Once again, reality proved that while the executioner’s blade might not solve every problem, it could certainly eliminate the people who caused them. Ever since the Austrian government began its bloody crackdown, resistance to the government’s investigation swiftly collapsed. In contrast, the number of people voluntarily surrendering to the investigation team suddenly surged. Even the long-troubled issue of the investigation team’s safety was resolved almost overnight with assassins seeming to have vanished into thin air overnight. The dramatic reversal left Franz dumbfounded. So, after half a year of turmoil, all that so-called defiance had merely been a facade. Once it became clear the government would not back down, one by one, they all caved. On reflection, it made sense. Although many people were implicated, very few were genuine power players. The new nobility went without saying. Most had risen during the wars, with their foundations rooted in the military, along with a few capitalists who had transitioned. Having amassed wealth only recently, they had not yet had time to establish themselves within the government and were still in the accumulation phase, with few holding key positions. The foundation of power-for-money transactions is first having actual power. Without enough authority in hand, naturally, fewer would be dragged into the mud. As for the old nobility, their long survival stemmed from their own methods. Aside from a few fools, most knew how to conduct themselves discreetly and understood when to stop. Even when engaging in benefit transfers, they made one-off deals and avoided becoming repeat customers. After each deal was done, loose ends were swiftly tied up and all related evidence destroyed, leaving nothing visible on the surface. An occasional transaction of power for money could easily be explained away as a mere coincidence. In reality, what truly aroused suspicion were long-term collaborations, where officials repeatedly bent the rules for a particular person or company. If there were absolutely no traces left behind, even if the government wanted to investigate, it would not know where to start. In fact, even the capitalists paying the bribes often did not know the true identities of their collaborators, as all transactions were conducted through intermediaries. This was evident from the list of implicated individuals. The majority of the officials caught were from the middle class, grassroots backgrounds, or declining noble families. Both the new nobility and old aristocracy were a minority. The most powerful factions had already distanced themselves when the anti-corruption campaign broke out, leaving behind only those incapable of stirring up much trouble. Those who dared to resist the investigation were merely uncertain about the government’s true intentions and clung to a sliver of false hope. Once the government raised the executioner’s blade, they were left dumbstruck. If they continued to hold out, rebellion would be their only option. But such a high-risk, low-reward endeavor clearly did not appeal to people who had families and property to protect. This was also evident from the earlier assassination attempts. None of the assassins were even close to professional. Rather than calling them killers, it would be more accurate to describe them as naive, reckless youths. They didn’t even have access to modern assassination tools. Many simply charged forward wielding a fruit knife, with the clear intention of issuing a threat or warning rather than carrying out an actual assassination. After all, if they truly killed a member of the investigation team, it wouldn’t just be a matter of going to prison for corruption. It would cost them their heads. It didn’t matter who they were or how powerful their backers were. If they violated the established rules, they would have to pay a bloody price. … Franz asked in confusion, “Are we really going to execute so many people?” It wasn’t that he was overreacting. Executing several thousand people at once during peacetime was shocking in itself. In fact, the earlier execution of around a thousand people by the Austrian government had already caused a sensation, being hailed as the largest execution event in Europe in the past decade. This was no exaggeration. Even after the Paris revolution was suppressed, the number of people executed during the French government’s reprisals was not as high. Only during Alexander II’s great purge over a decade ago did the number of executions exceed one thousand. Now, with plans to execute more than five thousand people, if carried out, it would likely set an unprecedented world record that had never been seen before and would be unlikely to be surpassed in the future. Of course, this came with the qualifying conditions of being under “anti-corruption and anti-crime efforts” and “following court trials.” Chancellor Karl firmly replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. According to the Empire’s criminal code, all 5,316 people on this list should be sentenced to death. In addition, another 4,328 individuals fall into the category where either a death sentence or life imprisonment is applicable.” Chancellor Karl was also quite helpless. With all the evidence already gathered, there was no need to deliberately target