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

Chapter 1827 A two-pronged approach
Vienna was the first city to enter martial law, with patrols on the streets replaced by squads of soldiers carrying guns, and soldiers guarding major intersections and key locations.

A somber atmosphere permeated the entire city, something all too familiar to the citizens of Vienna.

Those were days etched in their memories, but this time they did not choose to take sides randomly, much less side with those corrupt police officers.

The Austrian Imperial government announced a crackdown on the police force, and Kurt, the former chief of the Austrian Imperial Police, had been executed and his image displayed in the square.

Deputy Chief of Staff Krim's public trial will take place in a week, while evidence is still being gathered.

The Austrian Imperial government has issued a statement that anyone with leads or evidence can report such information.

John Cempon seized more than 50 tons of stolen goods at the Imperial Police Headquarters; the exact value is still being tallied.

However, the mere sight of these items lying in the square was already quite conspicuous: various gold coins, silver coins, ancient coins, and even pounds and francs.

Various gold and silver jewelry, pearl necklaces, gemstones, agate, amber, pure gold and pure silver ornaments, and toilets studded with diamonds.
Boxes of high-end silks and fabrics, vintage wines, various land deeds, IOUs, powers of attorney, and bundles of large denomination banknotes.

Then came various ivory, rhinoceros horn, and piles of wild animal hides, Persian carpets, and various furniture made of mahogany.

Various antiques
Just looking at it makes one gasp in horror. If it weren't for the heavily armed soldiers guarding it, the surrounding crowd would probably have already rushed forward.

At this moment, someone became excited and shouted.

“Those are ours! Krim had my family's shops shut down, my father arrested, and our belongings taken away!”

The man became increasingly agitated as he spoke and tried to grab it, but was stopped by the soldiers.

"Back off! Or we'll shoot!"

It wasn't until he saw the dark muzzle of the gun that he regained his senses.

The official standing nearby glanced at the man indifferently and then spoke.

"Have witnesses and physical evidence. Get ready to register. What's yours can't be hidden."

Officials had seen many people fraudulently claim lost items, and their vigilance and experience told them that following the empire's rules and procedures was the right thing to do.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, at least some basic concern should be shown, but that's all.

There will be further inspections and reviews. If they act impulsively and skip the process, they might return the lost items to those who claim to be the owners.

The likely consequences for them are suspension and investigation, or even the same fate as those corrupt police officers who accepted bribes.

However, what no one knew was that this was just the beginning, since not all corrupt cops kept their stolen goods at the police station.

In fact, Franz had already tried his best to reduce the scale in order to avoid causing excessive panic and social paralysis.

However, the so-called reduction in scale does not mean letting bygones be bygones, but rather turning it into a more meticulous and controllable plan.

However, Franz did not intend to start from small places and proceed gradually, as the most common reforms in history have started from small places.

If it succeeds, continue promoting it; if it fails, find a scapegoat.

Success was attributed to the emperor, failure to the officials for their poor execution. The main strategy was to gain without taking responsibility, ensuring stability and peace.

In addition, officials also hope to start from small places.

"Your Majesty, we should proceed step by step, peeling back the layers one by one, so that those guys will have no way to deny it."

"Your Majesty, if you arrest all the police in Vienna, who will investigate tomorrow? Who will deal with those rioters? The city will be paralyzed."

Franz didn't care about that; what he wanted was a groundbreaking event.

As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you must first catch his king. Once the various leaders are taken down, the entire system will fall into a state of leaderlessness.

Even if someone comes up with a plan or wants to rebel, they won't have the opportunity to implement it.

Without a leader, no one could effectively integrate resources and information. By the time they elected a new leader, Franz's knife was already at their throats.

Moreover, corruption is always structured like a pyramid; besides the daily exploitation of subordinates, those involved also invariably possess incriminating evidence against them for easy control.

Compared to evidence collected privately by subordinates, the incriminating evidence held by higher-ups is certainly more accurate and effective, and may even be personally delivered by their subordinates.

Once you have these things in mind, further investigation will be a natural progression.

Of course, doing this is also very risky; if you're not careful, it could end up being a case of the center bursting open.

However, Franz had made many preparations beforehand, and both the domestic and international situation and his personal prestige were in their best condition.

Franz's goal from the beginning was not to make a show of force, but to strike at the heart of the enemy.

