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

Chapter 1969 The Inevitable Trend

In a Copenhagen port worker's family, the table is piled high with white bread, salted herring, potatoes covered in butter and jam, sausages, ham, some white spheres, and a large pot of sweet porridge.

The atmosphere at home was a bit strange. The children hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, but they seemed hesitant.

The sensible eldest daughter said.

"Mom and Dad, are you planning to burn charcoal at home tonight and send us to that paradise where there is no hunger or cold?"

Several children around them were biting their lips, looking like they were about to cry.

His wife's expression was also solemn, but she still managed a smile as she served each family member a bowl of hot porridge.

"What do kids know? Eating helps them sleep better."

The eldest daughter insisted.

That's how it's written in fairy tales.

The man, the head of the household, clenched his fists.

The woman standing nearby couldn't take it anymore. Her husband had been busy at the docks lately, but before that, he hadn't had any work, and the family had already racked up a lot of debt from loan sharks.

The husband's wages over the past few days were far from enough to afford the meal in front of them, especially that ham; their whole family had never eaten anything so luxurious before.

"This isn't fair! We may have lost hope, but they're not even grown up yet. How can you be so heartless!"

The man who had been silent finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"What are you crying for! You're crying because you have nothing to eat! You're crying even though you have food! And you're not allowed to read that lousy fairy tale book anymore!"

I bought all of these!

The woman cried even harder when the man said that.

"Did you go and kill someone? Or rob someone? Where did you get so much money? You couldn't earn that much even if you carried two hundred big bags a day!"

As he spoke, the man took out a notebook and slammed it on the table.

"Look carefully! These were issued by the Empire! I'm just bringing them back!"

"You've become a traitor."

The woman started crying again, and the children around her started crying too.

The man finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up to shout.

"I'm just a porter carrying heavy loads. If I wanted to defect, would anyone want me?"

After a moment of reflection, the man realized something was wrong.

"We are citizens of the Empire. Are you going to die for that bastard who abandoned us? He is the traitor!"

What good did we get during Frederick VII's reign? All we did was levy taxes, raise prices, or send people to hell.

He gave us a constitution, but took it back the very next day. The poor received no relief, the wounded received no compensation, and we, despite living right next to the sea, were barred from fishing because the fishing grounds belonged to them!

He even colluded with the Swedes! Why should we be executed for him? He's already fled with the Swedes! He's abandoned us!

The Empire accepted us! They didn't throw us into the sea like trash! They gave us this! At least for these few days, we can live happily!

"We're citizens of the Empire now? And all of this is for us?"

The woman stopped crying and started laughing, but the children still looked completely bewildered.

"Of course!"

The man picked up the notebook.

"Whenever the empire achieves a victory or decides to distribute money on some major holiday, we can use this book to collect it."

"real!?"

The woman still found it hard to believe, after all, those big shots always took something from them for some great goal, but no one had ever given them anything.

"The things are right in front of you, so of course they're real."

"Are they trying to curry favor with us?"

The man said dismissively.

"What is it about you, old woman, that deserves to be flattered?"

"Are they trying to lull us into a false sense of security? I've heard that the Emperor of Austria really likes to send people to Africa to feed the cannibals."

Now it was the man's turn to get impatient; he didn't believe such a deliberate smear campaign.

"Get out of here! Eat your food!"

The man had been skeptical at first, but the first thing the imperial officials and soldiers did when they arrived at the docks was to arrest the foreman who had been withholding their wages.

He only knew that the foreman had tampered with the wages, but he never expected that the foreman would deduct 90% of the wages, even though that guy was a distant relative of his.

The man was seething with hatred, but now things were much better. The Empire only wanted 30% and would even provide some kind of guarantee.

The man didn't understand anything about labor protection laws; all he knew was that his income had more than tripled. This was an income he could never have imagined before, and he believed that things would only get better from now on.

As for the exorbitant interest rates that could never be repaid, there's no need to worry about that now. The empire has declared usury illegal, all interest exceeding 10% is void, and any repayment exceeding 10% must be fully returned.

