NOVPUBHaving clarified the situation, Franz watched the commotion with equanimity. Deep down, he had already mourned for the Bulgarian Revolutionary Party, which had initiated an ill-timed uprising.
If they had chosen another moment, the Tsarist Government might have compromised. For example, a few years ago during the Prusso-Russian War, if they had launched the uprising then and ridden the coattails of the victors, they would have successfully gained independence by now.
Unfortunately, at that time the Russian Empire was too powerful, and domestic public sentiment was stable; nobody really believed that Russian rule could be overthrown.
It wasn’t until after Poland’s successful independence that the ethnic independence movements in Russia began to grow. Bulgarian nationalism also started to spread only in recent years, and the agriculture crisis exacerbated the contradictions.
The foundation for revolution was in place, but it still wasn’t the right time. Challenging the Russian Empire with just a corner of land was in no way a wise decision.
Even waiting for the outbreak of the Near East War would have been a better time than now, as it would have at least provided an additional ally.
The British, who were covertly supporting the Bulgarian Revolution, didn’t show their faces, and the capitals of France and Austria were simply interested in profit; igniting the war was their objective, and they achieved it.
No matter whether the pretext was strong enough, there were still plenty of fools who believed it. Watching a bunch of speculators thinking that grain prices would rise and frantically joining the craze to inflate those prices, Franz muttered, "You reap what you sow!"
If they couldn’t find a sucker to take over in time, all the speculators involved, without exception, wouldn’t stand a chance to escape.
Having trapped them, how could the conglomerates possibly let them off the hook? Once aboard the ship of thieves, these people had no choice but to press on with all their might, fervently advocating that "grain prices are going to rise, expanding the impact of the Balkan turmoil."
There was a constant flow of good news recently, like the flood disaster in Argentina or the locust plague in India...
Pictures and proof were provided, but no one told them that even if these countries suffered a total crop failure, it wouldn’t concern Europe in the slightest.
Argentina of that era wasn’t exactly a major grain exporting country; it neither exported nor imported grain to and from Europe. Even if some areas were affected by disasters, other regions’ plentiful harvests would compensate, ensuring no shortage of grain.
India was even more straightforward. So what if they were short of grain? Could they afford it? With such a large population, a few deaths from starvation were of little consequence, and there was no hope that the British would come to their aid.
In short, any disaster happening anywhere in the world would be reported by the European press. Suddenly it became clear just how big the world was, and that so many countries existed.
There was indeed a "shortage of grain" worldwide, but that didn’t prevent an agriculture crisis from erupting. Those short of grain were the impoverished, who couldn’t afford it anyway; their plight was irrelevant to the international market’s surplus of grain production.
Now is not the time for uplifting anecdotes; there isn’t even an environment for survival. If anyone considers this an overlooked market and naively dives in to develop it, they could very well bankrupt even the biggest of fortunes.
There are those who didn’t make a profit on their initial investment but persisted for a few years, and even those who continued for over a decade, but Franz has never heard of anyone foolish enough to wait for a century.
The capitalists are not fools; they would have acted long ago if it were viable. Take for instance the anecdote of Africans not wearing shoes and someone going to sell them footwear.
No one researched whether the locals could afford them, and even if they could, it wouldn’t matter at this time, as the colonists had already gotten used to taking what they wanted by force.
Though slaughtering a sheep doesn’t deliver as much long-term profit as shearing it for wool, when one is about to starve to death, what future is there to consider?
The 19th century is the darkest and cruelest era; everyone is struggling to survive, with a future only for those who live through it. Looking too far ahead turns one into a martyr.
After a barrage of news, many people concluded that the world was short of grain, leading to panic buying in multiple regions.
Austria was not greatly affected. Although some were concerned about a rise in grain prices, no one believed Austria would ever be short of grain. If the world’s leading exporter of agricultural products was in shortage, how could the rest fare?
After stabilizing the domestic retail market prices for grain, Franz chose to ignore the fluctuations in the stock and futures markets.
Speculators must bear the consequences of their choices. These fields are fundamentally a gamble. Would the fleece turn into running sheep? Unthinkable.
In an effort to minimize the number of people affected, at the end of 1873, the Austrian securities regulatory authority raised the capital entry threshold, rejecting small transactions under 500 divine shields.
Capital is a powerful force; it transformed the grain market from surplus production capacity to creating an illusion of shortage through capital manipulation.
This was good news for grain exporting countries, as at least this year their grain was bought. When the international grain market would collapse wasn’t important anymore.
To some extent, the Tsarist Government should thank the invisible hand behind the scenes for helping them through the financial crisis of the year. Although grain export prices were not high, they managed to sell.
Future problems can be dealt with in the future. Moreover, Austria is trying to reduce production, perhaps in a few years, the market will return to normal.
Besides, war is a major consumer of grain. A good thrashing of the Ottoman Empire would surely mean no worries about overproduction for the next two or three years.
Without hesitation, the Russian Army originally prepared for the Ottoman battlefield was now redirected by the Tsarist Government to the Bulgarian battlefield.
The grand Bulgarian uprising, after persevering for over two months, hit a low point, with the Rebel Army being forced to abandon the cities and retreat to the mountains to continue the fight.
The Russian-Austrian Alliance was not over, and although he wanted to drive the Russians out of the Balkan Peninsula, Franz did not support the Bulgarian Rebel Army.
Of course, whether there was arms smuggling, that was not his business. After all, arms smugglers have no rights; if the Russians caught them, they could handle it themselves, for the Vienna Government would not intervene.
Vienna Palace, Foreign Minister Wessenberg: "Your Majesty, the Sultan Government’s envoy has arrived. They wish to resolve the disputes between our two nations through negotiation."
