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

Chapter 1829 In the Name of Charity

Bokhan repeatedly emphasized that he possessed immense wealth and did not expect to rewrite his destiny. He only desired a peaceful death, and he did not care whether he was shot or hanged.

The official in charge of the trial was clearly tempted, since either way it was just killing a criminal.

If this opportunity could be used to obtain a large sum of money, whether it be handed over to the national treasury or used to compensate the people, it would be more valuable than killing a prisoner in a cruel manner.

However, Franz would not waver; he would never make a deal with such trash for money, and he would not go against his principles.

Whether Bock Khan's so-called treasure was real or fake, Franz didn't care. No matter how rich a mafia boss was, he was nothing compared to the power of a nation.

On the contrary, if we change our principles because of money, wouldn't all of Franz's previous efforts have been in vain?
If we can get the money, that's fine. But if we can't get it, or even lose manpower, wouldn't we be laughed at by others?
However, Franz had to admit that anyone who reaches the top in any field has some real skills.

In fact, Pokhan was not able to delay for long. Franz's order was very firm: a man as heinous as Pokhan must die.

When the messenger once again read Franz's order aloud in the square, the citizens of Vienna erupted in jubilation.

At least for this moment, they felt that the emperor was on their side and that he could not be bought with money.

The crowd raised their hands with thumbs down, just like the pronouncements of judgment on gladiators in the ancient Roman Colosseum.

"Death penalty! Death penalty!"

At the same time, countless victims were also weeping bitterly.

"Give me my baby back."

A woman sat on the ground and wept.

Some people thought of their daughters whom they had raised with great difficulty, while others thought of their younger brothers who had been separated from them when they were young, whose life-saving money had been stolen, whose retirement money had been robbed, and whose family property had been swindled.
Suddenly, Bokhan's eyes widened in anger. His eyes were large and his appearance terrifying. Under normal circumstances, the people would probably have been frightened and fled in panic.

However, with countless angers gathered there, Pokhan failed to see the disheveled ordinary people.

Those he usually looked down upon chose impalement as the punishment for him. The crowd sharpened a wooden stake on the spot and then impaled Bokhan on it.

The other high-ranking members of the Rat Gang were also executed one by one, with the bodies of the former Austrian Imperial Police Chief and Deputy Chief hanging nearby.

Each corpse had a sign attached to it listing the crimes it had committed.

However, what Pokhan, Kurt, and Krim carried were scrolls, because there was simply not enough space to write on several signs.

In addition, important figures, gang leaders, and thugs were constantly being brought to the square. These people were no ordinary individuals; even on the execution ground, they all maintained an arrogant demeanor.

But the executioner's whip quickly stripped away their pride. After a few lashes, these gang leaders were no different from ordinary henchmen, screaming in agony.

Their crimes were quickly proven, and then came the execution.

Those who could be hung in the square were the most heinous criminals. Ordinary villains, after being executed, would be loaded onto horse-drawn carts and sent to the boilers that supplied heating to the city in order to make room for subsequent executions.

Such an execution was undoubtedly legendary, much like the plays they had heard, and Franz's personal reputation reached a new peak at this time.

However, there was also a huge backlash, as such killings were simply too insane and did not conform to tradition at all.

Moreover, it could easily be exploited by those with ulterior motives, who could label the Austrian Empire as a barbaric empire.

Some officials and newspapers have begun to revive the image of the "capable corrupt cop," according to them:
If His Majesty the Emperor kills all the talented and individualistic bad kids, then the remaining good kids may not be able to handle the complex situation in Vienna.

Franz didn't like covering his mouth, but at this sensitive time, he was trying to revive the corrupt cops, so he couldn't help but suspect that there was some kind of illicit relationship between them.

Thus, the Austrian Empire's surveillance agencies sprang into action once again, with the aim of uncovering any potential links in the chain of events.

If it's just stupidity, we can simply not use it. But if it's someone involved, then it's the perfect time to nip it in the bud.

In fact, Franz has already begun recruiting a new police force, which will consist of veterans, private detectives, university students, and all healthy, pure-minded young people dedicated to building Austria into a better country.

Franz also established the first police academy in the Austrian Empire, and he needed to redefine the police profession within the Austrian Empire.

