Chapter 898 Repeat
In fact, this is not the first time Duke Ryan has heard such words. The Hungarians even found him directly before.
But to be honest, he doesn't like the Hungarian money. As Count Savoy said before, the shares of the Austrian Royal Overseas Development Company are too valuable.
As long as they accepted Franz's (royal) invitation early, or followed up within the first two years, their investment would have at least doubled or tripled over the years.
It has only been less than six years since the reorganization in 1842, and the actual annual rate of return is close to 50%.
Even for those latecomers, doubling their assets is not a problem. This is an extremely exaggerated number, exaggerated enough to make anyone jealous.
The Fantero family, which once had millions in cash flow, was also one of the top wealthy families in the Austrian Empire. Apart from the royal family and Archduke Karl, there were only a handful of families that could spend millions of florins at a time.
You must know that Franz could only receive a gift of hundreds of thousands of florins on his birthday, and millions of florins are an astronomical figure for ordinary people. It may take tens of thousands of years to accumulate without eating or drinking.
Franz paid a lot of sincerity to win over these people, but his efforts did not mean there would be rewards, and he might even be looked down upon by the other party.
One party is flocking to it, while the other party is scornful. Naturally, the two sides are not talking about the same thing.
"Duke Fantero, are you sure that you are not inviting a wolf into the house? When the Hungarians attack the city, will they still fulfill their promise?
I'm afraid that by then, you will have to vomit out what you have eaten. "
Duke Ryan's words were very naked, but the words of the Earl of Savoy were even more pungent.
"It's okay if you can spit it out, but I'm afraid the old man won't be able to breathe, or the Hungarians can't wait and want to dissect him alive.
Then the gain outweighs the loss. "
"Hmph! Short-sighted! You're stuck in your ways! You will regret today's decision!"
Duke Fantero snorted coldly at first, and then reprimanded loudly.
However, more than half of the more than a hundred people in the room gradually sided with Duke Ryan, and even a branch of the Fantero family also stood over.
This was completely beyond Duke Fantero's expectations. At least he felt that his popularity should not be so bad.
However, the reality is that after so many years of exposure, there are still only a few people who are truly determined not to touch the railways or the Royal Overseas Development Company.
Franz successfully pulled most of the people onto his pirate ship. Duke Fantero originally wanted to take the opportunity to get angry, but the reality was that he really didn't dare to do anything to so many people.
The people here are all big nobles with good reputations and backgrounds. It is not a problem for anyone to get hundreds or even thousands of private soldiers.
If Fantero really takes care of all these people, even if the Hungarians enter the city, they will not be able to protect him.
In desperation, Duke Fantero could only practice Tai Chi again, but these people were very determined and would not easily change their views due to the instigation of others.
Usually they like to denounce the Habsburg royal family because they think it is beneficial to them, but at this time joining forces with the Hungarians to betray Austria is a bit too shocking.
It would be okay if this matter was not brought up. Once it was brought up, some smart people thought that there might be royal spies among them. So if they didn't act more intensely, would they be considered a loser?
As a result, a group of people more radical than Duke Ryan and Earl of Savoy appeared, and they seemed completely incompatible with Fantero.
It stands to reason that these top nobles will not look up or down, and even if they really have deep hatred, they will not show it.
The situation in front of him made Duke Fantero confused for a while, but he knew that there was no turning back. He was already determined to join forces with the Hungarians to rebel against Austria in front of so many people.
Seeing so many people opposed, he certainly couldn't let his supporters continue to argue with these guys.
Because the argument becomes clearer and clearer, the more people you speak to, the more hesitant you will be. In addition to being persuaded by the other party, you may also quit due to fear.
Although Duke Fantero has a list of these people, according to past experience, the Habsburg family may not even pursue him as the culprit.
At this time, Duke Fantero actually did not have much binding force on his allies, so he could only reduce the contact between the two parties.
In fact, there is another thing that he is unwilling to admit, that is, there is no benefit at all in angering those great nobles who are unwilling to follow him.
Although some people's attitudes may seem tough, most of those people will just sit on the sidelines in the end, unless one party can persuade them by offering more favorable terms.
The unhappy separation between the two parties made some people breathe a sigh of relief. After all, they knew very well that every move here was under the surveillance of others.