The investigation of all Vienna detectives has begun, and the more than one thousand survivors will be tried by a grand jury composed of the courts, the Imperial Oversight Committee, nobles, commoners, social elites, and clergy.

The grand jury of the Austrian Empire differed from those of other European countries at the time; it was neither an elite community nor a gathering place for respectable people.

The grand jury of the Austrian Empire did not have a property examination clause. It was usually composed of 24 people, but there must be at least one worker, one peasant, one scholar, one nobleman, one priest, and one journalist.

The votes of nobles, officials, and clergy were to be recorded in detail.

If they are found to have acted out of some kind of exchange of benefits or malicious intent, they will face more than just imprisonment. Depending on the severity of the circumstances, they will be punished more severely, and if the victim dies unjustly, they may even be charged with murder.

Others will be selected randomly, but too many people of the same ethnicity will be avoided.

Furthermore, the reason why there are only over 1000 police officers in such a large city as Vienna is partly because some of them have already been killed during the arrests.

On the other hand, the number of police officers in the entire Austrian Empire was not large, which is why they wielded such exaggerated power.

Almost every one of them had a group of people under their command, which is why corruption was so rampant.

In addition, it was also related to the social conditions at the time, just like in ancient Eastern societies, a county government office only had a few constables.

For example, according to the "Wujiang County Annals", in the thirty-first year of the Qianlong reign, Wujiang County, with a population of over 35, had only 16 constables.

In comparison, Vienna has a fairly large number of police officers.

Meanwhile, John Kempon led his men in a sweep of prisons and detention centers around Vienna.

Vienna’s largest and newest prison at the time, also known as the “Grey House”.

Baron Otto von Eisenheim, the warden, spoke to his adjutant as soon as he got out of bed.

"Hold her down."

With a wave of his hand, the adjutant summoned several burly men who rushed in and pinned the terrified woman to the execution rack.

Baron Otto von Eisenheim picked up a red-hot branding iron from the brazier beside him, which was still imprinted with his family crest.

Then, amidst the woman's screams, he pressed his hand against her chest, instantly scorching her snow-white skin until it turned charred black.

With a sizzling sound, Baron Otto von Eisenheim seemed to smell a burnt aroma. He took a deep breath and put a piece of already cut beef into his mouth and chewed it slowly.

"Mmm, that's really good. I want it like this again next time."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Several burly jailers took the unconscious woman down from the rack and headed towards the women's prison.

"Utris, do you know why I went through all this trouble?"

In response to the Baron's question, the adjutant Utris replied obsequiously.

"Because it's yours."

Baron Eisenheim flew into a rage and kicked over the brazier.

"I don't want to get my hands on secondhand goods! Haha!"

Baron Eisenheim laughed maniacally, and his adjutant, Utris, could only force a smile; after all, rank had the final say.
When he becomes the warden, he'll be even more arrogant and playful than him! A seed has already taken root in Utris's heart.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside, and the alarm bells blared.

The sound was unusually urgent, unlike a typical prisoner riot. Baron Eisenheim quickly dressed and rushed out with Utris.

“Your Excellency, a squad of soldiers has arrived outside. They say they are here to conduct an inspection.”

"An inspection? Has Lord Kurt sent a letter?"

"No. They don't seem to be people sent by Lord Kurt; they seem to be an army from out of town."

Baron Eisenheim immediately realized that things seemed far more complicated than he had imagined, and Utris, who was standing nearby, also found the situation strange.

After all, prisons are independent systems, usually only under the control of the police chief and the church. How could they be related to the military today?

They soon reached the top of the wall, where at least one or two regiments of soldiers had completely surrounded the "gray house".

At this moment, the prison guards had taken up arms and stood on the battlements to confront the army below. Baron Eisenheim was very satisfied with the performance of his men.

A surge of pride welled up within him; this was his kingdom, his territory, and no one could ride roughshod over him.

“I am Baron Otto von Eisenheim. Whose orders are you on?”

“I am Johann Kempen von Fechtenstadm, and we are acting on the orders of Prime Minister Prince Schwarzenberg.”

As he spoke, John Kempon produced an order personally signed by Prince Schwarzenberg.

"My lord, I have the utmost respect for the Prime Minister, but please forgive my bluntness, but according to the laws of the Empire, we are an independent correctional system."

We are only responsible to Lord Kurt. If I were to carry out the Prime Minister's orders, it would be an overstepping of my bounds.

I'm just a lowly warden, but doing that would ruin the Prime Minister's reputation.

