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

Chapter 1885 Summoning
At that time, the Czechs in Prague were a true minority. If it weren't for some wise individuals who chose to become Czechs during the Austrian census, this proportion might have been even lower, perhaps less than 5%.

Although the Czech population is small, the Czech Republic's influence has always been like a persistent shadow.

Czech resistance has a long history, from the earliest Hussite Wars to the window-throwing incident that triggered the Thirty Years' War, and then to the rebellion of 1848.

In terms of intensity and impact alone, the Hungarian rebellion was nothing compared to the drizzle in history.

However, nearly two hundred years ago, after the Thirty Years' War, Austria carried out a thorough purge of the original Bohemian aristocracy.

The force of that blow was far greater than that of Franz now; half the nobles were purged, and two-thirds of the land was redistributed.
After that, Bohemia was no longer the main force of armed rebellion; they chose another path, namely the political route.

However, this resistance has been constantly degenerated over the past two hundred years, gradually becoming a means for local nobles to seize power.

That's why we see Germans being more boisterous than Czechs, with a group of Germans voluntarily pretending to be Czechs – a truly bizarre situation.

However, this political struggle also caused considerable damage to the Austrian Empire. Historically, during World War I, German officers often led Czech troops to surrender to Russia en masse, thus betraying the Austro-Hungarian army.

The famous Czechoslovakian Army in the Russian Civil War was composed of them, and they were driven all the way to Vladivostok by the Soviet Red Army.

Other incidents, such as mass suicides on railway tracks, deliberately producing substandard weapons and ammunition, spreading false intelligence, stealing food supplies, and withholding military pay, will not be listed here.

The Bohemian problem became apparent after Hungary and Italy stabilized.

Historically, the Habsburg family had been trying to assimilate the Czechs, and the plan was almost successful, but a traitor emerged from within.

As for those so-called Czech national heroes, they actually didn't have much influence, and they didn't have the financial resources to support their cause.

In Franz's original plan, he wanted to use a more conciliatory strategy to resolve the Bohemian problem, just as he always wanted to calmly help the Austrian nobility make money and adapt to the new era.

However, that was ultimately just a fantasy; the truth eventually became physics.

Twenty thousand people were executed or killed, nearly a million were implicated, road construction teams and mines welcomed large numbers of new recruits, and ships bound for the colonies were packed.

In reality, due to the sheer number of people, Franz had to process them in batches. However, the need for immigration to populate the border regions was even greater than that for the colony of Albania, as the Austrian Empire had been engaged in continuous battles in the Balkans for years due to religious and other issues.

In particular, in the Albanian region, the Austrian army had driven the locals towards Greece, and Otto I was very welcoming of them because he was short of manpower at the time.

One is willing to hit, and the other is willing to be hit.

However, the Albanians soon found themselves unhappy in Greece. The Greeks rejected them, and Otto I only wanted to use them as tools.

Coupled with intense religious conflict, the Albanians launched a rebellion.

Because the Albanians were more skilled in battle than the Greeks and were playing on home ground, the Greek government had no choice but to compromise.

But this compromise is merely a prelude to a larger-scale reckoning in the future.

After the Ottomans were driven out of Europe and Greece's long-standing archenemy disappeared, the Albanians became a thorn in their side.

The Greek Kingdom's purge of Albanians led to a large number of Albanians returning to Austria. They joined forces with some locals who were dissatisfied with the Austrian government to harass the border, rob travelers and caravans, and even attack villages and railways.

Although they were skilled in battle, they were no match for the army of the Austrian Empire at that time.

However, the harm is not small, and often it is a case of inside and outside collusion that makes it difficult to guard against.

The western coastal areas and northern mountainous regions were relatively safe, but the problems lay in the central and southern mountainous regions, which were located at the border. The central region, in particular, had been plagued by intermittent fighting for over a decade since 1845, yet it still couldn't resolve the small-scale rebellions and looting.

Even after the railway was built, it only connected cities, and there was still little control over the mountainous areas.

Franz considered many options, but ultimately chose to settle people on the border. The Austrian Empire had always maintained a policy of religious tolerance, but it was the only exception that it could not accept the Ottoman sect.

