"Charles, wake up, wake up. It's time to get dressed. Did you forget that Father told you to visit Marshal Lacy today?" Charles, still deep in slumber, was shaken awake by his wife, Auguste Sophie.
"Hmm? Oh, right, I almost forgot," Charles said after shaking off his drowsiness. He glanced at the clock on the wall and breathed a sigh of relief; there was still plenty of time.
After getting dressed and washing up, Charles took a carriage to the Military Commission.
By order of his father, Joseph II, Charles was to visit the empire's renowned generals and observe today's military meeting.
Joseph II's action was, of course, to pave the way for Charles's future succession. After all, the heirs to the thrones of European Countries' royal families were generally set in stone, and there was no taboo against interacting with civil and military officials.
Franz Moritz von Lacy, Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire Army, a descendant of Irish émigrés. His father, Peter Petrovich Lacy, was a Jacobite who later became a Marshal in Russia. The younger Lacy was born in Saint Petersburg and educated in Germany from an early age. He joined the Austrian Army in 1743.
He participated in the War of the Austrian Succession and served as Chief of Staff to Marshal Leopold Joseph von Daun during the Seven Years' War, acting as one of Marshal Daun's two right-hand men alongside Ernst Gideon von Laudon, though they were often at odds. For planning and executing the Battle of Hochkirch, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa (an honor historically bestowed upon only 20 officers and 17 soldiers). It was in this battle that Marshal Francis Edward James Keith, also a Jacobite but serving Prussia, and his five thousand subordinates shed their last drop of blood to cover Frederick the Great's escape.
In 1765, he was promoted to Marshal and, the following year, became President of the Supreme Military Council, where he initiated army reforms. Empress Maria Theresa ordered the future Emperor Joseph II to become his pupil and study military affairs. In the War of the Bavarian Succession in 1778, he was one of Austria's main commanders against the Prussian Army. He acted as a mediator between the Empress and her son, once persuading the Empress to accept the first partition of Poland. After Joseph II began to rule alone, he decided to ally with Russia and declare war on Turkey. As the overall commander on the front line, Count Lacy's campaign was unsuccessful, with the Turkish Army breaking through his lines. It was only when Baron Laudon took over that a stalemate was achieved. Afterward, he lived out his remaining years peacefully in Vienna.
As Joseph II's military mentor and also serving as President of the Supreme Military Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian Royal Army, it is clear how much Joseph II trusted and relied on his teacher.
Besides him, Charles also met a host of other generals and marshals of the Empire; it was truly a gathering of stars.
Marshal Ernst Gideon von Laudon, one of the most outstanding commanders of the 18th century, was reportedly an idol of the later Russian Marshal Suvorov. He repeatedly inflicted heavy defeats on the Prussian Army in battles such as Hochkirch, Kunersdorf, and Landshut. He was more aggressive than the cautious Marshal Leopold Joseph von Daun, and thus consistently served as the vanguard of the Imperial Army on the battlefield. Frederick II tried to win him over at this time but did not succeed.
However, due to his old rival Marshal Lacy becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Marshal Daun retired from active service in 1763 and is currently in retirement.
Marshal Albert Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Teschen, Governor of Austrian Netherlands; Lieutenant General Dagobert Sigmund Graf von Wurmser; Marshal Ferdinand Karl Anton, Archduke of Austria-Este, Governor of Lombardy; Marshal Franz de Paula Ulrich Kinsky, Prince of Wchinitz and Tettau; Marshal Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Reggio; General of Cavalry Joseph Karl von Lobkowitz; General of Cavalry Joseph Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen.
General Karl Klemens von Pellegrini, Director of the Military Engineering Academy and Inspector General of Engineers and Fortifications; Lieutenant General of Cavalry Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld; General Michael Johann Ignaz von Wallis, Baron of Kariman; Lieutenant General Joseph Maria von Colloredo, Count of Mels and Walsee; Lieutenant General Blasius Columban von Bender; Lieutenant General of Cavalry Friedrich August, Duke of Nassau-Usingen, Imperial Recruitment Inspector; General Ferdinand Joseph John, Archduke of Austria; Lieutenant General of Artillery Franz Sebastian Karl Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt.
