Facing an emperor who had no moral scruples, Adonis found himself powerless. If arrests were not allowed, how was he supposed to continue the investigation? Anyone involved in plotting an assassination would immediately find a way to distance themselves. If they were ever exposed, there would be nowhere in the world safe for them. If nothing else, the fact that none of the captured assassins were Jews was, in Adonis’s view, the biggest red flag. Logically speaking, as the victims, the Jews should have hated Napoleon IV the most. It would be completely normal for a “dragon-slaying hero” to emerge from among them. Unfortunately, without a proper organization behind them, any would-be assassin would be caught by the police long before getting close to Napoleon IV. After all, the police were not entirely useless. As far as Adonis knew, ever since the start of the anti-Jewish movement, the police had arrested over a thousand Jewish assassins or suspected assassins. There was no doubt that among these people, many were wrongfully accused. Some may have had the motive to act, but very few had the courage to actually attempt an assassination against the emperor. Looking at the Minister of Police’s disappointed face, Napoleon IV also felt a headache coming on. It was not that he wanted to honor any promises to the Jews, he had simply been left with no choice. It was easy to raise the butcher’s knife, but what if it could not actually strike anyone down? Jewish capital had infiltrated the French government far more deeply than it had in Austria. The moment the French government decided to flip the table, someone immediately leaked the information. Before the government could even issue arrest orders, those cunning financiers had already mostly fled. With the big fish gone, the remaining small fry, even if caught, could not yield much profit. For the sake of the franc, Napoleon IV was forced to compromise. Otherwise, it would have been mutual destruction. The Jewish groups might be wiped out, but France would also suffer devastating losses. These matters were things Napoleon IV could only keep bottled up inside. If word ever got out, it would surely cause a huge uproar. Imagine the scandal where a national government was forced to compromise with Jewish capital. If the proud French public heard such shocking news, another revolution would almost certainly break out. The fact that it had not happened yet did not mean it never would. After several assassination attempts, Napoleon IV’s patience had already been stretched to its limits. It could easily be imagined that, in the coming years, the living environment for Jewish capitalists in France would become increasingly hostile. ... Bukovina, located along the Russo-Austrian border, had become Austria’s largest Jewish settlement after the outbreak of anti-Jewish movements across Europe. This was a result of the hard-earned experience the Jewish people had accumulated after centuries of wandering through Europe. When the political situation was unclear, it was always safer to stay near border regions, where it would be easier to flee if necessary. On this issue, the Jews trusted no one. Even the House of Habsburg’s reputation offered no true protection, as Austria too had a long and well-established tradition of anti-Semitism. Recorded instances of anti-Jewish movements can be traced back to the 13th century, roughly the same time the House of Habsburg began its rise. Austria’s decree to expel the Jews remained officially in place until 1848, only formally abolished after Franz took the throne and fully implemented his policy of national integration. Without a doubt, this expulsion decree had never been seriously enforced. Otherwise, there would have been no Jewish population left in Austria long ago. In contrast, the Integration Decree of 1820 was actually carried out. That law stipulated that all Jewish rabbis had to study philosophy and that only German could be used during public prayers. Jewish children were also required to attend Christian schools. In reality, Franz’s policy of national integration was simply an expansion of this earlier decree, reinforcing the promotion of language and culture. This policy worked quite well among Austria’s many ethnic groups, except when it came to the Jews. That said, it wasn’t completely ineffective. Jewish orphans raised in state-run welfare institutions were successfully assimilated. Likewise, children whose parents were too busy with work often ended up assimilated too. Of course, partial assimilation did not mean there was no influence at all. Especially for those born after 1845, everyone grew up writing in German, speaking German, and studying Austrian history and culture. It was impossible to remain unaffected. After all, Austria’s mandatory education system was notoriously harsh with its boarding school model. Students had only a few holidays per year, spending less than a month total with their parents, with most of their time spent at school. Under this policy, Austria’s ethnic assimilation efforts progressed very smoothly, with many minority groups eventually merging into the mainstream. Due to economic reasons, most ordinary people would enter the workforce immediately after completing compulsory education, leaving them with little time to inherit their own ethnic histories and cultures. The Jews were an exception. Their sharp business acumen meant that, compared to other groups, they were generally more affluent. After completing compulsory education, many parents would arrange for their children to return home for private tutoring to inherit their cultural traditions. Some underground Jewish schools even operated in secret, avoiding government scrutiny and working within Jewish communities. After all the hard work of achieving language and cultural assimilation, seeing it undone like this naturally put these people on the Austrian government’s blacklist. Among the arrested Jewish capitalists, quite a few had charges of “engaging in illegal education for profit,” which referred to financing underground schools. Without a doubt, this kind of attempt to reverse history was considered a major crime in Austria, and the government cracked down on it harshly. In a small manor on the outskirts, Jewish representatives from both Russia and Austria gathered. The crowd was red-faced and shouting at one another, the atmosphere extremely tense. Seeing that things were getting out of control, the highly respected Jewish leader, Levi Feld, stomped his cane and shouted, “Silence, all of you! Do not forget what times we are living in. If we do not unite now, we are doomed to extinction.” A middle-aged man protested, “Sir Feld, it is not that we wish to quarrel, but we have no other