Chapter 1294: Drawing Hatred
August 2, 1799.
French soldiers stood tall and proud on every road leading into Mödling, a small town south of Vienna. The residents, however, were tense, hiding in their homes and secretly peeking through window cracks at the streets.
This city, known as the "City of Music" and home to famous musicians like Beethoven and Schubert, had now become the focal point of all Europe.
For it was here that a ceasefire agreement would be signed, ending a brutal war that had involved hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides across Europe, resulting in over a hundred thousand casualties.
Officials from the participating nations—Prussia, Baden, Bavaria, Milan, Parma, and Modena—had already arrived at the city's largest square. They stood with hundreds of journalists, all gazing down the southern avenue, awaiting the arrival of the most important figure.
Tall and imposing, the soldiers of France's Royal Guard Grenadier Battalion rode into the city. The clip-clop of hooves on the cobblestones mingled with the triumphant strains of "Glory and Victory" played by the band, filling the air with a solemn and deadly atmosphere.
Inside the white carriage, encircled by grenadiers, Louis Charles peered out the window at the unassuming small town, feeling somewhat dispirited. He couldn't help but recall the magnificent scene when he and General Soult had accepted the Austrian surrender in Pressburg.
The banner embroidered with the Habsburg family crest had been handed to him, and thousands of Austrian soldiers had marched past him, bowing their heads and casting their weapons to the ground. In that moment, he had felt like a god of war incarnate!
He had expected the ceasefire agreement to be grander, more thrilling, but it turned out to be so ordinary.
Joseph smiled faintly. "Because I don't want to foster Austrian unity."
"Oh? What does that have to do with it?"
Joseph patiently explained to his younger brother, "For example, if someone steals something outside and gets a good beating from a neighbor, his family will only feel ashamed and resent his actions.
"But if his neighbor bursts into his home and smashes some things, his family will immediately forget about the theft and instead unite to plan how to get revenge on the neighbor."
He gestured towards Vienna. "Right now, the people of Vienna are discussing how their Emperor needlessly provoked a war and was ultimately taught a lesson by the French.
"But if we entered the city, they would then hope that His Majesty the Emperor would help them drive out the invaders."
Charles was accustomed to his brother's constant displays of far-sightedness, and merely nodded thoughtfully.
As the carriage passed Mödling's church, he couldn't help but say, "If you're worried about Austria recovering its strength, why not just station troops here directly?"
"Because oppression will always incite resistance," Joseph calmly replied. "A great nation like Austria, no matter how catastrophic its defeat, can quickly regain strength as long as its people share a common hatred for the enemy.
"However, prolonged decay and numbing attrition can thoroughly drain an empire of its vitality.
"Oh, you'd best not mention these words to Mother; she might be saddened."
Historically, Austria had been defeated multiple times by Napoleon over twenty years, even briefly becoming a client state of France. Yet, during the Seventh Anti-French Coalition, it still managed to raise 250,000 troops and ultimately achieved victory at Waterloo.
"I won't, brother." Charles nodded vigorously, then his eyes lit up. "So, articles five and nine of the ceasefire agreement are also for this purpose?"
"Precisely," Joseph praised. "You're learning quickly."
Finally, the people in Mödling Square saw the golden fleur-de-lis banner. A French officer called out loudly, "Attention—"
The soldiers lining the roads immediately stood ramrod straight, simultaneously raising their rifles in salute.
The carriage stopped in the center of the square. Joseph alighted, first waving a greeting to the various foreign officials. Then, ignoring Archduke Leopold, the imperial representative waiting nearby, he walked directly to the west side of the square where the journalists had gathered.
He stepped onto the marble railing of a flowerbed and, like a street orator, spread his arms wide and declared in a loud voice, "As everyone knows, Austria, incited by the wicked British, launched this war that has brought disaster to all of Europe!
"First, let us observe a minute of silence for all those who died in the war, whether they were French, Badenese, Parmese, Prussian, or Austrian."
All the journalists were taken aback, especially those from Vienna who had come prepared to record the French conqueror's brutal acts. They had not expected the French Crown Prince to boast of his glorious military achievements, but instead to call for a moment of silence for the dead—even including the fallen Austrians.
'Ah, Joseph was all too familiar with such propaganda tactics; politicians of later generations had demonstrated them countless times.'
Boasting about how formidable the French army was or how great he himself was at this moment would only serve to draw hatred.
What he needed to do was direct that hatred towards the Habsburg family and the British.
After a minute, the nearby band, at Eman's instruction, aptly struck up a low, mournful melody.
"I know some might think those fallen Austrian soldiers deserved their fate," Joseph continued. "However, I tell you, they were also ordinary people, just like every French soldier. They had families, and simple, happy lives. Before they even went to war, they were farmers, painters, or gardeners.
"What quarrel did they have with France, with Venice, with Baden?
"Absolutely none!
"It was those greedy power-holders, seeking to pile a few more gold coins into their endlessly overflowing coffers, who drove countless innocent people onto the bloody battlefield!
"I cannot help but ask, why did such a tragedy occur, and how can we avoid similar mistakes in the future?
"When an evil nation once again tempts with their devil's whispers of slaughter, how shall we discern them and nail them to the cross!
"This is a question that the people of France, Baden, Prussia, and Austria—all of whom have suffered the hardships of war—must ponder..."
All the journalists bent their heads, recording furiously, afraid of missing a single word.
The foreign officials on the outer perimeter, however, thoughtfully pondered the words of the French Crown Prince with grave expressions.
Metternich, standing further away, couldn't hear Joseph's speech clearly and was still contemplating his own concerns: 'What could I be overlooking...
'The Treaty of Dresden? Wait, why would the French specifically mention this in the ceasefire agreement?'
The Treaty of Dresden was the agreement signed between Saxony and France after Saxony's defeat.
He immediately turned to his assistant. "Go find me a copy of the Treaty of Dresden, at once!"
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