The First Fire

The "three requests and three refusals" protocol has no place in Europe; one doesn't even need three refusals, as a single rejection would cause the whole house of cards to collapse.

Since the regency was already in his grasp, Franz naturally wouldn't go looking for trouble. He seized the authority decisively, leaving Archduke Louis no opportunity to go back on his word.

Immediately following this, Franz shifted the topic.

"Gentlemen, the rebellion in Vienna has been suppressed, but I fear other parts of the Austrian Empire will soon be in turmoil. To prevent the collapse of the Empire, we must take more proactive measures!"

The expressions of those present shifted; the relief of having survived the ordeal vanished. The collapse of the Empire—what a terrifying prospect that was.

As the great nobles of Austria, their interests were bound to the state. Once the Empire collapsed, everything they possessed would vanish into thin air.

"Franz, is the situation really so dire?" Archduke John asked with concern.

"It is. Ever since the February Revolution in Paris, all of Europe has gone mad. Many regions, including those within Austria, are brewing with revolution.

The imperial bureaucracy has rotted. Just like this Vienna rebellion—it could have been settled by the police alone, yet it escalated into a human tragedy. Tens of thousands of Austrian citizens lost their lives, including hundreds of nobles!

At this juncture, if we cannot produce more proactive measures, the fate of the Orleans Dynasty today will be our tomorrow, perhaps even worse!" Franz threatened.

Could these things frighten them? Clearly not. One should not assume that just because these Archdukes lacked ability, they were easy to hoodwink; that would be nonsense.

Franz brought these points up precisely to exploit the fact that everyone had just experienced the Vienna Revolution. Their mindsets had not yet recovered, and they were inevitably viewing matters through a pessimistic lens.

At this moment, Franz exaggerated the situation, using the asymmetry of information to create a false impression: that the Austrian populace was dissatisfied with the current political system and the distribution of interests, and if they did not reform, the people would revolt—or rather, they had already revolted.

"Franz, can you describe the situation outside?" Archduke Louis asked.

Clearly, he too had been stunned by the news Franz brought. They were not afraid of the Vienna populace rebelling alone, but if the people elsewhere followed suit, that would be terrifying.

After a moment of thought, Franz said solemnly, "Well, after the February Revolution in Paris, revolutionary parties across Europe have been emboldened. Undercurrents are surging in all major cities; everyone is aware of these reports.

Since the Vienna Revolution broke out on March 7, the revolutionary fervor within Austria has soared. Although we successfully suppressed this rebellion, the masterminds behind the scenes have escaped.

What we must be vigilant about is that this Vienna Revolution involved not just the revolutionary party, but also capitalists, nobles, and municipal officials.

If we look at the social strata, it covered workers, farmers, citizens, the middle class, the bourgeoisie, and the nobility—the scope is far too broad.

Had it not been for the suddenness of the event and the severe internal conflicts among the rebels, this Vienna Revolution would have succeeded!"

Hearing this, everyone was dumbfounded. Even nobles had participated in the revolution? This meant the current Vienna government was losing its foundation.

Archduke John asked hurriedly, "Franz, are you certain that nobles participated in this rebellion? Was it individuals, or..."

Franz said with a bitter smile, "Currently, eighty-three nobles have been confirmed to have participated in this rebellion, and the number of those not yet uncovered may be even higher.

Their reasons for joining this rebellion were very simple: dissatisfaction with the government's inaction during the economic crisis, or rather, that the government didn't allow them to profit while hoarding goods!"

"These bastards! Do they not know what they are doing? If the Empire falls, what kind of good life will they have left?" Archduke Louis said furiously.

The others joined in the indignation. This was smashing their own rice bowls; without the Austrian Empire, could they, as nobles, still maintain their current status?

Franz explained, "I fear this problem is related to our system, which has made them feel emboldened. After all, even if they fail, we cannot possibly execute them all.

If they succeed, they can become part of the new interest group. As for the honor of the nobility, if they still cared about that, they wouldn't have participated in the first place!"

The group fell silent. At this moment, everyone realized that with this strike from Franz, the noble class would likely suffer a loss of interests. Since it involved their own rights, no one was willing to yield.

The only one whose expression remained unchanged was Archduke Franz-Charles. He seemed to have been a mere bystander from beginning to end, as if these matters had nothing to do with him. At this moment, he spoke up.

"Franz, what do you intend to do?"

The expressions of those present shifted slightly, but no one said anything. Before determining Franz's true objective, there was no need for them to stand up in opposition.

"Those who participated in this rebellion must be punished without leniency. The ringleaders shall be sent to the gallows, and the others shall be sentenced according to the severity of their actions.

I propose the abolition of all titles for the nobles who participated in the rebellion and the confiscation of all their property. The specific disposal plans for the rest can be decided by the Council of Nobles!"

Franz decisively stated his goal. He did not fear opposition; this Vienna rebellion had cost the lives of three-digit numbers of nobles. If the rebels were not severely punished, the friends and families of the victims would not stand for it.

For the nobility, the most severe punishment was not the executioner's blade, but the stripping of titles and the confiscation of fiefs, as this meant the total loss of family honor in a single day.

The Archdukes exchanged glances, and Archduke Louis spoke first: "Franz, this matter involves too many people. Is it possible to retain their titles?"

Franz shook his head and said, "If we handle this too lightly, I fear the next rebellion will involve even more people.

And what of the victims? How are we to answer to them? According to our preliminary data, I fear over a dozen noble families have been left without heirs!"

Everyone's expression changed drastically. "Without heirs"—this was the most terrifying consequence. If noble families were extinguished because of this, the nature of the situation had fundamentally changed.

During the era of the Holy Roman Empire, if an Emperor tried to confiscate a noble's fief, he would face collective opposition. Now, in the era of the Austrian Empire, things were different.

The great domestic nobles were not that powerful; there was no situation where several princes could join forces to render the Emperor helpless, which is why Franz dared to play this game.

It would even implicate a portion of the innocent, as long as one member of a noble family had participated in the rebellion, the whole family would suffer, for there was no way to clarify such matters.

Of course, if they were clever enough, there were ways to escape the catastrophe. As long as they could prove their value before the liquidation was complete, Franz would show mercy.