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

Chapter 1892 An Old Man Who Doesn't Die Is a Thief
In particular, some Americans have begun buying houses in California and the Austrian Empire, and some are even actively seeking opportunities to develop their careers in the Austrian Empire.

However, this time it was different from the low-end immigrant infiltration of the past. This time, most of the people coming were American elites, and the number of international students alone increased tenfold.

However, those so-called scholars in the United States today would probably not even be considered second-rate in the Austrian Empire, and wealthy businessmen and politicians would only buy real estate in the Austrian Empire to send their family members to study.

This was because the policies of the Austrian Empire at that time were still difficult for them to accept, and they also lacked competitiveness in terms of high-end talent.

In reality, America's top talents, especially in academia, were at the very bottom of the social hierarchy in the Austrian Empire at that time.

If European scholars considered Russians as barbarians, then Americans were like apes or monkeys just beginning to take human form.

At this time, most Americans also knew their own level, and they generally regarded studying in Europe as a pilgrimage to knowledge.

American scholar Ralph Waldo Emerson even advocated for America's intellectual independence, urging it to shed its cultural colonial status.

Even more tragically, those socialites from the American upper class were seen as a bunch of bumpkins by the nobles of the Austrian Empire, giving them a comical, almost childish, air.

In addition, the Austrian Empire's own policy of allowing entry but not exit meant that few people had enough determination to join the Austrian Empire.

However, Austria is quite tolerant of female international students, and even provides them with dedicated teachers and dormitories.

Basically, as long as you can complete the most basic academic work, you can get a scholarship.

Scholarships in the Austrian Empire were tiered, and university education was something that required serious effort; it wasn't like literacy education that could be taken lightly.

If needed, they can also be paired with study partners, usually two: one is a local aristocratic child, and the other is a commoner child with excellent grades in school.

Of course, if they are both highly capable and come from excellent families, it is not impossible for them to be matched with outstanding talents among the imperial nobility.

However, the chances of those female international students returning to the United States are very low.
As for male international students, forget about it. If possible, Franz would have preferred to shut them all out. Moreover, the Austrian Empire was essentially a relatively conservative country.

However, the United States did not care about this. First, the United States did not lack manpower at the time, and second, only a very small number of people were able to go abroad.

However, the Austrian Empire was very resentful, and Education Minister Serafin Feistl had repeatedly condemned such practices.

In his view, this was favoritism, and all students, regardless of gender, should enjoy equal rights.

In theory, his remarks were beyond reproach, but they were inconsistent with the actual situation of the empire and Franz's strategy.

Moreover, Serafin Fister's words and actions are extremely inconsistent, and his personal sexism is very serious.

His ideas were not in harmony with Franz's, and no matter how famous he was, Franz would not continue to let him serve as Minister of Education.

But most people don't focus on that; Austrians see equal rights as the strangest thing to do.

Are they to expect the empire's princes and nobles to bow to lowly people from the barbaric lands? They cannot imagine it, much less accept it.

At this time, the Austrians' attacks on the Americans were mainly about their intelligence and manners. The Austrian students felt that these outsiders lowered the school's average intelligence level.

As for etiquette, Austrians' contempt for outsiders was even more severe.

Especially in Vienna, many Viennese people felt that the outsiders were not as good as the local farmers, or even as good as the Irish who swept the streets and cleaned the latrines.

Therefore, Franz set up special small classes for the international students to prevent those hot-blooded young people from causing any trouble, and also set up courses specifically for learning etiquette.

These signs were already evident when Austria was training military personnel for the United States; those who made their mark on American history are truly one in a million.

However, they were always at the bottom of the hierarchy in the military academies of the Austrian Empire. Their scores generally hovered around the passing mark, and they were even crushed in terms of the martial prowess that those people were so proud of.

Of course, the difference in shooting skills was largely due to the fact that those American officers were not familiar with the weaponry of the Austrian Empire.

On the other hand, those who could enter the Theresa Military Academy in the Austrian Empire were truly outstanding; there were not many mediocre talents.

Their loss wasn't entirely unjust.

The Austrian Empire did not accept just any international student; for example, Black people were always on a blacklist.

Whether they were free blacks or the illegitimate children of some important figure, they were not even qualified to set foot on Austrian Empire soil.

Franz was quite equal in this respect.