He didn't know about other things, but the foremen and loan sharks who were usually arrogant and domineering at the docks had all become much more subdued.

Some bad guys tried to plot and sabotage, but they were reported and are now either hanged or sent to Africa.

Unlike those guys who brag in taverns, he didn't care about the Kingdom of Denmark or the Danish people at all, and the so-called Viking spirit was irrelevant to him.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that law-abiding citizens like him are most afraid of unruly robbers. Furthermore, given Denmark's consistent defeats in foreign wars, he simply couldn't empathize with them at all.

In a small tavern on the street, a few people were talking quietly in a small room.

"Do they think they can buy the dignity of us Danes with money? Their guns can't, and their money certainly can't!"

The other drinkers nodded in agreement.

"Yes! We absolutely cannot let them succeed! We must spend all their money! That way we can teach them a lesson they won't forget and show them we're not to be trifled with!"

The other patrons applauded enthusiastically.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! This is what they owe us! They must be severely criticized!"

"I wish this thing could be used in a brothel."

"Hey hey hey"

"Have you ever wondered why they would bribe us?"

A young man, clearly drunk, mumbled incoherently. Everyone around him recognized him; he was Sven G. Tinson, the younger brother of the port district boss, and a prominent figure in his own right.

However, his family has been having a run of bad luck lately. First, their business was "snatched away" by the new imperial government, and then his older brother, who was the eldest, was arrested for plotting a rebellion. That's why he's hanging out with these nobody people in front of him.

"Because they fear us! They fear our resistance! Because we Danes will never yield!"

The Danish nationalists standing nearby, far from being excited, became somewhat flustered upon hearing this.

“Sven, you’ve had too much to drink. Frederick VII has already fled, and the Danish government and army have joined the Holy Roman Empire.”

Denmark is finished.

Sven slammed his wine glass down.

“How could we possibly be conquered? If we were truly doomed, why would they spend money to buy us off?” Before the person next to him could speak, Sven retorted with a single sentence.

"They are not merciful, they are just fearful; they are afraid of us! Because they know how powerful we are!"

The more fear they have, the more it proves our strength! Denmark is invincible!

These words did sound inspiring, but no one dared to respond.

In fact, during this period, Austrian officials did not levy exorbitant taxes like the conquerors, but they were not as cautious as thieves either.

Many big shots and tough guys who they usually thought were not to be trifled with suffered. Instead of feeling angry or sympathetic, the native Danes were laughing foolishly and even felt very pleased.

They were also furious, but they didn't have the courage to actually confront the Austrian Empire's army.

The truly passionate and idealistic Danish nationalists had already been extinguished in the previous wars.

Even those that didn't burn out were extinguished by Frederick VII and the Danish high command with buckets of cold water.

It's hard to say how much courage the group of people who are gathered here whispering about right now really have.

Some people had already given up hope, one officer scoffed.

"Then why are you still taking the money given to you by the Germans for food and drink?"

"Yes, we are using their money! But their money cannot buy us! Their money will become our resources, and sooner or later it will become bullets fired at them!"

This statement was clearly more inspiring, and the others, who had long since grown tired of the sarcastic remarks, began to cheer.

Although they dared not fight to the death, they could not lose in words.

Suddenly the door opened, the noise stopped abruptly, and some people even crawled under the table.

However, the person standing at the door was not a military policeman or a secret agent, but the boss's nephew from the countryside.

Do you want more wine?

"Get out! Get out! Get out!"

The young man was shoved out, and the door slammed shut with a bang.

At this point, Sven G. Tinsen laughed; he wasn't there to listen to these people complain.

"You bunch of cowards. A country bumpkin like that has scared you like this."

After a round of mockery, Sven suddenly changed the subject.

"Do you still want to live a life with wine and meat like this?"

Everyone present had drunk quite a bit and answered without thinking.

"Of course, who wouldn't want to live that kind of life?"

Sven let out a burp.

"Then you'll have to prove yourselves worth the price. Those Germans and Austrians have become arrogant and ignorant; we need to teach them a lesson."

