War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

As the Austrian Imperial Government officially issued a notice to the Hungarian region, requiring severe punishment of the "horse bandits", a total of sixteen people, including the bandit leader, were subsequently sentenced to hanging, marking the end of the civil strife.

But in reality this number is far lower than the actual number of participants. Since the beginning of the horse bandit rebellion, Archduke Albrecht has so far annihilated at least tens of thousands of "horse bandits" on the Hungarian plains, and countless civilians have been killed by these bastards.

However, both Austria and Hungary do not want this scandal to expand, so sixteen people is a relatively reasonable number. After all, too few people are not convincing. If there are too many, Austria's cruelty will be highlighted under the instigation of people with ulterior motives. At the same time, the Hungarian side's responsibilities were cleared.

The unlucky man who was hanged was originally a death row inmate with no hope of survival, so it was not a wrongful death. It was a result that everyone could accept.

After this incident, Kossuth understood one truth, that is, the unreliability of the great nobles. The relatively limited strength of the small and medium-sized nobles left them unable to fight back when facing the regular army. Therefore, only mobilizing the serfs and citizens was the magic weapon to defeat the powerful army.

At the same time, the great nobles' antipathy towards Kossuth was growing day by day. In the past, due to this guy's duplicitous face, many prestigious families suffered losses, and some "country nobles" even sent people to hunt him down in order to vent their anger.

Hungary's urban nobility represents the great nobility living in Austria and abroad, while the rural nobility represents local forces born and raised. It should not be confused with the Polish aristocratic system.

Kossuth, who is well aware that the French Revolution triggered the national awakening movement in Europe, knows that nationalism is the only magic weapon to increase cohesion and defeat powerful enemies. Therefore, he decided to join forces with some Magyar scholars this time to determine their ancestral origins from Europe. Arrived in Asia.

Their original intention was to distinguish themselves from other peoples in Europe, but due to the great feat of the Austrian Empire's successful recovery of Western Bosnia not long ago, the confidence of the rebellious Croats was unprecedentedly high.

Some Croatian scholars stood up without hesitation and pointed out that it was the Magyars who seized the territory of the Croatians and drove them from the plains to the mountains. This made the scene awkward for a time.

What is even more frightening is that this statement immediately caused a violent reaction in the Croatian region, because the Magyars have been oppressing the Croatians for hundreds of years.

The popularity of Magyarism in recent years has made the Croatians even more anxious. The Magyar people's assimilation methods were too cruel. Not only must other races be destroyed spiritually, but their bodies must also perish.

This Magyar trend was first set off by Szechenyi. His ultimate idea was to make the nobles identify with and accept the serfs, and through this channel, they would eventually become equal to the nobles.

Unfortunately, what was originally a good idea soon deviated from the expectations of this noble man and became a tool used by them to prove that their nation is superior to others.

Under the crown of St. Stephen, the Croatians, who had the most say and were also the strongest, bore the brunt of the attacks by the Magyars.

Croatia has always been divided into two factions. One is the imperial faction, which advocates loyalty to and reliance on the Austrian Empire, hoping to protect it from oppression through dealings with the empire and the royal family.

The other faction is the Royalist faction, which advocates loyalty to the Kingdom of Hungary, and then actively embraces Magyarization by all members to become true Hungarians, so that they can avoid oppression.

Both factions regard Count Korolav as their spiritual leader, but the harsh miser is completely uninterested in his compatriots and has even clarified his relationship with them more than once.

Historically, the Croatians made their choice at the end, and at this time, due to the return of West Bosnia, they felt a sense of importance that they had not experienced in hundreds of years.

As a result, the Croatian scholar received strong support from his compatriots, and this situation was exactly what Metternich wanted to see.

He felt that the Croatians could be used to check and balance the Hungarians, and it was best to make both sides suffer losses, so as to facilitate Austria's rule.

Although Count Korolaf despised his compatriots and often even ridiculed them for not being smart enough, he was indeed a Croatian and naturally did not want Metternich to use those poor people as weapons.

As an old rival for many years, Count Korolaf knew Metternich very well, and most of the bad checks issued by the latter could not be cashed.

It's better to be a happy idiot than to let your fellow man die in vain for an invisible dream.

The two men were arguing with each other, causing the Regent Council to reach a deadlock again. Grand Duke Louis belonged to the politically indifferent faction, and he was happy to let them go as long as they did not threaten the fundamental interests of the Habsburg royal family.

Franz is quite satisfied with the current situation. Croatia will have to cut off from Hungary sooner or later, because the territory of the Crown of St. Stephen is too large for Austria to control.

Slovakia can move later, but Croatia and Transylvania, which have sharp ethnic conflicts, should be separated from them as soon as possible.

The terrain of Slovakia is mainly mountainous, characterized by being high in the north and low in the south. Attacking from the south is like rushing across a flat plain, and about 80% of the population is concentrated here, making it difficult for it to form a separate force.

As for Galicia, it is dominated by Poles and Ukrainians. They are at odds with other ethnic groups in the empire, and the terrain is also flat and undefeable. In addition, it has almost zero industrial capacity, making it difficult for it to gain independence.

Because Belgrade was taken back at this time, the Austrian imperial government could justifiably plant another nail in Hungary's back on the grounds of sending troops.

Previously, the total number of garrison troops in Nordsavy Fortress was only one regiment. If a war really broke out, it would have very little effect.

Since Belgrade is surrounded by Serbia, there is nothing wrong with garrisoning 50,000 to 60,000 troops in a strategically important place.

At a critical moment, this force can take advantage of the transportation convenience of the Danube River to seize the initiative on the battlefield and go to most of the locations where they should appear.

Schönbrunn Palace, Royal Gardens.

After many days, the two brothers Albrecht and Friedrich reunited again. The latter congratulated his brother on his glorious achievements in the "Great Plains".

"How's it going, brother? Franz's special operations method has benefited you a lot, right? I heard from the gang of soldiers that you can often achieve extremely exaggerated results of dozens or hundreds to 0 with it. "

The more Friedrich talked, the more excited he became. He knew his elder brother's talent very well, and he was sincerely happy that the other party could prove his ability.

However, Archduke Albrecht seemed to be in low spirits. He did not answer Friedrich's words, but said to Franz.

"I haven't used the things you gave me."

Franz saw the other person's expression and roughly understood the situation. After all, he felt the same way when he saw a dead person for the first time, but he didn't expect to see it in a general who was destined to go down in history.

And the last time he was in Hungary, Albrecht didn't care at all when he was a murderer.

"I'm glad you didn't use it. If you did, it means you're in dire straits. How should I put it? Uncle Albrecht, you are indeed the future star of the Army."

Friedrich sneered at Franz's flattery, which he despised.

Albrecht drank the glass of wine in one gulp.

"Before I went, you didn't tell me that the enemies were all civilians."

Franz poured himself a glass of juice and drank it in one gulp.

"As long as civilians have weapons and mount war horses, they are enemies."

Albrecht said after a moment of silence.

"I don't know why you politicians must fight a total war."

Franz sighed.

“When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent.”