Federal Republic of Hungary AAR - Part V - Fourth Austro-Hungarian War (1867-1875)

Upon the re-election of Andrassy, his advisors warned him that war with Austria was potentially imminent. With the five-year truce about to end, he realized that Hungary was in severe danger of losing Kismarton to the Habsburgs.

Upon the truce's end, Andrassy ordered that a new soldier campaign was to start in the nation. A focus on making the people of the nation smarter was changed to making the military larger and more technologically advanced.

As such, the people of the Pozsony Province, the Transdanubia Province and the Western Erdely Province were hit with a massive campaign to join the Hungarian Army.

The Italians forced a white peace against the French, effectively completely neutering the French state for good.

The House of Saud in Arabia has taken control of the useless parts of the Arabian peninsula and declared themselves the rightful owners of the holy city of Mecca. We look at this with little concern.

The military campaign has brought massive amounts of farmers and artisans looking for glory to the armories, allowing an increase in Hungarian soldiers.

Yet this means little, as a lack of prestige means we are unable to gain canned food.

Bismarck is convinced that helping out the Habsburgs would be the best discourse for the German nation, in the hopes that integrating the non-German parts of Austria would lead to a much stronger Germany.

A massive budget surplus affords us to cut tariffs.

More and more time is spent on military technology.

The German-Italian Axis (or the Dual Alliance) is signed between Otto von Bismarck and Vittorio Emmanuel II of Italy, signifying the start of a terrifying alliance.

Radical socialists in Erdely declare an uprising to "liberate Hungary from the Nationalist Conservative dictatorship".

The city of Ujvidek and its surrounding areas has became majority-Hungarian. As a result, it's ludicrous for any ethnicity to claim the city as part of its country.

The canned food shortages are not biding well for us...

Then on 1 April 1870, Franz Josef of Austria sends a message to the Diet in Buda, and demands the cessation of Kismarton. Both Andrassy and the Diet decline, and just ten days later, the Austrians launch military operations and invade Hungary.

The Fourth Austro-Hungarian War has begun.

Andrassy, panicked, orders mass mobilization. It is the only way we can fight the Habsburgs without military failure. We are allied with the Montenegrins and the Greeks, but we aren't convinced they'll do much.

Our luck weakens further, as a cholera outbreak in the city of Resicabanya in Erdely threatens to weaken Hungary. Andrassy forces a massive quarantine in the city to prevent the deadly cholera from spreading outside of Erdely.

Troops are ordered to be built, but Andrassy isn't confident in the troops being finished prior to the war's end.

A plan is decided: use superior troop numbers and force Austrian armies to rout, which would make the war much easier for us. A little regiment traveling to Erdely will be the first victim...

Four massive Habsburg armies are maruading throughout the Republic, which looks quite awful and scares the Diet members from Kismarton.

Our first attack will be on an Austrian army regiment setting up control in Pecs. The two regiments will later attack from a different route to avoid river crossing penalties.

This decision leads to an easy first advantage.

Although we take more casualties, Lahner successfully nearly destroys the Austrian army regiment in Pecs.

Poeltenberg follows the Habsburg retreating army, and further destroys them there.

As the Austrian General Staff orders an Austrian regiment to send reinforcements to a doomed regiment, two Hungarian armies reinforce Poeltenberg's regiment to prevent a failure.

What remained of the regiment were either injured, escaped back to Austria, or sent to prison camps for the duration of the war.

Austrian forces that mainly originate from Bohemia attack our armies in Kaposvar.

Further reinforcements are, once again, sent. Despite massive casualties, the Austrians take more, preventing a phyrric victory.

The Battle of Varasdin was a massive humiliation for the Austrian Army. We only take 8,000 casualties, compared to their 30,000. The two Austrian Army regiments nearly collapsed after this failure, and effectively allows for a Republican victory for Hungary.

The Battle of Marburg isn't as successful, but it still threatens the Austrians.

