NOVPUBLooking at the strike waves sweeping across the European Continent, Franz felt a shiver of dread. One couldn’t understand this tension without having experienced the 1848 revolutions.
The first trouble arose in Rome, where the Italian Independence Organization seized the opportunity of the strike waves and managed to initiate an uprising.
More bizarrely, they actually succeeded. Hearing this news, Franz was dumbfounded, and he guessed that even the leaders of the Italian Independence Organization were likely bewildered.
With just a few shouts, Rome was liberated. Bear in mind that nobody was ready; the intent was only to declare the idea of national independence.
Reality is so nonsensical; the Roman police were locals, and their dissatisfaction with the French had been brewing for more than just a couple of days—so they simply shirked their duties and permitted the uprising to break out.
Meanwhile, the French garrisons were stationed outside the city, and there was only one infantry battalion. When the uprising erupted, the French Army was waiting for orders, and by the time they received them, it was already too late, as the telegraph lines were destroyed.
Don’t blame the commanders for their inflexibility; this was the rule of the French Army. Military movements had to be ordered by superiors; lower and middle-ranked officers didn’t have the authority to deploy troops, not even to suppress a rebellion.
Candidly speaking, the current international situation was not conducive for Italy to initiate an independence uprising. The Paris Conference had just begun, and the common desire was to reconcile differences and reduce international conflict.
Now, with the Italian Independence Organization staging an uprising, it was hard for them to find international supporters, and even their largest benefactor—the British—would not support them at present.
Without foreign intervention, how could the Italian Independence Organization, with its meager strength, possibly triumph?
The French at that time were not pushovers; not to mention Italy not being independent yet, even if it were, they were no match for the French.
In Franz’s view, this uprising was a farce. It gained unexpected success but was destined to be crushed by the French.
The only effect it might have was to dent the prestige of Napoleon IV, adding tension to the already stressful situation in France.
On March 12th, a week after the Roman uprising, an insurrection erupted in the Rhineland region.
This time, not only the working class but also the capitalists participated, mainly in opposition to immigration.
Without a doubt, the Berlin Government’s immigration policy was unpopular, cutting off people’s means of livelihood. With high-tech talents being snatched away, how were the capitalists left behind supposed to survive?
The capitalists had long been eager for a counterstrike, but due to insufficient strength, they couldn’t confront the Berlin Government. Now, the strike wave presented them an opportunity.
They shifted the blame for stagnant wages onto the government, openly criticizing the high taxes and immigration policy, which they claimed left businesses unable to afford higher labor costs.
Some capitalists even publicly promised that as long as the businesses remained, once the Berlin Government was ousted, everyone’s salaries would be increased by fifty percent.
Seeing the reaction of the capitalists, Franz was sure that the Berlin Government’s work on immigration was very effective; otherwise, the capitalists wouldn’t be forced to enter the fray themselves.
Regardless of the outcome, the relations with Prussia had already started to tense up. For Austria, this too was an opportunity. 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝑚
The existence of the Customs Union was always a threat. Franz had long wanted to abolish it, but unfortunately, his previous schemes had failed at the last moment.
With the Rhineland region entering the picture, the situation had changed. If the Berlin Government didn’t crack down on these capitalists, after this affair, the region would become a staunchly anti-Prussian faction.
If these people were cut down, the problem would be equally serious, instilling fear among the domestic capitalists of their own safety.
Before Franz could take action, there was trouble in Spain. Republicans launched an uprising in Madrid attempting to overthrow the rule of Alfonso XII, but the rebellion was suppressed, escalating tensions in Spain.
In the first half of 1876, "uprising," "riot," "revolution," and "suppression" were the most used words in European newspapers.
Preliminary statistics show that in a mere half-year, there were 36 uprisings on the European Continent involving more than a thousand people each, not to mention countless smaller disturbances.
Forget the outside world; even the Austrian police had suppressed one great Empire, plus two kingdoms. It was genuinely an "Empire," with a population exceeding double digits.
For political reasons, Franz could only send these people to mental asylums. Of course, logically analyzing it, these individuals might actually be mentally ill.
Normal people simply wouldn’t do such things. One of these "empires" even lurked for seven years in a manor on the outskirts of Prague.
The manor’s owner was the Emperor, the landlady the Empress, their three sons the Crown Princes, and the residents of the manor served as Ministers, Generals, guards, Maids...
Well, Franz had seen many empires hidden in remote woodlands, but such a "empire" in the suburbs was new to him.
No wonder it went undetected; it was entirely a spectacle. Franz estimated that even if the neighbors noticed, they probably thought they were witnessing an opera performance.
The main reason they were exposed was a traveling merchant who visited to sell goods and was forcibly taxed, prompting him to report the case to the Prague police.
The nature of the incident changed instantly. Before this event, the manor’s owner had been faithfully paying taxes to the government, and even living as Emperor and Minister, everyone might have thought it was just a stage play set up by enthusiasts.
Once illegal taxation began, it escalated to the level of rebellion, catching the Prague police’s attention. An investigation turned up more than expected, and the case reached Franz’s desk.
Looking over the file, Franz was both amused and incredulous. It was one thing to play Emperor behind closed doors, but why risk everything by collecting taxes?
Having fun at home, even if caught, could be excused as a "performance enthusiast." Without actual action, the police wouldn’t label them as "rebels."
In Austria, it took certain credentials to be marked a "rebel," not just anyone was qualified. And clearly, they didn’t make the cut.
