Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 403: The Unfortunate Child

Amid France and Austria undermining each other, the Italian rebel forces momentarily enjoyed remarkable success. Ambushing the French troops one day and the Austrian troops the next day, the Redshirts began to gain renown worldwide.

This was merely the narrative in newspapers. In reality, the Redshirts had been beaten into oblivion. As a hastily recruited militia lacking sufficient arms and ammunition, they were simply no match for regular armies.

However, suffering defeat did not mean they lacked achievements. Even if they had no tangible accomplishments, there were still people forcibly attributing it to them!

Within a week of the arrival of the French and Austrian armies at the front lines, Naples was recaptured. Within two weeks, all cities on the Italian peninsula held by the rebel forces had fallen, and the majority of their main forces were annihilated.

It was precisely at this time that the Redshirts’ achievements suddenly surged, as casualties in the French and Austrian armies soared into the thousands.

The fleeing Garibaldi was still unaware of his newfound fame. He suddenly became an Italian hero when he was already preparing to exile himself overseas once again.

It was not that they did not try hard enough, the enemy was simply too powerful. Even if Italy were truly unified, it would be impossible to simultaneously confront France and Austria. Winning such a war was impossible.

Francis II became afraid. Initially, the French and Austrian armies were only sabotaging each other and setting traps, but now it had escalated to large-scale clashes.

Of course, in consideration of the friendship between France and Austria, direct confrontation between the two armies was out of the question.

Soon, both sides found a solution: they would remove their uniforms and fight, attributing all casualties to the Italian rebel forces. Thus, the Redshirts’ illustrious achievements emerged.

It’s unclear if this could be considered a revision of history. Originally, the Redshirts gained fame by defeating Spanish forces, but now they were handed fame by France and Austria.

In reality, regardless of the original timeline or the present, this force was quite flawed. Their weaknesses were exposed during the Austro-Prussian War, where they were nearly wiped out despite outnumbering the Austrian forces by half.

Now, it goes without saying that the situation is even worse than in the original timeline. Garibaldi was not even given time to train his troops before being steamrolled.

Francis II was a gentle, kind, and weak-willed individual who received strict moral and religious education but lacked sufficient political and military education.

This was the fault of his family. His mother passed away when he was just half a month old, and Ferdinand II remarried Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria as his second wife.

In this background, there’s no doubt that the education of the unfortunate child Francis II was neglected. Since his stepmother didn’t resort to treachery to have him killed, this already counted as her having decent moral conduct.

It’s worth noting that Ferdinand II and Archduchess Maria Theresa had eight sons and four daughters, so having many children made each of them less important. Under his father’s neglect, Francis II was raised as an obedient child.

Even obedient children sometimes rebel too. Francis II didn’t want to see Austria dominate the government of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies alone, so he was easily persuaded to send a telegram asking for help from the French.

After sending the telegram, Francis II began to regret his decision. As a member of the House of Bourbon, seeking help from the House of Bonaparte was tantamount to disregarding the honor of his own family.

Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world; he still had to tearfully carry on with what he had agreed to.

Francis II has now returned to the capital Naples. With the rebel forces almost eradicated, the tragedy has begun.

As France and Austria vie for power, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies has become the biggest victim. While the outbreak of war on their soil is already bad enough, the key issue is the casualties on both sides, for which they will ultimately foot the bill.

In the Royal Palace of Naples, Prime Minister Carlo Filangieri solemnly said, “Your Majesty, there is a possibility of the conflict between France and Austria escalating further. We must find a way to stop it, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable.”

Carlo Filangieri was initially against involving the French. As a seasoned politician, he was keenly aware of the true nature of great powers.

Even if Spain was unable to assist, Austria alone was sufficient to address the current issues. Introducing France would only add another exploiter.

Indeed, this has been proven in practice. France’s intervention did counterbalance Austria, but the cost was exceedingly painful.

The military expenses for seeking assistance increased at least threefold, and perhaps even more in the end. Due to the military conflict between France and Austria, the economy of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies suffered greatly, and the rebels in Sicily have been left unattended to this day.

These are just the current troubles. Trapped between France and Austria, the future of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies is destined to be grim.

Though Francis II’s political capabilities may be lacking, being of royal lineage, he still possesses some basic judgment.

The current situation is perilous. If the conflict between France and Austria escalates or even erupts into war, then the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies will be in serious trouble.

