Chapter 898 Replay

In fact, this is not the first time Duke Ryan has heard such words. The Hungarians even found him directly before.

But to be honest, he doesn't like the Hungarian money. As Count Savoy said before, the shares of the Austrian Royal Overseas Development Company are too valuable.

As long as they accepted Franz’s (royal) invitation early, or followed up within the first two years, their investment would have at least doubled or tripled over the years.

It has only been less than six years since the reorganization in 1842, and the actual annual rate of return is close to 50%.

Even for those latecomers, doubling their assets is not a problem. This is an extremely exaggerated number, exaggerated enough to make anyone jealous.

The Fantero family, which once had millions in cash flow, was also one of the top wealthy families in the Austrian Empire. Apart from the royal family and Archduke Karl, there were only a handful of families that could spend millions of florins at a time.

You must know that Franz could only receive a gift of hundreds of thousands of florins on his birthday, and millions of florins are an astronomical figure for ordinary people. It may take tens of thousands of years to accumulate without eating or drinking.

Franz paid a lot of sincerity to win over these people, but his efforts did not mean there would be rewards, and he might even be looked down upon by the other party.

One party is flocking to it, while the other party is scornful. Naturally, the two sides are not talking about the same thing.

"Duke Fantero, are you sure that you are not inviting a wolf into the house? When the Hungarians attack the city, will they still fulfill their promise?

I'm afraid that by then, you will have to vomit out what you have eaten. "

Duke Ryan's words were very naked, but the words of the Earl of Savoy were even more pungent.

“It’s good to be able to spit it out, but I’m afraid that the old man won’t be able to breathe, or that the Hungarians can’t wait and want to dissect him alive.

Then the gain outweighs the loss. "

"Hmph! Short-sighted! You're stuck in your ways! You will regret today's decision!"

Duke Fantero snorted coldly at first, and then reprimanded loudly.

However, more than half of the more than 100 people in the room gradually sided with Duke Ryan, and even a branch of the Fantero family also stood over.

This was completely beyond Duke Fantero's expectations. At least he felt that his popularity should not be so bad.

However, the reality is that after so many years of exposure, there are still only a few people who are truly determined not to touch the railways or the Royal Overseas Development Company.

Franz successfully pulled most of the people onto his pirate ship. Duke Fantero originally wanted to take the opportunity to get angry, but the reality was that he really didn't dare to do anything to so many people.

The people here are all big nobles with good reputations and backgrounds. It is not a problem for anyone to get hundreds or even thousands of private soldiers.

If Fantero really takes care of all these people, even if the Hungarians enter the city, they will not be able to protect him.

In desperation, Duke Fantero could only practice Tai Chi again, but these people were very determined and would not easily change their views due to the instigation of others.

Usually they like to denounce the Habsburg royal family because they think it is beneficial to them, but at this time joining forces with the Hungarians to betray Austria is a bit too shocking.

It would be okay if this matter was not brought up. Once it was brought up, some smart people thought that maybe there were royal spies among them. So if they didn't act more intensely, would they be considered a loser?

As a result, a group of people more radical than Duke Ryan and Earl of Savoy appeared, and they seemed to be completely incompatible with Fantero.

It stands to reason that these top nobles will not look up or down, and even if they really have deep hatred, they will not show it.

The situation in front of him made Duke Fantero confused for a while, but he knew that there was no turning back. He was already determined to join forces with the Hungarians to rebel against Austria in front of so many people.

Seeing so many people opposed, he certainly couldn't let his supporters continue to argue with these guys.

Because the argument becomes clearer and clearer, the more people you speak to, the more hesitant you will be. In addition to being persuaded by the other party, you may also quit due to fear.

Although Duke Fantero has a list of these people, according to past experience, the Habsburg family may not even pursue him as the chief culprit.

At this time, Duke Fantero actually did not have much binding force on his allies, so he could only reduce the contact between the two parties.

In fact, there is another thing that he is unwilling to admit, that is, there is no benefit at all in angering those great nobles who are unwilling to follow him.

Although some people's attitudes may seem tough, most of those people will just sit on the sidelines in the end, unless one party can persuade them by offering more favorable terms.

