The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria’s Mandate of Heaven

1834, Austrian Empire, Vienna.

With blue skies and clear rivers, it's a livable city, but it's not like the capital of a powerful country in the nineteenth century.

The relatively gloomy sky, accompanied by severe smog, and black rivers, although not environmentally friendly, are definitely a symbol of a strong country in this era, such as London, England.

Inside a classic building with a Baroque exterior, the interior is designed in the Rococo period. The antique furniture displayed is even more varied, ranging from oriental porcelain to Baltic beeswax rough stones.

Its owner was none other than Franz II, the last monarch of the Holy Roman Empire and the first monarch of the Austrian Empire.

Franz II was facing a choice at this time, a difficult choice: whether to choose an excellent heir, or to stick to tradition.

Perhaps it was because of the next generation of relatives, since Franz II was born, Franz II has been very fond of this special grandson. A healthy baby boy without any mental retardation is his hope, and also the hope of this empire.

(Yes, the Austrian Empire at the time was indeed facing the problem of having no qualified heir.)

But today, the eldest grandson of Franz II was in the nursery, taking out five letters and forming a combination that he couldn't ignore.

"A.E.I.O.U"

That is a sentence left by Frederick III in Stephen's Cathedral, which is still engraved on the shrine.

At the same time, this was the only way Franz Joseph could think of to attract the attention of the old emperor.

"Austria is destined..." Franz II murmured.

Frederick III was the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned by the Pope in Rome. However, he was not an excellent emperor. Facing the Hungarian invasion, his own strength was insufficient, the princes under him were passive and sabotaged, and his allies stopped and watched, so he had to hunt in haste.

He wanted to carry out reforms and get rid of the long-standing disadvantages, but in the end, he failed amidst the opposition of the great nobles.

In the end, he had to live a solitary life, taking pleasure in studying astrology and alchemy.

Isn't Franz II? His grandmother, Empress Theresa, was so radiant that she overshadowed her successors.

What's more frightening is that the radical reforms of Joseph II (the last emperor) and the shock therapy of Leopold II (the last emperor) plunged the whole of Austria into chaos. Such a character.

In the era called "Napoleon", Franz II and the Holy Roman Empire, who opposed Napoleon, naturally became the background board of the era. The capital fell in two, the married daughter asked for peace, and the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved.

Franz II had too much reconciliation in his heart, but his legal heir, his eldest son Ferdinand, seemed unable to bear the burden of revitalizing the empire. His second son also has no ability to govern the country.

Yet the eldest grandson of Franz II, a special child. Although Franz Joseph behaved a little weirdly, he showed great intelligence since he was a child. It's just that Franz is too young, and in the Austrian Empire, there is no precedent for the eldest grandson to inherit the throne over the eldest son.

Franz II still remembers the war of succession to the Austrian throne caused by the state decree.

But on the other hand, there are some things deeply rooted in his soul that he can't forget for a long time. That is the dream of a strong country, which is the dream of every emperor.

Is there any emperor in this world who doesn't want to expand the territory and make the country prosperous? Not to mention the emperor, even ordinary people hope to live in a powerful country. Who wants to live in a country where wars are raging, the people are in dire straits, and there are gunfights when they go out?

But Franz II, he failed, and let the country decline step by step. He also understands in his heart that he has no chance, so he can only place his hope on the next generation.

The retarded eldest son, or the autistic second son? They obviously don't have that ability, at least not better than themselves. Franz II really didn't want the declining Austria in front of him to be the pinnacle of the future empire.

What Franz II did not know was that the Austrian Empire in history experienced only three monarchs, and it existed in name only after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. It was replaced by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a doll empire, and after World War I Completely perish in the long river of history.

At this time, the eldest grandson Franz Joseph did not know how entangled Franz II was. His soul comes from later generations. Although there were no computers or mobile phones in the 19th century, he was born in the royal family anyway, so he should be able to be a playboy.

It's just that he soon understood that the identity he obtained through time travel was the famous tragic emperor in history—Franz Joseph. His love affair with Princess Sissi is well known.

But his brothers, parents, heirs, and wife all went before him. His empire successively became the background board for the rise of Germany and France, and then completely collapsed in World War I.

The life of Franz Joseph can only be described as tragedy, but it is not enough to describe it. He was the last monarch of the Austrian Empire and the first monarch of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com Two years after his death, the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell into pieces.

However, at this time, what worries Franz most is not these, but the debt problem of this country and this family. The arrears of more than one billion florins is really exaggerated.

At this time, the Austrian imperial government's annual fiscal revenue was about 110 million florins, while its annual fiscal expenditure exceeded 100 million florins. According to this calculation, even if the arrears do not generate interest, it will take more than a hundred years for the Austrian Empire to repay the money.

Franz felt sad coming from it...

Fortunately, the current Franz Joseph was born early enough, but this body seems to be unable to do much. All he could think of was to try his best to please the old emperor and attract his attention.

After all, the old emperor held the real power, unlike Ferdinand, whose decrees had to be approved by the Regency Council. If the old emperor is happy and rewards some manors and properties, then Franz will have start-up capital, coupled with his vision far ahead of the times, he will definitely make a lot of money... At least Franz thinks so .

The reason why Franz is so eager is that the first time point to change the fate of the Austrian Empire is getting closer.

In 1834, the German Zollverein was established, but the Austrian Empire refused to join, which sounded the death knell for the empire ever since.

On the other hand, Franz II, who was worried in his heart, decided to ask God. Of course, it is not really to go to heaven to ask God, but to go to church to ask God's messenger.

Since ancient times in the East, when emperors are in doubt, they always like to ask immortals for divination. Even in modern times, people read horoscopes for nothing, ask Tarot for small things, and gossip about big things.

As in the East, so in the West, so Franz II appeared at the door of St. Stephen's Cathedral.