Chapter 909 National Tragedy
The marching crowd became noisy again, and the news from the veterans was obviously inconsistent with what the former knew.
"What? The Austrian army conquered Rome?"
"It should be said that it is liberation." The tall foreigner corrected.
"How is this possible? Doesn't it mean that Austria is currently suffering from internal and external troubles? The Italian battlefield has been beaten to pieces, and Marshal Radetzky's beard has been burned!"
"Yes! I heard that the Hungarians invaded Pressburg and committed a massacre."
"Not only that! The Bohemians are rebelling too!"
"There are only a few hundred of them."
"What happened to the hundreds of people? Hussite only had a few hundred people back then! Didn't they also defeat the Holy Roman Empire's coalition forces and abandon their armor?"
But no matter what, the confidence of the marchers was once again shaken.
In fact, when Franz was crowned King of Rome by Pope Pius IX in Rome, the information reached Vienna immediately.
Although this is just a political show, everyone knows how important this political show is to Austria at this time.
The only person who did not take this matter so seriously was Franz himself. He was even more worried about the international impact this title would bring.
After all, the word "Rome" is too influential in Europe and reminds people of many things.
However, the Vienna government at this time was in extreme chaos, and more than twenty prime ministers had been replaced in less than a hundred days.
The average lifespan of a government is less than one to five days, and the longest is just over a week. The direct consequences of such frequent changes of leadership include confusion and poor communication of information.
In addition to the government, there were different opinions within the royal family on Franz's coronation. Madame Sophie and Archduke Franz Karl naturally thought this was a good thing.
The former is ambitious and naturally likes Franz's title to be as long as possible, while the latter is just looking at the expression of excitement and happiness.
As for Ferdinand I, he had no problem with it. To be honest, he didn't like this mess at all, and he knew very well that he still had a few months to retire.
However, the conservative Grand Duke Louis and Queen Anna were very dissatisfied. Because Ferdinand I was still on the throne at this time, whether a crown prince had the right to obtain titles from other countries still needs to be discussed.
They even moved out of Salikfa
Due to fierce internal disputes, the news of Franz becoming King of Rome was repeatedly delayed.
The veterans of the Invalides knew the news entirely because the herald who was responsible for delivering the order had acquaintances in the Invalides.
It was not in Franz's plan that disabled veterans appeared on the streets at this time. After all, he did not want these people who had shed blood for the country to make unnecessary sacrifices in their later years.
In fact, conspirators such as Lieutenant General Molka and Duke Fantero knew that Franz had won a great victory in Italy.
But because of this, they had to launch this coup immediately. After all, Archduke Franz never liked them very much, nobles.
Moreover, once Franz comes back, he will have an unparalleled reputation, and the power of the royal family will once again overwhelm the nobles. By then, they may have to face a situation where people are fighting for their own good.
However, they were not completely impatient. According to their estimation, even if Franz set off immediately as soon as he sent back the message, he would not be able to bring the entire army back to Vienna within two or three days.
In addition, in order to ensure victory, they also sent people to destroy several key railways and bridges.
In fact, in their minds, it would be best if they could blow up Franz to death on the way back and then put the blame on the Italians.
The successive appearance of the police and veterans seriously affected the morale of the marchers, and some people inside had begun to retreat.
Lieutenant General Molka naturally cannot allow such a situation to happen, but there is no need for him to go into battle personally.
The leaders of the parade knew very well that they were in the business of losing their heads. The big shots might be forgiven, but if they failed they would be doomed.
They had no sympathy for disabled veterans, and gunshots rang out again. As the crowd screamed, a veteran fell straight down.
However, the neat queue of veterans did not disperse, and no one scurried away with their heads in their hands. The veterans didn't even look at their fallen comrades.
Gunshots rang out again, and another veteran fell in a pool of blood, but they still had no intention of backing down.
People may have panicked at the first shot, but the gunshots rang out one after another, and the marchers soon discovered the location of the gunman.
A lame veteran raised his crutch and pointed at the gunman, but he didn't say anything.
Suddenly a veteran sang the Austrian national anthem. It was their youth, their pride, and the greatest achievement of their lives.
After the parade, only the corpses of the veterans were left on the ground. The tall foreigner watched all this in silence. He just silently saluted these warriors with a military salute and then disappeared with his men into the bloody streets.
Gunfire, artillery, explosions, and screams continued to come from the distance, and Lieutenant General Molka put down the red wine glass in his hand.
"It's our turn! Today we will become the masters of Vienna!"
The adjutant carefully took off Lieutenant General Molka's scarf like a waiter and wiped away the food residue from his mouth.
In the city defense camp, Lieutenant General Molka said to the soldiers in great sorrow.
“Our royal family and our government have taken off their cloak of kindness and revealed their ferocious side!
It saddens me to look at the compatriots and innocent citizens who are being massacred by the Royal Guards.”
"Down with Austria! Down with Habsburg! We are going to save our compatriots! Long live Germany!"
Lieutenant General Molka's cronies cooperated very well and shouted slogans very loudly, but some people still found it incredible that they were just low-level nobles and they had never thought about rebellion.
But with Lieutenant General Molka and his cronies around, this group of people could only remain silent.
Lieutenant General Molka still expects this group of people to work hard, so naturally he cannot allow the existence of grasshoppers.
"Just now I received an order from Emperor Ferdinand I. He asked me to kill all the nobles without titles in the city.
My conscience prevents me from carrying out such crazy orders."
The scope of nobles without titles is very large, and those branches of hereditary nobles usually cannot inherit titles.
"Down with Austria! Capture Ferdinand I alive!"
The knife was already hanging on his head. At this time, when he heard the instigation of Lieutenant General Molka's men, those people had no choice but to join Lieutenant General Molka's team and shouted slogans accordingly.
Threats and fear alone cannot fully mobilize people's enthusiasm, Lieutenant General Molka knows this very well.
So Lieutenant General Molka promised that as long as the Hofburg Palace was captured, this centuries-old palace could be looted.