In addition, a department specifically responsible for inspecting the police system will also be established, not because Franz has any particular fetish for other people's privacy.

However, too many parallel oversight organizations can lead to a shirking of responsibility, which in turn weakens the effectiveness of oversight.

When Franz issued the recruitment order, a strange scene soon appeared: a considerable number of those who signed up were the second sons of nobles.

Many of them had received at least a secondary school education, were physically strong, idle, and full of enthusiasm.

As a result, some people nicknamed the new police force of the Austrian Empire the "Second Sons Regiment".

On the surface, the sweep seemed very successful, and the process was quite easy. Franz ordered the troops to enter Vienna, the villains were beheaded, and the people celebrated.

But in reality, the trial of those corrupt police officers in Vienna has not yet been completed. These people are all seasoned veterans who are very familiar with matters such as trials.

Everyone adopted a "what's the worst that can happen?" attitude, and without concrete witnesses or physical evidence, the only recourse was to presume innocence.

Even with Krim's ledgers right in front of them, they stubbornly refused to admit it and insisted that they were innocent.

When the interrogators pressed their advantage, the group began to feign madness. It wasn't until several people died during interrogation that they started to confess, but even then, it was a string of lies.

What makes this group so fearless is that they have their own influence outside. If anyone dares to testify against them, that person's entire family will immediately face retaliation.

However, as time went on, one by one, the criminal gangs in Vienna were eradicated, and the last trump card of these corrupt police officers gradually disappeared.

With more and more physical evidence and more and more people coming forward, the screening process for the Vienna police has been completed.

Of the more than 1,000 people, only a dozen or so were proven to have committed no major offenses; the remaining 80% were sentenced to death, and 20% were exiled.

The entire operation involved nearly 300 million florins, of which Kurt alone pocketed 170 million florins. The Austrian Imperial government has established a special department to use these funds to compensate the victims, and the remaining money will be distributed as welfare to city residents.

However, the interrogation of Baron Otto von Eisenheim was much more difficult. His own incriminating evidence was conclusive, especially his penchant for printing his self-invented family crest everywhere, which made him easily identifiable.

But this person kept making baseless accusations and spreading dirt on those important figures everywhere, which made things very troublesome.

Franz is currently only cleaning up the police system and the Ministry of the Interior; he doesn't want to end up like Joseph II, making enemies everywhere and ultimately dying and his regime collapsing.

From Julius Caesar in ancient Rome to Peter the Great of Russia, Alexander II and others all met the same fate.

Peter the Great even executed his son who opposed his reforms, a history that can actually be linked to the Austrian Empire.

Because Peter the Great's heir apparent, Alexei, had actually fled to Vienna for refuge, and Emperor Charles VI (Empress Theresa's father) did not want to offend Russia, so he hid Alexei in a castle in Naples.

However, the Russian intelligence agencies during the reign of Peter the Great demonstrated remarkable efficiency; they quickly located Alexei's location and dispatched Peter Tolstoy, an ancestor of Leo Tolstoy.

Peter Tolstoy used both soft and hard tactics, even bringing a personal letter from Peter the Great.

In the letter, Peter the Great declared: "I swear to the Baltic Sea that as long as you return, I will never hold you accountable for your crimes, and I will make sure you live better than anyone else!"

Alexei began to hesitate. After all, he was just an exile in the Austrian Empire, and his life in Naples was not pleasant.

When Charles VI learned of this, he also advised Alexei to return to Russia to inherit the throne. At that time, relations between Austria and Russia were still good, and Alexei's wife had close ties with the Habsburg family.

Charles VI was thinking that once Alexei inherited the Russian throne, the Habsburg family would have gained another powerful ally.

Moreover, given the Habsburg family's logic, Peter I would never break his oath and harm his own son.

Alexei then accepted the request to return home, and to curry favor with the future Tsar, the Viennese nobles even held a farewell banquet for him.

However, what awaited Alexei upon his return to Russia was endless humiliation and torture, and he eventually died in prison under mysterious circumstances.

The Austrian Empire's distrust of Russia reached its peak, and thereafter the Habsburg family never considered Russia when marrying off their daughters.

