The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 891 Could my uncle really be a god?
On November 17, 1809, before the Russian army could attack, Mogonze was finally crowned King of Hungary in Pozzony, which had been the capital of Hungary for centuries, also known as Bratislava.

Although Mogonze's Kingdom of Hungary did not include Hungary (Slovakia), after Mogonze merged the Duchy of Transylvania into the Hungarian kingship, it was still quite respectable in terms of both population and territory.

As for how to coordinate between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Xia vassal state, Mo Gongze has already thought it through.

When the war in Europe ended, Napoleon's empire was destroyed, and Maurice Moggenberg himself became the regent of Austria, he directly turned the Austrian Empire into a vassal state of the Seres Empire, downgrading it to the Kingdom of Austria.

Since Austria was no longer an empire but a kingdom, there was no reason for it to continue existing as the superior of the Kingdom of Hungary. At that time, the Kingdom of Hungary could be renamed the Kingdom of Western Xia, and everything would be legitimate.

While becoming King of Hungary, Mogonze also became the godfather of Ferdinand, the eldest son of Emperor Franz.

The term "godfather" is somewhat distorted in translation because religion has a far greater influence on Westerners' lives than the Chinese imagine. It could actually be translated as "second father" or, in a more literal sense, "grandfather" (in its earlier meaning).

Mogenze became the godfather of the next Austrian emperor, which meant that in all matters related to the crown prince, he had power second only to Emperor Franz. He had a responsibility to the crown prince, and the crown prince had an obligation to him.

If Mo Zibu were here today, seeing Mo Gongze holding the Austrian Crown Prince's hand and the Crown Prince calling him "father," he would surely feel that all his efforts over the years had been well worth it.

This is not a victory for Mo Gongze alone, but a victory for the Chinese civilization behind him.

At this time, the Austrian Empire was not the obscure entity it would later become as obscure as the Austrian Republic.

Once upon a time, the Austrian Empire was the most powerful country in Europe, a bulwark against the Ottoman Turks, a shield of God, and a defender of the Christian world.

The Habsburg family, which ruled Austria, was known to later generations as the Lower Habsburgs. At the height of Charles V's reign three hundred years ago, the Habsburg family controlled what would later become Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, part of Poland, one-third of Germany, and nearly half of Italy. The Habsburg bloodline was almost ubiquitous in European royal families.

Today, as Mogonze becomes King of Hungary and Godfather of the Crown Prince, just as Maria Karolina said, this empire and royal family with great influence in Europe has officially bowed to the Seres Empire.

The Habsburg family and the Austrian Empire are about to transform from a European fortress into a radiating tower of Seres civilization across Europe.

And all of this is precisely the main reason why Mo Gongze was repeatedly fooled.

For the Austrian Empire, giving Mogonse a prominent position was like an overweight person trying to lose weight facing a barbecue and a beer.

He knew that eating barbecue and drinking beer was bad for his health, but he couldn't resist the temptation. He would only have a meal when he couldn't resist anymore, and after eating, he would immediately want to slap himself a few times.

Then, when you finally can't resist the urge to eat it again, you regret it.

It should be noted that Austria is also a powerful and influential country in Europe. If the Seres Empire hadn't been standing behind Mo Gongze, who was practically backing him, they wouldn't be standing on the edge of a cliff, jumping back and forth like this.

Even if Emperor Franz I was such a moron, Foreign Minister Stachiven and the new generation leader Metternich were not fools; on the contrary, they were among the best politicians and diplomats in Europe.

Without the consequence of becoming a henchman of the Seres Empire in Europe, these people would never have allowed Emperor Franz to treat Mogonze in this way.

Now things are much better. The Austrian Empire and the Habsburg family have finally given up. They've stopped dieting and are now eating and drinking as usual, preparing to become big eaters.

Napoleon could never have imagined that it was his ruthless attack on the Austrian Empire that would push the Austrians, led by the Habsburgs, to the brink of disaster.

Otherwise, even with Mo Gongze present, there would never have been an event where a nation with a dominant civilization bowed down to another civilization.

