Chapter 87: Battle of Budapest - Undercurrents
The Austrian Church was not an easy target either. Although it has declined, it has aligned itself with the local nobility. The higher echelons of the Church were also mostly composed of noble descendants.
This was also why Franz did not rush to confront the Church, as it would have far-reaching consequences. One must take things step by step, and enemies must be dealt with one by one. If it is possible to turn enemies into allies, even better.
There was no doubt that the members of the Austrian Church were not worth his efforts to win over. They were incredibly wealthy and hinder the development of Austrian society. They are true conservatives.
Prime Minister Felix spoke up, “Your Majesty, it would be best to postpone dealing with the Church. Recently, there have been changes in the Papal States. Pope Pius IX has sought refuge in Naples and has asked for our aid.
The Cabinet has decided to expedite the pacification of the rebellion, defeat the Kingdom of Sardinia, and then send troops to assist Pope Pius IX in regaining power!”
Clearly, the Cabinet was not foolish and understood that the Church cannot be rashly confronted. Since the Middle Ages, there has been a power struggle between the secular monarchy and the ecclesiastical authority. While secular power has gained the upper hand, the influence of the Church should not be underestimated.
Directly taking action against them is certainly not a wise choice. However, these clergy members are not without their adversaries. The Austrian Catholic Church was still under the leadership of the Holy See.
Now that there have been changes in the Papal States, Austria needed to extend a helping hand. After the matter is resolved, can Pope Pius IX really not reciprocate the favor?
Franz nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself: Indeed, these old foxes in the political arena are not to be underestimated. They seize the timing perfectly.
Even the Roman Pontiff was too preoccupied in taking care of himself and was willing to sacrifice the Austrian Church for his own interests without hesitation. With the Pope supporting their cause, the pressure they will face will be significantly reduced.
……
With the command from the Austrian government, the battle for Budapest began.
Lieutenant General Julius no longer had to worry. According to the Austrian government’s plan, Budapest was already dispensable in the future division of administrative districts, so there was no need to worry about the war destroying the city.
TN: I previously mistranslated Julius as Major General. The correct one is Lieutenant General.
In fact, Budapest was a combination of two cities, Buda and Pest. As early as the medieval era, Pest became the capital of Hungary, while Buda was a city separated by a river from Pest.
When referring to the two cities, they are usually mentioned together as Budapest or Pest-Buda.
After the establishment of the Hungarian Republic, the two cities were merged, but in the post-war period, they would be divided and governed by two separate provinces.
“Lord Governor, the Army High Command has issued the order to attack the city, requesting us to capture Budapest as soon as possible. What are your thoughts on this?” Lieutenant General Julius inquired with concern.
The Bohemian Corps and the Croatian Corps are temporarily under joint command for this assault on Budapest. Julius must consider the opinion of Governor Josip Jela?i?.
“Commander, the Hungarian rebels are nothing more than insignificant turtles. Taking Budapest is not a problem; the key is whether we can eliminate them completely!
At this moment, the Transylvanian Army has already reached the banks of the Tisza River, and the Austrian Army is advancing along the Danube River. Outside our encirclement, a larger encirclement is taking shape.
The only escape route for these rebels is to flee to the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan’s government initiated major reforms as early as 1839, and they have a long history of hostility with the Empire, making it highly likely that they will shelter these rebels.
If they are allowed to join forces, it would be highly detrimental to the Empire's future rule in Hungary. Therefore, the key to this war lies in completely annihilating the enemy!”
Governor Josip Jela?i? was a military politician, and he approached issues more from a political perspective. In the long run, completely eradicating the Hungarian revolutionary party holds more significance than capturing Budapest.
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Lieutenant General Julius sighed and said, “That’s difficult to achieve. The revolutionary party is not as brave as they boast. Once the situation turns unfavorable, they will run away faster than rabbits. I suspect they have already prepared an escape route by now. When we launch the siege of Budapest, they will flee unless we can trap them inside the city. Otherwise, it will be impossible to annihilate them.”
As a loyal servant of the Habsburg family, Julius held a deep disdain for the revolutionary party. If given the opportunity, he wouldn’t mind hanging every last one of them.
Franz appointed him as the Supreme Commander, primarily with the intention of unleashing a brutal crackdown and eliminating all individuals involved in or suspected of participating in the rebellion.
Regardless of whether they could achieve a clean sweep of the rebel forces, on May 24, 1848, the Austrian army still launched the siege of Budapest. In order to annihilate the leaders of the revolutionary party, Jela?i? even opted for the militarily unfavorable strategy of surrounding the city from all sides.
The Hungarian Republic’s external connections were completely severed, and Budapest had become an isolated city. Not being restrained by anything, the Austrian army unleashed relentless artillery fire upon the city.
Budapest.
Ever since the sound of cannons echoed through the city, this ancient city became tumultuous. The hardliners and the moderates engaged in endless arguments, while some cunning individuals started seeking for escape routes, increasing the pressure on the Kossuth government.
“Count Schemir, the revolutionary forces are still unwilling to compromise. What should we do now?” General G?rge asked with a headache.
"General G?rge, how many members of the National Guard are under our command?” Schemir inquired with concern.
“Kossuth has started to doubt us. Half a month ago, he transferred the military authority to Bem, and now he has brought in the renowned Polish general, Henryk D?browski, to oversee the city’s defenses.
If we were to act now, I could command a force of 13,000 soldiers, but they are scattered among different units and cannot be effectively gathered together!” G?rge replied awkwardly.
“Worthless!”
That was Schemir’s immediate response. As the Minister of the Army in the provisional government, it was unbelievable that he didn’t have a reliable army at his disposal.
“Over 13,000 troops? It was clearly a lie. If they still had so many loyal troops in their hands, they would have already clashed with the revolutionaries.
G?rge, as a member of the bourgeois aristocracy, was involved in the formation of the Hungarian National Guard, and had managed to sneak in quite a number of people.
But now, they have been overshadowed by the revolutionaries. Besides using the term ‘worthless’ to describe him, Schemir couldn’t think of a better word.
“General G?rge, I wasn’t asking how many people are inclined towards our side, but rather how many people you can mobilize right now without attracting external attention. I mean immediately, not how many forces can be gathered!” Schemir explained helplessly.
“Under the current circumstances and without attracting attention, I can mobilize no more than five hundred troops,” G?rge answered with a furrowed brow.
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