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

Chapter 1842 The Tour de Germany Grand Prix
Frederick VII was furious and wanted to tear Franz to pieces immediately.

However, Frederick VII had no choice but to cooperate with Austria and continue the charade, as Copenhagen was now under Austrian control.

He didn't actually care about the lives of those people, but Frederick VII feared that the Austrians would eliminate him as well.

The destruction of the royal guard was a great blow to Frederick VII. But everything happened too fast for him to stop; he simply didn't want to get involved in these messy affairs.

Why do this?

In Frederick VII's eyes, Jacob Bjørn and his Young Progressive Party were nothing but a bunch of big talkers and good-for-nothings. The Austrians only sent a small force and they occupied the Danish capital.

What are they doing? It's an absolute disgrace!
Furthermore, the speed at which the German faction seized power with the help of the Austrian army was beyond imagination. Baron Kermotl had been waiting for this day for a long time. He was very clear about the pain points and key issues, after all, the local faction had done the same thing before.

They swiftly shut down several of Copenhagen's largest Danish-language newspapers, replaced several editors, and re-approved the publication of German-language newspapers.

They took over the police system and navy, and then began a purge of local bureaucrats and military personnel. Officials and officers arrested by the Austrian army were screened and sworn in to the Confederation and the King before they could take up their posts.

Of course, this group also knew how to appease people. The German faction was directly reorganized into the Danish Solidarity Party, and they led soldiers to knock on doors and demand that shops supply goods at market prices.

If they refused, they were arrested and their shops were taken over by the government. Merchants found hoarding goods had their property confiscated, and prices returned to pre-crisis levels within two days. Meanwhile, the Unity Party accumulated substantial wealth as a result.

Being bilingual has become a prerequisite for entering Congress. Their theory is simple: if you can't even speak the language, how can you call yourself an elite?
There are two recognized languages ​​in the Kingdom of Denmark. How can one have the face to represent the Danish people if one cannot master both languages?

Seeing the local faction of Frederick VII suffer a crushing defeat, he finally understood one thing: it was hard to say whether the German Confederation could destroy Denmark, but it was just a matter of time before Franz could crush him.

Frederick VII valued his life, and Austria's demands were not unreasonable; they neither required him to cede territory nor to pay reparations.

As for Jacob Beaune and the local faction, Frederick VII didn't think much of them either. It would be perfect to eliminate them together, and they could also take the blame for him. Why not?

Jacob Beaune and the local faction members were very frustrated, wondering how they could be arrested while drinking red wine and listening to music.

What about the navy? What about the police? What about their own supporters?

In the courtroom, the presiding judge struck the gavel heavily.

"Silence! The defendant, Jacob Beaune, is charged with treason, deceit, murder, war crimes, and attempting to divide the nation and the Confederation."

When the presiding judge's righteous and stern words came over, Jacob Beaune just wanted to laugh.

"First of all, I did not commit treason! I am saving this country, this nation, and this world!"
Who was it that applauded me, sang my praises, and was proud of me two weeks ago?
And who is it that swore to follow me to the ends of the earth for the glory of the Jutland Peninsula?
And who was it that spread the seeds of civilization to the barbaric lands of Germany?
You call me a sinner? How ridiculous! I am Prometheus, who gave you fire!
It was I who made you feel the greatness of my existence!
"I am Prometheus!"

Jacob Beaune's barrage of questions left the elites, who had hoped to seize the opportunity to make their mark, completely dumbfounded.

After all, Jacob Beauwen's decision was approved by the majority of people, and his power was recognized by Congress.

In fact, after Jacob Beauwen came to power, many people changed their previous attitudes and said some very cheesy things.

Now all of this has become a source of amusement for Jacob Beaune, who continued, laughing heartily.

"It was I who awakened the fighting spirit in your hearts! It was I who reminded you of the former Danish Empire!"
In this vulgar and decadent world, only war can awaken people, and only blood can wash away our weakness!

As long as we have enough courage to fight to the last man and the last bullet, the German Confederation is nothing but a paper tiger!

