The Contracting Parties
In the long history of Joseon, legendary kings like Seonjo and Yeongjo frequently resorted to a reliable tactic: threatening to abdicate. Whenever a king declared his intention to step down, his ministers would throw themselves to the ground, begging him to "withdraw the royal decree" with words they rarely truly meant. Through this performative dance, the royal authority was naturally reinforced. When the entire court was weeping and prostrating themselves before the throne, the king's power could only grow.
In the West, however, such a tradition was virtually nonexistent. Royal authority was far weaker than in Joseon, and playing such a card ran the very real risk of someone actually taking the crown. Therefore, staging an abdication show in Europe meant taking an immense gamble.
"…Archduke Franz Ferdinand personally declared he would step down from the imperial throne?"
"Yes, General!"
"And the citizens are flooding the streets to protest his abdication…?"
The situation was taking a bizarre turn. Yet, General Conrad von Hötzendorf still had one card left to play.
"If that's how he wants to play it, we'll make sure he actually abdicates. Gather our forces and shape public opinion to praise the Archduke's 'noble decision.'"
Hötzendorf understood the inherent risks of an abdication show perfectly. If handled correctly, he could force the Archduke's hand and turn the bluff into reality. The strategy was simple: frame the Archduke's abdication as a "great sacrifice" made for the sake of the people. If the public bought into this narrative and began praising the Archduke for his selflessness, the monarch would be trapped by his own words, left with no choice but to step down.
Not long after, Hötzendorf appeared before the public once again.
Having concluded his speech, Hötzendorf immediately seized the initiative by distributing the draft of a new constitution. While support for the Kaiser surged, ironically, republican sentiment flared up once more alongside it.
"Hötzendorf… that bastard is sharper than I thought."
Shtal clicked his tongue as he observed the fierce tactical battle between Hötzendorf and the Archduke. The Archduke's initial strike had been devastating. A perfect blindside. To mobilize the citizens of Vienna to flood the streets in protest of the abdication in an instant was no small feat.
At the same time, Hötzendorf's counterattack was remarkably potent. If one responded to a Kaiser's abdication show with a simple "Sure, go ahead and abdicate," it would inevitably trigger a massive backlash. Instead, Hötzendorf was painting himself as the ultimate loyalist while simultaneously backing the crown into a corner. Watching him attempt to turn a mere political show into an actual abdication proved he was a force to be reckoned with. He was indeed the leader of the aristocratic military faction for a reason.
I was planning to make my grand entrance in Vienna around this time to win over the intellectuals. I suppose nothing ever goes entirely to plan.
Faced with Hötzendorf's unexpectedly clever countermove, Shtal had to strike back once more.
"Sigh… I really didn't want to resort to this. But I have no choice."
There was one final card he had kept in reserve, holding it back because the potential side effects were dangerously high. If the abdication show wasn't enough, the ultimate performance remained: the Empire Dissolution Show.
To be frank, at this point, absolutely no one wanted the Empire to dissolve. It was much like the dissolution of the Soviet Union, where, contrary to popular belief, many member states actually wished to remain part of the Union. Of course, there were always those who preferred to be the head of a dog rather than the tail of a lion. Yet, very few people genuinely preferred being a mediocre, mid-tier nation in Central Europe over being a citizen of a global superpower.
Of course, that doesn't mean we can just dismiss the threat of dissolution. After all, this empire's very raison d'être has always been fragile.
This was why Shtal had gone to great lengths to avoid ever mentioning the words "dissolution of the empire." If the public ever began to ask, Why on earth are we even one country? the entire structure might collapse even more abruptly and hollowly than the Soviet Union did. But now… the time had finally come to play this card.
Hötzendorf held sway over the Imperial Army—a massive military machine—and the aristocratic class that had ruled the land for centuries. On the other side of the board, the world had fundamentally changed over the past fifteen years. In particular, local administration had already fallen entirely into the hands of the Stahlists. Even in the highly unlikely event that Austria slipped from Shtal's grasp, it wouldn't matter. Hungary and Bosnia—regions firmly controlled by the Agricultural Cooperatives—would support Shtal even if the heavens fell. Furthermore, in places like Bohemia, where the underdog nobility gathered, support for Shtal was far stronger than for Hötzendorf.
Republican sentiment was primarily active within Austria proper, where the German-Austrian nobility resided. Since that sentiment had not yet spread violently to the other constituents of the empire, the outer territories, led by Hungary, would now begin to encircle Austria.
The first to issue a formal declaration was, without a doubt, Adolf Hitler.
This argument was a direct extension of the logic crafted by Shtal, Wittgenstein, and Stalin: The monarch is merely the symbol of a contract. Why should Hungary, Bosnia, Croatia, Bohemia, Slovakia, and countless other ethnic groups remain bound to the Austro-Hungarian Empire? Without the House of Habsburg, the thread connecting them all would snap completely. The Habsburgs had forged a web of "contractual" relationships with numerous peoples through marriage, inheritance, and conquest. And now, that contracting party was about to disappear.
