Austrian Emperor Franz? It wasn't easy for Joseph I to meet with the representative of the Hungarian Slovak People's Republic. The 70-year-old Emperor sat on the throne and looked down at the country bumpkin who didn't have the slightest bit of aristocratic demeanor.
Out of courtesy, Queen Sissy of Hungary gave a stool to the rebel representative. He didn't show any modesty. He straightened his neck and said "thank you" before sitting down comfortably. The Austrian nobles shook their heads at his evil behavior.
They thought about how they had to negotiate with a bumpkin at the age of 70. Franz? Joseph felt greatly insulted. But he couldn't do anything about it. These bumpkins relied on their brutality to make a name for themselves. Thousands of Austrian nobles had fallen into the hands of the peasants. Not only had the Austrian nobles lost to them, but even the Russian army that had suppressed the Hungarian Revolution had lost 200,000 soldiers. Their corpses piled up like mountains, and their blood flowed like rivers.
The plague caused by the war made the Romanians, who attacked Hungary first, close their doors and turn their towns into ghost towns. Under such a situation, the paupers who called themselves the Hungarian Red Army were safe and sound as if they were blessed by the devil. Franz? Joseph's eldest daughter died of typhoid when she was two years old. The Austrian Emperor felt suffocated when he thought about the past.
"We hope to dissolve the Austro-Hungarian Empire and form the Austro-Hungarian Alliance, or form an equal confederation. Peace is in the interest of all of us. Your Majesty, I'm sure you can understand this with your wisdom. "The Hungarian bumpkin expressed his opinion in the country's unique straightforward language. When this kind of grammar appeared in the palace, the nobles present shook their heads.
"If you want peace, you should first prove your sincerity by releasing all the Austrian officers." The Emperor's voice was dignified and elegant.
"We want peace. Those Austrian officers are our cards. If we give them to you first, are we going to wait for them to come back with their troops?" The Hungarian bumpkin even used the common words of gambling with paper in a tavern, but his words didn't provoke any laughter. The bumpkin's straightforward words allowed the Austrian upper class to understand the Hungarian Red Army's attitude.
"If you won't even express the least bit of goodwill, then please leave. The Austro-Hungarian Empire has its own dignity and will not be threatened by anyone. " Joseph I had no intention of making any concessions.
"Old Master, you're already so old, why are you so angry? If you're not in a good mood, let's not talk anymore. " The bumpkin representative stood up. "What we want now is uncompromised peace. Only true peace can allow us to live a good life. Without true peace, all other paths will only lead to death for us. When you have thought it through, send someone to look for us. Once the deal is done, we'll treat your people to a drink. "
After the bumpkin's representative left, Franz Joseph was furious. He slapped the armrest of his throne and roared, "Stubborn fool! How stubborn! "
Since the Emperor was so angry, the other civil and military officials couldn't say anything. The reason why these peasants could be so arrogant today was because the civil and military officials did not do their job in suppressing the bandits. However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had already lost 100,000 of its 300,000 elites. If the remaining 200,000 were unable to succeed, the empire would suffer heavy casualties and waste public funds. The situation would only worsen.
Queen Qian Qian didn't expect things to develop to this point. She couldn't even persuade him. Then, Franz Joseph I said angrily. Joseph I said angrily, "Order the General Staff to come up with another plan to encircle and annihilate them. We cannot let these traitors go! We cannot let them go! "
Winter passed and spring came. Spring passed and summer arrived. Before the start of the Olympic Games, the Min dynasty issued an appeal to all the countries in the name of the Olympic Games Committee to 'stop the war and maintain peace.' Both Austria and Russia took advantage of this opportunity to declare a temporary ceasefire.
Starting in January 1900, the two countries each sent 300,000 troops to wage war against the Hungarian Slovak People's Republic. Austria suffered a crushing defeat. Thirty of its troops were annihilated.
The popularity of the 300,000 Russian troops in Romania was greatly reduced. They still couldn't break through the Hungarian Red Army's defense line in the Carpathian Mountains. In the stalemate, cholera, plague, and malaria started to spread among the Russian army. This time, the Russian army didn't dare to repeat the same mistake. They could only abandon the infected Romanians in Hungary and temporarily retreat.
Hungary used its poor and bumpkin troops to resist the attack of the two European empires and won. Even though Russia said that it was only a voluntary retreat, they withdrew first. In the eyes of the world, it was a sign of cowardice.
