Chapter 716： Principalities and Kingdoms

"I will carefully consider the issue of the Principality of Poland!"

Franz Joseph suppressed the anger in his heart, and tried his best to respond to the Queen Mother Sophie in a calm tone.

"You know what to do!" Empress Dowager Sophie nodded with satisfaction. At this time, she did not realize that her son was already the most honorable existence in the empire, and even the most biological mother could not teach her a lesson. Childishly speaking to Franz Joseph.

If it weren't for Franz Joseph's filial piety, the Empress Dowager Sophie would have been scolded by the Habsburg court long ago.

[PS: Franz Joseph has been tolerant enough to his mother, the Queen Mother Sophie and his wife, Princess Sissi. It's just that his tolerance is particularly powerless when facing the conflict between his mother and his wife. 】

"Mother! If there is nothing else, I will go back first!" Franz Joseph then bowed to the Queen Mother Sophie and responded.

"Okay!" Empress Dowager Sophie turned her head and said to Archduke Maximilian: "Maximilian, go and see your Majesty!"

"Yes!" With a helpless smile on Maximilian's face, he got up and came to Franz Joseph and said, "Your Majesty!"

"Um!"

Franz Joseph nodded slightly and left the room of the Empress Dowager Sophie, followed by Grand Duke Maximilian.

The two brothers walking in the corridor of Schönbrunn Palace were in tandem, silently caring for each other.

When Franz Joseph came to a corner, he stopped and turned to look at Grand Duke Maximilian with a majestic gaze.

Archduke Maximilian, who was stared at by Franz Joseph, felt uncomfortable all over, and he quickly and sincerely responded to his brother: "Your Majesty, what my mother just said, I also know just now! If I If I had known earlier, I would never have let her do this!"

This really doesn't look like something Maximilian could do! Franz Joseph thought to himself.

As the older brother he saw first hand, Franz Joseph knew Maximilian's character too well.

Thinking of this, Franz Joseph's eyes gradually softened, and he asked the Archduke Maximilian in a cordial tone: "Maximilian, tell me the truth! Are you willing to serve as the Archduke of Warsaw!"

"Your Majesty!" Grand Duke Maximilian responded to Franz Joseph with a solemn face: "I prefer to travel around the world to explore unknown plants rather than being the monarch of a country! If you can..."

Before Grand Duke Maximilian could finish speaking, Franz Joseph responded to Grand Duke Maximilian: "It's a pity! Revitalizing the Habsburg family is our innate mission!"

Archduke Maximilian shook his head in disappointment. He thought his brother could help him reject the position of Archduke of Warsaw.

"Maximilian, you have to take advantage of this gap and hurry up to study!" Franz Joseph then said to Maximilian, a schadenfreude smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Learn! Study what?" Archduke Maximilian asked Franz Joseph with a puzzled face.

"You need to learn the language, environment, and all books related to Poland in the region you are about to rule!" Franz Joseph continued to Maximilian.

"However, I have to return to Trieste! I'm afraid it will be difficult to find time to study!" Maximilian wanted to shirk with naval affairs, but he really couldn't stand the old-fashioned environment in Schönbrunn Palace.

"The navy will also send another suitable person to take your place!" Franz Joseph reached out and patted Maximilian's shoulder and said solemnly, "From now on, you have only one task, then It's about getting familiar with everything you need to know about the country you're about to rule as soon as possible!

I will assign several teachers to teach you personally! "

"Yes!" Archduke Maximilian had no choice but to nod.

"Okay! You can go back!" Franz Joseph said to Maximilian, and then he added, "By the way, tell that kid Karl when you go back, and let him hurry up and learn about Lodo. The language of the Principality of Meria (Ukrainian region)! Don't wait, what went wrong!"

Before Maximilian could digest Franz Joseph's words, Franz Joseph turned and left.

Archduke Maximilian, who returned to Queen Sophie's room alone, relayed what Franz Joseph had just said to Archduke Karl Ludwig.

Archduke Karl Ludwig also showed a dazed expression.

"Karl, Maximilian, you have to hurry up to learn knowledge, there is not much time left for you!" The Queen Mother Sophie who reacted solemnly responded to the two children in front of her.

"Yes!" Archduke Karl Ludwig and Archduke Maximilian responded in unison.

