Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 359

Chapter 359: Chapter 46: The Competition of the Worst Organizations

Having seen off Ares, Stephen began to feel a headache coming on. It’s easy to say, but quite another to do.

Austria is not the United States, and the Hungarian Region is deeply influenced by Teutonic culture, particularly the compulsory education that has been implemented in the past decade, which has affected an entire generation.

What is at the heart of Teutonic culture? That is a difficult question to answer, but one tradition has long been influencing this nation—that is, military culture.

A country that includes military training in its primary school curriculum is cultivating discipline from an early age. Discipline has seeped into many people’s marrow.

A nation that is serious can’t just be cajoled into marching in the streets. If you can’t persuade them, there is a greater chance they will send you to the police station instead.

In theory, with enough time and persuasion, it would be possible to organize. In reality, if there’s any slip-up along the way, such as someone reporting you, it’s all over.

If the Hungarian Independence Organization had the capability to mobilize tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands to march, they wouldn’t be in the situation they are now.

Stephen asked, “What do you all think? It seems the Americans are afraid of other countries interfering in this civil war and want us to cause trouble for the Austrians.”

As the leader of the Independence Organization, he had gradually become more of a nominal one. Here in the United States, which espouses liberalism, Stephen’s power had greatly diminished, unable to forcefully command any member.

Frowning, the seasoned revolutionary Caesar said, “Mr. Stephen, the current situation is very complicated. Ares knows our strength very clearly.

If he weren’t looking to profit from it and cover for us, the federal government would have probably cut off our funding a long time ago.

We’ve already lost our footing back home, and even if we still have some connections, they diminish with every use.”

Lending the occasional small favor might still be possible, but if they knew our plans, not using the information to seek reward would be considered friendship enough.

Nominally, we still have over twenty-eight thousand members, but everyone knows that these people have either met their God or are on their way to meeting Him.

For political prisoners, the Austrians’ Road Repair Army has always been a one-way ticket.

Now, our members are just the few hundred who were developed here in the United States. We can pull off a small bit of sabotage on occasion, but any major action would not be possible, even if we were to sacrifice all of us.”

It’s precisely because he understands the situation of the Independence Organization that Ares suggested they organize a civilian march, rather than an armed revolution.

However, having immigrated to the United States with his parents as a child, Ares does not really understand the actual situation in Austria. His entire outlook on life and worldview are from the American system, and he naively thinks that organizing a civilian march is very simple.

Even without support, hiring people could make a show of force. That might work in the United States, but in Austria, you’d find yourself behind bars—it’s just not something you can play with.

The sort of sabotage Caesar refers to is also not always the work of the Hungarian Independence Organization—most of it is self-declared.

It’s just like terrorist organizations claiming responsibility for unrelated incidents just to maintain their presence.

They are no exception; over eighty percent of Austria’s major incidents have been claimed by them.

The Americans can’t possibly verify this, nor do they dare to. The United States government of that era did not have the confidence to meddle in European affairs—if someone they sent to investigate got caught, the federal government would not be able to handle the fallout.

From beginning to end, the federal government has never once taken the initiative to contact them, nor issued any orders. Everyone’s ideas about Ares’s relationship with the federal government are just speculation.

An old man in his sixties said sharply, “Why don’t we just give a perfunctory response and be done with it? If nothing else, we can stop taking funding for future activities. We all have our own homes and businesses—we’re not going to starve to death.

I don’t believe the Americans would really dare to hand us over. Are they not afraid that we would betray them in turn?”

Stephen said calmly, “Mr. Suzzali, let’s not talk about such things. The Americans naturally wouldn’t dare let us fall into Austrian hands, as that would bring them huge trouble.

However, given the Vienna Government’s style, even if we are dead, the Americans wouldn’t mind trading our bodies.

Looking at the revolutionary organizations across Europe, the Austrian Revolutionary Party is the least, and their consistent attitude towards political prisoners is to be done with them by killing them off.”

This is the most chilling fact, ever since Franz ascended the throne, the Vienna Government has not pardoned a single political prisoner. Once labeled as a political prisoner, the hunt for them is indifferent to life or death.

Aside from traitors who surrendered and submitted loyalty declarations to the Vienna Government being pardoned, the only other way for a wanted order to be lifted is if the person dies.

The Great Revolution involved too many people, as long as they weren’t really high-ranking and kept a low profile without publicly advocating independence, revolution, or rebellion, who would recognize these small fry?

Unfortunately, those present, due to lack of money when they escaped to the United States, begged from Hungarian compatriots under the banner of the Hungarian Independence Organization, raised their banner here, which just happened to qualify them for Austria’s list of political prisoners.

Of course, such revolutionary organizations that deceive for funding are not unique in the United States.

The Federal government does not investigate for two reasons: one is that such matters are tricky and can easily backfire, and on the other hand, they need these organizations politically as proof that the monarchy is unpopular.

