The Prussia-Austria Alliance

With King Wilhelm I and Prime Minister Bismarck leading the Prussian high command in active preparation and operation.

The Prussian army stood ready, and the Austrian army was on its way.

The Austrians were naturally well aware of Prussia's ambition to unify the German regions.

Prussia's rapid development in recent years was no secret: the establishment of the Zollverein, industrial growth, and the expansion of railways had all led to Prussia's increasing influence in the German territories.

Therefore, the Austrians would not miss this opportunity to participate in the war against Denmark, unwilling to allow Prussia to win over the hearts and minds of the German people.

Of course, Austria's ambition to unify Germany was no less than Prussia's, but interference from countries like Britain and France prevented them from acting rashly. This time, Bismarck drew Austria into the conflict by proposing joint leadership over the fate of the two northern duchies.

Faced with common interests, Austria indeed took the bait; this was an open stratagem. If they did nothing, they would watch Prussia win over the German populace. If they acted, they would be unable to do so without Prussia. Prussia was already in an invincible position.

Schleswig and Holstein were far from Austria. Even if Austria gained control of one of the duchies, it would only serve as an exclave. Prussia, however, could quickly assimilate its spoils by leveraging its geographical advantage.

However, Austria had a history of numerous exclaves, so no one paid much attention to this issue. The former Habsburgs not only had countless exclaves within the Holy Roman Empire but also across Europe and even the world. Prussia could exploit this in the future.

This was also Bismarck's brilliance: Austria had to fall for this open stratagem. By bringing Austria along, Prussia would share the international pressure.

As a top world power, Austria was naturally not comparable to a secondary power like Prussia in the eyes of other nations.

At its peak, the Habsburg dynasty had no rivals in Europe. Even now, they were on par with Britain, France, and Russia as global arbiters.

The current Austrian Empire was not the dualistic empire of the later Austro-Hungarian Empire; its strength was considerable.

The old guard from the Napoleonic era had not yet faded, and the Austrian army remained a formidable force on the continent.

Of course, it was unlikely these old veterans would personally lead on the front lines, but they could at least stabilize the morale of the Austrian army; they were all seasoned individuals.

Even a sinking ship has three pounds of nails; while their thinking might be outdated, they still possessed capability and vision.

From this perspective, the Austrian army could still keep pace with the times. Despite the chaotic composition of the army, preparations were proceeding in an orderly fashion.

As the Austrian army marched north, troops quickly gathered in northern Germany. States like Bavaria and Württemberg also mobilized their own armies to join.

In terms of mobilization capability alone, Prussia was naturally superior. Although Prussia was largely moving troops within its own territory, Austria had to deploy from its heartland and march north, a long journey that placed it at a natural disadvantage.

However, one had to acknowledge the top-tier professionalism of the Prussian army. Through the coordinated dispatch of railways, ports, and pack animals, the General Staff meticulously formulated plans.

The interconnected logistics network made the entire Prussia function like a massive supply depot, with every facet of the state machinery seamlessly integrated with the military.

The Prussian army, with its uniform attire and comprehensive regulations, was generally clean and efficient.

The Austrian army, on the other hand, appeared a motley crew. Due to the lack of a unified language and culture, nobles from various regions led their respective armies, with a multitude of unit designations and no standardized uniforms, retaining the distinct characteristics of their regions and ethnicities.

It was only due to the vastness of the Austrian Empire that its logistics did not collapse, and with the support of the northern states, the Austrian army could obtain relatively good conditions for rest and recuperation.

In addition to the Prussian and Austrian armies, other capable states also brought their own troops to support the two powers, but compared to Prussia and Austria, they could only play a minor role.

With the assembly of various national armies, apart from the supplies transported with the troops, subsequent logistical needs could not be entirely sourced from their home countries. Most supplies were procured from Prussia and the northern German states.

At this point, Ernst, who had been well-prepared, joined the military supply effort. The first batch of industrial products was directly loaded from factories and warehouses and sent to the military camps, free of charge.

Many soldiers were novelly impressed by products from the Hohenzollern Development Company, which they had never used before.

Especially the cigarettes and lighters, which were extremely popular among the soldiers, a phenomenon particularly evident in the Austrian army.

Although the Austrian army was also a customer of Ernst's, due to geographical distance, Ernst had not been able to supply them on a large scale previously.

Now, Ernst intended to use this opportunity to popularize his products within the Austrian army. By the end of the war, Ernst's tobacco company would also have established factories in Austria.

The Prussian army, with its unified procurement and distribution of daily necessities for soldiers and officers, left Ernst with no room for minor schemes.

Austria, however, was markedly different. The mixed composition of the Austrian army, the uneven quality of its officers, and its poorer discipline created a market for Ernst's products.

By bribing officers, these ruffians smoked and puffed away in the barracks, quickly depleting the cigarettes provided by Ernst. The Austrian quartermasters had no choice but to increase the demand for cigarettes in their supply orders.

Since cigarettes could indeed ensure the stable morale of the soldiers, there was nothing more to be said. The Austrian generals turned a blind eye, and with a stroke of the imperial pen, large orders flowed into Ernst's factories.

When these soldiers were eventually discharged, they would find it difficult to break their dependence on tobacco. At that point, Ernst could continue his tobacco business; convenient and inexpensive paper-rolled cigarettes would spread throughout Germany with these soldiers.

January 16, 1864.

Representatives of Prussia and Austria formally signed an agreement. Austria had drafted a clause to continue the 1852 agreement, but Bismarck abolished it, stipulating instead that only Prussia and Austria could jointly decide the relationship of the two duchies, and neither could decide on succession issues without the other's consent.

This way, the pressure of public opinion from foreign countries would be shared by both powers, and issues concerning the German territories should naturally be resolved by the Germans themselves.