Only the most reckless, stupid and crazy people would foolishly agree to Duke Fantero. If everyone here is really happy and hit it off, then a group of professionally trained revolutionaries will come in and kill the people here. Clean and tidy.
Madame Sophie was not Franz, and she did not want to give people a chance, especially when it might threaten her family.
Mrs. Sophie didn't want to think about the consequences. She only knew that the dead could not be revenged.
Count Xussel's men have been lurking in Duke Fantero's mansion for many years. At this time, a large number of nitroglycerin bombs were hidden in the basement of Fantero Manor.
As long as these people decide to join forces to cause trouble, they will be bombed to the sky, including those who are insiders.
There have always been many conflicts between Madam Sophie and these great nobles. Madam Sophie is regarded as an outsider by these great nobles, and Madam Sophie cannot accept that these so-called great nobles are dictating behind their backs all day long.
In addition, they were going to rebel against the Austrian Empire at this time. If Franz hadn't stopped them, Mrs. Sophie's plan A would have been implemented long ago.
Sooner or later, the overly large privileged class in the country will be the target of Franz's rectification. However, considering the actual situation, Franz decided to deal with those disloyal guys first.
In Venice, Franz's evaluation of the Bohemian Uprising was too petty.
In fact, it is not correct to call it the Bohemian Uprising. To be precise, it should be the Prague Uprising, because people in other parts of Bohemia are still living their normal lives.
Historically, the scale of this uprising was also very limited. There were only a few hundred rebels at first. It was impossible for such a small scale to occupy the entire city, but Prince Windischgratz handled it very poorly.
He did not rush to suppress it but chose to let it develop. It was not until the disaster was imminent that he began to suppress it crazily and bloodyly.
The result is what Czech history says, the Czech nationalists began in 1848.
Prince Windischgratz's brutal methods actually had the opposite effect, because he slaughtered more civilians.
Most of those who actually participated in the rebellion were not liquidated, and many of them were even released soon after.
Because Prince Windischgrätz wanted to show her benevolent side.
As a result, the Czechs saw the incompetence and weakness of the Austrian imperial government, and the burning of Prague and the massacre of innocent people became a scar that this country can never heal.
Therefore, Franz could not agree with the title of Prince Windischgrätz, the triad of men who saved the Austrian Empire. It would be enough to call him the "Executioner of Prague" or the "real father of Czech nationalism".
In the history of the Prague Uprising, this man, who had a lot of troops in his hands, tolerated and supported the traitor, only to discover the problem when the fire burned on his own head.
The wife of Prince Windischgratz is very "Mother". She hopes to persuade the businessmen to give more jobs to young people, and also hopes that Bohemians and Germans can coexist peacefully.
As a result, this woman who hoped for peace ignited the beacon fire in Prague. She was hit in the head by a stray bullet and died on the spot while going out to give alms.
After that, there was a drama of anger for the crown, and Prince Windischgratz led the army to flatten Prague to avenge his wife.
This looks like a very bloody Western revenge drama, but this dead "Madonna" is not only the wife of Prince Windischgratz, but also the sister of Prince Felix Schwarzenberg.
Hannah Schwarzenberg was the most beloved child of the Schwarzenberg family. Her unexpected death directly led to a rupture between the two families.
Although Prince Windischgratz was known as one of the "Three Principals who saved the Austrian Empire" at the time, her brother-in-law Prince Felix Schwarzenberg soon found an opportunity to deprive her of her rights.
Later, although Prince Windischgratz was a member of the Noble Senate, he did not have any real power in his hands. During the period of Prime Minister Felix's administration, the Windischgratz family was severely suppressed.
This directly led to the downfall of the Windischgratz family.
Franz doesn't like fishing and law enforcement too much, but for the long-term stability of the country, this opportunity to eradicate the disease cannot be missed.
He felt that the scale of the Prague Uprising was too small in history and the problems of dealing with the aftermath were too big. So Franz decided to help them come to the next largest group, the British, the Hungarians, and the Jesuits of Pius IX.
Coupled with the German nationalists, Franz wanted to make them explode completely, and then catch them all.
However, judging from the current battle reports, the so-called Czech nationalism is still in danger because the German nationalists on the side are too strong.
