Chapter 783 Decision
So word games became a necessary means. In fact, Franz found a lot of legal experts and linguists to work together on this matter.
However, Prince Metternich still saw the clues at a glance.
"Archduke Franz, do this." He pondered for a while and said.
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with it. But it's better to borrow the help of the Regent Council. After all, there are some people who don't know how to adapt and are willing to jump over the wall."
Count Korolaf also saw the problem at this time. He also hesitated for a while, but this time he did not go against Prince Metternich.
"Archduke Franz, I understand how you feel. After all, you have been under the pressure of revitalizing the empire and the title of born saint since you were a child. But isn't reform something that should only be done after being in desperate situations?
Now that the empire's fortunes are booming, you have plenty of ways to achieve your goals, so why do you need to adopt this most radical strategy?
I hate those guys who are always trying to engage in moral kidnapping as much as you do, but I still recommend that you do these things someday in the future.
In fact, after so many years of benevolent rule, the Habsburg family's position in Austria is still stable enough that you don't need to worry too much if you have to. "
Count Latour looked worried. As the leader of the Joseph faction, how could he still not know what Franz was going to do.
Count Latour has been looking forward to this day since he was young, but when it comes, he is the most hesitant. After all, no one wants the tragedy of prosperity and decline to happen again.
Although he has not experienced Theresa's era, the queen's reputation is still spread in Austria, and it was a possibly greater monarch who ended all that.
At this time, Count Latour in the era of Ferdinand I suddenly felt that it could not be worse.
The changing expression of the Minister of War made it easy to tell what he was thinking at a glance. As an old friend, Count Korolaf patted him on the shoulder.
"Hasn't the army changed its equipment several times? The number of the army has also been expanded several times. What do you have to be afraid of?"
"Who said I was afraid!" Count Latour opened his old friend's hand and defended, "I was just thinking about how to minimize the scale of the war!"
Franz did not expect this kind of statement from the top officials of the empire. After all, in his eyes, these people were representatives of the old forces.
Of course, it is also possible that a group of old foxes teamed up to show Franz, but this is not important.
In fact, Franz was still planning how to persuade them before, but it seems that it is no longer necessary now.
"Thank you all, but I just want to use more reasonable grammar to read this government announcement, and I don't want to target anyone.
But I must make it clear that some actions and words that are too biased in favor of the Polish nobility may cause greater dissatisfaction. After all, it is the civilians who bleed and sacrifice the most on the front line.
We should give them justice, and those Poles who had been hanged for participating in the rebellion in Russia should thank us instead of accusing us of inappropriate words. "
"Then let's vote by a show of hands."
Although Metternich had spoken righteously before, he would not take the blame himself.
Archduke Franz Karl grabbed the hand of Archduke Louis, which was regarded as two votes of royal support. Naturally, Prince Metternich and Count Korolaf, who had previously expressed their loyalty, would not go back on their word at this time.
As a result, the Regent Council unanimously approved the plan, and of course, final modifications would be made before it was made public.
Then the compensation plan for the Polish nobles of Galicia turned into an amnesty order, and the transfer of protection also turned into meritorious service. The article also specifically emphasized Dalmatia, the place of exile.
Most people in the aristocratic circles remained indifferent to it. The Poles were dissatisfied and protested, but the ordinary people seemed to be celebrating it.
Franz took the opportunity to launch a series of promotional activities and promote some new products, such as kebabs, fried skewers, and potato chips.
After all, eating melon and watching a show requires snacks and beer. The promotion of Pilsner beer allows the working people to buy a cup from time to time.
The sudden half-price sale made the whole city drunk. When the convoy of Polish nobles who were exiled to Dalmatia drove through the streets of Vienna, the citizens of Vienna burst into unprecedented patriotic enthusiasm and national honor.
The angry citizens frightened the nobles, reminding them of the fear that the French nobles once had at the hands of the common people, and of the French Revolution, the guillotine, and the great devil Robespierre.
After that, the protests of the nobles became much quieter, and only a few nobles still went around denouncing the cruelty and tyranny of the empire.
However, these targets were pointed at Prime Minister Metternich and Interior Minister Count Korolaf in the Regency Council. Both of them were well prepared but chose to remain silent and neither explained nor objected.
And those nobles who stirred up trouble everywhere suddenly became the targets of German nationalists.
The reason for the latter is simple. Even Metternich, an old traitor, and Korolav, a corrupt official, did not stand up for the Poles, so the former must be a heinous person who surpasses them.
In this era of nationalist awakening, there are many kinds of nationalists in the Austrian Empire, but under the guidance and secret support of Franz, Austrian nationalists are on the rise.
They are more tolerant and more stable than other nationalists, but the disadvantage is that they are poorly organized and rational but lack enthusiasm, so the most violent ones are still the German nationalists.
Regarding the handling of the Polish nobles, the direction of public opinion in the Austrian Empire also changed from the emperor's mercy to justice. In fact, this is also to lay the groundwork just in case. If the Poles rebel again, it will be easy to suppress them without too much public opinion and moral pressure.
At this time, the ethnic issues within the Austrian Empire were very complicated. Italians had become the second largest ethnic group in the empire and were highly concentrated in northern Italy.
There are constant conflicts between the new immigrants and the indigenous people, and there are also frictions between the Northern Italians and the Austrian Imperial Government. They are eager to gain power, but the government of any country will not allow an independent nation to dominate a region.
Representatives of northern Italy hoped that Austria could withdraw its troops and cede political power, allowing locals to form a parliament to elect officials.
This all sounds very good, but their purpose is to establish a state within a state.
The coastline of the Austrian Empire is very limited. If they succeed, the harm will be much greater than that of Hungary.
Therefore, it was impossible for the empire to agree, so the northern Italians began to join forces to try to use other methods to solve the problem. They began to hold "banquets" like the French.
Naturally, the Austrian Empire cannot sit still and wait for death. More than 10 million Italians are too large, so it is necessary to spread them out.
Metternich's idea was to recruit 50,000 young Italians into the army in the future, and then move the Italians to the colonies and areas such as Dalmatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and northern Albania to disperse their power.