A farce was still better than an insurrection; Franz could see the bright side. Adding a bit of comedy to lighten the tense domestic situation wasn’t so bad.
It proved that as long as the average person could fill their belly, they wouldn’t rebel.
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The people of Austria had not yet reached the point of starvation, and even if they were truly destitute, to the extent of not knowing where their next meal would come from, they could still sign up to emigrate.
Many colonial companies were recruiting, providing meals once a contract was signed. The standards were not high; as long as one was able-bodied, men and women, young and old, were all accepted.
There was no choice—the colonies were short of people. Even if the quality of the recruits was somewhat lacking, the colonial companies couldn’t afford to be picky.
…
In Milan City, Old Lano was worried about the stock market. Affected by the strike, the share price of Dacol Textile Factory had plummeted.
Even though the strike had ended, the stock price continued to fall. There was no helping it—who made them the most famous?
As the source of the strike wave, Dacol Textile Factory had become known throughout the European Continent as the movement spread, more renowned than many small nations.
Unfortunately, not for a good reputation. Whether it was newspapers that leaned toward the capitalist class or those that leaned toward the working class, all of them lambasted the company.
Even though they had quelled the strike, only Austrian newspapers reported on it, while the overseas media turned a blind eye.
Old Lano, of course, understood the reasons all too well—Dacol Textile Factory had offended a large number of people this time, and the capitalists whose interests had been damaged would surely vent their anger.
No matter what the newspapers wrote, no matter which class they favored, the papers were still owned by capitalists. If they promoted the fact that Dacol Textile Factory had compromised, wouldn’t that just encourage further worker strikes?
These unfavorable factors directly impacted the share price of Dacol Textile Factory. The financial statement for this quarter was still in Old Lano’s hands, and he dared not disclose it to the public.
Affected by the strike, Dacol Textile Factory experienced its first loss in ten years. Although the loss was small, releasing this news now would still undermine market confidence.
Little Lanno cautioned, "Father, we can’t disclose this quarter’s report. The stock market is in a state of mourning—if we release this news, Dacol Textile Factory’s share price will collapse.
"If it triggers a complete stock market crash, we’re finished. The big financial groups haven’t completed their withdrawal yet. If the market crashes now, they will suffer heavy losses and certainly won’t let us off the hook."
The term "financial group" has many definitions, typically referring to a coalition of large corporations and banks controlled by financial oligarchs, usually comprising several families.
In a sense, Dacol Textile Factory was also a member of a financial group, with allies of its own, just without the official title of a financial group.
Financial groups are not as united as one might imagine—internal conflicts abound. Only when they share common interests can they act in unison.
The primary reason for the future power of financial groups is the intertwining of interests through deep collaboration. You are part of me, and I am part of you, which gradually eased internal conflicts.
The Dacol Family had deep cooperation with several prominent families in Lombardy. Old Lano once wanted to form his own financial group, but sadly, while the others were Nobility, Old Lano was merely a capitalist.
For shared interests, they could cooperate, but for true acceptance, he still needed a ’ticket’.
Many capitalists have transformed into Nobility, but even more have failed in the attempt. The Dacol Family was among the latter.
During the African colonial expansion, stingy Old Lano hired a cheap Italian mercenary force to save on costs.
The result was as expected—cheap, but ineffective. After several years of struggle in the African Continent, they not only failed to achieve military success but also nearly faced total annihilation.
Of course, there were some gains. They quickly found a business opportunity, made a fortune in the labor export business, and then started a cotton plantation, operating on a self-producer to self-consumer basis.
Opportunity favors the prepared, and though money was made, the chance to enter the nobility was missed. It’s hard for outsiders to understand the gains and losses; either way, Old Lano often had regrets.
After hesitating for a moment, Old Lano shook his head, "It’s not that simple. Everyone is well aware of the strike that happened this year. Countless eyes are watching us; fabricating our financial reports now would easily raise suspicion.
Causing a stock market crash is merely a possibility, while financial groups can still prop up the market. However, if the falsification of our financial report is exposed, we’d be done for.
As for revenge, at worst we give up a part of the overseas market. Do you think they would dare to stir up trouble in Milan?
Or are you suggesting that the domestic financial groups have the guts to gamble big on the stock market?"
After a pause, Old Lano continued, "Remember, what you see isn’t always the truth; it may very well be what others want you to see.
"Those in finance are far more sensitive to the market than you think, and their speed of withdrawal is much faster than you imagine.
"Otherwise, someone would have warned us by now. Maybe they are all prepared, just waiting for us to deliver the final blow to the stock market.
"As for the losses caused by the financial crisis, that’s just for the public to see. You’ll realize afterward that they’ve made much more than they’ve lost."
Though he said this, Old Lano’s heart was not at peace. Given the current situation, Dacol Textile Factory was likely to become the scapegoat in the aftermath.
Legally, they were not responsible for the financial crisis, nor did they have to bear the consequences. Public opinion, however, was another matter—sometimes spitting can kill a man. Once the reputation is ruined, business becomes difficult.
With so many similar products on the market, why would anyone buy from the notorious "Dacol Textile Factory"?
This was not the future—fame, whether good or bad, didn’t necessarily translate to profits.
People were still relatively naive, with many believing that companies with a good reputation produced quality goods, while those with a bad reputation produced inferior products.
If it fueled a public boycott, and produced goods couldn’t be sold, that would truly spell disaster.
…
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