As one official after another was arrested, the original anti-Jewish movement gradually came to an end and was replaced by a sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Throughout history, cracking down on corrupt officials has always been something the public enjoys watching, and Austria was no exception. Although there was no direct embezzlement, the transfer of benefits under the table through power-for-money deals was essentially the same. To be precise, the Austrian law imposed the same severity of punishment for both. Watching one big figure after another fall, the happiest were the news media. There was breaking news every day, with no repeats, and as a result, newspaper sales in 1886 hit a historic high. The general public was also pleased. With so many stories unfolding, there was no shortage of conversation for leisure chats. Even government officials were satisfied. Although there was a sense of shared misfortune, it could not suppress the enthusiasm for promotions. There is only one seat for each role. If those above do not step down, those below cannot move up. Anyone blocking the way is the enemy. At this point, the anti-corruption case triggered by the investigation team had spiraled completely out of control. It was not something that could be stopped just by saying so. One case led to another, and the deeper the investigation went, the more people were dragged into it. Even Franz was left dumbfounded by what he saw. It should be noted that benefit transfers require far more skill than straightforward embezzlement. Ordinary civil servants simply did not have the means to play such games. The ones truly involved were all officials. Many of the top local officials had been taken down, along with most of the senior regional leadership, leaving only a handful of lower-level personnel to manage day-to-day affairs. Surprisingly, the local government institutions continued to function normally. To be fair, compared to later examples in history where governments shut down yet countries kept running smoothly, this was not particularly remarkable. The current international situation was extremely stable. As long as there was no unrest in the regions, the anti-corruption campaign could continue without interruption. With the officials arrested, the bribers could not escape either. In order to reduce their sentences, it was inevitable that they would start reporting on others. Unless someone had committed truly heinous crimes and was certain to receive the death penalty, most would choose to cooperate to lessen their own charges. As the number of implicated individuals kept rising, Franz could finally announce to the outside world that the Austrian government was not engaging in anti-Jewish persecution but was instead cracking down on corruption and organized crime. It was a solid argument. Jews accounted for just over 40% of those imprisoned, less than half, and every one of them had solid evidence of crimes. If this was not an anti-corruption and anti-crime campaign, what else could it be? Franz did not mind, but that did not mean everyone else shared his indifference. Count Witters, who was directly involved, was frightened. The prisons were almost full and the cases showed no signs of concluding. Within the past month alone, Count Witters had survived three assassination attempts. All the assailants were Jewish, though the real mastermind remained unknown. In any case, Witters did not believe that leaderless Jews could still possess the capability to meticulously plan repeated assassination attempts. It was not just Witters himself who suffered. Even his family members had been attacked by mobs. Fortunately, the Vienna Police were effective and appeared in time to resolve the situation. Inside the Chancellor’s residence, Count Witters anxiously complained, “Chancellor, the people outside have gone completely mad. That’s right, they are nothing but a bunch of lunatics!” Looking at his former deputy, Chancellor Karl silently sighed to himself. To be honest, he still felt a bit of sympathy for Count Witters. But mistakes must be paid for. This path had been Witters’ own choice. No matter how many pitfalls lay ahead, he alone would have to navigate them. “Witters, calm down. You are not in the right state of mind right now. The sky has not fallen. Why should we be afraid of a bunch of lunatics?” Karl had confidence in this. Austria’s bourgeoisie had limited power, especially in terms of military strength, which was nearly nonexistent. Their so-called influence was merely a network of relationships built on power-for-money exchanges. However, such a network was the most unreliable. The bureaucrats derived their authority from the government, and with a single order, they could be brought crashing down. In any case, the Austrian governmental system was well-structured. No matter who was taken out, operations could continue as usual. If the top official was removed, there was always a deputy to step in. If the deputy was also taken out, there was always someone from the next level to fill the role. In short, replacements would step up in accordance with the administrative hierarchy. Take a few cities in Galicia as an example. Right now, ordinary clerks are temporarily exercising the powers of the mayor. They may not be particularly effective at doing things, but they are good enough to maintain the status quo. After so many years of compulsory education, the Austrian government no longer lacked officials. Any number of vacancies could be quickly filled. If there were not