Chapter 163 Accident (Part 1)

Vienna, Imperial Conference.

Since Emperor Ferdinand I could not attend, the Regency Council could only act on his behalf. In fact, even if Ferdinand I was present, his orders would need the signature of the Regency Council to take effect.

"Count Latour, I think you should be able to withdraw the temporary garrison in Transylvania to their original station." Count Korolav did not forget his promise to Palmerston. After all, honesty and trustworthiness are the noble qualities that a noble should have.

Count Tural was excited by the bloodshed in Budapest, but it was a pity that the Austrian military did not directly participate.

Now that the bloody conflict has been resolved, there is no reason to station troops in Transylvania. As for the Russians and Ottomans across the mountain, he is not worried at all.

After all, Transylvania is not Rome, and Russia is not Carthage. They don't have a general like Hannibal. Even if they do, what is the point of a surprise attack on Transylvania?

Waiting to be caught in a trap by the Austrian army? After all, it is easy to turn over, but it is not so easy to turn back.

The military's suggestion to seize the two Danube principalities was strongly denied by Count Metternich and Count Korolav, both of whom believed that the military's behavior was tantamount to self-destruction.

Moreover, on the other side of the Carpathian Mountains, the Russian and Ottoman armies were already on the alert, and it was no longer worthwhile to continue to station troops here.

"The situation in Hungary has stabilized, and the military has agreed to withdraw its troops. But I would like to remind you that the Ottoman Empire is at its weakest moment in hundreds of years, and now is a good time to defeat it. Once the barbaric Russians inherit the Ottoman legacy, they will seriously threaten the eastern border of the empire." Count Latour said confidently.

Count Korolav felt that a strong Russia was a good thing. After all, only under a strong threat could the weak principalities of the German Confederation recognize the world situation and realize who their real protectors were.

Prince Metternich believed that the alliance with Russia was an indispensable condition for the Austrian Empire to maintain its status as a great power. Moreover, it was not easy for Russia to swallow up the Ottoman legacy.

There were a lot of mountains and rivers between Austria and Russia. As long as a few key fortresses were occupied, Russia's westward advance could be stopped.

Moreover, according to the instructions of Peter's will, after obtaining a warm outlet to the sea, the Russians should compete with Britain for India. At that time, the Austrian Empire will be able to free up its hands and deal with France with all its strength.

The most important thing now is to find a way to take Serbia, solve Austria's worries, and digest Italy with all its strength.

"Count Tural, I think you can withdraw your troops to Novi Sad. After all, the fortress has been in disrepair for a long time, and it's time for someone to take care of it."

The upright Count Tural did not hear the meaning of Count Metternich's words and shouted.

"Mr. Prime Minister, my soldiers are not decorators. If you want to repair the fortress, you should find maintenance workers, not the army."

Count Korolav was used to this kind of miscommunication, so he changed his words.

"Count Tural, the Prime Minister hopes that you can station troops in Novi Sad to prevent the Ottomans from creating friction on the border."

"They dare! Damn pagans! Even though they have 350,000 troops, our Austrian Empire only needs 300,000 troops to recover Constantinople!" Count Tural's emotions immediately rose. He supported any action to fight the Ottomans.

Metternich advocated stationing troops in Novi Sad, not to attack Serbia directly, but to let Russia take the initiative to negotiate with him. At the same time, stationing troops in Novi Sad also meant waiting for an opportunity. Once the scale of the war expanded and exceeded the expectations of all parties, Austria could find any reason to attack Serbia.

"Gentlemen, although some states in Italy are ruled by members of the royal family, their expansion has affected the interests of the Austrian Empire. Especially Duchess Marisa, she borrowed a lot of money in the name of the empire and openly embezzled state property."

Before Metternich finished speaking, he was interrupted by Count Korolaf.

"The Duchess has made many sacrifices for this empire, and we can't blame her anymore. I suggest severely punishing Baron Ocker and those Parma officials who bewitched the Duchess, and selecting a group of honest and reliable people from the Austrian Empire to send to Parma, and at the same time clearing the debt relationship."

Count Korolaf's words were affirmed by the two royal grand dukes. Of course, they just nodded and did not take any substantial action.

However, at this time, Duchess Marisa had long lost her value in Metternich's eyes, and now she has become an obstacle to the Austrian Empire's rule over Central Italy.

The small states in Central Italy have lost their value. Now the Austrian Empire needs to integrate Central Italy into Northern Italy to maximize its value.

Although these small countries have no strength to compete with the powerful Austria, the rulers of these small countries are inextricably linked to the royal family.

If it is too radical, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction with the royal family, and the Regency Council will not allow such an order to pass.

For this reason, Prince Metternich had to find a way to prove to the Regency Council that the fragmented status quo of Central Italy is no longer in the interests of the empire.

In fact, this is also what he mentioned when teaching Archduke Franz.

Prince Metternich praised joining the German Customs Union as the greatest decision of Emperor Franz II's life.

Archduke Franz asked, why can't Austria form another Italian Customs Union?

"Archduke Franz, you are very smart. But think about why your grandfather, the great Emperor Franz II, did not do this?"

Prince Metternich asked himself and answered.

"Politics between countries is not isolated. France, which has been competing with the Austrian Empire for Italy for hundreds of years, has not given up its ambitions for Italy. The Bourbon dynasty from France is even ruling the land in the southern tip of Italy, and the Kingdom of Sardinia is also attached to France.

The British would not want a powerful country to dominate Italy, which would destroy their so-called balance of power."

Prince Metternich cleared his throat and continued.

"Let's see what your grandfather did. The Austrian Empire opened three ports and six towns to the Central Italian states, allowing the Central Italian states to trade freely with Austria and only charging symbolic tariffs. At the same time, it plans to build a railway connecting the entire Central Italy."

Franz took out a thick stack of documents and put them on the table.

"But what is the result? What benefit does this unilateral tribute trade bring to the Austrian Empire? The trade volume is less than 3% of the German Customs Union, and it makes almost no contribution to tax collection.

The money earned by the Central Italian states has flowed into the hands of these corrupt officials, who use it to buy French and British goods, and in the end it is a bargain for our enemies.

In five years, the Austrian Empire has built countless railways, but the Central Italian Railway still only exists on the sketch. Such low efficiency, doesn't it explain the problem?"