Holy Roman Empire

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Difficulties in the immigration work did not come as a surprise to Franz. It was an inevitable outcome, beyond the power of any individual to stop.

In the Polish Region, there were millions of refugees whom the Russians were unable to aid; to maintain stability in the area, there were only two options: expulsion or slaughter.

The Russians could only choose expulsion. It wasn’t that the Tsarist Government lacked the courage to wield the butcher’s knife, but rather that doing so would surely invite international intervention.

It was now the late 19th century, and the rules of the game had been established; wanton violation of these rules would surely lead to ostracization by the European world.

In its heyday, the Russian Empire cared little for offending the European world but the situation was now different. As the Prusso-Russian War had not yet ended, the Tsarist Government did not wish to be diplomatically isolated and thus had to play by the rules.

As the Russian Army began expelling refugees, Austria’s immigration efforts naturally suffered. Even with the Tsarist Government’s full cooperation, it was impossible for Russian soldiers to identify every refugee.

In this age of chaos and unreliable communication, no matter how hard the Immigration Bureau tried, it was impossible to notify everyone.

Besides setting up fixed immigration points in the cities, there wasn’t much the Immigration Bureau could do; even venturing out of the city required caution.

Outside the city, there was no social order. Mountain thieves didn’t care whether you were Austrian or not—they treated everyone equally: by robbing them.

Putting down the telegram in his hand, Franz said nonchalantly, "At this point, nothing can remedy the situation.

The difficulties encountered by the immigrants are due to force majeure, not the fault of any one individual. There’s no need for accountability if the previous plans are not completed.

Tell the staff in the Polish Region to ensure their own safety. For their travels, try to have Russian soldiers provide protection, and the Foreign Ministry will coordinate."

Austria had a comprehensive assessment and accountability system wherein good performance by an official was considered a political achievement and served as the main basis for promotion. Conversely, failure to complete tasks required accountability and if there were problems, it generally meant the end of one’s career.

However, there were exceptions to every rule; if failure was due to force majeure and there was no clear negligence on the part of the official, they likewise did not have to take responsibility.

Without a doubt, the events occurring in Poland were a force majeure; the Vienna Government couldn’t prevent it, much less its employees below them.

Such a good opportunity naturally allowed Franz to win people’s hearts. His words of concern were not meant only for the officials in Poland, but also for the domestic officials.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Foreign Minister Weisenberg replied.

Prime Minister Felix said, "Your Majesty, a large number of refugees have gathered at the Polish border, wanting to cross into Austria.

Many refugees have been trekking over mountains and sneaking through forests to cross the border. Since the outbreak of the Prusso-Russian War, the border troops have arrested over a hundred thousand illegal crossers.

Especially since the Russians began expelling refugees, this situation has become even more severe with thousands of refugees intentionally rushing the border and getting caught each day."

Since the outbreak of the Prusso-Russian War, illegal crossing has been a difficult problem for the Vienna Government, with the actual situation being far more serious than what Prime Minister Felix stated.

This also involved historical issues, as there were many people on the Austrian-Polish border who had familial or friendly ties; many of the illegal crossers were refugees who received cover from the local populace.

Furthermore, a large number of illegal immigration organizations existed. These organizations controlled the little-known mountain trails, orchestrating refugee smuggling from the Polish Region.

Undoubtedly, these organizations were profit-driven. Those with money paid smuggling fees, while those without were directly arranged to enter sweatshops or construction sites.

According to statistics from Austrian courts, over 76% of illegal activities in the border regions were caused by illegal immigrants. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Facing such detrimental criminal activities to Austrian social order, the Vienna Government naturally sought to crackdown.

Unfortunately, the efforts yielded little success, as illegal immigration organizations sprouted like weeds, quickly coming back after being cut down.

Compared to these groups, the illegal immigrants who relied on relatives or friends for help were somewhat more law-abiding. Most of these people hid in the countryside, with their family and friends finding ways to arrange for their livelihood.

After a few years, when they learned to speak Austrian, many of them would apply for citizenship. The method was simple: go to the border and pretend to be a Shinra citizen living in Poland; with so many states in the German Confederation, it was virtually impossible to verify.

Well, the latter was the result of the Vienna Government turning a blind eye.

The reality is such, sometimes it’s better to be confused; if someone claims to be German, the government naturally doesn’t bother to investigate further. Otherwise, the proportion of Austria’s main ethnic group wouldn’t have been steadily rising.

One could specifically look at the Galicia Area, where in 1848, the Germans accounted for less than one-tenth of the population, but by 1880 they had risen to 38.6%, surpassing Poles and Ukrainians to become the largest ethnic group.

Normally, such a change would be impossible, but in reality, it had indeed occurred. Whatever had happened in the interim, Franz neither knew nor wanted to know.

It might seem self-deceptive, but in fact, it was quite effective. These people actively integrated themselves, and their sense of belonging was beyond doubt. If anyone questioned their ethnicity, they would earnestly object.

Essentially, the ethnic landscape of Europe was a tangled mess, and most ethnicities were artificially divided by later generations. The 19th century was Europe’s last chance to integrate ethnicities.

