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

Chapter 1841 Vulnerable

It is obviously foolish to place your hopes on the conscience and initiative of others.

Jacob Beaune imposed martial law, and Frederick VII continued to feign illness and remain in seclusion.

Those so-called elites were either scared out of their wits or went out on the streets and were easily defeated. Franz felt that if he had just sponsored the local gangs, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Copenhagen, Denmark.

Jacob Beaune was undoubtedly very satisfied with his masterpiece; by having his supporters act as temporary police to impose martial law, he effectively silenced the dissidents.

The public remained silent, while another major branch of the local faction, led by Ramond, raised the banner of opposition against him.

However, this group was unarmed, and Jacob Beaune sent his own temporary police to shut them up.

Before him, Rammond's obese body was kneeling on the ground, panting heavily. His already sparse hair had been almost completely pulled out, and he had lost several teeth.

"Why don't you understand? We Danes are clearly God's favorites! Why should we play house with those stupid, barbaric Germans?"

You know perfectly well how noble we are, so why do you watch our land fall into enemy hands?
Are our youth being corrupted by money?

Jacob Beaune sighed, looking at Ramon, who was panting like a dead pig.

"You're insane! Just go die! Don't drag everyone down with you!"

Rammond roared, but then suddenly started coughing, probably because he had injured his ribs earlier.

"No, no, no! Rammond, you are the one who can't see through things. Do you think His Majesty doesn't know what I've done?"
If His Majesty the King does not approve of my ideas, will he allow me to do what I do?

You're the one who's a loner and an idiot!

Jacob Beaune's words infuriated Ramund.

"You are all sinners of Denmark! Denmark should be to Germany as England is to Europe."

We should maintain Denmark's detached position, rather than trying to prove anything like France.

Do you think you're Napoleon? I think you're more like Icarus dreaming of flying to the sun!

Jacob Beaune sneered.

"What is Napoleon? Just a penniless Corsican!"

As a Dane, shouldn't you admire Cnut the Great even more?

Jacob Beauon held Christian de Meuron in high regard, believing him to be an unprecedented war genius.

Christian de Meuron has been regarded by posterity as a somewhat eccentric genius or a tragic hero, said to be the only sober man in Denmark.

But in reality, he only felt that they couldn't win, not that they couldn't hold their ground. He also bears some responsibility for the politicians' misjudgments.

After all, radical politicians believe that not losing is equivalent to winning, and that's exactly how Jacob Beauwen and his supporters see it.

"Emperor Canute would divide and weaken his opponents, rather than indiscriminately making enemies of everyone."

Ramund finished speaking with difficulty, but Jacob Beaune said with great disdain.

"Who says we have no allies? Britain and Sweden have already pledged to help us, and the French and Russians will not stand idly by as the German Confederation rises."

Just you wait and see!

In Jacob Beauwen's mind, he had already considered the so-called German Confederation dead.

Although the German Confederation consisted of many countries, its lack of unity made it like a slow-moving giant.

Denmark may be small, but it is shrewd and united. If it concentrates its efforts, it will surely be able to defeat the disorganized German Confederation.

The current disarray among the German Confederation volunteers and their lack of further action only confirm his suspicions.

As night fell, a cold wind howled, and waves crashed incessantly against the rocks on the shore. Only a few dim oil lamps flickered on and off on the beach.

A Prussian fleet was slowly approaching on the pitch-black sea. To be honest, no one on the ship expected the sneak attack to go so smoothly.

Unaware that the Danes had already completed the previous waves of landings, the last Austrian landing force was now on its way. Their mission was to draw the enemy's attention to the front and provide cover for the infiltrating troops.

The Prussian captain and crew on this voyage were mostly nationalists, and they felt they should do something too, so they decided to go all out.

The Prussian captain decided to berth the ship directly, so that a thousand Austrian Imperial Marines could be brought ashore in a short time.

However, the Danes did not react until Prussian naval ships docked on the pier in Copenhagen harbor.

Because of Jacob Bjørn's blockade order, there were only a few security guards patrolling the entire dock, and they had already been taken into custody by the Austrian advance force.

