Rebellion and Negotiation

By the time the capitalists wanted to withdraw, it was already too late; Franz had returned to Vienna with his main army.

"Albrecht, the rest is up to you!"

Franz possessed a healthy amount of self-awareness. He was decent at strategic planning, but when it came to commanding troops in battle, he was out of his depth.

Estimating that his two months of military experience were hardly sufficient to command such a large force, Franz decisively chose to let Albrecht take the lead for the sake of security.

After all, in history, Albrecht was a renowned Austrian general who, during the Austro-Prussian War, had overcome superior numbers to crush Italy and defend the dignity of the Austrian Empire as a Great Power.

Albrecht smiled slightly and said with great confidence, "Rest assured, Franz! They are nothing but a rabble; defeating them will not be difficult!"

Franz nodded. He had made so many preparations, and his intelligence organization had even infiltrated the rebel ranks beforehand to sow internal discord. If they still couldn't win, the City Defense Force might as well be disbanded.

With military matters handed over to Albrecht, the political problems were left for Franz to tackle personally, as no one else could shoulder that responsibility.

"With the Third Regiment as the vanguard, commence the attack!"

With Albrecht's order, the curtain rose on the suppression of the rebellion.

Vienna at this moment could be described in one word: chaos!

Rebel armies of all sizes fought independently without any unified command. When the City Defense Force began their assault, many rebel groups were not even aware that the enemy had arrived.

At that moment, they were too busy looting. Initially, they had only targeted the nobility and capitalists, but by now, even ordinary citizens were not spared.

Whether out of jealousy or greed, military discipline had vanished entirely; even the commanders had no way to restrain their troops.

Once the long-repressed bestial nature of humanity was unleashed, everything changed, and the destructive power that erupted was often staggering.

Due to a lack of strict organization and mutual restraint, once the local thugs and ruffians joined in, the ranks were quickly corrupted, descending into a spree of killing, burning, and looting.

The Viennese citizens who had originally sympathized with the revolution were now left with nothing but regret. It was not just them; even the University of Vienna, known as the cradle of revolutionary thought, had not been spared.

To avoid harassment by the rebels, the school had to organize a student militia to defend the campus. As for the great cause of revolution?

The number of conservative students was far greater than that of the revolutionaries. Seeing the carnage outside, everyone was reminded of the 1789 French Revolution in Paris, where over thirty thousand people had been sent to the guillotine.

Before this, everyone had believed that to be a lie fabricated by the government. Once the Vienna revolution erupted, everyone finally understood that revolution required bloodshed.

At this time, Franz, who was busy preparing for the aftermath, had no idea what kind of demon he had unleashed or what kind of damage he had brought upon Vienna.

Of course, even if he had known, he would still have made the same choice. The Austrian Empire was already rotten; if it were not broken and rebuilt, it would slowly wither away.

Without this rebellion, abolishing serfdom would have taken at least a decade, and he would have had to constantly face the backlash of the nobility. It would more likely have devolved into the kind of incomplete reform seen in Russian history.

But now, things were different. The Vienna revolution was only the beginning; local revolutions would continue to roll in. For the sake of their lives and property, they would have no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it.

In regions like Lombardy, Venice, and Hungary, Franz was already waiting for them to rebel. As soon as the rebellions occurred, he would seize the opportunity to redistribute land and strike at the local tyrants, solving the problem once and for all.

He had no intention of sparing the nobles and capitalists involved in the Vienna rebellion either. If he didn't confiscate their assets, where would Franz get the money for national construction?

Did Austria really have no money? This question was a fallacy.

From the establishment of the Vienna System until 1848, Austria's economic development over those thirty-plus years had been quite good overall, with the total economic output having doubled.

Against this backdrop, the wealth created by society was naturally substantial. Unfortunately, the dividends of economic development had nothing to do with the common people, as wealth had concentrated in the hands of a few.

As a member of the established interest group, it was obviously impossible for Franz to attack them radically. However, taking advantage of the revolution to eliminate a portion of the traitors was certainly feasible.

Hofburg Palace, Vienna

Ever since receiving the bourgeoisie's terms for negotiation, the Archdukes had collectively breathed a sigh of relief. At this point, saving their own skins was the priority; if the rebels broke in, it would be the end.

They were accustomed to a life of luxury and had not yet had their fill of the high life; they certainly did not want to end up on the guillotine.

Ferdinand I was unable to manage affairs, Prime Minister Metternich knew he was in deep trouble and had fled in advance, and Count Kolowrat's current whereabouts were unknown. The only members of the Regency Council remaining were Archduke Louis and Archduke Franz-Charles.

Undoubtedly, all the heavy burdens now fell upon Archduke Louis; Archduke Franz-Charles could not be relied upon.

Archduke Louis said with a pale face, "The capitalists have proposed conditions: as long as we agree to dismiss the cabinet, implement constitutionalism, open up universal suffrage, abolish serfdom, and confiscate noble lands to distribute to the peasants...

They will help us suppress the rebellion. They have even drafted the constitution; here is the template for everyone to look at!"

He truly dared not agree to these terms. If they were all accepted, it would no longer be the capitalists rebelling, but the nobility rising up in unison.

Never mind Austria; in any country in the world, if you were to confiscate the land of the noble class to distribute to the peasants without cause, wouldn't they rise up in rebellion too?

The Austrian army was entirely in the hands of the nobility. These great nobles all possessed vast tracts of land. Those who had already freed their serfs were fine, but those who hadn't would have all their land confiscated?

How were the nobles supposed to survive that?

Once their land was confiscated, how would they make a living in the future?

Become capitalists?

This was clearly a plan to force the nobility into capitalist-style reform, and they could even use their head start to reduce the nobility to a state of abject poverty.

Beyond the economic interests, the political reforms were also non-negotiable. Under the constitution drafted by the bourgeoisie, the political rights of the nobility would be inferior to those of ordinary people.

Having no rights, being barred from the military, forbidden from politics, and unable to become members of parliament—these conditions were complete nonsense.

Of course, this was a negotiation; they were asking for the moon and expecting to settle for less. The initial offer was merely a probe. Even so, it was enough to make everyone unite against a common enemy.