NOVPUBAndrea’s speech was incredibly moving, so much so that even he was touched by it. However, it was futile; most of the audience consisted of common folk whose thoughts were not so grandiose, and who instead placed a higher value on immediate interests.
They say when the number of people doubled, their collective intelligence is halved, and there were far more than a thousand people outside. Those in the front could hear Andrea’s speech clearly, but as it reached those in the back, it inevitably suffered from selective quoting and creative editing.
Looking at the chaotic crowd, Andrea reluctantly admitted: preaching reason was impossible now.
Unless he had the energy to work on persuading each person individually with his persuasive tongue, perhaps he could convince everyone. Obviously, that was impossible; the crowd outside was too large, he couldn’t possibly manage it all.
After hesitating for a moment, Andrea finally made the decision, "Colonel, order the soldiers to disperse the crowd!"
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As it turned out, the military indeed had a more deterrent force. Andrea’s exhaustive verbal efforts hadn’t achieved the goal, but the military intervention soon dispersed the crowd.
The dissolution of the protest didn’t mean the issue was resolved. The military was able to maintain stability because the Berlin Government quickly bribed the soldiers.
For the vast majority of ordinary people, talking to them about ideology, the general situation, or grand principles means less than tangible benefits.
The Berlin Government promised the soldiers a hefty resettlement fee and arranged jobs for their families, ensuring that the treatment was no less favorable than their current work. Under the officers’ reassurance, the soldiers’ morale was stabilized immediately.
In fact, chaos was unlikely; the Kingdom of Prussia’s army practiced rotational stationing, so most of the soldiers stationed in the Rhineland region were not locals.
When their personal interests were not involved, preaching big principles was still effective. Those soldiers might sympathize with the local populace, but certainly wouldn’t disobey orders because of it.
The same method was not available to Andrea, though. The Berlin Government was willing to spend money to buy the soldiers’ loyalty because the numbers were limited, with only a few tens of thousands of soldiers and their families from the Rhineland region, adding up to just a few hundred thousand people in total.
However, the number of ordinary civilians was not so limited. The allocation of funds for relocation from above was finite, and it was impossible to achieve a proper settlement for all.
Such large-scale relocation was not a job for one or two people. Now it wasn’t just about convincing the common people; convincing the grassroots bureaucrats came first.
Remembering that the grassroots civil servants were mostly locals, Andrea sighed helplessly. If he himself did not want to give up the Rhineland region, how could they?
Dragging his exhausted body into the meeting room, he picked up a cup, took a sip of water, and moistened his hoarse throat.
"Everyone, please sit down. You all know what’s happening. The Berlin Government has made a decision, and the sale of the Rhineland region is a done deal.
We are all aware that the French have always been eyeing us covetously, and the Rhineland region has long been under immense military pressure.
The current international situation is very clear: our greatest enemy is Russia. While we confront the Russian Empire, we simply cannot hold onto the Rhineland region.
It’s better to sell the Rhineland to Belgium or the German Federation than to let it fall into French hands—at least it remains in German hands."
Saying this, Andrea even squeezed out a few tears.
"I know this result is hard for everyone to accept. Frankly speaking, I can’t accept it either. But for the sake of our country, we have no choice.
The Prusso-Russian war could break out at any moment, and once the war starts, we simply won’t have the forces to defend the Rhineland region; its fall is inevitable.
England, France, and Austria have already formed an alliance. The Anglo-Austrians don’t wish to see the French swallow up the Rhineland region, but they also won’t fall out with France over it.
The Anglo-Austrian two countries are now letting us sell the Rhineland region. There certainly is an element of suppression in this, but it’s more about preventing the French from further expanding into Central Europe.
The Berlin Government has no choice. If we refuse the Anglo-Austrian two countries, we will have to face French pressure alone."
Everyone cast their eyes down, using silence as their protest. Andrea’s heart sank. Although everyone understood the grand principles, when it came to personal interests and making sacrifices, it was not so easy.
The Berlin Government made promises of proper resettlement. In reality, it was just a blank cheque; there were not enough spots in the Kingdom of Prussia to accommodate them all.
Even if they could be settled, it would be in remote and impoverished locations that lacked officials, hardly comparable to the prosperity of the Ruhr District.
Beyond interests, the difficulty of leaving one’s homeland was another significant factor. Not everyone was willing to uproot their life, and many who were dissatisfied with the Berlin Government were dragging their feet at this time.
Whether it was Belgium or the German Federation Empire, both were once part of the Holy Roman Empire. In terms of ethnicity and cultural tradition, we are all kin. Switching to a different ruler wasn’t unacceptable.
If Andrea hadn’t already been in a high position, he would have had similar thoughts. Don’t be fooled by the Kingdom of Prussia’s greater strength; the reality was that the standard of living among the Prussian people was among the lowest in the Germanic countries.
The high costs of military expenditures squandered funds that should have been spent on people’s livelihoods. Because of debt, Prussian citizens had to bear high taxes.
For many people, as long as the ruler was one of their own, able to secure everyone’s interests, and politically there was no discrimination, why bother going down with the Kingdom of Prussia?
The rise of nationalism had already affected many. Over the years, the Kingdom of Prussia had been playing with de-Teutonization, but in the Germanic area countries like the Rhineland region, the impact was minimal.
’Great Prussia’ ideology actually stemmed from the idea of German unification, differing only in the geographic area targeted for unification; culturally and traditionally, it was still connected.
