It's a good time to do in July. The midsummer wind roams the forest meadows, gently blowing through every scene, and the water gushes out of the fountains, bringing a hint of coolness to the earth.

It's a really cosy place, and even the melody of a violin seems to fill the air, making you want to fall asleep in it.

But among the few people here, no one was in the mood to enjoy this beautiful scenery. Because, in the face of the surging frenzy of 1848, the entire Habsburg Empire was in turmoil.

On 13 March, emboldened by the victory of the February Revolution in France, riots broke out in Vienna, the capital of the Austrian Empire, and Prince Metternich, then Prime Minister, was forced to flee. On 15 May, the Viennese people, still dissatisfied with the dynasty, revolted, forcing the Austrian Emperor and his royal family to flee from Vienna to Innsbrück on 17 May.

At this moment, in such a perilous situation, how could the rulers of the vast Central European Empire settle down to enjoy this beautiful scenery?

"Your Highness, we must crush those Prussians who don't know what to do!"

In the presence of a brooding young man, Mr. Felix Schwarzenberg, who was well known in diplomatic circles, spoke out to him.

He was dressed in a delicate gown, and his slightly gray curls were neatly combed. However, although his speech and demeanor were very diplomatic, his expression at the moment was very excited, and there was no such composure as that of a diplomat. His family was bohemian, but became one of the most relied upon aristocratic families of the Austrian royal family. Although it may seem strange, it is not uncommon in this day and age.

"Your Highness, this is the moment. These insidious Prussians were secretly in concert with the various German states. It intends to use the recent misfortunes as a bargaining chip, in order to exclude our influence in Germany while we are powerless. They intend to build a German Confederation to exclude us, and they think the mob will keep us at bay! We must not allow these shameless people to succeed in their schemes. ”

Felix-zu-Schwarzenberg (1800-1852) was born into a Bohemian aristocratic family. His ancestors had always served the Habsburg royal family.

In 1804, Karl Philippe, the third son of the fifth Prince Schwarzenberg, was crowned Prince by the royal family for his military achievements. He later became commander-in-chief of the anti-French coalition and led his army to victory at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, forcing Emperor Napoleon to abdicate for the first time. Therefore, the Schwarzenberg family had two branches of princes at the same time in this era, and was one of the most prominent nobles of the Habsburg Empire.

Felix? Schwarzenberg was the second son of the 6th Prince Schwarzenberg. He joined the Austrian Army in 1818. He entered the diplomatic service in 1824 and served in the embassies of the Austrian Empire in Portugal, Russia, France, England, Sardinia and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

In 1848, when the revolution in France spread to Austria, he advocated the suppression of the rioters, succeeding Metternich as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in November, and replacing the mentally retarded Ferdinand I as Emperor of Austria in December.

He had an extremely strong will and conservative tendencies, and was very disgusted by Prussia's erosion of Austria's pre-eminence over the German state. After becoming chancellor in the winter of 1848, in November 1850 he forced Prussia to temporarily abandon the idea of establishing Little Germany from Austria. The Treaty of Olmitz was signed with Prussia, and King Frederick William IV of Prussia was forced to submit to Austria under military threat.

He died in 1852. The young Emperor Franz-Joseph was greatly saddened by this. 】

After hearing the middle-aged man's voice, the young man sat upright, frowning slightly, and muttering. From the bottom of his heart, he did not want to engage in such brain- and energy-consuming state activities, let alone discuss with people every day about boring Prussians or Russians. However, he had no right to run away from all this, but to sit quietly and listen to the statements of his future ministers.

Because he was the crown prince of the Austrian Empire, Franz Joseph, destined to inherit the ancestral legacy of the dying and famous Habsburgs, and destined to rule this vast Central European empire, even if he was only a young man of eighteen years old who had not yet escaped his childishness, he could only erase all his nature and try to play the role of a ruler, an emperor.

