Chapter 42: Military preparations

  Chapter 42 Military Preparations

“Your Highness, in light of the current domestic situation, I propose to immediately double the Vienna City Defense Army and in the process of forming a 200,000 strong counter-insurgency army to suppress the domestic rebellion!” Prime Minister Felix said in a murderous manner

On the point of suppressing the rebellion, everyone’s stance is the same, no noble likes the revolutionaries.

“His Excellency the Prime Minister’s proposal is very good, the city defense army is being replenished, and the previous losers who did nothing in the Vienna rebellion, I think we should just order them to retire!

The formation of a counter-insurgency army cannot be delayed, Lieutenant General Albrecht performed well in suppressing the Vienna Rebellion, I’ll see to it that he takes charge of it!”

Franz did not hesitate to chuck in his personal goods, not only took the opportunity to clean out the assholes in the city defense army and replace them with his own people, but also put his hand into the soon-to-be-formed counter-insurgency army.

“Your Highness, the formation of the counter-insurgency army is a big matter, I’m afraid that Lieutenant General Albrecht alone is too busy, why don’t we let Field Marshal Radetzky and Prince Wendischgraetz come back together to preside over the big picture.” Felix fought

(Remarks: Field Marshal Radetzky, Prince Windischgraetz saved Austria’s three fathers, the former suppressed the Italian rebellion, the latter suppressed the Prague rebellion and the Vienna rebellion)

These two are both big men in the Austrian army, if they come back, Albrecht will have to step aside, and Prince Windischgraetz is even more of Felix’s brother-in-law, making it all the more impossible to get him back.

But this is not difficult to Franz, then said: “These two are indeed the best candidate, but unfortunately now Lombardy has broken out in rebellion, we transfer Marshal Radetzky at this time, who is responsible for counter-insurgency?

I think it is better to appoint Marshal Radetzis to be the governor of Lombardy and Venice, and to be fully responsible for presiding over the counter-insurgency of the Italian region.

Mobilize another 50,000 troops from Austria to reinforce the Italian region and try to suppress the rebellion in the shortest possible time.

Also now that the Bohemian region (Czechoslovakia) is unstable, and we have transferred Prince Windischgretz, who will be responsible for suppressing any rebellion that may break out?”

The front line needs them to command the suppression of the rebellion, this reason is very strong, since Franz raised it, no one dares to easily change the person, otherwise the front line will have to be responsible for any problems.

Austria was still the Austria of the Habsburgs, and even if Prime Minister Felix was strong, he could only give in in the face of Franz’s insistence.

Political struggle is very complex, today’s concession means that in the years to come, the Austrian government will be Franz as the core, the cabinet is in a supporting position.

Seeing that there was no opposition from the crowd, Franz spoke again, “Considering the special situation in Hungary, we must also take action.

I propose that Josip Jelacic be activated as a high Croatian official, and at the same time, as commander of the city’s defense forces;

(Josip Jelačić was one of the three fathers who saved Austria, and was mainly credited with stabilizing Croatia and participating in the suppression of the Vienna Rebellion and the Hungarian Rebellion)

Appointment of Julius Jacob von Heinau as high official of the Slovak region and commander of the city defense in preparation for the suppression of the Hungarian rebellion.”

(Note: Julius Jacob von Heinau, Austrian Field Marshal, known for his brutal suppression of rebellions in Italy and Hungary, was known as: the Arad Executioner, the Hyena of Brescia, and the Habsburg Tiger.)

Franz’s plan was very simple: to activate in advance the men who were historically credited with Austria’s suppression of rebellions, and those who failed in the bunch of mealies would not have to go and give their heads to the enemy.

“Your Highness, now that the Hungarian region has not yet rebelled, I’m afraid that if we do this, it will cause a great deal of adverse effects!” Felix said after some thought

He hadn’t thought that at this time the Vienna government was still negotiating with the Hungarians, the Crown Prince was directly preparing to suppress the rebellion, which was completely sabotaging this negotiation.

However, once the Hungarians did rebel, these arrangements would be very useful. Croatia and Slovakia were both the territory of the Kingdom of Hungary in this era, but the people on it were in favor of Austria.

Taking control of these two places in advance would be very useful in suppressing the Hungarian rebellion, and historically to suppress the Hungarian rebellion, the province of Croatia took out 40,000 troops.

Franz shook his head and said: ”Your Excellency the Prime Minister, do you think it is good to let the Hungarians go on like this?

Over the past so many years, the Vienna government has already made concessions to them many times, if they continue to make concessions like this, it would be better to let them become independent!”

This is not nonsense, now Hungary is nominally a part of the Austrian Empire, but the taxes of the Hungarian region have no relationship with the central government of Vienna. Even between Austria and Hungary, there were tariffs.

On the contrary, they also claimed that Austria was oppressing and exploiting Hungary, which in Franz’s opinion was complete bullshit.

The Vienna government was obtaining certain benefits from Hungary, but Austria protected Hungary’s security, so it didn’t need to charge protection fees, right?

If we left Austria, Hungary would either be annexed by the Russians or the Ottomans, and the end result would only be worse than it is now.

On the face of it, Austria’s industry was more developed, and Hungary mainly developed agriculture and was reduced to a market for Austrian goods.

But in fact, this era is the strongest of the weak, as a weak is not able to demand too much from the strong, and even for the ordinary Hungarian people, the Habsburg family is still the defender of their interests.

Under the present system, only the Hungarian capitalists and aristocrats had their interests damaged, and only the capitalists and aristocrats had been trying to make trouble.

After the Revolution, it was once commented that there were only half a million Hungarian nationalities in the Kingdom of Hungary of more than ten million people.

In reality it was the half a million capitalists and aristocrats who really exploited and oppressed the Hungarians, and now Franz was ready to get rid of this bunch of assholes and distribute their land to the Hungarian people.

So this time it was not to suppress the revolution, but to bring the revolution to the Kingdom of Hungary, the real revolution that would liberate these ten million ordinary Hungarian people.

There will be bread and there will be milk. In this respect, Franz considered himself to be carrying out a holy cause.

“Your Highness you can’t say that, Hungary is our breadbasket, as a sacred and integral part of the Empire, we can never let them become independent!” Felix said seriously

Franz smiled, “Your Excellency the Chancellor, there is no need to be so nervous, I am only stating the facts, the Hungarians can reform if they want to, but it will all be based on integration into Austria.

Where in the world is it possible to just want to gain benefits without intending to pay the price? Instead of pulling the wool over their eyes every day, why don’t we settle this cleanly once and for all!”

(End of chapter)