War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

"Then I will refuse to accept the position of Grand Duke of Serbia!"

Miloš Obrenovic was preparing to make a last stand for the Greater Serbian Empire in his heart.

According to Milos's estimation, the Austrians must need him as the Grand Duke to stabilize the situation in Serbia. After all, this is in Austria's interests. Only a stable Serbia can allow the Austrians to better colonize economically.

Moreover, Miloš saw that the representative of the Austrian side was a brat, so he subjectively thought that as long as he was stronger, he could scare the other party into pissing their pants, or at least make the other party panic if they didn't play according to the routine.

But in fact, in Franz's eyes, Miloš is just a clown, always dreaming of having the best of both worlds.

In Franz's heart, Serbia is not a sheep, but a rabbit at most. The total economic volume is similar to that of the small states in Italy, and is not even one-tenth of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

The annual tax revenue was only a few hundred thousand florins, while the fiscal revenue of the Austrian Empire at this time was as high as 200 million florins.

Milosh's words really shocked many people. The Seventeen-member Council even thought that this old guy was crazy. There was no reason to refuse such a generous offer.

The accompanying Austrian officials were also shocked. As a diplomat, Baron Camp had his third leg trampled by a horse and now they were a little confused as to what to do.

After all, the task assigned to them by the Regency Council was to help Archduke Franz complete the treaty with Serbia as soon as possible while guarding Belgrade.

"Then let's replace him." Franz said lightly.

Franz's words shocked everyone around him. Only his attendant Adjani still poured coffee for the Grand Duke without any trouble.

The Serbian side thought that the Austrian Empire was the reinforcements invited by Milos, while the Austrian side thought that this was too much fun. Wouldn't the treaty signed in this way become a waste of paper?

Milos couldn't believe his ears at all. He, the Grand Duke of Serbia, was recognized by the Ottoman Empire, and he also had the support of Russia.

He suddenly remembered that he was dismissed precisely because he had been disobeying the tsar's will. Before that, Milos used Karajčol's head to gain the trust of the Ottoman Sultan, and then used the Austrians to make Serbia an independent country. Then they used the help of the Russians to eradicate the pro-Austrian faction.

Milos thought that Austria would be very willing to accept a smart ally like him, and would support him and help him regardless of past grudges.

Franz has no interest in this kind of rat that jumps repeatedly. As for the treaty, a treaty without strength as a backing is a piece of waste paper.

The rights of the Serbian Grand Duke have long been emptied by the Seventeen-member Parliament and recognized by the Ottoman Empire.

Otherwise, Miloš would not have been put under house arrest, let alone ask for help from the Austrian Empire.

So it actually doesn't matter whether the treaty is signed by the Grand Duke or not.

And Franz doesn’t care whether Serbia is in chaos or not. Even if they were annexed by the Ottoman Empire again, it would be none of Austria's business.

As for the so-called orthodoxy, there is no so-called orthodoxy in Serbia.

It is true that as long as Milos is here, Serbia will not fall to Russia.

But without him, it would not be easy for Russia to enter Serbia.

The newly-appointed Sultan will never allow the Ottoman Empire to be surrounded by Russia. He will definitely try his best to undermine Russia's united front.

At the same time, although Serbia is in disarray, localism is strong in the mountains, and Vucic, the agent chosen by the Russians, is a reckless man. The internal conflicts between the two parties must be very fierce.

Coupled with the large number of local forces brought by the three provinces of East Bosnia, it is hard to say who will win under the competition between all parties.

(East Bosnia refers to: Turaz, Sarajevo, Foca)

Milos can indeed be called a hero of Serbia and the founder of Yugoslavia, but his hero is my enemy.

Franz is not interested in such things as capitalizing on enemies, even if they are weak enemies, they are still enemies.

Miloš shouted angrily, "You dare! You dare! I am the Grand Duke of Serbia, personally proclaimed by the Sultan!"

Franz just waved his hand, "The Sultan said this is already Austrian land."

Adjani asked the soldiers to drive Miloš out of the Serbian parliament hall.

Of course, if this treaty is signed by the Grand Duke of Serbia, it will naturally appear more complete.

So Franz asked.

"Which of you wants to be the Grand Duke of Serbia?"

The members of the Seventeen-member Council suddenly fell silent, partly out of shock, partly because they did not understand what the young man in front of them meant.

They couldn't see through the young man in front of them. Because they didn't understand, they were afraid. These people couldn't avoid the pie falling from the sky.

Franz had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.

"Who do you think is suitable to be the Grand Duke of Serbia?"

The members of the seventeen-member council finally breathed a sigh of relief and spoke freely.

But among the people they mentioned, there was no doubt that Miloš's son, Mikhail, was the most suitable candidate.

Unlike his father, Mikhail is a coward. Historically, Princess Mikhail voluntarily gave up his rights. There is no doubt that he is an unqualified politician. He prefers pleasure to intrigue.

Soon, Mikhail signed under the coercion and inducement of the Seventeen-member Parliament and succeeded him as the new Grand Duke of Serbia.

His first order was to move the capital to Sarajevo, and at the same time ordered the Serbian army and government to withdraw from Belgrade and hand it over to the jurisdiction of the Austrian Empire.

Franz was very satisfied with the result, after all, he designed the entire plan.

However, the immigration plan did not go as smoothly as expected, because the Serbs and Bosnians in West Bosnia both had their own industries and they were unwilling to give up their land.

At the same time, the Serbs also showed their crazy side, just like the massacre that occurred during the partition of India and Pakistan.

What started as a robbery of Bosnians heading to the Ottoman Empire soon turned into a massacre of all outsiders.

Whether those people wanted to leave Western Bosnia or whether they wanted to go to the Ottoman Empire, whether they were Bosnians or Serbs.

Just when the Serbs in East Bosnia were killing each other, the immigrants from Belgrade arrived. These immigrants were more ferocious and had more advanced weapons than the mountain people who were good at fighting. It was a more brutal massacre. The chicken contest has begun.

Western Bosnia was classified as a royal territory due to Hungary's firm opposition. As a separate area, it needed a governor, and the governor was the later famous Croatian royalist leader, General Jelačić.

Although this position is not high, it is an honor for a Croatian, because he will become the protector of those saved Croatians.

At the same time, this is something worth celebrating for the entire Croatian nation.