Because of his age, his face at this time was both like a teenager and a young man, both delicate and a little more contemplative after knowing the world, and the golden brown distribution was also neatly combed, as if trying to make himself appear more mature.

He spoke more than a dozen languages, but none of his thoughts; He only thought about guarding the ancestral business, but he couldn't think of a way to adapt it to the new era, so he could only hold on to it in a silent sigh, as if he were the night watchman of the empire.

Aside from his appearance as a virtuous monarch in some films featuring his wife and in some fiction, he has no memorable accomplishments, let alone a good reputation in history – what could be more hurtful than this kind of "flattery" for a monarch who aspires to go down in history......?

Fortunately, at this time, our young man in the prime of his life, His Royal Highness Franz Joseph von Habsburg would not know that he was facing such a fate, whether it was his luck or his misfortune.

"We don't have the energy to take care of them right now." After a moment of silence, the young man gave his answer. "We have to take care of our housework beforehand. At this moment, we must first calm down the thieves everywhere one by one, and then we can take care of the affairs outside. ”

"Your Highness, Germany's business is your family's business! Even if the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist, the Austrian Empire must speak for itself in Germany and must not give up its rightful place! Felix Schwarzenberg sternly admonished the young man, "If we abandon Germany." Then the empire is nothing......"

After hearing the minister's gushing new round of earnest admonitions, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince instinctively felt a pang of boredom, but could only continue to listen helplessly.

"Although the empire has faced great crises before. But we've survived, the Imperial forces have been mobilized, and soon you'll be able to clear the Imperial capital again. Prince Wendy Schretz, and Baron von Haenau, they will pacify all of Bohemia and Hungary for you, and even if there are still some die-hard resistance there, it will only be a matter of time before they live long. To be a monarch is to be far-sighted. You shouldn't just dwell on what's in front of you......"

[Alfred-Candidus-zu-Windisch-Graetz, Prince of Wendy Schretz, 1787-1862.] He was also a Bohemian nobleman whose family served the Habsburg royal family and joined the Imperial Army from 1804 onwards, taking part in the subsequent wars of the French Coalition and the Battle of Leipzig.

March 1848. He participated in the suppression of the Vienna riots. In June 1848, when a riot broke out in Bohemia, the prince's wife was killed by a stray bullet, and the prince led his troops to suppress the riot bloodily and declared martial law in Bohemia. Known to some liberal groups as the "Executioner of Prague", he was promoted to the rank of Imperial Marshal in October 1848.

and Julius-Jacob-von-Haynau (1786-1853), illegitimate son of the Elector of German Hesse. At an early age, he joined the Habsburg Imperial Army and participated in the entire Napoleonic Wars.

In the riots of 1848. As a general of the Imperial Army, he participated in the suppression of riots in Hungary and Italy, and was known for his resoluteness and cruelty. Because he was called "The Executioner of Arad" and "The Hyena of Brescia".

Subsequently, as commander of the occupation forces, the Austrian army under the command of Heenau suppressed all the Hungarian patriotic organizations that insisted on resistance and carried out brutal revenge. Thirteen Hungarian generals were hanged and thousands of civilians were killed or thrown into prison.

Because of his combat exploits, von Heinau was made an Imperial Baron in his early years. 】

"Have the Russians already decided to send troops?" His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked suddenly.

He abruptly interrupted, partly because he really cared about how the Russians could help him, and partly because he was trying to interrupt Schwarzenberg's teacherly tirade.

"Yes, His Majesty the Tsar has decided to send troops to Hungary to help us deal with the traitors there, a total of 150,000 people!" Schwarzenberg immediately replied, "With the help of such an army, we will soon be able to wipe out those traitors!" ”

Hearing this, a gleam of joy flashed in the crown prince's eyes, and then it was suddenly replaced by some kind of anxiety.

"Have we been reduced to the point where we need to borrow troops from abroad to suppress the rebellion?" He sighed softly.

