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

Chapter 1978 Nothing is certain
Hiding people was extremely rare in the Austrian Empire, since everyone had the opportunity to receive tangible benefits, and no one wanted to give it up.

However, other countries are different, mainly because of draft evasion.

Modern people, especially book lovers from the mysterious Eastern country, find it hard to understand what is so terrible about military service.

The first thing is to face death directly, which is something that ordinary people cannot imagine.

The loss of hundreds of thousands of people in World War I may seem like just a number to outsiders, but they were all made up of living, breathing flesh and blood.

Then came the harsh corporal punishment. In the past, beating and scolding soldiers was commonplace. Many generals specifically studied how to beat and scold soldiers in order to improve the army's combat effectiveness, and there are even related documents.

Some famous generals also agree with similar views; for example, the Duke of Wellington once said so.

"A soldier who has never been beaten is a piece of trash."

A Prussian general.

"Make the soldiers fear the officers more than the bullets, so that they will no longer back down."

The various instruments of torture have been introduced earlier, including the British nine-section whip and dragon claw whip, the heavy riding whip of the Austrian Empire, the Russian Cossack whip, and the nose puller.
So-called dignity? It was almost non-existent. Unlike modern films and television shows that glorify the military, the first thing that happened before joining the army in ancient times was to shatter one's personality.

Their daily treatment was worse than that of dogs; their living conditions were worse than those of horses; and their wages were almost nonexistent. In both the East and the West, it was common for military officers to embezzle military pay. In some countries, being a military officer was even a business in itself.

As for freedom? What is that?
Excluding Russia, where military service often starts at 20 years, most European countries at that time had military service of 7 years or more.

British military service typically lasts more than ten years, while Prussian soldiers, with their strong military traditions, serve only two to three years, with two years of reserve service, but this is still far shorter than the average length of military service in Europe.

The horrors of military service go far beyond these; it can also delay the most important years, or even more than a decade, of a person's life.

How many three- to seven-year periods does a person have in their lifetime?

To understand the extent of the impact, one only needs to look at South Korea. These few years will affect many people's entire lives.

Military service is so terrible, of course one would want to escape it.
In this respect alone, the Austrian Empire did a very good job, because the Austrian Empire was always winning wars.

Franz also made many efforts, and his treatment in the military and his social status were greatly improved.

At the same time, the education on loyalty and patriotism was not in vain; it did have many positive effects.

Rather, one of Franz's biggest concerns right now is that too many young people want to join the army; they don't want to do anything else but carry guns and fight.

Aside from those serving in the military, the people who actually like to hide their population the most are factory owners and mine owners who like to pay taxes.

Capitalist economies have always understood the demographic dividend as "cheap, replaceable, and easy to manage".

Who best fits these characteristics? Naturally, it's unregistered individuals, those who don't actually exist.

In this way, they can remain invincible regardless of whether there is a "Labor Law".

In fact, it's not just capitalists who are willing to do this; many workers are also willing to do it.

Capitalism's alienation of people is rarely mentioned, but it certainly has that magic.

Many workers adapt to the market to a certain extent in order to become more qualified commodities. Becoming an unregistered person or a non-existent person can enhance their competitiveness, and employers will also promise them some benefits.

The choices made by some people force others to make choices as well. When the law fails to keep up with social changes, involution becomes the only way out.

Under the combined influence of these internal and external factors, they completed their self-domestication and self-degradation.

Even if a nation in the 19th century was willing to make changes, the laborers, who were already firmly bound by the chain of interests, would not only not cooperate with the country's policies, but would also fiercely oppose them, even standing on the opposite side of the government.

This may sound absurd, but it has indeed happened in history, especially in the United States and Spain.

However, this problem was not unsolvable in the Austrian Empire, because a legal identity could bring too many benefits, while not having a legal identity would be a huge trouble for oneself and one's family.

Franz never acted alone; the church and nationalism came in handy at this time.

Charlatans and nationalists may be of little use to the higher-ups, and may even be seen as a bunch of clowns.

But at the grassroots level in the 19th century, their influence was almost limitless.

