Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 240: Refugee Crisis Erupts

The battle between the British and the Principality of Montenegro went largely unnoticed, as the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great. Such a gap could not be bridged by sheer enthusiasm alone, and the outcome was essentially predetermined from the start.

Even Franz had little hope for the Principality of Montenegro. Its foundations were too weak to withstand prolonged attrition. Even if they managed to repel the Anglo-Sardinian coalition, they would still be on the losing end.

That is the tragedy of small nations. With such a limited population, regardless of their fighting ability, war always means loss of life, and the Principality of Montenegro simply cannot afford such losses.

The war in the Near East has dragged on to this day, and the Balkan Peninsula has already lost more than a million people, perhaps more than two or three million, with a heavy toll among the young and able-bodied.

The Ottomans drafted strong men into the fight, and the Russians showed no less mercy. One example of this is the ongoing Siege of Constantinople, in which the Russians dispatched many young, robust soldiers to serve as cannon fodder on the front lines.

Those Russian soldiers were their own people, and even though they were insignificant, they still belonged to the Tsar’s army. They were still worth more than these other cannon fodders.

In the Siege of Constantinople, there were losses of thousands of men each day. Even with Russia’s vast manpower, this is not sustainable!

If cannon fodder is used, Menshikov would be under no pressure. If they die, they die. The Austrian government has been very cooperative in this regard.

Before receiving Austrian citizenship, the Austrian government has no obligation to ensure their safety. Recently, the two Danubian Principalities have suffered greatly at the hands of the Russians.

Those who initially resisted learning Austrian are now regretting it too late. There’s no choice; failing to meet the language proficiency and political ideology criteria means no citizenship.

Currently, the two Danube Principalities are nominally vassal states of the Ottoman Empire. The Austrians are only temporarily occupying them and are under no obligation to ensure their safety.

Franz could only express his regret at the atrocities committed by the Russian army. To protest, one would have to go to St. Petersburg, since the Russian military was not under his control and he was powerless to change the current situation.

Conscripting strong men was not the worst part; those who understand the Russians know that most of these Russian soldiers receive no military pay. Their only source of income is looting on the battlefield.

According to reports from the front, at least half of the local population has been robbed by the Russian army. Except for areas where the Austrian army is stationed, which are relatively safe, other areas are left to the mercy of the Russians.

Due to the westward strategy, Austria had withdrawn a large number of troops and naturally could not take care of all areas. Only regions well integrated into the Austrian culture had Austrian soldiers stationed there, giving the Russians opportunities.

Franz could guarantee that Austria had absolutely no collusion with the Russians in this matter; these atrocities were spontaneously organized by the Russian soldiers.

Everyone was very willing to cooperate in disposing of the loot. After the Russians had finished their looting, the Austrian-controlled safe zones were the best places for their transactions.

Almost every time the Russian army passed through, it left the area in utter chaos. Those who were lucky enough were only robbed; the less fortunate faced the destruction of their homes and the loss of their lives.

The world is so cruel. By the time the news reached Franz, everything had already happened; it was a fait accompli. The number of local deaths was completely unknown, and could only be slowly tallied after the war.

Not only were the Russians and Ottomans wreaking havoc in the Balkans, but the Anglo-French-Sardinian allied forces were no better. To improve their food supply, everyone took matters into their own hands to make sure they were well-fed and well-clothed.

With so many armies taking turns to ravage the region, the wealthy, including the Ottoman nobility, had long since fled.

These were the wise ones who knew that it was futile to reason with the common soldiers. In times of war and chaos, human life is the cheapest commodity.

Those who could flee did so, leaving behind a group of poor souls. They were either the lowest of the free citizens or serfs, with nowhere to go even if they wanted to escape.

Marshal Radetzky said with a furrowed brow, “Your Majesty, urgent telegrams from the front line report that the Serbian region was being overwhelmed by refugees and has been suppressed by the military.

The atmosphere is now extremely tense, and it’s feared that chaos will break out again soon. The newly formed Ninth Division stationed at the front is asking for support from the homeland.”

There’s no way around it. Every war inevitably creates large numbers of refugees. People lose their livelihoods because of the war and have no choice but to seek a livelihood elsewhere.

Concerned, Franz asked, “How many refugees are gathered at the border?”

Marshal Radetzky thought for a moment before answering, "At least several hundred thousand, possibly over a million. The situation is too chaotic for an effective count.

