Putting Down the Rebellion

The Hungary nobles were far more militant than their Poland counterparts. They first issued a statement condemning the emperor's actions as trampling on the nobles' legitimate rights, demanding that the emperor immediately investigate, punish the officials involved, and apologize to the affected nobles.

Such an unreasonable demand was naturally rejected by His Majesty the Emperor, so the Hungary nobles, full of martial spirit, declared a tax resistance and refused to pay taxes to His Majesty the Emperor's government.

At the same time, the France government suddenly announced that it would hold a joint military exercise with the Northern Italian Republic. This announcement immediately attracted attention throughout Europe.

The Northern Italian Republic borders Austria and is very close to Vienna. Therefore, this region has always been a key point of contention between France and Austria. Of course, Austria can no longer contest this region with France, making its border its most Austria. If French Army were to attack from here and breach the border, they could directly threaten Vienna, the Austria capital.

At this time, the French Army's so-called "routine military exercises" were naturally seen by the whole of Europe as the France using this method to restrain Austria power and support the Hungary nobles and Emperor Franz II in causing trouble. Many people even worried that war might break out between France and Austria, and for a time, the price of Austria government bonds plummeted.

It was around this time that some bankers began buying up large amounts of Austria government bonds at low prices—in a sense, one of the secrets to successful financial speculation is having a government with powerful means of violence on your side.

At a press conference held by the French Foreign Ministry, a reporter asked about the France government's views on the situation in Austria. Talleyrand made the following statement:

"As you all know, our country has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Therefore, I shouldn't normally comment on Austria's internal affairs. However, France businessmen have many investments in Austria, and their legitimate interests should be protected. Therefore, we hope that everyone can exercise restraint, resolve issues calmly, and not disrupt the hard-won peace and tranquility..."

Talleyrand's speech was widely interpreted as France support for the Hungary and a warning to the Austria government against rash actions. This emboldened the Hungary, who even began organizing their own National Guard.

Following Talleyrand's remarks, Austria quickly responded. At a press conference held at the French Embassy in Austria, when a reporter asked Metternich for his opinion on Talleyrand's comments, Metternich replied, "As Minister Talleyrand stated, the tax resistance currently taking place in Hungary is entirely an internal affair of the Holy Roman Empire. Other countries should not, and have no right to, interfere. Regarding Minister Talleyrand's concerns about the legal rights of France merchants, I can assure you that we have been, are, and will continue to be committed to protecting the legal rights of anyone engaged in legitimate business within the Holy Roman Empire. Minister Talleyrand need not worry about this. As for the hard-won peace and tranquility, it is certainly worth cherishing. However, this cherishing must come from both sides. I can assure you that our government will do everything in its power to safeguard this hard-won peace and tranquility."

Metternich's statement was seen by most as a direct confrontation with Talleyrand. As a result, even underground casinos began offering bets on whether France and Austria would go to war.

Just three days after Metternich's speech, the newspaper * Science Truth Daily * published a headline on its second page, in a rather inconspicuous position. "Yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urgently summoned the Austria ambassador to France."

The entire news article consisted of just this one simple sentence, without any other description.

However, readers familiar with * Science Truth Daily know its characteristic: the shorter the news, the bigger the event. These short news items, lacking any context, often signal an impending major event. Consequently, in underground casinos, the odds of war between the two countries this month rapidly dropped from around 9.3 to 1 to 2. Some newspapers had already prepared news reports of France declaring war on Austria, simply leaving the date blank. That way, when the war actually started, they could quickly fill in the date and release a special edition.

Some tabloids had already begun war simulations, devoting considerable space to discussing the balance of power between the two sides, the possible developments of the war, and the changes it would bring to Europe. In short, everywhere there was an atmosphere of impending doom.

Immediately afterwards, the Austria government announced that its army was on high alert. As a result, the odds of war between France and Austria this month dropped to 1.5 to 1. The following day, France announced a suspension of its military demobilization for the year, bringing the odds to 1.1 to 1.

Having received such "support," the Hungary and Poland nobles grew even bolder and went so far as to join forces and issue an ultimatum to the Austria government.

In this ultimatum, they made a series of demands, such as requiring the Austria government to respect their traditions, especially their traditional rights, which in effect meant demanding a complete restoration of feudalism (referring to the feudal system where my vassals are not my vassals), and turning back the clock of history.

Finally, they were quite considerate in giving the Austria government a relatively long time to consider the matter – a response within 72 hours.

However, it didn't actually take that long. The day after the ultimatum was issued, French Foreign Ministry Talleyrand and Austria Ambassador Metternich held a joint press conference.

At the press conference, Talleyrand stated that the events in Austria had severely undermined peace and stability in Europe, and the absurd and reactionary demands made by the rebels demonstrated their firm opposition to democracy, freedom, and especially free trade. This was a step backward in history, an attempt to plunge Europe back into darkness. Such reactionary actions against the tide of history must be stopped. At the invitation of the Austria government, France would send military advisors to work with the Austria army to quell the rebellion, restore peace and stability to Europe, and ensure that the whole of Europe could become a home to free trade.

Metternich stated that the principle of free trade is the most fundamental principle for guaranteeing peace and the well-being of the people of Europe. For a long time, some reactionary elements within Austria, for their own selfish interests, have obstructed free trade and the formation of a unified Europe market, a truly heinous crime that has caused widespread resentment among merchants from all countries. This situation cannot continue. France and Austria are determined to unite to create a free economic environment for all the people of Europe ...