Franz didn't hate Americans, but he couldn't live well in America, otherwise he would have trouble sleeping.

Austria will not launch an attack on the United States, but if someone does take action, it wouldn't mind getting a piece of the action.

However, the United States was no longer an easy target at this time. The American forces, having just fought a major battle with the British, had reached an unprecedented scale.

Aside from Austria and the United Kingdom, it's not an easy task to get a piece of their territory.

Paris, Tuileries Palace.

Napoleon III was very depressed.

"If only Texas were still in our hands. The Americans seem to have reached a dead end. If we had a springboard, we could definitely retake Louisiana."

Louisiana refers to the land that Napoleon I sold to the United States.

The Duke of Morny naturally knew what his half-brother was thinking. At this moment, he was able to combine the roles of a nobleman, a businessman, and a socialite entirely thanks to Napoleon III, so naturally he had to say the nice things.

Napoleon III highly approved of this statement.

"If it weren't for that good-for-nothing Louis Philippe, New France (the Texas colony) wouldn't have been lost."

What's most infuriating is that old man is still trying to divide France; why isn't he dead yet?

It's no wonder Napoleon III hated Louis Philippe so much; the latter truly deserved the title of "old man who doesn't die, is a thief."

Louis Philippe has caused quite a bit of trouble in his own little corner of the world over the years. Although he has led the Duchy of Alsace-Lorraine to join the German Confederation, he has never forgotten that he is the King of France.

He spent his days either criticizing Napoleon III or secretly fabricating stories out of thin air. He even funded the compilation of a book titled "The Amorous History of the Usurper".

The book also points out that Louis Napoleon was the mastermind behind the largest brothel in Paris, and that he was not content with merely visiting the boudoirs of various lovers, but also secretly kept a group of consorts in his palace.

Napoleon III's womanizing was an open joke in European courts. He had a large number of mistresses, and he was indiscriminate in his pursuit of women.

In an era when having many lovers was generally seen as a sign of philandering and showing off, why was Napoleon III ridiculed for this?

Because this guy never refuses anyone, whether it's a dishwasher, a washerwoman by the river, a hotel or bar waitress, a maid, a court lady, or a noblewoman.
However, while accepting all women, Napoleon III was almost never responsible. He never considered giving those women the status of true mistresses, nor did he offer any compensation for severing ties, which is why he has always been criticized.

In fact, Napoleon III couldn't even remember the names of those women, and he felt that no compensation was needed unless there was a clear breakup.

Many of his mistresses recalled being used as tools, then casually discarded or given promises they never intended to keep. Empress Eugénie, Napoleon III's wife, even claimed that Napoleon III treated her like a prostitute, and that she refused to sleep with him again after giving birth to a male heir.

This life was slightly different. After the assassination attempt, perhaps out of biological instinct, Napoleon III caused Empress Eugénie to become pregnant with another child.

Napoleon III brought some bad habits from England; he was adept at using his power to help himself pursue women.

Especially after he became Emperor of the Second French Empire, almost no woman in France could resist him.

Women in the 19th century had a very low status and were even considered property in many countries.

Although the requirements for men were not high at this time, the requirements for women's chastity were quite high.

Losing one's virginity before marriage is a very serious sin, and unmarried mothers may even be regarded as a stain by their families and society.

In continental Europe, it is common practice to provide some compensation to the woman. Even King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who was criticized for his affairs, purchased villas or estates for his thirty-six public lovers.

This Ludwig I is the same Ludwig who, along with Laura Munster, caused chaos in Bavaria.

However, Napoleon III followed the British model, which is why he was constantly criticized and disliked by other countries' courts. He himself was completely unaware of this.

It wasn't until Louis-Philippe hired a large group of paparazzi to follow Napoleon III around every day, which annoyed him to no end, that Napoleon began to restrain himself.

The public loves to read this kind of gossip, and Louis-Philippe, the business genius, took the opportunity to buy the rights to French Playboy and keep an eye on the nobles of the Second French Empire every day.

Playboy magazine consistently topped the sales charts, and as its editor-in-chief, Louis Philippe naturally reaped both fame and fortune. He not only made a fortune but also had two mistresses who were fifty or sixty years younger than him.

Every time Napoleon III saw Louis Philippe's old face, he couldn't help but get hard, and of course, he got hard in the fists.

"That old bastard deserves to die!"