"His Majesty the Emperor will seek peace with the French, even at the cost of great losses, to preserve the empire first."

And you, Your Majesty the King of Hungary, will continue to resist, becoming the banner of the Austrians and Hungarians against the French invasion.

After the coronation ceremony, Clemens Wenzel Metternich, Austria's most outstanding new generation of politicians, came over to report their arrangements to Mogongze.

Mo Gongze had a look of intoxication on his face, but he came back to his senses in just a moment.

“Clemens, please do not call me Your Majesty, because in this world, there is only one Your Majesty, and that is my uncle, Emperor Seres.”

Any monarch in this world who calls himself "Your Majesty," except for the great Emperor Seris, will pay a price.

“Yes, I understand.” Metternich nodded, then continued, “Your Highness Ferdinand, the path we have designed for you is very risky and will cost you and your kingdom unimaginable costs. I think Your Highness should be prepared.”

"It's just losing Budapest and most of the land, I'm mentally prepared for that."

The plan designed by Metternich and others is similar to that designed by Mo Gongze himself. It seems that after these people changed their mindset and were willing to humble themselves, their intelligence is still quite high.

"Clemens, you will definitely become the Foreign Minister of the Empire in the future. After the French and the Rus' are defeated, you will be in charge of the reckoning with them."

In addition, I will promote a large number of Austrians to serve as nobles and officials in Wallachia, Moldavia, Bessarabia, Croatia, and even Greece and the Caucasus region.

"You draw up a list, and I will keep my promise when I return to Bozzoni next time."

Mo Gongze was very clear that the Austrians had only initially changed their mindset and it was not yet firmly established, so he needed to offer them some promises in advance.

You guys always used to make empty promises to me, now I'll make you something too.

Metternich couldn't help but smile wryly. Now it was finally their turn to eat the pie that Mo Gongze had promised, and the pie was actually quite tempting.

"The border troops stationed in Belgrade mutinied after we signed the peace treaty with the French. They will then break away from the Empire and support you. Your Highness, please send someone to take over Belgrade as soon as possible."

When Metternich heard Mogonze say he didn't care about losing Budapest, he immediately knew what Mogonze was planning to do.

To rely on the Western Carpathian Mountains and the Balkan Mountains to block the enemy, Belgrade must be captured.

This city is located at the confluence of the Great Morava, Sava, and Danube rivers. A bastion was built on a small island in the river, and this single bastion could control all three rivers.

Furthermore, Belgrade is backed by seven mountains and protected by a hundred-meter cliff. Seventy kilometers away, Petrovaradin Castle is also built among the mountains, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. It can be regarded as a fortified city in the corner of Belgrade.

It can be said that Belgrade is the key to controlling the Balkans. Without taking Belgrade, it is impossible to cross the Balkan Mountains. Without crossing the Balkan Mountains, the territories of Wallachia and other places located in the lower Danube plain are as stable as Mount Tai.

“Clemens, time will prove that your choice was correct,” Mo Gongze said softly, then walked toward his cousin, Emperor Franz I.

"The Seres Empire is the only savior of the Austrians. If only Your Majesty had understood this sooner."

"To be honest, I still don't understand, but I know you've won now." Franz I wasn't particularly clever, but he wasn't stupid either.

He vaguely understood that his future days would not be good, and that he was even being sidelined now.

Well, actually he was a bit foolish, because the situation was so unfavorable to him that even ministers like Stachivin and Metternich had begun to abandon him, so there was no point in provoking Mogongze any further.

Mo Gongze did not show any anger. After a simple bow, he went to find Grand Duke Karl at the end of the room.

“I will accompany the Emperor to negotiate peace with the French, because if I don’t go, the French will doubt our sincerity.”

Furthermore, I estimate that I won't be of much help to you in the future; only the group of officers I've trained can provide for you.

Grand Duke Karl was quite dejected. "Many of them come from noble families around Belgrade and are quite reliable. Ferdinand, you can appoint them as needed."

