While Alexander's performance made Leopold II appreciate it, it also gave Franz a huge sense of crisis.
What Leopold II saw was that after Alexander issued his order, he completed the task of recruiting troops in the shortest time, and his ability was outstanding. What Franz saw was that Alexander's huge threat to his status! In just less than two months, Alexander was able to recruit an army of 30,000 people. What does this mean? This fully demonstrates that Alexander has been deeply rooted in Hungary.
The Habsburg family had less than 10,000 troops in Hungary, and this 10,000 people still needed to suppress all parts of Hungary. Alexander completed the recruitment of 30,000 troops in less than two months, and even his own guards needed to recruit another 18,000 Hungarian troops.
Now that Alexander has recruited an army of 30,000 people, Hungary has not yet heard of unstable information from all over the country. It can be seen how stable Alexander's rule in Hungary was. What's even more terrifying is that Alexander was appointed as the governor of Hungary for only more than a year.
"Damn it, where did he find 30,000 people!"
Franz, with a ferocious face, stood in his room and threw the vase on the table to the ground. The exquisite Venetian vase was shattered into half on the ground.
"His Crown Prince calms down!"
A group of Franz's raised counselors bowed to Franz, but the anger on Franz's face showed no sign of disappearing.
"It turned out that I just wanted to make him ugly, but now, he has completed the task successfully. Now, he showed his face hard in front of His Majesty the Emperor and the whole country. How can I bear it!"
"Your Highness, I have an idea below that I don't know whether to say it or not..."
"If you have something to say, don't talk with me here!"
Hearing Franz's stern reprimand, a counselor's eyes rolled a few times and said:
"Since His Highness Alexander was able to complete the recruitment of 30,000 people in such a short time. This can fully indicate that the empire's rule in the Hungarian region is becoming more stable. At present, the front line is a time when a large number of soldiers are needed. With the situation in Hungary, more troops can be provided. Moreover, since Alexander can complete the recruitment of 30,000 people in less than two months, it is possible to complete the recruitment of 100,000 people in one year? I want as long as His Royal Highness, you send this proposal to the government and the military, the adults there will definitely support your proposal. After all, Austrians have been disliked by the Hungarians for a long time!"
The advice of this strategist made Franz feel moved.
Franz just saw Alexander completing the task in a very short time, and showed his face in front of the whole country, but he forgot that Alexander's recruitment mission was completed so smoothly that Austria would definitely be impressed by the strength of the Hungarian region.
The conflict between Austria and Hungary has been around for a long time. At this moment, Austrian officials occupy nearly nine levels in Vienna. These Austrian ministers do not have a good sense of the Hungarians. The successful completion of Alexander's mission is amazing, and it also makes some Austrian ministers wary of Hungary.
Under such circumstances, winning over the strength of the Austrian minister to suppress Hungary became the best and most convenient method for Franz.
Afterwards, Franz advised Leopold II and the central government that since Hungary could complete the recruitment of 30,000 people in such a short time, it means that Hungary has the strength to make greater contributions to the empire. At present, on the front line of the Pakatan-Austrian War, the situation of the Austrian army is not very considerable, so Hungary should shoulder more responsibilities.
Franz's bill received support from most ministers in the imperial central government. But as the two main men, Leopold II and Konitz remained silent about this.
The little thought in Franz's heart could not be hidden from everyone, and how could Leopold II and Konitz, as top figures at the time, not tell what the abacus Franz was fighting in his heart?
Once Franz's proposal is passed, Hungary will have to recruit more troops, and Alexander's situation will become very passive.
Even though Alexander had laid a considerable foundation in Hungary at this moment, it was almost impossible to get him to recruit 100,000 Hungarian soldiers to the battlefield within one year. Or even if Alexander completed this task, the excited Hungarians would definitely turn Alexander's rule in Hungary into a piece of tissue paper and a bucket was broken.
If Alexander fails to complete the task, it will be better. At that time, Franz can completely apply for punishment for Alexander by disobeying the orders of the Imperial Emperor and the Imperial Government.
To be honest, the one who felt most uncomfortable when I saw Franz doing this was Leopold II.
Leopold II grew up with the Vienna court, and his mother, Queen Teresa, had almost no mother's love for her eldest son and young daughter. Therefore, after Queen Teresa's death, the children of the Habsburg family were like a mess. If Joseph II had not been for his advice and tolerance to his younger brothers and sisters, this generation of Habsburg royal family would have fallen apart long ago.
So under such circumstances, Leopold II was not willing to follow his children's old path. Because of Maximilian's relationship, the Habsburg royal family of this generation was not very united, and Leopold II even forced his younger brother Ferdinand to exile.
The emperor did not want the tragedy of this generation to happen again in the next generation, but the struggles within the royal family were never ruthless. Leopold II also knew this very well, but he did not want his son Alexander to become a copy of Ferdinand. With the relationship between Franz and Alexander, it is obvious that after Leopold II, once Franz comes to power, Alexander will never have any good ending.
But if Franz was abolished for Alexander, Leopold II believed that he could not do this.
Franz is the recognized crown prince of the entire empire. He is the heir to Leopold II. Abolishing Franz will not only be opposed by the Habsburg royal family, but also will encounter huge resistance at the entire empire level. After all, although Franz has not had excellent abilities in recent years, he has left an excellent impression on the ministers.
