Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Imperial Army General Staff Headquarters. Karl I had personally come here to learn how the war was developing. After all, this battle directly concerned the life and death of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as his own fate. Thus, he was extremely concerned about the course of the war.
"Your Excellency Grand Duke, Army Chief of Staff. I have already contacted the Americans. They stated that their navy will soon set out for the Atlantic East to fight alongside us and the German Navy. As long as our army can hold out for one month, the US Army will appear on the battlefield. You must know that the US Army's total strength has now exceeded two million. If they mobilize, their forces can expand even further. By then, we may very well defeat the Germans!" Karl I still appeared highly optimistic.
In Karl I's view, even if the Austro-Hungarian Empire could not defeat Germany, holding out for a month would be no problem whatsoever. After all, across the European continent and indeed the entire world, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was the second greatest military power, second only to Germany!
Yet Archduke Friedrich and Baron Marshal von Heitzenforf wore exceedingly grave expressions. They clearly did not hold much hope for this battle. Although admitting that the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Army might not even be able to hold back the German military for a month seemed somewhat humiliating, facts were facts and had to be acknowledged. What was more, this concerned the survival of the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire!
They also did not know why Karl I had agreed to the Americans' demands without consulting them. Had they known beforehand, they certainly would not have agreed to the conditions Karl I had accepted.
"Your Majesty, we will do our utmost to hold back