Mogongze had initially intended to persuade Archduke Karl to join him, but upon seeing the situation, he immediately abandoned the idea, patted him on the shoulder to indicate his understanding, and then concluded the normal coronation ceremony. November 23, 1809.

Just six days before Mogonze's coronation ceremony, the advance force of 20,000 Russian troops arrived near Pozoni and set up camp.

Seeing that there were not many Russians, Mo Gongze immediately led 10,000 Xia vassal troops in a surprise attack. The Russian troops outside the city were caught off guard and almost had their camp breached, losing more than 2,000 men.

Three days later, the follow-up Russian troops began to arrive, led by Prince Balagdion. The Russian army then began a probing attack, engaging in low-intensity but continuous fighting with the remaining Austrian troops, as well as the Xia and Anxi armies.

On December 5th, after more than a month of rest, 12 French troops, led by Napoleon, sailed downriver to Pozzoni, and the intensity of the war immediately escalated.

Unlike the Russian army that fought alongside Austrian forces in the last Battle of Austerlitz, where the lower and middle ranks of the Russian army did not benefit much, they generally had little interest in fighting France in Austria and their fighting spirit was low.

However, the lower and middle ranks of the Russian army also benefited from the annexation of Galicia and Bohemia, so their fighting spirit remained strong.

The commander-in-chief, Prince Balaguetion, was also severely reprimanded by Tsar Alexander in a letter, and has become much more obedient, now following Napoleon's orders.

Alexander I was indeed much more clear-headed. The Seres Empire's attack hadn't even started yet. Once the Seres Empire made its move, the Rus' people would be crying for help from the French.

Seeing that the Russian army was quite compliant, Napoleon immediately changed his battle strategy. He allowed the Russian army to participate in the front-line attack along with a small number of elite French troops, while the Irish and Italians within the French army were simply used as auxiliary troops.

As for Emperor Napoleon himself, he began to do what he did best: command the artillery in battle.

With this, the charge was carried out by grey-horsepower vehicles, and the artillery was the personal guards artillery under Napoleon's command. The combined power of France and Russia more than doubled instantly.

However, Mogongze's resistance was also very resolute. It would be best if they could avoid retreating to Romania, especially since it was winter. If they didn't put up a strong resistance, it wouldn't be easy to escape later.

Thus, although the Russian army repeatedly broke through the Austrian positions outside the city, inflicting heavy casualties on the Austrians who had not yet recovered from the previous two battles, the Austrians were always able to recapture the positions with the support of the Anxi army or the Xia army.

The two sides fought like this until the end of December, when the Franco-Russian allied forces finally succumbed to the winter cold and voluntarily ceased their offensive.

Napoleon retreated the main force of his army to Kittsay, a small town not far from Pozzoni, and then sent envoys to persuade them to surrender.

Well, it doesn't really have to be called persuasion to surrender. In Europe, this kind of thing is not common. Nobles of monarchical rank would generally not surrender to nobles of the same rank. They would usually sign a humiliating peace treaty.

However, the diplomatic negotiations during the brief winter yielded no results; Napoleon's demands were too outrageous, and the Austrians could not possibly agree to them.

In February 1810, the weather warmed up slightly, but the war continued.

Mogölze received Metternich's specially sent terms of surrender for Austria, which were offered by Napoleon, the French emperor.

First, Austria paid France 100 million francs in war reparations and military expenses, equivalent to four to five years of Austria's fiscal revenue.

Second, Austria will demolish all fortresses north of the Danube, including the recently completed Vienna New Town.

Third, the archbishops of the Austrian churches in Vienna and Salzburg will be immediately appointed by cardinals selected by France.

Fourth, Austria ceded all its territories bordering the Adriatic Sea to France, roughly equivalent to half of Slovenia and one-third of Croatia.

Fifth, Austria ceded Tyrol and other territories, namely the part of Austria bordering Switzerland, to the Kingdom of Italy, where Napoleon was king.

