Chapter 456: Chapter 29, Redefining ‘Italian Area
 

In an attempt to test the British, Franz decided to accelerate the French annexation of Italy. Currently, Naples, the Papal State, Tuscany, and other Sub-States are bargaining with the French.

The absolute gap in power has caused them to abandon any plans for armed resistance. Originally, they had hoped for Austrian intervention, but regrettably, the Vienna Government decided to just watch.

The pretext was already in place, an old score left from the year 1848. Back then, under popular pressure, the Italian Sub-States had all stood in opposition to Austria.

Although the Nobility and Kings were still good friends of Austria, they decisively shied away, not bringing any substantial harm to Austria.

The magnanimous His Majesty Franz didn’t hold a grudge, but the Italians still needed to pay a price for their wilfulness. Now Austria had decided to just observe from the sidelines.

That was the official stance, but behind the scenes, the connection between the Habsburg Family and the Italian Nobility had never been severed.

Even now, Austria was supporting them from behind the scenes in their fight for rights; otherwise, these Sub-State governments wouldn’t have the confidence to bargain with the French.

Vienna officially promised to allow France to swallow up these Italian Sub-States, but how exactly this annexation would occur, would depend on the actual situation.

As a member of the Noble class, protecting class interests now is also justified. Napoleon III too, a beneficiary, would not break this unwritten European rule. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to get by on the European Continent.

The Austrians setting a precedent by rebuilding Shinra has served as a model for Napoleon III, who now also wanted to be crowned as the Italian Emperor.

As for the issue of Italy lacking an emperor, he boldly ignored it. How the Emperor of France came to be, the Italian Emperor could emulate; he believed the Pope would make the right choice.

Forcing the Pope in Rome to crown him emperor, an act many predecessors had done, was something Napoleon III would not mind emulating.

A completely peaceful annexation of the Italian Area, of course, was impossible. The Austrians rebuilt Shinra because the Germans wanted unity themselves, to establish a powerful nation.

The Italians also wanted unity but weren’t willing to united by the French. Without popular support, Napoleon III had no choice but to employ both threats and inducements.

Now the French Army had appeared within the various Italian Sub-States. They hadn’t taken any military action yet, because the Sub-State governments were still somewhat cooperative.

At most, they were negotiating terms, with no government openly opposing, preventing the French from finding a pretext to act. Now, these slippery characters were each demanding exorbitant prices.

This was something Franz enjoyed seeing, for if Napoleon III couldn’t help but annihilate them, things would become more interesting.

Without these local power brokers cooperating, the Italian Area would quickly become chaotic. Then, instead of strengthening France’s power, it would drain their strength.

Even if these local powers were conquered, it wouldn’t mean there would be no issues. If the French completely stayed out of it, relying on these Sub-State governments for rule, they might manage to maintain the situation.

But once they intervened, anti-French sentiment would become Italy’s mainstream in the future. Even if it were just to deflect societal tensions, these individuals would turn their hatred towards the French.

Moreover, there were conflicts of interest. Don’t look now; while the capitalists seem cooperative, when the capital interests of France and Italy begin to clash in the future, the consequences will be severe.

Balancing this complex situation is almost impossible. Once Italian capitalists believe the government favors French capital, it would be strange if they didn’t support the Revolutionary Party.

This belief, highly subjective, is almost inevitable. Such situations occur frequently in Austria, with people often taking their cases to the Supreme Court.

More often than not, there were awkward situations where both sides had valid points, leaving the judges unsure of how to proceed, ultimately resolving issues through private negotiations.

Of course, after each such occurrence, the legislative body would patch up the law as needed. The improvement of the legal system is achieved one step at a time.

If this were in France, they probably wouldn’t wait for a lawsuit to conclude before the protesting crowds outside could wreak havoc on the Paris Government.

These issues, presumably, the French were also prepared for, but they likely did not anticipate how severe the aftermath would be. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so active now.

After all, the issues that arose in Austria ultimately were settled amicably without devolving into chaos.

If others can do it, why can’t we? This pride, the French certainly do not lack.

Napoleon III had already started paving the way for his son. If he can’t satisfy the French’s desire to be a great nation, the future Napoleon IV will have a headache.

Napoleon III, adept at manipulating people’s hearts, couldn’t possibly be ignorant of the terrifying nature of these ideas. Now, following Austria’s lead in building Shinra to establish a French-Italian Union Empire, he was also compelled.

As for confidence in the combat capability of the French Army, Napoleon III was very confident. Once the Union Empire was established, it would be the master of Europe.

This could satisfy most French pursuits, solidifying the Empire’s foundation. Of course, ascending to the Italian throne personally was also tempting.

Wealth and status always require a return to one’s roots, and for the Bonaparte family, the Italian throne held significant meaning, even though an Italian King was established during the Napoleonic Era.

Now in Italy, there were still many supporters of Napoleon, and they were the reason Napoleon III dared to aspire to be the Emperor of Italy. With military force, supporters, and opportunity at hand, why not go for it?

