Chapter 375 The Contradictory Austro-Hungarian Empire

Every country has its warring and peace-promoting factions, but relatively speaking, there are always strong and weak ones, or one person who can make up his or her mind.

But for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, one of the great powers, not only the war faction and the peace faction in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were balanced, but Emperor Franz I, who was the final decision-maker, was actually very hesitant.

Without a final decision-maker, the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not reach a unified decision to take military action in response to the assassination.

After several hours of intense discussions, the Austro-Hungarian Empire finally made the decision to investigate the truth of the matter first and negotiate with the Serbian government at the same time. On the basis of completing these things, people were sent to Berlin to win the understanding and support of William II.

A memorandum from Franz I to Wilhelm II drafted by Berthold said that after the terrible events in Bosnia it was impossible to amicably ease the hostilities between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. As long as this source of criminal sedition in Belgrade remains unpunished, the peaceful policy of all European monarchies will be threatened.

The old emperor was very angry, but he was unwilling to make any direct decision to get involved in the war, so he decided to go to the hot spring villa to recuperate.

As for the attitudes of other countries regarding the Sarajevo assassination incident, they first expressed unified concern and concern.

Almost all monarchies condemned the assassination. As the initiator of the European Royal Family Joint Declaration, the Australasian government has expressed concern about this incident and stated that if this is an assassination of the European royal family at the national level, it will be an extremely terrifying threat. to the events of European kingship.

Although Arthur was well prepared for the Sarajevo incident, when the incident that almost marked the outbreak of World War I actually happened, Arthur still couldn't help but sigh.

A super war involving half of the earth and the whole of Europe, involving dozens of countries and tens of millions of troops, is about to break out.

Britain and Russia also expressed concern about this incident, but Russia had no intention of supporting the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

After all, Serbia and Russia are die-hard allies, supporting the enemy? Wait until your next life!

In Bosnia, the interrogations of several murderers are ongoing overnight. All officials, including Governor Bertrand, were waiting for the results of the interrogation with complicated emotions.

On the one hand, they look forward to the early conclusion of the interrogation, which will also allow them to atone for their crimes and avoid being resented by Franz.

Secondly, they are afraid that the final interrogation result will be related to them. If they finally find out that the reason why the assassins were able to successfully assassinate Archduke Ferdinand was due to their unintentional actions, they may really be in trouble.

Especially the mayor of Sarajevo. You must know that this mayor revealed Archduke Ferdinand's itinerary in advance before he set off.

Although the purpose is not to facilitate the assassination, if this unintentional move really speeds up the progress of the assassination, what is the difference between this and an accomplice?

While everyone was waiting with mixed emotions, after two days of interrogation and several days of investigation, the assassination finally became clear.

Although it is not known what kind of interrogation methods the Austro-Hungarian Empire used, for two patriotic young men aged 17 or 18, such interrogation methods could not last long.

Soon, all the assassins, including Princip, explained their motives and the entire process behind them.

July 3, 1914, Vienna.

The cabinet meeting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was also held once a week. Because the assassin had confessed and the investigation of the incident had progressed, the cabinet meeting was moved forward two days.

"Everyone, please take a look. This is the latest testimony of several assassins. It describes in detail how the murderer received training in Serbia, how he obtained weapons from an officially controlled force in Serbia, and how he was involved in a group called the Black Hand. With the help of the party's forces, the whole process of arriving and ambushing Sarajevo. I simply can't imagine that this is an assassination plan that has been planned for several years. It is really terrible. If the real murderer behind the scenes is not severely punished, what will happen? Which places are safe?" During the cabinet meeting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Foreign Minister Berthold said with a serious face.

The Austrian Prime Minister, who once did not advocate war, has turned into a hawk like Archduke Ferdinand because of the assassination.

The assassination of Sarajevo made Bertold believe that the power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire must be demonstrated to the outside world in order to deal with the extremely despicable methods used against the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The best way to show strength is to launch a revenge war against Serbia and let this damn country be destroyed together with those damn Serbs.

The words of the Austrian Prime Minister and the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister immediately aroused the approval of the war faction.

"Berchtold is right. If the masterminds behind the scenes are allowed to continue to go unpunished, it will undoubtedly be a slap in the face of the empire and the face of everyone here. From the royal family to the government and all officials, they will not do it because of this He was shamed for his stupid behavior. The best way to avoid such consequences is to launch a war and completely wipe that damn country off the map. Conrad, the Austro-Hungarian Chief of Staff, stood up and said.

The two main war factions before the Austro-Hungarian Empire were Archduke Ferdinand and Chief of Staff Conrad promoted by Archduke Ferdinand.

After Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated and died, Conrad originally thought that he was the only one in the war camp. Unexpectedly, the Foreign Secretary who had not advocated war before suddenly became a war camp. This affected all the war campers and those who supported the war camp behind him. It's good news for officials.

Foreign Minister Berthold also serves as the Prime Minister of the Austrian government. Like Hungarian Prime Minister Ticza, he has a very high status within the Austro-Hungarian government.

If there is one person who can suppress Hungarian Prime Minister Tyza, then that person must be Berthold as Austrian Prime Minister.

"Chief of Staff Conrad is right. We should not let those behind the scenes go unpunished. We must punish them to demonstrate the majesty of our empire."

"Wipe this damn country off the map and Austria-Hungary will trample all its enemies."

Behind the main war faction is the hawkish force composed of Army Minister Crobatin, some nobles and the army.

Soldiers and nobles are active in waging wars, because wars can earn them a large amount of military merit, obtain titles, or advance to higher ranks.

Most of the peace factions were politicians, especially when Austria and Hungary were divided within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the ideas of Austria and Hungary were not so consistent.

