Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 551: Farce

In Paris, the French were holding a funeral for Napoleon III. The massive crowds outside were enough to prove Napoleon III’s popularity.

On this day, French workers collectively took the day off. Capitalists didn’t have a choice in the matter as even if they didn’t want to close down, they had to. The title of “socialist emperor” wasn’t just for show since Napoleon III’s influence among workers surpassed anyone else’s.

The public spontaneously organized mourning events, and compared to the bleak atmosphere of the original timeline, this situation was a stark contrast—a kind of irony, really.

Although many people attended the funeral, there were few significant or notable guests. The aftermath of the House of Bonaparte’s poor relationships was on full display here.

It seemed that all the royal families of Europe were too busy to attend. Except for those dependent on the French, most of the great nobles sent only representatives, and some didn’t even bother with that.

Take the Habsburgs, for example. Franz simply sent a minor count from a collateral branch of the family to make a symbolic appearance. Even though the two nations were allies, it didn’t change the fact that the two royal families didn’t see eye to eye.

The grudges between them were a confusing mess that couldn’t be untangled easily. It wasn’t just the Habsburgs. Most European nobles were not friendly toward the Bonapartes.

Nobles also hold grudges. Napoleon had swept across the European continent in the past, ruining countless people’s livelihoods. How could this debt ever be forgotten?

If the House of Bonaparte had fallen into decline, perhaps people would feel better about it. But the reality was quite the opposite. The Bonapartes were still shining brightly. Seeing this “upstart” family only made everyone envious. There was no way they would show up to support them.

In the original timeline, the death of Napoleon IV in South Africa during his “gilded youth” sparked great controversy, with many speculating that the British royal family had orchestrated his murder.

The reasoning? When Napoleon IV encountered Zulu warriors, Army Lieutenant Carey and his men were only 50 yards away from Eugène but didn’t fire a single shot and retreated back to camp.

This obviously strange behavior suggested that there was more going on behind the scenes, but who had orchestrated it was difficult to say.

The Bonapartes had too many enemies, and there were at least hundreds of people capable of orchestrating such a low-level accident.

There was no escaping it. With the death of the last legitimate heir, House Bonaparte not only lost all hope of restoring their dynasty, but they also lost the ability to investigate the real culprit behind the death.

At the funeral, the atmosphere was somewhat bizarre. If one looked closely, one would notice that many attendees had expressions of schadenfreude. If it weren’t for the inappropriateness of the occasion, they might have burst out laughing.

Indeed, some people were there just to see the Bonaparte’s misfortune. With Napoleon III gone and the heir Eugène too young to take over, it was inevitable that fierce struggles would erupt within the French government.

For instance, former King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia had come just to watch the chaos. Napoleon III had driven him off the throne, and he had long harbored a deep hatred. He was now here purely to cause trouble.

He openly displayed a smile on his face, completely ignoring Eugène’s murderous glares. In Europe, there wasn’t a tradition of regicide. Regardless of the circumstances, a king was still a king, even if deposed.

As part of the established aristocracy, no matter how furious Eugène was, he couldn’t possibly commit regicide. And given that this was a funeral, there was certainly no way he could make a move now.

Perhaps in many people’s eyes, this approach was very unwise. After provoking someone like this, even if they couldn’t take action openly, couldn’t they take revenge secretly?

However, Victor Emmanuel II had his reasons. He was now leading the Sardinian Restoration Organization, which had united with the Italian Republican movement.

With the Italian independence movement at a low point, as the leader chosen by the movement, Victor Emmanuel II had to stir up something to boost morale.

Napoleon III’s funeral provided him with the perfect opportunity. His entry into the event was aided by some collaborators, as there were plenty of people who wanted to see the Bonapartes humiliated.

After attending the funeral, he would leave along with the other guests. If the French tried to stop him, it would be even better. He could use the situation to fan the flames of public opinion. After all, the countries eager to see France humiliated wouldn’t pass up such an opportunity.

