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Seeking international support, the Berlin Governnt was naturally not only approaching Austria—virtually at the sa ti, governnts across Europe received invitations from Berlin.
No one truly knew what was in their hearts, but publicly, everyone was righteously denouncing "robbers."
If spittle could kill, the Cossack cavalry of Russia would probably have already been wiped out.
While diplomacy was in motion, efforts to rally the public were not idle either. The Berlin Governnt bought pages in nurous newspapers, publishing photos of the Russian Army’s atrocities, along with the heart-rending testimonies of survivors.
None of these performances were in vain, as the Berlin Governnt gained the sympathy of the European people. Public opinion overwhelmingly blad the Russians, even pro-Russian dia fell silent.
Many dia outlets accepted the Berlin Governnt’s invitation, dispatching war reporters to collect firsthand information on-site.
Furthermore, the Berlin Governnt had devised a stage play, "Rampant Robbery," which toured across the European Continent with the troupe.
The plot was roughly as follows: Into a happy village, suddenly ca a group of Russian robbers; they burned, killed, and looted, committing unspeakable evils. The brave villagers rose to resist, but they were outnumbered, and to cover the children’s evacuation, everyone...
In an era short of entertainnt, the Vienna Opera House had been showing the play for an entire week and still drew large audiences.
Tragedy always moves people easily, and the performance on stage had more impact than words. After every show, the ladies in the audience would sob uncontrollably.
If it was possible to organize a fundraiser, the Berlin Governnt would definitely reap significant benefits. Public opinion had been mobilized, and calls for intervention grew louder, increasing the pressure on the Austrian Governnt.
Vienna Palace
Franz casually tossed aside a civil petition letter and asked gloomily, "Have the Russians not responded? With such a significant event unfolding, can’t the Tsarist Governnt step forward to explain?"
Within the short span of a month, Franz had received a total of 286 signed petitions, all demanding that the Austrian Governnt stop the killings.
Dozens of organizations, including the German Civil Cultural Exchange eting, the German Unification Committee, the Germanic National Cultural Exchange eting, and the Holy Roman Empire Cultural Economic Promotion eting, were hoping the Austrian Governnt would intervene.
The reason was simple, victims were not only Polish but also many Germanic people; to nationalists, these were their kin, not to be wantonly devastated by the Russians.
"Your Majesty, the Tsarist Governnt has also taken action. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly spoken to quash the rumors, claiming that the Russian Army did not participate in the killings, and that it was the work of dostic bandits within the Prusso-Polish Federation.
The Russians acted too late, and the tide of public opinion had already ford. Coupled with the substantial evidence from the Berlin Governnt, reversing it is too difficult," replied Pri Minister Felix.
Being a step slow ant being slow in every step. In those tis, communication didn’t change much; news spread slowly, and for most, newspapers were the main source of information.
Once preconceived opinions set in, changing them was difficult. Moreover, the Berlin Governnt wasn’t slandering the Russians—they had indeed committed those acts.
"The Tsarist Governnt is full of idiots!" Franz blurted out without hesitation.
It was clear that this was heartfelt. The reality was right before his eyes; it was certain that no amount of whitewashing could clear the na, but guiding public opinion doesn’t necessarily require whitewashing. All that was needed was to drag the rival down to the sa level.
"Denial" indeed was a solution, but it was out of date!
If it were a country with a good reputation, they might still cheat so people. Given the credibility of the Tsarist Governnt, who would believe what they say?
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Franz had a change of heart, directly emulating the Berlin Governnt. He collected the atrocities of the Prussian Army, applied artistic embellishnt, and exaggerated the events a hundredfold before paying newspapers to publish them.
No matter how many believed it, the first step was to build up the montum. After all, the tradition of European Army plundering was a well-known secret.
If you can’t clear your own na, drag the other party down with you. If everyone’s tainted, the problem is solved.
"Your Majesty, it’s not just dostic opinion that’s against the Russians, the international opinion, especially in France, is extrely adverse."
Just three days ago, 50,000 Parisians gathered in Versailles Square to demonstrate, demanding their governnt intervene in the war.
This isn’t the first ti; according to ssages from the embassy, there have been 48 large and small protests and demonstrations within France this month, half of which were calling for intervention by the Paris Governnt.
Five days ago, London also experienced a protest, although with fewer participants than in France.
"From the current situation, if the Tsarist Governnt can’t turn things around, it’s likely that before long, various governnts will step in," Wessenberg analyzed.
The French public is still so enthusiastic; Napoleon IV must feel like crying now. There’s a completely different concept between taking the initiative to intervene and being coerced by public opinion.
An emperor who can’t control the governnt’s foreign policy and is instead swayed by public opinion—nobody can stand such a scenario.
If there’s a first ti, there will be a second. Once it’s discovered that public opinion can influence governnt decisions, similar incidents are likely to follow.
The governnts of the countries have not interfered imdiately, probably not wanting to give the impression that they are influenced by public opinion.
To so extent, the machinations of the Berlin Governnt have succeeded and failed at the sa ti.
While garnering support from various countries, they’ve also managed to offend the upper echelons of these governnts. Intervention is certain, but the extent of it is hard to say.
"If possible, I suggest delaying the intervention of various countries as much as we can. In recent tis, the Immigration Bureau has already obtained nearly fifty thousand immigrants from Russian hands.
Although most of these are won, children, and the elderly, for the labor-starved colonies, they are still a substantial addition," said Colonial Minister Stephen.
Fifty thousand immigrants might seem insignificant, but if they were fifty thousand main ethnic group immigrants, that would be a different story.
Austro-Africa is the lifeline of the Vienna Governnt, which has always been intentional about controlling the ethnic proportion. Fifty thousand immigrants may not sound like a lot, but they’ve already increased the main population ratio by two per thousand.
This is just a calculation in terms of numbers; the real impact is even greater. To accelerate the integration of ethnicities, Austria has always practiced dispersed settlent of immigrants, with countless inter-ethnic marriages.
The tangible benefits are obviously sothing the Colonial Departnt is unwilling to give up.
After a mont’s hesitation, Franz pushed aside his conscience: "Tell the Tsarist Governnt that international intervention is imminent.
If they don’t want to be sanctioned, they should quickly expose the atrocities of the Prussian Army and muddy the waters first."
When national interests are at stake, Franz can’t help but be pragmatic. Since the Tsarist Governnt doesn’t know what to do, it’s better to teach them.
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