As for the legal issues, they could simply hold another election if necessary. This time, there was no need for a popular vote; let the governments of the Italian sub-states choose.

As King of the Kingdom of Sardinia, he was also eligible to run for office. Besides him, who else would dare to compete for this position? Since he was the sole candidate, his election was naturally guaranteed.

In theory, Ludwig I, King of the Kingdom of Lombardy, was also eligible to run, considering Lombardy was part of the Italian regions. Even Franz had a crown of Veneto on his head, making him one of the candidates.

However, neither Franz nor Ludwig I considered themselves part of Italy, so naturally, they wouldn’t interfere.

Clearly, Napoleon III did not think the same way. Holding multiple titles was a standard for the old nobility, especially the title of Emperor, which no one ever deemed excessive.

How to kick both the Kingdoms of Lombardy and Venice out of Italy became Napoleon III’s most vexing issue.

Napoleon III did not believe that Austria could be restrained by a mere treaty if interests were at stake. If any unforeseen circumstances arose and Franz decided to run for the title of Italian Emperor, he would have made the bridal dress for someone else to wear.

After all, in terms of family influence, the Bonaparte family could not compete with the Habsburgs, whose deepest roots lay in their multitude of relations and substantial legal grounds.

In order to speed up the French, Franz decided not to trouble Napoleon III further and chose to withdraw proactively.

…

At the Belvedere Palace, Franz summoned Foreign Minister Weisenberg and instructed, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should notify the French that an international conference will be held in Vienna to redraw the boundaries of some disputed regions in Europe.

For example, Veneto and the Lombardy Region should belong to the Germany Region instead of the Italian Area, as they now fall under German cultural influence.”

This was what Napoleon III wanted to do but dared not. Ostensibly, it would divide the Italian Area, but it was, in reality, a definition of the sovereignty of the upcoming Italian Empire.

No matter how fierce the unification movement in Italy, the fact remains undisputed that since the fall of the Roman Empire, the Italian regions had never been unified again.

There was no such thing as legal sovereignty. Now, Lombardy and Venice did not wish to merge with them, and there were no legal issues to consider.

A region is not a state; how can there be sovereignty? Before the birth of the Italian Confederation Empire, Franz intended to change geographic nomenclature ahead of time, sending a political signal to Napoleon III.

After all, regional boundaries are drawn by man. Redefining them now was not impossible. As long as France and Austria maintained a united front, what would it matter to alter the regional extent?

It wouldn’t involve the interests of all parties. Even if there were objections, they wouldn’t present too great a problem. Franz had already thought of the reasons for the division—cultural composition would suffice.

Thus, the definition of the Germany Region expanded further. Apart from Lombardy and Venice, most of the Balkan Peninsula became part of the Germany Region.

Whether the outside world recognized it or not, Austria’s official documents could change. These areas were indeed within the German cultural circles and dividing them according to cultural tradition had no issues.

After some thought, Weisenberg remarked, “Your Majesty, this could be troublesome. These areas are called as such simply out of habit. If we were to divide them according to cultural circles, it might raise the vigilance of many countries.”

Suspicion was inevitable; Austria’s propaganda slogan was, after all, the unification of the Germany Region. With such a political slogan already in play, it would be strange if there weren’t any suspicions.

Of course, not proclaiming this slogan wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Ask anyone in Europe whether Austria had ambitions to unify the Germany Region, and the answer would always be the same—yes.

Since it couldn’t be concealed anyway, better to declare it boldly. For so many years, the Vienna Government’s slogans had resonated loudly, yet the situation remained unchanged.

Despite their suspicions, it didn’t lead to hatred. After all, Franz was no radical, waving the flag of “peaceful unification,” and many sub-states within the Shinra Empire served as examples.

Were it not for the fear of igniting tensions in Europe, Franz would have been able to partition the German Federation Empire at any moment. Over the years, Austria had wooed many small sub-states.

If the Germany Region’s boundaries were expanded now, likely, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands would have sleepless nights.

Unconcerned, Franz said, “Don’t worry. While we redefine the regions, everyone can sign an international treaty, explicitly stating in legal form that ‘regional names cannot serve as a legal basis for unification,’ to give them peace of mind.”

This was all obvious. Regional names have never been the legal basis for unification. Could it be that just because we are all Earthlings, we can legally unify Earth?

The so-called reassurance was nothing more than a ruse to let them lower their guard. As for the future, Franz truly had no intentions of targeting them.

They were small territories with scant resources and were troublesome to govern. Unless he was out of his mind, Franz would always choose to expand into more accessible areas.

Wasn’t it better for everyone to do their own thing? Expanding the Germany Region’s boundaries was primarily a matter of propaganda, conducive to exporting German culture.

It might seem insignificant now, but in the future, it would become a major Germanic cultural sphere. Otherwise, had they not laid the groundwork early on, allowing English to become the world’s dominant language, wouldn’t that have been tragic?