The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 849 The sea is vast and the fish jumps

Bratislava, Hungary.

Of course, in the official Austrian Empire, Bratislava should be called Pressburg, because the former is the name in the local language, while Pressburg is the politically correct name in German.

At that time, the Kingdom of Hungary was extremely vast, encompassing a large area of ​​land that later became Slovakia.

Although the office of the Governor-General of Hungary had long been moved to Vienna, and a large number of Saxons had moved into Buda, the former capital of Hungary, when Mogonze took office as Governor-General of Hungary, he shifted the focus further east.

Because he didn't want to draw too much attention, he moved his office back to Buda and chose Bratislava, east of Vienna, as the potential political center of the Kingdom of Hungary.

At that time, the concept of the Hungarian nation was different from later usage, which only referred to the residents of the Republic of Hungary.

At this time, the concepts of Slovaks and Romanians had not yet been fully formed; they, like the Magyars, could be called Hungarians.

The Croatians and Slovaks are almost indistinguishable from the Magyars.

In particular, the Croatians, in the early 19th century, basically identified themselves as Hungarians. It was only after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, instigated by Austrian nobles and with the strong promotion of Greater Magyarism by the Hungarian nobles, that they separated.

The same goes for Slovaks. The famous Hungarian revolutionary and poet, Sándor Petőfi, was Slovak, but considered himself Hungarian.

The presence of Romanians is somewhat ambiguous, but there are also a large number of Magyarized Romanians and Romanianized Hungarians.

To put it bluntly, these people have the potential to become a nation; it all depends on how they are integrated. Historically, no great figure has emerged among the Hungarians, but things are different now.

"Your Highness, the Austrians want to harm you. They are spreading rumors that the reason for the defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz was that you did not use all your forces to stop the French army from climbing the Prazen Heights. They say that your selfishness led to the tragic outcome."

As soon as Mo Gongze and his men entered Bratislava, they were met by a group of Hungarian nobles, led by Count András Karl, a nobleman from Olápatak (part of Slovakia).

"Carloy, you're so nervous, it must be because the emperor believed this nonsense, right?" Mo Gongze remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was slightly annoyed. What kind of despicable person spread this rumor!
"Your Highness, the Emperor will definitely believe such rumors, because it will make it easier for him to shirk responsibility and throw all the blame on you."

Count Andrássy Karl replied angrily that although he was an old nobleman, he belonged to the liberal faction and had benefited greatly from the rule of Mogonze in Hungary, so he made no attempt to hide his emotions and stance.

“Your Highness, the Andraci family will always stand with you!” Count Andraci Karloi declared firmly.

"Yes, we will always support you. Today the Germans may use you as the reason for their defeat, but tomorrow they may say that the Empire suffered losses because of the poor performance of the Hungarian soldiers. Your Highness, the Széchenyi family will also stand with you."

Count Ferenc Széchenyi was a scholar who is remembered for founding the Hungarian National Museum and National Library in Buda.

Meanwhile, his son, István Széchenyi, was a hero of Hungary's independence, and his portrait was later printed on Hungarian banknotes.

"Any insult to His Highness is an insult to Transylvania and to all Hungarians. We must never allow such a thing to happen." The representative of the Banfi family, Transylvania's most prominent noble family, also made a strongly worded statement.

The title of Grand Duke of Transylvania was abolished because the benefits of Transylvania had already been divided up.

However, Mo Zirong and his son Mo Gongze managed to reunite Transylvania by relying on Queen Theresa's initial support and the "cake" provided by Da Yu.

The Banfi family was not only the main supporter of Mogongze, but also the city of Sibiu, which is now directly under the control of the Grand Duke of Transylvania, and a large area of ​​surrounding territory, were all contributed by nobles, mainly the Banfi family.

“Your Highness, I request that you return to the military camp outside the city and not go to see the Emperor. I am worried that they may harm you.”

Baron Vicelene Mikros from Zibo (Gibbon, Romania) reminded Mogongze that going to see the emperor at this time was not a good choice.

This was actually Mo Gongze's previous choice. He had previously ceded Bratislava and lived in the military camp, which was the place he felt most at ease with.

But Mo Gongze shook his head. He had stayed in the military camp before, actually to show that he had no control over Emperor Franz I.

