Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 970 - 233: Farce - Scapegoat President

Chapter 970: Chapter 233: Farce – Scapegoat President

The auction had ended, but the impact it brought was still ongoing. Naval trade had always been intertwined with politics, and this time was no exception.

The temporary compromise between England and Austria took center stage. Other countries took an active part in the auction, signaling politically their recognition of Austrian hegemony.

Tending to advantages and disadvantages is human nature. Now that the dust had settled, pleasing the Vienna Government might not guarantee its favor, but those who did not attempt it would definitely be “viewed differently.”

Under these circumstances, regardless of whether they needed to buy warships, representatives from each country made at least one bid, creating an absolutely heated atmosphere.

Of course, this was mainly because the auction was divided, and the starting price was only 200,000 divine shields, which everyone could afford. If it had all been large fleets, it wouldn’t have been as lively.

Who would dare to bid recklessly without money? What if the bid was successful? Losing a deposit was the lesser concern; being accused of deliberately causing trouble would be a major issue.

The world’s second-largest naval fleet, along with shipbuilding technology and engineers, had a final total transaction price of only 130 million divine shields. This included a deduction of 30 million divine shields from insider trades among the Anti-French Alliance countries—a price that practically fell to the floor.

However, Franz was satisfied. Unlike in later eras with widespread wealth, back then, there were few countries with purchasing power.

Apart from the defeated France, only England, Austria, and Russia had financial revenues exceeding 100 million divine shields, and less than ten countries had revenues over 20 million divine shields.

After deducting 60 million from the British, being able to gain nearly 40 million from other countries was more than satisfactory.

“Once the settlement is completed, distribute it according to the compensation ratio to our allies. They are all waiting to make bread from the flour,” Franz decided.

Sharing profits was necessary, as Austria was never one to monopolize benefits. A consistent good practice of sharing was also a major reason Austria maintained a favorable international reputation.

…

Foreign Minister Weisenberg said, “Yesterday afternoon, I met with the Spanish representative. The Spaniards hope we honor our previous promise to support them in the upcoming war in the Philippines.

Considering the need to rebuild the international order, the Foreign Ministry suggests fulfilling our commitment to aid Spain in severing the Japanese reach into the Southeast Asia area.”

A verbal promise naturally lacks binding power. If it were normal times, Austria would not mind if Japan seized the Philippine Islands.

Vienna had long coveted the Philippine Islands but could not act due to political repercussions.

Should the islands fall into Japanese hands, that pressure would cease. Austria could simply wait for Spain to give up the Philippines, then find an excuse to punish Japan and take the islands.

Whether the Japanese were lucky or unlucky, it’s hard to say. They showed up just as Austria was restructuring the international order.

The Anti-French Alliance hadn’t even disbanded yet. Once Spain brought the Philippine war to the Vienna Peace Conference for discussion, Austria would undoubtedly support its kin before supporting what was right.

The tragedy for Japan was that they had neither kinship nor the upper hand; not to mention the Vienna Government, it was likely that no European country would support them.

The only ones who might have hoped for Japan’s victory were perhaps the French. Sadly, the defeated France no longer had a voice.

Once the Vienna Peace Conference made a decision, as both the rule-maker and the beneficiary, the Austrian Government was bound to support Spain, upholding the authority of the conference.

Seeing the opportunity slip away, Franz grimly stated, “Tell the Spaniards that we can support them, but we will not participate in the war.

Let them prepare thoroughly, and bring Europe’s might into play—don’t be like the French, who embarrassed themselves in Vietnam.”

There was no doubt that the Spaniards had precisely calculated Austria’s stance to come asking for support so brazenly. If they had offered some benefits, Franz’s reminder would have been more subtle.

…

On April 2, 1892, at the Austrian Royal Opera House, the Vienna Peace Conference officially commenced.

There were no flowers, no applause, and certainly no opening ceremony. Just a cold, round table and several rows of chairs.

Undoubtedly, not just anyone had the privilege to sit at the negotiation table. Aside from the countries of the Anti-French Alliance, only regional powers of significance could be present.

“This gathering is primarily to have you all bear witness, to address the aftermath of the Anti-French War and to establish a new international order.

We will discuss the order in detail later; for now, let us start with the aftermath of the Anti-French War.”

Weisenberg emphasized the word “witness” heavily, clearly conveying: don’t meddle in the aftermath of the Anti-French War; the Anti-French Alliance will handle it themselves. If there are issues, we’ll discuss them when we establish the new international order.

This forthright attitude undoubtedly hurt many representatives. After all, they were part of an international conference, yet they were not allowed to express their opinions, which was simply…

Before anyone could react, a prepared representative from Belgium began accusing France of atrocities.

A heap of evidence was laid out, even reinterpreting the soldier disappearance and murder case France had used as a pretext for declaring war.

After the Belgian representative, the German Federation followed, then the Italian States took turns accusing.

Eyewitnesses, historical documents, photographs, and testimonies from French soldiers were all presented. In a way, the long delay of the Vienna Peace Conference allowed time for the collection of evidence.