This is a precarious position to be in. Making the wrong choice could lead to abdication at best and the loss of the kingdom at worst.

The best course of action is to prevent the escalation of the conflict and avoid taking sides in this matter of life and death. As for involving other countries in intervention, Francis II has learned his lesson and will never dare to act recklessly again.

Francis II asked helplessly, “How can we stop it? I have already summoned the envoys of both countries. Neither France nor Austria acknowledges the ongoing military conflict. Even if we wanted to mediate between the two countries, we do not have the status for that.”

The behind-the-scenes contest could naturally not be brought out into the open unless one side could no longer bear it and wanted to flip the table. Otherwise, these conflicts do not exist, and the casualties are attributed to the “suppression of rebels.”

To make both sides stop, either one side must win decisively, and the other side must admit defeat or the losses are so heavy that both sides cannot bear it and are forced to stop.

Undoubtedly, thousands of soldiers from both the French and Austrian armies have been casualties, but there are still no signs of a decisive victory, nor has it reached the point of being unbearable.

Prime Minister Carlo Filangieri replied, “Your Majesty, we can start by making them aware of their international reputation, reminding the commanders of both French and Austrian armies.

After such a long time and without resolving the rebel issue, their casualties are increasing day by day. If they continue like this, their reputations will be tarnished.

Secondly, evidence can be fabricated to suggest that someone intentionally provoked the conflict between France and Austria, giving them a way out.

I recall that Americans once supported the rebels. We can make them take the blame.”

This is the best solution. As long as France and Austria care about their reputation, they cannot allow casualties to continue to increase.

Otherwise, it won’t be long before rumors spread across the European continent about the incompetence of the French and Austrian armies. If they can’t even handle the Italian rebels, the frontline commanders won’t be able to justify themselves to their countrymen.

In terms of fabricating a scapegoat, the British were actually the best choice as they had both the motive and capability to intervene. A little manipulation and neither France nor Austria would suspect.

However, Prime Minister Carlo Filangieri is timid and dares not provoke the British, fearing the consequences if things are exposed.

Blaming the Americans doesn’t matter. After all, the current United States is just a paper tiger in Europe. They can only show off in the Americas. If they dare to show their heads in Europe, they’ll experience what a social beatdown is.

Regarding the Lincoln administration’s support for the revolutionaries, European countries haven’t held them accountable for that yet. Do not think that just because the federal government paid a certain price, the matter was over. The countries would still take revenge if given the chance.

After a moment of reflection, Francis II made his decision, “Do it discreetly, so we don’t get implicated.”

Society is the best teacher, and harsh reality is what makes people grow the most. If it were before this, Francis II would definitely not have done these things.

Now his moral bottom line had inevitably declined, taught not by anyone else but the revolutionaries themselves.

After inheriting the throne, Francis II also carried out social reforms, such as granting more autonomy to the localities, promoting the liberalization process, granting amnesty to political prisoners, and reducing taxes…

It is worth mentioning that shortly after the amnesty for political prisoners, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies erupted in turmoil. Some of those who had sworn allegiance to the king, once released from prison, rebelled as soon as they got out of prison.

The 1860 rebellion can be said to have been single-handedly orchestrated by Francis II. The revolutionaries, who were originally leaderless, saw the beginning of the revolution with the emergence of these individuals.

There were many reasons, but all were driven by interests. Any reform inevitably harms the interests of some people, and Francis II’s leadership in social reforms was no exception. Some of the disgruntled individuals even became supporters of the revolution.

After promising to reform and start anew, the political prisoners, upon seeing an opportunity, once again became leaders of the revolution, igniting the first flames.

Without external intervention, and with the support of Austria, the revolution of 1860 in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was suppressed, with the current Prime Minister Carlo Filangieri leading the suppression of this uprising.

The matter did not end there; Francis II’s habitual softness resurfaced, and he did not execute all the rebel elements.

Later, for reasons unknown, he impulsively resorted to legal means.

The ultimate outcome was that due to insufficient evidence, a large number of insurgents were acquitted, and these individuals once again went into hiding.

The development of this rebellion owed much to these people. Without their collaboration, the uprising would not have been as smooth.

With numerous lessons learned, Francis II’s worldview was also shaken, and his moral boundaries continued to move ever closer to those of politicians.