The disadvantages can be seen from the division of cabinet government in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Austro-Hungarian Empire not only had a cabinet government, but also had an Austrian Prime Minister and a Hungarian Prime Minister.

The finances of Austria and Hungary are divided between them. It is normal for such countries to have different ideas.

The power of the peace faction was not weaker than that of the war faction. After the military spoke out one after another, Ticha and the peace faction also rebutted, telling the old emperor Franz I the terrible consequences of launching a war.

The main reasons why the peace faction is currently unwilling to launch a war are: First, Serbia has Russia behind it, and launching a war means going to war with Russia.

Second, Germany, the ally behind the Austro-Hungarian Empire, has not expressed its position. If it launches a war privately regardless of the opinions of the Germans, the Germans may also ignore the alliance and let the Austro-Hungarian Empire face the war alone.

Seeing that this meeting was going to be evenly matched again, Foreign Minister Berthold said quickly: "If I remember correctly, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince once told me that during his visit to Germany, His Majesty Wilhelm II promised The Serbian issue gives our country support. If our country launches an attack on Serbia, Germany will definitely express its support and fulfill its alliance."

Berthold's words almost reversed the situation of the meeting.

The peace faction and the war faction were originally relatively balanced, but now the peace faction has completely lost its voice.

"Berchtold, why didn't you tell him earlier about the promise His Majesty Wilhelm II made to His Highness? Moreover, why didn't His Highness mention it in person, but why did it come to you after His Highness was assassinated?" In order to reverse the situation. Hungarian Prime Minister Tica questioned the disadvantages of the peace faction.

Austria and Hungary were not so united. At least the wealthy Hungarians were not willing to start a unnecessary war over the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.

It would be fine if it were just a war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, but this would most likely evolve into a full-scale war between Austria-Hungary and Russia, and the Hungarians would never agree.

Facing Prime Minister Ticha's question, Berthold chuckled, glanced at his old enemy, and then looked at the old emperor Franz I, explaining: "His Royal Highness the Grand Duke once said, Germany There is no need to publicize His Majesty the Emperor’s verbal promise. What’s more, if there are no accidents, His Majesty the Kaiser’s promise should also be conveyed by the Grand Duke.”

"Even if this is true, what if His Majesty the Kaiser changes his mind now? We can't bet on the fate of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with His Majesty the Kaiser's verbal promise a few years ago!" Prime Minister Ticha Still trying to make a final rebuttal to stop this war.

"That's enough. Since you are all deadlocked, why not ask the Germans directly for their opinions." The old emperor Franz I said, waving his hand to stop the quarrel among his men.

Seeing that the quarrel between Berthold and Ticha was likely to escalate into a dispute between Hungary and Austria, even the old emperor Franz I, who had previously been firmly in power, had to quickly stop it. .

For a dualist empire like Austria-Hungary, national unity was the most important thing.

Because the Austrian government and the Hungarian government each have greater power, if this quarrel does not have a good outcome, I am afraid it will evolve into a conflict between the government of the Kingdom of Hungary and the government of the Austrian Empire.

You must know that although the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Austrian Empire are the leaders, the government of the Kingdom of Hungary has independent finance and administration, and its power is still very large within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

If the Hungarians felt that they had suffered a loss and instigated independence, the old emperor would really vomit blood.

Maintaining this empire took a lot of effort from Franz I. Any behavior that might undermine the unity and unity of the country would not be accepted by Franz I.

Fortunately, the old emperor still has high prestige in this country. As long as Franz I was around, the internal problems of the Austro-Hungarian Empire would never expand.

Seeing that the old emperor had spoken, neither Austrian Prime Minister Bertold nor Hungarian Prime Minister Ticza dared to continue speaking to refute.

Asking the Germans for their opinions is also the best result for both of them. Berthold can prove that his remarks are true, Prime Minister Ticha can temporarily delay the war, and the Germans may even change their minds. , thereby extinguishing the hope of starting this war.

After ending the quarrel, the old emperor looked at the slightly unwilling Hungarian Prime Minister Tica and ordered: "Prime Minister Tica, no matter whether the Germans fulfill their promises or not, no matter what methods the empire takes against Serbia, I hope that this will be done between you and It will be carried out with the consent of the Hungarian people. If you really don’t want to see the war happen, then I promise you that you will not use this as an excuse to launch a war against Serbia."

As the monarch of this dualistic empire, the old emperor who maintained the unity and stability of the country for decades, Franz I's political methods were very clever.

The old emperor knew very clearly that compared with annexing Serbia and proving that the empire had not declined, maintaining rule with Hungary was the most important.

If this incident causes the Kingdom of Hungary and the Austrian Empire to fall apart, then even if the Austro-Hungarian Empire can annex Serbia, it will be split into two or even three parts.

Seeing the old emperor speaking so sincerely, Prime Minister Ticha also knew that he had to make a decision.

Although Prime Minister Ticá and the Kingdom of Hungary have huge rights, if they turn against the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary alone cannot maintain its status as a great power, and may even directly become a second- or even third-rate country in Europe.

A weak country can never protect itself. This is the truth that veteran politician Prime Minister Ticá first understood after becoming Prime Minister of Hungary.

Without much hesitation, Prime Minister Ticza responded: "I understand, His Majesty the Emperor. Please rest assured that no matter what, the Hungarian people will always be the subjects of the empire. If the Germans are really willing to support us, then I will give you Guarantee that the Hungarian government and people will support this war."

Prime Minister Ticha is very smart. He knows that although this seems to be the old emperor's concession to Hungary, if Hungary really insists on opposing this war, it will not be of any benefit to Hungary itself.

Unless the strength of the Kingdom of Hungary has far exceeded that of the Austrian Empire, Austria will always have the final say in this country.

Just 4,000 words today, and you’ll be compensated with 10,000 words tomorrow!