There was no market for "three requests and three refusals" in Europe. It didn't even need to be three requests. As long as they refused once, everything would be gone.
Since the regency was in his hands, Franz naturally wouldn't look for trouble. He took over the regency decisively, not giving Grand Duke Louis a chance to regret.
Then, Franz changed the topic.
"Everyone, the rebellion in Vienna has been suppressed, but I'm afraid other places in Austria will be in chaos soon. In order to avoid the collapse of the empire, we must take more active action!"
Everyone's expression changed. The good mood of surviving a disaster was gone. How terrible was the collapse of the empire?
As the great nobles of Austria, their interests were tied to the country. Once the empire collapsed, everything they owned would vanish into thin air.
"Franz, things aren't that bad, right?" Grand Duke John asked with concern.
"Yes, ever since the February Revolution in Paris, the whole of Europe has gone crazy. Revolutions are brewing in many areas, including Austria.
The bureaucrats of the empire have been corrupted. Just like the rebellion in Vienna, it could have been settled by the police, but in the end, it led to a human tragedy. Tens of thousands of Austrians died because of it, including hundreds of nobles!
At this time, if we can't come up with more active measures, the Orleans Dynasty today will be our tomorrow, or even worse! "Franz threatened.
Could this scare them? Obviously not. Don't think that these grand dukes were easy to fool just because they weren't capable. That would be nonsense.
Franz had brought up this to take advantage of the fact that everyone had just experienced the Vienna Revolution. At this time, their mentality hadn't recovered yet, and it was inevitable that they would be pessimistic when looking at the problem.
At this time, Franz exaggerated and took advantage of the unequal information to create an illusion that the Austrian people were dissatisfied with the current political system and distribution of interests. If there was no reform, they would rebel. No, they had already rebelled.
"Franz, can you tell us about the situation outside?" Grand Duke Louis asked.
Obviously, he was also shocked by the news brought by Franz. They weren't afraid of the people in Vienna rebelling, but if the people in other places followed suit, it would be terrible.
After thinking for a while, Franz said cautiously, "Yes. After the Revolution of February in Paris, the revolutionary parties in all the countries of Europe were encouraged, and the undercurrents were stirring in all the great cities.
After the Vienna Revolution broke out on March 7th, the revolution in Austria was on the rise. Although we successfully suppressed the rebellion, the mastermind behind the scenes escaped.
What we should be vigilant about is that the Vienna Revolution this time involved not only the revolutionaries, but also capitalists, nobles, and city officials.
From the perspective of social strata, including workers, peasants, townspeople, the middle class, the bourgeoisie, and the nobility, this coverage was too broad.
If it hadn't happened so suddenly and the rebels didn't have serious internal conflicts, the revolution in Vienna would have been a success! "
Hearing this news, everyone was dumbfounded. Even the nobles had participated in the revolution, which meant that the Government of Vienna was losing its foundation.
Grand Duke John hurriedly asked, "Franz, are you sure there are nobles involved in this rebellion? Is it a person, or … "
Franz said with a bitter smile, "At present, there are 83 nobles who have been confirmed to have participated in this rebellion, and there might be more who haven't been found.
The reason for their participation in this rebellion is very simple. They are dissatisfied with the government's inaction during the economic crisis, or rather, they didn't make money when they hoarded! "
"These bastards, don't they know what they're doing? If the Empire is finished, can they still have a good life? "Grand Duke Louis said angrily.
Everyone else also shared the same hatred. This was destroying their own rice bowls. Without the Austrian Empire, could the nobles still have their current status?
…
Franz explained, "This problem is probably related to our system, so that they have nothing to fear. Anyway, even if they fail, we can't kill them all.
If they succeed, the new government will be established, and they can also become a member of the interest group. As for the nobles' glory, if they still care about it, they won't participate! "
Everyone stopped talking. At this time, everyone realized that the interests of the nobles would probably be damaged by Franz's attack. When it involved their own interests, no one was willing to give in.
The only one whose expression didn't change was Grand Duke Franz Carr. It seemed like he was just a bystander from the beginning, as if these things had nothing to do with him.
At this time, he spoke, "Franz, what are you going to do?"
Everyone's expression changed slightly, but they didn't say anything. Before they were sure of Franz's intentions, there was no need for them to stand up and oppose him.
"As for those who participated in this rebellion, we must punish them severely. Send the leaders to the gallows, and the others will be sentenced according to the severity of the case.
All the nobles who participated in the rebellion will be stripped of their titles, and all their assets will be confiscated. Other specific measures can be decided by the Noble Parliament! "
Franz made a prompt decision and stated his intentions. He wasn't afraid of anyone objecting. This time, the Vienna rebellion had killed hundreds of nobles. If the rebels weren't punished severely, the families and friends of these people wouldn't agree to it.
For the nobles, the most serious punishment wasn't beheading, but stripping them of their titles and confiscation of their lands. This meant that the family's glory would be ruined.
The archdukes looked at each other, and Louis spoke first, "Franz, this time, the implications are too great. Can we keep our titles?"
Franz shook his head and said, "If this is dealt with lightly, I'm afraid there won't be just these few people participating in the next rebellion.
And how are we going to answer to those who died? According to our preliminary statistics, I'm afraid there will be more than a dozen noble families that will die off! "
Everyone's expression changed greatly. "Dying off" was definitely the most terrifying consequence. If there were noble families that would die off because of this, then things would change qualitatively.
During the time of the Holy Roman Empire, when the emperor wanted to confiscate the nobles' lands, everyone would collectively oppose it. Now that it was the Austrian era, things were different.
The great nobles in the country weren't that powerful. There wasn't a situation where even the emperor couldn't do anything if a few vassals joined forces. That was why Franz dared to play this game.
He might even implicate some of the nobles. As long as a member of a noble family participated in the rebellion, they would also be in trouble. This was because there was no way to explain things clearly.
Of course, if one was smart enough, it wasn't impossible to avoid this disaster. As long as they proved their worth before the settlement was completed, Franz would also show mercy.
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