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

Chapter 1904 The Kingdom of Sardinia Makes Its Move

Tvorodros II was a powerful ruler in Abyssinia and even throughout Africa.

However, this powerful leader took the initiative to provoke the then-dominant Britain in 1868, and was subsequently annihilated by the British army at the great cost of two lives, and the capital of Abyssinia was captured.

Tvorodros II was forced to commit suicide, and his body was even taken to London for exhibition by the British.

Knowing this history, Franz found it difficult to associate it with a huge threat.

Since Franz had already said that, Taffy stopped worrying about it.

"Let's eat first."

Franz nodded in agreement.

After a snap of his fingers, the musicians and waiters returned to the hall.

The musical style here is not much different from the Viennese court style. Although it has become somewhat desolate and melancholic, it does not show any trace of the later black music that Franz was familiar with.

Actually, this shows that Franz didn't understand music well enough; the kind of Black music he was familiar with wasn't the original African music.

However, the diet changed quite a bit, especially with dishes made from tropical fruits taking up almost half of the table. Then came various seafood dishes, particularly turtle soup, a British favorite.

This thing was considered the ultimate luxury by the British, a symbol of power and extravagance, but Franz had no interest in it whatsoever.

The reason Taffy's chefs served this dish was largely to maintain the governor's prestige.

Even Taffy himself only took a small sip before setting it aside; this stuff didn't really suit the Austrian palate.

Franz also picked up a spoon and took a small sip; it was less of a soup and more of a sticky meat gravy.

"Cough cough cough, how does this thing manage to be both fishy and greasy?"

However, Franz still said...

"The taste and texture are very unique, clearly the result of careful preparation, and the layers of flavor are also very rich. But such luxurious dishes are not suitable for us Austrians."

The head chef wiped the sweat from his brow. To be honest, he didn't think His Majesty the Emperor would like this dish, but he couldn't lose face as governor, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and make it.

Of course, if problems arise, Taffy will not take responsibility. In that case, everything will be considered the chef's own decision, but his family will receive a settlement payment from the Taffy family.

"Your Majesty, I actually wanted to invite you hunting, since the prey you hunt yourself is the most delicious."

When it comes to food, Taffy can be considered an expert.

"Wait until you go back to China. I don't have time right now."

Franz pointed to a huge piece of leg meat placed in front of him.

"What is this? It's not jungle meat, is it?"

Europeans of this era often enjoyed hunting wild animals to demonstrate their courage. However, Taffy quickly waved his hand and said...

"Of course not. I have completely banned the consumption of jungle meat as you ordered. This is ostrich meat, from ostriches that we raise specifically. It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside when roasted, and tastes pretty good."

Franz tasted it and found it to be better than he had imagined. However, perhaps because he was already used to the flavors of Vienna, he did not show much interest in this somewhat primitive taste.

Franz glanced at his old friend's physique and gave him one last reminder.

You should still exercise some restraint.

Two weeks later, in Vienna.

A matter that was neither too big nor too small was placed on Franz's desk, and the Kingdom of Sardinia took action.

To be precise, three hundred extreme Italian nationalists from the Kingdom of Sardinia crossed the Ticino River and fought with the Po River Guard formed by Franz.

Sixteen members of the Po River Guard were killed in action, and the three hundred Italian nationalists from the Kingdom of Sardinia were annihilated by the arriving Austrian garrison.

Was it a big deal? It was a battle involving only a few hundred people, not even as big as the anti-Black movement in the Austrian Empire at that time. Was it a small deal? This was the first time since 1848 that the Austrian Empire's homeland had been invaded by another country.

At this time, both Austria and Sardinia were filled with complaints, each feeling that they were the ones who had suffered a loss.

The people of the Austrian Empire no longer need deliberate guidance; they naturally blend in with the anti-Austrian elements.

At the time, most Austrians viewed this as pure provocation and believed it deserved the harshest response. Many even thought war was the optimal and only solution to the problem.

However, it was the Kingdom of Sardinia that was truly adding fuel to the fire, and Franz was not quite sure what the leadership of the Kingdom of Sardinia was thinking.

In short, an article titled "The Blood of Three Thousand Italian Warriors Will Not Be Shed in Vain" completely ignited the anger of both sides.

