NOVPUBTurbulence in the Balkan Peninsula did not affect Franz’s mood, even the crackdown on the rebel groups failed to attract his attention.
Having been an Emperor for so many years, he had seen his fair share of storms. Weren’t those attempting to rebel either quashed before they started or swiftly suppressed?
Franz was accustomed to such matters; it was almost routine that every few years, some would foolishly seek death. Usually, they were suppressed by the police, and even if some occasionally raised the banner of rebellion, they were quickly extinguished by local feudal forces.
Almost all remnants of feudalism were very vigilant against revolution, and since the gunfire of 1848, the situation in Austria had changed.
Anyone could suppress a rebellion, and no matter when or for what reason, suppressing a rebellion was just. Even if it caused collateral damage, there was no worry of being held accountable.
The Butcher General could be promoted to Marshal, and could even be honored with a state funeral after death; Austria’s public opinion had been turned around.
This change naturally motivated the people below, with suppressing a rebellion considered a great achievement, without the fear of being held accountable. Nor was there fear of retaliation, as with a feudal Emperor, one man’s rebellion meant calamity for the entire family.
Influenced by the environment, Austrian revolutionary groups had largely moved their activities overseas, almost completely severing ties with the domestic front.
Those brave enough to return home to stir up trouble most likely contributed to the nation’s construction in some corner, and the Vienna Government probably wouldn’t even record their deaths.
The government might not have records, but certainly, the intelligence organization would. As an Emperor who cared about his reputation, Franz also did not want to see the history books record the strangled deaths of a million rebels.
This is no joke. Throughout his years as Emperor, the number of rebels Franz had killed was close to one million if not that exact number. Otherwise, how could Austria have become stable?
As the powder keg of the Balkan Peninsula did not explode, the independent-aspiring Veneto region and the bustling, noisy Hungary became the most stable places in the Empire.
Behind this stability, there was inevitably bloodshed. After cleansing those dangerous places over and over, eliminating all those revolutionary careerists and fools, and replacing them with a new ruling class, did the country truly stabilize.
To some extent, the revolution of 1848 provided Austria with the opportunity to be reborn from the ashes. It was only by seizing the opportunity to suppress the rebellion that Franz was able to thoroughly overhaul the ruling class.
The turmoil in the Balkans hadn’t reached Austria, so Franz could leisurely read and review newspapers, while Alexander II in St. Petersburg could not sit still.
Alexander II didn’t care about the Greek coup; that was within Austria’s sphere of influence. But he couldn’t just watch the Bulgarian rebellion as a bystander.
Geographically speaking, Bulgaria was far from the heart of the Empire and was ostensibly dispensable. But with Constantinople next door, Bulgaria’s status was significantly elevated.
The Tsarist Government had special feelings for Constantinople, and over the years, Alexander II had invested heavily in this city, which had now been reborn from the flames of war.
Thanks to its geographical advantage, Constantinople once again became the largest and most prosperous city in the Near East and a major fiscal base for the Tsarist Government.
A rebellion in Bulgaria would undoubtedly affect Constantinople’s stability, and if not quelled swiftly, the flames of war could spread there.
Throwing the battle report on the table, Alexander II roared, "They’re all incompetents! A division of troops can’t even defeat a motley crew; it’s a complete disgrace…"
There was no doubt that the situation at the front was very bleak. The Russian Army infantry division sent to suppress the rebellion was beaten into a humiliating retreat by the rebel forces.
With his head bowed, Army Minister Kafukis waited for Alexander II to finish his tirade before explaining, "Your Majesty, this Bulgarian rebel force is no simple matter.
According to intelligence received from the front line, the enemy is like a regular army. Despite being raw, they are well-organized and show none of the usual chaos of common rebels.
Someone must be supporting them from behind; otherwise, their weapons, equipment, and officers couldn’t possibly have fallen from the sky."
Kafukis wasn’t lying. The performance of the Bulgarian rebels indeed resembled that of a regular army. However, it was not due to foreign support but their own capabilities.
The Russians also contributed to this situation. During the Near East war, they recruited a large number of Bulgarian guerillas as cannon fodder. Those unlucky enough to die were gone with the wind, while the survivors became veterans, many of whom transformed into competent officers.
After the war, these people naturally returned to civilian life. The Tsarist Government was poor and couldn’t even settle its own people properly, let alone these second-class soldiers whose paltry rewards were given as if merely symbolic.
Apart from a few high-ranking individuals who reaped benefits, most guerilla members gained little and naturally harbored no goodwill towards the Tsarist Government.
While they were promised land distribution, most of the land ended up in the hands of Russian nobility stationed in Constantinople, driving many Bulgarian people back into serfdom.
After the reforms of Alexander II, the land issue was only resolved through land reclamation. Had there been no troublemaking, public sentiment would have settled.
Unfortunately, nationalist ideas were already rampant in Bulgaria. With a little coaxing from the revolutionaries, the grievances of these veteran guerillas were ignited, and many joined the revolution in a daze.
The Near East war had ended just over a decade ago, and most of these men were in their thirties or forties, still fit enough to bear arms and fight. With these core members, plus a recruitment of young adults, the Bulgarian rebels were shockingly assembled.
As for weapons and equipment, some were leftovers from the Russian Army, while others were sponsored by Bulgarian "patriotic businessmen."
The combat power of the rebel army might not be stronger than the Russian Army, but their loyalty and morale were certainly higher. The Russian soldiers sent to suppress the rebellion were unlucky to face the peak morale of the rebels.
If there were a few more battles or a prolonged conflict, the morale boosted by dissatisfaction with the Tsarist Government would have deflated substantially, making the rebels much easier to deal with.
