The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 473: Chapter 374: The Contradictory Austro-Hungarian Empire_2

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

After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Conrad thought he was the only one in the war faction, but unexpectedly, the Foreign Minister, who previously did not advocate war, suddenly became a war proponent. This was good news for the war faction and all the officials behind them.

Foreign Secretary Berchtold also served as the Austrian Chancellor, and like Prime Minister Ticha of Hungary, he held a very high position within the Austro-Hungarian Empire government.

If there was someone who could suppress Prime Minister Ticha of Hungary, it would definitely be Berchtold, who served as the Austrian Prime Minister.

"Chief of Staff Conrad is right. We should not let the mastermind behind the scenes go unpunished. We must impose sanctions to demonstrate the majesty of our empire."

"Wipe this damn country off the map, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire will trample all enemies."

Behind the war faction was the hawk faction, consisting of Secretary of Army Clayton, some nobles, and the military.

Soldiers and nobles were enthusiastic about launching wars, as wars could bring them a lot of military merits, earn them titles of nobility, or advance them further in their ranks.

Most of the peace faction members were politicians, especially in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where Austria and Hungary were divided. Their ideas were not in sync.

Looking at the division of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's Cabinet Government, it is clear that there were problems. In addition to the Cabinet Government, there were also the Austrian Prime Minister and the Hungarian Prime Minister.

Austria and Hungary had separate finances, and it was perfectly normal for such a country to have different ideas.

The power of the peace faction was no weaker than that of the war faction. After the military spoke out, Ticha and the peace faction also refuted and warned Old Emperor Franz I about the terrible consequences of launching a war.

The main reason why the peace faction did not want to wage war at the moment was firstly, that Serbia had Russia Nation behind it, and launching a war meant starting a war with Russia Nation.

Secondly, the ally behind the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany, had not expressed its position. If they disregarded the Germans' opinions and launched a war privately, the Germans might also abandon the alliance and leave the Austro-Hungarian Empire to face the war alone.

Seeing that this meeting was about to have a balancing situation again, Foreign Secretary Berthold hurriedly said, "If I remember correctly, His Highness, the Crown Prince, once told me that during his visit to Germany, His Majesty William II promised to support our country on the Serbia issue.

If our country launches an attack on Serbia, Germany will definitely express its support and fulfill its alliance commitments."

With Berchtold's words, the situation at the meeting almost turned around.

The originally balanced peace and war factions now saw the peace faction's voice completely disappear.

"Berchtold, why didn't you mention earlier about His Majesty William II's promise to His Highness? Moreover, why didn't His Highness mention it personally, but instead, you brought it up after His Highness was assassinated?" Hungarian Ticha Prime Minister questioned in order to reverse the disadvantage of the peace faction.

Austria and Hungary were not that united, at least the wealthy Hungarians did not want to launch a senseless war just because Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated.

If it was just a war between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Serbia, it would be fine, but this might escalate into a full-scale war between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia Nation, which the Hungarians would definitely refuse.

Facing Prime Minister Ticha's questioning, Berchtold lightly laughed, glanced at his old rival, and then looked to Old Emperor Franz I, explaining, "His Highness once said that His Majesty the German Emperor's verbal promise didn't need to be widely publicized.

Moreover, if it hadn't been for the unexpected events, His Majesty the German Emperor's commitment should have been conveyed by His Highness himself."

"Even if this is true, what if His Majesty the German Emperor changes his mind now? We can't bet the fate of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on a verbal promise made by His Majesty the German Emperor years ago!" Prime Minister Ticha was still trying to make a final rebuttal to prevent the war.

"Enough, since you are all at an impasse, why not directly ask the Germans for their opinion?" The old Emperor Franz I waved his hand, stopping the quarrel among his subordinates, and said.

Seeing that the quarrel between Berchtold and Ticha could very likely escalate into a conflict between Hungary and Austria, even the previously calm old Emperor Franz I had to hastily intervene.

For a dualistic empire like Austria-Hungary, national unity is the most important.

Because the Austrian government and the Hungarian government each have significant power, if this quarrel does not have a good outcome, it may evolve into a conflict between the Kingdom of Hungary Government and the Austrian Empire Government.

It should be noted that although the Austro-Hungarian Empire is headed by the Austrian Empire, the Hungarian Kingdom Government has independent finance and administration, and its power within the Austro-Hungarian Empire is still considerable.

If the Hungarians feel wronged and stir up independence, the old emperor would really vomit blood.

Maintaining this empire has consumed a lot of effort from Franz I. Any action that might undermine national unity and cohesion is unacceptable to Franz I.

Fortunately, the old emperor still has a high prestige in this country. As long as Franz I is there, the internal problems of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will never inflate.

Seeing that the old emperor had spoken, whether it was Austrian Chancellor Berchtold or Prime Minister Ticha of Hungary, they dared not continue to refute.

Asking the Germans for their opinions is the best result for both of them. Berchtold can prove that his words are not false, Prime Minister Ticha can temporarily delay the progress of the war, and even the Germans may change their minds, extinguishing the hope of launching this war.

After terminating the quarrel, the old emperor looked at the somewhat unwilling Prime Minister Ticha of Hungary and ordered: "Prime Minister Ticha, regardless of whether the Germans fulfill their promise, no matter what measures the empire takes against Serbia, I hope that it is done with your consent and that of the Hungarian people.

If you really do not want to see the occurrence of war, then I promise you that I will not use this as an excuse to launch a war against Serbia."

As the monarch of this dualist empire, the old Emperor Franz I has very sophisticated political skills in maintaining national unity and stability for decades.

The old emperor knew very well that maintaining rule between Austria and Hungary was more important than annexing Serbia and proving that the empire had not declined.

If this matter leads to a split between the Hungarian kingdom and the Austrian empire, even if the Austro-Hungarian Empire can annex Serbia, it will be divided into two or even three parts.

Seeing the sincerity of the old emperor's words, Prime Minister Ticha also knew that he had to make a decision.

Although Prime Minister Ticha and the Kingdom of Hungary have great power, if they oppose the Austrian Empire, the Hungarian kingdom alone cannot maintain its status among the Powers and may even directly be reduced to a second-rate or even third-rate country in Europe.

Weak countries can never protect themselves. This is the first thing veteran politician Prime Minister Ticha understood after becoming the prime minister of Hungary.

Without too much hesitation, Prime Minister Ticha replied: "I understand, Your Majesty. Rest assured, no matter what, the Hungarian people will always be citizens of the Empire. If the Germans truly support us, then I assure you that the Hungarian government and people will support this war."

Prime Minister Ticha is very smart. He knows that although this seems like 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 surpassed the Austrian Empire, the country will always be at the mercy of Austria.