War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Vienna, Prime Minister's Residence.

After a day of useless quarrels with Count Korolat, Prince Metner dragged his exhausted body back to the mansion.

"Damn donkey, damn Slavic barbarian!"

Metternich was really fed up with this kind of daily wrangling. Although the empire's strength was constantly recovering, he would never have the power of Prime Minister Kaunitz.

(Kaunitz-Rittberg, Austrian politician, diplomat, prime minister and prince of the Austrian monarchy from the Seven Years War to 1792. Long responsible for the foreign policy of the Habsburg dynasty, Queen Maria Theresa The chief diplomatic adviser to his successors, a lifelong hostility to Prussia.)

Because Kaunitz met Queen Theresa and he met Ferdinand I, it was impossible for the Habsburg family to let an outsider like him control the power.

Count Korolaf is just a supporting character pushed by the royal family to compete with him. Even if they reach an agreement, they can object at any time if it is not in the interest of the royal family or if the royal family feels it is not in line with their wishes.

Metternich now hoped that Franz could succeed to the throne as soon as possible, but he didn't know whether he could wait until that day.

But maybe that kid doesn't need an old guy like him at all, right? Although Franz pretended to accept it humbly every time he attended class, it was impossible to hide it from Metternich, a veteran who had been involved in diplomatic circles for decades.

And after several discussions, Metternich knew very well that this young Grand Duke had an extremely determined heart. His persistence in what he believed in was frightening, and he was the kind of certainty that only the craziest gamblers would have.

In fact, as a time traveler, Franz will naturally be very sure of some things, such as the development of certain technologies and some major historical events that have not been affected, natural disasters and the like.

But Metternich had already determined in his heart that his student would be either Yao or Shun, or Jie and Zhou. (Either he will become a wise king like Charles V and Queen Theresa, or he will become another Joseph II.)

Metternich gradually recovered his thoughts. He found that his old housekeeper was very unusual today. He was still chattering in a daze despite his age.

"Berg, old man, you are still as good at lying as you were when you were young. If you have anything to say, just say it. You know, the work of the Regency Council is still exhausting me."

This old butler has worked for the Metternich family for 50 years. He has a very close relationship with the Prime Minister, and he even knows how to pretend to be an honest and honest person in front of his master.

But in fact, Metternich left many secret matters to this steward. If he was not a tight-spoken and thorough person, how could he have been in the position of steward for so many years?

However, after so many years of being a housekeeper, this was the first time that Berg encountered someone who made such a big mistake, and the gift he sent should also make the master happy.

"Your Highness, someone sent 500 kilograms of gold today! You also asked me to send you a letter and a piece of gold."

Before the old butler finished speaking, Metternich's brows tightened, and he even wanted to curse.

"You idiot, how dare you make your own decisions? Did you collect so much gold at will? You have been with me for so many years, and you still don't understand this? Tomorrow you pack your things and go home to retire."

"Master, please calm down. I made my own decision because I am afraid of delaying your national affairs. It is not too late for you to read the letter and the gift first."

The old butler Berg handed the envelope to Prince Metternich. The latter took a deep breath and relaxed his mood. He opened the envelope and glanced at the letter, snorting coldly because he had seen such words too many times.

But soon Metternich's eyes widened, he even put on the pair of reading glasses he had not used for a long time, and immediately put the letter in his coat pocket after reading it.

"Where's the gift?"

"I have asked you to put it quietly in the master's study. Don't worry, no one except me has seen the contents inside."

Berg naturally wanted to see what was inside. If it was a bomb or something detrimental to Metternich, that would be a dereliction of duty on his part.

"well done."

Metternich entered the study in a hurry, without even being intimate with his Nth wife.

Of course, no one in the entire mansion will ask the Prime Minister why he did this. Although they will not be buried in the garden for flower fertilizer here, if the old butler Berg feels it is necessary, there will be one or two more corpses in the Danube River tomorrow. , it can still be done.

An opened box in the middle of the study was filled with gold bars, but Metternich walked straight to a small box on the table without looking at it as if nothing was wrong.

Then he carefully opened the box, looked at the documents inside carefully, and suddenly said plausibly: "God bless our Emperor Franz."

In fact, Ferdinand I was not a real emperor in the minds of many Austrian officials. He was just a piece of bacon sitting on the throne, and Metternich, who had chatted and laughed with many European monarchs and generals, was no exception.

His allegiance has always been to Francis II and his empire. Of course, if a wise king is born in the future, he may not change his mind.

It's just that the guy who is mentally unstable and unable to perform his duties is really not worthy of being called an emperor. If it weren't for this incompetent monarch, maybe the empire's reforms would not be delayed, and many decisions would not be missed due to delays. The best chance.

Why was Metternich so excited after reading that mysterious letter? The reason is simple. Milos, who had just unified Serbia, wanted to seek protection from Austria and was willing to be a lackey of the Habsburg family.

In order to show his sincerity, he even offered to send his eldest son Mikhail Obrenovich to Vienna as a hostage. In addition, to show his sincerity, he also sent three heads.

The first box contained the Bosnian leader, Bagir Gradashi; the second box contained the pro-Russian leader, Vucic; and the third box contained the British envoy, Baron Mills.

In fact, this was not the first time Milosh had done this. He became the Grand Duke of Serbia precisely because of the sacrifice of Karadjordje's head. Although the Karadjordje family became mortal enemies after this, Serbia did gain independence.

And as an old Yinbi who has repeatedly jumped around all year round, how could he not see Palmerston's tricks? If Russia and Austria go to war, it goes without saying that the main battlefield will be in Poland. Then who will ensure the security of Serbia in the south?

Whether we attack the former capital or Western Bosnia, where the Croatians are the majority, we have to overcome many difficulties and obstacles, not to mention that the Belgrade Fortress itself, which is the key to the Balkans, has 80,000 troops stationed there.

Perhaps it is worth trying to take the land route directly to Sarajevo, but Serbia, with its weak foundation, has no intention of risking its fortunes and lives just for the sake of risk.

There is no certainty that the support promised by the unreliable British can be fulfilled. In the game of great power competition, it is wisest to be a spectator. After all, except for fools, most people will not be an amusement park animal for people's entertainment.

The Austrians thought he was insincere before, but he gave them sincerity this time.