Of course, this was under the condition that the rebels couldn’t keep winning. If they won a few more battles and believed victory was within reach, that they were about to establish an independent Bulgaria, they would likely become even fiercer.
Alexander II glared at him fiercely: "I don’t want to hear these excuses, no matter what the utility, the rebels must be quashed immediately.
If someone is playing tricks, drag the mastermind out to me, instead of complaining or claiming injustice here. Do you expect me to personally hunt down the mastermind?"
Army Minister Kafukis, looking helpless, knew that investigating the mastermind was not his expertise, and questions should be directed to the intelligence departments!
Alright, the Tsarist Government did not place enough emphasis on intelligence work, neglecting to invest substantial efforts in its construction, leading to dispersed and often part-time intelligence organizations.
The foreign ministry has an intelligence gathering team, the police department has an intelligence team, and the army department also has an intelligence gathering team—the division of powers is not clear, and often decided by the official’s will.
"Your Majesty, the intelligence we’ve received is very vague; there are too many suspect nations.
The arms dealers providing weapons to the Bulgarians are from the Ottoman Empire, and logic would suggest that the Sultan Government is highly suspect. But the Bulgarians and the Ottoman Empire are sworn enemies, and cooperation between them is unlikely.
We checked the standard of the weapons, which are exclusively Austrian equipment standards. Currently, aside from us, Austria, Greece, Montenegro, and the German Federation Empire have also equipped some of these weapons. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖕𝖚𝖇.𝖈𝔬𝔪
These small countries can be ruled out; they are unlikely to have orchestrated this conspiracy. The Austrians are more suspect. However, we have just joined forces with the Vienna Government in an attack on the Ottoman Empire, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to act against us at this time.
We also investigated the source of these merchants’ funds and found that it was provided by a French bank. Yet, the French have no reason to stir up trouble; without sufficient interest, they have no rationale to support the Bulgarian Revolutionary Party."
Hearing this explanation, Alexander II also felt dizzy. Everyone is a suspect, yet each can be dismissed—who knows who the real mastermind is?
Foreign Affairs Minister Chris Basham asked incredulously, "Why are the British not mentioned?"
Chris Basham couldn’t help feeling surprised; in such cases, shouldn’t all major powers be implicated? So why were the British absent?
Kafukis explained: "It’s not that they’re not there, just that their suspicion is relatively minor, the vessels responsible for transportation are British. They left from the Ottoman Empire’s Karasu port and were directly delivered to the rebels at Burgas port.
England, France, and Austria have all been implicated, and the arms dealers who supplied weapons to the Bulgarians have vanished. The Army Department really doesn’t have the capability to make a judgment."
This is a murky affair, with suspicion everywhere and smokescreens abounding. However, more information has been exposed with this second shipment of weapons than the first.
Alexander II slammed his hand down on the table and made a decision: "Continue the secret investigation while publicly announcing that the Bulgarian rebellion was orchestrated by the Ottoman Empire. The Foreign Ministry shall send a note to the Sultan Government, holding them accountable."
Pick on the easy targets. Today’s Russian Empire no longer displays its former hegemony. When it’s time to play dumb, play dumb.
The best outcome is to pin the blame on the Ottoman Empire. Otherwise, if the investigation leads to England, France, or Austria, what is the Tsarist Government supposed to do?
Of course, a covert investigation to figure out the enemy is equally important, but the lid cannot be lifted lest the situation spiral out of control.
It’s not just the Russians investigating; the Austrian intelligence organization is also on the move. Since the second shipment of support to the Bulgarian rebels, many things have come to light.
First up, such a large quantity of arms couldn’t possibly leave no trace. It was quickly determined that they originated from the Feilude munitions factory.
Initially used by the Austrian Army, they were decommissioned over a month ago and then sold to a Dekra arms dealer, who smuggled them into Bulgaria via the Ottoman Empire.
In this era, arms exports weren’t so strict, especially with common weapons like second-hand rifles, which hardly required thorough scrutiny.
However, being able to perform a series of operations in such a short timeframe clearly involved some power. Once this was looked into, many things were revealed.
Upon reviewing the intelligence, Franz couldn’t help but sympathize with the Russians. It would be okay if the true culprit wasn’t found, but if they were, the Tsarist Government would likely lose sleep.
The British led the way, additionally, were responsible for coordination and transportation, while the French provided the financing, and Austrian capitalists supplied the arms.
Alright, it was really the British doing the heavy lifting. The total value of the arms didn’t even reach 100,000 Divine Shield, which was hardly worth mentioning for financial tycoons.
Capital knows no borders; this was clearly demonstrated. Franz privately raised his guard and decided to tighten surveillance on civilian capital.
It seems like the Austrian capitalists played a minor role in this operation, merely facilitating this arms transaction. In the end, there was only one sacrificial arms dealer implicated.
But digging deeper, it becomes clear that some individuals are already in cahoots with the capital of England and France. Although Franz anticipated such things, it still rankled.
Austrian capital was lacking, and in its development, used English and French capital—a connection in the capital world is inevitable.
Now, for the sake of interest, they can silently and stealthily work with the British, and so would betray Austria for greater gains in the future without hesitation.
Of course, things have two sides. Just as the British can buy Austrian capitalists, Franz can buy British capitalists—the loyalty of this group has always been the lowest.
Cautious as he may be, aside from increasing surveillance on the major capitalists, Franz still took no targeted actions.
Regardless, this was still within the rules. Talented arms dealers always sell weapons to their enemy—they didn’t directly provide door-to-door delivery services to the Bulgarian rebels, which means there’s still room for redemption.