Initially, we took in tens of thousands of refugees. Later, as the numbers grew too large and there were concerns about disrupting local order, the General Staff ordered a halt to the influx.

This was a failure on the part of our General Staff. Recently, we’ve been preoccupied with the westward strategy and neglected the refugee issue.

Now, with more and more refugees gathering at our controlled borders, the front-line troops are overwhelmed. We only noticed when they sent a telegram asking for help.”

Because of the war, regions such as Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the two Danubian Principalities are all under military administration. Since the Austrian government has not gained sovereignty over these areas, no local governments have been established.

Since it’s under military administration, these issues naturally fall on the shoulders of the General Staff. One cannot expect a group of military officers to have strong capabilities in governing localities. The stability they maintain relies on military force.

The Austrian General Staff, including Marshal Radetzky, overlooked the refugee problem and failed to report it to Franz in time. It wasn’t until the situation erupted that they began to take it seriously.

Frankly, the General Staff’s reaction wasn’t wrong. Allowing so many refugees to pass through would have quickly led to a humanitarian tragedy.

The order that Austria had just managed to establish in the region would likely have collapsed immediately.

If social order can be maintained by increasing the number of troops, then the problem of feeding the people is truly unsolvable.

In this era, addressing the food needs of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, without advance preparation is an insurmountable challenge. Where could Franz quickly gather such vast resources?

It’s not a lack of resources, but a matter of the limited time to mobilize them. Remember, the Austrian government has already dispatched a significant amount of food for relief efforts.

However, this food is barely enough to sustain the refugees in the Austrian-occupied territories. They are truly powerless in the face of the influx of additional external refugees.

Franz, puzzled, asked, “Isn’t it strange? With so many refugees, they should have broken through our blockade by now. Why did this problem only arise after such a large gathering of people?”

Marshal Radetzky replied, “Your Majesty, most of these refugees are old people, women, and children, and there are not enough young and able-bodied men. So at first, when they encountered military blockades, many chose to retreat.

It was only after some of the routed soldiers joined the refugees and took charge that they started rushing our blockade line.”

Franz nodded. After the end of the Second Battle of Bulgaria, a large number of routed soldiers appeared on the Balkan Peninsula, wreaking havoc in the region and causing a massive refugee crisis.

By now, they probably can’t find anywhere else to loot, so they’ve ended up among the refugees.

If no one took the lead, no matter how large the group of old and weak people, women, and children became, they wouldn’t dare to cross the border. After all, human rights aren’t a consideration in this era — the soldiers would dare to open fire as long as someone tried to break through the blockade.

Understanding the situation, Franz also had a headache. Without asking, he could imagine the terrible situation and scenes of people resorting to desperate measures were already forming in his mind.

Yet, letting them in was even more impossible. Without enough food, these people, once in chaos, would only create more refugees.

This isn’t the 21st century, where the government could easily mobilize a huge amount of resources if it wanted to. With the current state of transportation relying on ox carts, what could Franz do to send them a huge amount of supplies?

People can do anything when they are extremely hungry. Franz didn’t dare to test the nature of human kindness and evil, even in later ages, this remained a dilemma for all nations.

One may argue that this was a thankless job that demanded effort but produced nothing but resentment. Franz was filled with a wave of hatred as he considered this.

If they’re going to ignore it, commit to doing so entirely. He wouldn’t have had to deal with this headache if they had simply been ignorant, as the British bureaucrats had done. It would have been so much better to follow their lead and do things by the book.

Now that the issue is out in the open, it can’t just be ignored, right?

Franz asked, “Prime Minister, how do you think we should handle this problem?”

This was passing the responsibility. Since Franz couldn’t think of a perfect solution, he had to leave it to the cabinet. If there’s a solution, great; if not, the cabinet would have to bear the blame in the end.

Prime Minister Felix hesitantly said, “Your Majesty, first send troops to reinforce the front lines. We must prevent more people from becoming refugees. Then, we can mobilize supplies from within the country for relief.”

Franz understood his words: it meant holding the blockade. By then, after the relief supplies had been mobilized, many of the refugees would probably have died, and there would be enough food for the rest.

Marshal Radetzky thought for a moment and said, “Your Majesty, other areas can be sealed off, but the Bosnia-Herzegovina region may be difficult. The forests there are too dense, and it may be impossible to stop the flow of refugees.”

Finance Minister Karl asked in confusion, “Aren’t we the only ones facing this problem? How are the Kingdom of Greece, the Principality of Montenegro, the Ottomans, and the Russians dealing with it?”

