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

Chapter 1594 Fire in the Backyard
In short, the extremely inexperienced Prussian colonial team collapsed before even reaching the colonies assigned to them.

The Russians fared even worse. Already outnumbered, their inability to adapt to the climate exacerbated their losses. They were routed by native tribes halfway across the border and could only slink back to shore to await reinforcements.

Acquiring colonies should have been a joyous occasion, but at this time, the European nations were instead filled with gloom.

The only ones who might be happy are zoologists, because the island of Madagascar is home to a large number of unique plants and animals, which will greatly accelerate the research process of evolutionary biology.

After being rescued, Bismarck fell seriously ill, and his illness lasted for nearly a month. The Austrian Empire's military doctors tried to save him multiple times before pulling him back from the brink of death.

When Bismarck recovered from his serious illness, he had lost nearly 20 pounds, and his empty eyes seemed to have lost their soul.

Bismarck wrote a letter to Wilhelm IV requesting to resign from all his posts and return home to recuperate. Upon learning this, Franz did not immediately try to recruit him, as such intelligent people are prone to overthinking.

Of course, he wasn't the only one who was affected; Bishop Alfred returned to Bagamoyo and locked himself in the confessional.

Governor Edward Taffy felt somewhat guilty.

“Brother, don’t blame me. I am your older brother, but I am also the governor of the empire. I cannot abandon the safety of more than 300,000 people to save you.”

"It has nothing to do with you. Your choice was correct. I am the one who made the wrong decision. Tens of thousands of people died because of my decision. I am the sinner."

"It's all in the past now, don't blame yourself anymore. It was all my fault."

Edward Taffy wasn't good at comforting others; he would take all the blame upon himself, thinking that this might make others feel better.

"Enough! You have no idea what I've been through! I've let everyone down."

Bishop Alfred cried out.

Vienna, Hofburg Palace.

Franz looked at the map and intelligence before him with a headache. The Siamese had violated previous trade agreements by selling rubber to the British.

This is different from before; it is not a small-batch, clandestine sale, but a large-scale, open transaction of goods at the port.

King Rama IV had his own ideas. With the British army displaying great prowess in Burma and France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and other countries pressing closer, he felt that Siam could not rely solely on Austria. Therefore, Siam had to make changes.

Several months ago, at the Royal Palace of Siam.

"Your Majesty, do you really think this is a wise choice? If we make these deals public, we'll have no way out. All the goodwill we've built with the Austrians will be wasted."

We can secretly make a little money, and the Austrians won't say anything. That's honest of us."

Prime Minister Somphashan stated that he was the most pro-Austrian figure in Siam and naturally did not want the King to do such a thing. If Rama IV were to actually do so, his influence in Cambodia and Austria would be completely undermined.

Moreover, Somphasan's faction within Siam will be suppressed and eventually disintegrated, and he himself is very likely to suffer a tarnished reputation in his later years.

However, the King of Siam was considered a demigod in Siam, so he wielded immense power, and even the prime minister could only kneel and offer advice.

"Shortsighted fool! The times are spiraling out of control! Have you seen what happened in Burma and the Qing Dynasty? If we don't make changes, we'll end up like them sooner or later. How powerful Burma was back then? And the Qing Dynasty was something we could only look up to."

And now? A few thousand British troops can send them fleeing in terror!
Not just Britain, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal, but all countries should become our trading partners, making them all dependent on us. Only then can we remain invincible.

"But we have a trade agreement with the Austrian Empire that means we can only sell our rubber to Austrians."

Before Prime Minister Somphashan could finish speaking, he was interrupted by King Rama IV.

“I know what you’re trying to say: it’s not safe to have your cake and eat it too. But have you ever considered that if we only have the Austrian ship on our feet, what will happen to us if they perish?” Chancellor Sompasan lowered his head. He was indeed speechless. After all, he couldn’t guarantee that the Austrian Empire would remain powerful forever, and the British military force had already shocked him.

King Rama IV pressed his advantage and pursued the attack.

"When merchant ships from various countries crowd the waterways to compete for Siamese goods, who would dare to wage war against us? When we have enough ships at our feet, Siam will be as easy as walking on flat ground!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Immediately after leaving the palace, Chancellor Sompasan sought out the Austrian envoy, Deckwell.

"Mr. Ambassador, I think you are already clear about the matter. I have done my best. I hope you can persuade His Majesty the King so that the friendship between our two countries can be maintained."

Austrian Minister Deckwell was furious; he hadn't expected the King of Siam to actually break the contract.

The Austrian Empire had always valued its monopoly on the rubber industry in Southeast Asia, and given the significant development of Austrian rubber products in recent years, Deckwell believed this matter would cause a huge uproar domestically.

However, he quickly calmed down and Deckwell put on a nonchalant demeanor.

“Very well, Mr. Sompashan. Thank you for your suggestion. I will have someone submit an application to have an audience with His Majesty the King tomorrow.”

Songpashan was somewhat puzzled and wanted to say something, but in the end he chose to give up.

After leaving in a huff, Sompasan began contacting his confidants to prepare to transfer his assets and family out of Siam.

On the other hand, upon returning to the embassy, ​​Deckwell immediately convened a secret meeting with his trusted subordinates, and the next day everything at the embassy remained as usual.

As usual, Deckwell dressed neatly and went to the palace to deliver his calling card. This time, the Siamese officials' attitudes changed noticeably, but they did not break off relations; they simply told Deckwell to wait for a summons.

Deckerwell sat all day and all he got was a pot of coarse tea and a few pieces of pastry.

As evening approached, Deckwell chose to leave, and as soon as he left, someone quickly ran towards the palace.

A quarter of an hour later.

"Is he gone?"

"gone."

Did you say anything?

"No, everything is the same as usual."

Upon hearing this, King Rama IV breathed a sigh of relief. Although it wasn't a good solution, every day that passed was a day's work. The longer the Austrians delayed their reaction, the better Siam's chances of winning would be.

In fact, the night before, Deckwell had already sent his trusted confidants to leave Bangkok under false pretenses and board ships bound for India and Yangon.

He was well aware of his situation; Vienna needed to know what was happening here.

Decker was genuinely worried that the other party might go all the way. But now, seeing their attitude, he was no longer concerned.

But the charade must continue. After all, Rama IV has not personally acknowledged all of this, so as his envoy, he still has to make a final effort to persuade the other party to abandon the act of breaking the agreement.

The hope is extremely slim.