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

Chapter 1874 Too Young

Bordeaux, standing to the side, asked tentatively.

"Your Majesty, shall I summon Count Tular and Grand Duke Albrecht?"

At this point, what happened in Prague could be considered a rebellion from the perspective of Vienna. Given the precedent of 1848 and the Austrian Empire's tough stance against rebellions in recent years, Bordeaux raised this question.

Franz took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

"What are you trying to do? Start a civil war? This is a purge. There is no rebellion! Do you understand?"

Although Franz was furious, he knew that this matter could not possibly be considered a civil war.

The influence of the Wendy Schretz family must be eradicated from Bohemia; no local tyrant with such power can exist within the Austrian Empire.

The whole of Prague, the whole of Bohemia, must be thoroughly cleansed.

“Send a telegram to Marshal Hainao and ask him to make a trip.”

Bordeaux was somewhat surprised, but he didn't say anything, because he knew that his duty was to carry out Franz's orders.

Franz hadn't wanted to do this, but if he was going to do it, he had to do it thoroughly. Hainau's reputation was already tarnished; within the Austrian Empire, he was a discredited national hero.

No matter how the Austrian Imperial government propagated its policies, anti-Austrian elements both at home and abroad would not let him off the hook.

Because there are so many things about Hai Nao that could be criticized, and he doesn't care at all.

As mentioned earlier, Hainau was a very useful pawn. His status as a Jewish illegitimate son, coupled with his unsociable temperament and military style, destined him to have no faction.

Moreover, Hai Nao himself was actually very loyal to his duty and had no political ambitions. His background did not support him having such ambitions at all. All he sought was the honor of a soldier and the stability of the dynasty.

In the Austrian Empire, pure military men were an anomaly. More common were people like Prince Windischgrentz who rose to power through military achievements and even established their own factions to counterbalance imperial authority.

By continuously cultivating talent and expanding their faction's power through this system, their influence in the region reached a level that could almost dominate the heavens and even influence the succession of imperial power over hundreds of years.

In fact, before Franz's grandfather was brutally beaten by the French, Austria was a true feudal state. It was only towards the end of his reign that it could be considered a centralized state.

It was not until Franz ascended the throne and quelled the rebellion that the Austrian Empire could truly be considered a centralized state.

However, Franz had only been on the throne for a short time, and many people had not yet adapted or changed their mindset, so there were many acts of defiance against the will of Heaven.

If Prince Windischgraitz had obediently relinquished his military power and gone to the colonies to retire, Franz might have given him a peaceful end.

But if he insists on testing Franz's resolve, then Franz will have no choice but to erase this surname from history forever.

In fact, Franz did not believe that the Windischgraitz family would make such a decision; it was more likely that the young Prince Windischgraitz had been used as a pawn.

However, this incident has become too big of a fuss, and Franz can't pretend that nothing happened.

The Windischgretz family had to leave Bohemia; this was Franz's bottom line, much like Prince Esterházy, who became much more normal after leaving Hungary.

This time, everyone knows to cut ties with the local power brokers. In the past, he would most likely have sided with the local forces and joined forces against the Vienna government, just like Prince Wendyschreitz.

Franz was very familiar with this approach; from Hungary to Italy, from Vienna to Galicia, and then to Bohemia and Bosnia, this group always followed this principle.

Whether Prince Esterházy was trying to gain credit by offering his head or it was a ruse by the prince offering his own head, he deserves praise, at least for reducing the resistance to quelling the unrest.

Franz said he was not afraid of powerful ministers, but that did not mean he could accept local separatist forces. The underlying logic of the two is different and they cannot be confused.

Prince Schwarzenberg rushed into Franz's office, his eyes bloodshot, either from being woken up or from being genuinely angry.

The newly appointed Prince Wendy Schgretz is actually the nephew of Prince Schwarzenberg, who played a significant role in the former's rise to Governor of Bohemia.

"Your Majesty, I will go to Prague right now and bring that brainless bastard back to me."

He genuinely felt that Baron Eisenheim was arresting people indiscriminately, and he believed that the investigation of the police system should not be so brutal.