The Bosnian Agricultural Cooperative, managed by Archduke Karl, released an identical statement.
Hungary and Bosnia—the strongholds of Shtal, the de facto ruler of the empire—had openly declared their intent to secede. Spurred by this, other provinces began flipping through dusty history books, quickly building momentum for their own secession.
"In 1526, our Bohemian lands were naturally united with the Habsburg Empire under Ferdinand I. But now that the Habsburgs are gone, the annexation established by the inheritance of 1516 is completely null and void!"
"The same goes for Croatia! If Hungary secedes from the Empire, Croatia must naturally follow suit!"
Hungary, Bohemia, Croatia, Bosnia… In the blink of an eye, demands for secession erupted from the vital industrial hubs and strategic strongholds that formed the backbone of the Empire. Naturally, Hötzendorf frothed at the mouth as he lashed out against their claims.
"Secession?! Have you all lost your minds? Shall I treat every last one of you as traitors?"
"Traitors? What nonsense is that!"
"The Habsburgs might have had the right, but what gives Austria the authority to rule over us?!"
Although the Russian Black Army remained a threat, France and Italy had already collapsed. Alongside Great Britain and Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was undeniably a victorious power. All that was left was to ascend as the Rome of a new era. They were on the cusp of becoming a true global superpower. But now… the Empire was suddenly on the verge of fracturing. No matter how much the republican debate resembled a rebellion or a purge, compared to this current crisis, it was mere child's play—nothing more than choreographed theater. Genuine, overwhelming fury was erupting from every corner of the Empire.
"This is… insane!"
"We fought against radical nationalists for the sake of the Empire. We were the 'Crusaders,' just as Vice Chairman Shtal said!"
"But now… that Crusade is just going to end like this?"
"What on earth have you done?!"
Millions of soldiers had bled for the Empire. And they weren't the only ones. Through grand victory parades and relentless propaganda, Shtal had systematically injected a powerful dose of national pride into the entire populace. The laborers tightening bolts in the factories, the women watching war films while waiting for their lovers to return, the students learning the history of how the Austro-Hungarian Empire was forged—regardless of their opinions before the war, they had all united and fought for the Empire. And that Empire had emerged victorious. Yet now, the very Empire they had bled for was on the brink of a hollow, meaningless demise.
"You bastards! Does this mean our comrades who died in the war died for nothing?!"
"Do something about this right now!"
Naturally, the public's fury was directed squarely at Hötzendorf and the republicans who had clamored for the transfer of Habsburg power and the establishment of a republic.
"…General Hötzendorf. What do you propose we do?"
"They are traitors, plain and simple! Have the Stahlists not fought against nationalism as well? The Empire must unite under the banner of Stahlism!"
It was true. Anticipating that such a crisis might occur, Shtal had established an alternative focal point for the Empire beyond the House of Habsburg. He had framed the Empire as the holy land of Stahlism. Shtal had built a safety net to keep the Empire bound together even if secessionist sentiments flared up. It was much like how the Soviet Union had used Marxist-Leninist ideology to bind Ukraine, the Baltic states, Kazakhstan, and Russia into a single entity. But the fatal flaw in Hötzendorf's plan was obvious.
"Shtal is currently holding out in Prague! What 'Stahlism' are you talking about?!"
"The Agricultural Cooperatives, which are Shtal's personal lackeys, are openly demanding independence! How can we unite under Stahlism when the Stahlists themselves are tearing the country apart?!"
Such a delicate balancing act was a feat only Shtal could pull off, not Hötzendorf. Shtal possessed the sheer political gravity to hold the Empire together through ideology alone. It was akin to how the giant Josip Broz Tito had held the disparate nations of Yugoslavia together. But Stahlism without Shtal was nothing but an empty shell. Therefore, if Hötzendorf wanted to invoke Stahlism to reunite the Empire, he would need more than just ideological justification—he would need raw, physical force.
Hötzendorf clutched his throbbing temples and roared in frustration.
"Regardless, the Empire must unite under Stahlism! And those shouting for secession are nothing but nationalist lackeys, no different from the Serbians!"
"Are you certain of that?"
"What choice do I have but to be certain? Do you have a better idea?!"
"……"
"And those nationalist traitors must be dealt with just like the Serbians—even if we must resort to the ultimate measure."
It was, of course, utter madness. To claim that the Agricultural Cooperatives, who had bled on the battlefields of Serbia and Russia, were nationalist lackeys? Yet, Hötzendorf's greatest asset was his legal command over the Imperial Army. With the imperial throne vacant, Hötzendorf was the only one who could wield the military as he pleased. Since Shtal's faction had rejected any compromise, he had no choice but to mobilize the army. And to move the army, he needed a justification. Whether that justification made sense did not matter. He would crush them first, and make it make sense later.
Shortly after, Hötzendorf declared that the secessionist movements across the provinces were the work of radical nationalists. He was systematically building the pretext for a "lawful suppression" using the Imperial Army. And then… Shtal, armed with the perfect justification, returned to Vienna. The time had come to deliver the final blow.