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

Chapter 1809 Finishing Work
Queen Sheffield overestimated her appeal and the power of the so-called holy war. Few political entities responded to her call; only small, scattered groups of followers did.

However, they could not form a vast ocean in the desert, let alone drive the Austrian Empire out of Canaan.

In reality, these religiously fanatical jihadists couldn't even break through the outermost few barriers; a single regiment of the Austrian Empire could defeat them to the point of questioning their existence.

As expected, this group eventually resorted to underhanded tactics, choosing to hide among the pilgrims and launch a surprise attack.

However, this time they did not gain much except for causing a large number of pilgrims to be mistakenly killed, since the Austrian army considered those pilgrims as suspicious as they were.

As for the pilgrims being killed, nobody really cares, since it's common for people to be killed or robbed.

However, the pilgrims were not fools; they quickly realized the problem and began refusing to let those of unknown origin accompany them.

Of course, the Austrian army would not hesitate to take pilgrims who insisted on traveling with people of unknown origin and carrying weapons.

Franz wasn't naive enough to think he could take Canaan without bloodshed, and he didn't really care how much enemy blood he would have to shed.

Franz did not thoroughly investigate and punish Queen Sheffield, the mastermind behind the scenes. He only asked her to admit her mistakes and compensate the Austrian soldiers and the people of Canaan for their losses.

Empress Dowager Schefferkeza felt that the conditions proposed by the Austrian Empire were a complete humiliation and she wanted to refuse them.

However, the British and the ministers of the Ottoman Empire would not allow her to continue her reckless behavior, and soon a letter of repentance written "personally" by Queen Shefkefza was sent to Vienna.

Of course, there was no money; we could only keep accounts for now.

However, having a letter of repentance was enough to give the people of the Austrian Empire an explanation. However, contrary to Franz's expectations, the Austrian people did not generally feel proud or excited.

Instead, they showed great distrust, and the most discussed topic in various taverns, cafes and salons was whether this was an Ottoman conspiracy.

Nationalists scoffed at this, even shouting, "If the enemy's repentance is useful, then what's the point of having an army?"

The Ottomans must be besieged in Ankara several times so that they will remember this lesson.

Since the other religion was not the target of the Austrian Church's conversion efforts, the clergy of the Austrian Empire showed little interest and were not even interested in taking advantage of the situation.

Only a few theologians published warnings in the newspapers, suggesting that the Ottomans were trying to conceal a larger conspiracy with lies.

This conspiracy theory quickly spread throughout the Austrian Empire and gained popularity, with many people demanding its complete eradication.

Franz was also quite helpless, and could only say that the Ottomans were too weak and had too poor credibility, so they didn't even have a chance to surrender.

Of course, Franz was also certain of one thing: if one day it really came to the need to destroy the Ottoman Empire, then there would be no need to hesitate, the people would support it.

However, Franz did not intend to respond to the public's expectations at this time, since continuing to beat a drowning dog would not bring much practical benefit to the Austrian Empire.

At the very least, the Austrian Empire wouldn't gain more benefits than its surrounding allies. Based on the principle of relative geopolitics, Franz naturally wouldn't choose war, especially since the Holy Alliance had a 10-year armistice agreement with the Anglo-Turkish alliance. The Austrian Empire's post-war legacy issues were naturally more numerous than these; the women who were protected by the Austrian Empire during the war, converted to Christianity, and ultimately returned to Austria with the army were also a problem.

However, Franz did not object to the idea that they were perfect spoils of war, especially since their conversion was seen as irrefutable proof of the superiority of the Austrian Empire's faith and the best proof of the enlightenment mission advocated by liberals.

The same applies to nations; the assimilation of women from enemy states would be seen as the Austrian Empire having culturally and spiritually surpassed its arch-rival, the Ottoman Empire.

Naturalizing one person can boost national and ethnic pride more than killing a thousand enemies on the battlefield, because naturalization elevates them directly from butchers and destroyers of civilization to conquerors and saviors.

Who wouldn't want to occupy the moral high ground?
Moreover, these naturalized women perfectly fulfilled the fantasies of men in the Austrian Empire at that time: foreign women were submissive and needed to be rescued by them.

This will greatly satisfy their vanity and sense of superiority, and this trick is still effective even in modern times.

Those attractive and eloquent converts are not difficult to settle down. They will receive the best re-education, strict protection and meticulous care, and may even be given a Christian name that meets the expectations of the Austrians.

The church and the Austrian government will turn them into qualified propaganda machines, and they will appear wherever they are supposed to appear.

For example, victory celebrations, charity galas, and various religious gatherings.

They would say what needed to be said, such as how dark and corrupt the rule of the Ottoman Empire and the Church was, and how enlightened, benevolent, and just the government and church of the Austrian Empire were, saving it from peril.

In other words, those popular short stories, their appearance, language, and demeanor would be repeatedly polished so that they could be like the protagonists of model operas.

These women will be strictly controlled in the name of protection, and what awaits them is to dedicate their lives to the church and the empire.

Some of those who perform exceptionally well and pass the test of loyalty may become high-ranking members of the church, or marry the second sons of important figures and serve as mascots.

However, ordinary women who are plain-looking, have no special skills, and have no status or background usually don't have a good ending.

Being taken as spoils by officers and soldiers is considered a blessing, but most of them are soon abandoned and end up on the streets as beggars and prostitutes.

Of course, some of them will end up in circuses or become the collections of important figures.

In fact, it was not uncommon for human exhibits to appear in circuses in the 19th century; many circuses had a special show called a freak show.

Besides people with various physical defects, people from distant regions are also frequent visitors; the Paris World Expo once created a "world village".

The so-called world village is a place where people of different skin colors and clothing from all over the world are put together for people to watch.

Others are celebrities, such as Chief Sitting Bull, a key exhibit in the Wild West show. In addition, there is Laura Munster, mentioned in the book, who, in history, also became a member of a circus.

Of course, Franz did not intend to do so, since these approaches were crude, easily criticized, and unlikely to attract more people.