The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 469: Chapter 373: Gunshots in Sarajevo

The entire structure of the Mafia had core members with code names. The smaller the number in the code, the greater the power and higher the status they had within the Mafia.

Underneath these core members with code names were a large number of peripheral members. Although they were considered members of the Mafia, they could not access the absolute upper echelons of the organization.

The way they served the Mafia was through orders passed down from core members with larger code numbers.

This also meant that each core Mafia member with a code name would generally have several subordinates of varying numbers.

These subordinates not only maintained their power but also provided better security for the completion of assassination missions assigned to them from above.

In early June 1914, Archduke Ferdinand's special train departed from Vienna to Bosnia.

As the journey began, there was a small hitch; the train car axle box overheated, which angered Archduke Ferdinand and caused him to criticize, "This is certainly a great start for this trip!"

Moreover, it was already summer in the Northern Hemisphere at the time, and the weather was extremely hot along the way, causing some discomfort to Archduke Ferdinand's body.

However, the good news was that Archduke Ferdinand received a warm welcome all the way, which could make up for some of the unfavorable situations encountered earlier.

After successfully completing his official tasks, including inspecting the military, Archduke Ferdinand, in high spirits, headed to Sarajevo.

Sarajevo is an ancient city in the Balkan Region, winding through canyons with a clear small river flowing through the city area. The bridge spanning the river connecting the north and south sides was also the center of Sarajevo's downtown area.

It is worth noting that the day Archduke Ferdinand's special train arrived at the Sarajevo station was June 28, 1914, Sunday.

On that day, it was the national day of mourning for the Serbs, commemorating 500 years under Turkish rule. Serbian patriots viewed Archduke Ferdinand's visit to Sarajevo on this day as an insult to Serbia. However, this day also happened to be the 14th wedding anniversary of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, so the couple was quite proud.

Everything was just such a coincidence that this day was a sad day for one side and a good day to remember for the other.

On the morning of June 28, Archduke Ferdinand sent a telegram to his three children saying that everything was going smoothly.

Later in the afternoon, Archduke Ferdinand, wearing a military uniform and a helmet adorned with feather plumes, looked very imposing and powerful. On the other hand, Duchess Sophia wore a white long dress, a sun hat, and held a parasol, and her graceful demeanor made her still look charmingly attractive.

The couple was preparing to attend the welcome ceremony at City Hall, laughing and walking arm in arm out of their room.

The weather that day was very clear, and all the shops and streets that Archduke Ferdinand passed along the way were decorated with colorful flags and flowers, looking quite magnificent and beautiful.

The real reason for all this was that the Mayor of Sarajevo had prematurely disclosed Archduke Ferdinand's itinerary, encouraging local residents to spontaneously display the Austro-Hungarian Empire's flags and flowers on the way to give the Archduke couple good vibes.

Little did the mayor know that his novel and well-meaning attempt at flattery would send the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire straight into the abyss.

As the couple's itinerary was directly leaked, it was the best news a would-be assassin could receive.

If it hadn't been confirmed that the Mayor of Sarajevo had no contact with any Mafia forces, the Mafia would have thought he was one of their own moles.

Although there were police and gendarmes stationed along the route to maintain order, the crowded scene of onlookers made the scene somewhat chaotic.

At this point, Archduke Ferdinand's motorcade had smoothly covered half the route. When it arrived at the bridge in the city center, a young man suddenly sprang out and threw a bomb at Archduke Ferdinand's car.

The driver, seeing the danger, hurriedly accelerated, causing the bomb to fall on the canvas tent above the car and bounce to one side.

Boom!

With a huge explosion, the car behind Archduke Ferdinand's became the unintended victim, suffering a direct frontal impact from the bomb. The car, out of control due to the loss of the driver, crashed straight into the bridge pier, with casualties inside the car unknown.

The surrounding police and gendarmes were immediately in a frenzy, trying to catch the assassin and protect Archduke Ferdinand.

At this moment, someone also took the opportunity to suggest temporarily canceling the day's visit plan, waiting until everything could be guaranteed safe again.

However, Archduke Ferdinand at this time was quite calm, disdainfully mocking, "This guy must be crazy. Come on, gentlemen, proceed as planned."

There was no choice, as Archduke Ferdinand was the highest-ranking person on the scene, and his word was final.

Afterwards, the journey to City Hall went very smoothly, causing the security forces to breathe a sigh of relief.

At the welcome ceremony in City Hall, while the mayor was giving a welcoming speech, Archduke Ferdinand, impatient, interrupted the mayor's words, saying, "Dammit, enough, enough! I have traveled far and wide to visit you, and you welcomed me with bombs!"

Archduke Ferdinand's outburst made the well-intentioned mayor tremble all over, and his speech became stammering and stuttering.

Fortunately, Archduke Ferdinand did not intend to hold anyone responsible for the time being, allowing the welcome ceremony to proceed smoothly.