The announcement of the special investigation team’s personnel appointments caused an instant sensation. The anti-Semitic public in the country was satisfied, as those appointed were all hardliners. Count Witters, the head of the special investigation team, had publicly demanded that the court severely punish the criminals at a recent press conference, so he would certainly not be lenient. The Jewish capital forces who had narrowly escaped were also satisfied. Although there had been no direct contact, everyone vaguely knew that these appointees were “their own people.” Even Ledes, who was responsible for liaison in the middle, breathed a sigh of relief. Since their own people were in charge of the investigation, things would presumably blow over soon. The only thing that puzzled him was that there were too many people from their own side in the investigation team. Many irrelevant departmental officials had also been drawn in, which was inconsistent with the Austrian government’s usual administrative style. Unable to figure it out, he stopped trying. He could only attribute it to the power of the bigwigs behind the scenes, who were able to influence the decisions of the Austrian government. This judgment was also logical. The relationships between nobles were intricate, with relatives everywhere. As long as one was willing to humble oneself and ask for help, in the absence of conflicting interests, the goal could generally be achieved. All parties were satisfied, except for a few individuals directly involved. Perhaps upon initially receiving the personnel appointments, they had felt a glimmer of surprise, but after seeing their colleagues in the investigation team, none of them could feel happy. It might be a coincidence if one or two people entered the investigation team, but for everyone to enter together was too much of a coincidence for Count Witters to believe. After the initial panic, he still braced himself and went to report to the investigation team. In any case, he could no longer back down at this point. … In the evening, the manor south of Vienna was brightly lit. Under the guise of “fostering relationships” with his colleagues, Count Witters hosted a banquet. Banquet events were no longer popular in Austrian officialdom. Unless there was a special occasion to celebrate, officials generally did not invite their colleagues privately. The excuse of “fostering relationships” seemed rather far-fetched at this point, but Count Witters couldn’t afford to worry about that anymore. They were now exposed under the spotlight, and holding secret meetings at this time would be akin to suicide. Although everyone worked together during the day, who would dare to discuss these issues in the office? Seeing that everyone’s spirits were low, Count Witters didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point: “The reason I’ve invited everyone here today is to discuss how to handle these capitalists. The development of the situation has exceeded our expectations. The original plan is no longer feasible. If we cannot handle this properly, I’m afraid it will be very difficult for us to extricate ourselves this time.” There was no way out. From the moment they joined the investigation team, they were bound to the Jewish issue, and there was no way for them to escape. Paul Bodis analyzed from a professional standpoint: ‘The Count is right, the current situation is indeed very bad. This special personnel appointment is too targeted. There were no prior signs. Suddenly, the investigation team was established, and we all happened to be on it. All these signs indicate that our dealings with the Jewish capitalists are already known by those above. There are only two possibilities for putting us in charge of this case: either those above want to get rid of us but lack strong evidence, so they are deliberately putting us in a position where we will be grilled; Or, those above don’t want to make a big deal out of it and are giving us another chance. The final outcome depends entirely on our next moves. Regardless of which scenario it is, the most important thing right now is to do damage control. As long as the government doesn’t have concrete evidence in hand, they won’t touch us.” Knowing full well that there was a pit ahead, they could only close their eyes and jump. This feeling of life and death being in the hands of others was naturally unpleasant. Alberti nodded, continuing, “I agree with Paul’s assessment, but the damage control now will be very difficult. There’s too much dirt on these Jewish capitalists. The evidence currently held by the police alone is enough to send them all to prison. I personally reviewed the case files. According to current Austrian law, at least three hundred people would be sentenced to death, over two thousand would receive sentences of twenty years or more, and the rest wouldn’t get less than ten years. There are no minor offenses. The police have arrested serious criminals this time. Those with less severe issues were only fined, warned, and restricted from leaving the country for observation. Especially those guys we had contact with are simply the worst of the worst. The bizarre things they’ve done are probably beyond your imagination. Tax evasion goes without saying; everyone arrested is involved in it. Manipulating and colluding with the underworld, running illegal casinos, and loan sharking are all standard practice for them. Some individuals are simply local crime bosses, involved in forcing people into prostitution, drug trafficking, and counterfeiting—all the trades that the government strictly suppresses. They haven’t missed a single one. They appear respectable on the surface, but behind the scenes, they commit all sorts of evil deeds. Each of them has several lives on their hands. Oh, right, these guys were also involved in setting up Jewish schools and inciting Jewish civilians to resist the government’s national policies. Forget it, I don’t even want to continue. Cooperating with these people is the most regrettable thing I’ve ever done in my life. Now the outside world is watching us, and it’s impossible to give them lenient sentences. The trouble is that the Jewish capitalists have a very extensive network of connections. Right now, only they themselves