The unhappy separation between the two parties made some people feel relieved. After all, they knew very well that every move here was under the surveillance of others.

Only the most reckless, stupid and crazy people would foolishly agree to Duke Fantero. If everyone here is really happy and hit it off, then a group of professionally trained revolutionaries will come in and kill the people here. Clean and tidy.

Madame Sophie was not Franz, and she did not want to give people a chance, especially if it might threaten her family.

Mrs. Sophie didn't want to think about the consequences. She only knew that the dead could not be revenged.

Count Xussel's men have been lurking in Duke Fantero's mansion for many years. At this time, a large number of nitroglycerin bombs were hidden in the basement of Fantero Manor.

As long as these people decide to unite and make trouble, they will be blown up to the sky, including those who know the inside story.

There have always been many conflicts between Madame Sophie and these nobles. Madame Sophie is regarded as an outsider by these nobles, and Madame Sophie also cannot accept these so-called nobles pointing fingers behind her all day long.

In addition, they want to rebel against the Austrian Empire at this time. If Franz had not stopped them, Madame Sophie's Plan A would have been implemented long ago.

The overly large privileged class in the country will sooner or later be the target of Franz's rectification, but considering the reality, Franz decided to deal with those disloyal guys first.

Venice, Franz's evaluation of the Bohemian Uprising is too petty.

In fact, it is not correct to call it the Bohemian Uprising. To be precise, it should be the Prague Uprising, because people in other parts of Bohemia are still living normally.

The scale of this uprising in history was also very limited. At first, there were only a few hundred people in the uprising. It was simply a fantasy that such a small scale could occupy the entire city, but Prince Windischgrätz handled it very badly.

He did not rush to suppress it but chose to let it develop, and only started the crazy and bloody suppression after the disaster was imminent.

The result is what Czech history says, Czech nationalism began in 1848.

Prince Windischgrätz's brutal methods actually had a counterproductive effect, because he slaughtered more civilians.

Most of the people who really participated in the rebellion were not liquidated, and many of them were even released soon after.

Because Prince Windischgrätz wanted to show his kind side.

The result is that the Czechs saw the incompetence and weakness of the Austrian imperial government, and the burning of Prague and the massacre of innocent people became a scar that this country could never heal.

So Franz could not agree with Prince Windischgrätz's title of saving the Austrian Empire. It is more like saying that he is the "Prague Executioner" or the "True Father of Czech Nationalism".

The Prague Uprising in history was because this man with a heavy army condoned the traitors, and the problem was discovered only when the fire burned his own head.

Prince Windischgrätz's wife was very "saintly". She hoped to persuade the businessmen to give more jobs to the young people and hoped that the Bohemians and Germans could live in peace.

As a result, this woman who hoped for peace ignited the flames of Prague. She was hit in the head by a stray bullet when she went out to give alms and died on the spot.

Then came the drama of a man who was angry for his beloved. Prince Windischgrätz led the army to flatten Prague to avenge his wife.

This looks like a very bloody Western revenge drama, but this dead "saintly" is not only the wife of Prince Windischgrätz, but also the sister of Prince Felix Schwarzenberg.

Hannah Schwarzenberg was the most beloved child of the Schwarzenberg family. Her accidental death directly led to the breakup of the two families.

Although Prince Windischgrätz was called one of the "three heroes who saved the Austrian Empire" at the time, her brother-in-law Prince Felix Schwarzenberg soon found an opportunity to deprive him of his rights.

Later, although Prince Windischgrätz was a member of the Senate of Nobles, he had no real power. During the administration of Prime Minister Felix, the Windischgrätz family was severely suppressed.

This directly led to the decline of the Windischgrätz family.

Franz was not very fond of fishing enforcement, but for the long-term stability of the country, this opportunity to eradicate the problem could not be missed.

He felt that the scale of the Prague Uprising in history was too small, and the problem of post-processing was too big. So Franz decided to help them with a big one, the British, the Hungarians, and the Jesuits of Pius IX.

In addition to the German nationalists, Franz wanted them to explode completely, and then catch them all in one fell swoop.

However, judging from the current war reports, the so-called Czech nationalism is still in danger, because the German nationalists on the side are too strong.

