it is getting late, it’s time to return to the Palace."

Franz nodded and, seeing the large group of nobles and officials outside, waved his hand and commanded, "Disperse!"

It was only then that Franz realized that because he, the Emperor, had stayed, others had been obliged to wait as well.

Returning to the Palace with a heavy heart, Franz knew that a new round of political shuffling was about to begin.

Given the current state of Prime Minister Felix’s health, even if he recovered, he was unlikely to continue to be capable of his duties.

It was not just the Prime Minister who was of advanced age; many high-ranking officials were over seventy years old. Unwittingly, the Vienna Government had also entered an age of seniority.

Lying in bed, Franz couldn’t help but think how wonderful it would be to pursue immortality in an era where spiritual energy was revived.

As time went on, Franz began to indulge in fantasies in his dreams.

…

Egypt, under persistent urging from Napoleon IV, Governor Adolf’s Rebellion Suppression Army finally assembled in Cairo.

One French infantry division, plus two Egyptian colonial divisions, plus one cavalry battalion constituted the entire makeup of the Rebellion Suppression Army.

There was no artillery regiment; artillery was superfluous for quelling colonial insurrections, the field cannons carried by the infantry were sufficient.

In those days, artillery was a high-technical combat branch, not just about firing a cannonball; accuracy was key.

Even if the Anglo-Austrian two countries were willing to provide artillery, the Rebel Army wouldn’t be able to find capable gunners.

On a bright, sunny day, Governor Adolf led his 36,000-strong Rebellion Suppression Army and set off magnificently from Cairo.

Faced with the formidable approach of the French, the Rebel Army descended into chaos. The reputation of France, the world’s foremost land army powerhouse, was so strong that some within the Rebel Army began to waver even before the battle had begun.

Mahidi held several mobilization meetings to boost morale, but to little effect.

As the Austrian representative, Colonel Hutile also attended one meeting. After seeing the ugly state of the Rebel Army’s high command, he decisively chose not to participate again.

The headquarters of the Eighth Division, the newly appointed Commander Hutile said with great concern, "The Rebel Army is too complex in composition, rife with internal contradictions, and lacks sufficient training and combat awareness.

Given the current situation, a head-on collision with the French is only a matter of time before failure ensues.

The perfect strategy devised by the British completely overlooks the execution ability of the Rebel Army. After such a long time, they still haven’t decided where to intercept the river.

Now a bunch of them are still arguing; I estimate that by the time the French come here, they won’t even have determined a location."

The flow of the Nile River is not always high throughout the year. Intercepting the river to store water for a downstream flood during the dry season simply cannot achieve the desired effect.

Regrettably, we are just entering April now, and from January to May, it is the dry season for the Nile River. Water levels will not start to rise until May, reaching their peak in August.

This means that the Rebel Army must hold out for at least 40 days under the French offensive before the "perfect strategy" devised by the British has any chance of being realized.

To rely on floods to destroy the downstream Delta Region, it would be best to wait until August.

Every year in August there are floods in the lower reaches, and it is common for farmland to be destroyed, sometimes even affecting Cairo City.

Fa Jinhan: "The British plan is completely unworkable; the French will not leave them enough time.

If Mahidi is smart enough, he would immediately choose a suitable location to blow up a small mountain peak to block the river.

Even though it is the dry season now, and the destructive power on the downstream is limited, it’s better to have some blockade than none at all; it could at least delay the French Rebellion Suppression Army."

By virtue of being upstream, they naturally have a geographical advantage. Once the river is blocked, the approaching French will have to detour.

If they continue to march along the Nile River, in the event the Rebel army suddenly releases the water, they will become fish food; the French would not take that risk.

However, going through with the plan prematurely means destroying the Delta becomes a dream. After all, the water volume is insufficient, and the destructive power is limited.

Hutile shook his head: "Don’t expect too much; the Rebel Army has been fooled by the British.

Perhaps General Jeret still thinks the Rebel Army can be as disciplined as the British Army."

The disdain was obvious in his tone. If it weren’t for the certainty that General Jeret’s identity made betrayal of Britain impossible, he would suspect Jeret was a spy sent by the French.

It appears that the total strength of the Rebel army is nearly 100,000 people, about three times the French, possessing an absolute advantage in manpower.

However, a manpower advantage does not equate to victory. In the battles to suppress colonial rebellions, it’s not uncommon to fight against odds of one to three, or even one to a hundred.

Botiolayek suggested, "Since the high command of the Rebel Army is already foolish, let’s not bother with them.

Find an opportunity to separate from them. Then we fight our own battles, using them to tie up the main force of the French Army while we wreak havoc in the Egyptian mainland.

If we can’t beat the main force of the French Army, can’t we at least bully the Plantation Owners? Burn down the French people’s cotton fields and let Governor Adolf weep!"

Expectations were so low, despite being armed with a batch of equipment airdropped by airship and having undergone simple training. Botiolayek had no hope of a decisive battle with the French.

In his view, even bullying Plantation Owners would depend on a manpower advantage. With equal numbers, this rabble would not be able to beat the hired hands raised by the Plantation Owners.

Fa Jinhan asked with a frown, "The idea sounds good, but once we enter the Egyptian mainland, how should we retreat?"

This is a realistic problem; it’s easy to penetrate deep behind enemy lines, but difficult to get out once in.

If the French find out someone burned their cotton fields, they would give them a beating to death.

Botiolayek shook his head: "The French are not fools. Once they catch on, they will quickly send troops to suppress us, and retreating is simply not possible.

But our task is to cause destruction; why must we retreat?

Take the troops on a rampage, and if the situation turns sour, abandon the troops, and just disguise ourselves and run."

Although a bit ruthless, this strategy was indeed very feasible. In those days without identification cards, a few more strangers in the colony could not be identified.

Even if caught by the French, one could still pretend to be an Austrian expedition team that accidentally wandered into Egypt Area.

This world has never lacked the directionally challenged; every year there are numerous expedition teams lost and wandering into foreign colonies.

Being caught wouldn’t be a problem either; it would merely involve alerting the Austrian Colonial Government to fetch them and possibly extract a ransom.

It’s a common practice; without conflicts of interest, the Colonists usually won’t kill indiscriminately.