The Greeks sent their army to Dalmatia, which eases the war for us significantly.

The Austrians lose more and more troops...

And finally, the Battle of Laibach ends it all.

In 6 December 1870, Isabella II, Queen of Spain, orders a truce. Although the Austrians seem to agree, Andrassy pressures the Spanish government to allow the acquisition of Croatia. Finally, Isabella II relents, and the Treaty of Madrid is signed, stipulating the following:

- The rest of the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia will, henceforth, become Hungarian territory once more.

- Habsburg military incursions will no longer be tolerated by the Spanish.

- Five-year truce.

Andrassy's popularity explodes. The Hungarian Army has, with the direction of both him and the General Staff, defended the Hungarian nation from losing the Kismarton and reacquiring the new Provinces of Croatia and North Dalmatia, securing Hungarian power in Central Europe.

A massive military parade is held in front of the Presidential Palace in Buda, showcasing the power and might of the Hungarian Army and the peasants that fought for Hungary and the Hungarian people.

More effort is placed into revolution, and finding out ways to further destabilize the Habsburgs up north to prevent further war.

The Habsburg government, embarassed, was - under pressure by the German Empire - to sign two treaties that give the Dalmatians more autonomy, and to effectively become a puppet of the Germans. This worries Andrassy and his advisors.

Taxes and tariffs are slightly increased to deal with a minor recession in the wake of the war.

A massive tower is built in Paris, France.

The Eiffel Tower looks pretty mediocre and is considered by some a sore-looking spot in Paris, but some like its beauty, and it would later become a defining spot of the French capital.

New elections occur, once more.

Andrassy is, once again, the overpopular Nationalist Conservative candidate. Having served for eight years and having regained Croatia-Slavonia, he plans to further increase the size of the Hungarian Army and to increase the development and administration of the Hungarian provinces with less minorities.

Deak is the liberal candidate, once more, but he, once again, expects to fail.

Socialism and normal conservatism become more popular in Hungary, but the Nationalist Conservatives seem to be the favorites.

Romania is unified once and for all. The Diet is slightly worried, as the Romanians could attempt to press their claims in Erdely and Banat in a time of weakness.

The emboldened Greeks decide to attempt a war of liberation against the Ottoman Empire. Upon noticing they were at war with the German Empire, we immediately decline, much to our sadness.

Universal voting is allowed for Hungarians, giving less credence to the wealthy.

The Nationalist Conservatives gain a dominant victory once more, extending Andrassy's years in power to 12.

The French attempted to take advantage of the Greco-Turkish War by invading the Franche-Comte.

Although the French quickly occupy parts of the Franche-Comte to cheering crowds of Frenchmen, the Italians quickly invade Provence and other southern French cities.

In a last-ditch attempt, the Franco-Russian Entente is signed between Napoleon III and Alexander II. However, the Russians are unable to join due to a truce with the Italians.

The Greeks default on their loans and declare bankruptcy. Andrassy forgives them, in order to prevent hostility between Hungarians and Greeks.

The British intervene in the Greco-Turkish War, leading to a British-German proxy war.

Switzerland offers an alliance. We accept, in hopes their neutrality doesn't matter.

...rats.

Spain has, once again, made us a part of their sphere of influence. A treaty is signed allowing the Spanish to enter Hungary freely without a visa.

Which doesn't matter anyway because Spain is about to not be a great power anymore lol

The Franco-German War ends with a white peace. France's power is no longer a thing.

With a new port in Senj, we commission an ironclad to be built.

Our navy had little focus initially, but we decide to build ten transport navies, in case we decide to explore Africa...

Socialists rise, in an attempt to create a socialist state.

With Spain no longer being a great power, we are up for grabs once more.

With our campaign to increase the Army size proving a success, regiments are sent to the western part of the Austro-Hungarian border in case of war.

1875 has arrived. The last eight years has seen the reconquest of Croatia and peaceful development. With a new powerful ally in the form of Spain, can we continue without the Austrians being jerks?