Historically, the United States has played this hand very successfully. With these messy revolutionary organizations, they promoted the American political system abroad, laying the groundwork for seizing the discourse power of the world.

Caesar said hesitantly, “There’s a mess of such revolutionary organizations in the United States, and in earlier years, the Austrian Revolutionary Party was far more influential than us.

But then something happened to Brooks, and without a leader, it eventually surrendered to the Vienna Government amidst infighting and dissolved the organization.

I’m thinking we should just bluff our way through for now; better if we can get through it smoothly. If the Americans push too hard, we can just announce the dissolution of the Hungarian Independence Organization.

Without the Hungarian Independence Organization, we’d probably no longer qualify as political prisoners. If we then use local connections to smooth things over, it’s quite possible the Vienna Government will cancel our wanted status.”

This is only a last resort kind of solution; after over a decade in exile, everyone’s ambition and enthusiasm have been worn away.

Now, with families to care for, how many could abandon their wives and children to continue on a hopeless path without looking back?

After thinking it over, Stephen said, “We should first contact other revolutionary organizations. The Italian Independent Organization and the Polish Independence Organization both have some strength; we can coordinate actions with them.

Unless absolutely necessary, let’s not dismantle the Hungarian Independence Organization. Offending the Federal government would not make our future life in the United States any easier.”

The strongest revolutionary organizations within Austria are indeed the Italian Independent Organization and the Polish Independence Organization, and both are transnational organizations.

The Polish Independence Organization spans across the Russian-Austrian Prussia; members of the Italian Independent Organization are scattered across regions like Sardinia, Lombardy, Veneto, Papal State, Naples, and Tuscany.

These two transnational organizations are doing a hundred times better than the Hungarian Independence Organization. Not to mention anything else, just the number of their immigrants in the United States shows the gap.

The number of Italian immigrants in the United States is second only to the English, Irish, and German groups, and even the Polish have hundreds of thousands, whereas Hungarian immigrants don’t even reach ten thousand.

This greatly increases the difficulty for the Hungarian Independence Organization to grow and thrive. With such a small population base, how can they expand their membership? To organize volunteers and a Death Squad to return home for a revolution would be even harder.

Stephen is pinning his hopes on other revolutionary organizations out of necessity.

Even if the authority of the Federal government is not high, and many people do not take it seriously, for these small nations at the bottom of American society without a country to rely on, they still couldn’t afford to offend.

In the immigrant country of the United States, there’s also a hierarchy, where usually the stronger the home country, the higher the social status.

This is also why many Hungarians refuse to join independence organizations. By not associating with them, they could at least claim to be Austrian immigrants and in times of trouble, could seek help from the Austrian Embassy.

This is also why the American Italian Mafia is famous. With a large number of Italian immigrants and no protection from their homeland, people had to rely on each other, and various associations were born against this backdrop.

The Hungarians were even more tragic; because of their small numbers, even when they banded together in the United States, they had no influence.

…

In a manor outside New York City, the Polish Independence Organization was also facing pressure from their patrons. Of course, their situation was much better, as at least no one threatened to hand them over.

Aleksandra, a core member of the Polish Independence Organization, said, “We should reject these unreasonable demands. Right now, all of the organization’s efforts are focused on the uprising against the Russians, and it would be unwise to provoke the Austrians as well.”

Kasia disagreed, “But these capitalists have provided us with significant funding; recklessly rejecting their demands would make it difficult to seek their help in the future.”

Kasia was a second-generation immigrant; her parents were members of the Polish Independence Organization, and she had inherited their place.

However, while supporting Polish independence, they inevitably leaned toward the United States, often hesitating when considering issues.

Aleksandra shook her head and said, “There’s no need; if this uprising is successful, the Kingdom of Poland will be reestablished, and their support will not matter then.

Ensuring the independence of Russia Poland is the top priority now, the issues of Austro-Poland can be resolved in the future. To increase our chances of success, we can’t afford to face two enemies at once.”

Clearly, the support from various European countries had boosted his confidence. For Aleksandra, this was a rare opportunity; if they dissipated their forces now and failed in the uprising, they would be the sinners of Polish history.

However, the Polish Independence Organization was no longer a single entity. Everyone was only temporarily united for Polish independence, and there was a plethora of large and small interest groups within.

Although many knew that Aleksandra’s opinion was correct, they still jumped out to sing a different tune for their own interests.

“This is cowardice, the whole world supports the independence of the Kingdom of Poland; if we don’t get rid of Austrian rule now, when will the next opportunity come?

If we miss this opportunity, the Kingdom of Poland will be permanently split, never to regain Galicia from the hands of Austria.”

It was not that Radzi opposed prioritizing the independence of Russia Poland, it was that the big boss behind him wouldn’t consent! He was a spy planted by the Federal government within the Polish Independence Organization, and he had to make his position clear at this moment.

