Leopold scoffed and asked, “Oh, so that’s how it is. Then why have you called us all here today? Is it just to have us listen to a speech? I admit that Mr. Kossuth’s speech just now was quite wonderful, but we’re all tired of hearing this kind of speech, how about changing it up a bit?” Kossuth’s face was frighteningly dark, he certainly couldn’t say that he was worried that they had been unreliable before, that they might betray him at any moment, and now that the Austrian government had confiscated their land, they were now all in the same boat. Everyone knows these things deep down, and it’s better to leave them unsaid. If he breaks through this thin facade, how can they continue to coexist? Don’t be fooled into thinking that these aristocrats, though they appear to have suffered significant losses and a blow to their prestige, are now weak and vulnerable and can be easily bullied by dogs. In fact, their power and influence remain formidable. “Duke, that’s enough!” “Austria has already raised the butcher’s knife, now what we need is unity. If you want to hold someone responsible, I can resign from my position. Gentlemen, whoever thinks he can lead the Hungarian Republic out of this predicament, I can give up the presidency and let a more capable person take this role!” In anger, Kossuth simply threw down the gauntlet. Everyone present had shocked looks on their faces. Being president of the Hungarian Republic was no easy task at this time, and Duke Leopold had no interest in it. Everyone knew that being the president of the Hungarian Republic was not an easy job. Historically, the Hungarian government closed its doors after the Austrian government decided on armed suppression, and only then did the revolutionary party led by Kossuth come to power. Under Franz’s butterfly effect, the current Hungarian Republic faced an even more disastrous situation. No one wanted to stick their neck out, which is why Kossuth became the leader. Due to his low popularity, Kossuth does not hold much prestige within the government, and many nobles do not take him seriously. This seemingly childish sulking, was it not also a form of resistance on Kossuth’s part? No matter how many faults Kossuth may have had or how naive his political views may have been, he was still the founder of the Hungarian nation. Sensing the unfavorable situation, another noble representative, Marquis Thallóczy, stood up and changed the topic of discussion. “Alright, let’s not dwell on the past anymore. The most urgent matter is to think about how to deal with the current situation, we must decide whether to fight or negotiate!” In the “fight or negotiate” debate, the revolutionary party led by Kossuth was undoubtedly the war faction, most of them were idealists, youth, and students, while the nobles and capitalists were the peace faction. Kossuth’s face turned grim as he said, “Is there any need to consider this? The Austrian government is already taking steps to partition Hungary. Even if we could come to an agreement with Austria, Hungary would be left with less than 35% of its territory and less than 40% of its population. With Hungary like this, if we stay in Austria, we won’t even be able to maintain our current position. Are we going to stand idly by while the Austrians exploit us every day?” Kossuth also realized that he had been too naive in the past. He couldn’t solve the land issue because of the opposition of the nobility, and he couldn’t solve the nationalistic issue because of the opposition of the emerging capitalists. He was not wrong, the terrible nationalistic policy of the Hungarian Republic was produced precisely because the emerging bourgeoisie was afraid of competition. Although right now, whether it was the Croats, the Romanians, or the Slovaks, they could not yet compete with them. But as soon as they received equal political rights, this competition would soon emerge. The Hungarian Republic was too small to accommodate so much competition, so they had no choice but to suppress their opponents prematurely. This had already been proven in the Austrian Empire. Because of political advantages, almost all industry was controlled by Germans, and Hungarian capitalists survived only by relying on tariffs and local protectionism. Now it was their turn to be in charge, they naturally would emulate this, no capitalist could refuse such a temptation after all. They had gone even further. Driven by vested interests, extreme nationalism became the mainstream ideology in Hungary, much to the displeasure of other ethnic minorities in the country. After Austria extended an olive branch, they decisively switched allegiance. Kossuth’s words awakened the rising bourgeoisie. For their own interests and heads, they had no choice but to support the government in going to war with Austria. Only by winning the war could they get everything they wanted. Although the chances of victory were slim, they had already boarded the ship. The Austrian government might show some leniency to the nobility, but there was no reason for it to spare the capitalists. Throughout history and across the world, the notion of “no merchant trades without fraud” has taken deep root. Killing crooked merchants was absolutely politically correct. Unfortunately, as the first capitalists, they were as black as it gets, real examples of unscrupulous capitalists in the history books. By killing them, one could not only reap riches but also win the hearts of the people. “Mr. Kossuth, Hungary is now surrounded by enemies on all sides. How shall we fight this war?” Marquis Thallóczy asked anxiously. Marquis Thallóczy undoubtedly did this on purpose. As a Hungarian nobleman, the marquis had no fear of the Austrian government’s reckoning. As long as the Habsburgs held power in Austria, it was impossible for them to take action against the high nobles — such were the advantages of having many relatives. With no pressure to survive, the nobles’ considerations were different from those of the capitalists. Their main goal was to minimize losses. After speaking, Marquis Thallóczy took out a map that had been prepared for a long time. On the map, Hungary was sandwiched between the three great powers of Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Austria, with its position clearly marked. Hungary was undoubtedly surrounded by enemies. Russia and Austria were allies, with the Russian government openly stating that it would help Austria and Prussia suppress the revolution, so if they weren’t enemies before, they were now. They certainly could not ask for help from their neighbor, the Ottoman Empire, could they? If they had to fight side by side with the Ottomans, they estimated that they would start fighting before the Austrians even arrived. “At the moment the enemy is strong and we are weak, but the enemy is not without weaknesses. Austria is still at war with the Italian states, this is our chance,” Kossuth proposed a plan that he considered reasonable. Indeed, in theory, this was an opportunity, the simplest military tactic, to defeat enemies one by one. But Duke Leopold shook his head and sighed: “Mr. Kossuth, that’s not militarily feasible. The enemy is not foolish; they will not give us the luxury of time to pick them off one by one.” Kossuth laughed, “Your Grace, as long as we have enough troops to hold off the enemies from other directions, that will be enough. Austria is powerful, but it is also fragile. We need only one victory, and it will set off a chain reaction, the revolutionary tide will erupt once again!” Everyone understood that Kossuth had circled around to the same point — it was all about money in the end!
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Comments
Post a Comment