The article exaggerates the number of Italian casualties by tenfold and vividly recounts how these people overcame countless difficulties to reach Austria, fought fiercely against the Austrian imperial army, and ultimately died heroically.

The article is of a very high standard, giving the reader a strong sense of immersion. Franz even suspected that the article had been polished long ago and was just released at this particular time.

While praising Italy, the article also denigrates the Austrian Empire, portraying all Austrians as greedy and incompetent as always.

They even mobilized the entire nation, deploying hundreds of thousands of troops and firing tons of artillery shells, in an effort to annihilate three thousand Italian warriors, yet still dared not advance. In the end, Austrian officers were scared to death by the Italian warriors who had been dead for some time.

In reality, due to Austria's military reforms, many of the troops stationed in Italy were elites from Germany and Lombardy, and such smear campaigns made them feel humiliated.

Franz felt that the Kingdom of Sardinia might be trying to take this opportunity to incite patriotism and divert attention from domestic conflicts, given that the Kingdom of Sardinia had recently been developing very rapidly and its exploitation of the lower classes had reached new heights.

In just the last three years, the Kingdom of Sardinia has seen more than a dozen uprisings of varying sizes, and the number of strikes is too numerous to count.

On the other hand, Cavour may also want to give Napoleon III an explanation, after all, they had received a lot of benefits from the French.

However, they miscalculated one thing: the Austrian Empire was not so easy to deal with.

Franz found such low-level smear and whitewashing tactics laughable; a bunch of self-righteous guys thought they could rest easy like this?

Parisians took to the streets in solidarity with the Italians' great cause? British media outlets lauded the glorious sacrifice.
Then the British and French ambassadors came to Vienna to feign sympathy, but Franz disliked this clumsy performance.

Since they like to play games, let's go all out. Franz is determined to teach these forgetful fools a lesson and let them revisit history.

Franz took out a pen and added two zeros to the casualty figures: 1600 soldiers killed and 27000 civilians killed or wounded.

Based on this calculation, the property loss would be at least ten million florins.

The Austrian Empire's top brass was no stranger to Franz's tactics. After a brief meeting to confirm the procedures, the various departments tacitly began to take action.

This self-destructive statistical analysis by the Austrian Empire truly shocked everyone involved. Viscount Stratford and French Foreign Minister Wallewski had initially intended to reconcile. In particular, Viscount Stratford even went so far as to propose, in a rather magnanimous manner, that Britain would compensate the Austrian Empire for its losses should it commit to peace.

Are you sure?

Lord Haberscu, the Austrian Empire's Foreign Minister, asked with great interest.

"Of course!"

Viscount Stratford was full of confidence at this moment. What did the casualties of a mere sixteen people matter?
However, when Lord Habescu presented the loss statistics, Viscount Stratford's expression turned very grim.

Viscount Strathford glanced at Walevsky beside him, but the latter seemed lost in thought and showed no intention of speaking, after all, France was not exactly flush with cash.

Despite Napoleon III's impressive achievements in France over the years, he still appears to lack confidence compared to his contemporaries.

Moreover, Napoleon III's transformation of Paris was a massive undertaking, and the money certainly didn't fall from the sky. With limited revenue sources, the only option was to cut costs.

Ten million florins may not seem like a lot to a major power, but it's certainly not a small amount either. Besides, who would want to pay for such an undeserved disaster?

Viscount Stratford had no choice but to ask, albeit reluctantly.

"Isn't ten million too much? Are your country's casualties really that high?"

Lord Habescu immediately raised his voice several octaves.

"Those were three thousand terrorists, as the Kingdom of Sardinia itself admitted. They even erected a monument for those three thousand!"
We also have 27000 pension applications from the Lombardy region.
The evidence is conclusive!

Viscount Stratford didn't believe it at all and cursed inwardly.

"Damn Italians, why did they have to brag like that and now I'm in a bind."

The British certainly did not want the Austrian Empire to take this opportunity to expand their sphere of influence. The British had their own intelligence network and were well aware that this was merely a small-scale conflict.

Although Austria deployed artillery and bombarded the area for several hours, it was more of a deterrent.

