The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 680 Brother Mo, you get rid of France

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.

Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, King of Bohemia, and Holy Roman Emperor, was listening to the sobbing of his sister, Maria Elizabeth, Duchess of Parma.

He suddenly felt his chest tighten, as if all the air in his lungs was sucked out. His whole body shook, his face turned pale, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Oh, God!" the Duchess screamed, and hurried to support the emperor, who was staggering. "Emperor, what's wrong with you? Doctor, go call a doctor!"

However, in just a few seconds, Leopold II recovered. The feeling just now suddenly disappeared without a trace. Except for the cold sweat on his head, it seemed as if the extremely uncomfortable feeling was just an illusion.

"I'm fine, Maria, don't alarm anyone else." Leopold II waved his hand to stop his sister from calling out.

It’s not that he didn’t care about his body, but he really didn’t believe that bloodletting or taking opium could cure diseases.

"Maybe I was too worried about Mary." Leopold II quickly found a reason for his situation.

"She is so cute and innocent, I cannot bear to watch such cruel things happen to her.

If that happens, I will fail my mother and brother in their trust in me, and my soul will not be able to ascend to heaven."

Unlike his brother Joseph II, who was committed to reform and became a loner with an extremely stubborn personality, Leopold II was smooth and flexible, full of affection for his family and with a strong sense of responsibility.

Therefore, he was the one among his siblings who was most concerned about his sister Antoinette's situation and felt responsible.

So Duchess Maria also believed Leopold II's explanation, but she was still a little worried.

"Emperor, why don't you let the Prince's team of doctors, Seres, come and treat Your Majesty? Their medical skills are much better than ours.
You see, after their care, my health has improved a lot, and even the scars on my face have been reduced a lot."

Duchess Maria Elizabeth pointed to the scar on her face left by smallpox and said that it had indeed faded a lot, which made Leopold II a little moved.

It’s worth mentioning that although Europe was ahead of China in physics, chemistry, biology, geography and other fields at that time, its medicine was really hard to describe.

As a result, Mo Zirong's Luwang Medical Clinic became particularly famous in Europe. When King George III of England became seriously ill, he even invited them to see him.

The result is that Chinese medicinal materials are now as valuable as gold in Europe, and their prices are so high that even ordinary nobles cannot afford them.

Of course, if Mo Zibu had not allocated funds to the medical industry and established a research institute in Taixue.

The West will rely on knowledge in biology, chemistry and other fields to quickly open up the shortcut of modern medicine, and then defeat traditional Chinese medicine, which has been the only one for thousands of years.

"What does Karl think? What does he think about Mary's fate?"

When he heard Mo Zirong's name, the expression of family affection on Leopold II's face disappeared, replaced by the majesty and impartiality of an emperor.

Leopold II was such a person. He was protective of his relatives and indulged his children, but when he returned to the national level, he could immediately appear cold-blooded and ruthless, like a political machine.

Maria Elizabeth knew why the emperor was like this, because until now he had not worn the crown of King of Hungary.

This was very serious because the title of King of Hungary was not within the Holy Roman Empire system and this king held the title concurrently.

In other words, the Holy Roman Emperor had no right to command the Hungarians; only the King of Hungary could command the Hungarians.

The last time he hurriedly succeeded to the throne, it was Mo Zirong who rushed back from Brussels to help deal with the Hungarians.

However, Mo Zirong was cautious and did not contact the Hungarians to nominate Leopold II as the King of Hungary.

"Karl has already stated his support for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty Frederick of Prussia. The French mob must be punished and Louis' authority restored."

Maria Elizabeth quickly made her position clear. The reason they left this backdoor was because the couple was afraid that Leopold II would not give them Belgium, and they also wanted to leave themselves some bargaining power.

But now, after Cao Zhenyong's analysis, the couple understood that the only way out at present was to cling to the Holy Roman Empire and fight the French revolutionary government to the end.

Because Leopold II was at most dissatisfied with the couple's occupation of the Lower Netherlands, that is, Belgium, but the French revolutionary government would destroy their foundation and even their lives.

