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

Chapter 1970 An Eye for an Eye
"Loyalty to the Empire does not need to be proven by humiliating others. This practice of forcing people to make statements and pledges may seem like helping, but it actually incites hatred."

If this were in later times, Franz would have suspected that these people were deliberately causing trouble.

But that was the case in the nineteenth century. Franz saw many extreme nationalists who, once they became extreme, were capable of anything.

Right now, this group is just caught up in convert fanaticism. If they suddenly find that things are not going as expected, or feel that they have been wronged, they will immediately turn around and bite back.

The Austrian Empire's high command had a thousand things to say, but after Franz pointed out the key point, they chose to remain silent because they didn't want to be used as pawns.

What should be done about those Danes?

The empire's high command was clearly very dissatisfied with the remaining Danish nationalists, and Franz had previously ordered that they not interfere excessively in local affairs.

As long as those people don't openly rebel, let them cause trouble; they'll eventually make their own choice.

Franz spoke with great confidence, and in reality, the vast majority of Danish nationalists chose to back down or even change their stance altogether.

However, a small group of people have always been overly active, and their public actions have already begun to divide the country in effect.

Franz could no longer stand idly by.

“Shut them both up. What we need now is stability, and any actions that could potentially divide the empire should be prohibited.”

Franz's stance was very clear: he wouldn't let these people cause trouble indefinitely. If they behaved themselves, Franz didn't want to take any drastic measures.

But now that they've come forward on their own, Franz won't tolerate such behavior. Moreover, only dealing with their own people while refusing to touch those who are truly disrupting order is the most ridiculous and disheartening approach.

The Austrian Empire did not often enforce strict control over speech, but that does not mean that Austrian officials were unfamiliar with the process.

"But this time, let's not send them to Africa. Let's send them to Sweden instead."

Stockholm, Sweden.

King Oscar I of Sweden lived up to his name, as he could still chat and laugh with Frederick VII when his forces were collapsing in Denmark, and they considered each other close friends.

However, Oscar I was genuinely happy at this moment, because he felt that he had really made the right bet.

"That idiot Franz actually sent your loyal subjects to Sweden! He's a complete and utter fool!"

Frederick VII, standing to the side, was somewhat puzzled. He didn't think those cowardly commoners were of any use.

If those guys were truly loyal to him, they should have fought the Austrians to the death instead of watching their king be forced to leave his homeland.

However, the feeling of being dependent on others is unpleasant, especially for someone as proud and arrogant as Frederick VII, it's worse than being killed.

But he also learned something during this time: he realized that if he wanted to be comfortable, he had to prove his worth.

"That man is not only a fool, but also a tyrant. Fortunately, my people have not yielded. If I can regain control of Denmark, I will surely drive them out of the Jutland Peninsula."

Oscar I ignored Frederick VII's boasting; he'd heard it far too often. However, Oscar I did desperately need immigration, and he required a clear statement from Frederick VII.

This would allow Sweden to accept immigrants from Denmark, a good opportunity to put Greater Scandinavianism into practice.

Sweden, Norway, and Denmark share a common heritage; the descendants of the Vikings must unite under the same banner if they wish to rise again.
In Oscar I's mind, the flag could only belong to Sweden.

However, this was not just to practice Greater Scandinaviaism; Sweden was also facing a huge problem at the time—population outflow.

In the Kingdom of Sweden, a series of natural and man-made disasters have made it difficult for the poor to make a living, and the huge gap between the rich and the poor has left many people without hope.

In addition, the conditions for immigration were ripe, and the advent of steam passenger ships greatly shortened the immigration cycle.

Furthermore, the immigration agencies founded by Swedes who had immigrated to Sweden further exacerbated the immigration wave; this model even has a specific term: "chain migration."

The Kingdom of Sweden has realized the seriousness of the problem, but with liberals in power, they cannot do something that would contradict themselves.

Another group of Swedish national elites believed that immigration would help eliminate the weak in their nation and expand their territory.