By the time they completed their landing, they hadn't received a counterattack from the Danes.

However, since there is no radio station, everything must proceed as originally planned.

All 2,500 Austrian Imperial Marines have now successfully landed and are heading toward their respective objectives.

The final performance of "The Danish Conquest of the Mongols" at the Royal Theatre of Denmark had just ended, and several high-ranking Danish naval officers were wrapping a lady, who was still wearing a silk dress, in a mink coat.

"It's getting cold. Be careful not to catch a cold."

A somewhat overweight general was just in time to show his gentleness, and the beautiful lady responded with a coquettish smile.

"You're such a kind man. Can a gentleman like you possibly handle our enemies?"

Some of the obese generals ostentatiously flaunted the medals on their chests.

"Look at this! This is all the result of my countless battles!"
"In 1848, I blew the heads off four Prussians with a single shot, and in one battle, I wiped out over ten thousand German Confederate scum."

The young woman rolled her eyes in exasperation, but still spoke in a fawning tone.

"You really make me feel safe."

In reality, the lady just wanted to get into the warm carriage as soon as possible and end the conversation, but the somewhat obese general perked up.

"Do you know the Rolf Clark? That's a behemoth weighing over a thousand tons!"

A true ironclad warship! Powered entirely by steam!

Before he could finish speaking, he was struck on the head with the butt of a rifle. The woman tried to scream, but a large hand had already covered her head.

At the same time, I heard broken Danish.

"Shut up, or I'll slit your throat."

The woman stopped struggling and soon a rag was stuffed into her mouth. She tried to spit it out, but a rope tightened around the rag.

She looked around angrily and saw that the generals who had just left had not escaped their fate. All of them had strips of cloth stuffed into their mouths, their hands and feet tied, and they were thrown into carriages.

Soon it was her turn, and the two men lifted her up and threw her into the carriage. Fortunately, the obese general was underneath her, otherwise she would have been in serious trouble.

Guided by spies, high-ranking Danish officials continued to be arrested. Due to the curfew, even occasional acts of resistance did not attract public attention.

The bodyguards in the homes of high-ranking officials and the temporary police on night patrols were a joke in front of the Austrian Imperial Marines; the battles often ended before they even began.

Jacob Beaune was meeting with his faction's cronies in a luxurious salon.

The luxurious private residence was filled with the scents of Cuban cigars, French brandy, and high-end perfumes from Vienna.

In addition to that, there is another aura: arrogance.

Several politicians are making pronouncements on the sand table, while a newly rich man is delivering his "Denmark will win" speech.

"The people of the German Confederation are all landlubbers! They would drown even sitting in a bathtub, which is why they invented the shower."

Forgive my bluntness, but showers are only fit for washing livestock!

The newcomer's remarks were immediately met with applause, but some people also sensed a subtle unease.

"But the Austrian fleet was very powerful; they had even defeated the British."

The newly rich responded immediately.

"That's just a British squadron! The Austrians only dare to dominate the Mediterranean; would they dare to come to the North Sea?"
Even if they wanted to, the British wouldn't allow it!

The British could not allow a foreign fleet to pass through the English Channel, so the Austrian navy could not possibly have reached the Danish battlefield at that time.

"That's right! For Denmark! Salute to our brave soldiers!"

The newly rich man raised his glass in a toast to Jacob Beauwen.

"And a salute to our great leader! And to the great Danes!"

"Homage to the great Danes!"

The clinking of wine glasses inside the room, accompanied by light music, meant that no one noticed the sound of the guard falling to the ground.

"Colonel Hans, since the culprit is inside, why don't we just go in and kill them all?"

One of the Marines asked, somewhat puzzled, since capturing and killing are two completely different things.

After capturing the target, you need to escort the target to a designated location. During this process, you not only have to evade pursuit, but also be careful that the target may suddenly retaliate.

This mission was both troublesome and dangerous, and in the eyes of these soldiers, this lunatic who instigated civil war deserved to die.

