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

Chapter 1912 Always Getting into Trouble
Of course, the French never intended to kill the Savoy royal family, as keeping them in their hands would be more useful.

At least that's what the Duke of Morny thought, because before Napoleon III could even get angry, letters from Britain, Russia, and Austria arrived.

They condemned France's undeclared war and demanded the immediate release of the Sardinian royal family members.

The Austrian Empire's response was lukewarm, but its attitude was very firm.

If France refuses to hand over the Sardinian royal family, the Austrian Empire may take any action, including reorganizing an anti-French coalition to rescue the Sardinian royal family.

Russia's attitude was one of undisguised contempt; ever since the telegraph line was established in St. Petersburg, Nicholas I had become noticeably more active than before.

France took the lead in this initiative, with Nicholas I sending over a dozen telegrams to the whole of Europe in a single day.

Nicholas I was the first to express his willingness to join the anti-French coalition and claimed that all members of the Napoleonic family should be sent to Siberia for reformation to prevent them from further poisoning France.

The British side's wording was more moderate, with Prime Minister Palmerston even claiming that it must be a misunderstanding that could be cleared up.

But in reality, Palmerston was the one who was most shocked.

"Have the French gone mad? They are destroying the Vienna system with their own hands; it was their last line of defense."

"A war waged without a declaration is a challenge to the order of the whole of Europe."

It wasn't that the French really wanted to wage war without declaring war, but rather that the mountainous roads along the French-Sardinian border were difficult to traverse, and the area was riddled with fortifications.

If the French had followed the proper procedures, they would most likely still be lingering on the border of Sardinia and would never have achieved their current results.

At that point, it won't just be a matter of losing face; even the original safety net plan will be ruined.

In a contest between strong powers, making concessions is not shameful, but if dealing with weaker nations involves repeated back-and-forth battles, then it will likely be looked down upon by other powers.

Once a country is deemed a non-power by the major powers, it will most likely be placed on the table, just like Belgium and the Ottoman Empire did in the past.

How much to eat and how to eat it were entirely up to the great powers.

So even if the French are shameless and resort to sneak attacks, they want to win as quickly as possible because they simply don't have the time or space for a protracted struggle.

The Vienna system, which had once been used to contain France, was now protecting France from direct harm from the Austrian Empire.

If the Austrian Empire had actually bordered France at that time, the apparent balance on the European continent would have been quickly broken.

Neither the rise of the Austrian Empire nor the resurgence of France were things the British wanted to see, which is why they were angry and shocked at this moment.

However, what angered and shocked the British the most was something else entirely: the French captured the Sardinian royal family.

This kind of thing is perfectly normal to the French, after all, the French army did it a lot back then, and it was even considered an honor.

For the Duke of Morni, it was a tribute to his ancestors.
However, this was considered a grave taboo by monarchies, including the United Kingdom, as not directly intervening in the royal family was a bottom line between them.

However, the French once again easily crossed this line, even the British, who were their secret allies, were somewhat on guard.

It's only because Palmerston has a thick skin that he might not have been able to save face.

Even British politicians didn't believe the so-called misunderstanding, after all, the French were habitual offenders.

The hatred and suspicion accumulated during the Hundred Years' War between England and France were not so easily eliminated. If the British had not been pragmatic and needed France to restrain the Austrian Empire, they probably would have betrayed France long ago.

France's continental blockade policy could not shut down Britain, but the British did not want to go through that again, after all, they had not yet paid off the debts from the previous anti-French war.

In fact, the British wanted Italy to be unified, as this would greatly distract Austria and France, and they believed that the more bilateral relations there were, the more stable the situation would be.

Furthermore, the French destroyed not only the Vienna system and European traditions, but also the New Order that the British longed for.

Although Palmerston was both verbally and internally very dissatisfied with France, he still had to find a way to help the French resolve this crisis.

After all, Britain still needs France to balance the power in Europe and to be the cornerstone of preventing the Holy Alliance from advancing westward.

However, not everyone could understand Palmerston's "good intentions." As soon as he arrived at his office, a letter from the royal family was slammed onto his desk.