And you cowards not only don't thank me, but you also want to take a bite out of my corpse!
Come on! You hopeless bastards! Judge me, and offer me a grand gift for your German masters!

Jacob Beaune was also an orator, and his words silenced the entire courtroom.

Knowing he couldn't let him continue, the judge quickly struck the gavel.

"Enough! You're incorrigible! This court hereby finds you guilty! Guards, take him away immediately!"

The disastrous trial sparked much discussion among the public, and the elites, who had hoped to make a name for themselves, quickly sent Jacob Beaune to the Confederate Congress.

Jacob Beaujohn's outrageous remarks failed to cause the slightest ripple in the German Confederation, and even some truly eloquent orators were too lazy to participate, finding it too embarrassing.

Franz was utterly disappointed by these guys, but he wasn't surprised because he understood their thinking.

Franz simply did not believe that the Kingdom of Denmark had only two orators.

Even if Ramund is injured, it's still easy for them to find a few eloquent people.

In reality, the Danes weren't incapable of judging Jacob Bjørn. Rather, they wanted to use someone else to do the dirty work. They simply didn't want to bear the responsibility.

"Those who incite war, especially civil war, are by no means saviors. You are merely trying to use that illusion to entice more people to worship and follow you."

The reason you started the war is not because you love Denmark deeply, nor because you hate Germany so much, but because you are vain and want your followers to worship you more, even to the point of worshipping you as a god!
So you built this stage yourself, and the flames of war and anger lit it up, with the cries and screams of thousands of people becoming its music.

Mr. Jacob Bjørn, do you want to burn the last drop of blood and tears of Denmark to achieve your goal?

This is a high-stakes gamble, betting that the leaders of the various states will soften their hearts and be unwilling to watch millions of Danish lives perish.

But in reality, even if we concede, the Danes will still face annihilation. To prevent this disaster, we must eliminate you.

Choosing peace is not cowardice, nor is choosing war courage.

True courage is like that of General Christian de Meuron, who, knowing he would be condemned by the masses and dismissed from his post, still chose to retreat.

He used his own reputation to save the lives of tens of thousands of people, averting a catastrophe that could have engulfed millions.

That's true courage.

No matter what grand words you've uttered, it's all just taking advantage of other people's money!

Even when we stormed your salon, you and a dozen other men stood there dumbfounded, watching as several ladies brandished knives and attacked us. You dare call yourself a man!

"Colonel Hans, who was in charge of the arrest operation, shouted angrily. But he didn't dare say anything more, because his soldiers went up and fired a barrage of shots, killing all the brave ladies."

The decisiveness of the attack surprised Colonel Hans. In fact, some people who were not quite dead were stabbed twice by the spy who led the way.

"You're talking nonsense! I wasn't doing this for myself! I didn't get any benefit from it!"

Jacob Bien was still screaming and retorting when a judge from Austria spoke up.

“Your family owns vast tracts of fertile land. During the crisis, the Confederacy couldn't get its food supplies, and with people panicking, food prices skyrocketed. Your grain stores made a fortune!”

This statement reminded people that the landlords who controlled the land would naturally benefit from the soaring food prices, and the entire audience immediately booed.

These things might be somewhat novel to officials in other Confederate states, but they were already commonplace for the judges of the Austrian Empire.

In any case, Jacob Beaune and the myth he built have collapsed, and all that remains is sentencing and execution.

Amid cheers, Jacob Beauwen received his verdict.

Jacob Beauwen is suspected of splitting the Confederation, controlling and kidnapping the monarch, and coercing public opinion.
He is guilty and sentenced to death by hanging!

It must be said that the punishments in the German Confederation were much lighter than those in the Austrian Empire. Even for the most serious crimes, the punishment was usually hanging, and the death penalty was usually not imposed. Instead, exile to the colonies was used.

Actually, this was started by Franz. After all, the National Assembly was involved in too many things back then, and in order to prevent the indiscriminate killing of innocent people, he formulated this strategy of avoiding killing if possible.

Even if they were to kill someone, they wouldn't go too far.
For Franz personally, judging Jacob Beauwen was a trivial matter; healing his wounds was what he needed to do.