The Romanians didn't expect to be attacked by the plague twice in a year. The domestic opposition to the Russian army entering Romania was very fierce, which gave Russia a headache. No matter how Russia claimed to have complete obligations to the Slavic brothers in the Balkans, the fact that they brought the plague was very real. The Slavic brothers were willing to follow the Russian brothers to drink the soup, but they didn't want to die for them for no reason.
The Russian army had just finished the second retreat when the envoy of the Osman Empire arrived in Budapest. The envoy brought the statement of the Osman Empire's emperor: 'firmly support the just and independent action of the Hungarian people, and hope to discuss the future peace between the two sides.'
At the meeting in Hungary, a group of Central Committee members were listening to the opinions of the Min dynasty's advisory group. "We need peace. Although the four wars didn't cause domestic food problems, we lost more than 100,000 troops. The regular army of the Red Army is only 500,000. Now there are less than 400,000 left. The peace of the Osman Empire is very beneficial to us … "
The party representatives of the Hungarian Red Army all knew that the current illustrious reputation was entirely due to the help of the Min dynasty's Liberation Army advisers. They systematically brought the Hungarian Red Army mobile warfare. Because these people's knowledge was limited, they could only believe the advice of the Min dynasty advisers at this time. It was not easy to make these ordinary Hungarian leaders accept the peace with Osman Turkey. The Osman Empire and Russia were enemies, and there was also hatred between the Osman Empire. It was Austria that liberated Hungary from the rule of the Osman Empire.
The envoy of the Austrian Emperor arrived as soon as the envoy of the Osman Empire left. This time the Austrian Emperor was willing to negotiate with Hungary. The emperor's conditions were to maintain the foundation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and to fully respect the internal and military autonomy of the Hungarian Slovak People's Republic. The Hungarian Slovak People's Republic needed to return the confiscated property of the nobles.
Franz? After the envoy of Joseph I left, the members of the Liberation Army who were listening to the other party's conditions in the inner room came out. Most of them did not understand German, so they looked through the documents that were quickly translated by the translator. Zhou Shuren did not have this problem. He sat in his seat with his lips tightly pursed, the index finger of his left hand tapping on the table.
The translator quickly wrote out the conditions put forward by the Austrian envoy. The participants sat down. When the Chinese people read the contents, Zhou Shuren immediately said, "I firmly oppose the return of the so-called nobles' property. I oppose the so-called nobles regaining their status, and even against them staying in Hungary. Everyone is bleeding and sacrificing in order to let the lords ride on our heads again? "Zhou Shuren was very emotional, and his voice shook the hall.
The Central Committee members of the Hungarian Communist Party looked at the young propaganda minister with trust in their eyes. This minister, who was also a famous doctor, was quite famous in Hungary. He performed extremely well in the work of vaccinating and publicizing the epidemic prevention. It was one thing to brag to the outside world, but everyone knew themselves. Without the terrible plague, the Red Army would have suffered heavy casualties in the war with the Russians. After being vaccinated, the Red Army dared to move freely in the epidemic area. This victory had as much to do with luck as with the epidemic prevention.
Just as the Austrian envoy left the border between Hungary and Austria, Budapest received a telegram from Vyna. Queen Sissi of Hungary requested an interview with the head of the Slovak People's Republic of Hungary. The Hungarians generally had a good impression of Queen Sissi, so the Central Committee of the Republic quickly gave a reply of approval. At the appointed time, Queen Sissi arrived at the appointed place with only a few attendants. Looking at the somewhat suspicious Hungarian Red Army, Queen Sissi smiled. "I love the sincerity and enthusiasm of the Hungarian people, so I am now putting my safety in your hands."
When the Queen arrived in Budapest, she was greeted by the Foreign Minister. The young man's appearance was very delicate, but the hard life of the wind and rain had made his skin look dull and rough. The experience of the battlefield had engraved the scars of war on his beautiful face. The Queen felt as if she were looking at damaged works of art. Even if it was easy to see the subtleties at a glance, the damaged parts were so deep that people could not help but pay attention to them.