But now, it's obvious that someone is spreading rumors about him, and he's even hiding in the military camp, which makes him seem cowardly and guilty.

"Don't worry, everyone. The empire is still in danger. No one will cause chaos at this time. Besides, with you all here, no one will dare to do anything to me." With that, Mo Gongze was about to enter the city.

“Then please wait outside the Archbishop’s Palace, Your Highness. I will go and fetch Count Ignaz Guilleh. He has been by the Emperor’s side for many years and was the deputy envoy for the signing of the peace treaty with France. He must know what has happened.”

The Hungarian nobles around him were very anxious, because they were all beneficiaries of the rule of Mogonze during the time when Hungary was in power.

The corrupt noble family, like the Esterházy family, which relied solely on the power of Vienna to maintain its rule, had long been eliminated by Mo Gongze after his half-brother Mo Gongjing's leg was blown off in an assassination attempt.

Not long after, Count Ignaz Guille, dressed in a long robe and sweating profusely, arrived. Seeing the twenty-odd Hungarian and Transylvanian nobles glaring at him angrily, his head swelled up.

'Who is this despicable person who spread this rumor? The empire is already in such a state, and they still want to frame His Highness Prince Ferdinand!'

Ignaz Guille couldn't help but think to himself, "If anyone isn't blind, they can see that the Battle of Pratzen Heights proved that Prince Ferdinand's more than 20,000 troops were extremely powerful."

Moreover, his three main titles—Prince of Belgium, Grand Duke of Transylvania, and Governor-General of Hungary—all carried real power, making him far from a weakling to be bullied.

Are General Virot and others around the emperor insane to spread such rumors?

Mo Gongze was also staring at Count Ignaz Guile, whose father was the late Imperial Marshal Samuel Guile.

The Guile family's fiefdom was in Transylvania, and Ignaz Guile himself was born on the outskirts of Sibiu in Transylvania. Strictly speaking, he should be considered a direct vassal of Mogongze.

However, their ancestors had served the Viennese court for generations and had essentially become Austrians, as evidenced by the characteristics of their family name.

The Guille family has abandoned Hungarian traditions, and it is highly likely that the surname structure was brought to them by some westward-migrating Hunnic tribe.

This refers to a structure where the surname comes first and the given name comes last.

"The empire is doomed, isn't it?"

Ignaz Guilleh suddenly looked up; the first question Prince Ferdinand had asked him was this.

In this negotiation, the Austrian Empire was represented by Prince John I of Liechtenstein as the chief envoy and Ignaz Guilleh as the deputy envoy, so he was aware of the specific details.

Of course, the empire that Mogölze was referring to was not the Austrian Empire, but the Holy Roman Empire, which was shelved by Franz I last year but has not yet been dissolved.

"Yes, Your Highness, I must tell you with great sorrow that the Emperor has decided to dissolve the Holy Roman Empire, which is also the request of the French Emperor."

Upon hearing this affirmative answer, Mo Gongze sighed deeply, then pinched his thigh hard with his right hand, desperately trying to recall the scene of his mother's death. Immediately, hot tears streamed down his face.

“I’m sorry to my grandmother, I’m sorry to my mother. I swore to them that I would protect the empire, and now, this home that has sheltered us all for more than eight hundred years is about to disappear before our very eyes.”

The collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, which had ruled Central Europe for over eight hundred years, was indeed a very shocking event at the time, and many Hungarian nobles felt a deep sense of loss.

For them, the Holy Roman Empire was indeed a protector, preventing them from being directly controlled by the Ottoman Empire like the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia.

In any case, within the framework of the Holy Roman Empire, the Hungarians held a relatively high status, far surpassing that of Wallachia and Moldavia, who were treated like slaves by the Turks.

Sobbing filled the room, as if bidding farewell to this ancient empire. After a long while, Count Ignaz Guile, his eyes red-rimmed, raised his head and said to Mo Gongze:
"The one spreading this rumor within the palace is General Vellot and others. They are urging His Majesty the Emperor to attribute the defeat to you, and the Emperor is very willing to see this happen in order to shirk responsibility."

Mo Gongze sighed, not because of General Vilot's audacity, but because of Count Ignaz.

“Ignaz, you don’t have to say these things. Your family is almost German. Your honesty with me will make the Guille family’s future situation within Germany even more difficult.”

