War's End

The Austro-Prussian War was a war that had been prepared for a long time, with very clear allegiances among the German states.

Although the conflict began in April, Prussia only started its operational preparations in May due to the hesitation of the King of Prussia.

However, it was clear that Prussia was the more thoroughly prepared side for this war. Prussia had long been ready to unify Germany, while Austria was still lost in its imperial dreams, unaware of the precarious situation the Austrian Empire was in.

As June 1866 arrived, the flames along the Prussian-Austrian border were further ignited.

The Kingdom of Bavaria in southern Germany attempted to initiate a confederation vote, using it as an opportunity to halt the war preparations of both Prussia and Austria.

But the war preparations had already reached such a stage that a small Bavaria could not possibly stop it.

After the Iron Chancellor Bismarck declared the parliament's decision invalid and demanded the dissolution of the Confederation, a vigorous process of choosing sides began throughout Germany.

This upcoming war would not only decide victory or defeat but also determine the ultimate master of the German region.

On Prussia's side were Mecklenburg, Oldenburg, other North German states, and the three free cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Lübeck.

On Austria's side were Saxony, Hanover, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Darmstadt, and other member states of the German Confederation.

In terms of the number of states, population, and territory, Austria held an advantage. However, in terms of military strength, Prussia was clearly superior.

As June 14th officially arrived, the war that both sides had prepared for so long finally erupted.

Carlo was not worried about this war at all. Even if it were just Prussia versus Austria, Austria would absolutely not be Prussia's opponent.

Although the Italian army might not play a significant role, it could still tie down a portion of the Austrian forces in the early stages of the war.

Moreover, Garibaldi had already prepared an army of over ten thousand men, and at least this army would not be a hindrance.

If the Austrians were truly overconfident, perhaps Italy could not only reclaim the Venetian region but also lay claim to the long-desired South Tyrol region.

It is worth mentioning that, concerned about Garibaldi leading the troops alone, Vittorio Emanuele II agreed to Carlo's request to invite Garibaldi's second son, Giotto, to serve as Carlo's Duke's Court Adjutant.

This position held no real power, as Carlo was not qualified to have a personal guard.

Giotto's daily tasks involved accompanying Carlo to the Military Academy for studies and handling some miscellaneous matters for Carlo.

While Carlo endured his monotonous military studies day after day, the war between Prussia and Austria raged fiercely.

Although the battlefield was divided into three fronts, the decisive engagement took place in Bohemia.

This was not only where the main forces of the Prussian and Austrian armies clashed but also the most vital part of the Austrian Empire.

The good news was that Carlo, through his connections, could easily obtain the latest battlefield reports and publish them in his newspaper, the 24 Hours Sun Newspaper.

Interspersed with occasional news about Garibaldi, this had thoroughly solidified the position of the 24 Hours Sun Newspaper of Italy in Italy's public opinion sphere.

Riding the wave of this war, the Italy Sun's daily sales had surpassed 15,000 copies and were rapidly approaching 20,000 copies.

If not for the printing and communication technologies of the era limiting the newspaper's expansion, the Sun Newspaper could have become Italy's largest newspaper.

The entire war did not last long. Because Prussia feared French intervention, the war began with great fanfare but ended abruptly.

The good news was that Italy successfully received its reward for participating in the war: the entire Venetian region and a portion of South Tyrol.

The bad news was that the Italian army and Vittorio Emanuele II showed themselves in an extremely poor light during the war; the performance of over a hundred thousand Italian soldiers was worse than that of Garibaldi's army of just over ten thousand.

However, as the saying goes, the good outweighs the bad. Compared to the nationwide celebration over the recovery of Venice and the annexation of half of South Tyrol, the Italian public could easily overlook Vittorio Emanuele II's poor military command.

At least on this matter, Vittorio Emanuele II and Garibaldi reached a compromise.

Garibaldi hoped to see a unified and strong Italy in his lifetime, while Vittorio Emanuele II aimed to complete the great goal of unifying Italy during his reign. The two were perfectly aligned.

This also had benefits for Carlo.

The suggestion for Garibaldi to recruit troops and prepare for war was Carlo's, and it had proven very effective.

If not for Garibaldi's army playing a crucial role on the southern front, it would have been difficult enough for Italy to reclaim Venice, let alone annex a portion of South Tyrol.

The biggest factor in this was Prussia's fear of French intervention.

In the original history, after the Italian army's defeat, Garibaldi was given command in a crisis. With an army of only 38,000 hastily assembled men, he repeatedly defeated Austrian forces and almost reached the Tyrol region.

However, Prussia at that time feared French intervention and, with an extremely firm stance, demanded that the Italian government immediately withdraw its troops.

Garibaldi had no choice but to withdraw from South Tyrol, resulting in Italy only gaining the Venetian region, which the Austrians had voluntarily abandoned, in this war.

Now, due to Garibaldi's proactive offensive, a large part of South Tyrol had been captured before the Prussians demanded a withdrawal.

This became the bargaining chip for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to claim South Tyrol. Although they ultimately only obtained less than half of South Tyrol, it was still more than what was gained in the original history.

Compared to Italy, the Kingdom of Prussia was undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary of this war.

After the war ended, the German Confederation was dissolved, and Austria lost its control over the German region.

Prussia then rose to become the leader of all the states in the German region and annexed the Kingdom of Hanover, becoming the new hegemon of the German region.

This was quite friendly to countries like Italy. With Prussia drawing the attention of Britain and France, Italy could develop quietly for a while, and Carlo wouldn't have to worry about his actions causing greater unforeseen consequences.

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