Franz's marriage to Olga had previously met with strong opposition, and even today many Austrian conspirators believe that Nicholas I sent men to attack Olga's carriage.

If the above-mentioned dictators were too narrow-minded and lacked vision, what about the Gracchu brothers?

They hoped to prevent land consolidation and even distribute their own land to the poor, all in order to fulfill the tribunes' oath to ensure that all Romans had food to eat.

But what was the result? The older brother was beaten to death with a bench by the senators, and the younger brother had his head cut off and filled with mercury.

To be honest, Franz never expected that such a minor official would have such great power. However, Franz would neither hide Baron Eisenheim nor hand him over.

Franz was determined to get to the bottom of this; he refused to believe that a single fish could bring down the entire Austrian Empire.

If the vast Austrian Empire could be overturned by a single fish, then what was the point of Franz's many years of effort?
He not only wanted to investigate, but he wanted to get to the bottom of it. If the facts were true, Franz would take action against every single one of them.

Even if a huge problem is discovered, now is a good time to solve it, as such opportunities are rare.

As for those people, let them hate Baron Eisenheim.

Franz would extract all the so-called secrets from Baron Eisenheim and then send him to the Senate.

This is called making the best use of resources without delaying either aspect.

The shocking secret mentioned by Baron Eisenheim did indeed involve many people, but Franz was even more delighted to discover this chain of corruption early on.

It was only then that Franz understood why John Kempen had always said Eisenheim was a genius.

It is indeed very talented to be able to get first place in the Austrian Empire's judicial examinations three times, but such a person is even more terrifying when he becomes an enemy.

The corruption chain that Eisenheim described was actually very difficult to detect, but it wasn't particularly sophisticated; it simply involved channeling benefits to various departments of the Austrian Empire under the guise of morality and charity.

These people will first find some big shots to endorse them, and the names they choose will be more and more impressive.

The Austrian Imperial Committee for the Placement of Wounded Veterans, the Austrian Imperial War Orphans' Home, the Austrian Imperial Organization for Colonial and Development Cooperation, the Austrian Imperial Disaster Relief Center, the Austrian Imperial Association for Progress, and the Austrian Imperial Humanitarian Relief Association.
At first glance, these names seem like those of an official organization, even more so than the names Franz himself chose.

Moreover, the important figures they brought in were quite influential, including war heroes, highly respected hereditary nobles, or famous duchesses. It wouldn't be surprising if they even brought in members of the royal family.

After all, they are waving the banner of morality, so who would refuse to say a few good words for those wounded soldiers and war orphans?
These seemingly insignificant actions inadvertently became shields for others, even Franz initially thought they were part of an organization created by some department.

Franz had long ago explicitly prohibited the public from raising funds privately, because he was afraid that people would turn charity into a business.

In fact, the Austrian Empire's oversight department had previously sent similar materials to Franz, but he assumed that no one would dare to defy the rules and thought it might be a temporary official organization, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

Moreover, such organizations are very difficult to define, and even the supervisory departments themselves find it difficult to characterize them. They are even more likely to be organizations created by the emperor himself.

Organizations like the Austrian Imperial Progress Association, whose aim was to improve the living standards of the elite and promote the progress of the Austrian Empire in social, technological, moral, and military fields, were particularly similar to Franz's style.

The entire structure operates quite formally. First, donations are raised, then orders are placed with the bidding companies (which are actually participating companies), followed by transportation and receipt.

They would even pay expedited fees for goods, but these so-called expedited fees were more like hush money, designed to get the railway and shipping companies involved in the shipment.

Generally, they transport empty boxes, but sometimes they will transport some goods to avoid suspicion. However, once these goods are signed for, they will quickly appear on the black market, since they are not really doing charity.

The entire process appeared flawless to outsiders, and involved the church, nobles, imperial officials, merchants, railways and customs along the route, and even porters.

Everyone's interests are closely intertwined, and no one is willing to uncover this secret because everyone can benefit from it.

It would be extremely difficult for outsiders to investigate, but the whistleblower report by Baron Otto von Eisenheim, an insider, provided a wealth of crucial information that quickly resolved many of the issues.

Franz should actually thank Baron Eisenheim, but it was incredibly foolish of him to try and use that as leverage to save his life.