"Therefore, if the emperor needs it, Karl is willing to return to Vienna immediately, summon the Hungarian nobles in Hungary and Transylvania, and support the emperor to become the new King of Hungary."

Leopold II understood that Belgian Prince Mozart's request was to bring him along to form an anti-French alliance.

This means that no matter what the outcome is, whether or not the French revolutionary government can be destroyed, the Holy Roman Empire will take care of it to the end.

For example, if Brussels were captured and the Principality of Belgium was destroyed by the French revolutionary government, then the Holy Roman Empire would be responsible for getting it back.

This was equivalent to asking Leopold to recognize the status and semi-independence of the Principality of Belgium through various channels and under various circumstances, while also playing the role of protector.

After all, the Declaration of Pillnitz, which he and King Frederick William II of Prussia jointly issued to oppose the French revolutionary government and return power to Louis XVI, was something that only true kings could participate in.

"Okay, I agree that the Prince should join the Pillnitz Declaration, and together we will rescue Mary from the mob." Leopold II agreed after a brief consideration.

Even though France is now in turmoil, it is not to be trifled with. He must make compromises in order to achieve internal unity before military intervention.

After obtaining the consent of Leopold II, Maria Elizabeth immediately went to the Hungarian Royal Chancellery in Vienna. She also had to persuade a large number of Hungarian nobles.

In fact, upon hearing that Maria Elizabeth had returned, a large number of Hungarian nobles had been waiting for her.

This is due to Hungary's special political system.

Because since the promulgation of the Golden Bull in 1222, Hungary has become a kingdom with a high degree of autonomy among the nobility, or in other words, it has become an aristocratic federation.

You know what, this style is a bit like that of the Huns. The Chanyu is supported by everyone. He is the king, but he has no control over the people and things under the leader of the tribe.

This resulted in Hungary's power system being completely independent of the Holy Roman Empire. It could be said that they were not a member of the Holy Roman Empire, but only shared a monarch with it, and the monarch did not have much power.

Therefore, it is better to say that the Royal Hungarian Chancellery is an institution that coordinates the relationship between the Holy Roman Empire and the Hungarian Parliament of Nobility rather than a government department that governs Hungary through the Holy Roman Emperor.

When Maria Elizabeth entered the Royal Chancellery, she found that in addition to Hungarian nobles, there were also a large number of Croatian and Slovenian nobles.

This is because the Croatian Baon (governor) who managed Croatia and part of Slovenia in later generations were basically Hungarians, so the nobles of these two places were also very close to the Hungarian nobles.

“The prince believes that we should still elect the emperor as King of Hungary.

Ladies and gentlemen, the current situation is too chaotic. The influence of the French mob will not be limited to France. I am worried that the same thing will happen in Hungary, Croatia, and Transylvania. "

Maria Elizabeth spoke directly and to the point, then she naturally sat in the main seat and asked Baron Moritz Kruger, who was accompanying her, to speak on her behalf.

This was an oval table, full of the style of a European lords' meeting. The maid from the Chancellery brought some simple tea and cakes, and Maria Elizabeth's Lu King's Left Guard soldiers began to check if there were any hidden eavesdroppers or others in the room.

During this gap, all the Hungarian nobles, including the Croatian and Slovenian nobles, began to drink tea naturally, and it was the very ritualistic covered bowl tea, with quite standard movements.

This has almost become a signature habit of Hungarians. Since they claim to be descendants of the Huns, they naturally have to have some customs of their ancestral country, such as tasting tea.

If you don't know how to taste tea, you must have mixed with Eastern European barbarians too much, and you will be despised. Even though the Huns in history didn't know how to taste tea at all, they only knew how to boil tea.

"I agree with the prince. Hungary cannot leave the Holy Roman Empire, otherwise we may be controlled by the Tsarist Russian Empire.

"The decrees of St. Petersburg are much more stringent than those of Vienna," said Count Nadasdi of Schlattenbach a few minutes later.

He was a basically Austrianized Hungarian. His father, Nadasdi the Elder, was once an Austrian field marshal and also served as the Governor-General of Croatia. He was considered to be one of the Hungarians who was more inclined towards the Habsburg family.

However, because of this, Nadasdi has some prestige within the Holy Roman Empire, but the Hungarian nobles generally do not like him.

