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

Chapter 1931 Torture
Faced with Franz, those people had to be more subtle in their propaganda offensive.

Of course, many people felt it was unrealistic to reason with the emperor. A minority, due to special circumstances, still wanted to continue the fight, so they could only suppress Franz with even bigger measures.

For example, the future of the German nation and the development of the German region. For these lofty goals, some people should be sacrificed.

"So who decides, and who should be sacrificed?"

One of the major reasons why nationalism has been abused throughout history is that it can reduce costs and make people suffer more.

Franz had countless ways to refute his opponent, but to pave the way for what was to come, he directly pointed out the most core and essential issue.

This is also a question that an ordinary person simply cannot answer; no matter how eloquent or opinion leader one is, touching it will be disastrous.

Because this is also a potentially disastrous question, it's a case of using their own methods against them. After all, it would be quite beneath Franz to personally get involved, but he was doing it to show his attitude.

If the other party's answer is a political entity, then other political entities will not agree.

If the other party answers with an abstract entity such as the people, then that entity will become the public enemy of the monarch and the bourgeoisie.

Moreover, if the other party really answers like that, then the passage of the Labor Protection Act is no longer a problem. The problem is that they are opposing the Labor Protection Act, which is putting the cart before the horse.

Once the public sees through its true colors, they will likely kick it again.

This isn't about judging actions over intentions. Rather, it's the consequence of an unexpected rebuttal when rebuttal becomes a habit, much like how a tyrant's rule can drastically reduce a country's population and directly resolve a long-standing food crisis.

The rational approach is to bring the issue back to the concepts of free markets and free contracts.

"No one should be sacrificed, no one needs to be sacrificed, and the country and its people should all follow the free will of the market economy."

It sounds very sophisticated at first glance, but in reality it's just a bunch of repetitive statements, and doing so is tantamount to picking up the label of British theory advocates again, which is exactly the opposite of what they said before.

The difference in their status made it impossible for the two sides to have an equal dialogue. It was unrealistic to expect the government to intervene, since it was precisely because the governments of the various states were unwilling to offend the Austrian Empire that they were pushed to the forefront.

But these people weren't fools, or rather, they were too clever for their own good; no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out. However, there were some who were willing to risk their lives for money and fame.

However, this group of people are mostly unscrupulous in their actions, and in this unequal war full of traps, they will inexplicably cause AOE attacks on friendly forces or things that should not be touched.

In desperation, they could only try to buy time through purely academic debates, but even in purely academic matters, they were no match for each other.

In fact, the Austrian Empire had accumulated a wealth of experience in its confrontations with Britain over the years, and the experts it had funded were not just for show.

However, Franz disliked academic debates altogether because public participation was low and they were a real waste of time. Every second that was delayed brought the entire German Confederation one step closer to crisis.

However, some things cannot be rushed or done unilaterally.

Waiting can be agonizing at times, and Fanny von Arnstein felt the same way. As an economist, she was very confident in her abilities and had been waiting for an opportunity to prove herself.

Unfortunately, this was, after all, a patriarchal era, and Miss Fanny von Arnstein didn't even have the right to participate in the debate. Instead, she became a target of attack, and in order not to hold anyone back, she could only do some advisory work.

The frequent good news from the front did not make her happy, and Franz did not like this kind of victory that did not make any real progress.

Olga didn't quite understand Franz's actions at this point. In fact, not only her, but the entire Austrian Empire's high command didn't quite understand them either. Most people understood it as a trade war.

As a war, Franz's approach was clearly too lukewarm.

"Your Majesty, shouldn't you address the root of the problem? Those excessive subsidies are the real culprit."

Seeing Olga's serious expression, Franz found it amusing, and his gloom temporarily dissipated a little.

"Which idiot sent you to act as a lobbyist? Do you even know how the subsidies are distributed or calculated?"

Olga froze when faced with Franz's question. Although she was very unconvinced, she really didn't understand.

