Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 294

Chapter 294: Chapter 43: Napoleon Assassination Attempt

On August 10, 1858, Napoleon III and his wife were attacked on their way to the Paris Opera House, causing a stir throughout Europe.

Everyone still remembered the unfortunate Bismarck, who was assassinated a few months ago; the Tsarist Government pinned the blame on the Polish Independence Organization, implicating domestic political strife. The Prussian Government didn’t delve deeper, and the matter faded away.

But Napoleon III was no minor character like Bismarck; assassinating a sovereign was a major taboo, and this issue was now a serious complication.

Vienna

Upon receiving this news, Franz’s first reaction was “damn.” Under his butterfly effect, Napoleon III had taken the throne prematurely, yet still coincided with this assassination attempt.

Franz asked with concern, “Were Napoleon III and his wife shot?”

It wasn’t that he was unscrupulous; the historical “Orsini affair” was very dubious. After being stabbed by a Sardinian-born Italian, Napoleon III then joined forces with the Kingdom of Sardinia to attack Austria, which was abnormal in itself.

The most logical course of action would have been to use this as an excuse to hold the Kingdom of Sardinia accountable, forcing them to cede territory and pay indemnities, or to directly invade and occupy the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Instead, Napoleon III not only forgave the assassin, undermining his own royal authority, but also went to help the Kingdom of Sardinia fight Austria, contributing to the unification of Italy.

Such a brainless move, even third-rate novels wouldn’t dare write like this, would they?

Unless the assassination was staged to lure Austria into a trap, otherwise, it meant that Napoleon III really had a screw loose in his head.

Of course, if it was staged, Napoleon III was equally foolish. Because without his disinterested help and subsequent compensation, the Italians did not appreciate him.

The outcome of the Franco-Austrian War resulted in France’s political isolation. France had made enemies of both Austria and Italy, and during the Franco-Prussian War, both countries sought their revenge.

Tyren replied, “It’s still unclear, the French are withholding information, there’s blood at the scene, but it’s not certain who got shot.

According to intelligence from our sources within the French government, the assassin was apparently caught soon after the incident and is currently being interrogated, with identity yet to be revealed.”

Franz scoffed, “First, let’s find out if anything happened to Napoleon III. With the assassin in French hands, they get to decide his identity!”

There was no helping it; Napoleon III had done many foolish things, and Franz was unclear what might happen next.

In another timeline, without his selfless sacrifices, the unification of the German, Italian, and American nations wouldn’t have been so easily achieved, or might have been impossible.

The successes of Bismarck, Cavour, and Lincoln were all predicated on episodes of apparent lunacy from Napoleon III. Otherwise, these three wouldn’t be close to “greatness” and were more likely to end up on the gallows instead.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Tyren replied.

Berlin

Upon the spreading news of Napoleon III’s assassination attempt, the Prussian Government was on tenterhooks.

The French coveting of the Rhineland region was almost an open secret. The deployment of six tiers of the Prussian Army in the Rhineland region alone was telling.

At other times, European intervention might have stymied France’s ambitions. This was different—if there was evidence linking the assassination with the Kingdom of Prussia, even the Vienna System couldn’t prevent the French from taking action.

From a motive standpoint, the likelihood of the assassin being a German was very high, since French meddling had denied the Germany Region the opportunity for unification. For a fervent nationalist to seek revenge would be all too common.

Foreign Minister Andrea explained, “Your Highness need not worry, this assassination attempt was not orchestrated by us, and even if the French want to falsely accuse someone, they wouldn’t be able to pin it on us.”

“With the Vienna System only recently established, the French, if they wove some far-fetched reason to wage war, would be met with hostility from various countries, unless they are not afraid of a second Anti-French Alliance.”

Prince Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig nodded, aware that it was indeed unlikely for the French to stir up trouble at this time; shattering the Vienna System did not align with their interests.

Remaining vigilant was merely an instinctive reaction, a lingering effect left by Napoleon’s domination over Europe. Even after so much time, everyone still harbored a deep wariness of France.

“Yes, under normal circumstances, the French won’t take action, but we must not be complacent. Order our troops on the front to heighten their alertness and not leave any opportunities for the French to exploit.”

Although Russia was still considered the number one land army in the world, the performance of the French Army in the recent war in the Near East led most people to believe that it was the French Army’s combat effectiveness that was truly the best, with the Russians only able to overwhelm them in numbers.

This included Franz’s own handiwork, deliberately exaggerating the strength of the French to keep everyone’s perceptions of the French Army stuck in the Napoleonic Era.

This misconception was what made the French subject to constraints in foreign affairs. Under diplomatic pressure, Napoleon III, since coming to power, rarely caused disturbances on the European Continent.

Even with covetous eyes on the Rhineland and Belgium, he had not taken any actual action.

Unveiling this cover was obviously not possible. The government of Napoleon III, embroiled in its own situation, had no idea that the current fighting capacity of the French Army was no longer as formidable as it had been back then.

This was not a matter of training deficits but of lacking the army’s soul forged during the Napoleonic Era. Especially after the brutal war in the Near East, the morale the French Army managed to rally had almost been spent.

Yet, due to the high casualty exchange rate on both sides, the French Army still preserved its reputation.

The only way to puncture this facade was to fight a war against a major power; losing the battle would naturally expose the truth. However, under the Vienna System, the likelihood of direct conflict between major powers was too low.

It wasn’t just the Prussian Government that was on tenterhooks; the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Belgium were equally apprehensive, with everyone praying that the assassin had no connection to their own country.

As time ticked by, the Napoleon assassination case finally reached a conclusion. On August 15, 1858, the French government announced the details of the case, identifying the culprits as four Italians.

At the sight of the names, Franz was left speechless—it was those four heroic Italians from history, only this time they weren’t so lucky; it seemed they wouldn’t be waiting for a pardon.

Although Napoleon III and his wife were unharmed, three of their bodyguards were shot in the assassination attempt, with one of them dying on the spot.

If Napoleon III were to pardon the assassins again, it was likely that his own people would lose heart.

Whether to consolidate the monarch’s authority or for the sake of benefits, he would have to trouble Sardinia, given their proximity to one another.

In the current international climate, it was very difficult for the French to achieve expansion on the European Continent. Looking around, the easiest target seemed to be the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Now with a perfect pretext delivered to their doorstep, it was unlikely that the French government would let it go without taking a bite.

Originally preparing to order his troops at the front to be combat-ready, Franz then reconsidered. If Napoleon III were to act rashly and aggressively, it would be most welcome.

In the grand scheme of the world, quibbling over the gain or loss of a city or region was entirely unnecessary. If France’s target was Austria, Franz wouldn’t mind leading them into a trap.

Limited by transport and logistical support, a war of annihilation was simply not feasible. The power gap between France and Austria was not significant, and generally, whoever hosted the war on their soil had a higher chance of victory.

If he could lure the French Army out, Franz wouldn’t mind initially feigning weakness, then forming an Anti-French Alliance, effectively breaking the French’s backbone in one fell swoop.