Facing defeat, they turn to talk; such is the custom on the European Continent. Especially for major powers, the annihilation of a nation is simply unrealistic; otherwise, Napoleon III’s annexation of the Italian Area wouldn’t have caused such an uproar.
Do the Habsburg dynasty and the Ottoman Empire have anything to discuss? From the perspective of family hatred, naturally, there is no need for negotiation; both sides wish nothing more than to destroy each other.
From the perspective of interests, naturally, one must first negotiate to find out. Franz wasn’t solely motivated by profit, so he decisively decided, "No talks!"
Strategically, Austria needed to create an enemy, and who better suited than the Ottoman Empire? The European Continent is like a tangled mess; once you jump in, you’re trapped.
Beating up the Ottoman Empire is so much better. Attacking a notorious enemy lets you stand on the high ground of public opinion, and there’s no need to worry about a counter-push.
The setting sun of the Ottoman Empire, even if it were to cheat and complete modernization reforms, would still be utterly defeated by Austria. This is determined by comprehensive national strength, and there’s no chance for compensation.
If England and France were willing to bleed for the Ottoman Empire, Franz would welcome it, for it meant that the two sides could be entwined in conflict for even longer.
It would be best if the European nations believed Austria was stuck in a quagmire of war, unable to extricate itself, so they could comfortably bicker among themselves. Otherwise, if all eyes were on Vienna, Franz wouldn’t dare make any sneaky moves.
"Send someone to urge the Russians, to accelerate their war preparations; the war must start in March. If that’s really not possible, just deploy some soldiers, we can provide everything else."
The strategic materials promised, Franz wouldn’t skimp on them. Dragging the Russians into the fray was mainly to share the international pressure, while also creating opportunities for the Prussians.
If Russia and Austria were not tied down, how could the Berlin Government dare to lay hands on Poland? Of course, Wilhelm I would definitely not be as extreme as Napoleon III; Franz guessed that he would probably first aim to inherit the Polish throne.
There were precedents for shared monarchies in Europe, including Sweden and Norway, which were under the same crown; such things were within the realm of acceptance. First controlling the Polish Government, then slowly implementing the annexation plan, the difficulty would be greatly reduced.
Franz had used the same plan to swallow the Kingdom of Bavaria, which now only retained its name and had effectively become a province of Austria.
Not just the Kingdom of Bavaria, but other Sub-States hadn’t escaped either. Whether they acknowledged it or not, they were merely highly autonomous regions. All interests were intertwined with Austria; the Austrian Government was the Holy Roman Central Government.
This was something the Kingdom of Prussia had also achieved in the original timeline. However, due to religious and legal traditions, the Berlin Government’s control over the South German Region was insufficient, and Bavaria remained independent.
If conditions had permitted, Napoleon III probably wouldn’t have directly annexed Italy either but would have adopted a shared monarchy. Unfortunately, this approach couldn’t work in the Italian Area.
Who knew what an Italian Emperor was? It was a non-existent title, created out of necessity, how could it ever gain acceptance?
Lacking any legal basis, the shared monarchy system was doomed to failure. It’s no wonder Napoleon III pressed on despite the difficulties.
Foreign Minister Wessenberg: "There’s no big problem with the Russians, even if they’re not ready, the Tsarist Government can declare war first.
However, provoking war still requires a pretext. The Russians propose to use the Ottoman Empire’s support for the Bulgarian rebellion or to expel heretics and raise the banner of Holy War as a reason."
The mention of "Holy War" made Franz uneasy. It was clearly a secular war; why involve the banner of religion?
Although it could boost morale, it wasn’t easy to control the pace! What if the frontline troops were overly enthusiastic and determined to annihilate the Ottoman Empire? How could you call for a cease-fire then?
You certainly couldn’t expect the French to reestablish the "Holy Alliance" with the Ottoman Empire to save the sinking ship of the Ottomans.
"Absolutely not, religious wars cannot be waged. Whatever pretext the Russians use is up to them; our reason will be revenge."
Think back to when the Ottomans besieged Vienna, nearly toppling the Habsburg dynasty’s stronghold; how could such a blood feud go unavenged?
No, wait. It seems that the 1683 battle was actually saved by Bopo, the savior. It doesn’t seem quite right to broadcast this given the circumstances.
Austria and Poland still had unresolved territorial disputes, and the grievances and feuds between them could fill ten television dramas; speaking of Austro-Polish friendship seemed premature.
Thinking this, Franz decided against saying more, letting the government fill in the rest. After all, the hatred between the two countries had persisted for centuries; one could always find a pretext by flipping through history books.
Especially the new history books compiled by the Vienna Government, where the animosity ran as deep as the sea. For instance, the Balkan people were citizens captured by the Ottoman Empire during its attacks on Austria, their descendants slowly multiplying over time.
The local indigenous people had long been slaughtered by the brutal Ottomans. The few survivors either sided with the Ottomans as traitors or hid in the depths of the forests, like in Montenegro.
Whether others believed it or not, the Vienna Government did. There was definite evidence, with genuine events and people to verify it. It’s just that the proportion was a bit small; a one percent likelihood of tracing the lineage was always there.
No, after so many years of migration, this proportion had greatly increased, with many areas exceeding fifty percent, thus greatly bolstering the credibility.
When it becomes possible to test for genes in the future, it would confirm the truth of these claims; the ancestors of the local people indeed came from the Germany Region.
The history books of the Montenegro Duchy could also serve as proof; Franz had to offer material aid worth a million divine shields to get the Montenegro government’s cooperation.
More evidence would surface in the future; in short, Austria and the Ottoman Empire harbored a vendetta as deep as the ocean. Failing to exact vengeance on the Ottoman Empire would be a disservice to the ancestors.