They were stripped of their citizenship on one hand, and entrusted with important responsibilities on the other; they themselves did not feel that there was anything wrong with it.

There's a power struggle between the left and right brains at the top, and the policies they formulate don't even seem effective to themselves.

In fact, the Swedish government did indeed emulate the German Confederation by enacting an "Anti-Human Smuggling Law," but it was quickly overturned by themselves.

New laws were subsequently enacted, but they were quickly overturned.
On the other hand, Sweden's manpower shortage is already very evident. Industrialization is slow, large amounts of mines and wasteland remain undeveloped, the government's control over local areas is severely insufficient, and there is a shortage of manpower.
Oscar I had long wanted to solve Sweden's current problems by attracting immigrants, but the problem was that the British and Germans looked down on Sweden.

The Finns didn't mind, but the Russians disagreed.

As a result, Sweden could only turn its attention to Norway and Denmark, which is one of the important origins of Greater Scandinaviaism.

Is Franz really going to send ammunition to Greater Scandinavia?

Of course not. Franz knew all too well what Sweden's problem was. Its real problem wasn't a lack of people, but a lack of common sense.

Although Sweden is large, it is essentially an agricultural country with highly concentrated resources in all aspects.

Sweden does have a lot of wasteland and resources, but land reclamation and mining require huge costs and upfront investment.

Especially in Sweden's permafrost, such costs are beyond the reach of ordinary people. Meanwhile, the wealthy and powerful can profit and maintain their respectable lives without needing to cultivate new land.

The current situation is actually more conducive to them maintaining their relatively advantageous position in the country and society, as they fundamentally lack motivation.

At the same time, due to the lack of industry, the path was very limited, and the people could not see any hope. They only knew that the more they had children, the poorer they became, and the less they had enough to eat.

In addition, free competition has exacerbated land consolidation, resulting in less and less land in the hands of small farmers, a large increase in landless farmers, and a mismatch between labor force and market demand.

One could even say that immigration at this time was a form of self-regulation of human resources; the Swedish market didn't need so many people, so young people chose to leave. But the strange thing was that, on the one hand, there was a surplus of labor, while on the other hand, factories couldn't find workers.

If Sweden doesn't address its internal structural problems, attracting more immigrants won't help.

Those unemployed immigrants could become the country's death knell, and the Swedish government's attempt to forcibly resolve the resettlement issue will not work; it could also become a trigger for internal strife.

As for Sweden wanting to solve its own problems? Franz felt they didn't have the ability, after all, it took the Swedes over a hundred years to find the crux of the problem.

Even if they find the crux of the problem and have ideas for solving it.

Can their internal interest groups reach a consensus? The preliminary technology is not yet fully available, so what Franz sent was just a time bomb.

Franz didn't actually like this, but compared to the actual damage caused by those people, the pressure from public opinion didn't seem so unbearable.

As for future potential problems, there will be some problems no matter what is done, since Denmark was not originally in Franz's plans.

According to Franz's original idea, it should have been worked out for a while longer.

However, Frederick VII's actions directly disrupted his original plans, making it impossible to proceed step by step.

Frederick VII had to be expelled, and the successor in Rügsburg was too inconspicuous and politically unstable.

Franz wasn't afraid of real fools, but he was terrified of those self-righteous "smart people."

Christian IX of Lugesburg was a conservative and slow-witted man, and he had a special feeling for Frederick VII, which included both gratitude and guilt.

They treated Franz with wariness and ingratiation, which made Franz very uncomfortable.

If Christian IX had been a simple conservative, Franz wouldn't have paid much attention to him.

The problem is that this conservative has no opinions of his own and is completely controlled by the liberals around him. He himself is a pro-British.

This gave Franz a major headache, because supporting him was more costly than the Austrian Empire ruling directly, and there was a risk of backlash, or even benefiting others.

This person also has poor judgment; he can neither assess the situation nor distinguish between enemies and friends.

