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

Chapter 1633 The Birth of the Second Son
Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.

Franz had just returned when he received some good news: Olga's second child had been born safely.

"It's a boy, Your Majesty."

"Dr. Melissa said."

Franz took the baby and looked at him, noting that he seemed to have grown a bit larger than when Karl was born.

Franz's eldest son, Karl Augustus, weighed less than three kilograms at birth, while Karl's younger brother weighed nearly five kilograms at birth.

Franz was actually against Olga continuing to have children, since it was not safe for older women to give birth in this era, especially at this critical juncture.

Fortunately, both mother and child are safe. However, given that Russian women are over thirty and Viennese diets are high in sugar, oil, and fat, it's no wonder the little one is so robust.

Franz's second child's birth ceremony was still grand, but the lineup wasn't as complete. It was understandable; with the firstborn son already born, many things were no longer in suspense, and the level of attention naturally decreased.

"Has the little one been named yet?"

Franz asked.

"Not yet, Your Majesty."

Franz turned to look at Olga.

“Darling, come here.”

"Okay! Let's call it that then."

Olga was about to speak when Franz interrupted her.

"Don't call him Peter, everything is negotiable."

Franz didn't like the name, which sounded too Maoist.

"Then let's call him Alexander."

Thus, Franz and Olga's second child, Alexander, was born.

In fact, the name Alexander is considered rather unfortunate in the Habsburg family. After all, the previous Grand Duke named Alexander was obsessed with developing fireworks, and then his life was cut short in an accident, just like fireworks.

However, he at least left in a very spectacular fashion and made a significant contribution to the development of fireworks in the Austrian Empire.

However, since Empress Olga was Russian, and especially since her brother was named Alexander, she did have the right to use that name according to tradition, so people were quite tolerant of it.

Franz's eldest son, Karl Augustus, was still staring blankly to the side. He was somewhat unfamiliar with his father, Franz, since he had always lived in the nursery and Franz rarely had time to visit him.

This is actually related to the tradition of the royal family. The emperor and empress should each perform their duties and not waste too much time on private matters.

In European high society, entrusting one's children to professional care is a status symbol, indicating that the family can afford expensive professional services.

At the same time, it is also to train children, cultivate their discipline and self-discipline from an early age, and reduce emotional dependence.

Historically, the reason why Madame Sophie and Empress Sisi were able to take care of Franz's children from a young age was largely due to the decline of the royal family and the break in the succession, as well as the emperor's personal indulgence.

The previous emperor, Ferdinand I, simply lacked the ability to inherit these customs and knowledge, let alone uphold them. As a result, the rules were disregarded.
In fact, this can be seen from Franz's own life trajectory. He stayed in the nursery until he was six years old before he had his own room and never lived with his parents.

At this time, Franz was on the throne, and as a powerful emperor, no one would break the rules. Olga and Franz were both law-abiding citizens, so Madame Sophie naturally had no need to insist on raising the prince.

The royal family even has restrictions on the time parents spend with their children; if it weren't for the birth of Alexander, little Karl would never have met Franz.

Of course, the royal family had officials specifically in charge of the children's quarters, as well as a team of attendants. They would regularly report to the Emperor and Empress, and Olga and Franz would also attend important occasions with the children.

While this tradition might seem somewhat inhumane in modern times, Franz found it perfectly reasonable. Franz wasn't very good at taking care of children, and given the intensity of his work, he would likely become overworked if he were to look after children as well.

At this time, most of the teachers hired by the royal family were authorities in their respective fields, but they all felt that Franz was the real authority.

However, only Franz himself knew that he was merely benefiting from the work of his predecessors. If Franz were to teach personally, he certainly wouldn't be as good as those experts, and he would most likely teach people to be deviant and unorthodox.

An emperor who wants to deviate from the norm needs the corresponding strength and luck; otherwise, he is better off following tradition.

Although Franz lived a long life, he had to lay some groundwork early on, otherwise it would be too late to make changes later.

In addition, there are some historical reasons, such as the Black Death, leprosy and other malignant infectious diseases, as well as the shadow left by assassinations on Europeans, which also led to the emergence of this system.

According to royal regulations, the emperor and the crown prince are not allowed to ride in the same carriage, in order to prevent any sudden situation from paralyzing the country.

When Franz returned to the Hofburg Palace, he found his desk piled high with documents from all over the country, most of which contained plans from various departments that were just waiting for Franz's approval.

Of course, there are also some documents that Franz himself must decide and open, such as the personal letter from the Governor of Patagonia in front of us.

"Your Majesty, it has been more than three years since we last met. Although I am here on this frozen wasteland, I have never dared to carry out my mission. The Jewish sinners here have been subdued by us, and the hostile natives have been completely wiped out."

Patagonia now has 300,000 criminals, which is more than enough for their daily needs and even allows them to trade with other countries. However, this small piece of land is ultimately insufficient to atone for their sins.

Argentina is currently embroiled in internal strife, and figures like Urquiza, Rosas, and Mitre are all corrupt officials. Argentina has suffered greatly from the ravages of war, and its people yearn for the arrival of a royal army to rescue them from their suffering.

Your subject believes that this action will not only save the common people, but also expand the country's territory to atone for its sins.

Franz sighed.

"Looks like another pathetic wretch corrupted by Jews without even realizing it."

"Prime Minister Prince Schwarzenberg asked, somewhat puzzled."

"Your Majesty, why do you say that? The Argentine civil war has been going on for so long, and all sides are exhausted. Isn't this the best time for us to attack?"

It's fortunate that we share a border with Argentina in the Kingdom of Patagonia, and we also possess a strong army. Even if we can't conquer the entire country in one fell swoop, occupying its wealthy southern provinces and seaports would be of great benefit to our nation.

Franz shook his head.

"What you said doesn't seem wrong. But have you ever thought about why this civil war has lasted so long? Why didn't the neighboring countries and other powers intervene?"

"They don't have a military force as strong as ours!"

Prince Schwarzenberg answered with great pride, leaving Franz speechless for a moment.

"Argentina isn't a powerful country. It wouldn't be difficult for them to pick up this bunch of disorganized people. The real reason is that these guys all have other forces behind them. They're just a group of proxies."

"If we go in, we'll break the rules, and then all the factions in Argentina will unite against us. This kind of war of attrition, which is far off, is meaningless to us; Patagonia is far from reaching its full potential."