Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 78: Emergence of Sensationalized Headlines

The Kingdom of Sardinia.

In order to defeat Austria, an alliance was reluctantly formed by Charles-Albert with the republican government that he detested the most. The Austro-Hungarian War had just broken out, and before they could even have a chance to celebrate, an urgent plea for help was received.

Upon receiving the plea for assistance from the Hungarians, Charles-Albert was filled with despair and an immediate roar escaped his lips:

“Damn it, are all these Hungarians useless? The war has just begun, and they are already on the verge of collapse.

Even if they have 300,000 National Guard troops, they might as well be 300,000 pigs. The Austrians won’t be able to kill them all in such a short time!

Do the Hungarians have no courage to fight for their freedom at all?”

“Your Majesty, Hungary is a multiethnic country where, while striving for national independence, the Hungarian people have also oppressed other ethnic minorities.

The Austrians have managed to buy off these minority groups, and from the very beginning of the war, the Hungarian Republic has been on the losing side,” Prime Minister Azeglio explained helplessly.

On the surface, Hungary appears formidable, seemingly independent, while Austria’s national strength has decreased significantly. Furthermore, with the alliance formed with the Kingdom of Sardinia, both sides seemed evenly matched.

However, it turns out that Hungary, despite its outward display of strength, is internally weak. Just as they fell out with Austria, two-thirds of their territory changed hands.

Apologies for the confusion. If "Liqi" is the name of the Minister, the corrected translation would be as follows:

“Useless!”

Charles-Albert angrily cursed, but it was unclear whether he was cursing Hungary or the Prime Minister.

“Minister Liqi, based on the current situation, how long do you think the Hungarians can hold on?”

The summoned Minister Liqi immediately replied, “Your Majesty, no one can answer that question. Currently, the Austrians are advancing rapidly, mainly because there are too many Hungarians who lean towards Austria. It can be said that it is not so much the defeat of the Hungarian National Guard troops by the Austrian forces but rather the voluntary surrender of the Hungarian people themselves.”

Charles-Albert’s face changed as he realized that if the Hungarian Republic were to be defeated, the situation on the Venice battlefield would be disastrous without them to hold back the main Austrian forces.

When the lips perish, the teeth feel the cold. Even though Charles-Albert felt that engaging in a sudden decisive battle with the Austrians in Venice might be unwise, the Kingdom of Sardinia had no other choice. They could not afford to lose the Hungarian Republic at this critical moment. They had to jump into this pit.

TN: When the lips perish, the teeth feel the cold is an idiom that expresses the idea of interdependence or mutual reliance. It suggests that when one entity or group is in trouble or faces a threat, it affects others connected to them as well.

Public opinion within the Kingdom of Sardinia was constantly pressuring the government to engage in a decisive battle with Austria. Charles-Albert was also influenced by this sentiment and has finally made up his mind.

“Order Marshal Badoer to expedite the operation. At all costs, we must occupy Venice before the Hungarian Republic collapses!”

… …

Frankfurt.

This city, known as the commercial capital of Germany, has become more vibrant with the arrival of delegates from various places. Discussions about this grand event can be heard in every street and corner.

Although the legitimacy of the Frankfurt Congress was still under scrutiny, the enthusiasm of the people remains undiminished.

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The discussions regarding Greater Germany and Lesser Germany continued, with neither faction gaining the upper hand. Nevertheless, the participants remained eager and spirited in their deliberations.

As of now, besides Prussia openly supporting this conference, only a few free cities and small states have expressed their support.

Regardless of their support or lack thereof, representatives from all the states have arrived in Frankfurt. Some representatives were elected, while many others were appointed to represent their respective states.

The phrase “money knows no borders” was no joke. These capitalists, driven by the desire for the unification of the German region and the creation of a large market, have long abandoned their moral principles.

In the lodgings of the Austrian delegation, Lauter questioned with confusion, “Andersen, are all these people we met today elected representatives?”

“Probably so!” Andersen replied with uncertainty.

“But why do I feel like these worker representatives are more like hired thugs?” Lauter furrowed his brow and said.

“Perhaps they are supervisors in the factories. Why bother about it? As long as we have enough people, it’ll be fine. After all, weren't we elected as well?” Andersen thought for a moment and said.

“Thugs can be considered supervisors, and supervisors are certainly workers too," they said, exchanging a glance. They no longer held any expectations on this conference.

This is the social reality, whether it be for workers or farmers, even if they are elected as representatives, they still do not have the qualifications to participate in the conference, and they may not even have enough funds to cover their travel expenses.

The conference, orchestrated entirely by capitalists, how could they possibly surrender their dominant power? If they were to hold democratic elections, only fools would support them based on their favorable reputation.

Whitewashing and getting off the hook? That doesn’t exist. It was still the 19th century, and morally upright capitalists are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. The social backdrop is dark, and even if you start off clean, you'll be tainted.

They even believe that even if they don't attend this conference, they’ll still be represented. With the capitalists’ lack of principles, they can easily carry out such actions without any pressure.

“Oh no, Mr. Andersen, the organizers have informed us that regions like Bohemia and Hungary do not belong to the German territories, and their representatives cannot participate in this conference.”

Andersen's face changed, first expressing anger, then turning into delight. This was a perfect excuse handed to them on a silver platter, how could they not make use of it?

“Quick, spread this news to the newspapers and publish it. Describe the situation even more severely, emphasizing the arrogance of the organizers,” Andersen hurriedly instructed.

“Wait, I think we can add some more spice to it. Let's spread a rumor that the Prussians are controlling this conference with the intention of passing laws to annex all other states!” Lauter added.

“Since that's the case, let's go even further. Let's fabricate a rumor that the Prussians are planning to establish Protestantism as the official religion of Germany and use the constitution to ban the existence of Catholicism!” Andersen continued.

… …

Since they were all here to make trouble, they did not feel any pressure fabricating news. In this era, limited by communication, it was difficult to ascertain the truth.

In Vienna, Franz even formed an expert group specifically tasked with collecting information sent back from the front lines and creating topics to guide Austria in the desired direction.

By the time the Frankfurt Congress began, rumors had already spread throughout the German territories that the Prussians were attempting to annex other countries through this conference.

“Representatives of the working class with backgrounds as capitalist henchmen!”

“Representatives of the farmers who own a hundred thousand hectares of land!”

“Who elected these representatives?”

“Who granted the capitalists the right to run this country?”

… …

With the aid of artistic embellishment, sensationalized headlines boldly claimed the top spots on the front pages of mainstream European media, presenting images as the ultimate truth.

The truth became intertwined with rumors, making it challenging to discern what was real. Many people only believed what they personally witnessed, but the reality was harsh. The media’s exposure of the capitalist’s dark history was no different from what they observed.

The Frankfurt Congress undermined the authority of monarchs in various countries, and under Franz’s leadership, they collectively ignited this battle of public opinion.