Fight If You Disagree

Francis II returned to his throne and picked up Franz.

"In this world, no one can bully the Emperor, no one can bully me, and no one can bully you! Today, Grandfather will teach you how to be an Emperor!"

Having just bullied Prince Esterházy, that unlucky fellow, Francis II was in high spirits. He felt as though he had returned to his former self—the man full of ambition, determined to sweep across France and conquer the European continent.

"Where were we in our discussion?" Francis II asked with a hint of embarrassment.

"Joining the Zollverein," Metternich whispered a reminder.

Upon hearing this, Kolowrat thought, Good heavens! He realized this was pure deception of the Emperor. He spoke up, "Prussia has already joined the Zollverein ahead of us. As the presiding power of the German Confederation, the Austrian Empire has no reason to fall behind others!"

Baron Bruck thought to himself, Damn, these two are truly shameless. There isn't even a concrete plan yet, and they are acting as if it's a done deal, already vying with Prussia for leadership. He immediately added:

"Joining the Zollverein will not only help consolidate our leadership among the German states but also increase the state's fiscal revenue and facilitate the return of precious metals. According to Count Kolowrat's estimates, the Empire's debts can be paid off in twenty years. If not, I am willing to resign alongside Count Kolowrat."

After the Napoleonic Wars, various countries had set up high trade barriers to prevent the outflow of precious metals and stop other nations from siphoning off their gold and silver. The Austrian Empire was currently suffering from a severe shortage of precious metal reserves, and its paper currency lacked credibility due to the Empire's massive debts. Therefore, Baron Bruck's point struck at the very heart of the Austrian Empire's problems, sparking great interest in Francis II.

Metternich and Count Kolowrat exchanged looks of disdain, silently cursing, So you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are the most shameless of us all.

The nobles had not yet recovered from their previous shock before they were stunned once more by the shamelessness of these three ministers.

However, the cautionary tale of Prince Esterházy made these nobles hesitate. After all, the old Emperor before them was acting as if he were high on stimulants, and no one wanted to touch that hot potato. Consequently, the nobles turned their gazes toward Prince Windisch-Graetz; after all, he held a high title and commanded military power, so surely he would be fine.

Under the collective gaze of the crowd, Prince Windisch-Graetz had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, as you know, the French once demanded that the three South German states withdraw from the customs union we established. What if..."

Windisch-Graetz should not have mentioned the French. At the mere mention of them, Francis II's blood boiled, and he became instantly enraged.

"The French? Damn them! This is the Zollverein! This is an internal affair of the German Confederation! By what right do they interfere? How dare they!"

"Issue a diplomatic note to the German states: if France dares to interfere, we go to war! Notify the nations of the Holy Alliance that if the French declare war on us, we demand they fulfill their sacred obligations. In short: if the French want war, we shall see it through to the end!"

The ministers in the Hall of Mirrors were infected by the Emperor's emotions and began to applaud. Count Latour, the Minister of War, was even moved to tears; the monarch he had followed for decades had finally shown some backbone, and he shouted, "March to Paris!"

However, this time, no one echoed his call.

Everyone shook their heads, signaling that it was impossible. Seeing this, Count Latour had no choice but to pretend nothing had happened.

Metternich also sighed, thinking how wonderful it would be if the Emperor could be this firm every time. It was just that this diplomatic note would be difficult to handle.

Prussia was not only an important German state and a member of the Holy Alliance, but it was also the country most opposed to Austria joining the Zollverein. One could only wonder what the King of Prussia would think upon seeing this note.

As for the French, having just experienced internal strife, the possibility of them intervening by force was almost zero. Furthermore, if the French really did take action, the Holy Alliance was not just for show. Having enjoyed a few decades of peace, it was unlikely that France would produce another Napoleon.

Franz also took the opportunity to clap, trying to keep the old man happy.

The nobles realized that there was no point in arguing further for now, but they knew that such fervor would eventually burn out. The strategy of delay—knowing how to drag things out—was crucial in politics.

The excuses were simple: needing to contact the envoys of the various states, preparing the venue, and other related matters.

Although these were trivial matters, they were impossible to refuse. Since the issues, however small, carried significant weight, they had to yield to the nobles' suggestions.

During this time, the nobles would seek foreign aid, offer bribes, distribute money, and spread rumors. In short, they used every trick in the book, all to prevent Austria from joining the Zollverein.

However, since the Emperor had already agreed to today's decision, changing it would be very difficult.

On the other hand, Metternich, Count Kolowrat, Baron Bruck, Count Latour, and the almost invisible Minister of the Interior, Pillersdorff, were also preparing to deal with the nobles' final counterattack.

After all, these people had no bottom line, and heaven only knew what they might do.

Count Latour had already dispatched a large number of veteran generals who had participated in the anti-French wars, such as Haynau, Radetzky, and Anton von, to the most critical positions, instructing them to be extra vigilant. Now, all he had to do was provide these generals with enough soldiers and sufficient authority.

He did not want to see another uprising happen right under his nose.

Baron Bruck needed to contact Austrian bankers to make them believe the country still had a future and to raise as much money as possible.

Because once the tariffs were abolished and border trade opened, the amount of money required would be astronomical.

To this end, he had to squeeze every last drop of blood from those bankers.

Metternich, meanwhile, needed to persuade as many domestic nobles as possible; after all, one more friend meant one less enemy.

Of course, besides the domestic opposition, there were the princes and nobles of the German states. His secret police and lovers had already uncovered the preferences of the various kings, princes, and ambassadors. Based on this, Metternich prepared special gifts for each of them. This included the King of Prussia and the Prussian ambassador, and of course, the chief architect of the Zollverein—Friedrich List.

He heard that Friedrich List had failed in his investments and was living in dire straits. Now, after joining the Zollverein, the Austrian Empire was in urgent need of such talent.

How did I think of this man? Oh, right. It seems it was that paper airplane the Archduke threw. Archduke Franz really is a lucky star for this country, Metternich mused, though he didn't think much more of it. It was normal for a child to like folding strange things out of paper and throwing them around, wasn't it?

And most importantly, he had to ensure that Francis II did not go back on his word.

After all, this Emperor's fickleness was nothing new. Today, he had to thank that future Emperor; otherwise, they wouldn't even have this final chance to fight.