Count Ignaz Guile's face showed emotion. "Your Highness, the ancestors of the Guile family have always been a civilized race from the East. Even though they were the losers in the struggle against the Seres, I will always be proud of them."

My frankness to the Prince stems from the fact that you are the true patriot of this empire, not General Virot and his ilk; they will only lead this empire to destruction.

Okay, so the Huns have become a civilized race. Don't laugh, this is very important political correctness in Hungary.

Meanwhile, the best-selling Chinese book in Hungary right now is Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian.

The reason is that Sima Qian said that the Xiongnu were descendants of the Xia dynasty and the descendants of Yu the Great, and the Hungarians used this to create a series of stories.

Their ancestors were originally descendants of the King of Seres, princes of the Great Xia Dynasty of the Seres Empire. Due to their defeat in political struggles, they were driven to the grasslands and became Huns. Finally, they were defeated and driven out again by their own brothers and had no choice but to migrate westward to Europe.

This was a crucial period when Hungarian national sentiment began to take shape under the influence of the French Revolution.

Historically, in order to prove that the Hungarian people were also an excellent people, Hungarian nobles and scholars personally or sent people to travel thousands of miles to Gansu, northern Shaanxi and other places to trace their roots, and wrote hundreds of thousands of words of works to prove that the Hungarians were the Huns who migrated westward.

Because of the power of the Great Yu Dynasty, the status of the Seres people did not decline in this time and space, making the Hungarians' demands even stronger.

It's not hard to understand their feelings for Mo Gongze, and why Count Ignaz Guillemeister would say those words.

“Your Highness, this is only the first step against you. General Virot and his men are even planning to first strip you of your position as Governor of Hungary, then gradually reduce your power, and finally take control of the army.”

Since the matter had already been brought up, Count Ignaz Guillet simply revealed everything he knew.

"That's impossible! We will never accept anyone else as Governor of Hungary!"

“Your Highness, you should become the King of Hungary, so that we will not be at the mercy of others.”

"The Germans have supported the corrupt old aristocracy to enslave us for hundreds of years, and now they want to do it again. We will never allow it!"

Before Mo Gongze could say anything, the Hungarian nobles inside the room erupted in anger.

They were filled with righteous indignation, as if they would follow Mogongze's decision to attack the Archbishop's Palace in Pressburg.

Unable to contain his excitement, Mo Gongze knew that after nearly twenty years of subtle cultural influence and two and a half years of political reform, the Hungarians finally truly supported him.

Culturally, Hungarians needed Mokónsze to endorse the "noble race" identity of their Serres, who had fled there, in order to declare to the world that Hungarians had Eastern civilization ancestry and were not some nomadic barbarians. In terms of interests, Mokónsze had overthrown most of the corrupt and decadent noble families.

Those nobles in the Hungarian Senate, who made up only eight-thousandths of the noble population, controlled forty-four percent of the land.

Meanwhile, Mogonze relied on minor noble families like the Viserenie family, which controlled 95% of the Hungarian noble population but only 32% of the land.

Many of them, aside from their negligible judicial immunity and tradition of receiving education, often lived worse economically than an ordinary non-serf.

Mogongze promoted them, granting them land and political rights. Naturally, they supported Mogongze immensely and were extremely afraid that the Viennese court would take everything back once a new governor of Hungary was appointed.

At the same time, Mo Gongze also controlled 80,000 households, approximately 450,000 people who were considered redeemed.

The so-called redemption of the people refers to the redemption of the people who bought land through interest-free loans from the Oriental Bank established by Mo Gongze.

After they received the land, they went from being serfs to becoming self-sufficient farmers. They only had eyes for Mo Gongze and didn't recognize anyone else.

The atmosphere in the room became heated, with more than twenty Hungarian middle-ranking nobles watching Mogonze with eager anticipation. At this moment, if he waved his hand, a Hungarian national revolution could begin immediately.

However, at this crucial moment, Mo Gongze once again held back.

What Mo Zibu admired most about this kid wasn't his military talent or leadership, but rather his ability to be patient and sluggish even when he had a strong chance of winning. He would always wait until the final blow was perfectly timed before making his move.

In Mo Gongze's view, the time was not yet fully ripe, because the Viennese court was only about to harm these people's power, not that it had already done so. They needed to feel some pain before they would support him more.

