Kingdom of Sardinia To defeat Austria, Charles Albert did not hesitate to ally himself with the republican regime he hated most. The Austro-Hungarian War had just broken out, and before they could celebrate, an emergency call for help arrived. When he heard the Hungarians’ plea for help, Charles Albert broke down mentally. He immediately screamed: “Damn it! Are these Hungarians all useless? The war has barely begun and they’re already on the verge of surrendering. With 300,000 troops in the National Guard, even if they were 300,000 pigs, the Austrians still wouldn’t be able to wipe them out in such a short time! Do the Hungarians simply not have the courage to fight for their freedom?” “Your Majesty, Hungary is a multi-ethnic country. While fighting for national independence, Hungarians also oppressed other minority groups. The Austrians bought these minorities. From the beginning, the Hungarian Republic was doomed to lose.” declared Prime Minister Azeglio helplessly. Hungary appeared impressively powerful. On the surface, they were independent, reducing Austria’s national power by 40%. Add in their alliance with Sardinia, and the two sides seemed evenly matched. It turns out, however, that despite its outward show of strength, Hungary was internally weak. Just as they fell out with Austria, two-thirds of their territory switched sides. “Useless!” Charles Albert cursed angrily, though it was unclear whether it was directed at Hungary or the Prime Minister. “Minister of War, from the current situation, how much longer can the Hungarians hold out?” The named Franzini answered immediately: “Your Majesty, no one can answer that question. At present, the Austrians are advancing rapidly, mainly because there are too many pro-Austrian Hungarians. Rather than the Hungarian National Guard being defeated by the Austrian army, it would be more accurate to say that the Hungarians surrendered voluntarily.” Charles Albert’s expression changed. If the Hungarian Republic collapsed, with no Hungarian forces to hold off the Austrian main forces, the Venice battlefield would be in great trouble. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Even if Charles Albert felt that a sudden decisive battle with the Austrians in Venice might be unwise, the Kingdom of Sardinia had no other choice. They could not afford to lose the Hungarian Republic at this critical moment. They had to jump into this pit. TN: If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold is an idiom that expresses the idea of interdependence or mutual reliance. It suggests that when one entity or group is in trouble or faces a threat, it affects others connected to them as well. Public opinion in the Kingdom of Sardinia was constantly pressuring the government to engage in a decisive battle with Austria. Charles Albert was also influenced by this sentiment and finally made up his mind. “Order Marshal Badoglio to expedite the operation. At all costs, we must occupy Venice before the Hungarian Republic collapses!” …… Frankfurt This commercial capital of Germany became even more lively with the arrival of representatives from all over the country. Discussions about this grand event could be heard from every street and alley. Even though the legitimacy of the Frankfurt Conference was still in doubt, the enthusiasm of the people did not diminish one bit. Greater Germany vs. Lesser Germany was a particularly hot topic of debate, with neither side convincing the other. Nevertheless, the participants remained eager and spirited in their discussions. So far, apart from Prussia, only a few free cities and smaller states have openly supported this conference. Regardless of their support or lack thereof, representatives from all the states have arrived in Frankfurt. Some representatives were elected, while many others were appointed to represent their respective states. The phrase “money knows no borders” was no joke. These capitalists, driven by the desire to unify Germany and create a large market, have long since abandoned their moral principles. At the Austrian delegation’s lodgings, Lauter asked confusedly: “Anderson, are the people we met today all appointed officials?” “Probably, I guess?” Anderson replied uncertainly. “But why do I get the feeling that these workers’ representatives are more like thugs?” Lauter frowned and said. “Maybe they’re factory supervisors. Why bother with them? The numbers are enough anyway. Weren’t we appointed too?” Anderson thought and replied. “Thugs can be considered supervisors, and supervisors are definitely workers too.” Looking at each other, both had already given up all hope for this conference. This was the social reality. Whether workers or peasants, even if they elected representatives, they would still lack the qualifications to attend the conference, and might not even be able to afford to travel here. A conference organized by the capitalists, how could they give up control? If these were truly democratic elections, only an idiot would support them with their reputation. Whitewash yourself for a fresh start? Impossible. It was still the 19th century, and morally upright capitalists were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. The social background is dark, and even if you start out clean, you’ll be tainted. They even think that if they don’t attend the conference, other people will represent them. With the capitalists’ lack of principles, they can easily carry out such actions without any pressure. “Not good, Mr. Anderson. The organizers have informed us that Bohemia, Hungary, and these other regions are not considered German lands, so their representatives cannot attend the conference.” Anderson’s face changed, first to anger, then to joy. This was a perfect excuse handed to them on a silver platter, how could they not use it? “Hurry, get this news to the press for publication. Describe the situation as even more serious and focus on the arrogance of the organizers.” Anderson hurriedly instructed. “Wait. I think this can be spiced up even more. Spread rumors that Prussia is controlling this conference with the aim of using it to allow Prussia to annex all other states!” Lauter added. “Since that’s the case, you might as well embellish further. Spread rumors that Prussia plans to make Protestantism the national religion of Germany and constitutionally ban Catholicism!” Anderson added. …… Either way, they were here to cause trouble. Fabricating news was not an issue under the constraints of the limited communications of that era. It was simply too difficult to discern the truth. In Vienna, Franz had even organized a team of experts specifically responsible for gathering information relayed from the front and then fabricating topics to suit Austria’s needs. By the time the Frankfurt Conference began, word had spread throughout the German territories that Prussia intended to use the conference to annex nations. “Working-class representatives with backgrounds as capitalist thugs!” “Peasant representatives who own tens of thousands of hectares of land!” “Who exactly elected these representatives?” “Who gave the capitalists the right to run this country?” …… A picture is worth a thousand words. With a little artistic processing, sensationalist tabloid headlines shamelessly occupied the front pages of mainstream European media. Truth blended with rumor, making it hard to tell the real from the fake. Many believed only what they saw. Of course, reality was cruel. The dark history of capitalism revealed by the media was no different from what they saw. The Frankfurt Conference damaged the authority of the monarchs of the various countries. With Franz taking the lead, they all jointly launched this war of public opinion.
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Shitty format, shitty li qi, shitty everything
ReplyDeleteAnother great chapter. thank you!
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