enough personnel, they could simply recruit more. Chancellor Karl was not worried in the slightest that these people could stir up any serious trouble. Count Witters said, “But Chancellor, right now they…” Before he could finish his sentence, Karl cut him off saying, “Count, I know what you mean. It is nothing more than a few petty clowns getting a little too active, already interfering with the investigation team’s work and disturbing your daily life. Rest assured, the police have already deployed enough forces to guarantee your safety. The cabinet has just made a decision to launch a nationwide crackdown. All of the rioters will face the harshest punishments, and the masterminds behind them will be no exception. No matter how high their status or how prominent their position, as long as you can expose them, you will not have to worry about anyone retaliating afterward.” Though Karl’s words seemed calm on the surface, in reality, he had already resolved to take deadly action. Attempting to assassinate government officials was a direct slap in the face to the Austrian government. Chancellor Karl harbored deep loathing for those who broke the established rules. Once they were caught, even if they escaped the death penalty, they would face a lifetime behind bars—a guaranteed “special package” of no return. If Count Witters did not want to face revenge in the future, the best solution was to expose all his enemies this time and eliminate future threats once and for all. It seemed simple, but in reality, it was a fallacy. Although quite a few suspects had already been identified, those with solid evidence sufficient to convict and imprison them were still a minority. Neither the capitalists nor the bureaucrats were isolated figures. If they went down, their subordinates would not escape either. If every suspect were to be arrested, the number of imprisoned would not merely be the current figure of over forty thousand, it would have already exceeded one hundred thousand. If there were a few fishes that slipped through the net, the resentment dragged out by Witters and others would not vanish. Sooner or later, retaliation would be unavoidable. After hesitating for a moment, Count Witters steeled himself and said, “Chancellor, there is already solid evidence against quite a few criminals. Do you think we can transfer them to the courts for trial first?” Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. This case implicated too many people, and many assumed that the Austrian government would “raise the knife high but drop it gently,” lacking sufficient deterrence. The best method was naturally to launch a harsh crackdown and use bloodshed to make these people understand that doing wrong can cost lives. After a brief moment of thought, Chancellor Karl nodded and replied, “Then let us first select a batch of serious offenders for severe punishment. The number will be set at one thousand.” The fate of one thousand unlucky individuals was thus decided. As examples to serve as a warning to others, they would be dealt with according to the harshest standards permitted by law. Upon hearing this decision, Count Witters drew in a sharp breath. One thousand people… That was roughly the total number of criminals executed in Austria last year, and now they were jumping straight to that figure in one stroke. There was no need to doubt it. Not only would selecting one thousand serious offenders for execution be feasible, even two or three thousand would be more than achievable. Although the public’s focus was on anti-corruption and anti-Jewish measures, in reality, the majority of those arrested were members of criminal syndicates. The reason was simple: the evidence of these scoundrels’ crimes was the easiest to collect. Other offenders mostly committed economic crimes. Even if there were homicides, they were usually masterminds behind the scenes. These underworld figures weren’t the ones who carried out the actual deeds. Seeing how determined the Chancellor was, Count Witters felt secretly relieved. Thankfully, he had switched sides quickly. Otherwise, he might now have been one of the “chickens” to be slaughtered. Forget any talk about sparing nobles. If one was the leader of a criminal gang involving tens of thousands, no matter how distinguished their status, there would be no escape. … At Bukovina’s central square, a massive crowd had already gathered. Countless onlookers had flocked to witness the public trial by the court. The elderly Feld and his entourage also appeared in the crowd. However, compared to the surrounding citizens’ excitement, Feld and his companions wore expressions so grim they were almost frightening. Today’s trial was for the infamous Mr. Leo Cohen. Perhaps to others, he was nothing but a vile scoundrel, but to them, he was a compatriot worthy of respect. As charge after charge was confirmed, Feld closed his eyes and said quietly, “Let’s go.” Causing a scene was out of the question. These days, any ethnic group in Europe could stir up trouble, except the Jews. Even keeping a low profile left them living precariously. If they jumped out to make trouble, it would simply hand the anti-Jewish factions an excuse. Feeling agitated and unwilling to accept it, Oscher said angrily, “That defense lawyer is an idiot. I want to…” Noticing the strange looks from those around them and afraid that Oscher might blurt out something foolish, Feld quickly snapped, “Shut up!” Whether the defense lawyer was competent or not was secondary. The key issue was that the evidence was overwhelming. There