Baron Eisenheim's actions were indeed excessive; he arrested all the police in Prague, causing unrest in the city.

Alfred was also afraid that things would escalate and cause negative international repercussions, or even unrest.

"He made the wrong judgment in a moment of panic."

Franz gave a cold laugh.

"Now that things have come to this, do you still want to defend him? Prince Schwarzenberg, haven't you seen how terrible systemic corruption can be?"

In the entire Vienna police system, let alone being clean-living, even those who can maintain some semblance of conscience are probably one in a hundred.

Vienna was cleaned up in 1848, while Bohemia hasn't been cleaned for centuries. Do you think those people there would be cleaner than those in Vienna?

The terrifying thing about systemic corruption is that it's impossible to stay out of it, even if you want to.

Structural pressures will be transmitted layer by layer, either leading to participation or marginalization.

Marginalized people have no chance of promotion, no access to resources or conveniences, and may even be assigned various extremely dangerous and unlucky jobs. They may also become scapegoats and take the blame for the real mastermind.

Even if new employees join, they either have to adapt to the unspoken rules, leave voluntarily, or be forced to leave.

If anyone tries to resist, they will be treated as a typical example and severely punished. It would be considered an act of leniency if they were not brought to ruin and death.

Even if the rebel is a super tough guy made of bronze and iron, and can wipe out hundreds of armed thugs by himself, it's useless. After all, he still has family and friends, and it's easy to drive him crazy.

Even if he was born into a superhuman family, those in power can still wield the weapons of law and the banner of morality.

What was needed to combat the systemic corruption of the Austrian Empire was power, not simply force or intelligence.

Unless a true superman can redefine the rules, anyone who wants to change things has to climb up the ladder step by step according to the other party's rules.

However, by the time they climb to a high position, the humanity of those who were once courageous enough to challenge the world is often almost completely eroded.

When they think of the endless wealth behind them, the countless beauties and confidantes beside them, and then look at the people in front of them who are looking at them with greedy, longing, or pleading eyes, coveting them.

Most people would choose to sit on the throne of power, watching scales grow on their bodies and horns sprout from their heads. Then, to prevent the past from repeating itself, they would intensify their efforts to eliminate dissidents and fortify their own strongholds.

So when a region has been corrupted by systemic corruption for hundreds of years, even if Baron Eisenheim says it's full of incorrigible villains, Franz would believe it.

Moreover, no conclusion has been reached yet; it is still in the investigation stage.

The reason those guys in Bohemia reacted so strongly was simply because Franz had touched their watchdog and threatened their interests.

In fact, Franz always adopted a policy of appeasement towards Bohemia, so they never experienced a real iron fist.

Although there were a few operations, they did not cripple those guys. Whether it was dealing with the Winster family, the rebellion of 1848, or the subsequent operations, the scope of the strikes was very limited.

Another reason is that although Franz always wanted to make money with the nobles of the Austrian Empire, many powerful nobles in various places did not want to participate due to their past experience and so-called survival wisdom.

In this rapidly changing era, one step behind leads to further setbacks, and a single misstep, while not necessarily resulting in total defeat (after all, these families still possess some foundation), often makes it difficult for them to maintain their composure amidst the immense disparity.

Franz's actions inadvertently caused their wealth to shrink, weakening their relative power and disrupting the original balance, thus creating cracks in their rule.

Now, Franz is targeting those shady businesses, which is fatal for them. Those guys are superior because of the power and money they hold.

If they lose their money and their power, they're truly finished. That's why this group is so frantic, even resorting to violence.

However, they did not expect things to escalate to such an uncontrollable point. Baron Eisenheim refused to back down, while the young Prince Wendyschreitz impulsively disarmed his guards.

Unfortunately, the royal guard was accompanying them, but humans are strange creatures; they know they're wrong but don't want to admit it.

Instigated by them, the young Prince Wendyschreitz wanted to strike first and pin the blame on Baron Eisenheim, even attempting to make it a fait accompli.

However, Baron Eisenheim was sent by Franz, or rather, the entire investigation team was Franz's men. Conventional methods of torture to extract confessions or framing others were simply not used, much less feasible.