"We also agree that the Transylvanian nobility will always follow the prince's footsteps." As Mo Zirong's private territory, the Transylvanian nobles were very supportive of the couple. Besides the sense of closeness that came from being the prince's direct descendant, the Transylvanian nobility also benefited greatly from Mo Zirong's status.

Otherwise, how could these rough and uncouth people who practiced serfdom send their children to the Nanyang Andai Province for training? They would receive a lot of salary as officials of the King of Lu every year, not to mention that they could do business.

As for the small colony they established in the southern part of the Indian continent, close to the French local administration, it was only possible with the support of the Dayu South Sea Fleet.

But the atmosphere was still a bit dull, and now it was Baron Moritz Kruger's turn to speak.

"The prince asked me to tell you a piece of news, that is, the Tsarist Russian Empire has hastily signed a peace treaty with the Ottoman Türkiye.

And they gave up a considerable portion of the occupied Turkish territory, including a large area of land on the west coast of the Black Sea, including Babadag."

At this point, many Hungarian nobles could no longer sit still.

Count Esterhazy of Galanta put down his teacup and tried to appear calm before asking, "Baron, this must be the army of the Seris Empire approaching the Ural Mountains, right?"

Others also began to whisper and talk.

One of the main reasons why these Hungarian nobles supported Mo Zirong was that the Seris Dynasty was able to restrict the Tsarist Russian Empire, while the Habsburg family would find it difficult to bear this responsibility.

From a geographical point of view, after Tsar Romania controlled the Principality of Moldavia and Wallachia, the lands west of the Black Sea, the Kingdom of Hungary had to face the threat of the Tsar.

In Hungary and Transylvania, there were a large number of Romanian, or even Slavic, serfs.

It is obvious that the Tsarist Russian Empire would definitely incite these serfs to cause unrest and overthrow their rule.

Maria Elizabeth sighed in her heart. This was the major reason why her brother Joseph II almost forced Hungary to rebel.

I don't know what Joseph was thinking. He knew that after the Tsar seized the western coast of the Black Sea, it would pose a great threat to the Hungarians, but he actually joined forces with the Tsar to attack the Ottoman Turks. It would be strange if he didn't get killed.

"Yes!" Moritz Kruger answered affirmatively.

He had been Mo Zibu's aide-de-camp for four years. If he had not insisted on returning to Europe, he would have been at least a lieutenant general in the army in Dayu. If he had made some more achievements, he would have been awarded the title of Earl of Internal Honor. Therefore, his strategic vision was still good.

"I can tell you clearly that the army of the Seris Empire is less than 500 kilometers away from Orenburg. I believe that within next year at the latest, we will see a head-on confrontation between the two empires.

Even if the Seris Empire is defeated, as long as it does not suffer a devastating blow, it will still pose a huge threat to the Tsarist Rus Empire."

"I really hope this day will come soon, so we can build a more powerful Kingdom of Hungary." Someone couldn't help but cheer.
For these Hungarians, if someone could restrict the Tsarist Russian Empire, then they could use that power to the east, defeat the Principality of Wallachia, which was backed by Russia, and make Hungary a powerful country on the west coast of the Black Sea again.

Maria Elizabeth felt a little uncomfortable because these Hungarians had always been thinking about leaving the Holy Roman Empire.

What they want most now is to become a vassal of the Seris Empire and establish a Greater Hungarian Kingdom.

Because the Serbian Emperor could help them contain the Tsar, but at the same time, because it was too far away, it was impossible for them to rule directly. The most they could do was send some officials as representatives and collect some symbolic tribute.

Moreover, these tributes can be earned back from the sea trade merchant ships specially authorized by the emperor. What one has to pay is just the nominal amount. It is such a good deal that anyone who doesn't do it is a fool.

However, just when Maria Elizabeth felt a little uncomfortable, she suddenly thought that the possible king of the Great Hungarian Kingdom was her own son, and she felt less uncomfortable.

"At the same time, the prince also decided to build a port in Koper specifically for trade with the ancestral country."

Moritz Kruger also said that Koper is on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and later belonged to Slovenia, with Venice across the sea.

