NOVPUBParis, the French were holding a funeral for Napoleon III. The dense crowd outside was enough to prove the popularity of Napoleon III.
On this day, French workers collectively took a holiday, and capitalists had no choice but to follow suit. The title of "Socialist Emperor" bestowed upon Napoleon III was not a joke, as his influence among workers surpassed anyone else’s.
People organized mourning activities spontaneously, and in stark contrast to the desolation in the original timeline, one could not help but see the irony.
While many attended the funeral, there were few guests of significance. The Bonaparte family’s poor affinity with others manifested itself thoroughly here.
Royal families from across Europe seemed too busy; aside from those who depended on the French, the rest of the nobility only sent representatives, and some did not bother to send anyone at all.
For example, the Habsburg family sent a collateral Earl to deal with the matter on behalf of Franz. Even though the two countries were allies, it couldn’t change the mutual disdain between their royal families.
The grudges here were a messy situation, difficult to clarify at a glance. It wasn’t just the Habsburgs; most of the European nobility harbored unfriendliness towards the Bonaparte family.
Nobility held grudges too. Napoleon had swept across the European Continent back in the day, upending many people’s livelihoods. How could such accounts possibly be settled easily?
If the Bonaparte family had indeed fallen, perhaps everyone would have felt a little better. Instead, the outcome was the exact opposite; the Bonaparte family remained glorious. Seeing this upstart thrive, envy came too quickly for the idea of supporting them to even take hold.
In the original timeline, the sudden death of Napoleon IV in South Africa caused much uproar, with many suspecting the British Royal Family of orchestrating the murder.
The reason was: when Napoleon IV encountered the Zulu warriors, Lieutenant Carey and his men were just 50 yards away from Eugénie, yet they didn’t fire a single shot and retreated to camp.
Such obviously abnormal behavior suggested hidden motives, and it was difficult to say who had orchestrated it.
With so many enemies, the Bonaparte family had countless individuals capable of planning such lowly accidents.
Without a remedy, the death of the last direct heir meant not only the loss of hope for restoration but also the loss of the ability to investigate the true culprit for the Bonaparte family.
The atmosphere at the funeral was somewhat eerie. If one paid attention, they would notice that many faces bore expressions of schadenfreude; were it not the wrong occasion, they might well have burst into laughter.
Indeed, some were there just to mock. The young age of the impending Emperor Eugénie, who had just lost Napoleon III, would certainly lead to severe strife within the French government.
Take, for example, Victor Emmanuel II, the former King of the Kingdom of Sardinia; he came just for the spectacle. Once dethroned by Napoleon III, his hatred was bone-deep, and now he was here to disrupt the proceedings. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
He displayed his smile openly, utterly disregarding Eugénie’s murderous glare. There was no tradition of regicide in Europe; even as a former monarch, he was still a monarch.
As part of the interested parties, even if Eugénie was enraged, regicide was not an option. Since it was still the setting of a funeral, even less so could any action be taken.
Perhaps many saw this behavior as unwise. To provoke them so markedly, if not attacked overtly, could they not be retaliated against covertly?
Nevertheless, Victor Emmanuel II had his reasons for doing so. Now leading the Sardinia Restoration Organization in partnership with the Italian Revolutionary Party,
with the Italian independence movement in a lull, Victor Emmanuel II, as the elected leader, had to stir up something to inspire people.
Napoleon III’s funeral was his opportunity, and infiltration was possible with cooperation from those eager to see the Bonapartes embarrassed. There were plenty wishing for their disgrace.
After all, once the funeral was over, Victor Emmanuel II would leave along with the guests. If the French attempted to intercept, it would make for an even better opportunity to play the media. Countries waiting to laugh at the French would not pass up this chance.
...
Franz did not care about the farce at Napoleon III’s funeral; these were minor issues. Only because the young ’little four’ couldn’t handle such agitation would Franz take notice—if it were some old hand, they would certainly not care.
If one has destroyed someone’s country and taken away their throne, does that not grant them the liberty to throw a minor tantrum?
A mere laugh on the side, without causing a disturbance or interrupting the funeral proceedings, was enough to regard these individuals as non-existent.
There was plenty of time to settle scores; why the haste? As the French Emperor, punishing a few clowns would be all too easy, wouldn’t it?
Simply cutting off their financial sources would quickly bring these people to tears. Regicide was off the table, but ensuring they spent the rest of their lives fretting over basic necessities was wholly within reach.
Life in exile was not easy for a monarch, especially with a whole retinue to feed. Lack of money was out of the question.
In this regard, Franz had his fair share of experiences. Maximilian’s plight had resulted in hundreds seeking refuge with him.
Were it not for Franz’s regular financial assistance and Empress Sophie’s secret subsidies, it wouldn’t just have been about maintaining the Emperor’s dignity; feeding so many would have been a challenge.
These people loudly claimed the desire to retake Mexico, but when it came to action, they were useless. However, they had to be supported nonetheless.
Despite their lack of ability, there was a distinct difference between having them and not. Without their advocacy and whitewashing, how would one uphold their reputation?
Franz was willing to finance a group of idealistic loudmouths so they could spread Maximilian’s reform measures far and wide. Whether practical or suited to Mexico’s needs, at least superficially they seemed impressive.
The uninformed masses could not grasp the deeper issues and were easily swayed off course.
Of course, the mobility of these individuals in Austria was limited; they were not free to go anywhere, and the articles they wrote were selectively published.
Many among them were sent by Franz to France to further their education, ostensibly to study the restoration experience of the Bonaparte Dynasty.
