The Russian government’s decision was like pouring a barrel of oil onto the already blazing fires of France, making an uncontrollable situation even worse. Fortunately, after the Anti-French War, the coalition forces had confiscated the French army’s weapons. Otherwise, by now, the French wouldn’t just be ambushing isolated Russian soldiers. As the conflict rapidly escalated, King Carlos, caught in the very center of the storm, decisively fled from Paris—the powder keg—under the pretext of seeking international assistance. With the king forced to escape the turmoil, the already striking French government naturally followed suit and shut down as well. A similar scene had played out once before, in the original timeline after the First World War. The difference was that Germany had a stronger foundation, and since the war hadn’t been fought on its own soil, the damage was far less severe than what France was suffering now. Back then, the German government had called on workers to go on strike to prevent the French from seizing their coal resources, while at the same time printing money to subsidize the unemployed so they could survive. That world-shocking hyperinflation of the mark broke out during the government’s endless cycle of printing and printing to fund these subsidies. After delivering a series of self-inflicted blows, the Weimar Republic not only destroyed itself but also dragged the economies of Britain and France down with it. The French, in particular, failed to gain the resources they wanted and were instead condemned by the international community. Stationing troops long-term without seeing any return was a heavy burden for war-torn France. Eventually, under unbearable pressure, they were forced to make concessions. France proved through hard reality that a bottom line exists only to be crossed. In its struggle against Germany, the French government retreated again and again until, at last, it gave birth to the Third Reich. Now, though France’s situation was similar to Germany’s back then, the opponents it faced were completely different. The Anti-French Alliance did not need France’s resources. Even if France tried to use cutting off industrial goods and materials as leverage, it could go on strike for a century and the Austrian government would not even bat an eye. Moreover, the allied occupation forces in France consisted of troops from several countries. Except for the Russians, whose numbers were relatively large, the other contingents were small. Fewer troops meant lower military expenses. Even if the French government shut down and stopped paying military funds, it would not scare anyone in the short term. Of course, none of this was the real reason King Carlos ran away. The real problem lay with the previous revolutionary government, which had gone too far. The French people had long entered what could be called a “nation of millionaires” era. Relying on printed money to provide relief for the unemployed was clearly impossible now. Unable to revive the economy and powerless to aid the refugees, there was simply no point in staying behind. Outwardly, the government’s shutdown was presented as a strike in protest against Russian atrocities. But beneath the surface, the deeper reason was total financial collapse. Even though King Carlos had reaped substantial profits through his anti-corruption campaign, that precious money had to be used where it mattered most and could not be wasted just to maintain stability. In truth, none of this had much to do with Franz. He was just a bystander, a spectator watching the chaos unfold. Unfortunately, the smaller allies who had been caught up in this disaster were not happy. They wanted the Russian government to give them an explanation, but none of them had the courage to confront it directly. After all, this was Russia they were talking about—the “hairy bear.” It was not a country ordinary people dared to provoke. Even though they no longer shared borders, everyone still carried a deep sense of fear and caution toward it. Yet doing nothing was not an option either. The French government had already gone on strike, and each nation now had to shoulder its own occupation expenses. They could hold out for a short while, but if things dragged on, they would not be able to bear the cost. At first, everyone intended to give the Russian government some face and wait for them to clean up the mess. But once they saw how the Russians handled the situation, it became clear that they were not there to solve anything. Before the Russian delegation even arrived in Paris, the situation in France, though chaotic, was still somewhat stable. King Carlos was staying safely in his palace, clearly waiting for the Russians to come and negotiate. However, as soon as the talks began, the king was so terrified that he fled. No one knew exactly what was discussed during those negotiations, but judging by how fast Carlos ran, the Russians must have done something truly outrageous. The smaller allies wanted the Austrian government to step in, to mediate a little, at least to give the Russians a chance to “perform” and show they could handle the issue. But Carlos’s sudden escape made things even stranger. Instead of seeking refuge with his Bourbon relatives, he slipped away without a word and ended up in Vienna. What kind of move was that? He truly left without saying anything. Everyone assumed Carlos had gone to Spain, and it was only when he personally appeared in Vienna that they realized it had all been a diversion. On second thought, his reasoning made sense. Yes, he had relatives in Spain, but during the previous struggle for the throne, they had been enemies. Although relations had since improved, they were still far from close. More importantly, Spain had its own problems and could not afford to get involved in France’s mess unless it wanted to kick its cousin while he was down. As for royal family ties? What could anyone expect from a baby king who had barely stopped drinking milk? Would he really speak up for “family interests” in the name of solidarity? Since there was no help to be found there, Carlos might as well avoid the trouble altogether. Better to keep what goodwill remained than waste it on an impossible favor. Heading to Vienna made much more sense, because that was the only place where the problem could truly be solved. There were only a few great powers in Europe, and among them, only the Holy Roman Empire and Britain had the strength to restrain the Russians. Carlos wasn’t stupid, he knew better than to run to London and humiliate himself. To make sure the Austrian government had no excuse to refuse him, he even disguised his identity and entered Vienna in secret. And his plan worked. The moment the French king appeared in Vienna, Franz—the so-called bystander—was inevitably dragged into the storm. No one likes being manipulated, and Franz was no exception. Aside from attending the initial welcoming banquet out of courtesy, he deliberately kept Carlos at arm’s length afterward. Now that he could no longer simply watch from the sidelines, Franz had to find a way to resolve the crisis. How to do that, however, depended entirely on France’s luck. Would the problem be fixed at its root, smoothed over with diplomatic vagueness, or buried under an even bigger issue to distract everyone? Any of these could work as a solution. Out of a sense of responsibility, Franz summoned Foreign