Holy Roman Empire

Then mobilize [-] troops from Austria to reinforce the Italian region, and strive to suppress the rebellion in the shortest possible time.

And now the Bohemian region (Czech Republic) is also unstable. We have transferred Prince Windisch Gretz. Who is responsible for suppressing a possible rebellion? "

The front line needs them to command and suppress the rebellion. This reason is very strong. Now that Franz proposed it, no one dares to easily replace them. Otherwise, if there is a problem on the front line, they must be held accountable.

Austria is still the Austria of the Habsburg family. Even if Prime Minister Felix is ​​very strong, he can only make concessions in the face of Franz's insistence.

Political struggles are very complicated, and today's concession means that in the years to come, the Austrian government will be centered on Franz, with the cabinet in an auxiliary position.

Seeing that there was no objection from the crowd, Franz said again: "Considering the special situation in Hungary, we must also take action.

I propose to use Josip Jeracic as a high-ranking official in Croatia and concurrently as the commander of the city defense army;

(Josip Jelacic saved one of the three heroes of Austria. His main contribution was to stabilize Croatia and participate in the suppression of the Vienna rebellion and the Hungarian rebellion)

Appointed Julius Jacob von Hainau as a senior official in the Slovak region and commander of the city defense, preparing to suppress the Hungarian rebellion. "

(Note: Marshal Julius Jakob von Hainau, known for his brutal suppression of rebellions in Italy and Hungary, became: The Executioner of Arad, The Hyena of Brescia, and the Tiger of Habsburg.)

Franz's plan is very simple. It is to use the heroes of Austria's suppression of the rebellion in advance, and those gangsters who failed will not have to give the enemy their heads.

"Your Highness, the rebellion in Hungary hasn't happened yet, if we just do this, I'm afraid it will cause a lot of bad effects!" Felix thought for a while and said

He didn't expect that the Vienna government was still negotiating with the Hungarians at this time, and the crown prince was directly preparing to suppress the rebellion, which was completely sabotaging the negotiation.

However, once the Hungarians really rebelled, these arrangements were very useful.Both Croatia and Slovakia belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary in this era, but the people on it tended to be Austrian.

Taking control of these two places in advance is very useful for suppressing the Hungarian rebellion. Historically, the Croatian province has used 4 troops to suppress the Hungarian rebellion.

Franz shook his head and said, "Your Excellency, do you think it's okay to let the Hungarians go on like this?

In the past so many years, the Vienna government has made concessions to them many times. If they continue to make such concessions, they might as well let them be independent! "

This is not nonsense. Now Hungary is nominally part of the Austrian Empire, but the taxes in Hungary have nothing to do with the central government of Vienna.Even between Austria and Hungary, there are tariffs.

However, they also kept claiming that Austria was oppressing and exploiting Hungary. In Franz's view, this was complete nonsense.

The Vienna government has obtained certain benefits from Hungary, but Austria protects Hungary's security, so there is no need to charge protection fees?

If you leave Austria, Hungary will either be annexed by the Russians or the Ottomans, and the final result will only be worse than it is now.

On the surface, Austria's industry is more developed, while Hungary mainly develops agriculture and has become a market for Austrian commodities.

But in fact, in this era, the weak preyed on the strong. As a weak person, he could not demand too much from the strong. Even for ordinary Hungarian people, the Habsburg family was still the defender of their interests.

Under the current system, only the Hungarian capitalists and aristocrats are the only ones whose real interests are damaged, and those who have been trying to make trouble are only the capitalists and aristocrats.

After the Great Revolution, someone once commented that in the Kingdom of Hungary with more than 1000 million people, there are only 50 Hungarians.

In fact, it is the 50 capitalists and nobles who really exploit and oppress the Hungarians. Now Franz is going to kill these moths and distribute their land to the Hungarian people.

So this time it is not to suppress the revolution, but to bring a revolution to the Kingdom of Hungary, a revolution that truly liberates the more than 1000 million ordinary Hungarian people.

There will be bread, and there will be milk.In this respect, Franz thought he was doing a holy work.

