Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 392

Chapter 392: Chapter 79: Each Takes What They Need (Additional Chapter 5 for the Alliance Leader of Nan Street)

Bernard had no words to counter that, the possible dangers paled in comparison to survival itself. The problems of the future could be dealt with in the future; they had to get through the present crisis before they could afford to consider these issues.

Everyone had personally felt the threat of the Russians; property loss was a minor issue, the key problem was that personal safety was not ensured.

Gniezno was desolate precisely because the Tsarist army’s discipline was so poor. Just stepping out onto the street meant being scared out of one’s wits, who would dare to do business?

A priest suggested, “Should we discuss this with the nobility in the city?”

Archbishop Bernard quickly responded, “No! Father Rehn, you should know the current situation of the nobles in the city. The Russians are watching them very closely. If we approach them now, do you think we’ll still have a chance to leave?”

The Junker nobles were very loyal to the Kingdom of Prussia, and many passionate young men amongst them were leading guerrilla teams behind enemy lines, naturally attracting the focused attention of the Russians.

It wasn’t that Archbishop Bernard did not support the guerrillas; it was just that East Prussia was too small. Barely over 30,000 square kilometers of land were swarming with 380,000 Russian soldiers, how was there any play in that?

The outcome was hardly surprising: the resistance teams were completely wiped out, the public who supported the guerrillas suffered heavy losses, and the Russians taught them a lesson with tens of thousands of corpses: Don’t make trouble.

That was why the local nobility had to gather together. They were truly frightened, worried that the Russian savages might impulsively snap and “snap” them too.

Gathering together meant that even if someone impulsively decided to take action, the nobility officers in the Russian army would stop it, as it was in the interest of their shared class.

The nobles themselves were hardly able to save themselves, let alone us. Approaching them now could very likely backfire. Under normal circumstances, the Russian army would not proactively target us religious figures, but if we approached them, it could change that.

Mr. James urged with feigned concern, “Gentlemen, you should make a decision sooner. The Russians will not give us that much time.

With so many women, children, and elderly in Gniezno right now, it’s nearly impossible to sign a normal employment contract. Persuading an Austrian company to employ them will not be easy either.”

After hearing James’s words, everyone’s complexion drastically changed. Normally, Colonial Companies employ young and able-bodied workers; it’s very difficult for the elderly, women, and children to find work.

Now, trying to leave through labor employment isn’t so simple.

Father Prague asked expectantly, “Mr. James, you must have a way to solve this problem, right?”

James hesitated briefly before answering, “If the number were small, I might be able to ask a friend for help.

At least tens of thousands of people need to be relocated from Gniezno now, and the majority of them are the elderly and weak. Under normal circumstances, no Colonial Companies would employ them.

The only solution is for us to pay the transport fares ourselves. I am in contact with friends to help. These companies, seeing our fellow countrymen’s plight, should issue a sham employment contract.”

That was James’s cleverness. The people who had been hesitating were now, without realizing it, shifting their stance and considering how to organize everyone’s departure.

Archbishop Bernard furrowed his brow and said, “This is going to be very troublesome. There are too many people in Gniezno who need to leave, and most can’t afford the travel expenses. The Church doesn’t have the funds for this either.

Moreover, once in the African Continent, the absence of work also poses a problem for everyone’s livelihood.”

The travel expenses and resettlement funds required for tens of thousands of people to leave are not a trivial amount.

If this were before the war, the Church might have been able to gather these funds, but now it’s impossible; the banks have been plundered by the Russians, and the Church only has the properties inside the temples left.

The most important thing in religion is faith; as long as you have believers, money can always be earned back. With no money in his pocket, Bernard had to give up this opportunity to consolidate faith.

After some thought James said, “We can only borrow money for the travel expenses for now. Once there, we can seek assistance from local parishes, and we can also reach out to the German National Revival Meeting.

Despite being mostly comprised of the elderly and weak, everyone is not totally incapable of working. In a worst-case scenario, they can wash clothes, cook, or help plantation owners harvest cotton.

I have quite a few friends over there that can offer a number of job positions. And if there’s a special situation where work simply can’t be found, then we will apply for Colonial Government relief!”

True compassion shows in times of crisis. While James indeed wanted to make money, after returning to Gniezno, he genuinely sought to help his compatriots.

Better to start a new life in Austro-Africa than to live each day not knowing if it might be your last here.

Like most others, James had lost hope in the Berlin Government; he did not believe the Kingdom of Prussia could win this war.

To James, the current recruiting action was a sacred rescue, helping his compatriots escape the clutches of the Russians.

The East Prussia region had long since been assimilated. Many Poles and Lithuanians had become German, and according to official documents of the Berlin Government, the local Germans already made up over seventy percent.

The rest had long since grown accustomed to speaking German, writing in German, and lived similarly to the German people. Once in Austro-Africa, one could easily pretend to be German and apply for assistance, with virtually no one bothering to check.