choice. The current situation in Europe is extremely unfavorable for us, and the most important leaders of our community at home have all been arrested by the Austrians. We must find a way to rescue them so that they can take charge of the situation.” The man’s frustration was not without reason. Although the Jewish people were one family, they were internally divided into various groups. Due to the butterfly effect, by the 19th century, the Jewish population was mainly concentrated within four countries: Britain, France, Austria, and Russia. Among them, the Jews in Britain and France possessed the greatest wealth and had the strongest influence over their governments, leading relatively comfortable lives. With the growth of the economy and by riding the wave of Austria’s economic boom, Austrian Jewish capital had also risen rapidly, even showing signs of overtaking the others. In contrast, the Russian Jews, who were the most numerous, lived harsh lives. Russia’s economy was already weak, and the Russian government was notorious for its disregard for rules. After the Russian and Austrian economies became intertwined, Jewish capitalists from both countries also aligned themselves due to shared interests, though Austrian Jewish capitalists generally held the upper hand. However, “No flower stays red for a hundred days; no man stays fortunate for a thousand.” Just as the anti-Jewish movement began, the Austrian Jewish capitalists and community leaders were taken down all at once. After losing their leading figures, the Austrian Jews, who had never been fully united to begin with, quickly fell into a state of division. Following the outbreak of the anti-Jewish movement in Russia, a large number of Russian Jews, with the help of guilders, fled to Bukovina and gradually gained influence over the Jewish community there. The proposal made by the middle-aged man clearly did not represent all Austrian Jews. The young Oscher immediately spoke up: “Mr. Gleier, the situation is not as severe as you make it out to be. The anti-Jewish movement in Austria has already been suppressed by the government. Although there were some unpleasant incidents, overall things have calmed down, and our daily lives have not been greatly affected. The original evacuation plans are no longer necessary. What we need to do now is adjust ourselves as soon as possible and prepare for a new life, not waste time holding meaningless meetings here. As for rescuing our arrested brethren, I believe finding them a good lawyer would be far more reliable than any rescue plan.” Not all Jewish elites were willing to align themselves with the arrested capitalists. In the eyes of many, since the Austrian government had carried out the arrests through legal means, the matter should also be resolved through legal means. Everyone knew in their hearts the true nature of some of those arrested Jewish compatriots. Moreover, it was not only Jewish capitalists who were imprisoned this time. Many capitalists from other ethnic groups were also arrested, though the number of Jewish capitalists was relatively higher. There was no helping it. In this world, there would always be people who could not see the bigger picture. Since they had stepped forward, Franz had no choice but to deal with them all together. The Austrian government had not openly waved the banner of anti-Semitism, and its crackdown was not limited to Jews alone. Although many Jewish capitalists were imprisoned, not all of them were. Some legitimate Jewish merchants managed to avoid disaster. In the eyes of many, this looked more like a large-scale government action against illegal activities rather than a targeted anti-Jewish campaign. Naturally, it seemed unwise to openly oppose the Austrian government for the sake of those who had broken the law, and there were plenty of people who objected. Gleier said discontentedly, “Oscher, do not forget who funded your education. Is this how quickly you turn your back on your benefactors?” Oscher’s face darkened. “Of course I will not forget. I will find the best lawyer for Mr. Leo and arrange for his defense. But I absolutely refuse to support any violent rescue attempt. I will not agree to launch an armed rebellion either. That would push all of our people onto a path of no return and bring about total disaster. Mr. Gleier, I know Mr. Leo and the others must have deep connections within the Austrian government. You should know how to reach out. If you truly want to rescue them, start there. Whether through bribery or blackmail, it would be far more effective than launching a rebellion.” Hearing this insider information, the elder Feld also tried to persuade him, “Gleier, Oscher makes sense. Violence cannot solve the problem. There are simply too few of us Jews. Even if an uprising were to succeed initially, it would soon be crushed. When that happens, it will not just be one or two people who die. It could lead to the complete destruction of all our fellow Jews living in Austria. If you do not want to see a repeat of what happened in Vienna in 1420, you should follow Oscher’s suggestion!” It was no joke. After finally escaping from the Russian Empire to Austria to seek refuge, if Gleier were to launch an armed rebellion and trigger an anti-Jewish crackdown by the Austrian government, they would be utterly doomed. As for the capitalist leaders who had been arrested by the Austrian government, in Feld’s eyes, it was not a big deal. Based on his life experience, he believed that as long as enough money was paid, these people could be released at any time. He had no respect for rash actions like those Gleier proposed. Without the support of the crowd, Gleier realized that with the senior leaders absent, his own influence among the Jewish community was not enough to rally everyone into launching an uprising. He explained helplessly, “Everyone, it is not that I want to take an extreme path. The key issue is that the Austrians are aiming to kill them all. They are not giving Mr. Leo and the others any chance to survive. Perhaps you are not aware, but several senior officials of the Austrian government have publicly called for the court to impose heavy sentences. Among them, the highest-ranking official is a Deputy Minister of Finance. Their stance essentially represents the position of the Austrian government. Combined with the negative public opinion, the courts will certainly be influenced during the trial. If nothing unexpected happens, more than three thousand of our fellow Jews, including Mr. Leo, could all be sentenced to death.” There was no helping it. The weight of their dark history was simply too much. *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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