Franz had originally planned to make the rat guards into inverted cones; theoretically, that shape offered the strongest protection.
However, that would raise both the difficulty and cost of manufacture. A disc-shaped rat guard with a radius of sixty centimeters was already sufficient; anything stronger was entirely unnecessary.
Unless some new breed of rat emerged, there was no need to make a fuss over improving the defenses further.
In truth, most of the Austrian Empire's upper ranks were baffled by this sudden war. After all, they felt they ought to be challenging stronger opponents—not rats.
"Mobilizing the machinery of the state to wipe out rats? Is that really necessary?"
Minister of the Interior Giovanni Battista paused, then continued.
"There are pests in our country far more deserving of eradication."
Battista's words immediately tightened the atmosphere. Every anti-corruption campaign in the Austrian Empire had left a trail of blood and carnage.
His Majesty the Emperor would even set aside all concern for appearances and execute ministers he had only just commended. Without the deliberate oversight of some great figure in the West Bosnia affair, it would have been nearly impossible to keep it hidden from Franz's eyes within the Austrian Empire.
In fact, it had been a test by the Austrian Empire's bureaucratic system—a test to see where Franz's bottom line lay.
But Franz had no desire to continue this game that had gone on for centuries. He struck back with the fiercest possible retaliation.
Franz had been cultivating his own power base even before ascending the throne. After eight years of continuous reform, he could finally be said to have his own core faction.
Franz had always maintained zero tolerance toward corruption and regional separatism, which was why Battista's words had left the ministers of the Imperial Council so nervous.