Austria dared to shout slogans of unifying Germany Region because it was based on strength. Even without the Vienna Government saying so, the vigilance of nations would not weaken.
If the Kingdom of Prussia did the same, it would be a different story. If the Berlin Government didn’t shift its objectives to align with Austria’s unification strategy, who knows whether it might end up swallowed politically by Austria in the end?
Many people know that the military prowess of the Habsburg dynasty wasn’t all that remarkable; the divine talents of its rulers across the generations were all pointed towards political diplomacy.
If you flip through the history books, you’ll see that nearly every expansion of the Habsburg dynasty was a success of political diplomacy, whereas territorial gains made through the use of military force were few.
For other European nations, Austria’s threat was less compared to the military-centric France; but for the Germanic area countries, after the rise of nationalism, the greatest threat became politically savvy Austria.
The upper echelons of the government knew what was going on, but the common people, including most of the lower-level officials, could not foresee that much.
No matter how eloquently Andrea spoke, the fact that giving up the Rhineland region harmed their interests was an unchangeable reality.
Everyone harbors patriotic sentiments, but exactly which country they love is a difficult question to answer.
Even now within the Kingdom of Prussia, there are idealists who believe that the German Federation should unite to establish a powerful empire and dominate the world.
Franz’s German Unification Committee laid the theoretical foundation for this ideology, and it even had the German Unification Daily under its command to spread the idea of a great unification throughout the Germany Region.
Such newspapers were naturally banned from circulation by the Berlin Government. The main office of the newspaper was in Frankfurt, outside the control of the Berlin Government. However, sneaking a few copies into the city was inevitable.
After all, if they could cheat one person, it was one person gained; there was never a lack of idealists in this world. The more the government forbade it, the more interested naive youngsters became.
Sometimes data can be deceptive. According to the propaganda of the German unification organization, the moment the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Federation Empire, and the New Holy Roman Empire merged, the United German Empire would instantly become the world’s leading power.
On paper, it really seemed plausible. But in reality, politicians were well aware that it was impossible. If a merger actually happened, the nascent empire would, instead of growing stronger, plunge into internal strife and foreign difficulties.
There would be a 99% chance that it would be gang-beaten by the countries of Europe and then disintegrate.
Regardless, the idealists still believed in it, and these people often voiced such opinions, influencing many others. A lot of the public started to consider each German Nation as kin.
This was extremely detrimental to the relocation efforts, much like when there were those who chose to stay back during the relocation of Silesia.
The situation in the Ruhr District was even more dire; many capitalists there wanted to leave but couldn’t, for while factories and machinery could be relocated, raw industrial materials could not.
This was most evident in the steel industry; not every region had such uniquely favorable conditions. For their own interests, they could only stay.
These people were unwilling to leave, naturally they would also try to retain their workers and technicians. Who else would work for them?
Being the region with the most substantial bourgeois power in the Kingdom of Prussia, relocation was far from as simple as just talking about it. Andrea could already feel the pressure mounting, and by looking at the response of his subordinates, he knew things were getting complicated.
He slammed the table abruptly and interrogated, "Why are you all silent? Aren’t you usually very capable? Why are you mute now at the critical moment?"
An older man placed his water glass on the table with a thud and replied irritably, "Your Honor, the Mayor, what do you want us to say? As a group of people who have been abandoned, do we not even have the right to stay silent?"
The Ruhr District was the largest industrial area of the Kingdom of Prussia. As the manager of the Ruhr District, Andrea also held the position of Mayor of Boetrop.
"Mr. Andrew, I know that the government’s decision this time has damaged your interests, but for the sake of our country, we have no other choice.
Time is of the essence now, and I don’t care whether you understand or not; you must all muster your energy to perfectly complete the task of internal redeployment.
The Berlin Government has already issued an order; the entire Rhineland region will enter martial law, and your job is to conduct ideological work and organize an orderly evacuation of relevant personnel.
Anyone who is neglecting their duties will be charged with treason. I’m not joking and you’re free to try me.
The first one to complete the relocation work, both the person in charge and their subordinates, will be promoted two ranks and receive a cash reward of 500,000 Marks.
I have made things clear to you; how to choose is up to you.
By the way, the families of government officials are among the first batch of evacuees. If anyone thinks of escaping, better do it quickly because it will be too late later."
Conducting ideological work was futile. Andrea did not believe he could persuade these savvy bureaucrats; the most effective method still lay in coercion and enticement.
Escorting the bureaucrats’ families away and cutting off their retreat was Andrea’s clever plan.
The result proved to be indeed effective. Hearing this outcome, those who were silent could no longer sit still.
"Escape"? Don’t be ridiculous. Martial law is about to be enacted; how far could one get with their family in tow? Believe it or not, as soon as you step outside, you risk being made an example of through execution to ’kill the chicken to scare the monkey.’
A middle-aged man with quick reactions spoke up immediately, "Your Honor, the Mayor, it is understandable that the people don’t grasp the government’s bitter decision to abandon the Rhineland region.
As public servants, we should lead by example. I suggest we all go back first to motivate our own relatives to leave. If someone takes the lead, the work afterward should get easier."
Bureaucrats are adept at turning the tide quickly; it’s an essential skill. If they lacked even that much capability, how could they have climbed the ranks?
Weighing pros and cons is an instinct for everyone. Since it’s already certain we’re tethered to the Kingdom of Prussia’s chariot, it’s better to find ways to amass political capital for oneself.
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