"Cornitz, do you think there is any way we can fix the relationship between Franz and Alexander?"
At present, two Austrian men with the most powerful rights are discussing in the same room, and of course they are the only two of them in the room.
"Your Majesty, you should be clearer in your heart than your subordinates. Since ancient times, the royal family's children have tried their best to do so. His Highness Franz felt the threat of His Highness Alexander. His Highness Alexander does have extraordinary enthusiasm for that position. His Highness Alexander is not His Highness Carl, and His Highness Carl can become the emperor's right-hand man in the future, because His Highness Carl is only interested in the golden and iron horses, but His Highness Alexander is not like this. His Highness Franz, who feels that his status is threatened, is not willing to wait for death. This is completely an unsolvable knot!"
After saying that, Konitz looked at Leopold II's eyes. At this moment, the emperor's eyes were swollen and contained too many things. After a while, the emperor said:
"Konitz, if it is for the benefit of the empire, how do you think it can maximize the benefit of the empire!"
"Your Majesty the Emperor, I feel that if you want to maximize the interests of the empire, you should replace the Governor of Hungary. It is undeniable that His Highness Alexander did a very good job in the Governor of Hungary, and even made everyone feel threatened. At the same time, Alexander's ambition for the throne can be said to be well known to everyone. In this case, in order to ensure that His Highness Alexander will not further stimulate His Highness Franz, if His Highness Franz reduces his vigilance towards His Highness Alexander, then changing the Governor of Hungary will become the most appropriate method!"
"Konitz! What's your idea! Alexander did a great job in Hungary. Why did I transfer him away? In this case, it would be unfair to the whole country to see that I would reward and punish me!"
After Konitz said that, Leopold II's face turned a little wrong.
Everyone knows that Alexander did a good job in Hungary, so good that the royal family should reward him. However, once Alexander is transferred from Hungary, even if he gives Alexander the higher title, he will play the trick of rising openly and descending secretly, which will inevitably make a considerable number of people feel disappointed.
"Your Majesty, it is no longer time to consider any injustice in rewards and punishments. His Highness Alexander has laid some foundation in Hungary. Now His Highness Alexander can take actions that surprise us all. So once His Highness Alexander is placed in Hungary, have you ever thought about how far His Highness Alexander will develop in Hungary? The Habsburg family will definitely not allow examples of a country in the country!"
Konitz's words were just a righteous word, and Leopold II knew that what Konitz said was not wrong, but Leopold II felt a little embarrassed to let him deal with his other very outstanding son for one of his sons.
"Your Majesty, you can't think about anything anymore. For the sake of His Royal Highness, the unity of the Habsburg family, and for the empire not to be divided, please make up your mind as soon as possible!"
After saying that, Konitz bent down, believing that Leopold II would not make a choice to disappoint himself.
Like most Austrian ministers, Konitz does not like the Hungarians. Almost every year, some Austrian soldiers die in order to suppress the Hungarian areas. The unruly character of the Magyars can be said to be deeply engraved into their bones.
As Konitz, he was first the prime minister of the Austrian government, and secondly the chief executive of the Habsburg family territory. Therefore, in most affairs, Konitz must consider the interests of Austria.
Hungary has the fierce Magyar cavalry, and even the Hungarian grasslands make almost every Magyar a qualified cavalry candidate. In the last Seven Years War, Hungary contributed more than 100,000 troops to Queen Theresa, and the performance of these troops was eye-catching.
Under such circumstances, all Austrians felt threatened. There were only a few positions in the upper class of Habsburg. Once the Hungarians performed well, it would inevitably affect the structure of the upper class of Habsburg. The Austrians, who had already occupied a dominant position in the territory of Habsburg, were naturally unwilling to be on par with the barbaric Magyars.
Furthermore, unlike Alexander, Franz has hardly left Vienna since he was a child. Under such circumstances, most of the crown princes were united by Austrian ministers. As a heir to the throne who was not the first heir to the throne, His Highness Alexander did not have much subordinate power around him to support him.
When Alexander went to Hungary, he became the spokesperson for Hungary in the entire empire, which not only made Franz feel threatened, but also made Austrian ministers feel threatened.
"Konitz, let's do it. If you go to the government, I agree with Franz's proposal, but the rewards and punishments must be clear. Given that Alexander has completed the task I assigned him, he will promote Alexander to the Grand Duke of Lombardy, and at the same time send someone to tell Alexander to complete the recruitment of 70,000 people before next summer, otherwise he will leave Hungary and go to his fiefdom!"
Leopold II struggled inside, but in the end he made the choice that was most in line with the interests of the Habsburg royal family.
But what Leopold II didn't know was that at this time Alexander's wings had already been hardened. After forcing the Bartoli family to surrender, Alexander quickly spread his rule to the entire Hungarian region, and some officials who did not meet Alexander's wishes were also replaced by Alexander in various names.
Originally, Alexander's actions would not be so smooth, but because Alexander had the imperial edict of Leopold II in his hand, everything became legitimate. In order to enable Alexander to complete the task in the shortest time, Leopold II issued an imperial edict to Alexander. The content of this imperial edict stated that if necessary, Alexander had all the right to decide on Hungarian affairs.