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

Chapter 1456: Death of Giuseppe (Part )
Ruibi didn't think the man could survive, but she didn't want to let him go, after all, she had never missed before. So after firing all the bullets in her pistol, she quickly took off all the grenades from her waist, pulled the fuses, and threw them all down.

The sound of the explosion was soon drowned out by the waves. Ruibi wanted to jump in to find out what was going on, but reason stopped her.

After all, this place is at least ten meters above the sea surface, and there may be reefs below. Let alone a person who was shot four times, even an acrobat has very little chance of survival.

Ruibi had always been mocking the secret police and special forces for their poor interrogation skills and their failure to pry out all the useful intelligence.

But she was also careless. If she had called everyone together, if she had not been playing cat and mouse, if the two shots she fired at her legs had not missed, perhaps everything would have been different.

Ace and the others who were traveling in the carriage not far away didn't notice anything. After all, it was no secret in the church that Ribi liked to tease her enemies.

Moreover, even if those few shots had not occurred, it could be completely determined that the other party had fallen off the cliff and died. At least, if the person concerned had not insisted, that would have been written in the report.

Soon Franz received news that a man suspected to be Mazzini had fallen off a cliff and died, and that the propaganda den of Italian separatists had been destroyed.

Franz was not surprised by the efficiency, but he did not expect that the printing house would be built under a church in Rome.

But on the other hand, it also proves that the Vatican’s rule is indeed corrupt to a certain extent, and it cannot even see what is right under its nose.

If it were anywhere else, Franz would have felt that the other party was targeting him. However, in this city where official positions and priesthoods can be purchased at will, Franz really couldn't expect more.

Fortunately, the Papal States outside of Rome were administered by the Austrian Empire, and Franz's support rate in the Papal States had long surpassed that of Pius IX and the cardinals combined.

Although Britain and France defined the actions of the Austrian Empire as colonial rule and were indignant every day about the suffering of the people of the Papal States in the colonies, the people of the Papal States, from bottom to top, fully supported Franz's rule.

After all, their living standards had improved visibly, social order had been reshaped, and Austrian imperial law had replaced the original customary law.

At that time, the customary law of the Papal States was often based on the words of the priests, and this was what was meant by "the word is the law."

The power of the clergy was restricted, which was good for the devout but doomed for those who wanted to oppress the good in the name of God.

Unlike in some countries where clergy could be exempted from punishment, in the Austrian Empire, clergy who broke the law were subject to double punishment.

On the other hand, Franz will not tolerate local gangs, mafia, cults, and gentry who are causing trouble to the local area.

In addition, the Austrian Empire closed all brothels in the Papal States, and those who continued to violate the law would be sent to the colonies for reform.

Although brothels were banned in the Papal States in the past, it is not difficult to see from travel notes before the 19th century that this decree was ineffective in the Papal States.

Even according to official historical records, the Holy See had a certain degree of acquiescence towards the nobility and priests, and countless clergy were involved in such scandals.

Before he ascended the throne, Franz often heard from some of his friends that the largest monastery in Rome was the largest brothel in Europe, and that many dignitaries would go to Rome in search of excitement and a sense of immorality.

Although some of these statements were exaggerated, the reputation of the Vatican at the time was notorious, and the behavior of some clergy was even more despicable and even horrifying. As for the Vatican, some cardinals even proposed that Franz be crowned pope and establish a state with a unified church and state like Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

But Franz had no such interest, and he did not want to spread the priest system throughout Europe.

But Franz could not attack Rome for the time being, as the Vatican still controlled Rome. However, Franz had done a good job in reducing the power of the Vatican from a country to a city.

Rome's influence was so great that if Pope Pius IX had not directly given the city to him, Franz would still want to learn from the Italians.

However, since he had taken over the mess of Rome, Franz was mentally prepared. At worst, he could just wait another ten years.

The Italian nationalists, who had just revived after a short period of time, suffered another heavy blow. Some of them died in car accidents, drowning, fires, or dysentery.
Of course, a few people were able to die peacefully in their sleep. For the vast majority of ordinary people, the world had not changed much, but for the Italian nationalist leaders, they felt a crisis.

Most people chose to flee the areas controlled by the Austrian Empire, and a few hid and waited for the opportunity. This was actually a good thing for the Austrian Empire, after all, Franz didn't want to make things a big deal.

It would be best if they could die in peace.

As for being shot 3-4 times and falling into the sea from a cliff more than ten meters high, if he could still survive in this situation, Franz might as well just believe that the other party had picked up the Nine Yang Divine Art, practiced it into an eagle in three years, and led Yin soldiers to counterattack Vienna.

Joseph the Cripple, who was in Genoa, received news of some people's deaths, but he no longer cared at this time.

In the eyes of Joseph the Lame, it was a pity that these people died, but it could save more people. After all, in his eyes, it was almost impossible for the Italians to defeat the Austrian Empire on their own.

Moreover, over the years, Joseph the Lame discovered that the rule of the Austrian Empire was not bad. No matter how just Pharaoh said, they were just fighting for power and profit. The leaders still enjoyed privileges that ordinary people could hardly imagine, and the common people lived in dire straits regardless of whether they won or lost.

Civilians in war not only have to pay taxes, but also serve in the military and help transport supplies. If the war fails, the upper echelons can have affairs or go into exile, but the lower echelons have to bear the consequences of the war failure, be liquidated, and be sacrificed.
Garibaldi once placed his hopes on the Kingdom of Sardinia, but Carlo Alberto and Vittorio Emanuele II successfully proved that they were unable to protect Italy at all, and when foreign enemies invaded, they were the biggest capitulators.

As for the monarchs of other Italian states, they were also a group of mediocre and incompetent people who were also unable to handle the important tasks.

Garibaldi also placed his hopes on Pope Pius IX, but the Pope himself left Rome directly to seek his own salvation after making a deep self-examination.

Although Garibaldi did not understand, he still admired such people. But the Pope might not be able to count on him.
So what about those guys who claim to be national leaders?

In just a few years, Garibaldi had witnessed the transition from madness to disillusionment more than once. Although the war on the European continent had never stopped, he did not think this was an opportunity for the Italians.

Garibaldi lit a cigar, looked at his wife and children not far away, placed the cigar quietly on the tombstone, and chose to leave.

“Maybe the ordinary is the truth.”

Only the cigar was still burning, emitting wisps of white smoke, and the name on the tombstone was clearly written as "Giuseppe Garibaldi".