Chapter 1659 - 1565: Empire at Dusk

Chapter 1659: Chapter 1565: Empire at Dusk

In the Eggenberg Palace steeped in rich Baroque style, Count Waldesai, teacher of the Emperor of Sanctum, shifted his gaze from the historic dome of the castle and followed the Ceremonial Officer into the hall on the west side.

Nearly a hundred representatives from various countries were already seated in the hall. He took a deep breath, walking up to the wooden platform at the front.

To be honest, he didn’t like such occasions, but since Count Kobutsel was recently dismissed by His Majesty the Emperor, and the newly appointed State Minister, Earl Walterhausen, was busy integrating a government in turmoil, the heavy responsibility of this meeting fell on his shoulders.

The representatives in the hall stood to salute him, though their gestures were so perfunctory they resembled nodding. The Bavarians didn’t even bother to lift their buttocks from their chairs.

Count Waldesai began with some ceremonial opening remarks, then went straight to the point: "You must all be well aware of this shameful rebellion.

"The rebels are slaughtering in Vienna, forcing the people there to fight against the Imperial Army, bringing a heavy calamity upon the Empire.

"Although Prince Schwarzenberg defeated them in the Battle of the Feistritz River, there are still a large number of rebels in Vienna..."

The Feistritz River is just northeast of Graz. If it weren’t for Prince Schwarzenberg’s victory, this meeting might not have been possible here.

Count Waldesai placed his hands on the table, looking at everyone around: "Now, His Majesty the Emperor asks all nations to send the Imperial Army to suppress the rebels according to the ancient resolutions set by the Imperial Assembly..."

The Imperial Army consists of troops maintained by the Emperor of Sanctum in the German states, to be commanded by the Emperor when necessary.

Before Count Waldesai could finish his words, Koln’s Deputy Foreign Minister Thorsten Jäger stood up and loudly said: "My Lord Count, I need to clarify something first. The National Assembly was elected by all the people of Vienna and deserves legitimate status, not to be labeled as a ’rebellion’!"

Koln currently also implements a parliamentary system, with the newly appointed Archbishop serving merely as a religious figure. Therefore, when Joseph’s envoy hinted that Koln should support the Austrian National Assembly, they accepted without hesitation.

Count Waldesai was taken aback.

He had expected this to be merely a meeting to allocate reinforcement quotas among the German states, never imagining that someone would defy him publicly, something that was utterly unimaginable before!

He sighed inwardly at the decline of the Empire, then pulled himself together and said sternly: "No, that is rebellion! The Empire already has an Assembly, what they call the National Assembly is nothing but a gang of murderers, who have slaughtered tens of thousands in Vienna..."

Jäger smiled disdainfully: "Ha, what’s the difference between the Assembly you speak of and a nobleman’s salon?

"As for the killings?

"Do you know how many poor people starved, froze, or were killed by nobles in Vienna every year before the National Assembly was established?

"The numbers far exceed the criminals executed by the National Assembly."

"You, you are simply mad!" Count Waldesai was so angry that his lips trembled, his eyes involuntarily glancing at the guards beside him, but he eventually restrained himself, repeatedly saying, "No one can shield traitors, it’s a betrayal of the Empire, a severe betrayal..."

Jäger did not continue to provoke but shook his head and sat down. After all, most of the nations present were monarchies, saying more would only invite resentment.

His goal was to weaken the Emperor of Sanctum’s prestige, and he had achieved it.

It took Count Waldesai quite a while to calm his emotions and resume the main topic: "His Majesty the Emperor hopes that Weimar, Thuringia, and Würzburg can gather 10,000 Imperial troops, and that Hesse and Mainz can..."

The Hesse envoy immediately raised his hand: "My Lord Count, our country has no objection to dispatching the Imperial Army, but we request His Majesty the Emperor to first settle the overdue 670,000 florins for troop maintenance."

Indeed, the German states cannot afford to maintain such a large army; traditionally, the Emperor is supposed to allocate the military funds annually.

Count Waldesai was instantly angered.

In recent years, the Empire faced financial difficulties, coupled with diminishing control over some states, so the military funds to them were cut.

Previously, small nations that did not maintain an Imperial Army paid "monthly gold" to the Emperor, which was then distributed to the larger countries for army upkeep.

But now, nobody cares about the monthly gold, and Austria can only fund it themselves.

This money was one of the main catalysts for the previous Vienna uprisings.

The words from the Hesse envoy immediately sparked a chorus of agreement. Whether to send troops could be discussed later, but if they could secure some military funding, they certainly couldn’t miss it.

Sitting in the front row, the British Foreign Minister, Lord Hawkesburg, saw Count Waldesai only turning red and frantically waving his hands, and he couldn’t help shaking his head: The rebellion in Vienna and the secession in Hungary had already depleted this Empire’s prestige.

Yes, upon receiving the invitation to the Vienna Affairs Summit, William Pitt Junior eagerly dispatched Lord Hawkesburg to Graz—participating in such an important internal German meeting showed that England still held significant sway in Central Europe.

England also needed to maintain this influence and needed to draw Austria, an ally, closer.

Chaotic Austria was no good for England.

The British Parliament even considered providing funds to assist Franz II in quelling the rebellion.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet." Lord Hawkesburg lightly coughed as he stood up, helping Count Waldesai out of his dilemma: "At any time, severe rebellion is the mortal enemy of all who embrace order.

"We should not focus solely on the military funds, I mean, that is a topic for after resolving the rebels. Before then, you ought to adhere more to the responsibilities the Imperial tradition bestows upon you, complete your duties with utmost effort..."

Opposite him, Frank Hiller, a representative of the Mainz Diplomatic Committee, immediately brightened upon hearing this—it was finally his time to act—this was a task personally entrusted by the French envoy, and as long as he performed well, his position as the next Speaker of Mainz was virtually secured.

He stood up to interrupt the Briton: "Sorry, My Lord, you mentioned responsibility and duty?"

Lord Hawkesburg frowned but nodded: "Yes, it’s important."

Hiller tried hard to appear serious: "But as far as I know, your country doesn’t seem to care much about responsibility and duty."

The Briton’s face instantly darkened: "I warn you, this is an insult to the British Empire and will bring diplomatic disaster to your country!"

Hiller feigned an apology: "Don’t be angry, I didn’t mean it that way, I’ve just heard that the Portuguese army suffered heavy losses being besieged by New Granada militias in San Carlos, or rather, they’re doomed to be defeated."

He looked at Lord Hawkesburg with an annoying expression: "If I remember correctly, Portugal is your ally, right?"