Chapter 1661 - 1567: Escape Route

As news continued to spread from Graz to all parts of Europe, the Vienna summit gradually became a farce in people's minds.

However, two noteworthy events occurred during the conference.

Firstly, the Bavarian emissary suggested sending 15,000 troops to help the Emperor of the Holy Rome quell the rebellion, fully funding the operation himself, but not under the name of the Imperial Army. Instead, it was framed as the "Kingdom of Bavaria providing all possible assistance to an equal-status neighboring country."

After a brief report from Count Waldesai to the Emperor, this proposal was rejected without any surprise.

Subsequently, the Bavarian emissary immediately departed for Munich.

Secondly, the Cologne Deputy Foreign Minister suddenly stated that the Austrian National Assembly must be treated fairly, or Cologne would issue the strongest protest to the Empire and reserve the right to take necessary actions.

The reason for this scene was the newly appointed Austrian Minister of State, Earl Walterhausen, who declared that all supporters of the National Assembly were guilty of treason and ordered the Graz Higher Regional Court to conduct trials in absentia.

Of course, the stance of the Cologne people did not attract the attention of the Emperor of the Holy Rome. Consequently, Vice Minister Jieger also left Graz on the third day of the conference.

The British Foreign Minister departed the day before without saying a word—he could no longer tolerate Mainz and other countries endlessly "harassing" him with the South American war situation. Moreover, the loan of 80,000 pounds originally intended for the emperor of the Holy Rome from William Pitt Junior was abandoned.

Thus, by the fifth day of the conference, Count Waldesai had confirmed that no valuable outcomes were possible, and the summit ended early.

By that time, only Thuringia in all of Germany expressed consideration to send 700 soldiers to Vienna to partake in quelling the rebels, while other countries either clearly refused or desperately demanded funding for the Imperial Army.

...

Vienna.

French Member of Parliament Buchard looked at the dusty old two-story apartment in front of him, a faint musty smell wafting past his nose, and frowned as he asked his assistant, "Are you sure you didn't get the address wrong?"

In Paris, anyone with a monthly income exceeding 50 francs wouldn't live in such a house, yet they said this was the home of the Speaker of the Austrian National Assembly.

Before his assistant could say anything, an official from the Austrian Parliament responsible for reception quickly added, "The Speaker does not have his own property. This was previously a meeting place for the Stilz Society, which he frequently stayed at."

Buchard nodded and entered, soon seeing a young man in a cheap black coat, with sunken cheeks and an unshaven chin, but eyes full of vigor. He stepped forward and gave a chest salute, "Honorable Member Buchard, welcome to revolutionary Vienna!"

"Glad to meet you, Mr. Speaker." Buchard smiled and returned the salute, then corrected, "I'm no longer a member of parliament today. I'm here at someone's behest, visiting you in a private capacity."

He said while handing a letter to Lucas, "This is from Baron Scheller for you. He is in good health; last month, I played tennis with him."

Lucas glanced at his father's signature on the envelope, put it in his pocket, and gestured towards the chairs in the living room, "Please, sit down. I assume you didn't travel all the way to Vienna just to deliver a letter from my father?"

Buchard nodded, "As I mentioned, someone asked me to visit you. Oh, it's a prominent figure."

Lucas's eyes lit up, "Who is this? The Speaker of the House? Or the Foreign Ministry?"

He paused, leaned forward, "Or, perhaps, someone from the Palace of Versailles...?"

Buchard waved, "You know, due to international diplomatic necessity, I cannot reveal his identity. But you can completely trust him."

Lucas seemed a bit excited, "At least it shows that the great nation supports the National Assembly!

"Oh, sorry for interrupting you. What does the prominent figure want to advise us on?"

Buchard adopted a serious demeanor, "Frankly, he believes you are in trouble, or soon will be."

Lucas's expression resembled a child being slighted, and he immediately retorted, "That's not the true situation, Mr. Buchard.

"Yes, our offensive in Graz encountered some resistance, but as you should have seen, the revolutionary fervor of the people in Vienna is like a flame. We will soon recruit tens of thousands of new soldiers to destroy the Royalist Party's defenses!

"Moreover, General Kosport seized Linz ten days ago; the Emperor's army was vulnerable. When we and the Hungarians repel the enemy in Buda…"

Buchard interrupted him, shaking his head, "Linz wasn't broken by the National Guard; an uprising occurred there; otherwise, the Wert Army wouldn't have suddenly collapsed.

"But such occurrences are unlikely in the future. You know, the western Inn River Region is controlled by local churches and noble gentry; your ideas of 'freedom and equality' simply don't work there."

Yes, Linz is one of the core regions of Austrian enlightenment thought, deeply influenced by German enlightenment philosopher Christian Wolf and Italian Muratori.

When the revolution broke out in Vienna, the liberals here soon became eager to act and secretly organized the National Self-Defense Force.

When National Assembly forces arrived in Linz, they quickly cooperated with the uprising, burning the gunpowder warehouse of the Wert Army loyal to the Emperor.

Kosport hardly fought before taking the city.

But moving further west from Linz, you re-enter conservative territories. Although the Inn River Region has long opposed Habsburg rule, they are even more repulsed by the liberals.

Buchard didn't wait for Lucas to refute, he immediately continued, "Let's set that aside for now. There's a more pressing matter. The Bohemian Parliament has mobilized 23,000 troops, and by the end of the month, they will arrive north of Vienna at the latest; how does the National Guard plan to respond?"

Lucas was visibly shocked, "How is this possible? The Bohemian Parliament has been seeking independence…"

"You need not doubt the reliability of my information, Mr. Speaker. Furthermore, the prominent figure who sent me here also believes that the situation on the Hungarian front will become passive."

Lucas stood up and exclaimed, "No, the people of Austria will not be defeated!"

Buchard nodded and gestured for him to sit, "Yes, your revolution will eventually succeed, but let me candidly say, you must also prepare in advance for unexpected situations."

Lucas took a big gulp of coffee, remained silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Will France intervene?"

"No. This is not the French people's war."

"What is your suggestion?"

"Prepare an escape plan for the National Assembly in advance."