Or would you like to go get another order from Lord Kurt? As soon as the document arrives, even if it's three in the morning, even if there's a raging flood outside, I'll open the door immediately!

Baron Eisenheim said confidently that he was no ordinary person to have risen to the position of warden; in fact, he was the top scorer in the Austrian Empire's judicial examination that year.

This whole process will take at least a few days, which is plenty of time for Baron Eisenheim to do a lot of things.

He was currently unaware of what had happened with Chief of Staff Kurt, but regardless, the person before him seemed to have ill intentions, and he had to eliminate any potential threats.

John Cimpong's entourage was so angry that his lips turned white. He had never seen anyone dare to disrespect the Prime Minister's orders in such a way.

"Do you know what you're saying? What if the Prime Minister blames you?"

Suddenly the official realized something and immediately stopped talking.

Baron Eisenheim, standing on the high wall, smiled and said...

"Even the Prime Minister of the Empire must abide by the laws of the Empire."

He suddenly turned serious and said.

"Let me tell you! Unless you have Lord Kurt's written order, or His Majesty the Emperor himself, no one can make a difference!"

Baron Eisenheim spoke with righteous indignation, which left the ranks below feeling somewhat bewildered.

John Copenhagen had no choice but to produce Franz's order.

"This is His Majesty the Emperor's order; we are here to inspect the prison's operations. Please open the gates."

These words left Baron Eisenheim speechless. He had always thought that someone as insignificant as himself would never be seen by His Majesty the Emperor.

His men around him were even more panicked. To be honest, these men were extremely loyal to Baron Eisenheim, but their opposition to the emperor was truly unexpected.

Franz held considerable prestige among the people of the Austrian Empire, not only due to the centuries-old influence of the Habsburg family, but also because of his own significant influence.

However, Baron Eisenheim quickly came up with a solution.

"Sir, I need to verify its authenticity."

At this point, the officer standing to the side could no longer contain himself.

"My lord, are you questioning the emperor's orders?"

"No! I'm just questioning the orders you hold."

Although it's outrageous, what the other party said makes sense.

However, everyone, including John Kempon, knew that the other side was stalling for time, but as an independent system, they did have that authority.

"You can come out and inspect it yourself."

"No! You should bring in the warrant."

Left with no other option, John Campion had to send someone to deliver the warrant. After several urgings, Baron Eisenheim finally spoke.

"The ink is too fresh. The paper also seems to have some problems."

"You are openly questioning the orders of His Majesty the Emperor and the central government of the Austrian Empire!"

Baron Eisenheim, on the other hand, looked quite troubled.

"Sir, your order is indeed very strange. Should I send someone to verify it?"

The officer standing nearby couldn't take it anymore and roared.

Are you kidding us?

Baron Eisenheim quickly smiled apologetically.

"How dare we? But we are all officials of the Empire. Shouldn't we follow procedures and abide by the law?"

It's no wonder he was the top scorer in the Austrian Empire's judicial system exam; he managed to confuse everyone with just a few words.

Fortunately, the guards nearby had a copy of an order personally signed by Franz:
Any deliberate delays or unreasonable behavior will be considered as disobeying orders.

"I'll say it again! I am Colonel Monta, commander of the 2nd Regiment of the Royal Guard."

This is an order personally signed by His Majesty the Emperor. Open the gates immediately, or everyone in the prison who is free to move will be considered to have disobeyed orders on the battlefield!

Utris was terrified. He should have carried out the warden's orders to destroy all the evidence and dispose of the witnesses and physical evidence.

But outside there were troops, imperial guards, orders from the prime minister, and the emperor's decree, plus two more.

He simply didn't know what he had broken to deserve such treatment.

However, Baron Eisenheim spoke up again at this moment.

"Here's what we'll do. You can bring your own guards in and inspect the premises at your leisure."

A small door opened on the side of the prison wall, and a small group of people were standing at the door to greet them.

"What does this mean?"

John Kempon couldn't hold back any longer. How could his most promising protégé have turned out like this?

"You're just here to inspect the prison's operations, is it really necessary to make such a big fuss? Do you think the Empire's funds can be wasted so easily?"

Baron Eisenheim continued to speak with righteous indignation.

"Open the gate! We are here on behalf of the Emperor and the Imperial Government for an inspection!"
"If you don't open the door, we'll open fire!"

John Cempon finally gave up his last shred of hope, and he finally understood why Franz had said he was bound to die.