The Rise of the Empire

The proposal of Prince Ruprecht was finally adopted by the Kaiser. This result was a happy result for the German royal families. The only person whose interests were harmed was the top of the German General Staff, because their decision-making power had been ruled out. Invisibly weakened, only the right to suggest. And if it enters the war, then Prussia's military command power will also be transferred from their hands to the emperor and his staff.

There is another reason why the prince finally decided to do this, and that is to ensure that the top leaders of the states have control over the imperial army. In the middle and late stages of World War I in history, almost all of Germany's military power was in the hands of Hindenburg and Ludendorff. The level was limited, and eventually turned into marionettes. When the political crisis broke out in the country, the Kaiser and a group of nobles in the kingdom appeared extremely vulnerable, especially when Hindenburg expressed his disapproval of the Kaiser, and the entire old German political system collapsed like this.

Ruprecht, as the leader of a country in the future, naturally does not want his crown to fly away, and controlling the army is what he must do. To some extent, only the military power of each kingdom belongs to the emperor. If he is in the hands of the king, then his position will be considered stable, so he is willing to help the Kaiser tighten his military power.

Of course, this help is definitely not free. Since Prince Ruprecht and Bavaria have attracted a lot of hatred and hostility as the pawns of the Kaiser to take back the military power, the Kaiser must give a certain amount of compensation. Will you do something for me? And now the prince wants to know, what benefits can the Kaiser give?

"Bavaria can keep one more reserve army in peacetime, how about it?" After dismissing others, the Kaiser made his own offer.

According to the situation at the beginning of World War I in history, the size of the German Army's formation was 25 regular troops and 13 reserve troops. Bavaria's military strength is 3 armies and 1 reserve army. The military strength is about one-ninth of the entire German military strength! If a reserve army is added, the strength before mobilization is about one-eighth, and the strength after mobilization is still one-eighth. The overall ratio has actually increased slightly, and because it is a reserve, it is usually an empty shelf, and the funds consumed are not too much.

The Kaiser's conditions are very particular. The number of Bavarian troops has increased, sharing the pressure of Prussia, and at the same time, it has not disrupted the military balance within the empire. Anyway, the Bavarian army is raised by the kingdom itself. Didn't pay, the Kaiser's abacus was very good!

"It doesn't make any sense." Ruprecht smiled wryly, "This result is not what I want to see."

"What about the establishment of the regular army? This is already the bottom line. Increasing the establishment of a regular army needs to be discussed by the General Staff, and you increase it. What if Saxony and Württemberg also request an increase? I have to bear a lot of pressure. " said the Kaiser with displeasure.

"It's still early today, can we have a long-term plan? Take a strategic look at the status of the Kingdom of Bavaria and the contribution it can make?" the prince asked.

"Well, you have an afternoon." William II let himself relax, and changed into a somewhat lazy but more comfortable posture.

"Remember what I told you about the worst possible situation for Germany?" asked the prince.

"Of course I remember, you are worried that Britain and France will attack Germany from the west, while Russia will launch an attack from the east." The Kaiser nodded and said.

"If this happens,

I hope that my Bavarian Army can cooperate with the German East Prussian Army and the Austro-Hungarian Army on the Eastern Front. Because from a location point of view, Bavaria is exactly in the middle of East Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We are fighting on the absolute inside line, and we can support two directions at the same time. said the prince.

"I agree with this in principle. But what does this have to do with what we are talking about today?" The Kaiser frowned and said.

"What Bavaria needs is not an ordinary division, but a mobile force! It can quickly support East Prussia on the northern front and Austria-Hungary on the southern front! A fast-moving and powerful force." The prince said.

"Oh, you mean you want to strengthen the cavalry? Or do you plan to build more troops like the Bavarian Mobile Division?" The Kaiser finally understood what he meant, but soon he couldn't figure it out, since you want to build it , then just change the newly added army into a mobile army. What's the difference?

"First, it is impossible to set up the mobile force as a reserve organization, because they are more specialized, require more training, and have more experienced officers and soldiers who are young and vigorous, so your first plan will not work."

"Secondly, this problem is actually our own problem. The current population of Bavaria does not seem to be able to easily increase a regular military establishment." The prince said with a little embarrassment.

"Are you kidding? The population of Bavaria was one-eighth of the empire in 1890, and now this ratio has transitioned to one-seventh. In recent years, your population growth rate in Bavaria is almost the highest in the whole country. You can count them, and you tell me that you are short of people?" The Kaiser sneered.

"Our industrial population has increased by about 3.5 times in 9 years! Agriculture has also increased a large amount of arable land due to the soil improvement policy. The 9-year demographic dividend is not enough to make up for the needs of new jobs in industry and agriculture. And Our projects in Africa also need a lot of people." The prince said with a little embarrassment.

"Hehe, there is actually a shortage of human resources in Bavaria now?" the Kaiser asked back. "Okay, stop talking, tell your real purpose, and let's stop here for our detours!" The Kaiser changed the subject and said.

Maybe the current population of Bavaria is indeed relatively small. A complete army needs 43,000 people. This is just troops. If you count some other units, it may be more. 4 armies plus a reserve army and cavalry, plus some troops For high-level and other units, there are 200,000 people. This is indeed a bit too much for Bavaria's base of only 9 million people.

But the Kaiser did not believe that Bavaria could not bear it, because the fiscal revenue of the Kingdom of Bavaria has more than 1.5 times in recent years! Not to mention the faster-growing royal industry! There is no problem economically, and manpower can be squeezed. After all, the proportion of the Bavarian army's population is still lower than that of Prussia. Prussia has nearly 80% of its military power with more than 60% of its population! Therefore, the Kaiser thought that what the prince said was just an excuse!

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