Chapter 1649 - 1555: Revolution Again

Chapter 1649: Chapter 1555: Revolution Again

Lucas waved forcefully, his tone serious: "So, reinforcing Buda is saving ourselves!"

The members of parliament in the café looked at him solemly, "What do you suggest we do?"

"Do you have any way to persuade the moderates?"

"We need to explain the current dangerous situation to the people..."

Lucas scanned each face solemnly and said: "All conventional methods are clearly too late.

"To save the revolution, we must control the congress in the shortest possible time!"

Jaggen instinctively said: "Hilt and his people will surely oppose."

Lucas took a deep breath: "Then arrest them! Let true revolutionaries take up the role of members of parliament!"

Jaggen leaped up from his chair: "You mean to..."

"Yes, we must revolutionize again!" Lucas’s eyes were filled with fervor. "We must lead the citizens of Vienna, support the revolutionary soldiers, and remove the weak, the surrender-ists, the remnants of the nobles, and all enemies from the congress!

"Let the true representatives of the citizens control the congress and enact the most correct decrees to guide the republic to ultimate victory!"

There was a brief silence in the café, and every member seemed to hear the violent heartbeat of others.

Soon, excited shouts erupted, "Revolution! Revolution again!"

"Expel all enemies!"

"Long live the Republic! Long live Austria!"

"Victory! We shall achieve victory!"

The next day, Lucas personally went to the barracks of the National Guard in the suburbs of Vienna.

During the Vienna revolution, he had single-handedly convinced the emperor’s officers to defect, earning considerable prestige in the army, especially among the First and Third Infantry Regiments, which were reorganized from the former student army.

Meanwhile, lawyer Bergman knocked on the door of a dilapidated building in the slums.

January 14th.

The alarm bell in Vienna began ringing in the latter half of the night and continued until morning.

Adorno wasn’t awoken by the bell; he hadn’t slept all night.

He settled his son Gretel, retrieved the flintlock gun he obtained during the previous uprising from under the bed, checked the ammunition, and walked out the door.

His bare feet touched the cold stone road, reminding him of the day they advanced on Hofburg, where the road was the same.

Geoffrey next door continued to tightly follow him. Then, one by one, doors opened, and people continued to join his ranks, even the old widow and half-grown children living on the street corner followed behind.

No one asked where they were going; the entire alley’s people were heading east, boots splashing through puddles, and mud spots splashing against the walls.

They once thought that driving away the emperor and his corrupt officials would improve their lives.

However, everything was still no different from before.

Until a lawyer named Bergman told them they should seize the congress stolen by the surrender-ists, make Adorno and Favre members of parliament, and enact laws that truly benefit everyone.

With the confidence from the last revolution’s victory, everyone unreservedly joined the "Revolution Again" movement.

On the other side of the city, General Delorme led over three thousand soldiers from the student army, dragging cannons down the cobblestone avenue—he had been promoted directly from a mathematics teacher to quasi-general after the establishment of the Austrian Republic.

Everyone believed he was from a small noble constitutionalist background, but Lucas knew that his enthusiasm for Rousseau’s ideas surpassed anyone else’s.

Around eleven in the morning, citizen teams led by Adorno and Delorme’s army converged in front of Hofburg.

Adorno looked at the half-burned Hofburg—citizens had set the fire during the last uprising, but thankfully it was extinguished early, or else the National Assembly Hall would have to find a new location.

The wind whipped up the notices posted on the wall, which read "The surrender-ists want to sell us all, just look at the price of bread!"

Indeed, after the Austrian National Assembly took over the government, bread prices temporarily returned to levels from 20 years ago, but only a few months later, they had already returned to nearly 15 krois and four and a half pounds.

Geoffrey skillfully directed the citizens to build barricades at the street corners.

The army’s cannons aimed at the National Assembly’s doors. Beside them, the gunner’s fire rod already sparked tiny fire stars.

Lucas and more than twenty members of the Stilz Faction threaded through the crowd, marched straight into the parliament hall amid cheers.

The hall was somewhat empty. Today was supposed to be the day for all members to vote on several very important bills, but many keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere in the air, so they took leave and did not come.

When the army suddenly left the camp, more informed members also fled.

Nonetheless, the parliament hall was soon blocked by rioting citizens, and more than half of the members remained inside.

The parliament hall’s candelabra swayed back and forth in the wind brought in by Lucas and his people. Half a candle toppled over onto the table, nearly igniting the adjacent documents, yet no one cared.

All eyes were focused on the Stilz Faction. It was clearly them who instigated this riot.

Deputy Speaker Hilt mustered some courage and loudly said to Lucas: "Do you know what you’re doing? This is a serious act of rebellion..."

His sentence was abruptly cut off because over a hundred soldiers with flintlock guns followed Lucas into the parliament hall.

Behind them were over 300 more sans-culottes like Adorno in various attires.

Jaggen was the first to jump onto the table at the front of the hall, waving his arms and shouting: "For the true revolution, we must eliminate all remnants of the nobles, surrender-ists, and the so-called moderates!"

The members of the Stilz Faction immediately expressed their support with frenzied shouts.

Speaker Stephens pounded his gavel loudly, the corners of the gavel were cracking, desperately shouting: "Order! Please adhere to congress rules!"

But his voice was overwhelmed and couldn’t even reach the first row.

Lucas calmly came to the front of the hall, unfolded his list, his voice as unyielding as cast iron:

"The people of Vienna have had enough! 39 members of the Hilterist need to step forward immediately."

The parliament hall’s candelabra swayed back and forth in the wind brought in by Lucas and his people. Half a candle toppled over onto the table, nearly igniting the adjacent documents, yet no one cared.

All eyes were focused on the Stilz Faction. It was clearly them who instigated this riot.

Deputy Speaker Hilt mustered some courage and loudly said to Lucas: "Do you know what you’re doing? This is a serious act of rebellion..."

His sentence was abruptly cut off because over a hundred soldiers with flintlock guns followed Lucas into the parliament hall.

Behind them were over 300 more sans-culottes like Adorno in various attires.