The college students who had just returned to campus immediately became the main force behind the demonstrations, gathering outside the War Department gates and chanting, "Revenge!"
"Is everyone in your War Department a pig? You can't even defeat a tiny Hungary with an army of hundreds of thousands!"
"Thürheim, get out here!"
"Thürheim, go back to the countryside!"
The protests quickly turned violent. The students smashed the War Department's windows with rocks, then set its gates ablaze.
The gendarmes were dispatched soon afterward, and people couldn't help feeling they'd seen this scene before.
Thankfully, this time the gendarmes didn't open fire. Instead, the only punishment was being made to perform community service.
Compared with Vienna, the reactions elsewhere in Europe were far more intense.
This was especially true in the German States. With the government and nationalists joining forces to spread propaganda, Hungarians were, for the first time, being ranked alongside the Huns and Mongols.
The nature of the war shifted once again. It was no longer merely a shameless betrayal, but a terrifying invasion—a war of civilization against barbarism, of order against chaos.
Fueled by fear, anxiety, and a sense of righteousness, the German people became more united than ever. At that moment, everyone—from the rulers of the various states to their subjects—hoped the Austrians would win the war.
More volunteers and members of the Volunteer Army from the German lands poured into Vienna. They were determined to wipe out every invader who might threaten their world.
And how could Pius IX stay out of it? He issued a public manifesto, declaring that the Hungarians were nothing but fanatics bewitched by the devil.
Although Pius IX was merely trying to draw attention to himself, his maneuvering left the other Italian rulers with no choice but to take a stand.