Preparations

In Franz's view, the greatest blunder Louis-Philippe made after the outbreak of the Paris revolution was failing to secure the military immediately.

At that time, the majority of the French army merely sympathized with the revolutionaries; they had not yet joined them. They were not anti-monarchist, and they could have been bought off entirely.

As long as one has troops in hand, everything is negotiable. Whether it is suppressing a revolution or sitting down for slow negotiations, one would have sufficient room to maneuver.

Was the Guizot government already malodorous? Then let them become even more so. Dump all the blame on them; in the eyes of the public, they were already rotten to the core.

In short, as long as all the evil deeds were attributed to them, it had nothing to do with the Emperor.

Snowflakes drifted down in abundance, and the biting wind still ravaged Vienna.

The news of the Paris revolution was no longer a secret among the upper echelons of Vienna; perhaps within two days, it would spread throughout all of Austria.

"Albrecht, conduct field drills. Let us gain control of the troops as soon as possible!" Franz said with a solemn expression.

"What is wrong, Franz? Why the rush? If we trained for another month or two, they would become qualified officers. Most of them are still lacking at this stage!" Albrecht asked, his face full of confusion.

Ever since the news of the Paris revolution arrived, Franz had been constantly urging him to speed up, as if some terrible event were about to occur, which left Albrecht deeply perplexed.

"The Paris revolution has erupted. A great revolution is about to break out across the European Continent once again. Given the situation in Austria, the possibility of a revolution erupting in Vienna is very high!" Franz said with a grave demeanor.

Albrecht was left in a state of bewilderment, his mouth hanging open as if it could swallow an egg. A revolution in Vienna? If one were to say this out loud, most people would likely take it as a joke.

Although the Austrian government was corrupt, it had not yet reached the point of inciting the wrath of heaven and men. The army remained loyal to the royal family, and the domestic bourgeoisie was being kept firmly under the thumb of the nobility.

The working class, originally dissatisfied with the government, had shifted their resentful gaze toward the bourgeoisie following the introduction of the Labor Protection Act.

With a revolution breaking out against this backdrop, was one to count on the bourgeoisie? Or perhaps the democratic activists in society?

Franz analyzed with a bitter smile: "Do not find it strange. The working class does not oppose the government, and even the bourgeoisie lacks a strong desire to rebel. But reality gives them no choice!

Albrecht, you should be clear about the impact this economic crisis has had on this country.

The number of unemployed in Vienna has exceeded fifty thousand. Capitalists have suffered heavy losses, and many have hoarded large quantities of goods.

With the outbreak of revolution in Europe, the economic situation in Austria will likely deteriorate further. The workers need to eat, and the capitalists want to save themselves, yet the Austrian government remains idle.

There is also a group of fools among the nobility who, some time ago, followed the capitalists in driving up prices. To compensate for their losses, they actually intensified their exploitation of the serfs.

Austria has become a powder keg; now, it only needs a spark to be ignited!"

Albrecht nodded, his face pale. As the Crown Prince of the Empire, Franz could say these things, and as the commander of the Vienna City Defense Force, he could agree with them, but he could not voice them directly.

As the greatest noble in Austria, Albrecht was undoubtedly hostile toward revolution. Setting aside other factors, he could not tolerate anyone disrupting the order, if only for the sake of his more than 500,000 acres of land.

(500,000 acres is approximately 3.04 million shi mu, or about 2,000 square kilometers.)

This was merely his fiefdom. Albrecht also possessed vast assets in Vienna; Franz knew of the summer residence, Weilburg Palace, and the Winter Palace in Vienna (the area of the present-day Albertina Museum).

With such a deep family fortune, Albrecht naturally looked down on the capitalists; the capitalists of Austria were not yet that opulent.

If they were not on his own side, Franz would have even considered robbing them. Austria had more than one such tycoon, such as the Koháry Family, a branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and so on.

Of course, the wealthiest of all was the royal family; the centuries of accumulation by the Habsburg Family were still very substantial.

In the Eastern world, ten thousand mu of fertile land made one a great landlord or tycoon, but on the European Continent, that would be nothing more than a small-time bumpkin. The family fortune of any great noble started at a million shi mu.

"Franz, have you not warned Prime Minister Metternich about these issues?"

No sooner had he spoken than Albrecht regretted it. This was an obvious question. Metternich had been in the position of Prime Minister for too long, yet he had failed to meet everyone's expectations.

People are forgetful. By this time, everyone had overlooked Metternich's achievements, especially after the Paris revolution broke out and the Vienna System was shattered.

The Prime Minister's greatest diplomatic achievement had gone down the drain, and the opposition, eager to see him ousted, no longer had any reservations.

Franz did not speak of Prime Minister Metternich's opposition, but as the Crown Prince, he was naturally hostile toward powerful ministers; this was determined by his status.

"These issues, I fear our Prime Minister has known about for a long time, but whether he has attached importance to them is hard to say!

Albrecht, you do not think I can call the shots for him now, do you?" Franz asked jokingly.

Albrecht smiled slightly. Prime Minister Metternich was extremely powerful; even the other members of the Regency Council were kept firmly under his thumb. How could he allow anyone to point fingers at him?

"Very well, I will make the arrangements. However, you must handle the order for the training yourself; the Regency Council will not take my word for it!" Albrecht said.

He already knew what Franz was planning. Once the Vienna revolution broke out, Prime Minister Metternich would have to go.

At that moment, a power vacuum would appear in the government, and the prestige of the Regency Council would plummet, making Franz's early regency a logical progression.

As a political ally, Albrecht naturally hoped for this day to arrive sooner.

"Pay them no mind. They are busy with infighting right now and cannot be bothered with such trifles. Besides, I have the order from His Majesty the Emperor in my hands!" Franz said with a cold laugh.

That was right; Franz was using a chicken feather as a token of authority. The Regency Council could not hold Ferdinand I accountable, and for a mere field drill, Franz could handle the fallout entirely.

Once the Vienna revolution erupted, whoever held the troops would be the master. Whoever controlled these 14,000 men of the City Defense Force would hold the power of discourse in Vienna.