The Austrian Empire survived, but the German Confederation suffered, because few countries in this era would pay for a public health system.

However, the world began to become terrible at some point, and the locusts of Africa crossed the Mediterranean Sea and devoured Sicily.

Before Franz could grieve for it, news came that the locusts were heading north, as if they were on their way to the Pope's coronation.

Hundreds of billions of desert locusts have barely grown in the area, and a large swarm of locusts has eaten up an entire field within a few hours after it landed.

At that time, there were no pesticides, so we could only use the most primitive means, smashed with shovels and burned with fire, but the effect was not very satisfactory or almost ineffective.

From ancient times to the present, people have always liked to ask the Buddha when faced with problems that are difficult to defeat or solve, and Europe is no exception.

A cannon salute was fired at Castel Sant'Angelo, and Pius IX decided to take matters into his own hands. Amid the pious prayers of thousands of faithful outside Castel Sant'Angelo, a group of cardinals dressed in red robes walked out, their faces full of solemnity and solemnity.

A cardinal assistant began to chant the Pope's hymn, and finally a man in a white robe, wearing a golden crown and a taut bitter gourd face, wanted to look more imposing.

However, Pius IX was too short after all, and the huge golden crown looked a little funny on his head. Many people couldn't help but laugh when they saw the new pope like this, even the ambassadors of Austria, France, and Spain, who were at odds with the Papal States at this time.

This made Pius IX feel that everyone liked him, and his brother said Jotel, the new Secretary of State of the Holy See.

"If someone cuts my brother into a million pieces, then from each piece a new priest will be born. There is no one who does not like him, he is a true saint. ”

Pius IX confidently raised his hands and blessed his faithful with a powerful, clear voice.

"I bless you and your families!"

——

It's about two hours of formalistic performance-——

After a series of red tape, the 54-year-old new pope is already out of breath, after all, it is not easy to wear such heavy clothes in such a hot weather.

In fact, Pius IX's sacred garments were woven with gold and silver thread, and their weight was not light.

"Heavenly Father, you have said that the poor and needy seek you, and you will answer them, and you have abundant mercy and grace, and you will not forsake them.

The locust plague in southern Italy is severe, and people's crops are disappearing. We ask for your help and ask you to get rid of all the locusts.

You lift up the world like a tiny thing, and your power is endless. You hold us up with your all-power and keep us alive.

More than 3,000 years ago, you left Egypt with a west wind and locusts and were blown into the Red Sea. We call upon you by name.

Pray thee, for thy mercy"

Although it was nominally a prayer for God to disperse the locust plague, it was actually a political show. Because Pius IX deliberately used the Italian word, and this was undoubtedly a provocation to the Austrian Empire.

And he did not spare France, Spain, and Russia, and even insinuated that the Tsar's expulsion of the Jews was the root cause of the locust plague.

If you continue to rebel against the Pope, God's agent on earth, then disaster will befall you.

But not to mention Russia, an Orthodox country, diplomats from Austria, France, and Spain are not intimidated.

Not to mention that it was the Russians who did evil, why did the Apennine Peninsula suffer?

There was also the Austrian Empire's efforts to make people forget the word Italy and turn it into a geographical term.

But Pius IX deliberately used the Italian word at this time, and he sent a signal that would excite all Italian nationalists.

However, almost all the cardinals regretted that Pius IX's series of madness had caused Austria, France, and Spain to stop bribing them.

In particular, Prince Metternich changed his previous attitude to the secret police to thoroughly investigate the bishops' property in the German Confederation.

Metternich did have this right as the prime minister of the Austrian Empire, even without Franz's reforms, the influence of Austria in history in the German Confederation was very great, and he could even go directly to the universities of other countries to arrest people.

At that time, college students were all hens who lay golden eggs in the eyes of the police, and most of the former were not deeply involved in the world, and usually had a good family background, after all, the tuition fees of universities at that time were not low.

And no matter how good the background is, if it is associated with revolution and rebellion, it will not be able to eat and walk around. It's no secret that German police and British chefs have always been the standard in hell.

The police of the German Confederation may not be able to fight crime, but extortion is definitely grandmaster.

Especially those bishops who are usually sanctimonious, who don't have a few mistresses at home, and don't have a few hundred catties of gold.

If the eyes could kill, Pius IX would have been broken into pieces by the bishops at this time.

The ambassadors of France and Spain, the 59-year-old French ambassador, Pellegrino Rossi, were also helpless.

"I think our new pope is a little naïve. He actually wanted the Church in France to be loyal to him, who was he? Robespierre? ”

The Spanish ambassador Hernando Fili was also helpless, although he hated the clergy in the country, but if the current pope was to return to the Jesuits, it would be better to dissolve this illegal organization directly.

(In fact, the Jesuits were forcibly expelled and dissolved by many nations.) ）

After the execution of the king during the French Revolution, the French government did demand that the clergy renew their allegiance to the state, and Robespierre promulgated the Law on the Organization of the Clergy Citizens, which also caused a series of horrific tragedies.

But compared to the whole reign of terror of the Jacobins, what happened to the clergy was nothing to mention.

Hernando Fili sighed.

"Who knows? It feels like the whole world is not at peace, full of famine and war. This pope in front of me is so special.

Looking at the attitude of the Austrians, I am afraid that in a few months the Austrian army will go directly into the city of Rome and change the pope. ”

Historically, the Holy Roman Empire has interfered in the affairs of the Papal States many times, and the veto of the Pope is not sufficient because of religious piety.

French Ambassador Pellegrino Rossi: "I would have liked the Austrians and the Papal States to fight, so that we would have a reason to interfere in the affairs of the Papal States."

At the same time, the Catholics of the whole world are called upon to fight them, and this is not an internal German affair, and I do not think that the German Confederation will intervene in this matter. ”

In fact, at this time, officials in France and Spain had a kind of imagination that the two countries could be united one day in the future.

Most of the Spanish aristocracy spoke French, which was very common in the upper class of the time, so changing the Spanish master would not have much of an impact on their interests.

(End of chapter)