Lieutenant General Friedrich Moritz von Nostitz-Rieneck; Lieutenant General Ferdinand Friedrich August, Duke of Württemberg; General Joseph Johann Ferraris; Lieutenant General Karl Franz Joseph de Ligne, Prince; General Ferdinand Philipp Harsch, Count of Almendingen; General of Cavalry Friedrich August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst; General Emmerich von Esterházy, Count of Galanta; General Johann Franz Joseph Peter von Preiss.
General Karl Leopold von Stain, Commander of the Lombardy Garrison; General Christian Wolfgang Faber du Faur; General Johann Andre von Matheson; General Count Melghem; General of Cavalry Joseph Ignaz Almásy, Count of Sadani and Török-Szentmiklós; General of Cavalry Ludwig Octavius Mercy d'Argentau.
Dozens of Marshals and Generals of the Holy Roman Empire were gathered together. Introduced by Count Lacy, Charles exchanged greetings with each of them.
Truly, marshals were everywhere, and generals were as common as dirt; the lowest rank here was at least a Lieutenant General.
Charles listened to today's military meeting, which was nothing more than continuing to deepen military reforms and the current strategy of allying with Russia to counter Turkey in the Balkans.
After the meeting, Charles and Marshal Lacy discussed the Prussian General Staff system, the universal conscription system, and the reserve system in later generations. The Army General Staff would be divided by function into four departments (called "Divisions"): the 1st Division responsible for strategy and tactics, the 2nd Division for internal army affairs, the 3rd Division for logistics and supply, and the 4th Division for artillery and ammunition. Notably, the "Royal Map Room," which stored operational maps, was also under the General Staff's purview. At the same time, the General Staff would also undertake the task of cultivating high-level military talent; staff organizations in subordinate units would also be modeled after the General Staff, with four sections.
Marshal Lacy nodded thoughtfully. Since the suggestion came from Crown Prince Charles, it couldn't be completely ignored. After carefully considering its feasibility, Marshal Lacy said to Charles, "Your Highness, I believe your suggestion has a certain feasibility, and I will present it to His Majesty this weekend."
...Shortly thereafter, Joseph II, in conjunction with the Imperial Supreme Military Council, passed and issued the "Military Conscription Decree," which stipulated: "All adult male citizens of the Empire aged 18 to 40 must serve three years in the army's standing forces, after which they will transfer to the reserve forces and undergo one month of military training every two years."
Charles breathed a sigh of relief. Later, during the Napoleonic Wars, the French Army was able to dominate on land, sea, and air, beating European Countries from head to toe, precisely because it had established a powerful and efficient reserve mobilization system.
This system was later adopted by Prussia.
Subsequently, Charles looked to the northwest, towards the location of Paris, the capital of France. It was time to make preparations in advance.
"Brother Charles?" Just as Charles was lost in thought, a voice suddenly called out softly.
"Brother Charles, it's you," Charles said, looking at the owner of the voice and responding with a smile.
The person who came was Archduke Karl Ludwig John Joseph Lorenz, Charles's cousin, Joseph II's nephew, and the third son of Grand Duke Leopold of Tuscany—the future Archduke Charles, also known as the "Savior of German."
However, this future renowned military commander of the Empire was currently just a thirteen-year-old boy. Although he had not yet displayed the potential of a famous general, Karl was already a colonel in the Imperial Royal Army.
This was not surprising; German nobility traditionally served in the military. Except for those with poor health, almost all of them grew up in military camps from a young age.
Even Charles himself was now a Major General in the Imperial Royal Army. The reason he was able to attend this military meeting today, besides his status as Imperial Crown Prince, was largely due to his position as a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Army.