Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 673: Two hundred and forty-six, stirring up trouble

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Seeking international support, the Berlin Government was naturally not only approaching Austria—virtually at the same time, governments across Europe received invitations from Berlin.

No one truly knew what was in their hearts, but publicly, everyone was righteously denouncing "robbers."

If spittle could kill, the Cossack cavalry of Russia would probably have already been wiped out.

While diplomacy was in motion, efforts to rally the public were not idle either. The Berlin Government bought pages in numerous newspapers, publishing photos of the Russian Army’s atrocities, along with the heart-rending testimonies of survivors.

None of these performances were in vain, as the Berlin Government gained the sympathy of the European people. Public opinion overwhelmingly blamed the Russians, even pro-Russian media fell silent.

Many media outlets accepted the Berlin Government’s invitation, dispatching war reporters to collect firsthand information on-site.

Furthermore, the Berlin Government had devised a stage play, "Rampant Robbery," which toured across the European Continent with the troupe.

The plot was roughly as follows: Into a happy village, suddenly came a group of Russian robbers; they burned, killed, and looted, committing unspeakable evils. The brave villagers rose to resist, but they were outnumbered, and to cover the children’s evacuation, everyone...

In an era short of entertainment, the Vienna Opera House had been showing the play for an entire week and still drew large audiences.

Tragedy always moves people easily, and the performance on stage had more impact than words. After every show, the ladies in the audience would sob uncontrollably.

If it was possible to organize a fundraiser, the Berlin Government would definitely reap significant benefits. Public opinion had been mobilized, and calls for intervention grew louder, increasing the pressure on the Austrian Government.

Vienna Palace

Franz casually tossed aside a civil petition letter and asked gloomily, "Have the Russians not responded? With such a significant event unfolding, can’t the Tsarist Government step forward to explain?"

Within the short span of a month, Franz had received a total of 286 signed petitions, all demanding that the Austrian Government stop the killings.

Dozens of organizations, including the German Civil Cultural Exchange Meeting, the German Unification Committee, the Germanic National Cultural Exchange Meeting, and the Holy Roman Empire Cultural Economic Promotion Meeting, were hoping the Austrian Government would intervene.

The reason was simple, victims were not only Polish but also many Germanic people; to nationalists, these were their kin, not to be wantonly devastated by the Russians.

"Your Majesty, the Tsarist Government has also taken action. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly spoken to quash the rumors, claiming that the Russian Army did not participate in the killings, and that it was the work of domestic bandits within the Prusso-Polish Federation.

The Russians acted too late, and the tide of public opinion had already formed. Coupled with the substantial evidence from the Berlin Government, reversing it is too difficult," replied Prime Minister Felix.

Being a step slow meant being slow in every step. In those times, communication didn’t change much; news spread slowly, and for most, newspapers were the main source of information.

Once preconceived opinions set in, changing them was difficult. Moreover, the Berlin Government wasn’t slandering the Russians—they had indeed committed those acts.

"The Tsarist Government is full of idiots!" Franz blurted out without hesitation.

It was clear that this was heartfelt. The reality was right before his eyes; it was certain that no amount of whitewashing could clear the name, but guiding public opinion doesn’t necessarily require whitewashing. All that was needed was to drag the rival down to the same level.

"Denial" indeed was a solution, but it was out of date!

If it were a country with a good reputation, they might still cheat some people. Given the credibility of the Tsarist Government, who would believe what they say?

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Franz had a change of heart, directly emulating the Berlin Government. He collected the atrocities of the Prussian Army, applied artistic embellishment, and exaggerated the events a hundredfold before paying newspapers to publish them.

No matter how many believed it, the first step was to build up the momentum. After all, the tradition of European Army plundering was a well-known secret.

If you can’t clear your own name, drag the other party down with you. If everyone’s tainted, the problem is solved.

"Your Majesty, it’s not just domestic opinion that’s against the Russians, the international opinion, especially in France, is extremely adverse."

Just three days ago, 50,000 Parisians gathered in Versailles Square to demonstrate, demanding their government intervene in the war.

This isn’t the first time; according to messages from the embassy, there have been 48 large and small protests and demonstrations within France this month, half of which were calling for intervention by the Paris Government.

Five days ago, London also experienced a protest, although with fewer participants than in France.

"From the current situation, if the Tsarist Government can’t turn things around, it’s likely that before long, various governments will step in," Wessenberg analyzed.

The French public is still so enthusiastic; Napoleon IV must feel like crying now. There’s a completely different concept between taking the initiative to intervene and being coerced by public opinion.

An emperor who can’t control the government’s foreign policy and is instead swayed by public opinion—nobody can stand such a scenario.

If there’s a first time, there will be a second. Once it’s discovered that public opinion can influence government decisions, similar incidents are likely to follow.

The governments of the countries have not interfered immediately, probably not wanting to give the impression that they are influenced by public opinion.

To some extent, the machinations of the Berlin Government have succeeded and failed at the same time.

While garnering support from various countries, they’ve also managed to offend the upper echelons of these governments. Intervention is certain, but the extent of it is hard to say.

"If possible, I suggest delaying the intervention of various countries as much as we can. In recent times, the Immigration Bureau has already obtained nearly fifty thousand immigrants from Russian hands.

Although most of these are women, children, and the elderly, for the labor-starved colonies, they are still a substantial addition," said Colonial Minister Stephen.

Fifty thousand immigrants might seem insignificant, but if they were fifty thousand main ethnic group immigrants, that would be a different story.

Austro-Africa is the lifeline of the Vienna Government, which has always been intentional about controlling the ethnic proportion. Fifty thousand immigrants may not sound like a lot, but they’ve already increased the main population ratio by two per thousand.

This is just a calculation in terms of numbers; the real impact is even greater. To accelerate the integration of ethnicities, Austria has always practiced dispersed settlement of immigrants, with countless inter-ethnic marriages.

The tangible benefits are obviously something the Colonial Department is unwilling to give up.

After a moment’s hesitation, Franz pushed aside his conscience: "Tell the Tsarist Government that international intervention is imminent.

If they don’t want to be sanctioned, they should quickly expose the atrocities of the Prussian Army and muddy the waters first."

When national interests are at stake, Franz can’t help but be pragmatic. Since the Tsarist Government doesn’t know what to do, it’s better to teach them.