If Franz accepts them, he will not only gain nothing, but it will also tear apart the unity within Austria, and any semblance of loyalty will be virtually non-existent.

Those Albanians who converted and swore allegiance have always been traitors, taking the benefits but refusing to contribute, spending their days figuring out how to fleece the sheep.

They couldn't even pass the initial test. If Franz were to truly hand over power to them, he would probably only be moved by his own actions.

The northern mountainous region of Albania was predominantly Catholic, and when the Austrian Empire entered and allowed them to restore their faith, they themselves eliminated the opponents.

The remaining tough nuts to crack were left to the Austrian army. Moreover, the local Catholics viewed the Austrian Empire as an attempt to reclaim lost territory, while the local Muslims saw them as the invaders.

Besides going with the flow, escalating conflicts can sometimes be a good way to solve problems. Franz did just that in the western coastal region of Albania: those who complied stayed, and those who didn't were fired.

Albania was, in fact, territory that the Austrian Empire had seized from the British from the very beginning, and all the resistance came from the enemy, who gave the other side no chance to bargain.

Therefore, the northern mountainous areas and western coast were relatively stable at this time, but with the expansion of territory and the war between the Greek Kingdom and the Albanians, chaos was eroding this new territory.

Actually, there is potential here; the Mizege Plain is the largest granary in all of Albania today. However, at this time it is still a wasteland—and this is not a metaphor, but an objective description.

The low-lying alluvial plains are dotted with vast areas of swamps and forests, so much so that you don't even need to go to Africa to experience malaria.

The mosquito density on the Mizeguet plain was astonishing at the time. A French explorer wrote in his diary:

"I have seen many great walls. The walls of ancient Greece are full of wisdom, the walls of Constantinople are magnificent, and the walls of the East are endless."

But it was only the walls here that terrified me; my scalp tingled because they were black walls made of countless mosquitoes that emitted terrifying vibrations.

I swear, I saw hell.

Albania is also rich in resources, including copper, chromium, oil, coal, iron, nickel, natural bitumen, and high-quality marble.

Albania's oil, especially the Kujova and Patos fields, are the two richest oil fields in the entire Balkans. Burchidze is also one of the largest chromium mines in Europe and even the world. Chromium is actually an important strategic resource, with a very significant impact on the chemical and military industries.

Chromium can significantly improve the hardness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and high temperature resistance of steel, and is mainly used in armor, cannon barrels, gun barrels, bearings, springs, and high-strength mechanical parts.

However, the Austrian Empire was one of the few European countries that could be self-sufficient in chromium ore. Other countries, except for Russia, basically had to import chromium ore to meet their domestic needs.

However, this does not mean that chromium ore was unimportant to the Austrian Empire. On the contrary, the Austrian Empire developed much faster than originally thought, and its demand for chromium ore inevitably increased.

To secure this gold mine, Franz must achieve complete control over Albania.

The Austrian Empire could not possibly tie these resources to a ticking time bomb, otherwise Franz would not be able to withstand their frequent bombings of mines and burning of farmland.

However, the first colonists to expand territory often suffered the greatest losses, so it was impossible for him to send his elite troops in right away.

Making these criminals who are implicated suffer some hardship will actually help them repent; otherwise, they will still think that everything is sunny everywhere except for the Austrian Empire.

People would love to see two small problems combine to become one big problem, but the chances of both sides colluding are almost zero.

Putting aside the fact that the two sides have completely different languages, cultures, and customs, Albanians are not even Slavs, so the idea that the two sides could join forces against Austria is simply too fantastical.

Moreover, when a large number of immigrants arrive, the two sides will also be in competition. After all, the development level of the Albanian region is still relatively low, and resources are limited. If some people get more, others will get less.

Back in Bohemia, Franz's recruitment drive not only brought in enough officials and police officers for the Austrian Empire, but also attracted a lot of weirdos and scoundrels.

A large number of radicals from England, France, Poland, Spain, and Ireland also entered the Austrian Empire's bureaucratic system. These people were undoubtedly talented and capable, and it was not difficult for them to learn German and Austrian law.