It is difficult for an ordinary person to remain unaffected by these two forces. What is most terrifying is their infiltration; almost no organization can isolate them.

All three share a common interest in opposing the issue of concealed populations. In fact, nationalists are the ones who most want to do this because national narratives require them to integrate the individual into the state and the nation.

Hiding people also jeopardizes the interests of the church, which involves both religious and practical considerations.

With the cooperation of all three parties, the situation becomes irreversible, and at the very least, the costs and risks of concealing the population will increase exponentially.

People will do business that could cost them their lives, but nobody will do business that loses money.

In this situation, those who still want to hide their population are not after such petty gains, so Franz can deal with them with a clear conscience.

This group is almost always identified through investigation. They are not exactly heinous criminals, but they are inhuman, or they completely disregard the government, ethnicity, and church.

Such people are definitely not ordinary criminals; we must crack down on them severely.

Besides these, there are outsiders, including refugees and foreign indentured workers.

This group of people are usually the ones who have been discriminated against. They do not intentionally want to hide, but are passive and have nowhere else to turn for help.

The Austrian Empire's government was relatively tolerant in this regard, but the people were relatively xenophobic.

So if those people are unwilling to report voluntarily, someone will report it for them.

Under Franz's meticulously woven web, it was virtually impossible to hide people.

As for the smuggling of goods, this situation had largely disappeared within the Austrian Empire and the German Confederation.

Since legitimate channels are cheap enough, there is no need for smuggling, thanks in large part to the German Customs Union.

This is one of the important reasons why the theory of free trade could rise to prominence, since it did indeed solve the problem of smuggling and objectively reduced the risks of trade.

However, the country that once most admired it is now facing a new smuggling crisis. The British government's imposition of high tariffs on goods from the Austrian Empire has objectively increased smugglers' profits.

There was no need for Franz to deliberately guide them; those familiar with the laws of the free market would find this new path on their own, and even the British royal family could not resist its allure.

Leaving aside the fact that people die for wealth and birds die for food, the British people's own promotion of the theory of free market economics is fatal enough.

According to British theory, the British government's actions at that time were wrong and even criminal.

The British of today have essentially shot themselves in the foot, leaving even those who firmly believe in free market economic theory in a state of internal conflict.

If Austrian goods were allowed to flow into Britain, Britain would be doomed. If the theory of free market economics were declared wrong, Britain would still be doomed.

However, the Austrian Empire itself was also plagued by smuggling problems, as a large number of Austrian goods flowed into overseas markets through unofficial channels because it was profitable.

Franz himself was partly fueling this, since he controlled the production, and he could still profit even from smuggling.

However, rampant smuggling is still very detrimental to the country as a whole. In addition to disrupting normal trade, it also affects tax revenue and national prestige.

Imagine the tragedy of a country where no one is willing to trade through official channels.

There is also the possibility of introducing dangerous goods, such as explosives, weapons, and drugs. The Opium Wars in history serve as a prime example.

Weapons and explosives are equally dangerous. If large quantities of weapons and explosives were to enter civilian life, the costs of maintaining public order and stability would skyrocket, and social conflicts would be exacerbated. After all, those who possess weapons are more likely to be murderous.

However, from the ruler's perspective alone, the biggest problem is the formation of new interest groups.

Once interest groups form, then a lot of trouble will follow.

As for why interest groups inevitably form, it's because large-scale smuggling is actually a technical operation that requires coordination from all sides.

Breaking through the barrier is just an extreme case.

Smugglers are usually driven by profit, so they don't risk their lives. However, the entire black market supply chain, from top to bottom, has each other's secrets, and the need to share risks naturally leads to the formation of new groups.

Allowing smuggling to go unchecked or failing to properly regulate it will increase the cost of compliance, while reducing the cost of breaking the law will indirectly increase the profits from illegal activities.

If this continues, the collapse of the country will be almost inevitable.

Even if we take a step back and say that nothing concerning national revenue is trivial, since smuggling is essentially stealing food from the mouths of national governments, and no country would stand idly by.

At this time, the Holy Roman Empire could not completely eliminate smuggling because of the existence of the Duchy of Alsace-Lorraine.

