The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1810 Reformatory School

First, Franz would not allow officers or soldiers to take naturalized women as spoils of war, since naturalization meant becoming a citizen of the Austrian Empire.

They would then enjoy the same treatment as ordinary citizens, and unless the officers and soldiers were willing to marry them, they would not be allowed to do as they pleased.

This avoids the worst-case scenario.

Secondly, everyone needed systematic re-education. The Austrian imperial government and the church allocated special funds to establish reformatories.

The purpose of the reformatory, besides educating them to adapt to life and language in the Austrian Empire, was mainly to distinguish their value through observation and labor.

A small group of outstanding individuals can indeed be used as role models.

However, most ordinary people do this so that they can learn a skill so that they can make a living.

In the reformatory, these converted women were also made to work collectively. A small portion of their wages was used to cover their expenses, while the rest served as reserves for their entry into the Austrian Empire.

The church and the empire will continue to provide assistance to these converting women so that they can integrate into Austrian imperial society.

If some of them were ultimately unable to integrate, the Austrian imperial government would send them to the colonies as ordinary immigrants.

Of course, among these women who convert, there will inevitably be some who are unwilling to convert, those who try to take advantage of the situation, and even those who deliberately cause trouble and sabotage.

The young and strong among them would be selected and sent to the colonies as expendable resources, while those who were weak, had infectious diseases, or even had mental problems would be sent directly to mental hospitals and infectious disease hospitals.

This will not only greatly reduce waste, but also increase its appeal and set a real example.

Generally speaking, Jewish women who converted to Christianity had an easier time than other converts from the Ottoman Empire, perhaps because their ethnic characteristics meant they experienced less pain and trouble during the integration process.

Once the language barrier is overcome, integration into Austrian Imperial society will be swift. Furthermore, the relatively large Jewish population within the Austrian Empire means that experienced individuals are better able to manage them.

In fact, reformatories have always been an extremely negative and dark thing throughout human history, from the ancient Greek city-states to Victorian England.

From the Gilded Age in America, to boarding schools in Canada, to the Gorky Engineering Corps in the former Soviet Union, to the Magdalene Laundry in Ireland, and the Devil's Orphanage in Romania.

Whether it's religion, Western governments, or capitalists who are in charge, the result is only one—sliding into the abyss of depravity.

All of the above organizations are rife with institutionalized abuse, institutionalized enslavement, genocide, and various forms of violence.

No matter how eloquently these people speak, the final outcome will always be a mess, even causing the entire system to lose face.

However, Franz's purpose was different; he simply needed these converts to learn the language of the Austrian Empire and be able to survive there.

Moreover, as it was a model project, the Austrian Empire would not be overly stingy with funds, thus avoiding the curse of saving money.

In order to avoid the experimental abuse at Stanford Prison, the reformatory needs the participation of multiple parties, including the Austrian government, church, royal family, nobility, and vocational schools.

Paid labor + start-up capital (which is actually the portion of the wages deducted earlier) + follow-up guidance (arranging accommodation and introducing jobs).

The Austrian Empire, as a multi-ethnic state, had extensive experience in this regard, and its churches also functioned similarly to neighborhood committees and street offices.

One of the Catholic Church's major advantages is its strong control over the grassroots; after all, it's often referred to as a kneeling army. Furthermore, Franz is experienced in residency training and is unlikely to repeat historical mistakes.

The Austrian Empire could not remain confined to Central Europe forever, and Franz would not mind if outstanding women were willing to join the Austrian Empire.

The Vienna Royal Women's Academy does just that.

Of course, some things cannot be discussed openly, which is why reformatories are needed.

Only when they see a successful template can they convince themselves.

In fact, it didn't matter much whether the women who went to study in the Austrian Empire stayed or not; Franz was not afraid of so-called aiding the enemy or intelligence leaks.

The Austrian Empire may have been very conservative, but the status and treatment of women were among the highest of that era.

Of course, everything in the world has a price tag; it's just a matter of whether you can see it or not.

Women who left the Austrian Empire and returned to their hometowns will likely see their value skyrocket due to this gilded opportunity, making them more likely to marry into wealthy families.

They will spread the ideas and culture of the Austrian Empire more widely, even beyond the local culture and traditional thought.

Women who are unhappy in their lives are more likely to miss their time in Vienna, becoming the most familiar strangers in their own country.

They cannot accept the status quo and are difficult for others to understand, so what will happen to them?

"Adultery" might become their only option. At that point, would the Austrian Empire still have a shortage of spies?
Of course, some people may be more extreme, perhaps directly instigating a civil war, or becoming the vanguard of Austrian imperial ideology.

Freedom and dreams are sometimes the cheapest drugs, whether used to exploit people, numb their senses, or ignite a real fire.

During the entire Near East War, Russia incurred a total debt of 14 billion rubles, of which approximately 800 million rubles were owed to the people of the Austrian Empire. Combined with previous debts, Russia now owed the Austrian Empire a total of 1.5 billion rubles.

Russia owes the German Confederation a total of 700 million rubles. Russia is also heavily indebted domestically, and the total amount of these debts is enough to bankrupt Russia several times over.

But Nicholas I won the Near East war.

At this point, no one dared to pressure them for repayment, especially within Russia. Not only did they not dare to pressure them, but they also had to be careful that the Russian government might directly declare bankruptcy, since they had done that before.

Nicholas I always settled debts by giving goods as payment, which didn't bother Franz.

But the German Confederation was in a predicament, as they were facing a very serious problem—overproduction.

Because Franz unified the German states, the original states became stronger, and along with them, their ambitions also increased.

In the face of disorderly competition, overproduction is almost an inevitable outcome.

The sudden end of the Near East war exacerbated this phenomenon, as a massive amount of resources were suddenly no longer needed, which caused great distress to the entire Central European economy, led by the Austrian Empire.

However, the most affected were the German Confederation countries, even though the German Customs Union at this time was far more authoritative, efficient, and had a wider coverage than the one in history.

However, the impact of the end of the Near East War was too great. Even the Austrian Empire, with its strong recycling capacity, needed time to digest it and even had to resort to small-scale dumping on other allied countries.