In the office of the Foreign Minister, the two sat across from each other. The Queen spoke first. "Your Excellency, the purpose of my visit this time is to ask you to agree to the conditions of the Hungarian nobles proposed by His Majesty the Emperor. It is not a problem even if the nature of the Austro-Hungarian Empire can be adjusted. If you really do not want to stand with Austria in the war, it is fine. These can all be stipulated in the treaty or the constitution. But His Majesty the Emperor is under great pressure. If you want to completely destroy the centuries-old noble system of Hungary, Austria will never accept such a change. I only ask for this one condition. Even if it is to modify the wording of this condition to the extent that everyone can accept it. "
The Foreign Minister waited for Queen Sissi to finish before saying, "Your Majesty. Why do you insist that we return the land of the nobles to them? These lands are already the country's land, and we have distributed them to the farmers to cultivate. Our farmer brothers farm, collect grain, and serve as soldiers. They are our roots! If you want us to take back the land distributed to the farmers, then you are digging our roots and asking for our lives! This is absolutely not possible. "
Queen Sissi did not expect this handsome young man to speak so straightforwardly. He did not hide anything and went straight to the point. This made it impossible for her to continue. After a moment of silence, the Queen continued, "Your Excellency. I hope you can recognize the contributions of the nobles to Hungary. There are many patriots among them, and many of them have sacrificed their lives for the country. The noble system represents Hungary's past and present. Indeed, the nobles had conflicts with you, but they did not stand on your side. Now that you have taken control of the country, can't you be more merciful? You don't even have to return all of them … "
"Those nobles killed people." The young man's voice was cold.
When the Queen heard this, she could not go on. After pausing for a moment, she stared into the young man's eyes and said slowly, "You have also killed so many nobles."
"The people in my village all say that my mother is beautiful." The young man began to narrate. The Queen was already 63 years old and had seen so many sons who looked like their mother. The Queen could imagine that the young man's mother must be a great beauty.
"A few years ago, when there were killings everywhere, the nobles in my area insisted that my father was a traitor. He ordered his militia to kill my father and take my mother away. I learned to hunt when I was young and knew how to use a shotgun. The nobles felt that I was a scourge to him, so he sent the militia to chase after me. I ran with all my might, met the group, joined the revolution, and became a traitor. When our group returned, the nobles had already escaped. We killed all the militia and rescued my mother from the nobles' manor. I heard that the nobles are still in Vienna. "
The Foreign Minister spoke slowly and did not seem to be emotional, but the more Queen Sissi listened, the colder she felt. When the tragic story was finished, the Queen asked hesitantly, "You … want to find that person for revenge?"
"Will you put him on trial because he killed my family?" the young Foreign Minister asked.
"If … you go to court to sue him, and the evidence is conclusive," the Queen said with great effort.
The young Foreign Minister stared at Queen Sissi. Although he did not deliberately put pressure on her, the Queen felt that the young Foreign Minister's gaze was so sharp that it could pierce her heart. The Foreign Minister asked, "The court in Vienna may accept this case, but I would like to ask, will they accept this case because that person killed the father of the Foreign Minister of the Slovak People's Republic of Hungary, or because that person killed an ordinary poor person in his territory?"
Queen Sissi really did not know how to answer. The young man's language was not elegant enough. The Queen was also very surprised that there was no educated person in Hungary who could speak in a gentle manner. Now she did not think so. The young man's appearance, behavior, and especially his perspective of problems were far better than the average diplomat. If there was a bone in an egg, it would probably be that the young man had not learned to use the language of the nobles.
"Your Majesty, those nobles owe us a lot of blood debts. It is impossible for you to erase their bad deeds now. Those nobles can pretend that they did nothing, but the people will not forget. Just like how I will never forget how that nobleman killed my father, and how that nobleman's henchmen chased me on horseback. I ran until I could not breathe, and I felt that if I continued to run, my heart would jump out of my throat. I felt terrible, and I thought that death was nothing to be afraid of. But when I thought of my father's blood debt, and my mother's whereabouts were unknown, I forced myself to run. So I forced myself to run. Even so, if I did not encounter the revolutionary troops passing by, I would still be dead. "The young Foreign Minister finally could not help but show an expression as deep as the sea of hatred.
Her Majesty the Queen was silent again. She was very clear that the court in Vienna would never accept a case for the poor people in Hungary, let alone convict those nobles for the poor people in Hungary. Not only in Vienna, there would not be such a court in the whole of Austria. So the Queen quickly made a decision. "Your Majesty, I will inform those nobles that if they commit a blood debt, they will not receive Austria's protection when they return to Hungary. As long as their trial is fair, with witnesses and material evidence, and the participation of lawyers, the Austro-Hungarian central government will not object to the trial. The central government of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will not object to the trial. I believe that the nobles who owe the blood debt will never return to Hungary. We can also set up a system that as long as they do not personally return to Hungary, they cannot ask for their land back. The nobles who dare to return to Hungary under such circumstances must have a clear conscience. "
"A clear conscience? Haha, yes. Your Majesty, you have a clear conscience. You have never killed anyone in Hungary, nor have you harmed the people, nor have you spent money like water. I understand that you have a clear conscience. "The young Foreign Minister smiled.
