The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1450 Aftermath
The Greek rebellion ends.

Otto I was sent back to Athens again. This time there was no grand welcome ceremony, only the messy ground and the cautious loyal guards.

"Long live His Majesty! Long live Otto I!"

Otto I's supporters shouted his name, although not as enthusiastically as during the victory parade, it brought tears to his eyes, because in his opinion this time it was not false, and only the most loyal subjects would shout "Long live" at this time.

Journalists from the Austrian Empire recorded this historic moment, and Otto I once again returned to his loyal Greece.

In fact, the editors of the newspaper were very dissatisfied with this because the title was too vulgar, but they could only complain privately. After all, the title was given by Franz.

The lightly dressed Otto I, the dusty loyalist soldiers and officials, the devastated city, and the Austrian Empire's new warships and ceremonial guards formed a sharp contrast in the same picture.

Otto I looked at the ruins of Athens, then looked at his own hands, and couldn't help bursting into tears.

Ioannis Macorianos was unsurprisingly executed for treason, even though he insisted in court that he was a patriot.

However, no one believed his lies, and the jury unanimously voted to convict Ionis Macorianos of treason.

Before the execution, Ionis Macorianos once again expressed his doubts, but still no one answered him. Perhaps they were unable to answer, perhaps they were unwilling to answer, or perhaps there was no need to answer.

Otto I had never expected that the commander of the Athenian city defense army would participate in the rebellion. However, according to Franz, misjudging a person might be a momentary oversight, but the fact that several consecutive city defense commanders were entrusted with the wrong people was Otto I's problem.

Normally it would be foolish to discuss security issues with a king in his country's capital, but at this time in Athens, Otto I should indeed be handed over to someone more trustworthy.

Following Franz's advice, Otto I promoted those who had made contributions in the war on the one hand, and employed German bureaucrats on a large scale on the other.

In addition, Otto I also seconded a group of candidate officials of the Austrian Empire to Franz, and Franz had no objection to this.

The Austrian Empire was indeed in short supply of officials, but it was also a good thing to be able to intern in Greece. After all, inexperienced officials, unless they were gifted, would only be a burden in an official environment like the Austrian Empire.

But the situation in Greece is different. In Greece, which has just experienced war, officials have absolute authority and can fully display their political ideas.

It was different in the Austrian Empire. Franz usually let these reserve officials teach. After all, students were relatively simpler and easier to manage, and they could gradually accumulate experience.

If these inexperienced officials are allowed to deal directly with complex social relationships, they may very likely be driven crazy or even get things out of hand.

As for the so-called international influence, Franz didn't care. After all, he was sending a group of rural teachers.

After the Austrian Imperial Army stabilized the order in Athens, it officially handed over the defense of the city to the Greek army, and the army withdrew from Greece in the shortest time possible.

The Austrian army also took away more than 100 Greeks suspected of killing Austrian journalists and persecuting German expatriates. At the German Confederation Congress at the end of the month, these people will be tried and punished accordingly. Of course, even if the German Confederation did not punish them, the Austrian Empire would execute them because these people had already been sentenced to death in Greece.

Franz will not let the Austrian people down. He needs the people to have a sense of pride in their country. This is especially important for a universal empire, although there will be some negative effects.
In an unknown corner, Franz used fair and just means to completely eradicate the pro-British, pro-Russian and capitulation factions in Greece.

The so-called capitulationists were actually Greeks who were concerned about Ottoman rule. These people were not comfortable in the Greek Kingdom at that time or were tempted by greater interests. They hoped that Greece could return to the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

Franz got rid of these people and recruited a large number of German officials into the Greek government. At this time, Greece was completely bound to the Austrian Empire.

However, he had no intention of having Greece join the German Confederation. After all, this would not only easily irritate the great powers, but would also easily irritate the sensitive national self-esteem of the Greeks.

The Greek problem had by then largely ended, but the Austrian Empire’s troubles were not.

During the blockade of the port of Athens, several British merchant ships attempted to break through the blockade but were sunk by the Austrian Navy. The British government has sent a note to the Austrian government, demanding an explanation and compensation from the Austrian Empire.

Of course, the British would not admit that their merchant ships attempted to break through the blockade of the war zone. What they emphasized was merchant ships, non-belligerent countries, and free trade.

However, after the death of Count Pilesdorff, the last of the old-line pro-British faction also disappeared. At this time, the Austrian Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs was occupied by passionate young people, and a department with an average age of less than 32 years old would not easily compromise.

"Gentleman, what evidence do you have to prove that your country's ships are not trying to break through our naval blockade in the war zone?"

The new Austrian Foreign Minister Habescu asked casually. The meeting had been going on for four hours, and the two sides still had no progress.

"Because it's a merchant ship! Our people are engaging in free trade and have nothing to do with your war."

British diplomat Richard Cobden reiterated. Habescu just sneered.

"Not related to the war? Then why did they break through the blockade? You said they were businessmen? They look like arms dealers to me!"

"You are slandering us! Our merchants are all legal and compliant, and are registered with the British Empire Shipping Bureau! I want to ask you what right you have to block the Athens Free Trade Port."

"Athens is Greek territory, and the Greek king naturally has the right to blockade the port of Athens. However, the rebellion in Athens has affected the expatriates of other countries to some extent, so why can you British merchants still trade freely?
Do the rebels have any dealings with your merchants?"

"Don't spit blood on me!"

"Don't worry. We found a contract in a hotel in Athens, which stipulated that the noble Captain Cook would be paid 3,000 pounds for sending Ionis Makrianos and his family to England."

Although the diplomats were arguing with each other and looked like they were about to fight, the exchanges between the royal families of Britain and Austria were not affected at all.

Prince Albert came to Vienna in person at this time. His purpose had nothing to do with the sinking of the British merchant ship. The real purpose of his trip was to invite Franz and Olga to attend the World Expo held in London, England in 1851.