Holy Roman Empire

When Obodov received the orders from headquarters, he was initially confused. However, after wandering through the streets and seeing beggars everywhere, he quickly understood what was going on.

The main forces of the Russian army were mostly concentrated in Poland, and under normal circumstances, a task like suppressing bandits would never fall to the heavily weakened Fourth Army.

Now that they were assigned this responsibility, it was clear it wasn’t a show of trust. Given his strained relationship with Marshal Ivanov, it was obvious that any easy opportunity to earn merit wouldn’t come his way.

After carefully reviewing the documents sent by headquarters, Obodov felt both relief and frustration. Taking on this task meant that his prior mistakes would be overlooked, and he wouldn’t have to worry about being held accountable by a military tribunal.

The downside was that the mission to clear up the chaos in Poland was no easy feat. Even though Ivanov had ordered other units to cooperate with the Fourth Army, Obodov was not confident he could complete the task within the allotted time.

Putting down the files, Obodov instructed a young officer, “Invite representatives from the Third Army, Sixth Army, Seventh Army, and Fifth Army to discuss the bandit suppression operation.”

“Wait a moment!”

The one who interrupted was Contreras, the Fourth Army’s chief of staff who was a middle-aged man with a thick beard.

“Commander, it’s not that simple. As far as I know, the Third Army and the Sixth Army have already been dispatched multiple times, killing over 100,000 bandits, yet it hasn’t made any difference.

If we don’t address the root of the problem, no matter how many bandits we eliminate, Poland will never stabilize.”

This was an issue everyone was aware of, but no one wanted to take responsibility so no one dared to break the silence and expose it.

Obodov, too, held onto a sliver of hope. If the problem could be solved through sheer military force, he wouldn’t have to bear the infamy of failure.

Unlike Obodov who was the commander, Contreras, as chief of staff, felt much less pressure.

Typically, the public only remembers the commanding officer. If things go wrong, it’s Obodov who will bear the brunt of the criticism, while Contreras can remain under the radar as long as he keeps a low profile.

From Contreras’ perspective, the most urgent priority was to complete the mission quickly, redeem their past failures, and make up for the mistake of acting without orders last time.

People are practical, after all. Lieutenant General Obodov used to hold significant prestige within the Fourth Army, but that was in the past. Ever since the failure of their last operation, his reputation had plummeted to rock bottom.

No one would trust a general who lost a battle, even though, strictly speaking, Obodov hadn’t actually been defeated.

While the Fourth Army had suffered heavy losses, it had bought enough time for the main forces and played an important strategic role.

Obodov waved his hand helplessly.

“In theory, you’re absolutely correct. But my dear Chief of Staff, are you sure you want to address the root of the problem?

We’re talking about millions of Polish refugees here. Apart from killing a few as an example and intimidating the rest with military force, do you really have another solution?”

No one wanted to bear the infamy of being labeled a “butcher,” as such a name would follow them into infamy forever. Obodov still wanted to fight against that outcome. He wouldn’t resign himself to such a fate unless he had no other choice.

Contreras tentatively suggested, “Perhaps we could consider sending them away. Don’t the Austrians need immigrants? We could do them a favor and send the refugees to them.”

Obodov shook his head and replied, “If the Austrians were willing to take them, the well-respected Marshal Ivanov would’ve done it already. This task would never have fallen to us.

It’s not just Austria. I’ve had people ask every colonial power. None of them are willing to accept refugees unless we’re able to deliver them ourselves.”

It’s not that no one wants them, it’s simply that they can’t afford to take them. Receiving millions of refugees at once is a monumental challenge. Not just now, but even in the 21st century.

Setting aside the enormous transportation costs, the bigger issue is how to move millions of people in such a short time?

If they can’t be transported immediately, then provisions and supplies would have to be provided to sustain them in the meantime.

And that’s just the beginning. Transporting people to the colonies is one thing, but properly settling them is another. Even something as simple as a language barrier could completely overwhelm a colonial administration.

A rough estimate suggests that, under the best circumstances, it would still take 2–3 years to settle so many refugees, and it would cost hundreds of millions of guilders to make it happen.

It takes years to make people industrious, but only three days to make them lazy. With such a long period of inactivity, who could guarantee that these refugees would be willing to work diligently once they were settled?

Handled poorly, what should’ve been a good deed could easily turn into a disaster. Instead of generating wealth, the refugees could end up becoming a burden on the colonial administration.

Given the massive expenses and high risks involved, with costs far outweighing potential benefits, it’s no surprise that the major colonial empires are unwilling to accept this wave of refugees.

From the immigration policies of the major colonial empires, it’s clear that they all prefer to receive immigrants in small, scattered batches rather than absorbing large numbers all at once.

Even Austria follows this practice. While there are no restrictions on organizing migration from within its own borders, when it comes to accepting foreign immigrants, a screening process is always in place.

Moreover, human nature is unpredictable. Who can guarantee that these refugees, after receiving aid and supplies, would still go through with migration? They might just take the resources and return home instead.

With so many people involved, relying solely on the integrity of the Russians for supervision is something no country would feel comfortable with.

The idea of “contractual obligation” holds no sway over refugees. It’s precisely because it’s absent that nations promote the concept of contractual obligation.

If migration were enforced through contracts, it’s likely that even if the refugees reached their destinations, no one would dare accept them. Many of these individuals, after all, have significant experience as guerrilla fighters.

Contreras asked doubtfully, “I passed by the Austrian Embassy yesterday and saw many people applying for immigration there, including beggars. They didn’t seem to have refused to accept refugees, did they?”

Obodov shook his head and said, “Most of those people are Germans. The Austrian government has regulations stating that as long as they identify themselves as subjects of the Holy Roman Empire, they can bypass a series of restrictions.

