Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 129:
Chapter 129: Chapter 16: Basic Operations – Digging Pits
Translator: 549690339
The initiation of compulsory education marked a temporary conclusion to Austria’s internal reforms. The government’s energy is limited; it’s not possible to attend to every aspect at once.
Taking advantage of the great revolution of 1848, Austria’s domestic reforms had already taken a significant step forward. Now was the time to solidify those successes.
After all, no reform can be completed by a single government decree; more often, policy implementation is key.
As the government officials busied themselves, Franz found his life much easier. In his view, the emperor could only have an easy time if the bureaucrats beneath him had work to do.
Whenever they had idle time, that’s when problems arose. Either political strife within the government would intensify, or they would band together to try to wrest power from the emperor, or even do both simultaneously.
Belvedere Palace
Maid Jenny chattered in Franz’s ear, “Your Majesty, this is the finest tea leaves Viscount Paul Korchagin has brought back from the Qing Empire—Longjing.
It is said to originate from West Lake, the place with the best water quality. To think that a tea tree could grow in water, indeed, the world is full of wonders.”
Franz laughed heartily, “Nonsense, who told you that tea trees grow in water?”
As emperor, how could he lack sycophants? Once people knew about Franz’s fondness for tea, naturally, they catered to his preferences.
Due to cultural differences, many things naturally took on a different flavor when translated.
As for whether these tea leaves are truly West Lake Longjing, only heaven knows. At most, Franz could confirm that this was Longjing tea; whether it was actually from West Lake, or Yuezhou, or even Qiantang, would be asking too much of anyone.
Considering the output, Franz guessed that even if these tea leaves were from West Lake, they probably would not be the best Longjing; Viscount Paul Korchagin was likely cheated by the merchants.
In this era, they could not venture deeply into inland areas, and there were many cases of being deceived in business dealings there.
“Could it be that scoundrel Paul Korchagin deceived me? Hmph! I must settle the score with him later!” Jenny said angrily.
She was genuinely upset; as Franz’s maid, there were no shortage of people trying to please her.
Just like these tea leaves—if Franz were to drink them, he probably wouldn’t finish even by the next century.
Viscount Paul Korchagin had exaggerated the tea leaves exuberantly and offered generous gifts, prompting Jenny to casually mention them in front of Franz.
Only to result in a big misunderstanding, the maid, who regarded this as an embarrassment, was naturally furious.
Franz touched Jenny’s forehead to comfort her, “All right, don’t be angry. I guess he was duped by someone too.
West Lake Longjing has a history of over a thousand years. Centuries ago, it was merely considered a premium tea. In modern times, an emperor of the Qing Empire toured West Lake and took a liking to Longjing.
As the saying goes, ‘like emperor, like subjects.’ The status of West Lake Longjing among teas rose as a result, and now the best Longjing has become a tribute, with very small production and seldom available outside, hardly accessible to ordinary folks.
In reality, there’s no such thing as the ‘best tea leaves’ in the world; everyone’s tastes are different. Only the tea that one likes the most is the best.
These tea leaves are still decent; they have the full complement of color, aroma, flavor, and shape—considered top-grade goods.”
After this display, Franz successfully gained a wave of admiration from the little maid.
Following the incident, Franz successfully remembered Viscount Paul Korchagin.
Austria was not lacking in talent, even though these individuals did not leave significant marks in history. This was a matter of circumstance, not an indication that their abilities were truly lacking.
In this era, there were generally three types of people who ventured overseas: fugitives, those yearning for further social status, and fortune-seekers.
To Franz, they were all talented individuals. Once Austria’s overseas colonization ambitions began, there would be a role for these people to play.
Drinking tea, reading newspapers, studying—this was Franz’s leisure life. He would have liked to try the glittering life of luxury, but unfortunately, he couldn’t deviate from the public persona.
The original person had been a veritable ascetic. A sudden change would easily court trouble. The emperor was not an ordinary person; every word and action could have political repercussions.
If Franz led a life of corruption, it probably wouldn’t take long for the recently recovering Austrian bureaucracy to regress once again.
For the happiness of over thirty million Austrian people, Franz had to continue playing his role, at most, sneak in a little slacking off.
“Your Majesty, Mr. Metternich is here,” the maid’s voice rang out.
“Bring him in,” Franz said calmly.
The Emperor had no fixed rest days and had long since grown accustomed to being disturbed during his rest.
“Your Majesty, news has just come in that the Prussia-Denmark War has erupted again,” Metternich began.
After the revolution in Berlin, the Kingdom of Prussia had reached a preliminary internal compromise. To divert internal conflicts, Frederick William IV, along with the liberals, tacitly instigated the Prussia-Denmark War, attempting to engulf the Two Principalities, Schleswig and Holstein.
