Chapter 299: 48, Hell Dungeon

Despite being unclear about the reason behind the change in the Vienna Government’s stance, Thomas took action immediately.

At this juncture, if he did not personally get involved, the meeting would likely become a one-sided affair upon starting.

Don’t assume that just because everyone does not wish to see the French expansion, countries will stand against the French by default.

The assassination case has already put the Kingdom of Sardinia in a disadvantageous position. Moreover, there has been no action from the Sardinian Government on punishing the culprits that the other countries want to see.

Perhaps the Sardinian Government sees the Carbonari as too powerful and too widespread to act against, believing the assassination was simply the impulsive act of a few overzealous teenagers without any mastermind behind it.

However, in the eyes of other governments, whether the crime was premeditated or not, the high ranks of the Carbonari cannot shirk their responsibility for such an incident.

The most appropriate action for the Sardinian Government would be to arrest the Carbonari leaders, showing everyone their determination to combat the evil organization.

How could Cavour not see this situation? But as a member of the Carbonari, he could not turn the knife on himself.

In the end, the Sardinian Government randomly arrested a few individuals, hoping to muddle through, which externally appeared to be an insincere gesture.

Thomas originally advocated for the Sardinian Government to eradicate the Carbonari and give the French an explanation, then to downplay the whole affair.

After understanding the political structure of the Kingdom of Sardinia, he dismissed this impractical thought. It was beyond the capacity of the Sardinian Government to act. If they didn’t stir, it was all fine, but any action would turn the world upside down.

Pushing them to desperation, they might very well lead a movement that would doom the Kingdom of Sardinia in no time.

At Belvedere Palace, Franz was already too busy to care about the diplomatic war breaking out in Paris. Thanks to his tireless effort, Queen Helen was pregnant again.

Compared to the next generation of the Habsburg Family, the life and death of the Kingdom of Sardinia was of lesser importance. No matter how eloquent Cavour was, his offer could never be higher than that of Austria.

The value of the Kingdom of Sardinia initially was to serve as a buffer between France and Austria. Later on, the British, recognizing their fighting spirit, decided to support their unification of the Italian Area to contain the power of France and Austria and balance the strength of the Mediterranean nations.

However, the Kingdom of Sardinia was unlucky to encounter Franz and was crippled during the last war between Ausa. Otherwise, the still potent Kingdom of Sardinia wouldn’t have been easily swallowed by the French.

Franz spoke affectionately, “Frederick, slow down!”

Ever since learning to walk, the little guy became restless. Filled with endless curiosity about the world, he kept causing trouble.

Of course, Franz was not worried about these troubles; a child less than two years old even when mischievous appeared only cute.

But considering the medical standards of the era, he had to be cautious. According to Habsburg Family tradition, the little guy had four more years of free childhood before starting his hell-like training.

This was the duty and obligation of being born into the royal family, and as long as one was not a fool, after this training regimen was over, they would not turn out to be useless.

Reality is not a novel; wastrels are often found among upstarts. In truly grounded families, the success rate of the younger generation far exceeds that of ordinary people.

Perhaps this kind of education cannot produce geniuses, but it can still mass-produce ordinary talents. For example, Franz’s brothers, though inconspicuous in the royal family, would be considered outstanding youths if placed in the outside world.

Franz was still troubled about where to place his younger brothers, preferring in his mind to let them gain experience on their own.

Unfortunately, due to their status, such an action could easily provoke unfavorable speculations from the outside world.

Having lived with them for a long time, he was very clear that his brothers were no easy charges. Although they hadn’t reached the level of the Almighty Godfather or his second-in-command, their pride was already evident.

Last year, his brother Maximilian got married, and is still at home living off the family, having just returned from a European tour with his spouse not long ago.

If he were really a waste living a life of ease and pleasure like his father, indulging in food, drink, and entertainment, followed by hunting and horse-racing with a few friends, then it would be easy to handle.

But Maximilian happened to be an idealist, determined to make a mark.

Several years ago, Franz, capitalizing on Maximilian’s interests and passions, had thrown him into the Royal Academy of Sciences to study plants with several botanical experts.

Clearly, this had been a temporary solution. Within the Habsburg Family, some had suggested appointing Maximilian as the regent of the Kingdom of Bavaria, but under Franz’s insinuation, the Cabinet had forcefully shied away from that idea.

In a low voice, Tyren said, “Your Majesty, the Mexican constitutionalists have entered Vienna, and preliminary assessments suggest they are here to find a Catholic prince to assume the Mexican throne.”

Franz replied indifferently, “Have someone watch them and see whom they’ve contacted.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” responded Tyren.

In European cultural systems, emperorship and kingship are all about bloodline. So often when a country’s royal family becomes extinct or is expelled, they look to other nations to find a king to bring back.

The Emperor of Mexico has always been a tragic role. The first Emperor of Mexico, Agustin I, ended up on the guillotine. He had no choice; who told him to follow Napoleon and crown himself emperor?

Despite leading the Mexican independence movement and being highly respected domestically, he was unfortunately not from a royal bloodline, and thus, nobody truly recognized his claim to the throne.

In this regard, Washington was wise not to step on this landmine.

After this precedent, no one in Mexico dared to rashly proclaim themselves emperor. But for the constitutionalists, what’s the point of having a constitution without an emperor?

As per tradition, they headed to the German Region to look for a king. After all, nearly all of Europe’s monarchs had come out of the German Region.

The Habsburg Family, at the height of their prestige and staunch supporters of Catholicism, naturally became the focus of the Mexican constitutionalists.

Historically, it was against this backdrop that Franz’s unfortunate brother Maximilian was cheated into becoming the Emperor of Mexico.

Franz commanded, “Jennie, have someone send me the documents on Mexico.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the maid replied softly.

Without investigation, there is no right to speak. Without a clear understanding of the specifics of Mexico, Franz dared not tread into this minefield.

To be frank, in this era, Mexico’s foundations were quite solid, with influence on the American Continent second only to the United States.

The total population was nearing eight million, with over half being mestizos, whites accounting for sixteen percent, and Indians making up thirty percent.

However, Mexico’s racial tensions were not severe; mestizos habitually classified themselves as white.

The climate in Mexico was suitable, and the land fertile. Although it could not match the neighboring United States, sustaining several tens of millions of people was still effortless.

Mineral resources were especially abundant, suitable for industrial development. Prior to the great depreciation of silver, this Silver Empire was very wealthy, even possessing ample funds.

In theory, given such favorable conditions, Mexico’s development should not have lagged too far behind that of the United States.

Yet reality was exceptionally harsh, a stark contrast of heaven on one side and hell on the other.

What should have been a prospering Mexico was now entirely an agricultural state, with no signs of industrialization in sight.

Everyone was preoccupied with internal strife—who cared about national development? To get this country back on track would require a major purge to first take out the entrenched interest groups before discussing development.

Franz somewhat understood why the Habsburg Family was against Maximilian becoming Emperor of Mexico.

Everyone truly had his best interests at heart; facing such a chaotic situation, an idealist with no support from the Habsburg dynasty really could not cope.

The start of a hellish scenario is only suitable for a strongman to play. Even Franz himself would rather venture to the African Continent to start a colony than tidy up this mess.