The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1117 Rumors
As miraculously as had happened in history, Kossuth assembled an army of more than 200,000 men in just over ten days.

But problems soon ensued. At that time, Hungary's arsenal had few old antiques produced in Austria in the last century, let alone the new muzzle-loading smoothbore rifles produced in Hungary.

In more than half a year, the Hungarian government has theoretically armed more than 600,000 people. However, anyone with a discerning eye can see the actual strength of Hungary, but the difference is unknown.

The Hungarians' strategic reserves were seriously insufficient, which indirectly proved that the Hungarians were too optimistic before the rebellion or that they did not expect a rebellion to happen.

Over the years, the Hungarian government has refused to pay the costs required to update its equipment, while the phenomenon of private sales of weapons within the military and government has also been very common.

It was understandable that the Hungarians were short of weapons at that time, and Kossuth had no choice but to collect weapons from the public.

The word "conscript" was used well, but the people below failed to implement it well, and conscripting soon turned into robbery.

Not to mention a ruthless man like Tiutka and his self-defense force, the police and gendarmes in the Budapest area were also like tigers out of a cage.

But what's even more ridiculous is that some smart people and gang members took the opportunity to pretend to be staff responsible for collecting weapons and spread rumors everywhere.

The collection of weapons also became a form of surrendering property. These people broke into houses with forged documents and committed murder and arson, but no one dared to stop them. Many people thought that their actions were ordered by the government.

As a result, public resentment arose and small-scale riots occurred from time to time.

In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures were called for. Kossuth issued an order that those who participated in the riot could be executed directly without trial.

Harsh laws and severe punishments are indeed the fastest way to quell chaos in most cases, but they cannot solve the root problem.

Especially at the moment, most of those who are trying to take advantage of the situation have strong backgrounds. Some of them are even relatives or subordinates of officials. They know much more about the current situation than the detectives who come to deal with them.

However, none of this mattered to Kossuth. What mattered was stopping the approaching Austrian army. In addition to recruiting new troops, he also recalled most of the troops that had been dispersed to conquer various ethnic minorities.

After all, if Hungary was gone, all those conquered lands and peoples would be meaningless.

Transylvania.

In a small town called Bonnie, the only pub still open was booked by someone.

Gergei Artur, who hadn't shaved for several months, looked a little shabby. His military uniform was a little old, with badly worn cuffs, and it emitted an indescribable smell, but it was insignificant compared to the stench in the bar.

Petofi, who was sitting opposite him, was not in much better condition. Seeing Petofi at this time would not remind people of the great poet and revolutionary, but rather a dishevelled tramp.

They won many victories in Transylvania, but were unable to defeat Puchner's main force.

Puchner and Klosberg were like a stabilizing force that prevented the Hungarians from completely conquering Transylvania, let alone effectively collecting supplies from the local area.

The Hungarians occupied two-thirds of Transylvania, but not only did these lands provide them with no help, but they also came at a high cost to maintain.

The ubiquitous guerrillas and mobs shuttled through the mountains and forests, and even a famous general like Gergey Artur had no good way to solve the problem.

After all, the Austrians are still eyeing him covetously. If he attacks rashly, the Austrians will definitely take the opportunity to create more trouble.

Similarly, when Artur wanted to concentrate his forces to deal with the Austrians first, the guerrillas would definitely jump out and take a bite. It was very uncomfortable to be stuck in the middle, and the security battle was extremely energy-consuming. No wonder the two were so tired.

"Shandor, I don't think you should go back. Kossuth is crazy. The Austrians have hundreds of thousands of regular troops, while we are just a bunch of farmers who just put down their hoes and students who have never killed a chicken.

I heard that there are no homeless people in Budapest now, as they have all been sent to the army. Can such an army really fight?
Look what Kossuth has done! We came here to slaughter Transylvanians, Roma, Saxons, and maybe Wallachians and Moldavians too.
What is our purpose in doing this? We slaughtered them today, and will slaughter their relatives and friends tomorrow.
But what did we get?
Are these medals?
I don't care! My family is rich, I can hire the best craftsman to make me some silver, or even gold!"

After hearing this, Petofi sighed and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Listen, Artur. My friend, maybe you can't understand what we did in Transylvania, but you can't stop a man from loving his country, loving his mother.

I also do not agree with Kossuth's actions, but Transylvania is the land of our ancestors and the sacred and inviolable property of Hungary, and this will never change.

History will remember our sacrifice, and now I am going back to Budapest.

The motherland needs me! This reason is enough!
I am not afraid of powerful enemies, nor am I afraid of death."

"But Shantaro is not afraid of you even in death!"

"Then let my funeral be more magnificent!"

The two of them drank countless cups of wine, and Gergey Artur expressed a question that had been hidden in his heart.

"But how are you going to deal with the Austrians' flying war weapons in the sky?"

After hearing this, Petofi was stunned for a while before he burst into laughter.

"Arthur, my friend, you don't think that's true? I've been to Vienna, and their newspapers love to make boasts."

Artur sat up straight and said solemnly.

"I don't find it funny, and I don't think the British and French would lie about this for the Austrians."

"Don't be silly, my friend. The great powers are all hypocritical. Whether it's the British or the French, their governments need to find an excuse for their defeat.

Only in the Hungarian nation can we have such an honest person as you."

Arthur's face flushed red, and he didn't know if it was because he drank too much or was holding it in.

“But this can’t be groundless.”

"Well, it's probably a hot air balloon. We just need to cut his ropes on the ground and then we won't have to worry about it anymore."

Petofi was still very optimistic about defending Budapest. Theoretically, the forces of both sides should be similar, and Hungary also had the advantage of geographical location and was well-rested.

On the other hand, although the Austrian army won victory after victory in 1848, it should have been exhausted after fighting in many places, and perhaps there was a chance to win.