"My esteemed Prime Minister, I am deeply shocked by the barbarity of the French."

The Kingdom of Sardinia is our ally, and Emmanuel II is a legitimate monarch.

You always say that Britain is the leader of the world order, so let me see your actions.

—Victoria.

Palmerston wanted to slap himself a few times at that moment. Theoretically, as the British Prime Minister, he shouldn't have cared too much about Queen Victoria's attitude.

After all, Palmerston's past actions didn't seem to reflect much reverence for the British monarchy.

However, in this lifetime, Palmerston has suffered too many failures and stigma, and coupled with his own personality, his appeal and influence are not sufficient to fulfill the responsibilities of a prime minister.

However, reality still gave him an opportunity. On the one hand, no one was willing to take the blame, and on the other hand, it was due to the support of the royal family.

Palmerston's rise to power was aided by the British royal family, making him an even weaker prime minister than George Hamilton Gordon and the Earl of Derby.

Queen Victoria's anger was understandable; the French had crossed a red line for monarchical states.

In addition, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert themselves did not have much affection for Napoleon III, this upstart.

In fact, at this time, the mainstream monarchical circles in Europe did not recognize the status of the Napoleonic family, and usually referred to them as usurpers and usurpers.

However, most small royal families wouldn't dare to show that disdain on their faces, let alone make such direct remarks like Nicholas I.

Although he dared not openly humiliate him, he disgusted Napoleon III to the extreme in some details.

Especially in private letters, he rarely received the title of "brother." He was usually addressed as "friend" or "child," and sometimes he would even receive a seemingly respectful "Your Majesty."

However, the term "Your Majesty" is actually quite indifferent within monarchical circles.

(The book is mainly for ease of reading, and this aspect has not been examined in detail.)
When Napoleon III traveled or visited other countries, he often did not receive the treatment due to a normal monarch, let alone the extraordinary treatment expected of a great power. Even at the usually elaborate court banquets, mistakes would occur in the details of etiquette, and occasionally musicians or chefs would refuse to serve Napoleon III.

When the master of ceremonies announces Napoleon III's identity upon entering, he will deliberately simplify it. Many royals and nobles have long titles and honors, which are usually spoken for a full minute as a sign of respect.

As for the titles and honors of Franz, Victoria, and Nicholas I, they might be recited for more than two minutes in a row to reflect the majesty and solemnity that each title carries.

Being a ceremonial official is also a technical job, somewhat similar to the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but the power they wield is terrifyingly vast.

Of course, the pressure is also immense; if you're not careful, you might get eliminated because you put your left foot in first.

From the perspective of traditional monarchs, Napoleon III's legitimacy was virtually zero, and his very existence was a desecration of the monarchy.

Moreover, this was an attitude that a monarch had to express, after all, the tragic fate of Louis XVI was still fresh in everyone's mind, and as a fellow traditional monarch, one would inevitably feel a sense of shared sorrow.

Behind all this, there is another reason: Palmerston did a good job as Prime Minister, saving the North American battlefield from a near-dead situation.

However, the British royal family doesn't care about these things. What they care about is their control over the government, so they have to give it a warning from time to time.

Palmerston knew this was not the time to kick France when it was down. Britain not only could not kick France when it was down, but it should also do everything possible to help France through its difficulties.

Fortunately, Napoleon III still retained some clarity of mind; he was not as fanatical as his advisors and officials.

"Enough! I've heard that everything I said was a misunderstanding. We're here to help the Kingdom of Sardinia quell the rebellion. Your mission is to protect King Emmanuel II and then safely escort him back to Turin."

I will assign someone to handle the specifics.

Duke Morni was left disappointed and instead received a severe reprimand.

King Emmanuel II did not have to wait long before a commissioner from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs found him.

"Your Majesty Victor Emmanuel II, the great Emperor Napoleon III of the Second French Empire has granted your country's request."

"If your country is willing to hand over Nice and Savoy to our country, our country will help your country to recover its capital and will forever remain your friend."

To everyone's surprise, Victor Emmanuel II did not resist or get angry; in fact, he hesitated for too long before agreeing to the French terms.

