Chapter 572

Budapest. Ever since the Austrian army besieged the city, the people in the city had been in a state of panic. If it weren't for the fact that the new government still had illusions about the Kingdom of Sardinia as an ally, many people would have run away now.

Of course, those who didn't run were also preparing to run. The city of Budapest was not small. In order to prevent the enemy from jumping over the wall, the Bohemian Legion strictly implemented a three-man encirclement.

It was very easy for a person to run away. As long as a large force did not leave the city, the Austrian army would not easily notice it.

The Minister of the Army of the Republic of Hungary, Gorge, said awkwardly, "Mr. Kossuth, I just received information that the Croatian traitors will meet with the Austrians outside the city tomorrow.

At that time, the number of enemies besieging the city will rise to 150,000, and Budapest will soon be unable to defend! "

"General Gorge is right. Budapest can't stop the enemy's army at all. This revolution has failed. In order to recover as much as possible and save Hungary, I propose peace talks with the Government of Vienna! "The Minister of the Interior, Semir, said.

With the military defeat, the Hungarian reactionary forces also began to rise.

The bourgeois nobles led by Semir and the military negotiators led by Gorge tried to protect their own interests through negotiations with the Government of Austria.

This was undoubtedly bad news for Kossuth. As early as before the Bohemian Legion besieged the city, he had advocated taking the initiative to attack the enemy before they were stable, but unfortunately, he was opposed by the military.

Now the enemy was fighting the local tyrants outside the city and dividing the land. By liberating the serfs and distributing the land, the Austrian army had gained the support of the local people.

On the contrary, the Republic of Hungary was hostile to the local people. In the eyes of the ordinary people, the Emperor in Vienna was their protector, and the Hungarian government in Budapest was just a tool for the nobles and capitalists to squeeze them.

The Minister of Education, Pedofi, hurriedly objected, "No, if we talk peace with Austria now, Hungary will split. The Government of Vienna is plotting to divide Hungary, and then we will only have one province left!

We don't even have autonomy in this province. The Government of Vienna has the advantage, how can they compromise? "

In fact, the revolutionaries did not mind compromising with the Government of Vienna, but the difference in conditions between the two sides was too great.

The Government of Austria, led by Franz, was preparing to divide Hungary into five provinces: Croatia, Slavonia, Vojvodina, Transylvania, and Hungary.

This was no longer a secret. Croatia and Transylvania had already established independent provinces, and the provincial governments of Slavonia and Vojvodina were also in preparation.

Once this plan succeeded, the Kingdom of Hungary would become history. Because of the ethnic relationship, the only remaining province of Hungary would be the only one left in the country. This would be several times more difficult.

Semir replied, "Mr. Pei Duofei, the problem is that there's no way we can win this war!

If they didn't negotiate with the Austrian government, the final outcome would be even worse. They would turn Hungary into history.

In the long river of history, countless nations have disappeared. You don't want to see the Hungarian nation disappear, do you? "

Kossuth said excitedly, "The great Hungarian nation will not disappear. History will prove that the enemy's schemes are futile. As long as we persevere, we will win!

In order to win this war, I have invited the famous Polish general, Henrik Dembinski. I believe we can win this war! "

Semir's face darkened and he did not speak. Although he hated Kossuth's habit of giving speeches, the revolutionaries were still in power. He did not intend to directly clash with them.

The war had come to this point. How could the power of a single person change it?

They dared to establish the Republic of Hungary independently because Hungary was a whole at that time, and the Austrian Empire was on the verge of collapse. The reform measures of the Government of Vienna violated their interests.

Who knew that not long after independence, Austria would stabilize, and Hungary would be torn apart under the political offensive of the Government of Vienna. The balance of power between the two sides had changed dramatically.

No one was a fool. Except for the revolutionaries, the rest of them were thinking of a way out. The Government of Vienna did not show any mercy to the rebels this time. Who would be willing to risk their lives?

…

The people at the bottom of Budapest did not care about what the big shots thought. They were worrying about three meals a day. Ever since the Austrian army besieged the city, the transportation of supplies between Budapest and the outside world had been cut off.

Hungary was the main source of food in Europe. Budapest was surrounded by farmland, and there was no shortage of food in the city.

Unfortunately, it could not withstand the soaring prices! Don't talk to the capitalists about the overall situation. There were many people who wanted money more than their lives. At this critical juncture, they did not want to tide over the difficulties together, but to take advantage of the situation.

Take the cheapest black bread, for example. It had risen by 58% compared to before the revolution. The price of coal for cooking had risen by 100%.

In order to save fuel, many families had to work together to cook. Even so, the rising prices still made it difficult for them to move forward.

To make matters worse, the Hungarian government had also issued republican currency and recovery rolls to plunder the wealth of the people.

Since the establishment of the Republic of Hungary, the people in the city of Budapest had not had a few days of comfort. How could a nation, a country, and freedom rival three meals a day?

On April 18, 1848, a labor movement broke out in Budapest. Starving workers and poor citizens took to the streets, asking the government to calm prices, severely punish profiteers for driving up prices, implement the Labor Protection Act, and solve the unemployment problem.

As the representative of the bourgeoisie, the Hungarian government naturally did not pay attention to their demands. The Kossuth government carried out cruel suppression at the first opportunity.

On April 23, 1848, the Austrian bill to abolish serfdom reached Hungary. The serfs in Kleinkőrös, who could not bear the exploitation and oppression, rioted. The rebels captured the manor, killed the overseer, and divided up the land.

The uprising quickly spread along the Danube River, which frightened the Hungarian nobles. They looked to Vienna and Budapest for help.

There was no doubt that the Government of Austria, who wanted to suppress the Hungarian nobles, refused on the grounds that it was too far away. In order to win the support of the nobles, the Kossuth government once again stood against the people.

After suppressing the workers and peasants' movement, the Hungarian government gained the support of the capitalists and nobles. The cohesion of the Hungarian nation rose, and at the same time, it completed a break with the people at the bottom.