Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 367: Entrapment (Bonus Chapter)

The actions of the Hungarian Independence Organization could only be considered minor disturbances, while the activities of the French Revolutionary Party were more significant.

In January 1865, from Paris to Montauban, there were marches and demonstrations in over 30 cities across France, as if France had returned to the era of revolutions.

Many people joined the protests in a daze, shouting various slogans.

Some demanded government support for the Polish independence movement, some opposed a particular government policy, some advocated support for the Spanish revolutionary party, and others opposed colonial movements...

There was practically no slogan one couldnt think of; nothing was not thought of.

Clearly, the French Revolutionary Party had also become clever. In recent years, the domestic economy has been developing well, and people have been living relatively comfortable lives. At such a time, rebellion was simply not feasible.

Those who were strongly dissatisfied with the government were the losers in the struggle for influence and a group of idealists.

The only way to overthrow the rule of Napoleon III was to first destabilize France; only when the country was in turmoil would there be an opportunity.

The French people were imbued with an internationalist spirit and were often very emotional, thinking they should meddle in whatever they deemed unreasonable, which provided an opportunity for the revolutionaries.

At the Palace of Versailles, the chaotic marches raised Napoleon IIIs vigilance. On the surface, these seemed like ordinary marches, of which there were countless in France every year.

However, the recent frequency of these events raised suspicions for the experienced Napoleon III, who could discern that there was organized activity behind them.

Napoleon III ordered, Adair, uncover the rats behind this for me. I want to see who is causing trouble.

Demonstrations are legal in France, and the government has no authority to interfere. However, when demonstrations occur daily, the situation changes; this not only affects the economy but also influences public sentiment.

This was not yet the good era of working in spring, vacationing in summer, going on a strike in autumn, and celebrating Christmas in winter.

This era was about establishing dominance. After the Napoleonic Wars, the French colonial empire had already collapsed, and now Napoleon III was working hard to build a second colonial empire.

Naturally, the government cannot tolerate ongoing demonstrations that impact the national economy. After all, in this day and age, there are many competitors, and one can easily fall behind with a single misstep.

Yes, Your Majesty! replied Minister of Police Adair nervously.

This was not an easy job. Over the years, due to the deterioration of public order caused by protests, 15 Ministers of Police have been forced to step down, with an average tenure of only 10.5 months.

Despite the economic prosperity and internal social stability during Napoleon IIIs era, it would be a mistake to assume that their days were easy. In reality, they were constantly criticized as if they were the worst government in history.

Reasons werent necessary; when smearing the enemy, who needs reasons? Since the government could not control public opinion, the opposition would criticize, and Napoleon III could at most find people to argue with them.

Perhaps due to his position, Napoleon III had become a maintainer of the rules. He didnt resort to extreme measures against these enemies, which provided the revolutionary party with room for maneuver.

Foreign Minister Abraham spoke up, Your Majesty, perhaps influenced by the Polish independence movement, the revolutionary movements in Europe have surged again in recent times.

First, there was an uprising in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and currently, the rebels have seized control of one-third of Sicily. Then, revolutions erupted in Spain and Portugal.

The atmosphere in other European countries has also become tense, and a new wave of revolutions may erupt again. We must remain vigilant.

Although the Americans only instigated the revolutionary groups of these major nations to return to Europe and cause trouble, the revolutionary groups of other countries were also affected.

Seeing the momentum of the Polish independence movement, many naturally assumed that a new wave of revolution was coming and rushed to stir up trouble.

For other countries, perhaps the problem wasnt too serious. But for France, it was a major headache.

For some reason, the French could not be absent from every wave of revolution, and Paris was even hailed as the holy land of revolution.

Napoleon III had no interest in this reputation; if possible, he would prefer Paris to be a poor and backward city rather than a holy land of revolution.

Any monarch residing in the holy land of revolution would feel like Alexander, fearing being overthrown by a revolution at any moment.

Before ascending the throne, Napoleon III took pride in Paris; after ascending, this sentiment disappeared forever.

Leaving aside other matters, the number of strikes and demonstrations that occur annually in Paris alone exceeds the total for the entire nation of Austria.

The number of marches, demonstrations, and strikes in France every year surpassed the total for all other European countries combined. It was truly not easy for Napoleon III to remain firmly on the throne.

If given the choice, Franz would rather rule as a despot in the colonies than be the Emperor of France.

This has nothing to do with how well or poorly a monarch governs; one need only look at the history of revolutions in France to understand.

As an outside observer, one could laugh it off, but for those directly involved, it was a cause for despair. Sitting on a powder keg every day, any policy displeasing even a portion of the people could trigger a revolution.

Monarchy is not suited to the wastefulness and excess energy of the French people, as the citizens of Paris have demonstrated through their actions. They have shown that only a republic suits them.

Napoleon III thought for a moment and said, This is indeed a problem. Order the police forces in various regions to strengthen their vigilance and have the Paris City Guards and the Seventh Division in Nantes switch positions.

The rotation of troops was Napoleon IIIs most frequently used tactic. To prevent the collusion of revolutionaries with the military, the garrison in Paris was never permanently stationed.

The lesson from the downfall of the House of Orlans had already informed him that without control over a reliable force, the stability of the regime could not be assured.

Atessa was an Italian businessman and, subsequently, a nationalist; this order could not be reversed.

Therefore, during the 1848 revolutions, he decisively sided with the victors and escaped unscathed.

However, this did not change his nature as a nationalist. Over the years, he and a group of like-minded friends spared no effort in promoting Italian nationalism.

Given the backdrop of the Austrian governments promotion of national integration, Atessa naturally dared not swim against the tide. However, covertly, they established the Venice Cultural and Art Exchange Center.