"Your Highness can't say that. Hungary is our granary. As a sacred and indispensable part of the empire, we must not allow them to be independent!" Felix said seriously

Franz smiled and said: "Your Excellency, don't be so nervous, I just told the truth, the Hungarians can want to reform, but all of this must be based on the premise of integrating into Austria.

Just want to get benefits, but don't plan to pay the price, where in the world is there such a good thing?Instead of arguing with them every day, it's better to settle it once and for all! "

Chapter 43 Forced reforms

Prime Minister Felix is ​​also a representative of the Austrian hawks, and he agrees with Franz's views.

The Hungarian issue will have to be resolved sooner or later. Compromise cannot solve the problem.Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain, so the Hungarians simply rebelled and directly used force to solve the problem.

Austria also did this in history, but the Vienna government did not do it thoroughly, and finally showed mercy to the nobles.

In this way, although he won the support of the aristocratic class, he also lost a good opportunity to completely solve the Hungarian problem. Franz naturally had to learn a lesson.

During this period, the Hungarian nation had not yet formed. The current Hungarian nation only has 50 people with vested interests, and the remaining 300 million people have no nationality.

The Hungarian nation did not really take shape until the establishment of the dual system empire. During this period, the Hungarian nobles and capitalists did not consider the lower class people to be part of them at all.

Not to mention the people at the bottom. A group of illiterates work hard every day to survive. Who has the energy to care about what a nation is?

Even when the Hungarian rebellion held high the banner of nationalism in 1848, they themselves did not understand what nationalism was. Most of the so-called Hungarian people did not know Hungarian at all, let alone Hungarian culture.

Nationalism was actually exported to them by the French. The main purpose was to disrupt Austria so that France could achieve its strategy of dominating Italy.

This can be seen in many places. The Vienna government is directly responsible for the lack of national integration in southern Europe. If it were not for their inaction, there would not be so many bad things in later generations.

"Your Highness, the situation in Austria is unstable now. If the Hungarians rebel at this time, our military pressure will be too great!" Foreign Minister Metternich objected

Franz smiled slightly. He knew that Metternich had always liked to use political means to solve problems, which was a good thing and a bad thing.

Using political means, Metternich created Austria's 30 years of glory, maintained its status as a great power in the European continent, and also accumulated many contradictions that could be resolved at one time.

For example, during the Galician revolution in 1846, the Vienna government was able to solve the problem at once. As a result, the government chose to compromise with the nobles and linger on the contradiction.

"I know, but once this opportunity is missed, the Hungarians will probably continue to fight with us, and now the Vienna government has become their scapegoat, bearing the anger from the people at the bottom for them.

Austria is old, we have too many internal conflicts, if not resolved thoroughly, this empire will be dragged down sooner or later.

The current military pressure is great, and it is not impossible to solve it.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicated with the Russians as soon as possible, we need the support of the Tsarist government.

If the situation continues to deteriorate, I would rather compromise with the French, compromise with the Prussians, than compromise with domestic rebellion! "

Franz expressed his dissatisfaction with Metternich's previous administration, and also told everyone his determination to suppress the rebellion.

This answer is similar to the political views of Prime Minister Felix. Historically, because Vienna was lost, the domestic situation was even more critical. At that time, the Vienna government decided to abandon Northern Italy.

It's just that Marshal Radkis refused to implement the order of the Vienna government, did not withdraw troops from Italy, and insisted on suppressing the revolution.

The current situation has not yet reached that level, and the price Austria needs to pay is much smaller. The big deal is to admit that the Kingdom of Sardinia is the sphere of influence of the French.

At this time, the domestic situation in France was also chaotic enough. As the cradle of revolution, the banner of revolution was flying in many cities in France, and it was simply incapable of launching a war abroad.

Not to mention the Kingdom of Prussia, the domestic situation is not much better than that of Austria, and the Great Revolution of 1848 did not miss them.

If it weren't for the bad luck of both competitors, 1848 would have been the end of the Austrian Empire, and Austria at this time would be broken in one fell swoop.