"Okay. Don't be angry. Just don't fall for it next time."

Franz's attempt at comfort was clearly too perfunctory, and Olga was not impressed, so Franz had to try a different approach.

"How are you doing with the things your father wanted?"

Olga's expression was somewhat strange.

"what happened?"

Franz asked.

"I thought you were just brushing him off, so..."

Olga's voice trailed off, clearly indicating that she had arbitrarily reduced Nicholas I's list.

"It really is black-hearted cotton."

Franz sighed, thankfully he had two sons, but he wondered if they would inherit Olga's personality.

What is substandard cotton?

Olga asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's nothing. But we're family, so there's no need to be so precise about some things. I'll handle your shopping list."

Olga muttered under her breath, somewhat unconvinced.

"But my father always said that even brothers should keep clear accounts."

Franz scooped her up in his arms, but Olga suddenly started coughing, and Franz quickly put her down again. Olga coughed whenever she became emotionally agitated after her surgery, and the doctors were at a loss. Franz understood that it was a miracle she had survived such injuries, and he didn't push her too hard.

“Your father and I aren’t brothers! And this isn’t even a fair accounting; you’re clearly just calculating petty gains. Family reputation is far more important than a few pennies.”

Olga nodded with some guilt, but still couldn't stop coughing.

In fact, Franz had a considerable amount of stockpiled goods at this time, and selling them to Nicholas I would not only not result in a loss, but could actually generate a small profit. However, Nicholas I would earn even more from these goods, because free trade between Austria and Russia had almost come to a standstill.

Nicholas I then became the sole distributor.

However, this situation cannot continue indefinitely. If the Russians suffer too much loss, they will naturally seek alternatives, and all the efforts of the Austrian Empire over the years will be in vain.

While regaining the Russian market wouldn't be difficult, given Austria's current advantageous position, achieving the same level of comfort would be a different story. The Russians aren't fools; having learned their lesson, they'd certainly be preparing for contingencies.

The setbacks in public opinion put immense pressure on those who opposed the German Confederation Labor Protection Act, because they knew very well that academic debate was not a panacea and could not be delayed indefinitely, so they had to find other solutions.

These guys had a very creative idea, or rather, a very 19th-century one. Unable to defeat the Austrian Empire, they decided to target newspapers and magazines.

After all, those newspapers and magazines are essentially businesses too, and they also need to make a living.

They don't need to distort the facts or personally engage in debates. They can simply place articles supporting the Labor Protection Act in a corner or sandwiched between advertisements, or publish fewer articles at a time, interrupting the debate in various places to naturally diminish the influence of supporters.

Beyond the issue of page layout, some newspapers located far from the Austrian Empire were even willing to forgo publishing articles by supporters. While there was no open opposition, their actions spoke volumes.

But if you really get serious, they can use business practices and consideration for the readers as excuses.

As for the benefits, they include some advertising fees and more direct bribes; the effect of this tactic is almost flawless.

However, the German Confederation at this time was not the independent state it used to be. Telegraph lines, new printing presses, cheap paper, and more convenient transportation allowed Austrian newspapers to be distributed to every corner of the German Confederation.

It's important to understand that Austrian cultural infiltration was already ubiquitous at this time. With the current media frenzy so intense, those behind the scenes were deliberately writing things that the public disliked. Who would be willing to support cultural products that weren't on their side?
In the past, those people had no choice but to accept their fate, but now it's different. There are people on their side, and there are media outlets with more comprehensive content.

As a result, the overseas sales of several major newspapers in the Austrian Empire surged by 500%, while the newspaper industry in other German Confederation countries entered a period of severe hardship.

This time, they not only lost in words, but they also lost their position.

Bismarck was utterly speechless. He had thought that by gathering the strength of the entire Confederation to deal with the Austrian Empire, even if they couldn't defeat it, they could at least suppress it completely.

However, why does it feel like things are about to collapse so soon after the battle begins? Fortunately, he still has time; as long as the academic debate hasn't reached a conclusion, the subsidies can continue to be paid.

