In the parliament building of Leopold District, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, a meeting was underway that concerned the future fate of the Kingdom of Hungary. Prime Minister Tisza sat stiffly in the seat of honor, doing his best to calm himself.
This conference room had gathered nearly all of the Kingdom of Hungary's major capitalists, great nobles, senior government officials, and military representatives.
Without question, only one matter—or rather, three matters—could bring so many important figures together: Should the Kingdom of Hungary withdraw from the war? Should the Kingdom of Hungary become independent? And what kind of system should be established after its independence?
The positions of the nobility and the bourgeoisie on these three questions were clearly different, which put Prime Minister Tisza in a difficult position. If no consensus could be reached, then the Kingdom of Hungary's future would look grim. At worst, civil war might even break out!
No matter what, things had reached this point. Avoidance could not solve the problem, so Prime Minister Tisza decided to settle the easiest question first.
Prime Minister Tisza gathered his thoughts, then said, "I imagine everyone knows why you were invited here today, so I will not waste time. We will now begin with the first item on the agenda: Should the Kingdom of Hungary withdraw from this war? Please speak in an orderly manner!"
Count Corbett-Adolf was the first to speak. "We have already paid too high a price for this war. From the outbreak of the war until now, 2.36 million young men of our Kingdom of Hungary have taken up arms and marched onto the battlefield.
"The confirmed death toll now stands at 424,300, with 1,964,100 wounded. [Note: casualties may be counted cumulatively.] Of those, another 262,000 have been permanently disabled. And that is only