have been arrested, but their families and close associates are still free. It’s highly likely that these people outside also know about our relationship. Now that they know we are in charge of the investigation team, they are probably celebrating. If we handle this according to the book, or even give them lenient sentences within the bounds of the rules, it probably won’t satisfy them. If someone takes the lead in causing trouble and exposes our dealings, then every single one of us sitting here will be finished.” Guilt was an inevitable outcome. If loan sharks are not involved in gangs, it would be a joke. However, the depth of their involvement was unacceptable to everyone present. This was clearly a move that would drag them all down. Yet, everyone in the room had seen their fair share of big events and knew that these charges might not all be the work of these Jewish capitalists. Perhaps a few individuals were truly involved, but most Jewish capitalists probably didn’t have the energy to traffic drugs or counterfeit money. After all, these trades were frequently raided by the police, and the profits might not even compare to those from loan sharking. But that didn’t matter. As long as the underworld gangs they colluded with had engaged in these activities, then the Jewish capitalists would share the blame. Austrian law had very broad coverage when it came to cracking down on organized crime. The law clearly stipulated that anyone who joined or colluded with a criminal organization would be held jointly and severally liable for all the criminal acts of that group. It was no wonder Alberti was angry. The Jewish capitalists were clearly after any kind of money and dared to cooperate with anyone. It should be noted that Jewish capitalists weren’t the only ones involved in power-for-money transactions, but this was the first time Alberti had encountered a situation where the charges were this severe. The vast majority of capitalists only operated in the gray areas. They would rather raise their own thugs than collaborate with local criminal organizations. Even when there was occasional cooperation, it was usually a one-time, cash-for-goods transaction, rarely involving long-term partnerships. The Austrian police had raided underworld gangs more than once or twice. The fact that the Jewish capitalists had previously managed to get away definitely owed a lot to the help of their backers. These matters were fine as long as they weren’t investigated, but once the lid was lifted, their own reputations would also be ruined. They wouldn’t even need concrete evidence to convict them. As long as some accusations pointed their way and the outside world believed it, their family’s reputation would be destroyed. The brilliance of the nobility depended on having a good name. Once the reputation was tarnished, the circles of power would no longer include them. When their own interests were at stake, self-preservation was the top priority. At this point, no one wanted to save the Jewish capitalists, but the families and close associates of these troublemakers wouldn’t agree to that! A country ruled by law must act according to the law. If the Jewish capitalists committed crimes and went to prison, but if their families and close associates weren’t involved in cases of treason or regicide, they wouldn’t be implicated. Generally, these individuals would only be monitored and prohibited from leaving the country until the court’s final verdict was reached. With tens of thousands of people involved, scattered across the country, even if everyone present held high positions of power, they wouldn’t have the ability to silence all of them. After a moment of hesitation, Count Witters slowly said, “Then let’s not give them a chance to speak. Dig deep into these cases and find a way to implicate their families and close associates as well. I recall there’s a law about the crime of failing to report knowledge of a crime. These scumbags have done so many bad things. It’s impossible that the people around them knew nothing. It’s precisely because these people didn’t report them that these criminals were able to evade justice for so long. We must punish them as a warning to others.’ Everyone fully agreed with Count Witters’s righteous words, unanimously believing that these ‘those who knew but didn’t report’ must be severely punished. “Being strict with others, lenient with oneself” was, after all, human nature. This double standard in law enforcement was simply a basic skill for politicians. Count Witters merely possessed a somewhat inexplicable sense of superiority, and he was not an isolated case, it could be seen in most nobles. The reason was very simple. In this era of comparing who was less bad, they were slightly more scrupulous than the capitalists. Even this slight difference wasn’t inherent but rather due to the burden of their family reputation, forcing them to show some restraint on the surface. Alberti asked somewhat hesitantly, “Your Excellency, isn’t this going too far? Those above haven’t asked us to broaden the scope. Acting rashly might cause…” Count Witters interrupted, “We have no choice anymore. If we don’t take action now, the situation will get out of control. Having reached this point, if we want to emerge unscathed, we must go all the way down the path of anti-Semitism. Current public opinion is very favorable to us. The harsher we are on these Jewish capitalists next, the less likely the outside world will believe we colluded with them. Anyway, none of us have been publicly involved. As long as we all insist that we have never engaged in power-for-money transactions, with our firm anti-Semitic stance, even if some surviving Jews produce concrete evidence, the domestic population won’t believe it. The worst-case scenario is simply abandoning some assets. We can directly claim that someone was using our name to defraud others and suggest that the government seize those companies to restore our reputation.” That made sense. Everyone had a tendency to form initial impressions, and in the eyes of ordinary people, the most staunch anti-Semites certainly wouldn’t collude with Jewish capitalists. *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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