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The farce at Napoleon III’s funeral didn’t concern Franz since these were minor issues. It was simply because young Eugène couldn’t handle the provocation. If an experienced old hand had been in his place, they wouldn’t have paid it any mind.

After all, they had already destroyed the man’s country and taken his throne. Couldn’t he be allowed to throw a small tantrum?

It was just a little laugh from the sidelines. It wasn’t like they ran in to cause a scene or disrupt the funeral. The best response was to treat these people like they didn’t exist.

There would be plenty of time to settle the score later so no need to rush. As Emperor of France, dealing with a few small-time clowns would be all too easy.

Just cut off their financial support, and soon enough, they’d be crying. You couldn’t resort to regicide, but making them spend the rest of their lives worrying about basic needs like food and shelter was well within reach.

Life as an exiled monarch wasn’t easy, especially with a whole entourage to feed. Being broke simply wasn’t an option.

Franz knew this all too well. Maximilian’s failure had sent hundreds of people trickling in, looking for refuge.

If Franz, as the older brother, hadn’t regularly reached into his own pockets to help, and if Archduchess Sophie hadn’t provided support behind the scenes, maintaining the appearance of imperial grandeur, let alone feeding all these people, would have been nearly impossible.

These folks loudly proclaimed their plans to reclaim Mexico, but when it came time to act, they were utterly useless. Yet, they still had to be kept around.

Though they might not be capable, having them around versus not having them at all were two entirely different situations. How could you maintain a good reputation without them to rally and whitewash the narrative?

Franz was willing to keep these idealistic blowhards on his payroll to ensure they would spread the word about Maximilian’s reform efforts. Whether those reforms were effective or suited to Mexico’s conditions was irrelevant. What mattered was that they looked good on the surface.

Uninformed onlookers wouldn’t grasp the deeper issues and could easily be led astray.

Of course, these people’s activities in Austria were also restricted. they couldn’t go just anywhere, and the articles they wrote were selectively published.

Franz sent a large number of them to study in France, under the guise of learning from the Bonaparte monarchy’s restoration experience.

So far, the results seemed promising. Maximilian’s Mexican restoration organization had been established, and it even attracted many Mexican students studying abroad.

In these times of widespread disillusionment, as people watched the warlords in Mexico battle ferociously, they began to realize that having an emperor might not be so bad after all.

Under the influence of public opinion, many people reflected and found that Maximilian I hadn’t done anything wrong.

Just as the newspapers said, the regional warlords in Mexico had been too powerful, preventing the emperor’s orders from being enforced.

Because they opposed the emperor’s reforms, the conservatives and warlords rebelled together, and the revolutionaries were all fooled.

Behind the scenes, Franz had been sponsoring Maximilian with 200,000 guilders annually, essentially using money to turn the tide of public opinion.

Victor Emmanuel II, by contrast, was under much greater pressure. While one group merely talked without taking action, the other was actively working toward restoring the empire, and the financial demands were on completely different levels.

Though Victor Emmanuel II had several secret sponsors, the sums were modest. Supporting his large entourage, he was constantly short of funds. Without enough money, he had to generate buzz to stir up patriotic sentiment or use his charisma to persuade backers to increase their contributions.

Cutting off their financial support would quickly reduce the influence of these restoration movements by several degrees. After all, people still needed to eat.

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Chief of Intelligence Tyron said, “Your Majesty, the Prussians have made their move. In recent days, Polish newspapers have been criticizing the government, blaming the chaos in Poland on the lack of a king and accusing the government of being focused on internal power struggles.

The Dąbrowski administration is on shaky ground, barely winning the election through popular support. Now the Prussians are manipulating public opinion, pinning their hopes on international intervention.

However, with Napoleon III’s recent death, everyone is more concerned with the future political direction of France and has no time to worry about Poland for the moment.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Polish parliament will re-elect a king within a month at most. This time, there are far fewer competitors, making William I’s victory almost certain.”

