The True Young Officer

Through a series of personnel adjustments, Franz had effectively gained control of the Imperial Guard. Archduke Louis did not know whether he truly failed to understand or was simply playing dumb, but in any case, he offered no reaction.

Franz felt the latter was more likely. The Imperial Guard was not large, consisting of only a single regiment, yet it bore the responsibility of protecting the royal family.

The actual control of this unit had always rested in the hands of the Vienna Court, and even Archduke Louis, its nominal commander, dared not make any major moves within its ranks.

Franz's reorganization of the Imperial Guard had, in fact, been tacitly approved by the Vienna Court; before taking action, he had even secured a written order from his uncle, Ferdinand I.

The Habsburg Family was already preparing for his regency. If no accidents occurred, he would become a member of the Regency Council in three years, and after a few years of tempering, the Regency Council would be dissolved, ushering in the era of the Crown Prince's regency.

Ferdinand I was unwilling to let power slip from his grasp, but unfortunately, he suffered from epilepsy, experiencing over twenty seizures a day on average, which made it impossible for him to handle state affairs. Supporting Franz's regency was one of his measures to cope.

Well, Franz admitted that he had relied on trickery. His uncle's mind was often not quite there, and he frequently did things that were both laughable and lamentable, yet he placed extraordinary importance on the foundation of the Habsburg Family and occasionally suffered from paranoid delusions.

This created opportunities for Franz. Ferdinand I often made astonishing remarks, and whatever he deemed useful became a written document.

In other words, Franz currently held many imperial edicts, though whether they carried legal weight depended on the actual circumstances.

If he were to produce them now, the Regency Council would likely reject them, but when necessary, he could bypass the council and issue these orders directly, turning them into established facts.

Although the Austrian government was effectively held by the Regency Council, no one had publicly declared Ferdinand I incapable of governing, so the Emperor's orders remained valid.

News of the January Revolution soon spread across the European Continent. When it reached Vienna, people were merely surprised for a moment before acting as if nothing had happened.

However, once the news reached Paris, things changed.

After the Conservative Party leader Guizot was elected Prime Minister between 1840 and 1848, he allowed capitalists to enter government departments and abused his power to approve commercial contracts indiscriminately to curry favor with financial groups.

Corruption and bribery had become the norm in the government, scandals emerged one after another, and the public gradually lost faith in the administration.

By now, the supporters of the July Monarchy were limited to bankers, stockbrokers, railway magnates, large mine owners, timber barons, and major landowners.

Starting from the economic crisis that spread to France in 1847, riots by the starving population occurred constantly across the country, and the Labor Protection Act issued by Austria further ignited the workers' strike movement.

Against this backdrop, the news of the January Revolution arrived. The Parisian public, already rich in revolutionary spirit, was naturally influenced. The foundation for revolution was already in place; now, it only lacked a spark.

Yet, the decaying July Monarchy turned a deaf ear to all of this. The Banquet Campaign launched by the bourgeoisie was halted by the government, and the event originally scheduled for January 19, 1848, was postponed to February 22.

Looking at the intelligence in his hands, Franz breathed a sigh of relief. History had not changed due to his butterfly effect; the advantage of foresight could still be utilized.

However, his interactions with military generals became more frequent, and he even maintained correspondence with the governors who held sway over various regions.

Inadvertently, Franz also revealed his concerns regarding the domestic situation, incidentally mentioning the January Revolution in Sicily, and boldly predicted that it would trigger a chain reaction across the European Continent.

Whether he could draw their attention to it, Franz could only do his best and leave the rest to fate. He could hardly say outright that a revolution was about to break out in Austria, could he?

If he said that, he would either be seen as a prodigy or branded a madman.

Considering the current state of the Habsburg Family, Franz felt the latter was more likely.

Now, Franz fully exercised the nature of a military enthusiast, inspecting the training of troops around Vienna everywhere he went, and the more he saw, the more disappointed he became.

"Albrecht, do you have any way to improve the soldiers' combat effectiveness in the short term? I am talking about the City Defense Force!" Franz asked solemnly.

"Franz, that is very simple. As long as you can kick out the aristocratic officers who are just idling their time away and promote some capable people to serve as officers, the combat effectiveness of the City Defense Force will improve immediately!" Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf thought for a moment and said.

Franz said helplessly, "Albrecht, that joke is not funny at all. If I could kick them out, I wouldn't be here wasting my breath with you! I mean, is it possible to gather them together for training so they can play some role at a critical moment?"

That was right; Franz did indeed pin high hopes on the City Defense Force. These aristocrats might look like tumors affecting the army's combat effectiveness in normal times, but it would be different in extraordinary times.

If nothing else, at least in terms of loyalty, they were still reliable. Once the revolution in Vienna broke out, using them to suppress the rebellion would be more dependable than using civilian officers.

The only pity was that their abilities did not seem reassuring; even regarding the suppression of a mob, Franz remained skeptical.

"How about this? I will give you the position of Commander of the City Defense Force. I am helpless with them anyway!" Albrecht said indifferently.

Franz thought for a moment and said, "If I take it, I take it. They are a bunch of losers anyway; even if they can't be trained, the situation won't get any worse. However, you should keep the position of Commander of the City Defense Force yourself; I will still need your support for things later, won't I?"

"Franz, what are you planning to do? There are quite a few aristocratic officers in the City Defense Force who are just idling away, and the implications are far-reaching. You must not act recklessly!" Albrecht said with some concern.

"Albrecht, do I look like someone who acts recklessly?" Franz asked in return.

Albrecht shook his head; the impression Franz had left on everyone was still quite good.

Franz continued, "It is time for me to enter military service. I will apply later, and for the next three months, I will remain in the City Defense Force to serve. You can dump those officers who are idling away over to me to undergo military training together. Of course, those over 28 years old and those who only hold honorary titles in the army can be excluded."

He finally remembered that he was 13 years old and already a Colonel in the Austrian Army. If he didn't filter these people out, the aristocrats looking to join the fun might just assemble a "Children's Corps" for him; after all, there existed a mythical "youth officer" in the Austrian army who hadn't even been weaned yet.