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

Chapter 1897 A Gentleman Does Not Save
Union soldiers are human too; they get hungry, tired, sick, and angry when their wallets are empty.

These soldiers are fine with bullying honest refugees along the way, but they might not be willing to fight against desperate fugitives who are trying to escape the group.

Especially when some clever refugees were willing to share some benefits with them, these soldiers were naturally happy to turn a blind eye.

Of course, there are also some honest soldiers who choose to be loyal to their duty. They fight to the death with the refugees who are fighting for a glimmer of hope, but instead of receiving any reward, they are pushed out as sacrifices.

In fact, their actions have little deterrent effect and instead only cause the federal government to continue to bear the brunt of criticism.

Because such a large-scale migration has attracted international attention, many countries will not miss out on this spectacle.

At this time, many countries around the world were troubled by population loss, with the Americas being the main destination, and the United States receiving the most immigrants.

In this situation, the powerful leaders naturally hoped that the United States would suffer many disasters, especially since the Great Migration at this time could serve as a negative example to educate the people.

The British could burn down New York State with mixed reviews because it was Britain; the United States doesn't receive such treatment. All countries were waiting for the Americans to make a fool of themselves, and the Americans didn't disappoint.

But the federal government couldn't do much about the Southerners at this point; they could only target the Union soldiers who had opened fire without permission.

But if they really wanted to stand idly by, they would be criticized by the abolitionists, and the soldiers, who were not liked by either side, began to develop psychological problems.

Left with no other option, the abolitionists could only select people to protect the Black people, but this special treatment caused an uproar among the white people in the refugee group.

A folk song began to be sung among the refugees.

"White lives matter. This country doesn't just belong to Black people."

This time, however, the federal government did not intervene. It simply said that the refugees were ignorant and that their current predicament was their own fault. They couldn't help but sigh, "This migration was truly the right decision."

In fact, Washington was holding a victory celebration at that time.

August Belmont's acquisition of the Vanderbilt family's businesses made him one of only two railroad tycoons in the United States.

Although August Belmont was merely a dog kept by the Rothschild family in America, no one could underestimate him at this time.

Due to his connection to the Rothschild family, Auguste Belmont's property suffered minimal losses during the war.

Because of his relationship with the Rothschild family, August Belmont held a transcendent position in both American political and economic circles at that time.

It was precisely because of this superior position that August Belmont was able to acquire the Vanderbilt family's assets.

The reason Belmont didn't return to Britain immediately after the fall of New York was largely because Britain hoped to obtain more intelligence about the United States through Belmont.

After all, Belmont has become a behind-the-scenes figure in the Democratic Party, which is why Britain has always been able to keep track of every move of the US government as if it had a cheat code.

It was this seemingly insignificant move that propelled Belmont into becoming a true power player capable of influencing the course of American affairs.

However, Belmont is not so easily satisfied, or rather, he is very good at using the power in his hands to gain more benefits for himself.

In fact, Belmont was the biggest supporter of the Western Resettlement Plan, which was full of terms about pioneering spirit and humanitarianism.

But Belmont only wanted to increase the value of his land; after acquiring the Vanderbilt family's railroad company, he also received land that the U.S. government had gifted to the railroad company.

It is obvious that building a railway does not require that much land, but it is not easy to sell land in those remote and impoverished areas.

So Belmont came up with a way to send the refugees to cultivate the land, which would not only increase the value of the land but also directly find buyers for it. Transporting refugees would also be profitable.

Why not make it so that you can win three times with just one move?

A group of politicians and wealthy businessmen raised their glasses in celebration.

“I always try to turn every disaster into an opportunity. Only those who are unprepared and afraid to face challenges are afraid of disasters.”

Belmont said with no small amount of pride, and the surrounding high society burst into enthusiastic applause.

“Mr. Belmont, your words are more useful than ten years of listening to those empty-headed economists!”

“Mr. Belmont, you are truly the world’s greatest investor and philanthropist, not only solving the refugee problem that plagued the entire country, but also finding new jobs for them.”

