Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Franz II’s journey was indeed very smooth, as he still had over a thousand soldiers from the Court Guard escorting him.

Even though the rioters in Vienna managed to get hold of guns, they wouldn’t dare attack the regular army.

In fact, most people would habitually avoid getting close once they saw the Royal Emblem from afar.

As for those young men at the New Recruit Camp, they were in a standoff with the Hungarian army to the east of the City and were generally loyal to the Royal Family, with their target only being “Tugut and other treacherous officials.”

So, on the afternoon of the second day, Franz II’s carriage had already passed through the Vienna Forest on the north side, heading to the first stop, Harmansdorf.

The next day, Grashkovich also finished their rest and started a total assault on the Viennese insurgents, following Horn Dorf’s orders.

The less than 800 new recruits brought out by Instructor Ehlers were no match for the Hungarian regular army and were split and routed in just two hours.

In fact, they had already done very well.

Bear in mind, these recruits had only trained for more than 20 days, with many firing guns with their eyes closed. If it weren’t for the core of Lucas and the hundreds of noble offspring with military training from a young age who held the line, they might not have lasted even half an hour.

Of course, Ehlers’ command level was also lacking, as he was merely a Captain, and ideals alone cannot win a war.

Soon, Ehlers and Lieutenant Schwartz each took two or three hundred men and withdrew into the outer city of Vienna, rallying the citizens to fight against the Hungarian executioners.

But by dusk, the cannons of the Hungarian Legion finally arrived in Vienna, and they began selecting cannon positions on the outskirts throughout the night.

On the other side, Ehlers quickly gathered nearly 2,000 citizens, preparing to give it all against the suppression forces outside the city.

By torchlight, while Ehlers was teaching the citizens how to build breastworks, a scribe from the City Hall came running, panting, and pulled him aside to whisper: “I’ve heard that His Imperial Majesty is no longer in Vienna…”

Ehlers was taken aback.

He was fighting so desperately to be able to “request” the Emperor to dismiss Tugut and announce reforms after repelling the Hungarian army.

But if he couldn’t find the Emperor, would he actually lead his forces to occupy Vienna?

He hurriedly led over a hundred people to Schonbrunn Palace, only to find that although the guards were still posted outside, the palace no longer glowed with the incandescence of times past.

He staggered immediately, almost falling off his horse.

That night, Ehlers spoke to no one, just muttering softly to himself, “It’s over, all over…”

The sans-culottes, on the other hand, were thrilled at the news of the Emperor’s departure, ready to raid the palace for a bit of wealth.

However, without any organizational ability, they broke into a disorganized skirmish with the Court Guard and scattered, leaving countless bodies behind.

If Franz II saw this scene, he might regret his decision to leave the palace—these ragtag groups in the city, though numerous and armed, posed little threat to his guards.

At dawn, the cannons of the Hungarian Legion began thundering.

The initially high-spirited “Vienna Resistance Army” was instantly petrified, with most people scattering before the Hungarian infantry could even charge.

Lieutenant Schwartz had no choice but to command the remaining troops into the city for street fighting with the Hungarians.

Indeed, Ehlers suddenly fell into a deep depression and could no longer command the insurgents; now, Schwartz was the highest commander.

Within only five days, Schwartz and over a thousand insurgents were trapped in the western region of Vienna.

The sans-culottes still roamed “carefree,” looting and vandalizing everywhere. Most of them didn’t even know why they were fighting those Hungarians.

They had initially wanted to demand pensions, cancel wartime taxes, or buy cheap bread.

But now, aside from Schwartz and a few hundred recruits, no one remembered these reasons.

This uprising, lacking planning, preparation, a program, and with ambiguous goals, had just begun when it was already on the brink of failure…

Southeastern Remote Province of Austria, Essenmakot.

In a rundown house in the dilapidated town of Mures, a middle-aged man with a thick black moustache on his upper lip, dressed in a gray-yellow tunic, peeled peanuts and spoke in Hungarian to a few vendor-looking people beside him:

“A serious riot has broken out in Vienna, and the Emperor has already left. This is news from four days ago.”

The short man beside him sneered, “What does this have to do with us?”

“Claudiu, you never like using your brain,” said the robust young man opposite. “This is our opportunity.”

“Sándor is right,” nodded the middle-aged man peeling peanuts. “Especially since the Debrecen Corps has been dispatched by the Emperor to suppress the rebellion in Vienna.”

The eyes of the few people around him brightened immediately.

Previously, the Emperor of Holy Rome had deployed a large number of Hungary’s noble forces to Northern Italy for the war against France, leaving few stationed in the Transylvania region.

Now, with the most capable Debrecen Corps gone, there was virtually no force left in the Eastern Austria that could deter them!

Sándor leaned forward immediately, his eyes gleaming with excitement: “Baron Kossuth, should we do something?”

“The resistance does have such plans. But first, we have to make contact with the Romanians and Serbians.”

“They will definitely agree,” said another middle-aged man with brown hair. “Especially the Serbians. They’ve lost many people in the past two years and are eager for revenge.”

Kossuth tossed a handful of peeled peanuts into a bowl and nodded: “Exactly. That’s why I’ve called you here.

“Gather your people when you return. If all goes well, we might move in half a month. Bring out all your resources; such opportunities don’t come often.”

Everyone around immediately nodded solemnly.

They were all part of the armed forces under the Hungarian independence movement, mainly made up of southern mountain tribal leaders and secret town organizations.

Yes, the Hungarian independence faction was comprised of these grassroots.

The Hungarian Nobles Council, as a vested interest group within the Austrian Empire, had the capability to negotiate with the Emperor, essentially making them staunch royalists.

The Hungarian lower classes lived in extreme hardship under the dual exploitation by the Empire and Hungarian lords, thus constantly sparking independence movements.

The Southeastern Remote Province of Austria, particularly the region of Transylvania, had a mixed population of Hungarians, Romanians, and Serbians, who all happened to fervently desire to break free from Austrian control.

Hence, it had become a notable hotspot for rebellion in the Empire.

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