Franz greatly valued the population, which naturally influenced the subordinate officials as well. Perhaps in the eyes of the capitalists, the elderly, women, and children weren’t worth much, but to the government officials, they were still population.

Taking in the weak could win people’s hearts; the Vienna Government wasn’t short of a bit of food, and needless to say, women were also laborers, children could grow up—all were valuable.

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The vigor of youth implies easier management, and the best immigrants are those who arrive with their families. Once settled in the new land, these people are no longer mobile.

The loan for travel expenses simply sets a threshold for leaving and extends their time working in the colonies.

After three to five years, whether Russia occupies East Prussia or the Kingdom of Prussia regains its lost territory, there will be new residents in these places. By then, it will be difficult for the immigrants to survive if they wish to return.

The only way out, not open to refusal. Not all Church members are cruel villains; only a few are harmful. Most are just a bit greedy, leading lives of moral laxity.

In the face of life and death of tens of thousands, they still know how to choose.

This is a characteristic of European society. To organize the departure of the populace, only two groups have such influence: Nobility and Church.

Convincing the Junker aristocracy to leave is something James did not believe he was capable of. Prussia could offer them much that Austria could never match.

Therefore, from the beginning, the local nobility had been placed under house arrest. It was believed to be the work of the Russians, but in fact, it was a result of James bribing Russian officers.

The Tsarist Government has no shortage of population and keeping a group that could turn into guerrillas at any moment is simply asking for trouble. It’s better to sell to Austria as waste recycling.

With the intentional cooperation of the Russians, the immigration activities organized by James went smoothly. The Russian Army seemed to turn a blind eye, allowing their organization and coordination.

The officer stationed in Gniezno, Colonel Nicholas, looked at the employment contract James submitted, not bothering to read the dense list of names, tossing it aside casually.

“Mr. James, according to the laws of the Russian Empire, you must pay an employment tax of five rubles for each laborer you hire, totaling 448,000 rubles,” he said.

A shock ran through James, but he maintained a smile as he responded, “Colonel, we only hired 12,000 workers, the rest are accompanying family members.”

Colonel Nicholas sneered, “I am sorry, but these are special circumstances due to the war. We must screen for spies, and these family members cannot leave for the time being.”

Realizing the situation, James immediately handed over a Divine Shield check for 5,000. Issued by the Royal Bank, this check was redeemable in major cities across Europe.

After examining the numbers and verifying its authenticity, Colonel Nicholas’s expression softened, pocketing it nonchalantly.

Tearing up the old tax bill, he wrote a new one for 60,000 rubles and handed it to James.

These are the benefits of wartime. Gniezno had been virtually plundered dry, leaving hardly anything to tax. Naturally, the Tsarist Government would not appoint a tax officer.

Colonel Nicholas’s trouble with James was, of course, an attempt to take a cut. Despite organizing so many immigrants, there were barely 6,000 actual workers.

The claim of 12,000 workers was chiefly to ensure that every household could legally take their families with them. To avoid further complications, James knew better than to skimp on this payment.

Once he had the permit, James breathed a sigh of relief. Austria’s Foreign Ministry also had established offices in the East Prussia region. With these legal proceedings, he could get the ministry involved.

After sending James away, a puzzled young officer asked, “Uncle, wasn’t the plan to extort a sum from them? Why let him off so easily?”

Tax collection—have you ever seen an army collect taxes? Especially in a newly occupied area where the concept of tax does not even exist.

From the beginning to the end, it was Colonel Nicholas and his peers who, seizing the opportunity, set up a makeshift tax office as a ploy to extort money.

“Boris, you are still too green,” he said. “If I really went through with extortion, I’d likely end up with not a single ruble in the end and be sent home to retire early. Do you remember the telegram we received last night?”

Coming to a realization, Boris responded, “Are you implying that Austria’s Foreign Ministry has already intervened?”

Colonel Nicholas nodded. The money for this human transaction had already been accepted by the St. Petersburg Government, included within the Russian-Austrian loan.

Now, as the façade was the civilian merchant James, they dared to take an additional cut. But if it had been Austria’s Foreign Ministry, that would be a different story altogether.

The majority of the Russian Army’s logistical support came from Austria. If they started a dispute between the two countries at this juncture, disrupting the war effort, the initiators of such trouble would definitely not end well.

Indeed, the St. Petersburg Government was rife with corruption, but that doesn’t mean Alexander II wished to see the government degrade. If they leapt out at this moment, they would likely become the example made of the idiom ‘kill the chicken to scare the monkey.’

Gniezno was just a reference point; the entire East Prussia region was filled with the presence of immigration merchants, all striving to empty East Prussia.

No, it should be said that they are striving to rescue their countrymen. To extract their own people from the clutches of the Russians is the official answer given by Austria.

Whether or not others believe it, those involved did. The Prussian people choosing to leave believed it too.

The cooperation of the Russian Army, acting in true character, had already intimidated the local populace.

No one wants to live in constant uncertainty, and conscription of the able-bodied to fight against their own country made it emotionally unbearable for them.

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