Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Chapter 36, Suppressing the Rebellion and Negotiation

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

By the time the capital owners wanted to disengage, it was already too late, for Franz had returned to Vienna with a large army.

“Albrecht, it all depends on you now!”

Franz was self-aware; he could handle setting up strategies just fine, but when it came to commanding troops in battle, that was something he didn’t know about.

Considering his just over two months of experience leading troops, he likely didn’t have the ability to command this large army. To be on the safe side, Franz decisively chose to let Albrecht take over.

After all, historically, Albrecht was one of the Austrian Empire’s famous generals, who with fewer troops had defeated Italy in the Prussia-Austria War, upholding the prestige of the Austrian Empire.

Albrecht gave a slight smile, confidently saying, “Don’t worry, Franz! They’re just a mob of riffraff, defeating them won’t be difficult!”

Franz nodded. He had made so many preparations, and the Intelligence organization had even infiltrated the rebel army in advance, creating internal conflicts among the enemy. If they still couldn’t win, the City Defense Army might as well disband.

With military matters handed over to Albrecht, Franz had to personally handle political issues, as no one else could bear this responsibility.

“Lead the attack with the Third Battalion!”

Following Albrecht’s command, the curtain was raised on the suppression of the rebellion.

At this time, Vienna could be described in one word — chaos!

The various rebel armies, not under a unified command, fought on their own. When the City Defense Army came attacking, many of them didn’t even know the enemy had arrived.

At that time, they were really busy looting. Initially, they only targeted the nobility and capital owners, but now, even ordinary citizens couldn’t escape their harm.

Whether out of jealousy or for profit, military discipline was utterly lost, and even the commanders couldn’t restrain their troops.

When human beings’ long-suppressed beastly nature is stirred up, everything changes, and the destructive power that bursts forth is often astonishing.

Due to a lack of tight organization and mutual constraints, with ruffians and scoundrels joining in, it didn’t take long for them to be led astray, committing all manner of atrocities.

The Citizens of Vienna, who originally sympathized with the revolution, were now left with nothing but regret, even Vienna University, known as the cradle of revolutionary thought, couldn’t escape unscathed.

To avoid harassment by the rebels, the school had to organize a student militia to defend the campus. As for the great cause of the revolution?

The number of conservative students surpassed that of the Revolutionary Party by far. Witnessing the horrific scene outside, everyone was reminded of the Paris Revolution of 1789, where over thirty thousand people in Paris alone were sent to the guillotine.

Before this, everyone believed it was a fabrication by the government, but after the outbreak of the Vienna revolution, they finally understood that revolutions require bloodshed.

(10,000 words omitted, writing too much about the darker side can be problematic)

At this time, Franz, who was still preparing for the aftermath, had no idea what kind of devil he had released, what kind of damage he had caused to

Vienna.

Of course, even if he knew, he would still make the same choice; the Austrian Empire was already rotten. If not broken and then remade, it would slowly wither away.

Without this rebellion, it would take at least ten years to abolish serfdom, constantly facing the nobility’s backlash, and it might even turn into the sort of incomplete reform seen in Russian history.

But now it’s different. The Vienna revolution is just the beginning; local revolutions will continue to surge forth. For the safety of their lives and property, they will have to hold their noses and accept it.

Just like in Lombardy, Venice, and the Hungarian Region, Franz had been waiting for them to rebel. As soon as the rebellion broke out, he planned to redistrict the land and strike at the landed gentry, aiming to resolve the issue once and for all.

Including the nobility and capitalists implicated in the Vienna rebellion, he was not prepared to spare them. Without confiscating their property, where would Franz get the money for national construction?

Did the Austrian Empire really lack money? This question is fundamentally a fallacy.

Ever since the establishment of the Vienna System, up until 1848, the economy of Austria had developed quite well over these thirty-plus years, with the total economic output having doubled.

Against such a backdrop, it was natural that wealth was created by society, but regrettably, the dividends of economic development had nothing to do with the common people, as wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few.

As a member of the established interest classes, it was obviously impossible for Franz to aggressively lay hands on them. However, taking advantage of the revolutionary opportunity to eliminate some traitors was feasible.

Vienna Hofburg Palace

Since receiving the negotiation conditions from the bourgeoisie, the grand dukes collectively breathed a sigh of relief. It was crucial to save their own lives at this point; if the rebel army broke in, it would be over.

They were all accustomed to a life of luxury and had not yet had their fill of lights and festivity; they did not want to end up on the guillotine.

Ferdinand I could not take charge, and Prime Minister Metternich, knowing he was in deep trouble, had fled in advance. Count Korofute’s whereabouts were currently unknown, and only Archduke Louis and Archduke Franz Karl remained from the Regency Council here.

Undoubtedly, all the burden now fell on Archduke Louis—Archduke Franz Karl was unreliable.

Looking pale, Archduke Louis said, “The capitalists have put forth conditions that as long as we agree to dismiss the Cabinet, implement constitutional governance, open general elections, abolish the serfdom system, and confiscate the nobility’s land to distribute it to the peasants…

they will help us suppress the rebellion. They have even drafted a constitution; this is the template for everyone to see!”

He really did not dare to agree to these conditions. If he agreed to all of them, it would not be the capitalists rebelling afterward, but the nobility collectively rebelling.

Not to mention Austria, in any country in the world, arbitrarily confiscating land from the nobility to distribute to peasants would prompt a revolt, right?

The Austrian army was all in the hands of the nobility. These grand nobles all had vast lands, and those who had released their serfs were in a better situation, but what about those who had not? Would they not have all their lands confiscated?

How could the nobility survive this?

If their land was confiscated, how would they get by in the future?

Would they all become capitalists?

This was clearly transforming the nobility into capitalists through a reform, and even taking advantage of a head start, the nobility could end up as the impoverished class.

Beyond economic interests, there was no room for negotiation on political reforms either. Under the constitution drafted by the bourgeoisie, the nobility’s political rights would be even less than that of ordinary people.

With no rights, being unable to join the military, engage in politics, or become members of parliament, these conditions were completely nonsensical.

Of course, this was negotiation, where the initial high demands were just a starting point for bargaining. Even so, it made everyone united in their resentment..