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

Chapter 1676 Black-hearted Cotton

No one knows why Neserlov happened to be at this particular time, why he was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, or why Zabutiye happened to hit him on the head.

Everyone knew that nothing was inevitable, war was imminent, and all efforts would be in vain. No one could stop a Tsar with a legitimate cause from starting a war.

This time, no one could pull any tricks; the death of someone of Neserlov's stature simply couldn't be kept secret.

Of course, even without a legitimate reason, it wouldn't prevent the Tsar from launching a war; it was just a matter of time.

However, the proper procedures still had to be followed. The Russian authorities immediately demanded that the Ottoman Empire apprehend the perpetrators and issue a public apology. As for the specific compensation and punishment measures, they would have to wait for the Tsar to make the decision himself.

It was no easy task for a messenger to cross the icy and snowy landscape of Russia to reach St. Petersburg. The Baltic Sea, which borders St. Petersburg, does not thaw until late April, so the only way to deliver messages was through the most primitive methods.

This would take at least three weeks, and by the time the news reached Istanbul, it would be at least March 28, 1856.

However, news from other European countries is not so isolated.
Vienna, Hofburg Palace.

"Has the news been confirmed?"

"It's confirmed, Your Majesty. Neserlov is indeed dead, and his body is still at the Russian Embassy."

Franz found the whole process utterly absurd. He had expected the two sides to continue their tug-of-war, but Neserlov's death was the final blow.

Franz's first reaction was even assassination, given how strange the situation was and the historical precedents.

However, the reality is that Neserlov changed his pilgrimage route at the last minute, and even his entourage was unaware of it beforehand.

If an organization can still disguise an assassination as an accident under such circumstances, then that organization's execution capabilities are probably ahead of their time.

At the very least, the Austrian Empire's intelligence organization at that time was incapable of completing such a sophisticated mission, given the extremely outdated communication methods available then.

In this era, the more meticulous a plan is, the less feasible it is; trying to change a plan on short notice is simply a pipe dream.

"Your Majesty, should we continue to send reinforcements to the Balkans?"

Prince Sivartsenberg actually wanted to ask whether or not to cooperate with Russia to quickly take Istanbul.

"No, proceed according to the original plan. We can focus on development, but we must pay attention to the movements of the British and French."

"As ordered."

Prime Minister Prince Schwarzenberg did not question Franz's order at all. He immediately went out to inform the other ministers to carry out the plan, after all, similar war meetings had been held more than once.

As for guarding against Britain and France, it was a consensus within the Austrian Empire. The Austrian Empire had launched surprise attacks on Britain more than once, and it was hard to say that the British wouldn't want to get revenge.

Most importantly, the British did indeed have the capability. If the British were to blockade the Adriatic Sea, the situation would become quite unfavorable for the Austrian Empire.

Of course, this is only theoretically possible, after all, Austria and Britain have a secret agreement, and expanding the targets of the strikes is not in the British interest.

Franz did not believe that the British fleet at this time still had the strength to blockade the Adriatic Sea, after all, the Austrian Empire's navy was no longer what it used to be.

As for France, it was the Austrian Empire's archenemy, and Franz felt that no amount of caution was excessive, since the Austrian Empire was an inevitable hurdle for France to overcome if it wanted to break the deadlock.

The choice was either to defeat Austria or to unite with Austria, but Napoleon III clearly had no intention of forming an alliance at the moment.

Actually, this was also Franz's fault for going too far. Austria had already contained France to the point that there was no room for expansion, so there was no basis for cooperation.

The Kingdom of Sardinia was the only force that could be considered a bargaining chip, but a glance at a map of Europe at that time would reveal that France's power had reached its limit at Sardinia. If France wanted to continue expanding, a clash with the Austrian Empire was inevitable.

Furthermore, lifting the mobilization at this time also served another purpose: to reassure the British that the Austrian Empire was not prepared to break the treaty.

The British should be able to accept this easily, since they believe that weakening Russia is also in Austria's interest.

For Franz, however, it was a relief that one shoe had finally dropped, and he could finally relax a bit, at least the Austrian Empire no longer had to bear the brunt of the pressure.

In fact, the Austrian Empire has been developing very rapidly in recent years, and it will soon achieve productivity that surpasses that of this era.

At this moment, Franz noticed that Olga had arrived at the door and was looking at him somewhat uneasily.

"What's wrong, honey?"

Franz asked softly.

Olga hesitated, worried, and felt a little scared.

"Frantz, have you heard? Count Neserlov has been assassinated."

Franz nodded.

"I know, it's a terrible tragedy."

Franz's answer was very formulaic, something Olga was already used to.

“Do you know what? My father will definitely use this as a pretext for war. He has long coveted Constantinople, and he will never let this opportunity slip by.”

Franz nodded, somewhat helplessly. Even those who didn't understand politics could see through Nicholas I's scheming; the Tsar's thoughts were far too easy to guess.

"Yes, my father-in-law is capable of doing such things."

Franz spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something insignificant, but Olga became more anxious, and she spoke in a trembling voice.

"Please consider the nation's interests and do not easily get involved in this war started by my father. The Austrian Empire is developing in a better direction, and I hope you will not destroy it with your own hands."

Franz felt somewhat embarrassed, but couldn't help feeling a chill run down his spine. Would this "black-hearted cotton" produce a bunch of extremely filial sons or daughters?

If that's the case, then Franz will suffer greatly in his later years.

The reason Olga made this difficult, even seemingly illogical, decision was mainly because she received a traditional education from European aristocracy.

From the day Olga married into the Austrian Empire, she was no longer a daughter of the Romanov family; her identity was Empress of the Austrian Empire. Her primary duty was to her husband, Franz Joseph I, and secondly, to the Austrian Empire.

Olga saw Franz as a more sentimental person, and she feared that he would recklessly drag the Austrian Empire into war.

In fact, this view was largely instilled in her by the noblewomen and aristocratic daughters around her. Because Franz implemented a general education for aristocratic women, their minds also became more open.

Moreover, the Austrian Empire over the years has made Olga feel that it is a completely different country. The development of the Austrian Empire, its system, and the enthusiasm of the Austrians have all impressed her.

The more she learned about the country, the clearer it became that Austria was at a critical juncture, with old and new forces clashing fiercely within the Austrian Empire.

Although Franz had seemingly centralized power, local separatist forces did not disappear; instead, they transformed into traditions and continued to oppose the imperial authority.