Chapter 726 - 336: The Balkan Crisis (2)

Thus, the Serbian side resolutely rejected the demands of Austria-Hungary, stating that Austria-Hungary has no right to take anyone away from within Serbia’s borders.

Serbia’s outright refusal immediately angered Austria-Hungary. Judging from this matter alone, Austria-Hungary was certainly in the right.

The fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina belong to Austria-Hungary was determined in the previous peace negotiations, and the actions of the rebels are undermining the peaceful environment within Austria-Hungary, which is completely illegal.

It is only natural for Austria-Hungary to annihilate them, and it is even normal to demand people from Serbia, considering the significant disparity between the two countries; a small Serbia should give Austria-Hungary some respect.

Yet, it was at this final step that a problem arose. Ignoring Serbia’s overall strength for the moment, they indeed did not intend to give Austria-Hungary face in such matters.

Because giving Austria-Hungary face would be equivalent to slapping themselves in the face, completely disrupting their strategic plans.

The Serbian government was quite ambitious; it was impossible for them to back down to Austria-Hungary. After all, behind Serbia stood the superpower Russia, and if talking purely in terms of strength, Russia’s comprehensive power was stronger than that of Austria-Hungary.

The Austria-Hungary military did not expect Serbia to reject their demands so decisively, and upon hearing the refusal, the leading commander was visibly angry.

However, the matter on the border was of great significance, and a mere officer could not order the troops to fire on the Serbian army. After casting a resentful glance at the Serbian forces, the Austria-Hungary commander ordered a retreat and reported the border situation to his superiors.

With the report sent back to Vienna, the incident immediately caught the attention of various levels of government in Austria-Hungary.

Though it appears Serbia merely refused Austria-Hungary’s request for people, on a deeper level, the implications of this matter are much greater.

Firstly, the rebels were supported by both Serbia and the Russians. Supporting the rebel forces within Austria-Hungary so brazenly was an act of provocation against Austria-Hungary.

A small country daring to provoke a powerful great power, if Austria-Hungary did not retaliate strongly, this alone would severely damage Austria-Hungary’s international prestige.

The day after the incident, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary summoned the Serbian ambassador to Austria-Hungary, sternly questioning the Serbian government about their stance on this incident, and demanded that Serbia hand over the leaders of the rebels within three days and express an apology to Austria-Hungary for the incident.

The attitude of the Serbian ambassador was ambiguous, showing neither a strong refusal nor agreeing to any of Franz Joseph I’s demands.

While Franz Joseph I was still waiting for a response from Serbia, one piece of news completely infuriated him.

On the day he summoned the Serbian ambassador, the Serbian ambassador sent back related information to his government, conveying Franz Joseph I’s questions verbatim.

The Serbian government not only failed to agree to any of Franz Joseph I’s demands but also publicly announced Franz Joseph I’s requests to the Serbian populace through the news.

This instantly ignited the anger of the Serbian population. The relationship between the two countries was already fraught with contradictions, and the Serbian government’s summary in the news, omitting the background and context, directly made Franz Joseph I the most hated European ruler among all Serbians.

The Serbian government had achieved its purpose. With the populace united in their hatred of Franz Joseph I, the Serbian government would not, and had no reason to comply with Austria-Hungary’s demands.

When Franz Joseph I received this news, it was already the day after he had summoned the Serbian ambassador.

Since the Serbian side had no intention of showing Austria-Hungary or him any respect, Franz Joseph I decided not to show any leniency either.

On February 11, 1889, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary summoned the Prime Ministers of Austria and Hungary, and ordered the Austria-Hungary military to prepare for war.

On February 12, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to the Serbian government. If the Serbian government did not hand over the rebel leaders to Austria-Hungary within three days, Austria-Hungary would forcibly invade Serbia and arrest the leaders of the rebels on Serbian soil.

With Austria-Hungary’s ultimatum, all European eyes immediately turned to the situation on the Balkan Peninsula.

Truth be told, even Austria-Hungary’s allies Italy and Germany did not expect Franz Joseph I’s ultimatum to be delivered so swiftly.

But on reflection, it was understandable; Franz Joseph I had recently suffered the heavy blow of losing his only son, the heir to Austria-Hungary, merely half a month earlier.

Franz Joseph I was suffering such a severe blow, and Serbia chose this moment to provoke Austria-Hungary—wasn’t this self-destructive behavior?

To prevent any cracks in their alliance, Germany expressed its support for Austria-Hungary and condemned the Serbian government for sheltering the rebel leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stirring up unrest in other countries.

When Austria-Hungary issued its final ultimatum to Serbia, Carlo immediately sent a telegram to Franz Joseph I.

Perhaps as a correction of history, Carlo had once hoped to save Crown Prince Rudolf, but ultimately could not change his fate.

This prince, born as the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, ultimately lost his life due to reasons of romantic despair.

This was a tremendous scandal for the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Family and a severe blow to Franz Joseph I.

A European King who values love over power is rare enough to evoke deep sighs, and a noble like Crown Prince Rudolf, who forsakes his kingdom and even his own life for love, is certainly few and far between.

Upon learning of Crown Prince Rudolf’s romantic suicide, Queen Sophie cried throughout the entire night.

Her relationship with her brother, Crown Prince Rudolf, was indeed close; the three siblings grew up together and shared a strong bond.

Carlo had hoped to save Crown Prince Rudolf’s fate, aiming to maintain a long-term alliance with Austria-Hungary.

If Crown Prince Rudolf were still alive, Spain would have had a steadfast ally during the time of both World Wars, which would be incredibly valuable.

Even though Crown Prince Rudolf has passed away, Carlo still refuses to abandon the good relations with Austria-Hungary.

After Austria-Hungary issued its ultimatum to Serbia, Carlo sent a telegram to Franz Joseph I expressing, in his personal capacity, that the Spanish Royal Family would stand by the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Family in this incident and would provide all possible assistance to Franz Joseph I.

Although the telegram was not sent in the name of the Spanish government, it was clear to the discerning that this was a very clear expression of Carlo’s stance.

Spain, despite being a constitutional monarchy, sees Carlo’s influence on the government as undeniable. Carlo’s statement is no different from a declaration by the Spanish government; if a war were really to break out, the Spanish government would undoubtedly stand with Austria-Hungary.

Carlo’s stance made the situation of this event appear one-sided. Clearly, Austria-Hungary gained the support of Germany and Spain. The combined forces of these three great powers, though not as powerful as the former Triple Alliance, are certainly one of the strongest forces in the modern world.

Meanwhile, Serbia has at most only Russia, and whether Russia can continue to support Serbia under the pressure of three great powers is a question worthy of consideration.