However, Franz had a way of turning it into a one-way smuggling route, as he believed that France had nothing to offer that could complement the Holy Roman Empire.

But Franz was wrong. Despite enabling Austria to replace France as the market leader in luxury goods, the Austrian Empire's advanced development significantly increased its own appeal.

At the same time, France suffered a Waterloo to some extent, especially after Napoleon III restored the Napoleonic Code, which effectively reversed the status of French women, who were once again reduced to property.

Other aspects such as political, economic, educational, and religious status were even less relevant, while women in the Austrian Empire enjoyed relatively higher rights.

This directly led to a large number of French women going to the Holy Roman Empire to pan for gold. These French women would fabricate an identity as a descendant of a fallen nobleman or an illegitimate daughter of a high-ranking nobleman.

Although it sounds unbelievable, it's very popular in the Shinra region's dating market. Many people like to believe in these things, after all, this tactic still works in the 20th century.

On the other hand, French women were indeed more open-minded, and because they were more deeply influenced by the market economy, they quickly took over the brothels in the Holy Roman Empire.

Of course, Franz couldn't possibly know any of this, since he wouldn't be staring at such places all day, and no one would bother him with such things.

Besides building up its own power base, Franz was also adept at passing the buck. For example, Russia's biggest agent was Nicholas I, who naturally wouldn't sit idly by and watch others divide up his interests.

Similarly, there was no shortage of influential compradors in Britain, America, and Franz, who would find ways to combat smuggling themselves.

As for the French side, as long as Napoleon III isn't stupid, he'll know what to do.

Despite the seemingly strained relationship between the two countries, trade between them has never ceased. After all, no one turns down money, and both countries understand the importance of combating smuggling.

As for tax exemption, that must be abolished. Regardless of opposition, Franz will carry it out to the end, after all, even the Austrian imperial family cannot avoid paying taxes.

Franz knew all too well the consequences of tax exemption; if Franz dared to open a door, the rest would be left to run rampant.

In fact, Franz had faced this problem before and had experience in solving it. After all, the former Austrian Empire had similar problems all over the place; this was simply a matter of facing it again.

In reality, many people who did not originally have tax-free privileges came to Franz to demand an explanation, their purpose being nothing more than to take advantage of the situation.

Wealth is a powerful motivator; other things like dignity, honor, and integrity can be relegated to a secondary position, even for those who were once great figures.

The problem is that Franz is even less likely to open this door, otherwise the dam will burst and flood the area.

Some people were indeed dissatisfied, but since the military power of each state had been handed over, and important figures such as William I, Maximilian II (of the Kingdom of Bavaria), and William III of the Netherlands did not complain, others naturally dared not say anything.

William I of Prussia had just been defeated, and it was already a miracle that he survived and preserved his family's wealth. In fact, because the defeat was so devastating, he couldn't harbor any resentment at all.

William I's nephew, Prince Blood, was killed in battle, his successor Frederick became permanently deaf, and countless other generals and nobles were killed or wounded.

But Franz came to his rescue, saying that Wilhelm I was misled and that the real culprits were the Prussian capitalists.

Thus, the enraged nobles and the Prussian royal family, along with the angry populace, launched a thorough purge of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Such behavior is extremely damaging to the economy and order, but this crushing defeat needs a scapegoat, and only in this way can Franz peacefully take over the Kingdom of Prussia.

Otherwise, Franz would have to deal with Wilhelm I, the war criminal, but at the same time, he couldn't punish him. Rather than putting himself in this dilemma, he decided to find a more suitable scapegoat.

Although Franz did not punish Wilhelm I, he no longer harbored any ambition to compete.

Crown Prince Frederick, who was deaf, was deeply shocked by the war as a firsthand witness, even though he did not know what Moltke meant by the steel behemoth.

However, Crown Prince Frederick was well aware that this was not the full strength of the Austrian Empire, and even the subsequent reaction of the Austrian army indicated that the other side had fought with considerable restraint.

If the Kingdom of Prussia had been stronger or more resilient, and had provoked the Austrian Empire to retaliate, the outcome would have been far worse.