On behalf of the American people, thank you!

At this time, the top officials in the United States were also very willing to befriend this benefactor, after all, everyone knew that a war between the United States and Britain was inevitable sooner or later.

The US won by sheer luck this time; what about next time? And the time after that?

They themselves cannot guarantee that they will not one day betray their country for personal gain or choose a better tree to perch on.
Vienna.

Prince Schwarzenberg felt something was amiss; a question had been lingering in his mind for a long time.

“Your Majesty, we are short of manpower in our North American colonies. Why don’t we take in some refugees from the United States?”

These refugees would likely be very cheap, and even if they weren't sent to California, they would still be a good source of labor for other colonies.

In almost every previous disaster, the Austrian Empire had offered assistance, and the task of rescuing refugees was already second nature to Austrian officials.

The Austrian Empire's colonies were also generally short of manpower, and all colonial governments were asking the Austrian Empire for more people.

However, His Majesty the Emperor's reaction this time was unusually cold. Are Americans really inferior to the Qing people, the Japanese, or even the Indians?
"Your Highness, you are drinking poison to quench your thirst. Our colonies cannot withstand the erosion of these parasites. Once they have developed, it is hard to say whether those colonies will be ours or theirs."

Franz's words surprised Prince Schwarzenberg even more, as the latter had never seen the former so lacking in confidence.

In fact, Franz always gave Prince Schwarzenberg the impression of being aloof and invincible, as if everything in the world was under his control and any enemy was like a clown in front of him.

No matter how outrageous the idea, if Franz wanted to do it, he could definitely make it happen.

Prince Schwarzenberg had already witnessed those near-miraculous miracles; he had never even dreamed of things like airships, airplanes, and submarines.

Furthermore, Prince Schwarzenberg had absolute confidence in the Austrian Empire's army and its control over local areas. He did not believe that the imperial army would fail, nor did he believe that anyone could escape the control of the empire.

"Your Majesty, you are overthinking it. Those Americans are nothing but a bunch of barbarians; just look at their so-called elites."

"If we just show them a little bit of strength, they will immediately submit."

This was the impression the Americans gave Prince Schwarzenberg at that time.

The vast disparity between the two countries made it difficult for the Americans to stand up for themselves. In fact, let alone meeting the Imperial Chancellor, meeting any minister of the Austrian Empire would have been a great honor for those Americans. At this time, Prince Schwarzsenberg was a powerful figure influencing international affairs throughout Europe, so how could those Americans not bow down in reverence?

"It's easy to show respect on the surface, but how can you be sure they're genuine and not just looking for a chance to get rid of you?"
What do you think of the people of the shogunate?

Prince Schwarzenberg recalled the Japanese who would immediately prostrate themselves upon meeting him, and he remembered how they would obediently kneel and listen when he spoke.

Although it felt a little strange, he was still satisfied with the other party's attitude.

Prince Schwarzenberg was also aware of the deals between the Shogunate and the Austrian Empire, and by all accounts, those deals should have been agreed to only after absolute submission.

"They must be an extremely compliant group, right?"

Franz couldn't help but laugh at Prince Schwarzenberg's reply, and he handed a document to the prince.

“Look at what the shogunate is planning. They are not as compliant as you think; in fact, they have been studying how to surpass us, or even conquer us.”

Do you remember those Japanese envoys who came to Vienna? They hired craftsmen and scholars everywhere, even stealing books from our libraries and infiltrating our factories and military camps.

They also wanted to plant spies around me.
Those fanatics have been waiting for their chance; you underestimate them.

Franz beckoned, and two young women with Asian features walked over respectfully.

"Tell the Prime Minister what your original mission was."

Prince Schwarzenberg was quite surprised upon hearing this; frankly, he found it hard to believe that such a small and weak country could have such great ambitions.

He would have been even more surprised if he knew that these ideas did not come from the shogunate, but from two domains under its rule.

However, what surprised Prince Schwarzenberg the most was why Franz always liked to carry this time bomb with him. In addition, he felt that His Majesty the Emperor had too much of a preference for Eastern appearances.

