Chapter 641

The Hungarian Revolutionary Party of 1848 was not a purely revolutionary party in nature. It had grown rapidly from a small party of a hundred and eighty people to become the leader of the Hungarian Republic. There were too many speculators in it.

It was easy to get on the boat but difficult to get off. The Austrian Empire, which had been dying, was now full of blood again. Many people's hearts had collapsed.

If the Government of Vienna had issued an amnesty at this time, Budapest would probably have surrendered without a fight.

Obviously, this was impossible. Neither the Austrian cabinet nor Franz, the crown prince, had given up this opportunity to attack Hungary's power.

Suppressing the rebellion was the best reason to attack. The wider the scope of the rebellion and the more nobles involved, the better it would be for the future rule of Austria.

In terms of wealth concentration, Hungary was estimated to be at the top of the list. In name, there was a ruling class of five percent, but in reality, less than one-thousandth of the population controlled 90% of the wealth of the whole society, including serfs and workers.

There was no justice in such a strange social order not to be broken.

This revolution was actually still a power struggle within the five percent of the population, and the remaining 95 percent were just passively involved.

This was also the reason why Kossuth could ignore the army's harm to the people. His supporters came from the five percent group, and the remaining 95 percent could be sacrificed.

"Are you sure the enemy will attack the city with water? In our current situation, even if they don't do anything, it will not be long before Budapest becomes a dead city! "Pei Duofei roared.

There was no other way. The Government of Austria would not let go of the senior members of the revolutionary party. They did not want to die, so they could only trick the soldiers into fighting.

Kossuth's deception was so successful that he even deceived himself. For the final victory, he did not care about anything else.

The Austrian army was steady all the way, advancing very slowly. It seemed difficult, but in fact, this was the best strategy, without any risk.

Including the dam upstream, it was actually just a pretense. Any politician with ambition to annex Hungary would rather choose to besiege Budapest than choose the most hateful water attack tactics.

Kossuth said in disbelief, "You mean the enemy deliberately put pressure on us, forced us to take the extreme path, and then destroyed Budapest? No, no, that's impossible! "

After saying that, Kossuth sat there motionless, as if he had fallen into a spell.

Most of the upper class of Hungarian society was concentrated in the city of Budapest. More than half of the people in the city were nobles, capitalists, and their vassals.

For the Government of Vienna, it was best to die. Even if there were supporters of the House of Habsburg, Franz did not mind sacrificing them.

Everyone was a politician. Using the mindset of a politician, they would consider whether it was worth it to sacrifice this city in exchange for a long-lasting peace in the Kingdom of Hungary. Everyone would do the math.

Pei Duofei shouted, "Wake up, Mr. Kossuth, this is the enemy's plot!

Now that the National Guards had gone crazy, even some declining nobles, small merchants, and the middle class couldn't escape from their evil hands.

If this continues, they will become bolder and bolder, slowly stretching their hands into the upper class. When that time comes, it will be too late for us to control the situation!

This is exactly what the enemy wants to see the most. They want us to help them get rid of the Hungarian elites, and then push all the blame on us. Then, they can naturally annex Hungary! "

If Franz were here, he would definitely praise their imagination. Yes, he wanted to take the opportunity to eliminate dissidents, but he did not intend to rely on the revolutionary party to do it. This was too unreliable.

If Franz were here, he would definitely praise their imagination. Yes, he wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of dissidents, but he did not intend to rely on the revolutionary party. That was too unreliable.

If some people died in the war, they could just throw the blame on the revolutionary party. Would the dead come out to defend themselves?

Kossuth's beautiful dream had been punctured, and his face was frighteningly gloomy. Just thinking about how he had almost been tricked by the enemy and destroyed the Hungarian nation with his own hands, he was filled with lingering fear.

Although Hungary had a population of more than ten million, there were only five or six hundred thousand people he considered his own people, and Budapest was more than a third of them.

Without these people, there would be no Hungarian nation. They were the backbone of the nation.

After a long while, Kossuth recovered. "Thank you, Pei Duofei! I was within a hair's breadth of becoming a Hungarian sinner.

You are right. The enemy is indeed plotting. They could have taken Budapest faster, but they have been dawdling. It seems that they want to catch us all in one fell swoop. "

…

When Kossuth wanted to enforce military discipline, it was too late. The results of the battle in Venice had already been spread.

The pro-Austrian faction in the interim government continued to expand, and the speculators were trying to find a way to change ships. Kossuth was under even more pressure.

The small temple was big, and the shallow pond was full of turtles.

There were all kinds of people in the interim government of the Republic of Hungary. This was a result of the special social environment.

Before the revolutionary party grew stronger, it had been suppressed by the government. Many members of the revolutionary party had become wanted criminals. When they ran away, they had to deal with local gangs and organizations.

Many of the Hungarian revolutionaries had another identity — members of gangs and organizations. The ways of the world were applicable everywhere. With this relationship, the gangs and organizations that had contributed also had a place in the interim government.

If the revolutionary party was strong enough, they would be able to suppress these people, but now they could not.

Everyone knew that the revolutionary party could not make it. It was only a matter of time before the interim government was finished. If they did not take advantage of the last opportunity to make a fortune, there would be no chance when the Austrian army attacked.

… (Omitting ten thousand words, just a taste)

These gangs and organizations were not the only ones who were taking advantage of the situation.

The capitalists were not idle either. If they did not take advantage of this opportunity to eradicate their competitors, would they still be worthy of being called black-hearted capitalists?

Hiring murderers was only the most basic operation. A little more sophisticated, using their relationship in the government, framing them as counter-revolutionaries and executing them on the spot.

According to statistics, the interim government of the Republic of Hungary, which had existed for less than three months, had executed more than 3,000 people on counter-revolutionary charges, most of them workers who had participated in strikes.

In the most extreme cases, when the National Guards broke into a house to commit murder and robbery, they could accuse the owner of being a counter-revolutionary, kill the original owner, and seize their property.