……

"Your Highness, in the current situation in Austria, we must carry out an internal reform, and the issue of serfs is an unavoidable problem." Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl opened the window paper

All the people present were nobles, as members of vested interest groups, but this reform was to cut their flesh, and many people's faces were not very good.

However, everyone is a sensible person, knowing that Austria will die without reform, and no one speaks out against it.

Franz knew this reform plan, so he had to propose it himself. Otherwise, if these people were to preside over the reform, it would be another incomplete reform.

"The abolition of serfdom is the trend of history, the biggest problem now is what will happen to the life of the serfs after the abolition of serfdom?

For this situation, everyone knows the solution, which is to allow serfs to obtain land and guarantee their basic living needs.

But now the land is owned by the owner, and Austria has no extra land to distribute to them. The road before us has actually been passed by both the British and the French.

Either buy the land of the nobles, or forcefully dispossess the land of the nobles through the revolution. I don't think anyone wants to be forcibly dispossessed, so we really only have one choice. "

Undoubtedly, Franz still knew that his ass should sit there, stopped asking the question, and waited for the reaction of the cabinet members.

Among other things, the Schwarzenberg family, where Prime Minister Felix belongs, has 47 hectares of land. Now not only the abolition of serfdom, but also the idea of ​​their land, no one will be happy.

"Your Highness, it is easy to abolish serfdom, but to deprive the nobles of their land, this is..."

Before Grand Duke Louis could finish speaking, Franz interrupted: "I have no intention of forcibly depriving all the nobles of their land, it would be too much of a backlash.

In view of the current situation, I think it can be divided into two situations. All nobles who participated in the rebellion or provided assistance to the rebels will be deprived of their land and nationalized.

This part of the land will be leased to farmers, and they will be allowed to buy it back, and the ownership of these lands can be purchased by installment payment.

And the nobles who were still loyal to the emperor naturally couldn't be treated so roughly.I suggest buying land from everyone, but not forcing it.

However, in return, after the abolition of serfdom, nobles who refused to buy must provide jobs to serfs and turn them into farm laborers or workers to avoid social unrest.

In order to ensure the stability of the country, the land rent in the whole country shall not exceed five floors of the annual income. Similarly, after the reform is completed, the nobles must also pay taxes! "

Chapter 44 Reform Act

Free distribution of land does not exist. If it is really done like this, would it be strange for the nobles to be able to balance their hearts?

What's more, Franz has not heard the story of Sheng Mi's love and Mi Qiu's story.The current reforms are already very progressive, and it is too much to go too far.

With the advancement of industrialization, Austria still needs to turn farmers into workers. If everyone is granted land, who is willing to go to the city to work?

Europe is not Asia. The per capita land area is not low, and the income on the land is enough for them to fill their stomachs. The living standard of workers in this era is not as good as that of farmers.

After hearing Franz's reform plan, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously, this reform plan took care of the interests of the nobles.

After the reform, even if everyone's interests are lost, it is still acceptable.I'm sorry for the nobles who participated in the rebellion, they are not considered.

"Your Highness, there is no problem with this reform plan in general, but whether the restriction on land lease income can be removed, we can leave these issues to the market to decide!" Grand Duke Louis suggested

Franz shook his head and said: "No, if there are no restrictions, I'm afraid it will be the same as before the reform, we can't guarantee that all nobles have integrity.

If there are a few greedy idiots messing around, our reform will soon fail. The current serf uprising is the best negative example. "

Franz is unwilling to experience the greed of the nobles. If it was hundreds of years ago, he might have expected it, but he doesn't need to think about it now.

Considering Austria's special national conditions, he has already made concessions.He tried his best to take into account the interests of everyone, and he has not yet raised the matter of abolishing the privileges of the nobility.

For the sake of social stability, Franz also had to choose to boil frogs in warm water to resolve the biggest domestic contradiction first.

Prime Minister Felix thought for a while and said: "I think most nobles can accept this reform, and we can also do ideological work for the rest.

