Chapter 1 The King From Another World?

1834, Vienna, Austrian Empire.

Blue sky, clear river, this is a livable city, but it doesn't look like the capital of a powerful country in the 19th century.

The relatively gloomy sky, accompanied by severe smog and black rivers, although somewhat unenvironmentally friendly, is definitely a symbol of a powerful country in this era, such as London, England.

Inside a classic building with a Baroque exterior, the interior is designed in the Rococo period. The antique furniture on display is even more varied, from oriental porcelain to Baltic beeswax raw stones.

Its owner is Franz II, the last monarch of the Holy Roman Empire and the first monarch of the Austrian Empire.

Franz II is facing a choice at this time, a difficult choice: to choose an excellent heir or to stick to tradition.

Perhaps because of the generation gap, Franz II has been very doting on this special grandson since Franz was born. A healthy baby boy without any intellectual disabilities is his hope and the hope of this empire.

(Yes, the Austrian Empire at that time did face the problem of no qualified heirs.)

But today, the eldest grandson of Franz II took out five letters in the children's room and arranged a combination that he could not ignore.

"A.E.I.O.U"

That was a sentence left by Frederick III in Stephen's Cathedral, which is still engraved on the shrine.

At the same time, this was the only way Franz Joseph could think of to attract the attention of the old emperor.

"Austria is destined," Franz II murmured.

Frederick III was the last Holy Roman Emperor crowned by the Pope in Rome. However, he was not an excellent emperor. When facing the invasion of the Hungarians, he was not strong enough, his vassals were passive, and his allies stopped and watched, so he had to go west in a hurry.

He wanted to carry out reforms and eliminate the accumulated problems, but it ended in failure amid the opposition of the great nobles.

In the end, he had to live a secluded life, enjoying studying astrology and alchemy.

Wasn't Franz II the same? His grandmother, Empress Theresa, was so dazzling that her successors looked dim.

What was even more frightening was that the radical reforms of Joseph II (the last emperor) and the shock therapy of Leopold II (the last emperor) plunged the whole of Austria into chaos. At the same time, France, as its old enemy, also had a figure like Napoleon.

In that era called "Napoleon", Franz II and the Holy Roman Empire, who were against Napoleon, naturally became the background of the era. The capital fell twice, and the daughter was married to seek peace and the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved.

Franz II had too many reluctances in his heart, but his legal heir, his eldest son Ferdinand, seemed unable to bear the burden of reviving the empire. His second son also had no talent for governing the country.

However, Franz II's eldest grandson was a special child. Although Franz Joseph behaved a little strangely, he showed great wisdom since he was a child. It's just that Franz is too young, and there is no precedent in the Austrian Empire where the eldest grandson inherits the throne over the eldest son.

Franz II still remembers the Austrian succession war caused by the state edict.

But on the other hand, there are some things deeply rooted in his soul that he can't forget for a long time. That is a dream of a strong country, which is the dream of every emperor.

Which emperor in this world doesn't want to expand the territory and make the country prosperous? Not to mention the emperor, even ordinary people hope to live in a strong country. Who wants to live in a country with wars, people living in poverty, and gunfights when going out?

But Franz II didn't do it, and let the country decline step by step. He knew in his heart that he didn't have this opportunity, so he could only pin his hopes on the next generation.

A mentally retarded eldest son, or an autistic second son? They obviously don't have that ability, at least they won't do better than themselves. Franz II really doesn't want the declining Austria in front of him to be the peak of the empire in the future.

What Franz II didn't know was that the Austrian Empire in history had only experienced three monarchs, and it existed in name only after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. It was replaced by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a doll empire, and it completely disappeared in the long river of history after World War I.

At this time, the eldest grandson Franz Joseph did not know how entangled Franz II was in his heart. His soul came from the future. Although there were neither computers nor mobile phones in the 19th century, he was born in the royal family and should be a playboy.

But he soon realized that the identity he got after traveling through time was the famous tragic emperor in history-Franz Joseph. His love affair with Princess Sissi is well known to the world.

But his brothers, parents, children, and wife all died before him. His empire became the background board for the rise of Germany and France, and then completely collapsed in World War I.

Franz Joseph's life can only be described as tragic, but it is not enough to describe it. He was the last monarch of the Austrian Empire and the first monarch of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Two years after his death, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed and shattered into pieces.

However, at this time, what worried Franz the most was not these, but the debt problem of this country and this family. The debt of more than one billion florins was really exaggerated.

At this time, the Austrian Empire's annual fiscal revenue was about 110 million florins, while its annual fiscal expenditure exceeded 100 million florins. According to this calculation, even if the debt did not generate interest, it would take the Austrian Empire more than a hundred years to pay off the money.

Franz felt sad.

Fortunately, the current Franz Joseph was born early enough, but this body seemed to be unable to do anything. All he could think of was to try his best to please the old emperor and attract his attention.

After all, the old emperor held real power, unlike Ferdinand, whose decrees had to be approved by the Regency Council. If the old emperor was happy and rewarded some manors and industries, then Franz would have the start-up capital, and with his vision far ahead of the times, he would definitely make a fortune. At least Franz thought so.

The reason why Franz was so anxious was that he was getting closer and closer to the first time node to change the fate of the Austrian Empire.

In 1834, the German Customs Union was established, and the Austrian Empire refused to join, which sounded the death knell for the empire.

On the other hand, Franz II, who was worried, decided to ask God. Of course, he didn't really go to heaven to ask God, but to go to the church to ask God's messenger.

Since ancient times, when the emperors in the East were undecided, they always liked to ask for divination. Even in modern times, they look at the constellations for nothing, ask Tarot for small matters, and gossip for big matters.

This is true in the East and the West, so Franz II appeared at the door of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

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