anyone to send them to the guillotine. The Austrian government now faced a dilemma. Executing them all would have an enormous impact. The previous execution of one thousand people had already caused a sensation throughout Europe. If they chopped off the heads of another five thousand people, or even rounded the number up to ten thousand, international opinion would explode. There is never a shortage of armchair critics anywhere in the world. Showing mercy was also not an option, as this involved the issue of the law’s authority. If clear evidence in front of them was left unpunished, who knew what kind of precedent that would set for the future? Sentence reductions were possible, but the problem was that none of these people qualified. They certainly could not have the Emperor use his special privileges to reduce the sentences for these people, could they? Rubbing his forehead, Franz could only sigh at how many criminals Austria had. It had been all too easy to catch so many offenders. Franz pressed further, “What are the backgrounds of these people?” Chancellor Karl replied, “Among this batch of major offenders, over five thousand have ties to organized crime. Most are gang leaders or enforcers, and all of them have been involved in murders. They are mainly engaged in illegal activities such as collecting protection fees, running underground casinos, loan sharking, drug trafficking, and counterfeiting. In addition, there are over three thousand more who are thugs hired by capitalists. Nearly half of these people also have connections to organized crime. Their activities are similar, except that they were more involved in suppressing worker strikes and less involved in collecting protection fees, trafficking drugs, or dealing counterfeit currency. The number of capitalists and officials who need to be sentenced to death is actually not that large. Combined, they amount to fewer than a thousand people, with slightly more capitalists than officials. Among the officials, those seriously implicated are actually fewer than a hundred.” This outcome did not surprise Franz. As long as gang members had murders on their hands, there was basically no way for them to escape. Even if it had been an accident, it would not matter, since other charges would be added on top. The Austrian government had always dealt harshly with such people. After all, they were scum of society, and there was no need to worry about wrongful executions. By contrast, although the capitalists and officials involved had issues, most of them were economic crimes or ties to organized crime. Very few were directly responsible for murders. The fact that so many capitalists and officials were about to lose their heads was mostly because their entanglement with organized crime was too deep. Legally, they bore joint liability and were dragged down with them. As for whether anyone would be executed purely for massive embezzlement, Franz could answer with a definite no. The Anti-Corruption Bureau and the police were not idle. There were too many industries for such crimes to stay hidden. An enormous amount of unexplained wealth was like a firefly in the dark. It was hard not to be noticed. Everyone knew that Austrian officials would not do anything in return for bribes. Even if it were legal, ordinary people would not dare offer bribes. Even if someone tried to give you money, you would have to think twice about whether it was a sting operation. The Anti-Corruption Bureau carried out such operations regularly. When it came to embezzlement and bribery, one could only squeeze benefits from a few trusted people. How much could actually be extracted? After carefully calculating, Franz realized that protecting these people would bring him nothing but trouble and had no real value. As for international public opinion, they could say whatever they liked. After all, people have mouths, and there was no way to stop them from talking. No matter how many criminals were executed, no one would actually dare to come and interfere. Nowadays, no one existed who would meddle in Austria’s internal affairs. “Judicial justice cannot be desecrated. This time, we will use these people to show the outside world our determination to uphold judicial fairness. Let’s round the number off neatly. That way, it will be even more intimidating. Let this case become the benchmark for Austrian law.” Upon hearing the word “benchmark,” Chancellor Karl swallowed back the words he had originally intended to say. Judicial fairness also needed to be forged with blood. This stood in direct opposition to the idea that the law should not punish the majority. If they showed leniency today just because of the large number of people involved, the deterrent force of the law would be greatly diminished, and similar incidents would happen again in the future. Rather than planting hidden dangers for the future, it was better to cut through the mess quickly now. After all, keeping these people would be of no use, and Austria did not lack labor. “Yes, Your Majesty,” Chancellor Karl replied solemnly. *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Thanks for the chap! As always
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. All of your appreciation and eager anticipation (and donations too :3) helps keep me going!
Delete