Caught off guard by a prepared opponent, the Russians quickly paid the price for their actions. The Polish independence movement erupted even more fiercely than it had in history.
Britain and France increased their financial aid to the independence organizations. Once the uprising broke out, those organizations swiftly raised an army and began sweeping across the land.
As a mere spectator, Franz soon received a note of protest from the Tsarist Government.
Franz asked incredulously, "Prime Minister, are you sure what this protest note says is true?"
Franz could hardly help being shocked. In this Polish uprising, Austria actually had four hundred volunteers fighting in it, most of them retired officers and soldiers from Austrian Poland.
Right under the Vienna Government's nose, the Polish independence movement had managed to raise such an armed force. If there was nothing suspicious about that, then pigs could fly.
Secretly tripping up the Russians was one thing, but having so many volunteers openly emerge was practically a blazing announcement to the world that Austria supported the Polish independence movement.
The Russo-Austrian Alliance had not even been dissolved yet. Stabbing the Tsarist Government in the back like this was morally indefensible!
Prime Minister Felix answered awkwardly, "Your Majesty, quite a few Poles in Galicia do support this uprising. And it was not merely four hundred people who joined it. Our figures put the number at eight hundred.
"If nothing unexpected happens, that number is still rising. We misjudged the situation beforehand. We did not expect so many people to join the uprising, so we failed to take measures."
Franz rubbed his forehead, not even knowing what to say. After the Polish independence movement erupted, Poles from all over the world had joined it.
Austria had several million Poles within its borders, so some volunteers were