To be honest, he didn't particularly like overly thin women; in Prince Schwarzenberg's mind, women should be more plump. However, His Majesty the Emperor's tastes were always quite peculiar, so he couldn't say much.

As for those so-called plans, he simply treated them as a joke.

"Those shorty shoguns in the shogunate are really audacious. Should we send our airships over their heads and let them see just how high the sky really is?"
Moreover, it seems there are many separatist forces within the shogunate; if we wanted, there would certainly be plenty of people willing to serve us.

Prince Schwarzenberg never considered the shogunate a rival, but he did keep up with intelligence gathering, always viewing the shogunate within the Austrian Empire as a pawn to contain Britain.

More often than not, the Austrians simply viewed the Shogunate as a gold mine, considering the Japanese incredibly cheap, easily obtained in exchange for some rice, flour, and sugar.

The Hawaiian and California colonies happened to have more food than they could possibly consume, and the laborers brought in from the Shogunate could further increase food production.

With this positive cycle, Prince Schwarzenberg believed he could eventually hollow out the shogunate. However, he didn't mind resolving the issue directly by force, since his opponent was pitifully weak.

"Getting back to the point, do you still think Americans are easy to get along with?"

Their labor force is disproportionate to the risks they bring; it's not worth the risk.

By this time, the various domains of the shogunate were already completely under Franz's control. The women they sent were at best used as decorative objects, not even as playthings, let alone chess pieces.

Franz never trusted them, even though they had long since pledged their allegiance and had been trained for years.

To put it bluntly, these women are of very low value, and Franz had no reason to take that risk.

If he really likes this kind of food, he can be trained to eat it from a young age.

In fact, Franz was lying. The purpose of the shogunate and the various local domains sending women was more to show their submission and intimacy.

It was also a power struggle between the shogunate and the various local domains, since in their eyes the Austrian Empire was a behemoth that could destroy them at any time or make them rich.

The fact that the shogunate and local domains were able to regain control of their localities, reclaim economic power, and bankrupt merchants was all thanks to Franz. The fact that they were able to repel the small British fleet was also entirely due to Franz.

What Franz could bestow, he could also take back; naturally, they would vie to curry favor with this true emperor-in-chief. Although Franz might not care at all, they had no choice but to do so, and dared not refuse.

Prince Schwarzenberg said with some concern.

"Your Majesty, the Americans' target is Oregon and the Midwest. If they succeed, the Northern United States' power in the border regions will be greatly enhanced."

Given time, they will inevitably threaten our colonies in North America. Politicians in the North have long coveted California; shouldn't we start making plans now?

There were some deeper things that Franz didn't say, and Prince Schwarzenberg was tactful enough not to ask.

Religious issues alone can bring countless troubles, not to mention deeper, more conflicting issues.

Franz smiled.

"Does the American South not want to annex us? It's just that they are more aware of our strength, and they are respectful because they are wary of us."

"As long as they have enough power, they will find ways to take a bite out of us."

Prince Schwarzenberg was a smart man, and he naturally understood what Franz meant.

"It seems that the United States, as an ally, is unreliable. But what about the border issue?"

"Your analysis makes a lot of sense, but there's no need to worry too much. It will take Americans twenty or thirty years to recover from this."

Their armistice agreement with the British was only for ten years, and might not even last ten years before the Americans started fighting each other.

Franz knew about the American Civil War, but Prince Schwarzenberg did not, and he was quite surprised by Franz's assertion.

"Your Majesty, although this war has severely weakened the American North, the gap between the two sides is still quite large."

Moreover, with Britain as an external enemy, they shouldn't be fighting amongst themselves.

Franz smiled.

"We'll just have to wait and see."

At this time, the strength of the northern United States had declined significantly, but it still maintained a relative advantage over the south.

However, the power gap between the North and South in the United States was much greater in history than it is now, yet the South still chose independence.

Some things might be subject to review, so I'll just mention them briefly, avoiding the main points.