From Berlin to Uzhhorod is not a great distance, spanning several hundred kilometers, yet there is no direct railway connection. Consequently, Qin Tian must make the journey by automobile.
Major General Ludendorff, chief of staff for the Eighth Army, did not accompany him; instead, he hastened to the front lines with his staff. Only Brigadier General Manstein, the deputy chief of staff and operations officer, traveled alongside Qin Tian. The previous deputy chief of staff and operations officer, Brigadier General Hoffman, had already been promoted to major general and assigned as chief of staff for the Ninth Army.
Upon the arrival of the German Crown Prince in Uzhhorod, the Austro-Hungarian commanders, including Crown Prince Karl and Prince Friedrich who had arrived earlier, gathered to extend their welcome. Although Crown Prince Karl felt a twinge of discomfort, he managed to conceal it at Prince Friedrich's urging. After all, the current circumstances were detrimental to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the presence of the German heir was meant to provide assistance.
"Your Highness Oscar, welcome to Uzhhorod. His Imperial Majesty is profoundly grateful for the timely support extended by the German Empire during this critical juncture," Karl proclaimed, his face adorned with a smile that, upon closer inspection, revealed a veneer of insincerity.
Qin Tian was somewhat perplexed by Karl's expression but chose not to dwell on it. To Qin Tian, Crown Prince Karl was merely a fortunate individual. Had it not been for the tragic demise of Emperor Franz Joseph's son and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the honor of becoming the Austro-Hungarian heir would never have fallen to Karl.
In another timeline, Karl's reign had also been marked by dismal performances. As the emperor of one of the central powers, he seemed preoccupied with peace, lacking the resolve to continue the war and vanquish the enemy. This indecision led to the catastrophic defeat of the Central Powers, culminating in the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire into numerous smaller nations, effectively erasing it from the ranks of great powers. Karl's own fate was equally tragic.
In a different reality, driven by a desire for peace, Karl had attempted several times to broker a secret exit from World War I for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, notably through negotiations with France in 1917 via his brother-in-law, Prince Sixtus of Parma. However, his unwillingness to cede any Habsburg territory to Italy ultimately doomed these efforts. His support for French claims to Alsace and Lorraine, once exposed, tarnished his reputation both in Germany and his own country, placing Austria in a precarious position. By the war's end, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was embroiled in civil strife and ethnic discord. President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points advocated for the independence of its various ethnicities. On October 14, Karl convened the Royal Council to accept the Fourteen Points and agreed to establish a federal state with autonomous governments for each ethnicity. Yet, the reforms quickly spiraled out of control, with various ethnic groups declaring complete independence and withdrawing from the war. The republican faction in Austria ultimately denounced the monarchy.
On November 11, 1918, Karl declared, "I officially renounce participation in any governmental affairs, yet I shall not abandon my throne." The following day, the German-Austrian Republic was established, forcing Karl to flee Vienna. In March 1919, he sought refuge in Switzerland, and in April, the Austrian Parliament deposed him. In 1921, he made two attempts to regain his position in Hungary with the support of conservative elements, but without the backing of Admiral Miklós Horthy, he failed. He was exiled to Madeira, living in abject poverty until he succumbed to pneumonia in 1922 at the age of thirty-four.
Thus, in Qin Tian's eyes, Crown Prince Karl was a figure of tragedy. Had he not altered history, averting the looming threat of defeat for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Karl's life would have been a tableau filled with misfortunes.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Qin Tian and Brigadier General Manstein attended the lavish luncheon prepared by the Austro-Hungarian command. Despite the dire circumstances at the front, the abundance of the meal belied any sense of urgency or concern.
Following the luncheon, Qin Tian was shown to a resting room. Although he felt a pang of dissatisfaction, he suppressed it, adhering to the principle of accommodating his hosts. Moreover, with the Austro-Hungarian Empire being Germany's only remaining ally, their continued collaboration was imperative until a decisive victory could be secured. Thus, even if he harbored some discontent, he refrained from expressing it.
"Knock, knock!" The door was rapped gently.
"Come in!" Qin Tian replied.
"Your Highness!" Brigadier General Manstein entered.
"Please, take a seat. What brings you here?" Qin Tian inquired kindly of his chosen confidant.
In Qin Tian's plans, he envisioned Manstein's talents in staff operations gradually coming to the fore. He even hoped that, in the future, Manstein would ascend to the position of chief of the German general staff.
"Your Highness, it appears the Austro-Hungarian generals are not particularly anxious. Are they unaware that the Russian southwestern front has reassembled four army groups? Furthermore, another Russian army group is on its way. Soon, they will face an assault from over a million Russian troops," Manstein remarked, perplexed.
After the annihilation of the Russian Northwestern Army, the Southwestern Army gained significant attention, each army group comprising over three hundred thousand fully staffed soldiers. Should all five groups converge, they would present a formidable force of nearly one and a half million. In contrast, the Austro-Hungarian forces on the Eastern Front consisted of merely three army groups, totaling at most a million troops, who had suffered heavy losses and endured plummeting morale in previous battles against the Russians.
"It seems that the Austro-Hungarian commanders are pinning their hopes on us. The weight of our responsibility is immense," Qin Tian remarked, bemused.
Manstein's expression reflected his dismay. He too recognized that their ally, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was proving to be rather unreliable. Initially, there had been expectations of active cooperation, but now they were merely grateful for the fact that the Austro-Hungarians weren't retreating.