Night of the Long Knives (1)
If only they hadn't lost the First World War, perhaps the Austro-Hungarian Empire could have survived. Historical ties, ethnic diversity... There are surprisingly many examples of countries surviving as a single nation despite lacking any real common ground to foster a sense of homogeneity, much like the Habsburg Empire. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the twentieth century was one such case. And, though many overlook it, so was the United States of America. In fact, didn't the Austro-Hungarian Empire possess far more "legitimacy" and tradition than the United States, whose entire history spanned a mere two hundred years? Even in the absence of the Habsburgs, that remained true.
"...We must move the Imperial Army quickly. If a true 'civil war' breaks out, the Empire will be lost forever. If we swiftly arrest Stahl and neutralize Hungary and the other regions, we too can become like the United States!"
Of course, such a process would entail immense growing pains. Hadn't the United States only truly become one through the crucible of the American Civil War? However, Hötzendorf had absolutely no intention of losing like the Confederacy. Nor did he intend to deliberately spark a civil war and ruin the country.
"Stahl has arrived in Vienna, has he not? We will mobilize the Imperial Army, swiftly abduct both Stahl and Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and use them to reclaim Hungary."
"General Hötzendorf, we will need foreign cooperation!"
"Regardless, this coup will inevitably drain our national strength. We will suffer the pangs of independence movements and rebellions. There are more than a few hyenas waiting to exploit that. For starters, the United States and Great Britain will welcome this with open arms."
"If we kidnap Stahl, there is a chance the public might turn against us."
"No. As long as we hold Stahl, our support is guaranteed. Besides, can we not simply do as Stahl does?"
Once again, the core concept itself wasn't half bad. Yes, a United States of Yugoslavia-Austria-Hungary centered around Stahlism. It was the beautiful geopolitical landscape that Hötzendorf had first envisioned. Any other attempts at rebellion would be placated by granting sweeping autonomy. Except for Hungary, which was Stahl's stronghold, regions like Bohemia and Croatia would be granted autonomy exceeding even that of the American states in this newly forged union. They would not only possess their own sovereignty but would also autonomously draft their own laws and speak their own languages. Was it not a veritable utopia?
"Very well. Let us prepare to arrest Stahl."
"A United States of Yugoslavia-Austria-Hungary, is it..."
That bastard Hötzendorf was also waging a media war, inciting the masses. The enemies I had fought up until now, though powerful, had all been complete idiots. Prime examples were Führer Apis and Mayor Karl Lueger... Germanic nationalism, Slavic nationalism... They were fanatics who envisioned dystopias where intense dopamine hits and ideological intoxication turned humans into brainwashed zombies. But the new United States proposed by Hötzendorf was so enticing that I almost wanted to plagiarize it myself. If I weren't so close with Archduke Franz Ferdinand, I probably would have built a country like that myself.
"It really is a shame about Hötzendorf. If he had prepared something like this ten years ago, even I would have been helpless against him. Or perhaps I would have just joined his side from the start."
However, to realize such a vision, a civil war and a coup were ultimately the only answers. And a civil war or a coup isn't something you can just whip up instantly as if it were a game. Even Chun Doo-hwan, if not for the existential threat of North Korea, would have faced an immediate game over even after a successful coup. Furthermore, the core elements of a coup are unpredictability, speed, and secrecy. The moment it becomes obvious to everyone that you are planning a coup, those three elements vanish into thin air.
"Chairman Stahl, Hötzendorf has begun moving hastily toward the British and American embassies!"
I had Vienna's intelligence network completely under my thumb. Whatever Hötzendorf did, it was as clear to me as the palm of my hand.
"Is that so? It won't be long now. Anything else?"
"We have reports that he is contacting the courts to have the Revolutionary Guard declared an illegal militia."
"Hmm... That is a bit sharp. Still, it's not necessarily a bad thing for us."
There was a specific reason I was deliberately leaving Hötzendorf be. From this moment on, Hötzendorf would play the role of the 'nationalist insurgent plotting the dissolution of the Empire.'
Hötzendorf steadily laid the groundwork to mobilize the Imperial Army. He secured foreign cooperation and strove to establish a veneer of legitimacy for his coup. However... Stahl saw through Hötzendorf's every move as if he had a map hack active. Naturally, Hötzendorf was always a step behind. Stahl mobilized the Austrian police and the Agricultural Cooperative just a hair ahead of him. While Archduke Franz Ferdinand was not yet the Kaiser of the 'Empire,' he was, at the very least, the Kaiser of 'Austria.' Stahl used the media to brand Hötzendorf an illegal entity.
"As a result of a joint investigation by the Austrian Police and the Agricultural Cooperative's audit team, we have uncovered evidence pointing to General Hötzendorf's involvement with rebel factions plotting the partition of the Empire."
"What?! What do you mean by..."
"Hötzendorf has been inciting the abdication of the Kaiser."
"But... isn't that just part of the republican movement that has always existed?"
They couldn't just arrest Hötzendorf on a whim. Stahl shook his head with a solemn expression.
"Indeed. We thought so as well. However... this movement was different. Look at what is happening right now in Vienna, Prague, Sarajevo, and Budapest. The Empire is facing an unprecedented crisis of dissolution."
"But does that fact alone constitute evidence of rebellion on Hötzendorf's part?"
"You are correct. To be frank, we do not have physical evidence. However, the circumstantial evidence is absolute."
And with that, Stahl laid bare every single move Hötzendorf had made, which he had been tracking all this time.
"If he had no intention of dismantling the Empire, why on earth has Hötzendorf been constantly frequenting the British and American embassies?"
"Pardon? Why would he..."
