War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

1834, Austrian Empire, Vienna.

With blue skies and clear river water, this is a livable city, but it doesn't look like the capital of a powerful country in the nineteenth century.

The relatively gloomy sky, accompanied by severe smog, and black rivers, although not environmentally friendly, are definitely a powerful symbol of a country in this era, such as London, England.

Inside a classic building with a Baroque exterior, the interior is designed in the Rococo period. The antique furniture on display is even more diverse, ranging from oriental porcelain to raw beeswax stones from the Baltic Sea.

Its owner was Francis II, the last monarch of the Holy Roman Empire and the first monarch of the Austrian Empire.

Francis II was facing a choice at this time, a difficult choice: choose a good successor, or stick to tradition.

Perhaps because of being separated by a generation, Franz II has been doting on this special grandson since Franz was born. A healthy baby boy without any intellectual disability is his hope and the hope of this empire.

(Yes, the Austrian Empire at that time was indeed facing the problem of having no qualified heir.)

But today, the eldest grandson of Franz II was in the children's room. He took out five letters and made a combination that he couldn't ignore.

"A.E.I.O.U."

Those are the words left by Frederick III in Stephen's Cathedral, which are still engraved on the shrine.

At the same time, this was the only way Franz Joseph could think of to attract the attention of the old emperor.

"Austria is doomed," Francis II murmured.

Frederick III was the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned by the Pope in Rome. However, he was not an excellent emperor. When facing the Hungarian invasion, his own strength was insufficient, his princes were passive and sabotaged, and his allies stopped to wait and see, so he had to hunt westward in a hurry.

He wanted to carry out reforms and eliminate long-standing shortcomings, but he failed amidst the opposition of the great nobles.

In the end, he had to live a solitary life, enjoying studying astrology and alchemy.

Why not Francis II? His grandmother, Empress Theresa, was so dazzling that she overshadowed her successors.

What is even more frightening is that the radical reforms of Joseph II (the previous emperor) and the subsequent shock therapy of Leopold II (the previous emperor) plunged the entire Austria into chaos. At the same time, Napoleon also appeared in France, an old enemy. Such a character.

In that era called "Napoleonic", Francis II and the Holy Roman Empire, who opposed Napoleon, naturally became the background of the era. With the capital divided, he married his daughter to seek peace and dissolved the Holy Roman Empire.

Francis II had too many unwillingnesses in his heart, but his legal heir, his eldest son Ferdinand, seemed unable to bear the burden of reviving the empire. His second son also had no ability to govern the country.

However, the eldest grandson of Francis II was a special child. Although Franz Joseph behaved a bit strangely, he showed great intelligence since he was a child. It's just that Franz is too young, and there is no precedent in the Austrian Empire for an eldest grandson to inherit the throne over his eldest son.

Francis II still remembered the war of Austrian succession caused by the state edict.

But on the other hand, there were some things that were deeply rooted in his soul that he could not forget for a long time. That is the dream of a powerful country, which is the dream of every emperor.

Which emperor in this world doesn't want to expand his territory and make his country prosperous? Not to mention the emperor, even ordinary people hope to live in a powerful country. Who wants to live in a country where war is raging, people are in dire straits, and there are gunfights whenever they go out?

But Franz II failed to do this and allowed the country to decline step by step. He also knew in his heart that he had no chance, so he could only place his hope on the next generation.

The mentally retarded eldest son, or the autistic second son? They obviously don't have that ability, at least not better than themselves. Francis II really didn't want the declining Austria in front of him to be the pinnacle of the empire in the future.

What Francis II didn’t know was that the Austrian Empire in history had only experienced three monarchs, and it existed in name only after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. It was replaced by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a doll empire, and fought in World War I Then it completely disappeared in the long river of history.

At this time, Franz Joseph, the eldest grandson, did not know how entangled Franz II was in his heart. His soul comes from later generations. Although there were neither computers nor mobile phones in the 19th century, he was born into a royal family and should be able to be a playboy.

But he soon understood that the identity he obtained through time travel was the famous tragic emperor in history - Franz Joseph. His love affair with Princess Sissi is well known to the world.

But his brothers, parents, children, and wife all died before him. His empire became the backdrop for the rise of Germany and France, and then completely collapsed in World War I.

Franz Joseph's life can only be described as tragedy, but it is not enough. He was the last monarch of the Austrian Empire and the first monarch of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Two years after his death, the Austro-Hungarian Empire perished and was shattered into pieces.

However, at this time, what worried Franz the most was not these, but the debt problem of this country and this family. The debt of more than one billion florins is indeed an exaggeration.

At this time, the Austrian Imperial Government's annual fiscal revenue was approximately 110 million florins, and its annual fiscal expenditures exceeded 100 million florins. According to this calculation, even if the debt does not accrue interest, it will take the Austrian Empire more than a hundred years to repay the money.

Franz felt sad.

Fortunately, the current Franz Joseph was born early enough, but this body seems to be unable to do anything. All he could think of was trying his best to please the old emperor and attract his attention.

After all, the old emperor held real power, unlike the later Ferdinand, whose decrees had to be approved by the Regency Council. If the old emperor is happy and rewards some manors and industries, then Franz will have start-up capital. Coupled with his vision far ahead of the times, he will definitely make a lot of money. At least this is what Franz thinks.

The reason why Franz is so eager is that the first time point that will change the fate of the Austrian Empire is getting closer and closer.

The German Zollverein was established in 1834, but the Austrian Empire refused to join, which sounded the death knell for the empire.

On the other hand, Francis II, who was worried, decided to ask God. Of course, it’s not really about going to heaven to ask God, but going to church to ask God’s messenger.

Since ancient times in the East, emperors have always liked to seek divination from immortals when they were in doubt. Even in modern times, people only read horoscopes for nothing, ask Tarot for small things, and gossip about big things.

As it was in the East, so it was in the West, and so Francis II appeared at the door of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

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