Metternich answered, “The situation in the Kingdom of Greece has been reported by the officials sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That fool Otto I, seeing the refugees, thought it was an opportunity to increase the population and ordered the government to provide relief.

As a result, the influx of refugees was too much for them to handle. With the British army entering and disrupting local order, the area turned chaotic. The new Greek government is now suppressing the riots caused by refugees.

The situation is still not optimistic. Likely, they will soon ask for aid from the three governing countries. I suspect that the British agreed so readily at the Paris Conference after seeing this situation.”

The situation in the other countries is also known. The area controlled by the Ottoman Empire was definitely in chaos. The Ottoman government is incapable of helping the refugees, and the British and French are not philanthropists; they won’t help without a reason.

The Principality of Montenegro is as poor as it gets. They are still at war with the allied forces, and only a fool would go there. If a fool goes there, he can’t expect a good end.

At this moment, Franz began to envy the Russians for their bad reputation. Because of the atrocities of the Russian army, the refugees are too afraid to approach them.

As a result, even the Danube Principalities, under Austrian control because of the Russian blockade, were not affected by the Balkan refugee crisis.

It’s a typical case of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Austria, with its not-so-terrible reputation and seemingly more prosperous appearance, has become the unfortunate target.

Do you expect Franz to tarnish his reputation by slaughtering refugees? That’s impossible! Perhaps the Russian government would have given such an order.

Franz said with a heavy heart: “If we cannot hold Bosnia and Herzegovina, we might as well not defend it at all. Tell the refugees to go to the coast. Only on the coast can we mobilize enough food for relief.”

This is the harsh reality. Inland transportation is too difficult. Even with the Danube River, the river’s capacity is not unlimited and must prioritize the supply needs of the troops and the Russians.

Traveling from Serbia to the port covers hundreds of kilometers, including crossing mountains and hills. Not many would be able to survive the journey.

It’s not about being cruel; it’s better to have hope than none. Most of Bosnia is mountainous, and Austria has only recently gained control of it. The assimilation work there has been very unsuccessful, so it wouldn’t break Franz's heart to give it up.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Marshal Radetzky replied softly.

He knew that the Emperor was displeased with this issue, but there was no alternative. The General Staff hadn’t anticipated this and had missed the optimal time to handle the situation.

With so many people gathered together, the local tree bark and roots were likely consumed entirely. When the starving people inevitably stormed the blockade lines, Marshal Radetzky couldn’t bring himself to massacre the refugees, leaving it to Franz.

Prime Minister Felix frowned and said, “Your Majesty, helping these refugees now creates another problem for the future — their resettlement. Allowing them to remain in the Balkans could be a potential threat.”

He was opposed to such relief efforts. Apart from consuming vast amounts of financial and material resources, it would ultimately not even earn a word of gratitude.

Those who manage to survive under these circumstances are usually the morally degraded; the not-so-cruel ones wouldn’t make it to the end.

Franz thought for a moment and said, “Of course, they should all be repatriated to the Ottoman Empire. As soon as these people arrive, they should be immediately put on ships and sent away, and the people from Bosnia should be sent along with them.

If the Ottoman Empire refuses to accept them, then send them all to the African continent, to serve as the first batch of immigrants in our colonization of Africa.

The navy should immediately select suitable landing sites and occupy several strongholds on the African continent, thus marking the early start of Austria’s colonial era.

Organize the ships as soon as possible. Transporting so many people will definitely not be easy, so everyone should be mentally prepared in advance.”

If they were just simple refugees, settling them in the Balkans wouldn’t be a problem; they could be assimilated gradually. Unfortunately, many soldiers that have deserted were mixed in among them and would become a threat.

Given this, the only option is to relocate them. People are less troublesome away from their homeland. Plus, with scattered resettlement in Africa, Franz isn’t worried about them causing trouble.

This would also be a good opportunity to solve the hidden dangers in Bosnia. The Austrian government has spent so much effort and resources, it cannot afford to do so in vain.

These workers, used for the development of the African continent, would be an example of turning waste into wealth. After slowly reforming them overseas for several years they could be brought back. Time can dilute everything.

Reform them gradually over time abroad; everything becomes diluted with time. More priests should then be sent to instruct and reform them.

Permit them to repent from their transgressions, gradually get back to regular life, and eventually integrate into the Austrian system. As Franz considered this, an idea came to him.

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