"To secure something for himself in exchange for tearing the Empire to pieces, of course. Furthermore, his claim that the new United States he wishes to build will be united under Stahlism is a blatant lie. How can someone who wants to outlaw and disband the Revolutionary Guard call himself a Stahlised reformer? This is nothing short of an attempt to crush the revolution!"
"...!"
"Hötzendorf is indeed the Chief of the General Staff of the Imperial Army. And since His Majesty Ferdinand is not yet officially crowned as the Emperor of the entire Empire, it is deeply regrettable that he cannot dismiss him at this moment. Therefore, I earnestly request that Chief of Staff Hötzendorf present himself voluntarily to the police. Thank you."
With that, Stahl's press conference concluded. The subjects of the Empire were already consumed by extreme fury over this sudden threat of national division. However, the target of their anger had been ambiguous. Was it the regional governments declaring independence? Was it Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was offering to abdicate? Or was it Chairman Stahl, who remained passive in the face of this crisis? In this chaotic situation, Stahl had effortlessly pointed them directly toward a scapegoat.
If one looked at the situation objectively, Hötzendorf had merely demanded the 'abdication of the Kaiser' and a 'transition to a republic.' He had even branded the factions attempting to break away from the Empire as rebels and proposed a new system called the United States. Thus, in this crisis, Hötzendorf should have easily avoided the blame. In truth, that was only fair. After all, the one who had engineered this entire threat of dissolution in the first place was Stahl. However... Stahl's press conference prompted the public to trace the chain of events back to the very beginning.
"Why on earth did the Empire suddenly end up like this?"
"Just a month ago, none of this was happening!"
"Wait, the starting point of this entire mess might be..."
"Hötzendorf! It all started because of Hötzendorf!"
Hötzendorf had essentially found himself in the same position as Mikhail Gorbachev during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev had never intended to dismantle the Soviet Union from start to finish. Neither had Yeltsin, nor the conservative faction of the Communist Party. Yet, in the end, weren't Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and the Communist hardliners all pointed to as the culprits behind the Soviet collapse?
Hötzendorf was branded a traitor. In the early twentieth century, when telecommunications and media were still primitive, citizens who couldn't grasp the full picture of the situation latched onto the word 'traitor.' Consequently, Hötzendorf was plagued by wild, unimaginable rumors.
"Wait a minute... Do you remember the Serbian front back then?"
"Yeah! Hötzendorf got countless Imperial soldiers killed, and in the end, it was the Revolutionary Guard that captured Belgrade!"
"He must have held a grudge against Stahl and the Revolutionary Guard ever since."
"But... wasn't Serbia completely pathetic? Why on earth couldn't Hötzendorf win?"
"Ah, I get it! Hötzendorf actually admired Führer Apis!"
"My God... Hötzendorf was an extreme nationalist! Unbelievable!"
"Even him giving up his noble title... it was all a stepping stone to build a national revolutionary republic."
The popularity that Hötzendorf and the aristocratic military faction had built up—even going so far as to discard the noble prefix 'von'—and the prestige that had once filled the citizens with dreams by promoting the beautiful vision of a United States... all of it vanished instantly the moment they were branded the culprits of this chaos. With the circulation of the worst possible conspiracy theory for an Austrian citizen—that he secretly admired Führer Apis—it was safe to say that his public support was entirely dead.
"Are they insane?! Why the hell are these rumors spreading? What? I received two hundred tons of gold bullion from Roman von Ungern-Sternberg? If I had that kind of money, I would have blown Stahl to pieces long ago!"
"General Hötzendorf... strange rumors are spreading among the Imperial Army as well."
"What kind of rumors this time?"
"That you offered a human sacrifice of one hundred thousand Imperial soldiers for Führer Apis..."
"Dammit!"
Even his support within the Imperial Army was evaporating due to these unfathomable rumors. Having already lost the public's backing, the Imperial Army was the only card Hötzendorf had left. But now, even the military was slipping out of his control.
"...General Hötzendorf. But, truly, do you have no connections to Russia?"
"What? Have you lost your mind?"
"No, it's just... isn't it strange? If you think about it, it's obvious to anyone that the Empire cannot be sustained without a Kaiser..."
The eyes of the aristocratic generals serving under Hötzendorf gleamed with a chilling light. Hötzendorf wanted to roar, 'You agreed to it back then too!' but he forced his mouth shut. Naturally, if they had any sense left, they wouldn't have fallen for Stahl's trickery. It hadn't even been ten days since they agreed to the idea of turning the Austro-Hungarian Empire into something like the United States. Not even ten days! Yet they had suddenly flipped their stance? This was clearly...
'They're going to offer me up as a sacrificial lamb, aren't they? Hah.'
Hötzendorf gnashed his teeth. It was a form of blackmail. A threat that if he didn't resolve this situation somehow, they would throw him under the bus to save themselves, even if it meant taking some damage. The Imperial troops stationed within Austria could no longer be relied upon. Yet, Hötzendorf still had a card left to play.
'It's fine. At the very least, I can still use the Imperial troops who have just returned from Italy.'
The domestic troops were completely out of control due to the rampant rumors. However, the expeditionary forces that had just arrived from abroad were still within his grasp. This was thanks to Mussolini opening the borders, which had allowed them to achieve great success on the Italian front.
"General Hötzendorf, we have received word that the Hungarian parliament has approved Archduke Franz Ferdinand's ascension as Kaiser. The coronation will take place in the near future."
At the earliest, Archduke Franz Ferdinand would become Kaiser within a week. Once that happened, Hötzendorf's last remaining shred of legitimacy as the Chief of the General Staff of the Imperial Army would be utterly shattered.
"We must act before then!"