The reduction in competitors wasn’t due to Prussian interference. Many people have simply been scared off by the chaos in Poland and don’t want to wade into the mess.

Though Poland hasn’t been independent for long, it’s already caused quite a stir. On the international stage, they act as if they’re already one of the great powers, as though they are now a member of the elite club of nations.

They’ve crowned themselves the sixth strongest country in Europe, ranking just below Britain, France, Austria, Prussia, and Russia, without considering how Spain, the German Federal Empire, and the Nordic Federation feel about it. In terms of overall national strength, these three aren’t inferior to Poland.

Even small, seemingly insignificant countries like the Netherlands and Portugal could rival Poland in comprehensive national power. Despite their smaller populations and territories, their colonial holdings give them an economic strength that exceeds Poland’s.

That alone might be tolerable, given that exaggerating one’s strength for propaganda is somewhat acceptable. But a recent diplomatic blunder, where Austria nearly went to war with Poland, has opened many eyes.

Poland looks decent on paper. It’s a mid-sized power on the European continent, and theoretically, if it developed well, it might even join the ranks of the great powers.

But its geographical location is terrible, sandwiched between Prussia, Austria, and Russia. The sudden Austro-Polish conflict has reminded many of the old days when these three nations partitioned Poland.

A poor location and reckless behavior make Poland seem like a dangerous pitfall. No one wants to become the king of a doomed nation, so after weighing the pros and cons, many have chosen to give up.

Franz took a sip of tea and said, “Keep a close watch on the situation but don’t act recklessly. It’s time to activate our agents in Britain. Once William I is elected King of Poland, we will take action immediately.

Make sure to remain hidden and not expose our involvement. It would be ideal if the German Federal Empire took the initiative and clashed with the French over the Rhineland.

We and the British have received news that the French intend to purchase the Rhineland. To prevent further French expansion, supporting the German Federal Empire in gaining the Rhineland seems much more reasonable.”

Austria holds significant influence in the German Federal Empire. Many of the high-ranking nobles and government officials have secretly communicated with the Austrian government. It won’t be difficult to push them to act, but keeping it all secret is another challenge.

No one could guarantee that these people wouldn’t leak secrets. Placing bets separately had always been these people’s way of survival. While maintaining contact with Austria, they also had plenty of dealings with other forces.

Promising to keep secrets one moment and selling them the next, such things happened all too often on the European continent.

Especially with matters that influence the decisions of nations, it’s not something one or two people can pull off. Too many people are involved, and if there’s a leak, it becomes nearly impossible to identify the traitor.

Tyron, the chief of intelligence, responded thoughtfully, “Yes, Your Majesty. We’ll first expose the secret dealings between Prussia and France, and then let the British push the German Federal Empire to compete for the Rhineland.”

The Prussian government’s promises are empty, but that doesn’t matter. As long as everyone believes them, it’s enough.

If the Prussians dare to resist international pressure, Franz is prepared to unite the European powers and intervene militarily. From the beginning, he was ready to force the Prussian government to relinquish the Rhineland.

In the 19th century, for a nation to grow strong, it needed access to coal and iron. Without these resources, heavy industry couldn’t develop.

In the original timeline, Germany’s rise was largely due to its access to the coal and iron resources in the Rhineland, which led to the flourishing Ruhr industrial region.

In the short term, the loss of these resources might not be immediately noticeable, but as industrial technology advances, the consequences will eventually surface.

Even if Prussia were to annex the Kingdom of Poland, it couldn’t compensate for the loss of these resources. Europe’s coal mines are mainly distributed in Britain, the Rhineland in Central Europe, Ukraine, Silesia, and the Balkan Peninsula.

Unfortunately for Prussia, they can’t reach Ukraine’s Donbas coal fields. The Silesian region has already fallen into Austria’s hands. Without the Rhineland, Prussia would inevitably face delays in its industrial development due to coal shortages.