VI. Austria ceded Salzburg to the Kingdom of Bavaria and Bohemia and Galicia to the Rus' Empire.

VII. The French Empire sent financial officials to the Austrian Ministry of Finance, who had the authority to intervene in the receipt and expenditure of various taxes, including customs duties, in order to supervise the completion of the indemnity payments.

8. The French Empire will maintain a garrison of 50,000 troops in Austria to ensure Austria's subordination to France, and the cost of the garrison will be allocated from the Austrian Empire's treasury at a rate of 140,000 francs per day.

9. The Austrian Imperial Army was limited to a size of less than 80,000 men, and the total number of artillery pieces was limited to less than 80.

10. The French secret police force can freely arrest people of all classes (including nobles) who oppose France within Austria, and is not bound by the Austrian emperor or laws.

11. Austria may not form an alliance with a third country without the consent of France.

12. Higher education institutions such as the University of Vienna in Austria have eliminated majors related to diplomacy, military affairs, and military industry, and are not allowed to continue enrolling students. Students who have already been enrolled have been sent home.

Thirteen, Austria immediately issued a statement expelling all Seres troops from its territory and declaring Prince Ferdinand of Belgium's ascension to the throne of Hungary illegal.

"Damn it, Austria is going to lose almost half of its territory, and lose all its financial, religious, and legal rights."

Even though Li Xingtai wasn't Austrian, he felt somewhat angry when he saw the treaty.

"This is outrageous! It's only slightly better than the outcome when the Jin army breached Bianjing!"

“But I’ve decided to tell Franz I that the Xia army and the Anxi army are preparing to withdraw, and I’m asking the Crown Prince to come with us.” Mo Gongze wasn’t angry at all; he said calmly.

"You want to force the Austrians to agree to this extremely harsh treaty," Li Xingtai suddenly realized.

“I understand. What we fear most now is not that Napoleon will impose such harsh conditions, but that he will treat the Austrians well and use this as leverage to make the Austrians really turn against us.”

"Hahaha, then I agree. Napoleon insulted the Austrians so much that any Austrians with a bit of backbone will come to you, the hero who resisted the French. This has done us a great favor!"

As he spoke, Li Xingtai couldn't help but mock, "People say Napoleon was a great ruler who could unify Europe, but now it seems he was too shallow and had too narrow a vision."

Just a few years ago, they excessively humiliated the Prussians, making unnecessary enemies for themselves. Now they're insulting the Austrians again. They really haven't changed at all!
He's hardly some kind of world-shaking, great ruler. He's not even worthy to carry the shoes of Emperor Gaozu of Han. In His Majesty's words, he's clearly just a beggar version of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu!

Mo Gongze smiled, but then suddenly seemed to think of something terrible. Even Li Xianwen felt a chill run down his spine when he saw his expression.

"Cousin, I've thought of something." Mo Gongze looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"I was wondering why His Majesty the Fifth Emperor insisted that King Azhan of Liao marry the daughter of Franz I."

Realistically, Austria, already weakened by France, couldn't offer much help to Franz, and indeed, Franz couldn't even afford a large dowry when his daughter married.

At the same time, Franz is of our generation, and his daughter, Princess Marie, is actually our niece; Azka is Princess Marie's uncle.

In the eyes of us Chinese, even without blood ties, this is something we should try our best to avoid as it violates human ethics, especially for people from Guangdong who are extremely particular about this.

"Hiss!" Li Xingtai gasped. "That's right. In this situation, if Princess Mary were still alive, she could marry Napoleon, who had no legitimate son."

This would greatly reduce the Austrians' hatred towards the French, especially Napoleon.

Because if Princess Marie gave birth to a prince, he would essentially be the future emperor of the French Empire, and thus half Austrian.

"Moreover, by marrying Napoleon, Mary could leverage the Habsburg family's deep-rooted influence to endorse him and improve his image in Europe, something a Russian princess could never do," Mo Gongze added.

"This foresight is terrifying!" Li Xingtai murmured. "Could my uncle really be the Son of Heaven, the reincarnation of the Buddha of Incarnation?"

(End of this chapter)