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

Chapter 1950 Collapsed Before Touching
King Maximilian II of Bavaria never dreamed that he would be affected by the labor war between Austria and Prussia, and even Franz never expected that Bavaria would be the first country to explode.

Bavaria had always been an important ally of the Austrian Empire, and Maximilian II was quite supportive of Franz, even making his stance clear from the beginning.

However, the king's attitude is one thing, and the government's actual implementation is another.

Maximilian II himself may have been one of the most enlightened monarchs in the entire German Confederation, but the Bavarian government was by no means the most conservative government in the entire German Confederation.

Compared to the Prussian Junker landowners, the Bavarian landed nobles and agricultural capitalists showed even greater contempt.

They ignored not only the peasants' protests, but also the king's orders.

These guys instinctively oppose anything or anyone that might threaten their interests, but they don't have the guts to oppose it directly; they can just pretend nothing happened.

This tactic had always worked well in the past; if the local nobles and capitalists wanted, they could even drag it out until the next king took the throne.

Even if that hothead managed to break through the encirclement and take the case to court, the landed aristocracy and agricultural capitalists wouldn't care.

After all, the court system at that time was already quite mature and focused on evidence.

The farmers have a valid point, are protected by law, and have rights stipulated by the state, but the courts have procedures.

Why is procedural justice so highly regarded in the West? Because it can be deconstructed and its reality can be circumvented using technology.

In addition, the resources that the two sides can mobilize are not on the same level. The nobles and capitalists have money and time, can pay high litigation fees, can hire professional technical teams, can withstand long-term turmoil, and can even treat the trial as a party.

But what about ordinary farmers in the 19th century? They were likely illiterate, and perhaps even ignorant of the law. Their limited funds were often insufficient even for basic transportation, let alone hiring a lawyer.

Given the transportation conditions in the 19th century, the cost of traveling between cities and rural areas was a significant expense, hence the saying "clothing, food, housing, and transportation."

As for personal connections, they are extremely limited, and it's unlikely that they would know judges or powerful figures.

In the 19th century, the West had another interpretation of the goddess of justice in the courts: blindfolding was not for impartiality, but for ignoring reality.

On one side of the scales, there is indeed "truth" and "justice," but on the other side, there is "money" and "power."

The satire of this was particularly prevalent in contemporary literary works. A poor man was sentenced to nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread to support his family who were struggling to survive, while a powerful president stole the entire country but was crowned emperor.

The outcome of the lawsuit between the two parties was almost certain.

Even if they lose the case, the landed aristocracy and agricultural capitalists don't care, because the judgment is just the beginning; the real problem is how to enforce it.

They have a million ways to make things impossible.
Bavarian peasants had been subjected to this torture for centuries, and they had become accustomed to it.

However, this time was different because the king and emperor were supportive of them, and nationalism is truly infectious; it can really make people brave and fanatical.

Bavarian peasants united at an unprecedented speed and took up arms.

“We are not rebelling; we are carrying out the will of the king and emperor.”

"Those officials are issuing false orders! We cannot allow those wicked officials to continue deceiving the king!"

Besides nationalism, the church, which usually bound the peasants, wavered at this time and chose to stand on the side of the people.

Franz's purification efforts in the church over the years have been very effective, so neighboring countries are following suit.

Its main purpose was, of course, to strengthen control over the church, but it did purify the ranks as well.

These new-era priests and clergy have a moral bottom line that is worlds apart from that of their predecessors.

On the other hand, a more practical problem is that nobles and capitalists do not pay tithes, and if pushed too far, they will convert to Protestantism.

Even the poorest Bavarian farmers, steeped in religious tradition, would pay this fee; they could even be considered the bread and butter of the Bavarian Church.

In the past, high-ranking church officials would most likely have joined forces to fool their benefactors and then kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

However, the church's upper echelons were thoroughly purged, and their conflicts with nobles and capitalists were deepening.

Especially when it comes to converting to a religion, it is an unforgivable sin for true charlatans, and they have no reason not to side with the peasants.