If established, it would be the only outlet to the sea that these Hungarian, Croatian and Slovenian nobles could control.

Moritz Kruger is well aware of the carrot and stick.

He did not need to explain to these people why they should obey his orders and elect Leopold II as King of Hungary.

Just tell them what the consequences will be if they don't nominate.

So what are the consequences of not supporting it?

Naturally, if Seris really restricts the Tsarist Russian Empire in the future, no one will get a share of the Wallachian territory and the large number of Romanian serfs it has obtained.

Of course, you can forget about participating in the profitable maritime trade.

"I agree!" Ignatius Guile, the son of Count Nadaska, was the first to stand up and agree. He was already ready to join the Austrian army and naturally didn't want any trouble to happen.

"I agree, as long as the emperor does not continue to infringe on our interests." Count Illotz also agreed.

Because as long as Mo Zirong is unwilling to be the King of Hungary, they have no choice, otherwise they will never be able to truly break away from the Holy Roman Empire.

You have to know that in this era, a small country without the protection of a big country is no different from a stray dog on the roadside, and anyone can hit you with a stick.

Since all the marquises and earls, big and small, have agreed, the other minor nobles cannot have any objections. It is not that they don't know how to do it, but that they can't.

January 1792, 1. This was the 10th year of Emperor Guangzhong's reign in the Great China, originally the th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, and the th day of the th lunar month.

Mo Zirong rushed to Vienna again and went to Pozzoni, east of Vienna, with Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II.

This city has many names. It was always called Pressburg in German within the Holy Roman Empire. Later, it belonged to Slovakia and was renamed Bratislava.

Nine years earlier, at the beginning of the reign of Leopold's brother Joseph II, he forcibly brought the crown of the King of Hungary from the capital, Pozzony, to Vienna, and at the same time forcibly relocated a group of Hungarian nobles to Vienna.

Influenced by this, the Hungarians moved their capital from Pozzony, near Vienna, to Buda further south, which is the Buda in Budapest.

This time, as a symbol of respect for the power of the Hungarian nobles, Leopold II returned the Hungarian crown to Pozzony, but did not return the Hungarian nobles who had moved to Vienna.

So, in Pozzoni, Leopold II put on the crown symbolizing the King of Hungary, and then immediately headed south to the city of Buda to hold the coronation ceremony.

At this point, Leopold II finally became the King of Hungary, and the slight distrust between him and Mo Zirong was finally resolved on the surface.

On January 1, which also happened to be the Chinese New Year's Eve, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II convened a meeting in Vienna.

Nobles exiled from France, William V, the permanent ruler of the United Provinces, Frederick William II, King of Prussia, and Prince Mozart of Belgium all came to attend the meeting.

The conference issued a clearer signal than the Pillnitz Declaration that Prussia and Austria were ready to intervene in the French Revolution.

They demanded that the French revolutionary government immediately return power to Louis XVI and stop the atrocities against the nobility.

This is a Vienna Declaration that did not exist in history. Although England, Tsarist Romania and the Kingdom of Spain still refused to participate, it basically marked the establishment of the First Anti-French Alliance.

After returning, Austria and Prussia began mobilization.

Mo Zirong also announced a mobilization order in Belgium and Transylvania. He planned to recruit 20,000 combat troops based on the 3,000 Lu Wang Three Guards.

However, just over a month after Mo Zirong was ready, on March 3, shocking news suddenly came from Vienna. Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II suddenly died without any warning in Schönbrunn Palace.

What the hell!

Mo Zirong's scalp was tingling. He was ready to send troops, and the French revolutionary government had noticed his movements and was also preparing to launch a preemptive attack on Brussels. However, the main initiator and backer, Leopold II, passed away.

What should he do? With only his core 3,000 men and a total army of 20,000, can he withstand the attack from France?
Moreover, Mo Zirong knew very well that Leopold II's eldest son, his wife's nephew, Franz Joseph Karl, who was only 24 years old, was a complete playboy and had no ability to stabilize the precarious Holy Roman Empire.

Brother Mo San cried. What kind of luck is this? Is it my turn to challenge France alone next?
(End of this chapter)