Chapter 168 War Is Inevitable

On June 28, 1914, it was Sunday.

Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary is resting in the garden of the palace. Franz Joseph I is now eighty-four years old. He is almost the oldest of the monarchs of all countries.

Of course, because I am too old, my energy is no longer as abundant as when I was young. This made Franz Joseph I have to hand over most of the affairs to Crown Prince Ferdinand and the government, and he only made decisions on certain major issues.

Franz Joseph I was also a tragic figure in his later years. Although he married the young and beautiful Princess Sissi as his wife, in 1889, his crown prince Rudolph and his lover died in love, causing him to lose his son, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire lost its orthodox crown prince. Nine years later, his wife, Sissi, was stabbed to death with an awl by an Italian anarchist on the shores of Lake Geneva. In 1899, Franz Joseph I was forced to allow Archduke Franz Ferdinand to marry the Countess of Bohemia, Sophie Schottke, as his concubine. This also makes the heirs of Archduke Ferdinand have no right to inherit the throne.

Originally, Franz Joseph I thought that this would be the end of his life. But he never expected that the tragedy would still not let him go.

In the garden of Schönbrunn Palace, Franz Joseph I sat on a chair basking in the sun with a blanket covering his legs. The summer sun made him feel a bit of warmth, and he felt drowsy.

Suddenly, the hurried footsteps of the waiter woke up Franz Joseph I.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty the Crown Prince and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo!" the waiter reported.

"What?" Franz Joseph I was shocked. In those cool and cloudy eyes, there was a frightening and fierce light shining.

"Let the Chancellor, Grand Duke Friedrich and Marshal Herzendorf come to see me immediately!" Although already trembling with anger, Franz Joseph I forced himself to calm down and gave the order. As the emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was an extremely heavy blow to him, he still had to cheer up. Especially at this time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire must not be chaotic. Otherwise, the consequences will be disastrous.

Soon, Mario Weber, Prime Minister of the Central Government of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Friedrich, Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian Army, and Marshal Herzendorf, Chief of Staff, rushed to Schönbrunn Palace. Their faces were also very ugly. Everyone knows that it is impossible for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to swallow the assassination of the crown prince. War is inevitable.

"Your Majesty, the Serbs dared to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince. This is a challenge to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We can't just let it go. We must mobilize immediately and declare war on Serbia!" Marshal Herzendorf was the first to express his opinion.

In fact, the plan to invade Serbia was drawn up by him and Archduke Ferdinand together. It's just that they never expected that the opportunity they had been waiting for to declare war was actually exchanged by Archduke Ferdinand with his own life. Now that things have happened, it doesn't make any sense to say anything else. The only thing they can do is to avenge Archduke Ferdinand and make his death worthwhile.

"Your Majesty, the British, French and Russians are all standing behind the Serbians. If we declare war on Serbia, Britain, France and Russia will also join in," Prime Minister Mario Weber reminded.

Serbia alone cannot naturally be the opponent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although, the military power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is not strong among major countries. But dealing with a small Serbia is still no problem at all.

"The German allies will support us!" Marshal Herzendorf said.

"Friedrich, what do you think?" Franz Joseph I asked.

"Your Majesty, unless God manifests this war, no one can stop it!" Archduke Friedrich said.

Franz Joseph I closed his eyes in pain. He knew that this war would be a terrible war. If he was not careful, the Austro-Hungarian Empire would be destroyed. But, as Archduke Friedrich said, the war was inevitable. Whether it is the domestic or international forces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they are all waiting for an opportunity for war to break out. The assassination of the crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Let the troops mobilize and prepare for war!" Franz Joseph I ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Let the ambassador to Germany go to see the Kaiser. Now is the time for Germany to fulfill its obligations." Franz Joseph I then issued an order.

"Germany is an ally of the Reich, and they will fulfill their ally obligations!" Marshal Herzendorf said.

"Everyone, since war is inevitable. Then, try your best to win this war!" Franz Joseph I finally said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Everyone replied. They naturally hope that the Austro-Hungarian Empire can win this battle. But they also know that it is very difficult.

Afterwards, Franz Joseph I closed his eyes and said nothing more. It seemed that what he said just now had exhausted his energy.

Mario Weber, Grand Duke Friedrich, and Marshal Herzendorf left immediately. Now that they have decided to go to war, they need to be fully prepared. War is not a child's play, and it cannot be decided with a single sentence. There are too many things to prepare.

The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand also caused an uproar all over the world.

Originally, the world situation was already very tense, and there was a great possibility of war. It's just that there is a lack of a suitable time to detonate the war. The death of Archduke Ferdinand undoubtedly became the fuse that detonated the war.

The Serbian government immediately learned of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo. This immediately stunned the Serbian government. Although, Serbia has been fighting against the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But they don't think that their small body can really compete with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Whether it is population, industry, or military, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is definitely not something that Serbia can compete with. If it weren't for Russia to support them behind their backs, they might have been annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire long ago.

When the Serbian government was in a panic, Serbian army commander Putnik stood aside, ordered the army to enter a state of emergency, and carried out nationwide mobilization to prepare for war. At the same time, the ambassador to Russia was ordered to meet with Tsar Nicholas II to request Russia's support.

War, by this time, is inevitable!