Furthermore, the Church held Franz in high esteem, believing him to be a truly deserving pope.

On the other hand, Franz's religious reforms, especially the punishment of clergy for breaking the law, also instilled great fear in them.

In the Austrian Empire, clergy who committed crimes were subject to punishment not only under secular law but also under church sanction.

Once such an incident occurs, the first step is usually exile. Most are excommunicated and then executed. The bishops of the Vatican have even reinstated burning at the stake.

However, many new variations have now been added, such as white phosphorus.
In the eyes of Bavarian priests, peasants were simply carrying out justice. In fact, one of the less desirable side effects of purifying the religious ranks was that some priests were genuinely naive; they truly believed statements like "the king is good, but he is being deceived."

What happens when a group of angry peasants receive the endorsement of the king, religion, and nationalism?
Their fighting spirit was almost limitless; those thugs and ruffians who used to run rampant in the countryside were terrified and fled at the mere sight of them.

In fact, most of Bavaria's troops were deployed to the border at this time, naturally to prevent the French from taking the opportunity to invade.

Those who remained in the countryside were most likely hastily assembled troops, and given that the Bavarian army at that time was also hastily formed, many of whom were local farmers.

These soldiers were unwilling to fire on their relatives and neighbors, and some soldiers with strong local ties even defected and joined the ranks of the farmers.

The Bavarian officers still remembered the horrific upheaval of 1848, and their will was quite fragile; few of them wanted to fight those proud and spirited peasants.

What's most frightening is that these upheavals occurred almost simultaneously, and the Bavarian government was simply unable to cope with the situation.

The situation of rural areas surrounding cities was formed instantly. Urban residents and workers also had grievances, but they were not as agitated as the farmers.

However, seeing that the situation had already become this way, this group of people were naturally willing to go with the flow.

The result was that the entire country was instantly paralyzed. King Maximilian II of Bavaria was fishing in his palace when a group of farmers suddenly rushed in.

Maximilian II instinctively felt that a rebellion had broken out, and he hurriedly hid in a cupboard with his lover. However, they were soon discovered by the peasants.

"Quick! His Majesty the King is here! Those treacherous ministers have stuffed him into the cupboard!"

While Maximilian II was still in a daze, a group of peasants dismantled the cabinet, lifted him up, and sent him back to the palace.

Along the way, they even told him to take charge of the overall situation.
Vienna, Hofburg Palace.

Upon seeing the plea for help from Bavaria, Franz and the entire Austrian Empire's high command were utterly exasperated.

Should we save them, or not?

Prime Minister Prince Schwarzenberg never imagined such a thing could happen; his thinking was completely out of sync with how things were unfolding.

The others exchanged bewildered glances. It wasn't that they weren't smart enough, but this situation was far too unusual. It had never happened before, and they felt it would never happen again.

"How to rescue them? Under what pretext should we rescue them?"

Foreign Minister Lord Haberscu posed a crucial question: This fire in Bavaria could easily spread back to their own country, and besides, Maximilian II was still in the hands of the peasants.

Furthermore, those Bavarian officials were all idiots; they were full of mistakes, while logically speaking, the farmers were doing exactly the right thing.

However, the crowd did not panic; they simply turned their attention to Franz.

Franz was also somewhat embarrassed, because this situation was extremely rare. Bavaria had allowed Maximilian II to wage war for so many years, yet it collapsed at the slightest provocation.

"It's best to let him handle this himself; it's not appropriate for us to get involved in this kind of issue."

Franz is right. The Austrian Empire, as an ally, is indeed not in a good position to interfere, because it could easily find itself in a lose-lose situation.

Even if you succeed, you'll still be disliked by everyone.

Unless the Austrian Empire changes its stance and lists Bavaria as an enemy, and then takes the opportunity to annex it.

Otherwise, no matter what you do, it will be wrong, and it will be a catastrophic mistake.

However, everyone still looked at Franz. This strategy of not seeking external help was not bad, but Maximilian II's governing level and ability could be seen from this sudden uprising.

