With the Austrian Imperial Government officially issuing a notice to Hungary demanding severe punishment for the "horse bandits", a total of 16 people, including the bandit leaders, were sentenced to death by hanging, marking the end of the civil unrest.

But in reality, this number is much lower than the actual number of participants. Since the beginning of the horse bandit rebellion, so far Archduke Albrecht has annihilated at least 10,000 "horse bandits" on the Hungarian plain, and countless civilians have been killed by this group of bastards.

However, neither Austria-Hungary wanted the scandal to escalate, so sixteen was a relatively reasonable number, after all, there were too few people to be convincing, and if there were too many people with ulterior motives, it would highlight the cruelty of Austria and wash away the responsibility of the Hungarian side.

And the unlucky guy who was hanged was originally a death row prisoner who had no hope of survival, so it was not a wrongful killing, and it was a result that everyone could accept.

After this incident, Kossuth understood a truth, that is, the unreliability of the great nobles. The considerable strength of the small and medium-sized nobles led to the helplessness of the regular army, so only the mobilization of serfs and burghers was the magic weapon to defeat the powerful army.

At the same time, the great nobles' antipathy towards Kosuth was growing day by day. Previously, because of this guy's two-faced face, many famous families suffered losses, and even some "village nobles" sent people to hunt him down in order to vent their anger.

The Hungarian urban aristocracy represented the great nobility living in Austria and abroad, while the rural aristocracy represented the native local powers, not to be confused with the Polish aristocracy.

Kossuth, who was well aware of the national awakening movement in Europe triggered by the French Revolution, knew that nationalism was the only way to increase cohesion and defeat powerful enemies, so he decided to join forces with a group of Magyarist scholars to set their ancestral home from Europe to Asia.

Their intention was to distinguish themselves from the rest of Europe, but the recent Austrian Empire's successful reconquest of Western Bosnia had boosted the confidence of the unruly Croats.

Some Croatian scholars did not hesitate to stand up and point out that it was the Magyars who seized the territory of the Croats and drove them from the plains to the mountains, which made the scene embarrassing for a while.

What is even more terrifying is that this statement immediately provoked a violent reaction in Croatia, because the Magyars had been oppressing the Croats for hundreds of years.

In recent years, the prevalence of Magyarism has made Croats sit on pins and needles. The assimilation methods of the Magyars were too brutal. Not only to destroy other races spiritually, but also to destroy their physical bodies.

This Magyar trend was first stirred up by Széchenyi, whose ultimate idea was to make the nobility identify with and accept serfs, and through this channel, eventually make them equal to the nobility.

Unfortunately, the idea of good thought soon deviated from the expectations of this noble man and became a tool they used to prove the superiority of their people.

Under the crown of St. Stephen, the Croats, who have the most say and are the strongest, have borne the brunt of the Magyars' attacks.

Croatia has always been divided into two factions, one is the Imperial, which advocates allegiance and dependence on the Austrian Empire, hoping to protect it from oppression through the maneuver of the Empire and the Imperial Family.

The other faction was the Kingdom faction, which advocated allegiance to the Kingdom of Hungary and then became a true Hungarian by embracing Magyalization with all its members, so that they could be protected from oppression.

Both factions regard Count Korolav as their spiritual leader, but the harsh miser is completely uninterested in his fellow citizens, and has even clarified his relationship with them on more than one occasion.

Historically, the Croats made their choice last, and at this time, thanks to the return of Western Bosnia, they felt valued that they had not felt in hundreds of years.

As a result, the Croatian scholar received strong support from his compatriots, and this is exactly what Metternich wants.

He felt that the Croats could be used as a counterweight to the Hungarians, and that it would be better for both sides to lose so that Austria could rule.

Although Count Korolav despised his countrymen, and often ridiculed them for not being clever enough, he was indeed a Croat, and naturally did not want Metternich to use those poor creatures as spearmen.

As an old rival for many years, the Count of Korolav knew Metternich very well, and most of the blank cheques issued by the latter could not be cashed.

It is better to be a happy idiot than to let your fellow citizens die in vain for dreams that cannot be seen.

The two of them are fighting each other, and the Regency Council is once again at an impasse. The Grand Duke Louis was a political apathy, and as long as they did not threaten the fundamental interests of the Habsburg royal family, he was happy to let it go.

Franz was satisfied with the current situation, Croatia would have to cut off Hungary sooner or later, because the territory of St. Stephen's crown was too big for Austria to control.

Slovakia could move later, but Croatia and Transylvania, which have sharp ethnic contradictions, should be separated from them as soon as possible.

Slovakia's terrain is mainly mountainous, characterized by high in the north and low in the south, and the direction of attack from the south is like a rampage on a plain, and about 80% of the population is concentrated here, making it difficult for it to form a separate force.

Galicia, dominated by Poles and Ukrainians, was at odds with the other peoples of the empire, and the terrain was equally undefendable, with almost zero industrial capacity, making it difficult for it to gain independence.

By taking back Belgrade at this time, the Austrian Imperial Government could justifiably plant another nail behind Hungary on the grounds of sending troops.

Previously, the total number of defenders of the Nordsavi fortress was only one regiment, and if there was a real war, it would have played very little role.

Belgrade, on the other hand, is surrounded by Serbia, and there is nothing wrong with stationing 50,000 or 60,000 troops in a strategically dangerous place.

At a critical juncture, this force can seize the initiative on the battlefield at a critical moment, taking advantage of the transportation convenience of the Danube, and go to the position where most of them should appear.

Schönbrunn Palace, the Royal Gardens.

After a few days, the two brothers, Albrecht and Friedrich, reunited, and the latter congratulated his brother on his brilliant achievements on the Great Plains.

"How's it going, brother? Franz's approach to special operations has benefited you a lot, right? Listening to those ** people, you can often rely on it to play tens or hundreds of extremely exaggerated records. ”

The more Friedrich spoke, the more excited he became, he knew his eldest brother's talent very well, and at this time he was sincerely glad that the other man could prove his ability.

It's just that Archduke Albrecht didn't seem to be in high spirits, and he didn't answer Friedrich's words, but spoke to Franz.

"The things you gave me didn't work."

Franz saw the other party's expression and roughly knew the situation, after all, he felt the same way when he first saw a dead man, but he didn't expect to see it in a general who was destined to go down in history.

And the last time he was in Hungary, Albrecht didn't care at all when he was a murderer.

"I'm glad you didn't use it, and if you do, it means you're in a desperate situation. How to say that? Uncle Albrecht, you are worthy of the future star of the Army. ”

Friedrich scoffed at Franz's sycophants, and he disdained such tricks.

Albrecht drank a glass of wine.

"You didn't tell me before I went that the enemy was civilians."

Franz poured himself a glass of juice and drank it all.

"As long as civilians take weapons and ride horses, they are enemies."

Albrecht said after a moment of silence.

"I don't know why you politicians have to fight a general war."

Franz sighed.

"When there is an avalanche, no snowflake is innocent."

(End of chapter)