So far, the results seem promising; Maximilian’s Mexico Restitution Organization has been established and has attracted many Mexican exchange students to participate.
In an age where everyone is equally bad, watching the domestic warlords fight with such fervor, these individuals have finally realized that having an Emperor is preferable.
Influenced by public opinion, many people have carefully thought about it and discovered that Maximilian I actually did nothing wrong.
Just as the newspapers said, the power of local Mexican warlords was too strong, making it impossible for the Emperor’s orders to be carried out.
The Conservative and the warlords together rebelled against the Emperor’s reforms, with the Revolutionary Party being nothing but foolishly misled.
Behind all this, Franz subsidized Maximilian with 200,000 Divine Shield annually, one could say that public opinion was brought back by money.
Victor Emmanuel II is under much more pressure; one just talks without acting, while the other is taking real action for restoration, showing a disparity in expenses.
Although there are many covert sponsors, the sum is not substantial, and Victor Emmanuel II, who supports a large retinue, is short on money. When funds are low, one must create a sensation, mobilize everyone’s patriotic enthusiasm, or apply the art of grand deception to coax sponsors to increase investment.
If the source of funds is cut off, the momentum of these restitution organizations will immediately fall by several notches, after all, people do have to eat.
…
Tyren, the head of intelligence: "Your Majesty, the Prussians have acted. In recent days, Poland’s newspapers have been criticizing the government, attributing the chaos in Poland to the absence of a King and the power struggles within the government.
The foundation of the Dombrovsky Government is unstable; it barely won the election with the support of the public opinion, which the Prussians are now manipulating, hoping for international intervention.
However, Napoleon III just died, and everyone is focused on the political future of France, hardly sparing a moment for Poland.
If nothing unexpected happens, within a month at the most, the Polish Parliament will hold another election for the King, and this time there will be far fewer competitors. Wilhelm I’s selection is almost certain."
The number of competitors has decreased not due to Prussian intrigue but because many were frightened by Poland’s chaos and preferred not to wade into these troubled waters.
Don’t think that Greater Poland has been independent for long; they have certainly stirred up a great deal of trouble. On the international stage, they act as a great power, as if they were already one among the mighty.
They declared themselves the sixth great power of Europe, just behind England-France-Austria-Prussia-Russia, completely disregarding the feelings of Spain, the German Federation, and the Nordic Federation; in terms of comprehensive national power, these three are not inferior to Poland.
Even the Netherlands and Portugal, two seemingly insignificant countries, might not have a lower comprehensive national power than Poland. They may have a small land area and population, but they have colonies, and their economic strength exceeds that of Poland.
Even that could be overlooked, regarded as a need for propaganda, moderately exaggerating one’s own capability is acceptable. A recent diplomatic blunder, the near-military conflict with Austria, made many realize their error.
On the surface, the Kingdom of Poland appears decent; it’s a mid-level state on the European Continent and theoretically could join the club of major powers with good development.
But its geographical situation is simply too appalling, squeezed between Prussia-Austria-Russia. The sudden Austro-Polish conflict reminded many of the old times when Poland was partitioned by three countries.
A terrible location plus a penchant for self-destruction clearly marks a massive pitfall. Nobody wants to be a monarch of a fallen country, so after weighing up the pros and cons, many have chosen to withdraw.
Franz picked up his teacup and took a small sip: "Continue to watch, and don’t act rashly. We can start moving our hidden pieces in England now, but only after Wilhelm I has been elected King of Poland, then immediately take action.
Be discreet and ensure we are not exposed. It would be better for the German Federation Empire to take the initiative, make them jump out and dispute Rhineland region with the French.
We and the British have received word of the French wanting to purchase the Rhineland; supporting the German Federation Empire to gain the Rhineland region to prevent French expansion is much more justified."
In the German Federation, Austria holds significant influence; many influential nobles and government officials had discreet contacts with the Vienna Government, and it’s not difficult to drive them into action. However, ensuring secrecy is complicated.
No one can guarantee that these individuals won’t leak secrets. Placing bets with various parties has always been their way of survival; while maintaining connections with Austria, they did not refrain from interacting with other powers.
They could agree to secrecy at one moment, only to sell the secrets at the next. Such incidents are all too common on the European Continent.
Especially for matters that influence national decisions, which cannot be accomplished by one or two individuals alone. A large number of people need to be mobilized, and if a leak occurs, it would be challenging to find out who the traitor is.
Tyren thoughtfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. We will first expose the secret dealings between Prussia and France, then encourage the British to push the German Federation into the dispute."
The promises made by the Berlin Government are worthless, but that doesn’t matter, as long as everyone believes they are true.
Should the Prussians dare to stand firm against international pressure, Franz is ready to join forces with European countries to intervene militarily. From the beginning, he was prepared to force the Berlin Government to give up the Rhineland region through armed pressure.
In the 19th century, if a country wants to be strong, it must first possess enough coal and iron; without these, heavy industry cannot develop.
Actual space-time Germany’s development hinged on their possession of coal and iron resources in the Rhineland region, which led to the prosperity of the Ruhr Industrial District.
The immediate effect of losing these resources might not be evident, but as industrial technology advances further, the side effects will erupt.
Even the annexation of the Kingdom of Poland would not compensate for the loss. Europe’s coal resources are mainly located in England, Central Europe’s Rhineland region, Ukraine, the Silesia area, and the Balkan Peninsula.
Unfortunately, the Donbass Coal Field of Ukraine is far beyond reach for the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Silesia region has fallen into Austrian hands. After losing the Rhineland region, the Kingdom of Prussia will inevitably delay its industrial development due to coal issues.