Franz had no interest in wasting time on such a person. The Danish historian said he was not born to be a king, a judgment that proved quite accurate.

Christian IX's wife was quite a figure, at least politically far superior to Christian IX, and many things were handled by this Queen Louise.

Much of Christian IX's historical achievements can be attributed to this queen, but to Franz, she was just an insignificant person, not even worth being a chess piece on the chessboard.

Franz's brutal actions naturally enraged Danish nationalists, but those who originally lived in the Danish region understood them very well.

In fact, they felt this approach was very kind and wise, because the Kingdom of Denmark had disappeared, and those who called themselves Danes either had to accept the rule of the new emperor or leave.

The Austrian Empire could easily crush those opponents with its military strength, and it was already more than generous of them to be willing to let them leave and allow them to cash out their assets and send them away.

Moreover, these new citizens of the empire were well aware that if they were in each other's shoes, Frederick VII would certainly have exterminated all his opponents.

Historically, massacres and exiles were the most common options for conquerors, while long-term imprisonment, confiscation of property, and enslavement were relatively mild choices.

In contrast, Franz's approach was absolutely benevolent, and in the eyes of ordinary people, stability and order were the best manifestation of a wise monarch.

Those who refuse to leave are instead seen as troublemakers and destabilizing factors.

The point is not what Franz thinks, but what the Danish indigenous people think.

Furthermore, the benefits brought by the imperial system were tangible and readily available, and the previous sympathy for those Danish nationalists had long since turned into anger and disgust.

This is actually very important, as it means that the actions of those Danish nationalists had to go underground.

For Franz, that was enough. He had achieved his goal. He never intended to kill them all; he just wanted to shut them up.

Furthermore, Franz always believed in the saying "it is impolite not to reciprocate." He was not the kind of person who held grudges, but he was not so good-tempered as to let people repeatedly humiliate him without retaliating.

Besides planting bombs, Franz was also preparing to ignite another powder keg – Norway.

Sweden's rule over Norway was far from secure. Oscar I's slogans were loud, but his actions had nothing to do with the freedom, equality, and common prosperity he spoke of.

Although Oscar I was also the King of Norway, he lived in Sweden for a long time and appointed a Swedish governor to rule Norway.

This made Norwegians feel slighted, but what made them even more dissatisfied was that Norway had long been in a subordinate and secondary position, with power and law clearly favoring Sweden.

Norway does not have separate consular and diplomatic powers, and some people may wonder what use these powers would be to a subordinate state.

In reality, Norway is theoretically a federation with Sweden, and as a maritime nation surrounded by powerful countries, Norway must deal with its neighboring powers.

The Norwegians had a very urgent need for this, but the Swedes saw it as unnecessary. At the same time, their priorities were completely different, with Sweden focusing more on its own development on the continent.

Historically, diplomatic power was even the catalyst for the split between Norway and Sweden, though it hasn't reached that point yet.

However, Franz could suggest that they taste the saltiness first.
Furthermore, the personal union of Sweden and Norway inherently lacks legitimacy; in the eyes of Norwegians, they were kidnapped from Denmark by Sweden.

It's hard to say whether the Kingdom of Denmark is a bad guy in the eyes of Norwegians, but the Kingdom of Sweden must be a robber.

This is an era of nationalism. Even Frederick VII knew how to use nationalism to stir up trouble. How could the local nobles and bureaucrats of Norway possibly let this opportunity pass?
More importantly, the Kingdom of Sweden itself lacks governing power. Not to mention Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden cannot even control its own territory, and many regions can only maintain themselves through autonomy.

At this time, the written language of Norway was almost indistinguishable from Danish, and the upper echelons and social elites used Danish (Copenhagen dialect), which the Kingdom of Denmark had been working to promote.

Franz plans to establish a "National Day of Infamy" in Denmark to commemorate the shameful day of ceding Norway.

Of course, Franz wouldn't do it himself; he would let the right person bring it up at the right time to really annoy the Kingdom of Sweden.