On the other hand, Napoleon also campaigned in France, declaring that France was helping the Kingdom of Sardinia and that the Franco-Sardinian friendship would last forever.

Even newspapers in Vienna and London, and even in St. Petersburg and Constantinople, received bribes from Paris in an attempt to salvage public opinion.

According to conservative estimates from intelligence sources, the Austrian Empire estimated that France spent at least several million francs on this propaganda war, making it second only in scale and cost to the propaganda war between Austria and Britain.

Such a massive publicity campaign naturally had a remarkable effect, to the point that even the Savoy locals thought they had wronged the French.

Franz did have ways to put some pressure on the French, but it wouldn't be very effective. His primary objective at the moment was to completely eliminate the negative influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia on the Austrian Empire.

Besides the French, the British were also helping them defend themselves, and more importantly, Emperor Victor Emmanuel II himself did not seem to have any intention of pursuing the matter or resisting.

Of course, even if Victor Emmanuel II truly wanted to refuse France's demands, Austria wouldn't help him. Franz himself hoped for a complete break between France and Sardinia; the deeper the hatred between them, the better.

If the Savoy dynasty could lose Savoy, Franz would be happy to see it happen. The worse the Kingdom of Sardinia fared, the more stable the Austrian Empire's influence in Italy would be.

Franz forcibly united the entire Apennine Peninsula through religious influence, but religion is a double-edged sword. The deeper his ties with the Roman Catholic Church, the more difficult it became to reclaim North Germany.

Furthermore, it will naturally create a large number of enemies, as well as some unnecessary ones, both internally and externally.
The Italian Zionist movement must be put to an end, and the Kingdom of Sardinia, as its standard-bearer, must make its potential supporters see what their fate will be.

On June 15, 1859, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia officially signed the Treaty of Savoy in Savoy.

The Kingdom of Sardinia formally ceded Nice and Savoy to France.

France will send troops to help the Kingdom of Sardinia quell the domestic rebellion and provide a reconstruction loan of ten million francs.

Although the French army stumbled along the Savoy mountains, it moved like a tiger among sheep on the plains of Piedmont.

The civilians and soldiers who participated in the rebellion were no match for them and were routed almost instantly.

The French army reached Turin with almost no effort. Before they even launched their attack, fighting broke out in Turin. The various factions within the city had irreconcilable conflicts and did not stop fighting because of the arrival of the French army.

After the main French force had assembled, it easily broke down the gates of Turin with its cannons, and French soldiers poured in.

In fact, the French are also very experienced in suppressing rebellions and street fighting, because the political situation in France is not stable, and rebellions can break out frequently, with both large scale and intensity.

However, the French were not as fond of using rockets as the Austrians; they preferred direct artillery fire.

On the one hand, artillery causes less damage, and on the other hand, it has a stronger deterrent effect. The Austrian Empire's fondness for rockets was mainly aimed at eliminating enemy personnel.

Since everyone has different goals, it's impossible to conclude which method is better based on this alone.

"Attention! Target 300 meters ahead!"

The gunners began skillfully loading gunpowder, inserting the shells, tamping them down with a tamping rod, and calibrating them.
The Turin insurgents behind the barricades could only watch helplessly. They tried to break through the barricades, but were met with merciless gunfire from the French army.

The two sides were not even in the same league in terms of military skill. The French army was simply outmatched by these newly armed peasants and proletarians.

"Fire!"

With a command given, cannons spewed fire, and the furniture and debris used to build the barricades were instantly blasted into the air.

The scattered fragments acted as shrapnel, making them even more lethal than actual shotgun shells.

The rebels could only listen to the screams of those around them while watching the enemy mechanically clean the cannon barrels, load gunpowder, and then point the dark muzzles back at them.

That kind of despair is heartbreaking.
"I want to go home! I don't want to fight anymore!"

Unable to bear the despair, a young man cried out and turned to run away.

(I'm being discharged from the hospital tomorrow, and I still have a bit of a cold, so I probably won't be updating tomorrow. Then in a few days I'll write about the current situation in various countries, since it's awkward to read without data.)

The numbers in parentheses don't include money; they were counted intentionally.