If someone insists on refusing, we will not force it. In case of a rebellion, they will be responsible for their personal and property safety. The empire will not protect greedy idiots! "

It's not surprising that the ass determines the head, and as the Prime Minister of Austria, Felix has to think about the problem from the standpoint of the government.

Under the condition that his own interests were not damaged, he also did not like the guy who hindered the progress of the empire. In contrast, Grand Duke Louis had not changed his position.

The former Prime Minister Metternich on the side only smiled wryly. If he insisted on reforming at the beginning, I am afraid that it will be another situation now.

On serfdom reform, the cabinet reached a consensus.This means that many people are going to be unlucky. The policy implemented by the Vienna government in the Metternich era has completely changed at this time.

Neither Felix nor Franz can tolerate the existence of a bunch of incompetent bureaucrats, and soon the Vienna government will usher in a major purge.

Franz has already thought about the charges, so he will investigate corruption and bribery. Anyway, there are not many officials in Austria who are clean. Using this reason, more than 90.00% of Austrian officials can be imprisoned.

Of course, the scope of attack will definitely not be so wide. Only those idiots who are greedy, incompetent, and short-sighted will be finished. As long as other people can efficiently complete the tasks assigned by the government, they will be temporarily passed.

Will it be settled after the autumn? This will depend on the finances of the Austrian government. If the finances are really difficult, Franz will kill a pig.

Out of the consideration of national interests, the cabinet has to find a way to attack the nobility in Italy and Hungary at this time.

The local power is too large, which is not conducive to the authority of the central government. Franz doesn't need to say these things, and everyone will do them in a very tacit understanding.

The situation in Austria is already very serious. The Lombardy and Venice regions have turned against each other and are currently being suppressed.

Another riot broke out in the Galicia region, the Czech region wanted autonomy, and the Hungarians formed a responsible cabinet. Even if they did not play the banner of rebellion, there is actually no difference.

In addition, other places are not so peaceful.The Croats are now very confused, originally they were part of the Hungarian Kingdom, and as a result the newly emerged Hungarian nation excluded them from the scope of rights.

Polarization has emerged among the people. Some people want to stay in Hungary, while others want to join Austria and become an autonomous province.

Fortunately, they are still loyal supporters of the Habsburg family, which is worth encouraging.

The people in the Damatia region could no longer survive. The local area was already poor, but the nobles and capitalists squeezed it a little bit harder, and the hunger riots intensified.

Revolutionary parties are also appearing in Slovenia, Transylvania and Slovakia are also in chaos to varying degrees, and there is almost no peace in Austria.

It was this special situation in history that forced the Austrian government to carry out reforms.

It's just that Vienna fell at that time and was unable to regain it for a long time. The reputation of the Habsburg family fell to the lowest point, and it had to rely on the power of the nobles to counter the rebellion.

This also caused the reform to be excessively inclined to the aristocratic class, and at the same time, the government also made concessions to local forces, laying a hidden danger for the collapse of the empire.

It is different now, the Vienna rebellion was quickly extinguished, the power of the nobility was also hit, and the authority of the central government was not severely damaged.

The military power in the hands of the Austrian government is much stronger than that of the same period in history. It did not draw troops from the local area because of the suppression of the Vienna rebellion. This is Franz's confidence in dealing with the crisis.

On March 1848, 3, the Vienna government promulgated the "Abolition of Serfdom Act", and all farmers automatically obtained the status of free citizens and enjoyed corresponding rights and obligations.

The controversial issue of serfdom has finally been resolved. From now on, Austria will ban all forced labor, with the exception of criminals.

On March 3, the Vienna government introduced the "Land Redemption Act", encouraging nobles to sell land to the government, but not mandatory.

The government leases the land to the farmers, and at the same time allows the farmers to purchase the leased land by installments, up to 40 years in installments, and the land ownership can be obtained after the payment is made.

If something happens halfway, farmers can unconditionally apply for a refund, and land abandonment is prohibited during this period.

The Vienna government is still dominated by the aristocrats, and it is impossible to give themselves to the revolution.