Chapter 103: Held Hostage by Interests
Hungary.
As news of Sardinia’s defeat spread, more and more Hungarians began to lose confidence in the revolution. Cities like Miskolc, Debrecen, Pécs, Szeged, and others fell one after another.
By mid-June, the Hungarian Republic was left with only one city, Budapest.
Unwilling to accept defeat, the revolutionaries fled to the countryside after losing important cities, attempting to continue the resistance through guerrilla warfare.
It was a pity that the Hungarian populace didn’t buy it. In the eyes of ordinary people, the Habsburg monarchy was their protector, while the Hungarian Republic was seen as a government formed by nobles and capitalists to exploit them.
A people’s war was not ignited and was suppressed by the masses instead.
It can be said that Franz’s successful land reform in Hungary effectively shifted all of Austria’s dark history onto the Hungarian Government.
This world never lacked intelligent individuals. The Hungarian nobility, whose power had been greatly diminished after the internal turmoil, quickly changed sides and took action to prove their worth to the Austrian Government. They were preparing to secure advantageous positions in the new social order.
This was the way of survival for the ancient nobility, understanding the need to compromise with reality. The upstarts who hadn’t learned this lesson had already been dealt with when Austria suppressed the Hungarian rebellion.
In an old castle outside Arad, a young man was saying angrily, “Father, do we really have to do this? Once the Kingdom of Hungary ceases to exist, we will be left with…”
The elder waved his hand and said with great solemnity, “August, do not let your eyes be blinded by self-interest!
The Kingdom of Hungary no longer exists, and it was doomed from the moment the Hungarian Revolution began. The determination of the Austrian Government to eradicate Hungary will not waver.
While the courage to stand up to a powerful adversary is admirable, it is by no means something we should emulate; this goes against our ancestral teachings.
Since it is unavoidable that Hungary will be annexed, why not seize this opportunity to gain the greatest benefit?
The Austrian Government can use this revolution to annex the Kingdom of Hungary, but they still lack a legitimate basis in international law. This is our chance.”
August furrowed his brow and said, “But Father, the Austrian Government has taken our lands. The million hectares of ancestral land that has been passed down to us is now gone. We can never reclaim it!”
The elder shook his head and said, “What do you propose, then? These lands have been distributed among hundreds of thousands of people, and there’s no way to reclaim them. Do you want to become sworn enemies with our own subjects on our estates over these lands?
August, you are being too extreme. The most important thing now is not to blame the heavens or seek revenge recklessly but to cut our losses in a timely manner!
Remember, these lands were taken under the guise of redemption, yet we haven’t received any redemption funds. At this point, the Austrian Government would be delighted if you made trouble because that way, they wouldn’t have to pay a single florin.”
The House of Koháry, like many major aristocratic families, placed significant emphasis on estate management. Eliciting the anger and contempt of the public were characteristics of the nouveau riche and prodigals. Genuine ancient aristocrats highly value their reputation.
In Europe, noble wars often erupt, and nobles must rely on the loyalty of their subjects on their estates. If they cannot gain their support, how can major aristocrats maintain their special status?
Money moves hearts, and now that the lands have been distributed, it was fait accompli. The serfs who have received land will certainly not be willing to give it up. If they want to reclaim the land, they would end up on the opposite side of these people.
There was no other way; they must cut their losses at this point. As for seeking revenge against the Austrian Government, that idea is still on the table. They can even create trouble for them secretly. However, they should not take action openly.
Perhaps due to the intermarriage between the major noble families, the Habsburgs can’t take drastic measures against them. However, withholding their land redemption payment was still possible, or rather, the land redemption funds.
Redeeming the funds for millions of hectares of land, even with a discount, was still a significant sum, an amount no one can refuse.
Getting that money wouldn’t be so simple either. The land redemption funds are managed by the Austrian Government, they won’t readily release it.
Even if, for the sake of government reputation, they can’t outright default, they’ll find ways to turn it into long-term debts.
With this realization, August deflated. It was frustrating to think that while the Austrian Government harmed their interests, they still had to help stabilize the region to cut their own losses.
At least until they get their hands on this enormous land redemption fund, they must side with the Austrian Government and hope for Austria’s development, otherwise nobody will repay them.
After a lengthy silence, August reluctantly said, “Alright, I'll push for a public petition to allow the Austrians to legitimately annex Hungary!”
For the sake of the colossal land redemption funds belonging to the House of Koháry, no matter how unwilling he felt deep down, August had to swallow his pride.
Launching a public petition to apply for becoming a direct territory of the House of Habsburg, providing the Austrian Government with an excuse to annex Hungary was their first step in currying favor with Vienna.
Franz was demanding, and while it might be easy to take over Hungary, gaining the acceptance of the local population was difficult. Historically, after the annexation of the Kingdom of Hungary, it was revived not long afterward because the local population did not accept it.
If the local population voluntarily applied to become a direct territory of the House of Habsburg, then there would be no problem. This was public opinion, and no one could find fault with it.
Public opinion is blind, and at this time, it was the nobles’ turn to perform. With their leadership and the House of Habsburg’s reputation among the common people, orchestrating such a petition campaign was relatively easy.
……
Budapest, now a besieged city, seemed to have lost the Austrian Army’s interest in launching further attacks, as they hadn’t made any advances in a week.
With the Danube River flowing through it, the city had a reliable water source, but other supplies were running scarce. Due to a lack of industrial raw materials, factories had long ceased production.
A large population of unemployed people faced soaring prices, and the city’s economy had already collapsed. Those who were still young and able could join the National Guard to at least get a meal, but the elderly, sick, and disabled had lost their sources of income entirely.
The collapse of the discipline within the National Guard was largely because the soldiers had families to support. The meager salaries paid by the impoverished Hungarian Republic Government couldn’t feed their families.
To prevent their loved ones from going hungry, they were forced to suppress “counterrevolutionaries” in the hope of seizing enough wealth from the “enemies” to provide for their households.
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