And before Prince Windischgrätz carried out the massacre, there were not many people in the Czech region who really wanted to oppose Austria.

So even after fermenting for a long time, they still only had a few thousand people.

Tanner Amherd, the most capable mercenary leader under Franz asked.

"Archduke Franz, what should I do?"

"Nothing to say, kill them all. I will let Archduke Karl write an order to Prince Windischgrätz not to interfere with your work."

Prince Windischgrätz would definitely not listen to this order. Even if Archduke Karl issued an order himself, the regular army could not cooperate with the mercenaries.

In fact, Franz wanted to deliberately humiliate him and force him to solve the problem of Prague, otherwise Franz could only solve him.

As for the Hungarians on the other side, Franz did not think it would be a big problem.

It was just that a fortress on the periphery was lost, and the Hungarian cavalry also suffered heavy losses and no longer had the ability to advance further.

In fact, even the outermost fortress should not be lost. When the Hungarian cavalry led by Bao Jiani raided Putra Castle, it was no different from sending themselves to death.

In fact, the cavalry raiding the fortress was originally a very stupid decision. Not to mention the fortress, even the high wooden fence was a great obstacle for the cavalry.

The only battlefield truly suitable for cavalry is an open and solid ground, and the infantry cannot form a phalanx, so that the cavalry can play its greatest role.

Franz had the most elite cavalry in the Austrian Empire, but even they couldn't ride horses to attack the city.

The cavalry led by Baugani was only half of what Kossuth promised him, but it didn't matter how many there were. They attacked the solid fortress without heavy firepower and ended up in failure.

After the Hungarians lost hundreds of cavalry, the defenders in the fortress still had zero casualties.

The Austrian soldiers in the fortress felt that they could hold on even if there were ten times more Hungarians. The soldiers laughed at the Hungarian tactics while shooting at the battlements.

"Their threat may be a little bigger than rabbits!"

A soldier laughed, and the others followed immediately.

"Indeed, I think they may want to consume our bullets."

Another soldier joked.

"So cunning?"

"Of course! If they keep attacking like this, we will run out of bullets in a year or two!"

At this time, an officer came over and stopped his men.

"Nonsense!"

"Yes! Sir."

"Our gunpowder expired before we ran out of bullets!"

"Hahaha!!!"

The Hungarian Hussars outside the city looked miserable. They ran into the tall city walls with their blood full of enthusiasm.

The Austrian soldiers who had no sense of honor did not dare to walk out of the fortress to fight them. They only dared to hide in the city and shoot coldly behind the shooting holes.

However, this tactic without honor and technical content was beyond the reach of the noble Hungarian Hussars.

Bao Jiani looked at the depressed soldiers. He knew that there would be no results if he continued to waste time like this. But Hungary's great cause must be completed, and Mr. Kossuth's ideal must be realized.

For this reason, Bao Jiani decided to do something that he despised. Bao Jiani walked towards the fortress with a white flag.

Due to some unwritten rules, Austrian soldiers usually would not fire at such officers.

So Bao Jiani could walk to the bottom of the fortress safely. He shouted loudly, "I am Bao Jiani Lajos, Lieutenant General of the Austrian Empire. I order you to open the gate and let me in."

The officers in the fortress all knew this General Bao Jiani. In fact, Bao Jiani was once the highest commander here, so everyone looked at each other in surprise.

And strictly speaking, Bao Jiani Lajos was the highest military commander of the Crown of St. Stephen and did have the power to order them to do so.

But at this time, it seemed that Austria and Hungary had already gone to war, otherwise there was no way to explain the large-scale offensive of the Hungarian Hussars just now.

Someone suggested killing the enemy commander directly, but was immediately opposed by others, because such a nobleman would usually be forgiven as long as he admitted his guilt even if he led the rebellion.

And their defenders were all children of civilians. If this nobleman really died, he might be retaliated one day.

At this time, a former subordinate of Bao Jiani came forward to ask Bao Jiani to guarantee that the Hungarians would let them go.

Bautjan agreed, and the Pressburg massacre was repeated, but unlike in history, only the outer fortress of 1,500 people was involved.

The real Pressburg was still in Austrian hands, but the Hungarians still declared themselves the winner.