"Now is not the time. The Viennese court has many flawed policies, but we cannot abandon them in the most difficult times, just as we Easterners believe in philosophy."

In life, loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness are four virtues that one must pursue.

To answer the empire's call and fight for it is loyalty; to follow the bloodline of our ancestors and walk our own path is filial piety; to protect our people even when slandered is benevolence; and not to betray the empire at this time is righteousness.

Mo Gongze specifically used Chinese to explain loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness. These Hungarian nobles had all learned some of it, and even if they didn't understand, they could find a Chinese teacher to understand it when they got back. So, some of them took out their notebooks and started writing it down.

“When we have fulfilled our loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, and the Viennese court still misunderstands us, that is when we begin to fight for our people.”

These words were reasonable and calmed the indignant Hungarian nobles, and also relieved Count Ignaz Guilleh, who was caught in the middle and most afraid of a conflict breaking out between the two sides.

"But some treacherous officials who are harming the empire must be warned!" Mo Gongze said coldly, his angry words coming out through clenched teeth.

He knew his limits perfectly. He couldn't split the empire at this time, because that would only benefit the French. But Mo Gongze also couldn't fail to fight back, or he would be seen as retreating because of weakness.

In China, people can understand stories like Duke Zhuang of Zheng defeating Duan at Yan, or Han Xin enduring the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs.

However, many people in the West do not understand this logic; too much retreat often means that you are not a strong person.

. . . .

Bratislava (Presbourg), Archbishop's Palace, Hall of Mirrors.

Everyone from the Habsburg family came here, including Archduke Karl, who was leading troops in Slovenia, because after today, the Holy Roman Empire of the Habsburg family would cease to exist.

Tomorrow will be the day when France and Austria sign the Treaty of Pressburg, and the precondition for France to sign the treaty is the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire.

This French emperor is about to take action against the Rhineland region.

“Brother, this is an exceptionally painful day for us Habsburg-Lorraine family.”

But we need this opportunity to lick our wounds. The Roman Empire is better off gone than the Austrian Empire itself.

Inside the house, some members of the Habsburg-Lorraine family were unwilling to give up the Holy Roman Empire and were trying to persuade Franz I. When Mogongze arrived, he took the initiative to express his opinion before Emperor Franz I could even ask.

Upon hearing this, Franz I breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he knew that among the Habsburg family today, the most powerful were his younger brother, Archduke Karl, and his cousin, Moggenberg.

As long as the two of them support him, they can shut up the others, so he immediately made an excuse to express his opinion.

"Yes, that's what I think too. After our crushing defeat, the most important thing is to get the French out of Austria. It's worth sacrificing the Holy Roman Empire for that."

"But I've heard that someone told His Majesty that the defeat in this battle was because I didn't send all my men to stop the French. Is that true?"

Mo Gongze suddenly became very direct and began to ask Franz I a question, and then, without waiting for Franz I's answer, he immediately continued:
"Does Your Majesty really believe that the failure of a battle involving hundreds of thousands of men can be attributed to a mere thousand soldiers? If the entire Belgian army went to stop the French, who would protect Your Majesty during your retreat?"

These words put Franz I in a very awkward position. Admitting it would put him in a completely passive position, but if he didn't admit it, he had already agreed to General Verott and others' suggestion to continue spreading rumors to reduce his own responsibility.

“Your Highness, you are being extremely rude! How can you question your monarch like that!” Just as Franz I was feeling embarrassed, General Verlot stepped in front of the emperor and adopted a posture of confronting Mogongze face to face.

This guy had no choice; he came from a humble background. His father, Anton Verlot, was just a cavalry major. He climbed his way up through his own abilities, which was no easy feat.

Although his ability was largely about flattering and pleasing Franz I, General Verlot considered it quite remarkable.

The defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz has seriously affected General Verot's future.

Tsar Alexander I, who had been a strong supporter of him before the war, is now accusing him, the Chief of the General Staff, of being a spy bribed by the French in an attempt to deflect blame.

In this situation, the rumor that Mo Gongze should be held responsible for the failure of the battle came out, how could he not be tempted?

"It seems you're the one spreading rumors!" Mo Gongze immediately identified his target. He quickly took off his cloak, revealing a tight-fitting outfit and a samurai sword at his waist.

