Chapter 1182: Finding a Different Way (Part 2)
Historically, the Austrian Empire's actions in the military field were extremely stupid. All Hungarian generals and soldiers among the generals were transferred to other places for garrison, and the local police were even replaced by gendarmes of other ethnic groups.
Garrisoning large armies, setting up military restricted areas, and hunting down Hungarian remnants with great fanfare, not to mention whether they will be used by people with malicious intentions. This kind of behavior alone is to promote the Hungarian nationalists. People push themselves against themselves.
Franz felt that stationing a large army and establishing a military restricted area were meaningless measures. It would be difficult for Hungary, which was severely weakened, to launch another rebellion.
Moreover, according to the practice of the Austrian Empire, the army requires a certain proportion of local food, which is undoubtedly a huge burden for post-war reconstruction.
Instead of having a large army stationed there, wasting food and increasing public resentment, it would be better to disband the army on the spot, leaving only a small number of soldiers who were loyal to the Austrian Empire and were in their prime of life.
Demobilized military personnel are both labor force and consumers. Not only are they young and strong, they also have a certain amount of funds in their hands. This not only reduces logistical pressure, but also promotes the recovery of local industries.
Once these people stabilize, the Hungarian problem will naturally cease to exist.
Enforcing the use of German in schools and government was not enough to promote German education. The literacy rate in the Austrian Empire at that time was woefully low.
Even in a big city like Kosice, it is impossible for everyone to be literate. If internal response had not been arranged early, the effect of the leaflets would be greatly reduced, and it might even be deliberately ignored.
It is unnecessary to randomly change shop signs and road signs like a child throwing a tantrum. As long as the language penetration rate is high enough and there is no need for government orders, the people themselves will abandon them like worn-out shoes.
Therefore, to solve the problem of German education, the first step should be to popularize compulsory education. Otherwise, you will declare war on the air and tire yourself to death. In the end, no one will know what happened.
At this time, no more than 20% of people in Hungary can afford to go to school, and universal compulsory education lies in its compulsory, universal and balanced nature.
After universal compulsory education, the number of people affected by the German language will increase exponentially, and the root cause of the language problem that has plagued the Austrian Empire for centuries will be solved.
In addition, the literacy schools in the Soviet period are also worth learning from. Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhensky said:
"If you don't know how, we can teach you; if you don't want to learn, we will help you realize the importance of learning."
Hungary seems particularly appropriate at this time.
(Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhensky, Russian revolutionary, founder of the All-Russian Extraordinary Committee for the Elimination of Counterrevolution and Sabotage (referred to as "Cheka").)
Of course, some details still cannot be copied. For example, the Soviet Union was centered on factories, which is obviously inappropriate for Hungary, which is full of farmland.
Secular reforms are necessary, but a complete abandonment of religion is not.
Literacy education is different from formal education. The purpose of literacy education is to improve the cultural quality of the illiterate or low-literacy population in society so that they can master basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills.
Franz did not expect those people who had just graduated from literacy school to build aircraft, cannons, and engage in scientific research. If they could do this, then all universities and scientific research institutions in the Austrian Empire would be closed.
Suppressing Hungarian culture and folk customs is the most stupid behavior in Franz's opinion. This even goes beyond the scope of self-deception and is completely drinking poison to quench thirst.
On the surface, it seems to be inhibiting the resurgence of Hungarian culture, but in fact it is helping Hungarian nationalists propagandize and create new Hungarian nationalists.
Simply suppressing Hungarian culture and folk customs will only intensify conflicts, waste resources, and encourage xenophobia.
Franz doesn't care about the inheritance of Hungarian culture, nor does he care about them engaging in some folk customs, as long as they don't go out of their way and don't violate morals in the name of folk customs.
Some people will definitely be panicked by this, and may even be afraid that Magyar culture will in turn affect the Austrian Empire. However, if the Austrian Empire does not even have this cultural confidence, it might as well be directly Slavic.
All the above measures cost the Austrian Empire approximately 3000 to 50 million florins per year and are expected to last for three years. After that, the cost will drop to less than 10 million florins, mainly to maintain compulsory education.
According to Franz's estimation, the Hungarian rebellion can be put down in one to two months at most. It's just that under such a dragnet, it may be difficult for Kossuth and those Magyar elites to escape.
"Alas, there are too many jokes missing in this world."
The eastern capital of Hungary, Debrecen.
Kossuth was so angry that he overturned the table. There were wars everywhere, calls for help everywhere, and news of defeat everywhere.
The Austrians, the Croatians, the Transylvanians, the Poles, the Ruthenians (the previous translation was incorrect), and the damned Jews, all wanted to tear a piece of flesh out of the Republic of Hungary.
The troops in Hainan in the west have been besieging Budapest, leaving a gap that only allows entry but not exit. This is obviously a siege for reinforcements.
Even Kossuth who doesn't understand military affairs can see this. However, some people in the Hungarian military and parliament insist on rescue, which leads to the dilemma of being empty in other directions and even having no troops available.
But the right to speak on this matter was not in his hands at this time. After all, he was also the one who called Budapest a national symbol of Hungary.
In fact, those people were not blind, but this also involved the power struggle within the Hungarian government.
So now Kossuth could only watch the young and strong men who were forcibly recruited with great difficulty go to their deaths.
Artur, who had been besieging Kolosberg in the east, made him even more furious. He had clearly reported every time that the Austrian army was about to be wiped out and had been forced to death.
But how come the entire Transylvanian Corps was wiped out in one battle? Artur, that damn guy, was nowhere to be found alive or dead.
There are rumors that he had contact with the Russians.
"Damn traitor! Give me my legion back!"
The southern Croatians had been prepared for a long time, but so were the Hungarians. The battle between the two sides entered a fierce battle at the beginning, but the Hungarian Great Plain was ultimately a place that was easy to attack but difficult to defend.
Soon the Croatians found gaps in the Magyar defense. The former entered the rear through these gaps and began to wreak havoc. Seeing their rear turned into a sea of fire, the latter had to choose to fight.
Whether to fight or send troops to rescue, it was all within the expectations of the Croatians. In the end, the southern part of Hungary fell, 30,000 troops, more than 1,500 were killed in the battle, and the rest surrendered.
In the northern Slovakia region, 15,000 Hungarian soldiers and 50,000 vassal troops were all defeated and their lives and deaths were unknown. There were also 300,000 immigrants whose whereabouts were unknown.
Faced with the total defeat and the endless power struggle within, Kossuth decided to take another approach - proclaiming himself emperor.