The influx of a large number of refugees into Austria was inevitable; everyone knew that the Kingdom of Prussia was no match for the Russians, and settling behind Prussia would still mean enduring war.

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Aside from the Kingdom of Prussia, the only other countries bordering Poland are Russia and Austria, and unless one is tired of living, nobody would run to Russia, so Austria is the only option.

If the Russian Army hadn’t intentionally driven the refugees toward the Kingdom of Prussia, more might have headed to Austria.

In some sense, those now at the Austrian-Polish border are either the fortunate ones or the clever ones.

Heading to the Kingdom of Prussia isn’t safe, and there’s no guarantee of receiving aid. It’s different with Austria, no matter how brutal the Russian Army may be, they wouldn’t stir trouble at the border area.

Normally, as long as one enters the buffer zone agreed upon by both parties, the Russian Army would stop.

If you can bluff your way through here, then do so by all means. If not, you can still attempt to cross illegally; just surrender to the guard troops if you’re smart, and you’ll find someone to feed you.

As for the future?

Why worry about so much when the immediate priority is to survive?

After all, Austria is a country of law and order. Unless you break through the border violently, getting caught would mean either imprisonment or deportation.

After pondering for a moment, Franz slowly said, "Establish temporary refugee camps in the border area, as the number of people trying to cross is expected to increase. Not just the Austrian-Polish border, but soon the Austrian-Prussian border will also become a hotspot for refugee inflow.

The number of refugees this time is astronomical; our prisons might not even have enough space. Sending them all to the colonies would also present major management issues.

Prime Minister, are there any major infrastructure projects back home that need to be built? We now have a batch of free labor knocking at our door that we can’t afford to waste."

The most important thing in a country of law is to uphold the law. No matter how many refugees there are, those who cross illegally must be captured and detained if necessary.

This is a matter of principle, and Franz would not break the rules. Being willing to spend money to set up refugee camps is already a show of his conscience, as there is no notion of gratuitous relief for refugees from other countries nowadays.

Prime Minister Felix said, "The Ludwig Canal (the predecessor of the Rhine-Danube River) in the Bavarian Region can no longer meet the demand, and the government is looking into expanding it.

The Department of Agriculture plans to build fifty medium-to-large water reservoirs over the next decade; the Railway Department plans to build the Ring Arabian Peninsula Railway and the Middle East Railway; the Electric Power Department is set to advance hydroelectric power projects, planning to increase hydroelectricity from the current 0.3% to 8.5% over the next ten years..."

A series of grand plans made Franz feel as if he were back in the era of great construction in Austria. But he knew clearly that this was distinctly different.

Back then, Austria mobilized national efforts to work on infrastructure, whereas now these projects are huge, they only require a portion of the government’s effort.

Canal expansion and reservoir construction, these projects are all about money; there’s no technical difficulty.

Railway and hydroelectric power projects are different, they involve not only economic issues but also technical ones.

Austria has experience in constructing railways in the desert, although only over short distances. This time, the construction of several hundred or even thousands of kilometers of desert railways is not the same level.

Hydroelectric power is relatively simple, but only relatively. The reason is simple: the technology has just emerged and is still in the experimental stage.

One can tell from the electricity output -- hydroelectric power accounts for just three-tenths of a percent of total power generation, almost negligible.

Most European rivers have small drops, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of utilizing hydropower. If not for the abundance of rivers in Austria, probably no one would have thought of promoting hydropower.

Franz asked, "Are the technical issues with the desert railway resolved?"

He didn’t ask about hydroelectric power station technology because most of Austria’s hydroelectric construction is privately invested, and capitalists are smarter than anyone else; no one would engage in a business that loses money.

Prime Minister Felix answered, "We have preliminarily resolved it. The Railway Department plans to build protective forests, planting shrubs, date trees, poplars, and other sand-fixing plants alongside the railways.

Considering the threat of sandstorms, we plan to construct desert highways first in areas with frequent sandstorms, postponing railway construction. These issues mainly concern branch lines penetrating inland.

The areas through which the Middle East Railway and the Ring Arabian Peninsula Railway will pass are mostly desolate, and many are affected by sand and wind but aren’t true deserts, so protective forests should suffice.

We’ve already conducted trials, and thus far, the results seem promising; as long as we don’t encounter a major sandstorm, they’re very effective, though the process takes some time."

Franz nodded, understanding. During these times, the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula had not yet suffered the severe damage of later years, especially since Austria occupied these areas and immediately implemented policies such as land fallowing and the prohibition of grazing, thereby protecting the natural environment.

"Proceed according to plan. For these free laborers, the government will bear the responsibility to allocate and use them rationally, sending language teachers for their edification.

Remember to weed out the criminals first, and then it’s up to the individuals’ performance. Those who perform well may receive slightly better treatment. The proactive ones could even finish their forced labor early.

After the end of their labor service, they are allowed to leave freely; those who wish to stay will be paid normal wages.

For refugees who have brought their families, including the elderly and weak, we should grant certain privileges, placing them in better areas when possible."

Granting privileges to the elderly and weak does not mean Franz is a saint; those able to flee with their families are generally of good character. Since they have the burden of family, this group is often the easiest to assimilate.

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