Ultimately, under the strong pressure of the Russians, the Kingdom of Prussia made concessions and both sides reached a ceasefire agreement.
“What happened? Did the Prussians inform us beforehand?” Franz asked, concerned.
On the matter of the Schleswig and Holstein, the Austrian Government was the only supporter of the Prussians.
Though it was only verbal support, amid the backing of Denmark by various European states, they should not give up on seeking support from Austria.
“The conditions between the Prussia-Denmark sides were too disparate; negotiations broke down three days ago, and they declared war on each other yesterday. It was after the outbreak of the war that the Prussians notified us,” Metternich answered with a frown.
Clearly, he was very dissatisfied with the Prussians’ actions. Not even giving prior notice was the equivalent of ignoring Austria, wasn’t it?
Franz, however, understood the action of the Prussian Government. Even if they had discussed it with Austria, the Austrian Government definitely would not support their annexation of the Two Principalities, Schleswig and Holstein.
Better to create a fait accompli; then, as long as Austria did not wage war against the Kingdom of Prussia, they would have no choice but to begrudgingly accept it.
“Since that’s the case, let’s contact the Russians and make our stance clear to them, let them confidently proceed. Austria will only offer nominal support to Prussia,” Franz said with a cold laugh.
In this era, the Kingdom of Denmark had long been in decline and was no match for the Prussians. However, it could rely on marriage alliances, having the Russians as a backer.
Without Austria’s full support, Prussia seeking to annex Schleswig and Holstein would have to ask the Russians for permission, no?
The will of the people indeed mattered, but if it meant Prusso-Russian engagement in a war, Franz did not mind going against public opinion just this once. He had already thought of an excuse: the Austrian Government had no money for war.
After all, Austrians had not cultivated internationalist spirit to the point of protesting over such matters. If someone clamored for war, Franz wouldn’t mind seizing their property to fund the military.
“Your Majesty, it’s unlikely that the Russians would initiate an attack on the Kingdom of Prussia; otherwise, the Russian Army would have attacked last year.
If we don’t intervene, it’s indeed possible for the Prussians to occupy Schleswig and Holstein, which would be very disadvantageous for us,” Metternich analyzed.
It was quite apparent that the Russians did not wish to engage in war with the Kingdom of Prussia on Denmark’s behalf, as it wasn’t in their interest to initiate such a war.
With the Russians reluctant to fight, other European states were even less likely to do so. They might support the cause vocally, but when it came to deploying troops, it was expected that they would balk.
Austria’s nominal support further increased the Prussians’ confidence, assuring them they need not worry about trouble from the south.
“Express our dissatisfaction to the Prussians, and at the same time, incite them to persist in their fight through German nationalists, creating an illusion that the German people are behind them.
Secretly contact other German Confederation Sub-States so that once the Prussians occupy Schleswig and Holstein, we can jointly pressure them to grant independence to the Two Principalities.
When necessary, we can launch a preventive war, ceding Prussian Poland to the Russians in exchange for their support through military intervention,” Franz reflected.
Alright, that would be the most ideal scenario. If the Prussians were not foolish, they would come to this realization in advance, as they historically did retreat, didn’t they?
Franz was digging this pit as a precaution, in case he could trap the Kingdom of Prussia, which would be a considerable gain.
“Your Majesty, if we want to trick the Kingdom of Prussia, it would be best not to secretly contact other German Sub-States, as involving more states would make it difficult to keep things confidential,” Metternich suggested after some thought.
Though he doubted the success of Franz’s plan, Metternich didn’t mind giving it a try—failure would mean a mere empty show by the Austrian Government, but success would solidify Austria’s dominant position in the German Confederation.
“Leave it to the Foreign Ministry to handle. If the Prussian Government doesn’t fall for it, let the nationalists put pressure on them, making the Prussians prolong their wartime efforts as much as possible,” Franz concluded after some thought.
War was incredibly costly, and with each day the Prussia-Denmark War dragged on, the Prussian Government had to dish out a significant sum for military expenses.
The more money the Prussian Kingdom spent on the war, the less they would have for domestic investment.
A day or two might not make a difference, but a few months’ delay could deplete the Prussian Kingdom’s annual fiscal income.
Bear in mind that the revolutionary governments in the Schleswig and Holstein regions also needed Prussian financial support—all pure investment with no short-term return.
Even if they defeated the Kingdom of Denmark, there was no prize; backed by the Russians, the Danish people were neither to cede territory nor pay indemnities.
Historically, the Kingdom of Prussia, pressured by various countries, withdrew ignominiously from the war and then had to watch helplessly as the Schleswig-Holstein revolutionary government they supported was extinguished by the Danish people.