This was solely for academic exchange, but the exchanges all involved Italian national culture and arts. If it were just a personal interest and hobby, it would not have attracted the attention of the Austrian intelligence organization.

The key was their daring move to organize youth art and cultural training classes, covertly propagating nationalism, and occasionally expressing a desire for Venetian independence.

Austria had freedom of speech, and as long as they did not expound these ideas in public, they could not be convicted under the law.

From start to finish, they only talked and never acted on it. Even when instilling these ideas in youth, they left no evidence behind.

During the period of the German unification war, local governments intentionally left loopholes, hoping they would take action to capture this group of people in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately, Atessa and others were all seasoned veterans who put their ideals aside in the face of interests.

Without the unification of Italy, if Venetia broke away from Austrian independence, they would lose most of their current market, which did not align with their interests.

So, instead of seizing the opportunity for independence, they persuaded radical nationalists not to act rashly.

These dormant forces were the most terrifying; they would not recklessly rebel but were working tirelessly towards rebellion.

Atessa had been feeling uneasy lately, always sensing that something bad was happening. Just as he returned home, the butler handed him a letter.

Mr. Atessa, this is a letter that Mr. Stephen sent someone to deliver to you.

Stephen was someone Atessa had met by chance at a banquet. They chatted amiably, and Stephen even invited him to join the colonial company to open up colonies in Africa.

Encountering a professional con man, and with a large number of mercenaries as evidence, Attisa did not doubt Stephens identity.

There are too many people in Europe with the same name, and Stephens name is so commonplace that Austria alone has 70,000 to 80,000. No one would connect a colonial businessman with the Hungarian Independence Organization.

Upon opening the letter and glancing through it briefly, Atessas face underwent a significant change.

Nile, did anyone else see you receive this letter?

The butler Nile replied with a dismayed expression, The person delivering the letter handed it to me at the front gate. Besides a few street vendors, there were no suspicious individuals.

He was very puzzled, completely unable to understand Atessas nervousness. Isnt it just a letter? Even if someone saw it, they wouldnt know its contents anyway!

Upon hearing this response, Atessa confirmed again, Were any of those street vendors new?

Nile replied with great certainty, No, theyre all the usual ones, almost every day.

Atessa breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately felt troubled again. In this day and age, stirring up revolution, wasnt that just courting death?

He couldnt fathom Stephens thinking at all. As the leader of the Hungarian Independence Organization, he had evaded pursuit by the Austrian government for over a decade. So why come back now just to meet his demise?

Indeed, from Atessas perspective, Stephen was essentially marching to his death. While others might be unaware of the situation in Hungary, well-informed merchants like them couldnt possibly be ignorant.

Not to mention independence, they would likely be suppressed by the local people without the Austrian government even needing to act.

The same situation could possibly occur in Venetia. The Austrian governments efforts in ethnic integration had been effective.

No matter how hard they tried, the increasing Germanization of the region was becoming evident. Especially among the younger generation, who were all learning German, the Italian language had already disappeared from compulsory education.

Even though some still persist in instilling values into the next generation, Austrian compulsory education is very demanding, and students are busy every day. How many would voluntarily study things that arent tested in school exams?

A few years ago, private schools were still teaching Italian. However, the Ministry of Education ceased funding them and classified them as operating in the profiteering industry, subjecting them to high taxes like those imposed on the industry.

If it were only a matter of government defunding, schools could still operate. However, being classified in the profiteering industry left them with no options. With tax rates as high as ninety-five percent, they couldnt possibly raise tuition fees twentyfold, could they?

Even the wealthiest couldnt endure it. Currently, there are no schools within the entire Austrian Empire operating outside the supervision of the Ministry of Education.

Legally recognized schools receive government funding, while the rest are considered training institutions of an enterprise nature.

These institutions had to pay taxes, with the tax rate based on industry profit standards. Unfortunately for schools, their reference was compulsory education schools, and compared to zero fees, any amount of tuition was considered profiteering.

The training center established by Atessa and others was supported solely by donations without any fees. Otherwise, the profiteering label would have been slapped on them long ago.

There have been troublemakers, but the Austrian government is very firm. If a thousand people cause trouble, a thousand are arrested; if ten thousand cause trouble, ten thousand are arrested. The ringleaders are enlisted in the road-building army, while accomplices, including their families, are all exiled to the colonies.

After exiling tens of thousands of people, the rest settled down. Even if not for themselves, they had to consider their families!

The treatment of exiled criminals was far inferior to that of immigrants. They were usually assigned to the most harsh conditions and undertook the most dangerous work.

Now receiving Stephens invitation to join the revolutionary forces, Atessa immediately decided to distance himself from them. He did not want to stake his life and property on it.

Without hesitation, Atessa immediately lit a match, igniting the letter in his hand.

He did not report it to the authorities, as that would be a disservice to his friend. As for the meeting location specified in the letter, Atessa chose to ignore it outright.

Even being in contact with the revolutionary party in Austria carried risks. The Austrian government had always had zero tolerance for such matters, and Atessa was not willing to take that risk.

After burning the letter, Atessa instructed again, Nile, do not mention this letter to anyone. Stephen and I only met at a banquet, we are not friends, understand?

The butler Nile answered, Understood, Mr. Atessa.

Unbeknownst to the cautious Atessa, he had already stepped halfway into hell since the moment he began promoting nationalism.

Now, by burning the letter and not reporting it to the government, he had effectively placed his other foot inside as well.

There was no doubt that this was a case of entrapment. If he had taken the letter and immediately reported it to the local police station, there would have been no way for him to be implicated.

Having missed the opportunity, there was nothing he could do. Even if he did not participate in the rebellion, failing to report it was still a crime, and he was not being wronged.

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