Even so, to qualify, they must at least speak German. Do you think any of these refugees can speak German fluently?”

The long lines outside the Austrian Embassy were largely thanks to the Prussian government’s efforts to promote the German language in the Polish territories.

Unfortunately, the time had been too short, and with resistance from the Poles, only a small number of people could speak German fluently. A significant portion of them were actually immigrants from the Rhineland.

Of course, this “small number” was relative to the total refugee population. In reality, it still amounted to hundreds of thousands of people.

After pondering for a moment, Contreras suggested decisively, “In that case, why not simply drive the refugees into the Kingdom of Prussia and let the enemy deal with the headache?”

Obodov sighed, “That would be very difficult. The number of refugees is too large, and they won’t follow our orders. Once word gets out, they’re more likely to scatter and flee in all directions.

Besides, it won’t be long before we launch another offensive against the enemy. These refugees will ultimately still end up being our responsibility.”

Contreras shook his head and said, “Obodov, you’ve changed. The old you would never have been this hesitant.

It’s impossible to drive out all the refugees, and we don’t need to expel every single one. As long as we can get rid of the majority, the remaining ones won’t be able to stir up much trouble.

As for future issues, we can deal with them when the time comes. Right now, our priority is to complete the task. Once the war is over, we’ll have plenty of time to handle the refugee problem.”

Obodov nodded and replied, “Perhaps you’re right. People have to grow. The lessons from last time were severe enough, so now I have to think things through more carefully. Maybe this is who I truly am.

Still, expelling the refugees is a good idea. At least it’s more acceptable than slaughtering them, and maybe this is exactly what the Russian government wants to see.”

…

With Obodov’s orders, chaos erupted across Poland.

It began in the cities, where the Russian army had no time to differentiate between groups. Many poorly dressed civilians also fell victim to the crackdown through no fault of their own.

Fear spread rapidly. Ordinary citizens were too terrified to leave their homes, worried they might be mistaken for refugees and dealt with accordingly.

Wherever there is oppression, there is resistance. However, ordinary civilians were no match for the army. The Russian forces, notorious for their ruthlessness, dealt with resistance in one way: death.

If one person resisted, they killed one; if a thousand resisted, they killed a thousand.

The Russians firmly believed that there was no problem the butcher’s knife couldn’t solve. If a problem persisted, it simply meant they hadn’t killed enough people.

As it turned out, the bloodshed unleashed by Obodov was highly effective. The soldiers didn’t even need to actively drive people out, just the sight of Russian troops was enough to send refugees fleeing on their own.

In no time, bandits and robbers vanished, either fleeing the region or going into hiding, leaving only the guerrilla fighters to resist, isolated and outnumbered.

…

At the Austrian embassy in Warsaw, Envoy Andrew was in a terrible mood. Ever since the Russian army began expelling refugees, the number of immigration applications had dropped dramatically.

It wasn’t that the Russians were deliberately preventing Austria from accepting immigrants. The problem was that, in the process of expelling refugees, they had inadvertently also driven away people who were originally eligible for immigration.

This wasn’t intentional on the Russians’ part, it was simply that everyone was mixed together in the refugee groups. Unless someone actively identified themselves, the Russian soldiers had no way to distinguish who was who.

Faced with the fierce and intimidating Russian soldiers, very few people dared to step forward and reveal their identities. Most just went along with the crowd and fled with the larger groups.

By the time Envoy Andrew realized what was happening and lodged a protest with the Russians, it was already too late. The people were gone, and it wasn’t feasible to demand the Russians round them up and bring them back.

Without the refugees, who made up the bulk of applicants, immigration applications plummeted. Unless the review criteria were relaxed, it would be impossible to meet the immigration targets.

An official in charge of immigration, Pototska, asked, “Your Excellency, what did the Russians say?”

Andrew replied with a bitter smile, “Regret, apologies, and nothing can be done!”

This response was frustratingly unsatisfactory, yet it reflected the truth. The Russians genuinely had no solution at this point, and Austria couldn’t afford to dwell on this issue endlessly.

“So what about our immigration efforts? Not long ago, we assured the homeland that we could secure at least 300,000 immigrants from Poland. From the current situation, it seems we’ll be lucky to achieve half that number. Damn Slavic brutes, they act without thinking…” Pototska grumbled irritably.

Envoy Andrew understood Pototska’s frustration. A sure thing slipping away at the last moment would upset anyone. But the situation was beyond salvaging, and complaining wouldn’t change anything.

“Mr. Pototska, now isn’t the time for complaints. Quickly report the situation to the homeland. This is beyond our ability to handle now.

However, based on the current circumstances, there’s little that can be done domestically either. With the Russians expelling refugees into Prussia, I’m afraid those people are as good as lost.”

Pototska nodded, understanding what Envoy Andrew meant. ‘Lost’ doesn’t mean physically; it refers more to mentally.

When the Prussians controlled Warsaw, they distributed relief food once a week, and the refugees could still maintain basic social order.

However, as soon as the Russians arrived, they stopped the food distribution, and naturally, social order broke down. Those with supplies were still struggling to hold on, while those without were already out searching for a livelihood.

They resorted to foraging for wild vegetables, chewing tree bark, or even turning to banditry. The Russians had only recently arrived, and the famine had just begun, so most people could still barely survive, and many were still holding onto their sanity.

But with the Russian expulsion of the refugees, this crisis would only intensify. There wouldn’t be much food on the road. When people are starved to the brink, they can do anything.

“Exchanging children and eating them*” is not just a historical anecdote, it’s something that is about to play out in reality.

Those who experience such a thing, even if they survive, are no longer truly human. They can only be considered upright walking animals, already mentally destroyed.

*******

Footnote: *Idiom: 易子而食 - (archaic) to exchange own children with one another and then eat them (describing dire famines)

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