"Your Highness, you don't have to worry too much. This is just a matter of situation, and with your wisdom and talent, we will be able to restore the country in a short time and regain its rightful place......" The Prince immediately comforted the Crown Prince, "although the Russians have helped us, they must have their own agendas, and we must not rely entirely on them. ”

"Yes, we can't rely on them too much." The crown prince nodded lightly and repeated the prince's words in a low voice.

At this time, as in the future, the rulers of the Austrian Empire were in awe of the Russians' might and at the same time wary of their ambitions, and at the same time fearful that the Russians would take away the Balkans they coveted. They did not dare to stand alone against the Russians, but with enough strong backing, God knew what they could do......

"Mobs, Prussians, Russians, what a lot of trouble we have in front of us." After a moment of silence again, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince couldn't help but smile wryly when he thought of the empire, which was now facing a great crisis, with internal and external troubles. How could he not make an eighteen-year-old young man worry about the terrible internal and external situation he was facing now?

"But we will be able to overcome these difficulties." Prince Schwarzenberg looked at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince firmly, "For hundreds of years before, your empire has survived numerous crises unscathed, and each time it has faced seemingly unshakable enemies, only to have its enemies lie down before the empire each time. This is true of the Dutch, it is true of the Bourbons, even of Napoleon!

In the future, we will certainly be able to continue with God's blessing. You just need to be firm, firm! As the future Emperor of the Empire, the Empire can overcome all odds as long as you can remain steadfast in the midst of these frenzy. In Napoleon's time, your ancestors faced a much worse situation than they do now! As a result, Napoleon is now gone, and your empire is still standing, remember my words, Your Highness! ”

Then, he breathed a sigh of relief and put on a tone full of anticipation.

"Your Highness, we will act next and ask His Majesty the Emperor to give way to you. Now that you know the situation we are facing now, you must also know that the Dao Empire must be handed over to someone who can make a clear judgment at this time. Your Highness, please do not shirk, this is an obligation that you must fulfill. ”

Under the eager gaze of the middle-aged man, the young man nodded silently, and then he looked at Prince Schwarzenberg.

"Well, you're right...... I hope that you will be my Prime Minister and help me in the work that I am destined to accomplish. ”

Seeing that his admonition to the young crown prince had taken effect, the minister couldn't help but feel relieved in his heart.

He's just too young, and with us by his side, he'll be a good emperor and make the empire prosperous again. The minister thought to himself.

"Your Highness, you don't need to be too worried, although the current situation is crisis, we are not helpless." Prince Schwarzenberg lowered his voice and continued to advise His Highness the Crown Prince. "Yes, we need to be wary of the Prussians and the Russians, but there are not no powerful countries in the world besides them, and everyone else will be wary of them as well......"

"You mean the British and the French?" The crown prince immediately understood what he meant.

"Yes, that's right." The Prince nodded.

"The British, however, do not like to interfere too much in the affairs of the Continent," the Crown Prince said hesitantly, "and the French ...... They are now in civil strife and have turned into a republic. ”

When the word "republic" was mentioned, out of the habit of the emperor, the crown prince couldn't help but bring a little mockery.

"Although the British do not like to interfere on the mainland, they do not like the unscrupulous power on the continent even more, and now the Russians are close to being unscrupulous." The prince replied immediately, without regard to the fact that the Russians were now helping them to quell the unrest, "as for the French...... As long as it works for you and the Empire, you can have a good deal with it, even if it is a devil, let alone a republic? As long as they're willing to resist the bad influences you're worried about, they're good for it. ”

After hearing the idea of the future prime minister, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince furrowed his rather delicate thin eyebrows.

But soon it unfolded again.

"I see." He nodded slightly. "I hope everything is as you say." (To be continued......)

PS: I went back to look at the portrait of Franz Joseph when he was a child, and I still feel ...... It's true...... It's so comfortable......