Coupled with the relatively relaxed conditions at the time, they were able to become officials of the Austrian Empire without any problem.

The entire Bohemia became their testing ground, and Franz couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine as he looked at the mountain of bizarre policies and mind maps.

Due to their relationship with the Violet Knights, almost all the remaining core members of the Polish Restoration Army joined the Austrian Empire under different identities.

Actually, what this group really wanted to go to was Galicia, but Franz didn't want them to cause trouble, so he implemented a policy of avoiding contact with people from the same region.

In fact, Poles have always hoped to infiltrate enemy ranks, and over the years quite a few Poles have indeed entered the Austrian Empire's bureaucratic system.

But after spending some time within the Austrian Empire, they realized how terrible the country was, and many even developed a different opinion.

Under the protection of the Austrian Empire, the Grand Duchy of Warsaw seemed less concerned with who ruled, as long as it could reclaim Poland.

They were even willing to give up Galicia as long as the Austrian Empire returned Krakow, even if it meant continuing as a free city.

There were great divisions among the Polish Restorationists, but there was one thing they did not disagree on: that a war between Austria and Russia was inevitable.

The Poles had accepted the practice of foreign monarchs, even relinquishing parts of their territory, during the Wars of Resistance against France.

The Poles believed Napoleon's promises wholeheartedly, and were willing to risk their lives for them.

Now the Poles also hope that Franz can give them a promise, and what's most outrageous is that they actually dared to write to Franz, and in their capacity as Austrian officials.

Franz was speechless at the sight of these guys. But as long as they didn't stage an armed uprising or openly declare rebellion, Franz wouldn't bother with them; at most, he would just transfer his men away from Galicia.

After all, they were not considered extreme within the Austrian Empire, and as for what happened in Bohemia, the Poles felt more contempt than sympathy.

In fact, Poles are still very proud; they often feel superior to others, even after their country has been destroyed.

The Irish were also looking to use the Austrian Empire to cause trouble; the Fenian Brotherhood, which was originally supposed to be based in America, was instead established in Vienna.

Fennia refers to the Fennia warband in Irish mythology, whose goal was to restore Ireland's independence.

Historically, the Fenian brothers even organized an invasion of Canada, their logic being to force Britain to make concessions by attacking Canada.

The result, unsurprisingly, was failure, but it also demonstrated their madness. At this point, the organization set its sights on something even bigger: a counterattack on the British mainland.

Ireland would have a chance to gain independence if Austria and Great Britain went to war. In fact, Irish people in the colonies often crossed the border to attack British colonies.

However, the British deliberately ignored these incidents, treating them as ordinary civilian conflicts. The Austrian Empire, on the other hand, would not do this; once caught, they would be severely punished.

Franz was speechless at the Irishmen's behavior, but fortunately, the so-called Fenian brothers were not difficult to infiltrate.

You could find a few Germans who speak Irish to join, or even those who don't speak Irish but only English, since not all the Irish people speak Irish.

In fact, the spies Franz sent quickly infiltrated the Fenian Brotherhood's upper echelons, holding twelve high-ranking positions, ten of which were held by Austrian spies.

Don't think it's too far-fetched. Historically, the Fenian Brotherhood was also infiltrated by the British. Almost all the leaders of the restoration organizations were occupied by British spies, and many organizations were even supported by British spies.

It wasn't that the Irish were stupid or disloyal, but rather that they were too poor, many of them had never been to school, and they had suffered severe spiritual castration at the hands of the British.

At this time, the situation of the Irish in the Austrian Empire had improved significantly, but they were still engaged in marginalized occupations.

Only a very small number of Irish people had the opportunity to defy fate, and this group was the least revolutionary; they even had a fanatical convert to the Austrian Empire.

It was incredibly easy for Franz to bribe them, and it was also surprisingly easy to infiltrate them.

Austrian Empire spies all shared one thing in common: they were wealthy and highly capable. Among such a group of people who couldn't even write, it would be difficult for them not to rise to the top.

Competition is fierce when everyone's skill level is similar. Once a gap in skill level appears, there is no competition at all, and most people will voluntarily give way or be asked to leave by others.