Sven G. Tinson, completely drunk, was thrown out. Clearly, this group had no intention of fighting or seeking any benefits.

A few months ago he might have been able to find a group of passionate young people, but now he can only find a bunch of blustering drunkards.

Inside the tavern, the young man confided in his uncle with some unease.

"Uncle, those people seem to be rebels."

The tavern owner simply wiped the glasses, oblivious to everything else.

He knew better than anyone who was just being stubborn. He knew perfectly well that those who verbally criticized the empire were actually doing everything they could to get their sons a job.

Those guys who constantly talked about never surrendering were the ones who first led the Austrians into the city.

Those intellectuals who publicly declared they would rather die than accept the vouchers secretly asked him to help them buy up the vouchers, all for the sake of profiting from the price difference.

The tavern owner wouldn't laugh at them, because that's just how the world is. Everyone's just trying to make a living.

Danes generally use consumption vouchers in a practical way, mainly spending on food and drinks, and then on other essential purchases.

In fact, apart from a small group of idle people, most people were quite adaptable to the Holy Roman Empire.

Especially for small businesses, the entire Danish market seemed to be frozen over in the previous months due to Frederick VII's continuous meddling.

Ordinary people have no money and naturally cannot afford anything, and merchants will not buy goods if they cannot sell them.

With no one buying goods, factories and workshops naturally won't ship anything, and the whole country seems to be frozen.

Factories shut down, docks ceased operations, and people ceased almost all activities except for crime.

Because people always have to find a way to survive, and if the formal means don't work, they can only resort to less formal methods.

Everyone lives in their own or someone else's shadow.
The arrival of consumption vouchers directly ended this chaos, and the market and city regained their vitality, even better than before everything started.

Increased income and reduced troubles are the best examples of this.

The truly impoverished, needless to say, were previously driven to the brink of desperation, but now they've started working honestly again.

A small number of genuine Danish nationalists were puzzled and bewildered, unable to understand why their compatriots had surrendered so quickly.

“We cannot be bought with money; you must remember that you have noble blood flowing through your veins.”

The woman who was being pulled away shook off his hand.

"I wasn't bribed, I'm just living my life. And I'm German, please don't continue to offend me."

Other native Germans on the island also responded, with one elderly professor even expressing his deep sorrow.

"If a nation can be defeated by a piece of paper, then its defeat is not limited to the battlefield."

Wake up. It's all over! We've lost completely.

As a veteran former Danish nationalist wrote in his diary.

“I hate failure, but I have to admit that the Empire is more powerful and advanced than we imagined.”

They knew how to get cunning businessmen to accept blank pieces of paper as proof; they knew how to manage and motivate short-sighted lazybones.

They know how to end this crisis, how to eradicate those deep-seated social ills; compared to them, we are more like barbarians.
In fact, they didn't care at all whether we were Danish or German; we were never treated as opponents or enemies.

Because in the face of the empire, we were pitifully weak. I had never seen an army like that before; even from a distance, it was blinding (white reflection).

There was no looting or massacre, not because they lacked the ability, but simply because it wasn't worth doing.

Although Denmark had just joined the Holy Roman Empire, a large number of fanatics had already emerged throughout the country.

They hang tricolor flags and imperial eagle flags at their doorsteps, actively learn the imperial common language, and even sing Austrian imperial songs in the streets and at work.

In fact, this group of people felt that the Empire was too lenient with those stubborn people and that all dissenting voices should be killed. They believed that those who were not grateful to the Empire did not deserve its favor.

Only by extinguishing the illusions people have about old Denmark can a new empire be built upon its ruins.

This group also took to the streets, doing similar things to those Danish nationalists, except their demands were the opposite.

When the two sides meet, they become extremely hostile, engaging in constant verbal battles and armed clashes, thus becoming the most unstable factor in Denmark.

As the tide turns, Danish nationalists are rapidly decreasing, while the number of Germans and imperial citizens is rapidly increasing.

Franz had to issue orders himself to prevent things from going to extremes.

Franz understood their unease, but he really didn't want to repeat those mistakes because of that unease.