The Austrian Empire suffered no losses, and the people weren't sent by the Kingdom of Sardinia, so the matter shouldn't be too difficult to resolve. In fact, Britain and France were even planning to take sides.

No, this matter should be decided rationally, objectively, and fairly.

However, Franz was all too familiar with this kind of behavior—pretending to be fair while actually taking sides.

These kinds of people are not meant to be won over from the start; they are part of the enemy themselves. So, if you have the advantage, just drag them down with you.

In the past, when the Austrian Empire was not strong enough, it had to bring in Russia and the German Confederation. As for reasoning with these rational people, Franz never even considered it.

After all, trying to reason within the framework and rules set by the other party seems both humble and foolish.

Sometimes, escalating the conflict is also a way to resolve it.

When the absurd figures from the Austrian Empire were reported, it was actually Britain and France, who had come to their aid, who felt uncomfortable.

"So, if the Kingdom of Sardinia is willing to pay ten million florins in compensation, would your country be willing to lay down your swords?"

At this critical juncture, Britain has absolutely no desire for war, especially not for the sake of bloodshed by a third party. Despite the overwhelming public opinion in London siding with Sardinia, getting them to actually contribute money and manpower is a different story.

If possible, the UK is willing to accept some costs in exchange for peace, especially since these costs do not need to be paid by the UK.

Prime Minister Palmerston's calculations were so meticulous that Franz could hear them even in Vienna. But how could the latter not be on guard?
"Ten million? That's the direct economic loss caused to the Kingdom of Sardinia. What about the indirect losses to security and trust? The lost wages, medical expenses, and funeral expenses of the citizens?"
They have also damaged the dignity of the people of the Austrian Empire and the prestige of the Empire. It would take at least one hundred million florins to heal the wounds.

Such a clear price tag shocked the foreign ministers of Britain and France, since many things should be priceless.

However, Franz was a pragmatic man and didn't want to discuss such abstract concepts. Business was business, but Britain and France clearly couldn't accept such a price.

"This is absurd! The compensation for 16 people will be 100 million florins!"

Viscount Stratford was so angry that he spoke his true feelings.

However, Lord Haberscu, the Austrian Foreign Minister, remained completely unperturbed; in fact, he seemed to relish the British anger.

"That's not what the Kingdom of Sardinia said. Our Austrian Empire is simply stating the facts and offering compensation based on the extent of the losses suffered."

Walevsky's eyelids twitched noticeably. He had to admit that the Austrian Empire's demands were outrageous. It was just a dozen or so deaths, why was it worth it?
Franz also had something to say. For them, it was just a dozen or so people, but for a family, the loss could mean the pillar of the family, who were also fathers, sons, and husbands.

They died fighting for their country, so who will take responsibility for their families, and who will stand up for them?
Franz certainly understood the advantages of outsourcing in shirking responsibility, but if a universal empire were to do this, it would be on the verge of destruction unless its adversaries were even worse.

"The Kingdom of Kosardin simply cannot come up with that much money."

Viscount Stratford has recovered from his initial fury.

"Then we can use land and resources to counter them; whatever they have, we will take."

Viscount Stratford's suppressed anger flared up again.

"This is the behavior of a barbaric nation!"

Viscount Stratford suddenly realized that his statement might be somewhat inappropriate and immediately corrected himself.

"This approach is too barbaric; we should have a more rational approach."

Franz had seen far too many people try to persuade victims to be rational.

"Please make it clear that Austria is the victim here, not the one who allowed them to attack."

“But the attackers were Italians, not the Kingdom of Sardinia.”

"That's what Viscount Stratford said with great confidence."

Do you have any evidence?

Lord Habescu's words froze Viscount Stratford's smile on his face before he could say anything more.

"Don't confuse the issue. It is an indisputable fact that the terrorists came from the Kingdom of Sardinia. They crossed the Ticino River and launched a shameless sneak attack on our country."

There were only Austrians and Sardinians here; no one else.

The Austrian Empire's attitude was very clear: Franz had no interest in recognizing the nation created by the other side and wanted him to broaden the scope of his attacks.
No way!

"But they are Italians."

Viscount Stratford remained entrenched in the mindset constructed by the British themselves, but the Austrian Empire had no intention of playing such word games.