Colonel Hans, as the commander, naturally understood everything behind the scenes, but he didn't have time to explain things to these soldiers. He had to use the most straightforward language to dispel his men's doubts.

"You don't know anything! These people are cult leaders. If you kill them, those who have been misled will be beyond saving!"
We have to catch this guy and make him admit he's a fraud before we can save those people.

The soldiers nodded in agreement.

"understood!"

At the same time, the sentries at the naval base were brought down, and an entire battalion of Danish naval soldiers were kneeling in their barracks wearing only light clothing.

Austrian Marine Corps Major Hall von Nietlung, who participated in the attack, was also curious as to why there were only a little over a thousand people at the entire naval base.

The entire base was occupied by only one ragtag, drunken general.

It was only after interrogation that it was discovered that the Danish Navy was still on rotation. During wartime, the full strength should have been more than 4,000 men, but at this time more than 2,000 men were still on leave in the city.

Overnight, Austrian troops took control of almost the entire city of Copenhagen, and Denmark's main defenses collapsed overnight.

The government’s top officials and military leaders were all captured, and the ports and naval bases were completely taken over.

After a night of fierce fighting, approximately 600 Danes were killed, while the Austrian marines suffered fewer than 50 casualties.

The only major battle took place at the king's seaside palace. Although the Austrian army successfully infiltrated the palace with the help of spies, they were discovered by police dogs.

The Marines then engaged in fierce fighting with the Danish Royal Guard. Although the Danish Royal Guard consisted of only a few dozen men, they fought to the death, taking advantage of the terrain.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, the Austrian Imperial Marines resorted to rockets.

But in reality, this was a misjudgment, because hardly anyone knew that Frederick VII had a seaside palace there.

When they carried Frederick VII onto the Prussian ships that came to meet him, they discovered that the entire city had already been taken over.

Therefore, Frederick VII telegraphed the Confederation declaring:

"First, the Kingdom of Denmark immediately announces the lifting of martial law at its borders."

"Second, the controversial February Act is to be repealed immediately. Danes and Germans in the Kingdom of Denmark enjoy the same rights, are subjects of Frederick VII, and are protected by him and the law."

"Third, Jacob Beauwen, the head of government who bears direct responsibility for this diplomatic crisis, has been dismissed and placed under custody. He will be handed over to the Confederate court after his trial is completed."

Denmark seeks peace, not war.

Only after Denmark lifted martial law and imprisoned Jacob Bjørn did the various factions within the German Confederation truly breathe a sigh of relief.

Christian de Meuron, the Danish commander-in-chief at the front, was also pleased, at least he no longer had to send soldiers to their deaths.

Christian de Meuron thought he was amazing; he believed he could rout the rabble of the German Confederation.

However, when Archduke Albrecht arrived at the front, Christian de Meuron knew that he had no chance of victory.

However, what truly drove Christian de Meuron to despair was Albrecht and the Austrians' incorporation of the scattered remnants of the German Confederation.

If the German Confederation were to fight their own battles, Christian de Meuron felt he could still stall for time. But if they were all under the command of an opponent of equal ability, the war would only turn into a massacre.

Many of Christian de Meuron's men are still clamoring for war, but he is prepared to take the blame.

After all, he had already been identified as an accomplice of Jacob Bjørn, but at least the Danish people's livelihood was now saved.

In fact, Albrecht was very prestigious in the German Confederation, so there were not many problems when he incorporated the Confederation's volunteer army.

On the contrary, because this group of people was brought under control, the local public security improved dramatically.

A large number of volunteers even helped build temporary roads in the two principalities.

The Danes on the Jutland Peninsula finally stopped migrating; in fact, most Danes did not want to fight.

Especially as the German Confederation's army grew larger and larger, they truly felt the fear of death.

Fortunately, the Austrian Empire intervened in time to prevent this sentiment from spreading, otherwise years of assimilation efforts would have been in vain.

Conflicts may seem simple, but they can actually plant seeds of discord in the hearts of both sides. If these seeds are not removed in time, they can build high walls in the hearts of people.

Franz must remove him in time; the Confederation Congress will soon convene in Vienna.
(End of this chapter)