Moreover, before Prince Windischgratz carried out the massacre, there were not many people in the Czech Republic who really wanted to oppose Austria.
So even after fermenting for a long time, they still only had a few thousand people.
asked Tanner Armhold, Franz's most capable mercenary leader.
"Archduke Franz, what should I do?"
"There is nothing to say, just kill them all. I will ask Archduke Karl to write a letter ordering Prince Windischgrätz not to interfere with your work."
Prince Windischgrätz would definitely not listen to this order. Even an order issued by Archduke Karl himself would not allow the regular army to cooperate with the mercenaries.
In fact, Franz wanted to deliberately humiliate him and force him to solve the problem in Prague, otherwise Franz would have no choice but to solve him.
As for the Hungarians on the other side, Franz didn't think it would be a big problem.
Only one outer fortress was lost, and the Hungarian cavalry also suffered heavy losses and no longer had the ability to advance further.
In fact, even the outermost fortress should not be lost. When the Hungarian cavalry led by Baujani attacked Putra Fort, it was no different than death.
In fact, it was a very stupid decision for the cavalry to raid the fortress. Not to mention the fortress, even the high wooden fence was a huge obstacle to the cavalry.
The battlefield that the cavalry is really suitable for is only open and solid ground, and at the same time, the infantry cannot be formed into a square formation, so that the cavalry can play its greatest role.
Franz had the most elite cavalry in the Austrian Empire, but even they could not attack the city on horseback.
The cavalry led by Baujani was only half of what Kossuth promised him, but the number was the same. They forced an attack on a strong fortress without heavy firepower and naturally ended up in a complete defeat.
After the Hungarians lost hundreds of cavalry, the defenders in the fortress still suffered zero casualties.
The Austrian soldiers in the fortress felt that they could hold it even if the Hungarians were ten times more numerous. The soldiers laughed at the Hungarian tactics while shooting at the crenellations.
"They're probably a little bit more of a threat than rabbits!"
One soldier laughed, and the other soldiers immediately followed.
"Indeed, I think they might be trying to drain our bullets."
another soldier quipped.
"So cunning?"
"Of course! As long as they keep attacking like this, we will be out of bullets in a year or two!"
At this time, an officer came over and stopped his men.
"Nonsense!"
"Yes, sir."
"Our gunpowder expired before we ran out of bullets!"
"Ha ha ha ha!!!"
The Hungarian hussars outside the city looked miserable. They were full of blood but ran into the tall city wall one after another.
The Austrian soldiers, who had no sense of honor, did not dare to go out of the fortress to fight with them. They only dared to huddle in the city and hide behind the shooting ports to fire cold shots.
However, this kind of tactics with neither honor nor technical content was beyond the capabilities of the noble Hungarian hussars.
Baojani looked at the depressed soldiers, and he knew that there would be no results if he continued like this. But Hungary's great cause must be completed, and Mr. Kossuth's ideals must be realized.
For this reason, Baojani decided to do something that he was disgusted with. Baojani walked towards the fortress with a white flag.
Due to some unwritten rules, Austrian soldiers generally would not fire at such an officer.
So Baujani could walk to the bottom of the fortress unharmed. He shouted loudly, "I am Lieutenant General Baujani Lajos of the Austrian Empire. I order you to open the city gate and let me in."
The officers in the fortress all knew General Baojani. In fact, Baojani used to be the highest officer here, so everyone looked at each other in shock.
And strictly speaking, Baujani Lajosh, the highest military governor of the St. Stephen's Crown region, did have the authority to order them to do so.
However, there seems to have been a war between Austria and Hungary at this time, otherwise there is no way to explain the large-scale offensive behavior of the Hungarian hussars just now.
Some people proposed to kill the enemy general directly, but they were immediately opposed by others, because such a noble would usually be forgiven even if he took the lead in rebellion as long as he admitted his crime.
And these defenders are all civilians. If this noble man dies, he may be retaliated against one day.
At this time, one of Baojani's former subordinates came forward to ask Baojani to guarantee that the Hungarians would let them go.
Baujani agreed, and the massacre of Pressburg was repeated, but unlike in history, there was only a fortress of 1,500 people on the periphery.
The real Pressburg was still in Austria's hands, but the Hungarians still declared victory.