Holy Roman Empire

In its effort to rally international support, the Prussian government didn’t limit its outreach to Austria. Almost simultaneously, invitations were sent to governments across Europe.

What each nation truly thought remained unknown, but publicly, everyone issued righteous condemnations of the “bandits.”

If words alone could kill, the Russian Cossack cavalry might have already been wiped out by now.

While diplomacy was in motion, public opinion campaigns weren’t idle either. The Prussian government purchased space in numerous newspapers, publishing harrowing photos of Russian atrocities alongside the survivors’ heart-wrenching testimonies.

These efforts weren’t in vain. The Prussian government succeeded in garnering widespread sympathy from the European public. Public opinion overwhelmingly turned against Russia, and even pro-Russian media outlets fell silent.

Many newspapers accepted the Prussian government’s invitation to send war correspondents to the front lines to gather firsthand accounts.

Beyond journalism, the Prussian government also produced a stage play titled “The Bandits’ Rampage,” performed by traveling theater troupes across the European continent.

The plot was simple: In a peaceful village, a band of Russian “bandits” suddenly arrives, bringing death, destruction, and plunder. The brave villagers rise up in resistance but are ultimately overwhelmed. In a final act of sacrifice, they fight to protect their children’s escape…

Entertainment options were scarce in this era, and the play became an instant sensation. At the Vienna Opera House, it ran for an entire week, attracting full audiences night after night.

Tragedies have a unique way of stirring emotions, and the theatrical portrayal delivered an impact far more visceral than any written account. After every performance, noblewomen in the audience were often reduced to tears.

If fundraising could be organized, the Prussian government would surely reap significant gains this time. Public opinion had been fully mobilized, and calls for intervention grew louder, putting immense pressure on the Austrian government.

Vienna Palace

Franz casually tossed aside a petition letter from the public and asked irritably, “Have the Russians not responded at all? Such a significant incident has occurred, and yet the Russian government hasn’t thought to step forward and offer an explanation?”

In just one month, Franz had received 286 joint petition letters, all demanding that the Austrian government intervene to stop the massacres.

Organizations such as the German Cultural Exchange Association, the German Unification Committee, the Germanic National Cultural Exchange Association, and the Holy Roman Empire Cultural and Economic Promotion Society, among dozens of others, urged the Austrian government to take action.

The reason was simple: the victims were not just Poles but also many Germans. In the eyes of nationalists, these were “their own people” and could not be left to suffer under Russian brutality.

“Your Majesty, the Russian government has indeed responded. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly issued statements denying the allegations, claiming that the massacres were not carried out by the Russian army but by local bandits within the Prussian-Polish Federation.

However, the Russians acted too slowly. The tide of public opinion has already formed, and with the Prussian government presenting ample evidence, reversing the narrative is nearly impossible,” replied Chancellor Felix.

One missed step, and every step afterward would falter. In an era when communication was slow and newspapers were the primary source of information, once an idea took root in people’s minds, changing it became exceedingly difficult.

Moreover, the Prussian government hadn’t fabricated anything as the Russians had indeed committed these atrocities.

“The Russian government is full of idiots!” Franz blurted out.

It was clear that this came from Franz’s genuine feelings. Reality was right in front of them and there was no way to whitewash the situation. But shaping public opinion didn’t necessarily require clearing one’s name. It was enough to drag one’s competitors down to the same level.

Denying everything was indeed one way to handle it, but the timing was all wrong!

If a nation with a good reputation had said it, they might have convinced some people. But coming from the Russian government, who would believe them?

If Franz were in their shoes, he would have simply followed the Prussian government’s example by gathering evidence of Prussian military atrocities, embellish them artistically, magnify the events a hundredfold, and pay newspapers to publish the stories. РÀ𐌽ȫβΕṠ

It didn’t matter how many people believed it, the goal was to create momentum. After all, European armies had a long tradition of looting and that was no secret.

If they couldn’t clean their own reputation, they could at least drag their opponents down with them. If everyone was stained black, the problem would solve itself.

“Your Majesty, it’s not just domestic public opinion. International sentiment is also overwhelmingly against the Russians, with France making the most noise.

Just three days ago, 50,000 Parisians gathered in the square of the Palace of Versailles to protest, demanding their government to intervene in the war.

This isn’t the first time. According to reports from our embassy, there have been 48 demonstrations of various sizes across France this month alone, and half of them were calling for the French government to intervene.

Five days ago, there was also a demonstration in London, though the number of participants wasn’t as large as in France.

From the current situation, if the Russian government cannot break this deadlock, it won’t be long before other governments step in,” Wessenberg analyzed.

The French public was still as enthusiastic as ever. Napoleon IV must have felt like crying by now. Taking the initiative to intervene and being forced into intervention by public opinion were two entirely different concepts.

For an emperor to lose control over his government’s foreign policy and instead be swayed by public opinion was intolerable for any ruler.

Once it happened once, it would happen again. If people realized that public opinion could influence government decisions, similar incidents would keep occurring in the future.

The reason other governments didn’t immediately step in was likely because they didn’t want to appear as though they were being dictated by public sentiment.

In a way, the Prussian government’s plan was both a success and a failure.

While they managed to gain support from various countries, they also offended the upper echelons of those governments. Intervention would certainly happen, but the extent and timing of it remained uncertain.

“If possible, I suggest delaying international intervention for as long as we can. Recently, the Immigration Bureau has secured nearly 50,000 immigrants from Russian-held territories.

Although most of them are elderly, women, and children, they still provide a significant supplement to the labor-scarce colonies,” said Minister of Colonies Stephen.

Fifty thousand immigrants might not seem valuable, but if they were 50,000 immigrants of the dominant ethnicity, it would be a completely different matter.

Austrian Africa was the lifeblood of the Austrian government, and the authorities had always carefully controlled the ethnic composition of the region. Fifty thousand immigrants might seem like a small number, but they had already increased the dominant population ratio by two per thousand.

This was merely a statistical calculation and the real impact was far greater. To accelerate cultural integration, Austria had always dispersed immigrants across regions, resulting in countless cross-ethnic marriages.

With such visible benefits, the Colonial Ministry was naturally reluctant to give them up.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz ultimately set aside his conscience, “Inform the Russian government that international intervention is imminent. If they don’t want to face sanctions, they had better expose the Prussian army’s atrocities and muddy the waters first.”

When it came to national interests, Franz couldn’t afford to be sentimental. If the Russian government didn’t know what to do, they would just have to be taught.

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