"What does Your Majesty object to?" Queen Sissi knew that behind the flattery, there was often malice.
"When I rescued my mother, she was about to go crazy. Later, I left with the troops and hired someone to take care of her in our house in the countryside. After I left for more than a month, I received news that my mother had hanged herself while the person taking care of her was asleep. "The young man continued to tell the story of his family.
The Queen was silent for a moment, then said, "That nobleman is guilty, those noblemen are guilty."
"My mother walked into a dead end because she felt that she was a human. Since she was a human, she should not be treated like that. If this was wrong, then it was either the world was wrong, or she herself was wrong. My mother felt that the world was right, so she walked into a dead end. "There was sorrow in the young Foreign Minister's voice, but there was something more than sorrow.
"I am different from my mother. I believe that the world is wrong. Your Majesty, you are a great person, and the laws of the world cannot hurt you. I am just a poor boy. If not for this revolution, do you really believe that you would speak to me so politely? I don't know if you believe it or not, but I don't. "
The Foreign Minister did not mean to ridicule, but Queen Sissi felt that she was being ridiculed. The poor young man was right. The reason why Her Majesty sat here was not because she really wanted to discuss the world with a poor boy on an equal footing. She did this because the poor boy represented the Hungarian Revolution, and behind him was the Hungarian Red Army, which could not be underestimated. This kind of understanding conflicted with the Queen's usual understanding of herself. Even though she knew that she had no choice, the Queen still believed that she was an approachable, loving, and willing to listen to the voices of the people.
After understanding all this, the Queen suddenly remembered the Foreign Minister's words, "If this is wrong, either the world is wrong, or she is wrong." Yes, the Queen suddenly felt that the world was wrong. It would be good if the poor young man in front of her could suddenly disappear. That way, the world that the Queen faced would return to normal.
"I have walked tens of thousands of miles over the years, and when I can't stand it anymore, I find a place to lie down and take a nap. As long as I can walk, I continue to walk. As long as I can work, I continue to work. I have participated in dozens of battles, big and small. At first, I was scared to death when I heard the gunshots, but when I heard the order to charge, I rushed forward. When the bullets hit me, I went to die. When they couldn't hit me, I continued to kill the enemies … "
Listening to the young Foreign Minister's narration, Queen Sissi could finally understand why such a young man looked so weather-beaten. It was because he had really experienced it.
"Your Majesty, we've endured so much just to shatter the old Dao and build a new Dao where no one can bully others. You want us to invite the old world back now, but that will never happen. If the old world wants to come back, it will have to step over my dead body first. It will have to step over the dead bodies of our comrades first. It will have to step over the dead bodies of our Hungarians first. It will have to kill our Red Army first, and then we will talk about whether the old world can come back. "
"This … is really an outstanding talent," Queen Sissi suddenly thought before she felt depressed. Diplomacy was to allow the other party to accurately understand the content of the exchange. Perhaps the Foreign Minister was too straightforward, but he allowed Queen Sissi to clearly understand the position of both sides, and even understand where the essential contradiction between the two sides was.
The Queen suddenly remembered the first time she saw the real Hungarians a few years ago. At that time, the nobles, the court officials, the civil council, and the church system still existed, and they joined forces to ask Queen Sissi to sentence the few Hungarians to death. The Queen still remembered that at that time, in order to get rid of the anxiety in her heart, she asked the few Hungarians if they wanted to repent. In fact, even if they decided to repent, the Queen believed that she might not be able to save their lives. But none of them repented. Even if they trembled in fear at the thought of death, those Hungarians publicly declared that betraying their beliefs was more terrible than death. At that time, the Queen intuitively felt that those Hungarians wanted to completely destroy the order that still existed in Hungary at that time, and she was deeply worried about it.
Now, Queen Sissi saw the result. The winner so far was actually a poor bumpkin who inherited the beliefs of those Hungarians. At that time, how many people really believed in the Hungarians? When the nobles ran amok in Hungary under the pretext of exterminating the Hungarians, Queen Sissi felt that the Hungarians would be easily killed by the nobles.
After listening to the Foreign Minister's words, the Queen finally understood that when the nobles were wreaking havoc under the pretext of exterminating the Hungarians, they were constantly creating the real Hungarians. The nobles' gravediggers were not the Hungarians, but the nobles themselves.
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