Chapter 32: Chapter 32 – Out of Control

Two stone pillars, one tall and one short, stood on both sides of the closed iron gate like two majestic sentries.

The security guard seated behind the iron gate seemed to be absent-minded, as he ignored the calls from the men standing outside the gate.

“Chief Inspector, what should we do? Since the people inside the university are not cooperating with our investigation, should we break down the gate?” asked a young police officer.

The youngster who had only recently become a police officer was in a hurry to show himself in a good light in front of the Chief Inspector, so he failed to notice that his words had touched a nerve of the Chief Inspector.

“What did you say, you damn fool?! Forcefully enter the University of Vienna?! Do you not know that all the people inside are from privileged families?! In case of an accident, who will have to take responsibility, you or me?!”

Chief Inspector Christof Scholz berated the young officer, venting his internal frustration. Being a Chief Inspector, he was aware that it was not easy to deal with these anarchic students, especially now that they had taken refuge inside the grounds of a university. If he rushed in with his men, they might end up being the ones who get beaten.

If they used guns, they would be able to subdue the students inside; however, Chief Inspector Scholz did not dare use guns because bullets have no eyes. If someone with powerful connections died during the chaos, he would have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life, fearing revenge.

This wisdom came from his rich experience as a policeman; otherwise, he, despite his commoner background, would not have been able to climb up to the position of Chief Inspector. He was already quite satisfied with his life and achievements. He was aware that if he wanted to go further, he had to become involved in politics. Christof Scholz knew his limits, for he, who hadn’t even finished primary school, would soon be a dead man if he got involved in politics, a field exclusive to the true heavyweights of Austria.

“Listen up, men, we will stay put here, in case the suspects try to escape! No one will try to enter the university grounds!”

After considering the matter for a few minutes, Chief Inspector Scholz decided on a conservative plan. His plan was simple: block the gate. As long as the students were kept under control and not allowed to go out and make trouble, things would be much easier to handle.

Compared with the university students, demonstrators in other places were not as lucky. The police didn't have to think twice before arresting them since they were all commoners. As a result, many were jailed. This, however, failed to deter the public. Instead, it turned Chancellor Metternich and his cabinet into public enemy #1. Following the planning of the revolutionaries, an even bigger demonstration broke out in Vienna the next day.

Chancellor Metternich was beginning to panic since things had gone very differently from his expectations. In the past, during demonstrations against the government, so long as the leader of the demonstration was arrested, the demonstration would soon die down. Unfortunately, the situation this time was quite different. Instead of ending the demonstration, the government's actions had turned the public more aggressive.

The massive group of demonstrators broke through the blockade set by the police and headed straight to the Chancellery, scaring Chancellor Metternich who quickly sent a command to the City Defense Force to enter Vienna and bring order to the capital.

***

A fast horse was galloping up the mountain road. The horse rider's outfit and the badge on his arm indicated that he was a messenger. After reaching the military camp deep in the mountains, the messenger quickly jumped down from his horse and rushed inside after verifying his identity.

“Lord Commander, urgent deployment order from the capital!”

Lt. General Albrecht, who had been expecting such an order from the capital, quickly opened the envelope sealed with the seal of the Chancellor of Austria. The situation in Vienna was similar to his expectations: the government was worried that the situation could get out of control, so they’d ordered him to cut the field training exercise short and return to the city immediately.

“Heed my command! Inform the soldiers to pack up, and get ready to return to Vienna!”

It had only taken the messenger half a day to arrive at the camp, but it would take at least two days for the army to return to Vienna. A lot could happen in two days.

Franz did not stop the army from returning to Vienna since any intervention at this stage would be too obvious. He needed the Austrian Empire to be weakened so that he could re-establish it, but that didn't mean he wanted a civil war in Austria. He could allow a revolution to take place in Vienna, but it had to be extinguished immediately. He wanted to take advantage of the revolution to clear the worms in the government, but he did not intend to let the rebels overthrow the government altogether.

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“Franz, the situation in Vienna has turned for the worse. Over 100,000 people took part in the demonstration yesterday. If the government is unable to handle it properly, the consequences could be very dire!”

Lt. General Albrecht informed Franz with a hint of fear in his eyes. By now, he was starting to worry that Franz’s plan might backfire and Vienna might become a repeat of Paris following the February Revolution.

Franz smiled and pointed to the military camp as he replied, “Don’t worry, Austria is different from France. We still have soldiers loyal to the royal family!”

The soldiers were the reason for his confidence. The Palace Guard which consisted of over 3,000 soldiers would defend the Hofburg Palace where the senior branch of the Habsburgs resided. In addition, over 5,000 soldiers of the City Defense Force were in Vienna. Even if they were useless, they were loyal to a fault to the royal family.

Unlike in France, the Austrian army was not open to everyone. Almost all officers were nobles who would not easily betray their own class. An uprising without the support of the army was at most a large riot and would eventually be put down. Moreover, Franz had already planned his course of action after his return to Vienna to placate most of the demonstrators.

First, he would dismiss Chancellor Metternich and disband his cabinet. Then, he would announce the abolition of serfdom and the implementation of the Labor Protection Act to appease the people, and then he would announce that only the leaders of the demonstrations would be punished while the others would be spared. At worst, he would arrest a few corrupt officials, pass a sentence or two, and so on, to divert the public’s attention.

Even after the First World War, the Habsburgs held a very high position in the minds of ordinary people, despite their actions being the cause of the war. If it hadn't been for their weak and incompetent descendants, the Austro-Hungarian Empire would not have collapsed so easily.

Historically, after the outbreak of the revolution in Vienna, some radicals had proposed to abolish the monarchy, but it was vehemently opposed by the commoners in Vienna.

***

Meanwhile, in Vienna, the demonstrators had surrounded the Chancellery and Hoburg Palace to force the government to accept their demands: dismiss the cabinet, release political prisoners, carry out constitutional reform, give universal male suffrage, abolish serfdom, confiscate the fiefs of nobles, distribute land to serfs, and abolish the censorship on books and newspapers.

The situation was already on the verge of falling apart. The government could not agree to these conditions since that would mean the destruction of the Empire. Unlike before, the capitalists, who financially backed the revolutionaries, were no longer satisfied with ordinary reforms. Instead, they wanted to seize the reins of the country, like their French and English counterparts.

In order to achieve this goal, they were even willing to jeopardize the future of Austria and fool the patriots into doing their bidding. Ordinary people were blind to the consequences. In fact, most workers were participating in the demonstrations just for money; otherwise, it was impossible for so many people to participate in the revolution.

Without the cooperation of capitalists, as communication during this era depended entirely on word of mouth, it would have easily taken over a month to organize more than 100,000 people.

The demonstration continued outside the Chancellery. Suddenly, someone in the demonstration shouted, “Metternich, come out!” before it quickly spread amongst the tens of thousands of people present.

Soon, all the people began shouting at the same time:

“Metternich, come out!”

“Metternich, come out!”

Hearing the shouts from outside the building, the old Chancellor Metternich's face turned pale as he realized that the situation was now out of his control.

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