Minister Wessenberg to the Hofburg Palace to discuss how to handle the aftermath. … “First, tell me about France’s situation now.” As a proper onlooker, Franz had been following the news about France’s unrest closely lately. He read newspapers, not intelligence reports. After all, this kind of spicy international news is exactly what editors love to embellish, and their creative touches make the stories far more readable than dry intelligence briefs. For an onlooker, the “truth” has never been the point. If it does not affect you personally, the spectacle only needs to be entertaining. Who wins or loses does not matter. Watching the experts and pundits spin guesses and place bets is entertainment in itself, like watching monkeys at the zoo. “Yes, your Majesty.” … Foreign Minister Wessenberg said, “Since Carlos left Paris, government offices have been emptied. Even the police who kept order have been given extended leave. Social order has effectively collapsed. Before evacuating Paris, Carlos issued a proclamation. He not only denounced the Russian army’s atrocities, he also pinned all the blame on the Russians. The conflict has been laid bare, and a nationwide anti-Russian wave is now sweeping toward whoever is Russian. To prevent total collapse, the Russians have taken measures. They first confiscated the French army’s weapons and then stepped up arrests of anti-Russian agitators. Those measures have suppressed the anti-Russian tide in the short term, but with the French government shut down there is no one left distributing relief. Starvation and cold will inevitably drive the French people toward violent rebellion. Not long ago, while our navy was intercepting a smuggling ship off the French coast, we discovered a 120 centimeter howitzer. From questioning the crew we learned that these smuggling operations have gone on for more than three months. The total weapons trafficked so far would be enough to arm two regiments. That is only what we caught by chance. There must be many more smugglers we did not intercept. Some of our allies are also involved in arms smuggling inside France. At this point, the weapons flowing into France would be enough to mount a large-scale campaign. Most worryingly, these smuggling operations are premeditated. All signs indicate that the defeated French are building strength to throw off their shackles. The Russian army’s atrocities merely accelerated the outbreak and provided moral cover. Only one force in France has the capacity to run such large-scale smuggling and keep it hidden. This proves that our King Carlos is not as simple as he appears. Everything he has done so far seems to be preparations for a larger plan. What remains unclear is whether their ambition is merely to break free of their current bonds or to restore the French Empire.” Frankly, Franz felt a thrill hearing that. The facts matched his suspicions. There really was a hidden hand behind France’s chaos. His time trolling on the papers had not been wasted. The seemingly weak King Carlos was indeed the mastermind behind the curtain. The simple joy of a keyboard warrior. As he grew older, Franz’s taste for dark humor only deepened. Still, joking aside, reality was not a game, and there was no save-and-restart after defeat. France proved that. Once it fell, it plunged from the clouds into the abyss. “So the Russians were unlucky this time and basically delivered themselves on a platter?” Franz asked with a teasing tone. To the Austrian government, the fact that France harbored underground resistance was never a secret. Any great power with a long historical tradition does not yield easily. Although the Anti-French War had dealt France a heavy blow, it did not break the French spirit. Those unwilling to accept defeat would inevitably resist. Nobody had expected Carlos to become the leader of that resistance, but it was not a total shock. In the old European political system, you needed a well-known figure with charisma to rally people for a big cause. As the reigning king of France, Carlos was the obvious choice. Unlike the Bonapartist rulers who came from popular movements, Carlos was a legitimate Bourbon, recognized by the international community as the French king. That made him more usable. In theory, if the French played up their suffering, with Carlos appealing for international sympathy and providing a plausible pretext to move against the occupying forces, there might still be a chance to expel the allied troops. Even if the plan were exposed, Carlos personally would not lose much. As a king put in place by the European Alliance, as long as he did not openly commit a major indiscretion, the Austrian government would not blatantly throw him down. Even if some in the alliance entertained that idea, Franz would not allow it. Deposing a monarch touched the shared interests of the royal houses and could not be handled lightly. So long as Carlos did not openly call for rebellion against the empire, Franz would not act against him. Secret plotting was a basic skill for any competent politician. Besides, some members of the Anti-French Alliance were smuggling arms into France for their own profit. “Trace it and round them up” was wishful thinking. These operations could not be exposed. The smuggled weapons were supplied by the empire itself. Everyone knew arms flowing into France would worsen the chaos, but they did it anyway. Beyond the profits, the real logic was simple: even if I do not do it, someone else will. If it is going to happen anyway, better to pocket the gains yourself. The reason this behavior was not stopped went beyond petty greed. The Austrian government had long tolerated France’s unrest as a deliberate policy. Hatred is powerful. Unless you break a country’s backbone completely, a rejuvenated France in twenty or thirty years would still be trouble. A slap to a major power like France only hurts for a while and does not kill it. For the long-term stability of the continent, the Austrians pretended not to see France’s internal currents and even quietly nudged things along. Unfortunately, the exposure came too soon and France seized an opportunity to win international sympathy. To preserve its own international reputation, the empire left the dirty work of suppressing France to the Russians. The tragic Russian government had essentially been handed a dagger without realizing it. No wonder Franz felt a measure of schadenfreude. Opportunities like this were rare. Foreign Minister Wessenberg replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. The Russian government has stumbled into this blindly. The French plan to accumulate strength is about to be exposed. Of course, the Russian government may have been prepared to some extent. In the recent smuggling operations, the Russians took the largest share. Perhaps when war breaks out, the bullets that hit Russian soldiers will have been supplied from within the Russian garrison in France.” The greatest arms dealers sell weapons to their enemies and end up being shot with them. The Russians were about to prove that maxim in practice. Franz paced a few steps, then said slowly, “Then let us add another spark. Send the Russians a shell they can use to fight back in public opinion. Leak proof to the press that the French have been smuggling arms in violation of the Treaty of Vienna and see how Carlos explains himself.”
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