The Labor Protection Act will indeed increase factory costs, but as long as subsidies are provided for low-priced goods, the market for Austrian goods can be squeezed. In the end, implementing the Labor Protection Act will only plunge the Austrian Empire into a more desperate situation.

However, by then there would probably be no real winners, so he felt that all factories should work overtime to seize the market and try to drag more countries into the fray.

At this point, the opponents began their final counterattack. With public opinion overwhelmingly against them, they knew that their efforts against the tide would be largely ineffective.

So they changed their approach again, adopting a roundabout tactic. In short, they wanted to reframe the legal issue as a moral one.

These people believe that a more civilized and humane approach should replace the cold, hard law. This may sound reasonable, but it is merely a delaying tactic to alleviate public pressure.

This group's logic is to establish a new ethic: good employers take good care of their employees. Both sides treat each other with respect, grow together, and jointly create a better factory and world.

They even suggested that self-discipline by both employers and employees is more civilized and effective than state regulation. They also organized a petition signed by factory owners to "voluntarily improve worker treatment and run factories in a civilized manner."

Franz was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of positive energy he was being presented with; he knew perfectly well what the other side was really up to. Franz didn't believe that ideals and morality could bind these people without them paying any price.

In Franz's eyes, this group was even more despicable. They were not even as good as Krupp. No matter what he thought, at least Krupp had done some real work, but this group just wanted to get something for nothing.

Self-discipline? That's a joke. Franz wasn't confused at all.

Those word games are even more ridiculous. A group of so-called experts believe that the key to the child labor problem lies in education, because without education, it is difficult for them to escape their predetermined fate.

The key to this rhetoric is shifting the focus from limiting excessive child labor to the issue of basic education in the country, suddenly changing the responsibility from factory owners to the state.

This rhetoric has been passed down from the 19th century to the 21st century, and many countries in Africa and Southeast Asia still regard it as a classic, or even a truth.

However, Franz didn't want to be blamed for something he didn't want. They liked to talk about education, so fine, they would take the responsibility of contributing to the improvement of basic education.

Schools can be built in factories, but teachers must be appointed by the state, and a special person must be assigned to supervise them and conduct regular audits.

If the national standards are not met, the factory will have to pay huge compensation fees, and if any child laborer has an accident in the factory, the person in charge of the factory will be fully responsible.

After Franz's series of moves, no one dared to engage in part-time work and part-time study anymore. He knew very well that this was not the charity depicted in some books. In reality, studying was often just symbolic, and what factories wanted was cheap labor and consumables.

The sheer volume of simple, repetitive, and prolonged labor is difficult even for adults, let alone children. The integration of education and production is more of an ideal scenario; in reality, minors are more vulnerable to bullying and manipulation in factories.

Imagine whether a rogue would prefer to bully a middle-aged man who has been engaged in manual labor for a long time and is under great pressure, or a naive and obedient young boy.

As for the so-called education, there are absolutely no guarantees whatsoever. The duration of instruction is uncertain, and the quality of education is utterly absurd. What will they even teach?

Do factories train people to be subservient to machines, or do they train people to be masters of machines?
The conclusion may be very counterintuitive: before Industry 4.0 truly arrives, many factories, especially small and medium-sized factories, do not need the masters of the machines; they only need the wet parts of the machines.

Of course, saying these things would be useless, as people in the nineteenth century would have a hard time understanding them, so Franz had to use a language they could understand, which was the division of responsibilities.

The Austrian Empire was not afraid of any criticism, because that was how basic education in the Austrian Empire was conducted.

Factories can also run charitable schools, but the teachers need to be appointed by the state, the educational content must meet national standards, there are corresponding standards in all aspects, and they will be inspected regularly.

As long as all aspects meet the standards, Franz will not stop others from doing good deeds.

However, some people's purpose is not to do charity, so they are naturally unwilling to put themselves in the line of duty.