The Captain’s face turned gloomy and angrily said, "What are the police doing? Why aren’t they providing protection for the Tax Officer?"
"Who knows?" Gold shrugged, "Maybe those officials who passed the exams are still unfamiliar with the situation."
In the past few months, a large number of lawyers and scholars have obtained positions in the Austrian bureaucratic system through civil service exams.
However, these intelligent and knowledgeable individuals failed to bring the expected vitality and efficiency to the governnt. Instead, institutions that used to function are now riddled with problems, with corruption even more severe than among hereditary officials.
What these two Austrian officers did not know was that nearly half of the newly appointed officials were agents of the Old Nobility.
Though stripped of official positions, the nobles still possessed influence and wealth. Through various ans, like acquiring so civil service exam questions secretly, they managed to promote their agents.
It appeared that Austria’s officialdom was infused with fresh blood, but power still remained in the hands of the forr nobles.
And once these agents assud their positions, they prioritized securing their behind-the-scenes patrons’ interests and then amassed wealth for themselves. So the officials, who previously embezzled once, now had to embezzle twice as much.
Of course, there were also so officials who truly earned their positions through their own abilities. But what they faced were constraints from nobles who had been entrenched locally for decades or even centuries. Lacking connections and bureaucratic experience, these intellectual elites were no match for the Old Nobility.
Ultimately, these individuals either aligned with noble families or their edicts never left their offices.
This is also why, after the reform of the Austrian bureaucratic system, administrative efficiency beca even worse.
As for tax matters, it’s naturally a backlash from the tax farrs.
They possessed enormous wealth, with influence perating every corner of Austria. Just spending a little money could drive governnt tax officers to distraction, or even send them to their deaths.
The tax farrs didn’t only resort to violence against tax officers; they also bribed officials and police, and covertly incited or threatened citizens to resist taxes.
Currently, Austrian police often couldn’t receive their full salaries. Faced with bribes higher than their salary, not to ntion protecting tax officers, if the tax farrs ordered, they wouldn’t even hesitate to beat the tax officers themselves.
Cutting off soone’s financial path is as severe as killing their parents. Since His Majesty the Emperor wanted to ruin their business, their response was naturally without scruples.
Five months after tternich began tax reform, Austria’s tax revenue plumted by 26% and was still rapidly declining.
While Archduke Karl, learning from France’s military reform, established a General Staff to oversee soldiers’ training, equipnt, and the disbursent of military pay.
But in doing so, the previous practice of officers advancing military pay beca obsolete. Once the governnt encountered financial issues, military funding imdiately felt the impact.
The Captain remained silent for a mont, then quietly ordered his assistant, "After defeating the Basel rebels, find a few wealthy villages, charge them with colluding with the rebels... and let the soldiers look for so inco themselves."
"Yes, Sir." Gold responded weakly. This godforsaken place in Switzerland was poor enough to starve a rat, hardly offering anything to loot.
He hesitated on whether to suggest the Company Commander loot Alo City but was suddenly interrupted by a low horn sound from the front.
The Captain imdiately perked up, waving to the soldiers and shouting, "Tighten the formation, hold your guns, and prepare for battle!"
The horn signaled that their vanguard had encountered the Basel rebels.
The Captain felt slightly relieved; the rebels numbered only over 800, while they had more than 4,000 soldiers.
Moreover, they were a regular army, equipped with the latest Caplock Guns and Cannon. Dealing with the rabble from Basel would be nothing short of a massacre.
Once the rebels were cleared, he could return to Vienna and no longer fear at any mont when unpaid soldiers might suddenly mutiny.
The regint’s Order Officer rode over, shouting towards the company flag, "Captain Kemler, imdiately head to the hills southeast to build a defense line and intercept the rebels trying to escape from there!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Kemler was secretly delighted, as it seed this ti he probably wouldn’t participate in the fight. The hills were on the route he had just passed, a third of a league from the rebel positions.
After choosing a location and ordering the soldiers to form a line, he heard the sound of cannon fire from the West.
Gold, looking towards the distance, said, "I reckon it will be over in half an hour."
Kemler nodded. Major Haze’s Cavalry Camp had already gone to the west side of the Jura Mountain for interception the day before, leaving the rebels with no escape route.
On the north side of the Jura Mountain, a middle-aged Major wearing a black double-breasted coat ducked his head to avoid the sand stirred up by the artillery and said to the Commander standing behind the parapet, "Mr. Stephens, our soldiers will soon be torn apart by artillery. Let’s retreat to Olten."
Stephens was a Basel mber of Parliant, temporarily serving as a military overseer for the militia.
He had never been on a battlefield before. At this mont, his face was pale, his mind blank, chanically uttering curses: "Damn the Wurttembergers, damn them..."
Previously, the advisors sent by Wurttemberg had assured him, thumping their chests, that as long as they fortified this pass on the north side of the Jura Mountain, the Austrians wouldn’t dare attack.
But now, not only had the Austrian Army co, but they also brought over 4,000 soldiers!
The Major urgently shouted, "You must give the order imdiately; otherwise, we’ll be surrounded!"
Stephens’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t utter a word.
He knew very well that Basel had no garrison at that mont. If they abandoned the line of defense, the Austrians would advance unimpeded and occupy Basel in two or three days.
By then, he would surely be convicted of rebellion, along with the other mbers of Congress.
He only wanted to enter the French market to expand his business and definitely didn’t want to die.
An artillery shell fell barely ten ters away, instantly killing several guards and plowing into the distant wasteland with a trail of blood.
The Major raised his binoculars, his face darkening instantly—over a thousand Austrian soldiers had already approached close to his defenses, rifles at the ready for a volley.
anwhile, the Basel militia only returned fire sporadically before beginning to retreat in droves.
He dropped his binoculars, slumping to the ground. Even if he wanted to run now, it was too late. Everything was over.
He looked at Stephens and whispered, "We should... surrender."
Before he could finish, sounds of a rumbling explosion ca from the East.
The Major stood up in surprise, wondering who could be firing from what should have been the rear of the Austrian Army.
Hurriedly picking up his binoculars, he saw the previously aggressive Austrian infantry line suddenly begin to retreat, even ceasing artillery fire.
He quickly dispatched cavalry to scout the situation, but only 20 minutes passed before soone with an eastern mountain accent rode over, shouting at him, "Colonel Engelman asks for your cooperation in launching a counterattack!"
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