Chapter 1497: The Republic
Chapter 1497: The Republic
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
"—"
Count Salazar's shrill cries echoed from outside the study, sounding like a cat that had its tail stepped on.
Franz II frowned and tossed his diary into a drawer. Before he could even say "Come in," the door was kicked open.
The Court Superintendent practically scrambled and crawled to his desk. His usually immaculate wig had slipped to one side, and the greasy sweat on his face had washed his powder into messy streaks.
"Compose yourself," Franz II said in a deep voice. "What happened?"
"Count Rinek has been killed!" Count Salazar's voice shook uncontrollably. "They are parading his head through the streets—and they have seized the royal armory. There are mobs armed with muskets everywhere out there!
"They might march on Schonbrunn Palace at any moment. They will kill everyone—"
Franz II's eyes twitched, but he quickly forced his stiff expression back under control and said loudly, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow, the army brought by York will restore order. There is no need to panic—"
Marshal Umser's voice cut him off. "Your Majesty, the Moravian Legion—"
Franz II's eyes lit up, and he eagerly strode toward the door. "Where is the army?"
The President of the Military Commission bowed to him, but did not raise his head. "Your Majesty, we have just received word that at least five battalions of the legion have mutinied."
"General Mekseri was attacked by armed rioters in the northern suburbs and has retreated to Xivirin Village. It is said that mutinous soldiers also took part in the assault—"
Franz II froze for a moment, then suddenly struck his desk violently with his walking stick, roaring, "Those damnable traitors! I will have them all hanged!"
After venting his fury for a moment, he finally noticed that Count Spielmann and Metternich, among others, were standing behind Umser.
Gnashing his teeth, he demanded, "What other troops around Vienna can we mobilize?"
"The closest ones will take at least a week to arrive, Your Majesty," Umser murmured.
Franz II hesitated for two seconds before turning to wave at his aide-de-camp. "Vienna is no longer safe. Prepare the carriages. I am leaving this place immediately!"
Metternich stepped forward and advised, "Your Majesty, those rioters could storm Schonbrunn Palace at any moment. We must find a way to appease them to buy ourselves time."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
Metternich had clearly prepared for this eventuality and answered immediately, "Promise them what they want—"
At nine o'clock in the evening.
In the past, Vienna would have already entered curfew by this hour, its streets as silent as a deep forest. Now, however, the open square outside Hofburg was lit as bright as day by torches.
Standing atop a half-collapsed wall, Hilt raised a letter high above his head toward the dense crowd, shouting excitedly, "This is an edict written in the Emperor's own hand! We have won!"
With a solemn expression, he unfurled the edict and read aloud, "We, by the grace of God, wish to join our imperial subjects in deciding the laws of the Empire, and thus decree: First, a parliament shall be convened immediately, with representatives freely chosen through public election—"
"Second, the Minister of Finance is ordered to draft a tax reduction plan, to be promulgated in three days—"
"Third, all those imprisoned or punished for their speech or writings shall be granted a full pardon!"
At the very end of the document was a long, sweeping list of titles: "Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King of Hungary and Bohemia, King of Croatia," and so on.
The crowd fell silent for a heartbeat before erupting into a deafening cheer that shook the heavens.
As soon as Adorno heard the words "tax reduction," he lingered no longer and quickly made his way back to his lodgings.
Leaning his musket in the hallway, he knocked gently on Mrs. Brandt's door. "Mrs. Brandt, I'm here to pick up Gretel."
A moment later, the door creaked open, but only his son's small head popped out.
Adorno handed him the bread he had been given earlier that day and peered into the room. "Where is Mrs. Brandt?
"
"She said she was going to join the revolution and told me to stay inside and not go out—"
The next day, all of Vienna was in a frenzy, passionately discussing the Emperor's edict.
Adorno was also dragged along by some people to tell the story of yesterday's storming of the royal armory, but he was tongue-tied and could barely find his words.
In the end, it was the minor noble who had previously mocked the idea of attacking the armory who gave a speech on his behalf, drawing rounds of cheers.
However, this lighthearted, celebratory atmosphere lasted for only half a day before Adorno heard rumors that the Emperor had fled Vienna under the cover of night.
Inside the royal armory's accounting office, Lucas clenched his fists and addressed the representatives of the various Liberal organizations gathered there: "The tyrant will never accept defeat! He must be gathering his minions somewhere right now, preparing to launch a counteroffensive against our revolution!"
Gagern, Bergman, and several others immediately shouted in agreement.
Meanwhile, Hilt, representing the moderates, sat huddled in a corner of the room, his face filled with shame and guilt.
It was his strong persuasion yesterday that had kept the protesters concentrated between Hofburg and the armory, preventing them from "disturbing" the Emperor and his ministers as they supposedly worked out the details of the new policies.
This was exactly what had given the Emperor his chance to escape.
Lucas signaled for silence and continued, "Since the tyrant has betrayed the nation, we shall answer him with a brand-new nation!
"I propose that we immediately declare the establishment of the Republic of Austria here in Vienna, convene a National Assembly, and bury the Habsburg Dynasty once and for all in the graveyard of history!"
The representatives in the room instantly threw up their arms and roared, "Long live the Republic of Austria!"
"Convene the National Assembly!"
"Long live liberty and equality!"
Nearly a third of the moderates and Constitutional Monarchists merely watched in silence, remaining quiet.
However, for the moment, the primary military force of the revolution—the Student Legion—was controlled by Lucas and his allies, giving them the loudest voice.
Before long, the group finalized the details for the constitutional committee and the schedule to convene the provisional parliament.
Lucas spoke again, his expression grim. "The Student Legion has already gone to pursue the tyrant, but we must also prepare ourselves for a far bloodier conflict.
"To ensure the survival of the Republic, we must organize an army capable of resisting the tyrant.
"I propose that we immediately recruit a National Guard from among the citizens of Vienna and begin their training as soon as possible."
The Liberals' first plenary session lasted until three o'clock in the afternoon. By the time Lucas stepped out of the accounting office, his voice was already hoarse.
A captain of the Student Legion came forward, raising his hat in greeting. "Lieutenant Colonel Scheller, we have captured over eight hundred of the tyrant's executioners, but Pergen has not been found yet."
Indeed, Lucas now held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Student Legion.
And his very first order upon taking office was to conduct a city-wide dragnet for the Secret Police.
Lucas nodded. "Put those bastards on public trial."
A week later, the Vienna constitutional committee was fully formed, and the roster for the provisional National Assembly was compiled.
The preparatory committee of the provisional parliament immediately announced to the nations of Europe that the Republic of Austria was officially established!
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