After the three archdukes had all left, Archduke Franz Karl, who had not spoken, asked suspiciously, "Sophie, what is Franz's intention for letting Karl learn the language of the Principality of Lodomeria!"

"What else is there? Of course, I want Karl to be the ruler of the Principality of Lodomeria!" The Queen Mother Sophie replied to Franz Karl: "If I am not mistaken, Franz is prepared to Will…"

…

Early the next morning, under the order of Emperor Franz Joseph.

Interior Minister Bach, Foreign Minister Bauer and advisors Metternich came to Franz Joseph's study again.

Franz Joseph first asked Bach, the Minister of the Interior, about the implementation of taxation within the Austrian Empire.

Bach told Franz Joseph that, thanks to the help of loyal Bohemian civil servants, the vast majority of the empire's provinces (especially the Hungarian region) were basically in a state of profit in taxation, and only a few, such as Galicia, were in a state of loss.

"So, even without Galicia! The empire's finances can still run smoothly?" Franz Joseph asked Bach with a smile.

"Judging from the current results, this is indeed the case!" Bugger nodded and replied to Franz Joseph.

"I see!"

Franz Joseph said in a daze, and then turned his head to Metternich's advisor and Minister Bauer.

Afterwards, Franz Joseph told Prince Metternich and Chancellor Bauer that after thinking about it all night last night, he believed that the conflict between the Austrian Empire and the Principality of Poland should be brought to a successful conclusion. The younger brother of the Archduke of Warsaw left hidden dangers, so he wanted to give the title of the Archduke of Galicia-Cracow to his younger brother Maximilian and the title of the Archduke of Lodomeria to another brother, the Archduke Karl Ludwig. .

Prince Metternich immediately realized that Franz Joseph was going to follow his original idea of ​​restricting France, combining Austrian Poland and Russian Poland to create a buffer zone for a middle power.

A Polish principality, which has conflicts with Russia and Prussia, can fully share the military pressure brought by the Prussian Kingdom and the Russian Empire to the Austrian Empire.

Using a piece of land that is basically useless (Galicia as an agricultural area in this period is somewhat tasteless), in exchange for a Poland that has completely fallen to the Austrian Empire, is a sure-fire business!

And as long as the Principality of Poland still belongs to the Habsburg family, it is not considered discarded.

(Actually, Prince Metternich misunderstood, Franz Joseph did not take into account the factor of middle power. He just did not want to have a break with his younger brother, who was about to be the Grand Duke of Warsaw, at some point in the future. This way It's not good for both parties.)

Prince Metternich praised Franz Joseph's thoughts, and at the same time explained the deep meaning behind Franz Joseph's behavior "intimately".

After listening to Prince Metternich's explanation, Minister Bauer also expressed his admiration to Franz Joseph.

And after Franz Joseph himself heard Prince Metternich's explanation, UU reading also doubted whether he really thought so.

"Your Majesty, it's best to discuss this matter with the French Empire!" Prince Metternich turned to Franz Joseph and said, "Some countries may destroy it!"

Certain states in Prince Metternich's mouth are naturally the Kingdom of Prussia which annexed the Grand Duchy of Posen.

Once the Austrian Empire returned Galicia, the conflict between the Principality of Poland and the Kingdom of Prussia would become acute.

If the trouble is not good, the Poles in the Kingdom of Prussia will riot collectively as they did in 1848.

"That's right! Franz Joseph nodded and responded to Prince Metternich.

Then the task was handed over to Minister Bauer.

…

Another half month passed, and the Austrian Foreign Minister Count Bauer and his delegation set off from Vienna to Paris.

Meanwhile, the Crimea peninsula is thousands of miles away from Vienna.

The British and French troops stationed near Perekop are in the process of handing over the last Russian army. From the moment the Russian army stepped out of the Crimea Peninsula, the entire Crimean Peninsula will not belong to the Russian Empire at all. While in charge of leading the army, Colonel Ivanov Gorchakov and Ambassador Gorchakov were saying their final farewell to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Ambassador Gorchakov, I sincerely hope that you can defeat the rebels entrenched in the Petersburg area and maintain the sacred monarchy of Russia!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Ambassador Gorchakov with a hypocritical expression.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured! We will definitely defeat those **** traitors! Uphold the rights of the empire!" Ambassador Gorchakov glanced at the fortress behind Jerome Bonaparte with a complex expression.