Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Chapter 34, Panicked Grand Dukes

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In Hofburg Palace, after receiving the news, a group of Grand Dukes from the royal family anxiously pondered their options. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to flee, but rather they could no longer flee.

Before the situation spiraled out of control, the Vienna Court was holding a secret meeting, considering whether to replace Prime Minister Metternich to appease the public’s anger.

As a result, the sudden chaos disrupted many people’s plans. Now with rebel army everywhere outside, they dared not take the risk of leaving.

The lessons of the French Revolution taught them that the rebel army didn’t care about noble status; they targeted the nobility for execution.

In fact, if the Palace Guard went out to suppress the rebellion at this time, there was still a good chance to nipped the rebellion in the bud.

Regrettably, among these nobles, there wasn’t a single one brave enough to take responsibility; no one dared make that decision, not even muster the courage to go out and command the City Defence Forces to quell the rebellion.

The attitude of Emperor Ferdinand I could be ignored by now, as the sudden shock had triggered his epilepsy again, making him unreliable to make any decisions.

No one wanted to be the scapegoat, and Queen Anna was no fool either. She never liked to meddle in politics, and naturally, she wouldn’t make a statement at this time.

Archduke Franz Karl, second only to the Emperor in status, was also scare pale at this moment, and it was clearly impossible for him to make a decision.

The only somewhat capable Archduke Louis also lacked the ability to handle such a big scene; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been suppressed by Prime Minister Metternich in the Regency Council.

“The message has already been sent out. In at most two days, the City Defence Army will return to suppress the rebellion. Order the troops to hold their positions and wait for reinforcements!”

Archduke Louis, with furrowed brows, eventually made a decision that wasn’t quite a decision.

Abandon Vienna and flee?

No one could bear the consequences of such an act, and Archduke Louis was no exception.

Once Vienna was abandoned, the repercussions would be significant, and there was a real possibility that the Habsburg Family might join the Orleans Royal Family of France in losing their throne.

At this moment, looking at Ferdinand I, who was like a child, everyone felt their future was bleak.

If Ferdinand I were a normal person, they could still summon the rebel leaders for negotiations, considering most of the rebels in the city were uprising under the name of the Emperor.

By using political means, they could still win over a portion of the rebel forces, and things would become easier to handle afterward.

They believed their ability to engage in political struggles was no less than that of the nouveau riche. As long as the fight occurred within the rules, there were plenty of tactics they could employ.

This was a good thing for Franz; the nobility, now in need of an effective Monarch to restore and protect their interests, would reshape the monarch’s authority for their own benefit.

The news of the Vienna rebellion had already reached Franz’s hands, just a day later than the government’s orders.

“Albrecht, something has happened in Vienna. On March 7th, a demonstration procession clashed with the troops trying to intercept them, and a rebellion broke out in Vienna that evening,”

Hearing this news, Albrecht’s expression changed and he hurriedly asked,

“What’s the situation now? Has the rebellion been suppressed?”

Franz shook his head and said, “It’s still unclear now. However, the likelihood of suppressing the rebellion is very slim, Prime Minister Metternich is old, and there’s no one in the Vienna Government willing to take on that responsibility!”

The Austrian Empire is old, and no one wants to bear the consequences of suppressing the rebellion.

The Emperor can’t properly handle affairs, and whoever makes that decision would be signing the end of their political career, maybe even end up in prison.

This isn’t just about facing criticism from enemies; they’ll also have to endure attacks from within, with a plethora of accusations like opportunist, butcher, and so on, heaped upon their heads.

In such circumstances, to avoid becoming the scapegoat, many people would be hesitant and afraid to order a bloody suppression at the onset of the rebellion.

Basically, everyone waits until the situation escalates, and only when everyone realizes the threat do the Conservatives come together to suppress it.

This is a common trait of the old empires in Europe. Take the Paris Revolution for example, the death toll was merely in the single digits—it wasn’t a revolution, it was more like a village-level brawl.

It was almost the same with the March Revolution in Vienna; the casualties caused by the clashes between the rebel army and the government troops were definitely fewer than those caused by thugs taking advantage of the chaos.

Many history books claim that the troops sympathized with the revolution, remained neutral; in reality, no one had given them the order to suppress it. In this era, “travel by foot, communicate by shouting,” information transfer was very inconvenient. With no orders to suppress the rebellion at its onset, by the time it grew, they couldn’t even get the orders through.

That’s European politics—low-level officers don’t dare to take charge, suppressing a rebellion requires reporting up the chain of command, waiting for the Cabinet to make a decision, by which time it’s too late.

Albrecht sighed and, looking toward Vienna, said resignedly, “Then we should speed up!”

“No need! At our current pace, we’ll arrive in Vienna the morning after next. Even if we sped up, it wouldn’t be possible to launch an attack at night!

Vienna won’t fall so quickly, there are still so many police and a five thousand-strong City Defense Army there. Even if they’re ineffectual, they should be able to delay things, right?”

“I’ve already ordered the Palace Guard to be on higher alert; a rabble like that won’t be able to break through!” Franz explained.

Marching all night is impossible; the troops must maintain sufficient strength, otherwise, how can their combat readiness be guaranteed?

While Franz’s military command skills were only average, he still understood the principle that “weary troops cannot battle.”

The main reason Albrecht wanted to speed up was political. Since the City Defense Army was out training, and the Vienna rebellion wasn’t suppressed in time, as the City Defence Commander, he would be held responsible.

Now that he had received the news and hadn’t returned at top speed, it was another stain on his political record.

All these responsibilities would be borne by him as the City Defence Commander, and it had nothing to do with Franz—after all, who made him the commander in chief?

Franz was aware of these issues too, but now, he couldn’t risk it. Suppressing the rebellion steadily was what mattered most.

As for the issue of taking the blame, what subordinate doesn’t take the fall for their leader now and then?

“But now, the rebels are still a disorganized rabble. If we give them too much time, I’m afraid they might get organized, and then they’ll become difficult to defeat!” Albrecht considered before speaking.

“Albrecht, you don’t have to worry about that. I can assure you—the longer it drags on, the more disorganized the rebels will become; they definitely won’t be able to unite!” Franz said confidently..