Unlike small groups like the Hungarian Independence Organization, the Polish Independence Organization was a federation, and joining was very simple—just sign up. If you were adept at manipulation, you could even secure a high position.

If the Polish Independence Organization was truly well-organized, with their size, they would have achieved national independence long before the end of the World War.

The organization’s structure was spread across the world but lacked a leadership core, relying solely on personal prestige for command.

Not only were Americans buying off members, but almost every country had spies in there, Russians included.

This organization had long been infiltrated like a sieve, including the Polish uprising, where the news had been leaked in advance.

Most of the leaders were arrested before the uprising commenced. To eliminate hidden threats, the Tsarist Government made a last-minute decision to conscript locals, planning to send all these suspects to Central Asia as cannon fodder.

Had it not been for the Tsarist Government’s similarly decaying bureaucracy acting sluggishly, allowing time to reorganize the uprising, the movement would have been stillborn.

Of course, the mass arrest of leaders might have also been a blessing in disguise. Historically, the January Uprising lasted over a year precisely because these people were captured.

If it were left to these vocal but ineffective leaders to command, resisting the Russian Army for even a month would have been considered divine favor.

This is no joke; that’s just how it was. A glance at the history of Polish revolutions reveals that the more leaders present after an uprising commenced, the shorter the revolution lasted.

Radzi’s calling of “coward” directly enraged Aleksandra, who threw a punch at him, and the two of them began to fight. Persuaded by others, it soon turned into a massive brawl.

“`

Of course, the skirmish was both swift in its arrival and departure. Once it was over, the meeting continued. The injured naturally left the scene early, which was a unique way of handling things.

Without a doubt, Radzi was kicked out. Everyone was no fool; his identity had long been discovered, but since they were still on American soil, some courtesy was extended.

Now, at the moment of deciding Poland’s fate, such courtesies no longer mattered. Those suspected of being spies from various countries were all expelled in this manner.

Autumn Scot with great respect said, “Good, the flies have been kicked out. First, I must say that the uprising has gone smoother than expected, despite the leak before it began. Nevertheless, the Rebel Army managed to occupy Warsaw.

Judging from the current situation, our chances of victory are very high, though it remains to be seen if we can withstand the counterattack from the Russians.

Whether or not to initiate an uprising in the Galicia Region is open for discussion. Our opinions can only serve as a reference. The final decision still rests with the commanders on the front lines.”

Obviously, the Polish Independence Organization had learned from its continuous failures and was no longer blindly arrogant.

This was also why various countries supported the Polish Independence Organization. If it had continued to act recklessly, nobody would be willing to throw money into such ventures recklessly, as money doesn’t grow on trees.

Of course, this was also related to the multitude of groups within the Polish Independence Organization. They were not united under a central command but merely allies, and America’s Polish Independence Organization was not the leader of the Polish independence movement.

Basically, whoever initiated the uprising would be followed; opinions from other groups were merely advisory and carried no binding enforcement power.

Aleksandra said, “I’ve already given my opinion that it’s not suitable to make too many enemies at the moment.

The Galicia Region is not our core area, and the local population’s foundation is not mature. The Austrians’ control over the region is much stronger than the Russians’, and the Habsburg family is more popular than the Tsarist.

It can be seen from previous uprisings, whether in 1846 or 1848, they faced strong resistance from the local populace.

Many revolutionaries didn’t die at the hands of the Vienna Government but were instead killed by local peasants and workers. I don’t believe that initiating an uprising now would be successful.”

This was an embarrassing issue for many revolutionaries: the popular foundation in the Galicia Region had always been poor. It wasn’t that they weren’t trying, but rather that the Polish didn’t hold a dominant position in the region.

After years of Habsburg management, the local Ukrainians, Czechs, Germans, Slavs, and other ethnic groups combined far outnumbered the Polish.

Talking to these people about Polish independence naturally ended in tragedy. Thanks to the good name left by the Polish nobility, the local populace decisively sided against them.

Most painfully, many Polish people felt it was good to stay with Austria and also stood on their opposite side.

Before the matter was brought into the open, it was possible to discuss it. Now that Aleksandra had punctured the pretense, naturally, no one would foolishly suggest an all-out confrontation.

Not just in Galicia, but in Prussian Poland as well, the situation was similar. After the Germanization campaign of the Kingdom of Prussia, the Polish Independence Organization also lost its local popular base.

This was why, when speaking of the Polish independence movement, one often thought of Russia.

The risk was too great to cause trouble on the other two powers’ territories; one wrong move could risk their very existence, so they could only seek independence in Russia Poland.

Seeing the atmosphere fall into awkward silence, Autumn Scot broke it, “Since no one has any objections, we will continue with the original plan.

Once the Kingdom of Poland is established, we can then consider reclaiming territories from Austria and Prussia. Pogal, compile our opinions and send them to Traughty as quickly as possible.”

The young man Pogal replied, “No problem, Mr. Autumn Scot.”