To this end, Franz specially invited the heads of state of the nineteen German Confederations to Vienna, with Frederick William IV of Prussia temporarily replaced by Prince of the Gravel.

"Now that justice has been served, in order to celebrate this bloodless victory, the monarchs of all the states have decided to hold a meaningful celebration to commemorate this great victory."

Franz paused for a moment before speaking.

"Since this matter started with a bicycle, let it end with a bicycle!"
The Tour de Germany will be held in three months! The winners will not only receive medals, but also a generous cash prize.

All members of the German Confederation are welcome to participate, and all participants will receive a prize!
The total prize money is tentatively set at 100 million florins!

A prize of 100 million florins was unprecedented at this time, considering that the prize money for the highest-paying horse races in the UK had previously been only 5000-6000 pounds.

During the same period, the prize money for a match between the top chess players (the champion and runner-up) was only £100. However, some nobles and merchants would spend thousands of pounds on a single game of billiards, but that game had a higher gambling element.

At that time, no one had ever heard of such a high prize in sports, enough to drive ordinary people crazy.

What's even more outrageous is the entire tournament's schedule, which will circle the entire Confederation, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, the Duchy of Alsace-Lorraine, and the entire Austrian Empire.

This would bring the total race distance to an astonishing 10,000 kilometers, almost three times the length of the modern Tour de France. Unlike the 21-day Tour de France (with two rest days), the entire Tour de Germany is expected to be completed in 180 days.

After all, bicycles were still in their primitive stages at that time, and traveling more than 50 kilometers a day was a reasonable figure. As long as an average person with relatively good health engaged in this level of exercise, there would be no problems.

However, dividing the 100 million florins prize into 180 parts seemed a bit stingy, so the organizers increased the prize to 180 million florins.

To ensure fairness, only two contestants were allowed from each city within the Confederacy. At this time, the German Confederation had more than 4000 cities, and with the addition of some specially invited celebrities, the total number of participants would reach 10,000.

These people naturally couldn't start together, so the competition organizing committee introduced a "mass elimination (battle royale)" mechanism.

This means that only 200 people participate in each competition, and a portion of them are eliminated each day. This not only avoids chaos and extreme situations but also adds excitement to the competition.

The starting order will be determined by a draw, and the winner of the final round will directly enter the second year's race cycle.

The daily champion will receive 1000 florins, the runner-up will receive 500 florins, the third-place winner will receive 300 florins, and those who are eliminated will also receive a consolation prize.

Franz's purpose in organizing sporting events was to unite the people, not to promote national prestige; therefore, stability was his priority.

A single prize of 1000 florins is not a small amount, but it's not enough to make someone so envious that it could lead to a violent incident.

Although Franz and his group made quite a stir, many people still don't understand what happened.

In reality, this was a political performance and a test, given that this German Confederation Grand Prix included many controversial areas.

However, due to Frederick William IV's stroke, the rise of the Prince of the Grapplers, Jacob Beaune's performance, and Frederick VII's meddling, not many people paid attention to the political motives behind the Tour de Germany Grand Prix.

This competition itself was also an experiment in Confederate integration, breaking down local barriers and allowing them to truly integrate into the Confederate collective.

Secondly, it was also a demonstration, reminding anyone who wanted to secede from the Confederation to carefully consider the consequences and whether they were qualified.

In modern terms, the Tour de Germany Grand Prix created a shared time, a shared space, a shared lineage of heroes, shared memories of suffering, and shared economic interests.

To be more specific, it made the entire German Confederation focus on the same thing at the same time, and the countless racetracks further stitched the Confederation back into a whole.

Those who won, those who were injured, and those who worked hard will become a shared memory for the people of the German Confederation. They will transcend the limitations of the confederation and become heroes and champions of the entire confederation.

That huge prize money was not just for showing off; it would involve many people and industries, and the entire Confederation would be entangled because of it.

This is what is known as project revenue generation.

Nineteen states, 4000 cities, 10000 athletes, and 1800000 florins were now linked together.

This was Franz's goal.

(End of this chapter)