Preparation

In Franz's view, Louis-Philippe's biggest blunder after the Paris Revolution broke out was failing to take control of the army at once.

At that point, most of the French army merely sympathized with the revolutionaries; they hadn't actually joined them. They weren't against the emperor, either, so they could easily have been won over.

As long as he had troops at his disposal, everything else could be worked out. Whether it meant suppressing the revolution or sitting down for a slow, careful discussion, he'd have plenty of room to maneuver.

Wasn't the Guizot government already rotten to the core? Then let it rot a little more. Dump every bit of blame on them. The people already thought they were rotten through and through, anyway.

In short, as long as every bad thing was their doing and had nothing to do with the emperor, that was all that mattered.

Snowflakes drifted down in flurries, while the bitter wind still ravaged Vienna.

The news of the Paris Revolution was no longer a secret among Vienna's upper classes. It might spread throughout Austria in as little as two days.

"Albrecht, take the troops out for field drills. Get our men in control of the army as soon as possible!" Franz said gravely.

"What's wrong, Franz? Why the rush? If they trained for another month or two, they'd become competent officers. Most of them still aren't quite ready!" Albrecht asked, utterly baffled.

Ever since news of the Paris Revolution had arrived, Franz had kept urging him to hurry, as if something terrible were about to happen. It left Albrecht completely perplexed.

"The Paris Revolution has broken out. Another great revolution is about to sweep across the European Continent, and given Austria's situation, there's a very good chance one will break out in Vienna!" Franz said solemnly.

Albrecht stared at him, dumbfounded, his mouth gaping as if he could swallow an egg. A revolution in Vienna? If he said that aloud, most people would probably take it as a joke.

The Austrian Government was corrupt, but it hadn't yet reached the point of provoking universal outrage. The army remained loyal to the royal family, while the nobility had the bourgeoisie pinned to the ground and was thrashing them.

The working class, which had once been discontented with the government, had turned its anger toward the bourgeoisie after the Labor Protection Law was passed.

Under such circumstances, who could possibly start a revolution? The bourgeoisie? Or the democrats in society?

Franz gave a bitter smile and explained, "Don't find it strange. The working class isn't against the government, and even the bourgeoisie has no strong desire to rebel. But reality leaves them no choice!

"Albrecht, you should know what this economic crisis has done to the country.

"Vienna has more than fifty thousand unemployed. Capitalists have suffered heavy losses, and many of them are sitting on huge stockpiles of goods.

"With revolutions breaking out across Europe, Austria's economy will likely deteriorate even further. The workers need to eat, and the capitalists want to save themselves, but the Austrian Government is doing nothing.

"And then there are the fools among the nobility. A while ago, they joined the capitalists in driving up prices. To make up for their losses, they've actually intensified their exploitation of the serfs.

"Austria has become a powder keg. All it needs is a spark to blow!"

Albrecht nodded, his face pale. As the Empire's heir, Franz could say such things. As Vienna's commander of the City Defense Force, Albrecht could agree with him, but he couldn't say them outright.

As Austria's greatest nobleman, Albrecht was undoubtedly hostile to revolution. Even setting all else aside, he couldn't tolerate anyone upsetting the order when he owned more than 500,000 acres of land.

(500,000 acres was about 3.04 million mu, or roughly 2,000 square kilometers.)

And that was only his estate. Albrecht also owned a great deal of property in Vienna. Franz knew of Weilburg Palace, his summer residence, and the Winter Palace in Vienna—the present-day Albertina Museum area.

With such a vast fortune, Albrecht naturally looked down on the capitalists. No Austrian capitalist had that kind of wealth.

If Albrecht hadn't been one of their own, Franz might even have been tempted to rob him. Austria had more than one such plutocrat; the House of Koháry, a branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was another example.

Of course, the royal family had the greatest fortune of all. The Habsburg Family had accumulated immense wealth over several centuries.

In the East, owning ten thousand mu of fertile land made someone a great landlord, a plutocrat. On the European Continent, that made him little more than a country bumpkin. Any great nobleman started with a fortune of at least a million mu.

"Franz, haven't you warned Chancellor Metternich about these problems?"

As soon as he said it, Albrecht regretted asking. The problem was obvious. Metternich had held the chancellorship for too long, yet somehow had never lived up to everyone's expectations.

People were forgetful. By now, they had already overlooked Metternich's achievements, especially after the Paris Revolution broke out and the Vienna System was shattered.

The chancellor's greatest diplomatic achievement had gone up in smoke. The opposition, which wanted him gone, no longer had any qualms.

Franz said nothing about being one of Chancellor Metternich's opponents, but as heir to the throne, he was naturally hostile to powerful ministers. His position dictated it.

"He probably knew about these problems long ago. Whether he took them seriously is another matter!

"Albrecht, you don't think I can tell him what to do, do you?" Franz asked with a joking smile.

Albrecht smiled faintly. Chancellor Metternich was a forceful man. He kept the other members of the Regency Council firmly under his thumb; how could he let anyone tell him what to do?

"Fine, I'll make the arrangements. But you'll have to handle the training order yourself. The Regency Council won't listen to me!" Albrecht said.

He already knew what Franz intended. As soon as the Vienna Revolution broke out, Chancellor Metternich would have to go.

The government would then be left with a power vacuum, and the Regency Council's reputation would plunge. Franz's assuming the regency ahead of time would become only natural.

As a political ally, Albrecht naturally hoped that day would come sooner rather than later.

"Don't pay them any attention. They're busy fighting among themselves right now and won't have time for such a small matter. Besides, I still have an order from His Majesty the Emperor!" Franz said with a cold laugh.

That was right: Franz was using a chicken feather as an imperial arrow. The Regency Council couldn't exactly hold Ferdinand I to account. It was only one field drill, and Franz could easily take responsibility for it.

Once the Vienna Revolution broke out, the man with troops at his command would be the boss. Whoever controlled the fourteen thousand men of the City Defense Force would control Vienna's voice.