In fact, the prince had already realized that he might have made a mistake, but he did not want to admit that he was wrong, because he could not afford to be wrong.

The title of Prince Wendy Schreiter carries the weight of his entire family, and even the entirety of Bohemia. He must be right, and can only be right.

Unfortunately, he stood on the opposite side of Franz. His family was insignificant in the face of the entire empire, and his insistence would only bring him greater trouble.

In fact, Alfred Karl zu Wendyschgretz inherited the title of Prince at a young age, became the Governor of Bohemia, and took the helm of his family. His uncle was also the Imperial Chancellor.

No matter how you look at it, his future should be bright, a true member of a powerful and wealthy family, but his thinking is still stuck in the past, and he hasn't realized that times have changed.

This was Franz's era, and he would never accept local tyrants interfering in national politics, much less try to control everything. The entire country had to be reshaped according to his will.

Alfred Karl Zu Wendischgretz also went hunting with Franz, who deliberately held the festival at the royal hunting grounds in Bohemia in an attempt to win him over.

The two also talked about things related to the country, society, and the future. Franz genuinely hoped to have a friend who could understand him.

However, in Alfred Carl Zu Wendischgretz's view, it was just diplomatic rhetoric.

So when the Empire's hammer fell, Alfred still wanted to catch it, wanting to protect and win over those who deserved punishment.

Furthermore, Alfred genuinely felt that Prague wasn't as bad as he thought; Baron Eisenheim was simply abusing his power, after all, he had seen this kind of thing many times before.

However, he was wrong again, terribly wrong.

"Alfred was just being used."

Prince Schwarzenberg wanted to say a few words in his defense, but Franz didn't want to listen, much less give in indefinitely.

“Tell him to relinquish his military power and leave Bohemia, and I will guarantee his safety. Otherwise, he will bear the consequences.”

Franz's tone had returned to normal, and no emotion could be detected in it at this point.

Prince Schwarzenberg understood that Franz had made up his mind and there was no room for maneuver.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will bring him back."

“I already said, there’s no need to bring him back. Let him go to the colony.”

Prince Schwarzenberg's face turned deathly pale, but he still spoke.

"I understand, Your Majesty. I will do it now."

Prince Schwarzenberg has accepted Franz's assignment, but he will not rescind Heinau's transfer. It would be best if Prince Wendyschreitz heeded his uncle's advice; if he has other ideas, then Franz can only help him save face.

However, the possibility of a large-scale conflict is unlikely, not to mention that some people have already pledged their allegiance even before the fighting has begun.

Even if those people really wanted to fight to the death, the general environment wouldn't support it, and neither the public nor the military would easily follow suit.

It is almost impossible to drag the entire region into blind fanaticism with just a few words of incitement as in the past; a single telegram would reveal the truth.

In 1848, the Wendy Schgretz family only changed heads, but the local bureaucracy and army in Bohemia were almost completely replaced.

Their control over local governments and the military has long since diminished, and even if Nezha were to wreak havoc in the sea, they wouldn't have enough Wind Fire Wheels.

To put it another way, by this time the number of German immigrants to Bohemia had exceeded that of the native inhabitants, especially in the cities.

These people would never rebel under the banner of Czech nationalism. They are completely different from those high-ranking Germans. Doing so would not only bring them no benefit, but would also make their situation more difficult.

However, the Wendyschgretz family could not remain on the Austrian Empire's soil under any circumstances; they set a very bad example.

In fact, if this had happened in the East, their entire family would have been executed long ago. However, Franz wouldn't do that, firstly because it would be against the rules, and secondly because they still had value in political maneuvering.

For centuries, the Wendyschreitz family had been intermarrying with other top noble families within the Austrian Empire. These powerful figures had long been united, and if Franz were to take action, he would inevitably feel a sense of shared fate.

However, those who were gloating in the shadows, thinking that Prince Wendischgretz alone would be enough to quell Franz's anger, were sorely mistaken.

Franz's rage was burning throughout Bohemia; he had to find all those bastards.

Franz once wanted to drown Czech nationalism and the Bohemian tradition of rebellion in the ocean of German nationalism through a massive influx of immigrants.