As shocking evidence after evidence was presented, the scene became profoundly moving, bringing many representatives to shed trembling tears.

Of course, whether they were truly moved or feigning emotion, no one could tell; after all, multiple cameras were recording this historic moment in the hall.

Listening to the accusations, President Robert, representing France, bowed his head very low, trying to minimize his presence as much as possible.

There was no option; the more tragic the content of the Anti-French Alliance’s accusations and the more evidence they presented, the more detrimental it was for France and, subsequently, the greater the price France would have to pay in the aftermath.

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To refute?

“Let’s not even consider whether he would have the opportunity to speak. Even if he were allowed to speak, he wouldn’t know where to start.”

As a Revolutionary, Robert’s understanding of the war was limited to the information left behind by the previous government and domestic media reports.

The records by their own people were naturally embellished, and many critical details were glossed over. It was impossible to find the parties involved to understand the specific details.

Robert had always thought this was just a typical war for European dominance, similar to many others recorded in history.

Looking at the extent of the war, the French Army had only reached Central Europe and the Italian Area, far less than during Napoleon’s era when they pushed all the way to Moscow.

In President Robert’s view, the current consequences were somewhat more severe than last time, but he believed things would settle down after a few years.

However, reality was brutal. Just from the list of losses drawn up by the Anti-French Alliance, Robert realized that France was in big trouble this time.

After the Anti-French Alliance defined the nature of the war as “aggression” and “counter-aggression,” Robert couldn’t hold back anymore. He knew very well that if he didn’t speak up now, it would be even harder to clarify things later.

“Protest!”

“France too is a victim of this war. It was Napoleon IV who initiated it. We cannot let the mistake of one person be paid for by all the French people.

We demand that the council issue a warrant to apprehend the war criminal Napoleon IV, and give justice to the millions of people who died in this war…”

Before Robert could finish, Weisenberg, presiding over the meeting, sharply cut him off, “Shut up!”

“Mr. Robert, when faced with issues, you refuse to take responsibility and try to shift the blame onto the Emperor you pledge allegiance to. Don’t you feel ashamed?

Sorry, I forgot you had already revolted. Being rebels by nature, shame is foreign to you.

But such disgraceful actions, you might carry them out, but we certainly could not. Issuing a warrant for an Emperor, even an exiled one, is not permissible by the international community.”

“Shameless wretch!”

“Disrespectful of monarchy!”

…

A series of insults erupted in the meeting room. Clearly, Robert had chosen the wrong target for blame shifting. Representatives at the meeting mostly came from monarchies, and blaming an Emperor like this was deeply taboo.

Especially with cameras recording, for political correctness, the delegates from each country felt compelled to state their positions.

Even the few Republican representatives that Robert had high hopes for joined in the mud-slinging.

Support?

What a joke, to oppose so many monarchies for the sake of France—that would be asking for death.

Before the slow-to-react Robert could think of a response, a cup had already flown toward him, brushing past him, followed by documents and pens raining down.

Chaos ensued, the scene devolved into complete disorder once someone started using violence.

Clearly, there were many clever people present. With cameras recording everything, how could they miss such a great opportunity?

To be frank, if it wasn’t for the moderator, Minister Weisenberg, he wouldn’t mind joining in. After all, this was a rare opportunity to show loyalty which should not be missed.

Regardless, Robert was still the President of France, and if something happened to him in Vienna, it would be embarrassing for Austria.

“Guards, maintain order!”

By the time everyone was pulled apart, Mr. Robert, naive as ever, was already bruised and battered, with a bloodied head.

Fortunately, the injuries were not deep and Austria’s medical facilities were good, so he was saved in time, or else the Vienna Peace Conference would have turned into a joke.

…

At Vienna Palace, upon receiving the news Franz momentarily suspected that France had sent a suicide attacker to create trouble to lessen the war penalties.

His conjecture was based on evidence, as the first cup thrown had come from the British delegation.

Instantly, Franz imagined a scenario where Britain colluded with France, using a suicide attacker to preserve France’s vitality.

But as it turned out, he was overthinking. Under the watchful eyes of the Allied Forces, the French had no capacity to manipulate such matters.

The intelligence gathered showed that President Robert was also an important leader of the Revolutionary Party, having led various workers’ uprisings and played a critical role in the Paris Revolution.

Aside from his lack of political savviness, this fiery and courageous Revolutionary had almost no flaws in his personal and professional life.

It made sense, the Paris Revolutionary Government had delayed in selecting a president because no one wanted to handle this hot potato.

Excluded from the power center right after the revolution’s success, Robert’s ability to be elected as a president was to be the fall guy.

As for national interests, that was painfully overthought. With the Anti-French Alliance so dominant, France simply had no bargaining power.

Whether sending the world’s most skilled diplomat or a pig, the outcome would ultimately be no different.

Anyone with a bit of political sense wouldn’t have taken on such a tarnished role when everyone else was backing away.