"You are insulting a prince of the empire." Mo Gongze stared at him fiercely. "Although there is a huge difference in status, for the sake of honor, I am willing to settle this matter in a noble manner. I challenge you to a duel, Major General!"

General Virot looked at Mo Gongze in disbelief; he hadn't expected the Belgian prince to be so brutal in his first move.

"According to the rules, when a dispute arises due to the actions of a subordinate, one cannot refuse a duel invitation from a superior. You must accept, Major General!" Count Ferenc Széchenyi of Hungary, who had entered with Mo Gongze, shouted loudly, blocking Major General Verott's retreat.

Sweat streamed down General Virot's forehead. A duel? This wasn't a duel; it was sending him to his death.

Not to mention that Mo Gongze's physique, honed through years of training and possessing superb martial arts skills, was far superior to his frail fifty-year-old self, even if he were stronger than Mo Gongze, he wouldn't dare to bear the consequences of killing a prince.

General Virot was certain that if he dared to harm Mogongze, even in the arena, he would be killed by assassins sent by the Hungarian nobles surrounding the prince.

"I...I..." General Vilot looked left and right, his eyes darting around, desperately trying to think of a solution.

Mo Gongze glanced at a concerned-looking adjutant beside General Verlot, then asked in a gloomy voice, "Major General, you don't mean to have your adjutant replace you, do you? That's not a good choice."

There was a custom among European nobles to have servants take their place in duels, which was considered humiliating, but better than being killed in the duel.

“Yes, that’s right, we can have the servants duel,” General Vellot blurted out in the confusion.

He thought Mo Gongze was also backing down and wanted him to lose a servant to end the fight and save face.

He also failed to notice that Mo Gongze had said adjutant, not attendant.

"How dare you!" Mo Gongze roared, pointing at the adjutant beside Vilot and shouting, "How dare you insult me ​​with a mere servant! This is the punishment you deserve!"

With a roar, Mo Gongze drew his samurai sword from his waist, twisted his waist sharply, and spun like a top to dissipate the force, the cold blade flashing with an extremely cold light in the air.

Pfft!

The enormous head flew off, blood spurting from the headless neck. Mo Gongze had actually severed the adjutant's neck with a single sword strike.

"No!" General Verlot let out a blood-curdling scream, then spat out a mouthful of blood. He collapsed to the ground, embracing the headless corpse and weeping bitterly, completely oblivious to the blood splattered all over his body.

This is because he is not merely General Virot's adjutant, but also his illegitimate son.

Mo Gongze knew all this perfectly well; he wanted to teach General Vilot a lesson he would never forget.

After killing the man, Mo Gongze calmly wiped the blood off his katana. Under the shocked gazes of Archduke Karl and his cousins, he sheathed the sword and knelt before Franz I.

“Your Majesty, I acted impulsively and broke the law. I am willing to have my title of Duke of Limburg revoked and leave Vienna for Buda to face the Ottoman Empire as punishment.”

With blood splattered on his face, and remembering the 20,000 troops of Mogongze outside the city, Franz I panicked and was speechless for a moment.

Archduke Karl immediately stepped forward. He was actually happy to see Franz I suffer a setback, and even happier to see General Verott punished.

At the same time, Mo Gongze's actions actually drew a lot of criticism, which he was eager for. So, before Franz I could react, he began to loudly rebuke him.

"Ferdinand, you have been extremely rude. I demand that you pay General Verlot an additional three thousand standard silver dollars as compensation, and then you yourself must immediately travel to Buda to reflect on your actions!"

The standard silver dollar and the florin were the legal tender of the Austrian Empire. One standard silver dollar was worth only £0.141, and three thousand standard silver dollars would only amount to £423, or about 1,600 silver dollars, which was nothing to Mo Gongze.

Sending him to Buda effectively allowed Magundze to move Hungary's political center back to Buda. By doing so, Archduke Karl was secretly helping Magundze.

Meanwhile, Franz I was completely stunned. General Verlot had lost his favorite illegitimate son and was in so much pain that he almost fainted, so he was in no condition to think about anything else.

Mo Gongze quickly got up and left the Archbishop's Palace, preparing to lead his army to Buda overnight to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Thus, Franz I, whose prestige had plummeted after suffering heavy losses at the Battle of Austerlitz, could no longer stop Mogonze.

(End of this chapter)