If he truly possessed that ability, he wouldn't have needed to secretly seek aid from the Austrian Empire.

“I will teach him how to do it step by step.”

Franz understood everyone's concerns; in fact, he was also somewhat uneasy about his relative.

It wasn't just Maximilian II; the kings of Bavaria in recent generations have all had serious issues with their abilities.

Franz now only hopes that the war will end soon, and that the Bavarian problem can be resolved naturally without his behind-the-scenes manipulation.

On the other hand, the turmoil within Prussia was also extreme, with even the troops sent from Hanover mutinying.

The Hanoverian army had a large number of German nationalists who directly raised the banner of the German Empire (the modern German tricolor flag).

The tricolor flag spread rapidly across Prussian soil like a virus, while the uprisings in the Rhineland were even more intense.

The 100,000 troops forcibly conscripted by Prussia became their own death warrant in an instant. As soon as news of the defeat at the front spread, these men became rebels, without even bothering to verify the truth of the news.

They swiftly crushed the Prussian army's last line of defense, and the Rhineland was completely occupied. A new wave of retribution began; in the eyes of these Rhine people, the Prussians were nothing more than colonizers, even worse than the French.

At least the French wouldn't persecute them in religious matters, but the Prussians were different; they not only persecuted them religiously, but also erected a new mountain for them.

Of course, some people in the Kingdom of Prussia will benefit from this approach, but that small group of capitalists is already unpopular.

Their strength was not as great as they boasted, and as a result, it did not benefit the Kingdom of Prussia at all; on the contrary, it turned more people into enemies.

In fact, before this price war, the factory owners in the Rhine region were relatively ethical. However, the start of the price war, coupled with the stimulus of the Labor Protection Act, made these guys get cocky.

In fact, the assassination of the Archbishop of Cologne and the multi-pronged attack in recent days in alliance with the Prussian government have completely divided the two sides, so they have no scruples when they start fighting.

In just one day, they had killed more people than the Dutch had killed in several weeks. The first thing some Prussians did after fleeing back to Prussia was to cut off the railway connecting them to the Rhineland to prevent those madmen from attacking.

But in reality, the people of the Rhine region don't care about going to places they haven't been before; they care more about their hometown and their immediate surroundings.

Besides Prussia, the Kingdom of Hanover itself was also in trouble. George V had no idea that his small territory could stir up such a huge wave.

If he had known things would turn out this way, he would never have done it, even if it meant his death.

But in reality, things weren't as he imagined at all; his advisors deceived him, and the French deceived him as well.

Even now, George V believes he signed a secret treaty with the French, but the reality is that he was betrayed to the French long ago by his advisors.

The actions of the Kingdom of Hanover made them de facto traitors within the German Confederation. Coupled with the ambiguous relationship between George V and the British royal family, as well as the flirtatious dealings among the factory owners, the people of Hanover were deeply hurt.

The common people, elites, and German nobles of Hanover all felt betrayed.

But the most fatal thing was that the Prussians lost, and the speed of their defeat far exceeded expectations.

Leaving aside the fact that it was a betrayal of an ally, the actions of the Kingdom of Hanover were tantamount to a declaration of war. Once the Austrian Empire's army defeated Prussia, who would be the next target?
The Hanoverians knew without even thinking.
As a result, almost simultaneously with other regions, the Kingdom of Hanover also experienced an unprecedented uprising. The nobles who had previously been flirting with England and France now became the most steadfast Germans, even behaving more like Germans than the Germans themselves.

The army and nobles of the Kingdom of Hanover were even worse than those of the Kingdom of Prussia. The Hohenzollern family still had some supporters willing to die with them, and some defended them.

But on the Kingdom of Hanover, there was only a rush to surrender; even the factory owners and bankers, who should have resisted to the end, knelt down faster than the nobles.

The slower-reacting civilians couldn't even find the enemy. Everywhere they looked, smoke and fire filled the air; everyone was rebelling.