On this point, the Duke of Morny was indeed somewhat in cahoots with his half-brother, after all, who doesn't hate paparazzi?
"Your Majesty, on the other hand, are we simply destined to miss this opportunity?"

Napoleon III was furious, but reason told him that he was not his invincible uncle. He finally calmed himself down and said...

"The risk of invading directly from the sea without land as a springboard is too high, and my generals do not agree with it."

As a member of the Napoleonic family, the Duke of Morny certainly understood military affairs, but as a playboy, he didn't really understand them.

"Your Majesty, isn't our navy stronger than the Americans'?"

"Our navy is certainly stronger than the U.S. Navy."

This is a somewhat awkward question. The French Navy suffered heavy losses in the past, and the funding it has invested in over the years has not been sufficient. It's really hard to say whether it's as powerful as the Americans.

The key issue isn't actually there, but rather that maritime intrusion is risky, costly, and clearly inappropriate.

"Then why don't we just land in Baltimore and head straight for Washington to force the Americans to surrender?"

The Duke of Morny's words stumped Napoleon III. The main reason he dared not take advantage of the United States was that he feared the war would drag on and he would end up like Britain.

However, after Britain ripped a piece off the United States, Napoleon III's confidence soared, which led to this conversation.

"Makes sense."

Napoleon III commented in this way.

Then he relayed the Duke of Morny's suggestion to his generals, though Napoleon III would only say it was his own idea.

Army Minister Marshal Landon and Marshal Renio de Saint-Jean-Dangelli both looked very grim.

Due to the success of the Duke of Olma's rebellion, many of the famous generals of the Second French Empire remained in Algeria, with Marshal Landon and Renio de Saint-Jean-Dangelli being among the few remaining.

These two men certainly knew how foolish their plan to directly attack Baltimore, then seize Washington and force the United States to surrender was.

Marshal Langdon and Marshal Dangerli exchanged a glance, both seeing the embarrassment in each other's eyes.

There was no way to change Napoleon III's decision. He was very confident in himself. Although he tried his best not to interfere in military matters, no one could change his mind once he made a decision.

But Napoleon III was not the real Napoleon, nor was he even a direct descendant of Napoleon I.

This crazy and somewhat foolish plan has no chance of success, but it will most likely destroy the war potential that France has been building up over the years.

Finally, Marshal Langdon, who was in charge of war, spoke first.

"Your Majesty, your ingenious ideas are truly admirable. A decisive and bold attack, striking straight at the heart of the enemy, can minimize our army's losses."

"If we succeed, we can end the war in one fell swoop."

This flattery pleased Napoleon III greatly, but Marshal Landon suddenly changed the subject.

"However, Your Majesty has asked me to provide some minor technical details. If these can be improved, the plan can be made even more perfect."

Napoleon III nodded with some pride after hearing this, finding it to be very reasonable.

So Marshal Lang Dong continued.

"We are not very familiar with the hydrological conditions in the Chesapeake Bay area outside Baltimore. The tidal range there is quite large, and if the timing is not right, it may cause a lot of trouble for our landing."

Furthermore, although the Chinese navy is not afraid of the US military, the Americans had previously built extensive fortifications at almost all the docks and increased the number of artillery batteries in order to counter the British. If the Chinese army were to launch a direct assault, it would inevitably suffer heavy losses.

Upon hearing this, Napoleon III began to sweat; he had no ability to solve these problems.

At this moment, Marshal Danjeli, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

"Even if our army can land successfully, the Americans still have hundreds of thousands of troops, but our army can only transport 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers at a time, and the remaining 60 kilometers will probably not be easy to travel."

If we fail to take Washington in a short period of time, we may very well follow in William Rodden's footsteps.

The Americans possess overwhelming military strength. As long as they cut off the connection between our vanguard and the port, it won't be long before our soldiers have no choice but to surrender.

At this point, Napoleon III was truly afraid. He knew what defeat meant, that the name of his Napoleonic family could no longer protect him as Emperor of the French Empire again, and that he was not the real Napoleon.

Louis-Napoleon could only laugh awkwardly and say...

"You two truly deserve to be the pillars of my Second French Empire; you were able to spot the flaws in the plan at a glance."

I would like to remind you both that the glorious moment for France has not yet arrived.

However, the French were unaware that the US government was already in a state of utter chaos.