was a mountain of witnesses and material proof. Regardless of whether they were willing to accept it, the court had already ruled on Leo Cohen’s crimes. With Feld’s many years of life experience, just from the discussions of those around him, he could tell that Leo Cohen had indeed done plenty of dirty work. Ordinary Jews were very low-key, trying to minimize their presence in daily life to avoid hostility. Those Jews who acted arrogantly were usually the ones who had cozied up to powerful local figures. Leo Cohen had been particularly unlucky, having been betrayed by his own patron. The evidence that was originally meant to be used as a last resort to drag others down with him had now all been turned into proof of his illegal activities. Framing Austrian officials, attempting to manipulate politics, conspiring to subvert the state, and so on. The evidence he had supplied himself was enough to send him to the guillotine. There was nothing more to be said. … Back at their residence, Feld spoke earnestly, “Oscher, you need to calm down first. We are all deeply saddened by Mr. Leo’s situation, but there is nothing we can do to overturn the police’s evidence. Especially since much of that evidence was confessed by Mr. Leo himself. I’m sure you understand what that means. If the Austrians are willing to bring it to a public trial, it means the charges cannot be overturned. The fact that you managed to stay clear of this affair is already no small feat. You should know that Gleier and the others are still in custody. If nothing unexpected happens, they might never get out. If you get yourself dragged into this now, not only will you be unable to save Mr. Leo, but you’ll also drag even more of our compatriots down with you. I trust you understand what I mean.” How could he not understand? Oscher had avoided being implicated because the Jewish community had been preparing to push him into politics. A politician could not afford obvious blemishes, so Leo had always kept Oscher out of his business affairs. Of course, that was all in the past. After this incident, the Jewish influence in Bukovina had suffered heavy losses and no longer had the strength to support Oscher’s political ambitions. Without outside backing and with his sensitive ethnic identity, even if he passed the examinations and entered officialdom, he was destined not to go far. “Don’t worry, Mr. Feld. I know what I have to do next. I won’t cause trouble for everyone.” … After calming down Leo’s close associates, Feld was once again troubled by the question of whether he should leave Austria. Having spent several months here, he had more or less figured out the situation. Austria was still relatively friendly toward ordinary Jews, but it was not a very suitable place for Jewish capitalists to thrive. Leaving aside other issues, just the single prohibition on usury was enough to ruin many Jewish financiers. Engaging in such activities covertly was not impossible, but with the Austrian government’s intense anti-corruption and anti-crime campaigns, a single misstep could easily cost one’s head. The soon-to-be-executed Leo Cohen was a clear cautionary tale. He had once been a prominent figure in Austria’s financial circles, but once the scandal broke, he fell from grace overnight. Doing business legally was indeed not a problem, but the reality was that legal ventures simply weren’t profitable. By now, competition in Austria’s domestic market was already extremely fierce, and profits in most industries were limited. As a latecomer, trying to carve out a share was even more difficult. And in those high-profit industries, the barriers to entry were extremely high. Not only did they require significant capital investment, but they also demanded advanced technical expertise, were full of uncertainties, and often had very long return cycles. Of course, there were also industries with short cycles and high profits, such as the stock market and futures trading. Apart from the high risk, there were no other downsides. This was certainly not what the Jewish capitalists wanted. Sure, everyone was in pursuit of windfall profits, but that did not mean they were willing to be the ones slaughtered like leeks. Anyone experienced in finance knew how deep the waters ran in these fields. Even a powerful outsider struggled to overpower local forces and at best, they were like caterpillars. Rushing in would only be courting death. Before Feld could fully weigh the pros and cons, harsh reality made the decision for him. The execution of Leo Cohen was just the beginning. As the trials continued, more and more people were sent to the guillotine. Watching head after head fall, the Jewish elites, who already felt a deep lack of security, could no longer sit still. They repeatedly urged Feld to leave. There was no choice. This place simply was not suitable for making fortunes. Their aversion to Austria’s strict laws was absolute. If all the wealthy left and only ordinary Jews remained, could they even be called Jews anymore? Without capital flowing in, under Austria’s assimilation policies, the common people would not be able to hold out for long. After all, cultural inheritance also required time and resources. Ordinary people had to struggle daily just to put food on the table, and they had little time to educate the next generation. Once the language and script were lost, it would take only a few generations before everything had changed. *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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