Intelligence, troop strength, equipment, military technology, military doctrine, popular support, and geographical advantage—all of them were on Austria's side.
It was simply too early for the Greater German Solution. Otherwise, they really could have given it a try.
Although the French had drawn up their battle plans long ago, they still sent envoys to Vienna and the Frankfurt Parliament separately to deliver their ultimatums.
On the surface, they were being courteous before resorting to force. In reality, they were gathering their forces and waiting for the British fleet.
The high command of the Grand Orient Fleet opposed going to war with Austria, and opposed joining forces with the British even more.
But the leaders of the French Second Republic believed that everything would work out once the British fleet entered the Mediterranean Sea.
The commander of the new Mediterranean Fleet was old Edward Hobart Seymour. Known for his shrewdness and experience, the veteran, like many famous British generals of the era, had never suffered a defeat in his entire life.
The British Government was in a difficult position, after all. Choosing a suitable candidate from among a group of undefeated generals was no easy task.
Old Edward Hobart Seymour was not very famous, but his grandson Edward Hobart Seymour was well known as the commander of the British Army during the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China.
The latter had been badly beaten by the Boxer Rebellion in the East, yet back home in Britain he continued to receive honors and accolades. He had his good uncle to thank for that—Sir Michael Seymour, former commander of the British Eastern Fleet—as well as a powerful cousin who held a senior position in the British Navy.
The newly formed Mediterranean Fleet was enormous, consisting of thirty-eight battleships in all. Eight of them were