Chapter 1680 - 1586: A Different Era

Chapter 1680: Chapter 1586: A Different Era

Franz II struggled to suppress his anger, his voice icy as he instructed the diplomat standing beside him: "Tell the Bavarians to immediately return the Imperial soldiers they have detained, cease their unreasonable antics, and assist in quelling the rebels in Innsbruck, and I can pretend this matter never occurred.

"Otherwise, they will face repercussions ranging from the Danube trade embargo to the revocation of their appeal rights, the Imperial Knights Autonomy Order, and even an Imperial Ban!"

The diplomat, pale with tension, replied "Yes, Your Majesty," and quickly left the study, contemplating how best to inform Lord Metternich of the Emperor’s extreme decision.

The so-called "Danube trade embargo" entails ordering all states along the Danube within the Empire to cease trade with Bavaria or impose high tariffs.

"Appeal rights" refer to the ability of Bavarian nobles and priests to directly submit lawsuits to the Imperial Court in Vienna and Wetzlar. If the Imperial Court rules on a matter, the Bavarian courts must enforce it—this is a fundamental Imperial system established by documents like the Westphalia Treaty.

The "Imperial Knights Autonomy Order," also known as the Knight Autonomy Order, grants the Imperial Knights within Bavaria the privilege of refusing conscription, taxation, and judicial orders from their monarch.

Based on past experience, these three measures are enough to scare any German state other than Prussia into immediately kneeling before the Emperor’s boots.

For example, 33 years ago, the Duke of Württemberg defied Imperial regulations by expanding his army and increasing taxes. Emperor Joseph II invoked the appeal rights, causing masses of Württemberg nobles to appeal in Vienna, leading to chaos within Württemberg. Soon after, the Duke of Württemberg bowed to the Emperor and admitted his mistake.

As for the "Imperial Ban," it’s even more severe, including but not limited to: no longer recognizing the lord’s powers; nullifying any documents signed between the lord and other states; allowing all Holy Roman Empire states to legally enter the country; the Church cutting off cooperation with the country, and so on.

It’s practically a deadly blow to a state. Due to its overwhelming power, the Emperor hasn’t wielded this "weapon" since 1621.

Yet just now, His Majesty the Emperor threatened to use it against Bavaria!

The diplomat communicated the Emperor’s attitude tactfully to the Bavarian Foreign Minister while also reporting it to Metternich—who was still tussling over a ceasefire agreement with the Hungarians in Pest.

At the court banquet the next day, Franz II was still vehemently condemning Bavaria to the surrounding nobles: "They will soon face punishment and realize the terrible wrath of the Emperor!"

He became more incensed: "The Empire has yet to send troops to Passau, only giving Munich an opportunity for introspection. But if they persist in slandering General O’Leary’s pursuit of the rebels, then the Imperial Army will make them deeply regret..."

The surrounding nobles immediately echoed loudly, playing along.

At this moment, Assistant Foreign Minister Olsperlo burst in with a newspaper, but hesitated upon seeing the Emperor in high spirits.

The young Prince Lobkowitz approached, glancing at the newspaper in his hand: "Do you have some important news?"

Olsperlo grimly handed him the newspaper: "Count Montegelara leaked His Majesty the Emperor’s response to the press, stating that they will never accept humiliation and will fight to the bitter end, even if it means relinquishing the role of Elector..."

Though his voice was not loud, some grew aware and swiftly spread the message across the crowded banquet hall.

Franz II, who was eloquently speaking, suddenly felt as if his surroundings had quieted considerably.

...

Three days later, all newspapers in Munich headlined the Emperor’s threat to "immediately return the Imperial soldiers, cease unreasonable antics... or face an Imperial ban’s repercussions" and elaborated on O’Leary’s invasion, Austria’s arrogance, and the serious consequences of the Imperial Ban.

The article was written by the Paris News Agency, ensuring not a single falsehood, but omitted mentioning the Revolutionary Party from Vienna passing through Bavaria to the south.

As for Franz II’s words, the middle segment on the Danube trade embargo and appeal rights was omitted, jumping directly to the Imperial Ban, making it seem as though the Emperor resorted to extreme measures from the start.

Initially, the Paris News Agency worried that Austria’s response might be relatively soft, so they prepared interviews on the streets of Austria and had Graz nobility make bold statements to facilitate their writing.

In the end, they didn’t expect Franz II to provide them with excellent material.

Soon, under the direction of Maximilian I, Bavaria erupted with volcanic anger.

People from major cities took to the streets, shouting slogans like "Never bow to the Emperor" and "The invaders must apologize."

Some even called for "declaring war on Vienna."

The Bavarian government’s response was swift, deploying large numbers of troops to the eastern border and openly preparing war materials.

Meanwhile, Bavaria and Württemberg simultaneously announced a series of cooperation agreements ranging from industry to trade, policy to diplomacy, and even military cooperation.

Essentially, apart from maintaining their own sovereignty, the two countries were almost indistinguishable from a single nation.

...

Eggenberg Palace.

Franz II stared at Metternich and Stadion, swallowing hard.

Only now did he finally realize the gravity of the situation.

Metternich had just informed him that given the current state of the Empire, it was impossible to engage in a war with a strong nation like Bavaria.

Not to mention the news just arrived from Southern Germany—Bavaria and Württemberg have allied.

This means that if war broke out with Bavaria, Württemberg would almost certainly join.

Metternich continued, "Your Majesty, in addition, we must consider Prussia’s position.

"They would undoubtedly wish for us to become embroiled in a draining war, even if they do not send troops directly; merely providing assistance to Bavaria would pose a huge threat to us.

"In reality, if war broke out, we would have no choice but to deploy significant forces on the northern front, even if Prussia promised not to participate.

"This would almost deplete our domestic forces, and those revolutionary parties might seize the opportunity to create turmoil."

In this era, the term "Revolutionary Party" did not bear a favorable connotation.

Stadion added, "Prussia has been developing rapidly of late; in the first half of this year, their steel production increased 2.2 times.

"Cannons produced by that Krupp ironworks were even exported to Hesse, Mainz, and other places; it’s said that their quality now surpasses that of the Royal Armory’s products."