Holy Roman Empire

Franz was not surprised that immigration work encountered difficulties. It was an inevitable outcome, not something that personal will could prevent.

In Poland, there were millions of refugees. The Russians were unable to provide relief, and to maintain local stability, there were only two choices: expulsion or massacre.

The Russians could only choose expulsion. It was not because the Russian government lacked the courage to wield the butcher’s knife, but because doing so would inevitably provoke international intervention.

By the late 19th century, the fundamental rules had already been established. Arbitrarily breaking the rules would inevitably lead to exclusion from the European world.

At its peak, the Russian Empire naturally did not fear offending Europe. But now, things are different. The Russo-Prussian War had not yet ended, and the Russian government, unwilling to face diplomatic isolation, had to play by the rules.

As the Russian military began expelling refugees, Austria’s immigration efforts were inevitably affected. Even with the full cooperation of the Russian government, the Russian soldiers could not possibly distinguish every refugee.

In this era of chaos and poor communication, no matter how hard the Immigration Bureau worked, it was impossible to inform everyone.

Apart from setting up fixed immigration points in cities, the Immigration Bureau could do little. Even leaving the cities required caution.

The world outside the cities was without social order. Bandits and robbers didn’t care whether you were Austrian or not. They treated everyone equally by robbing them all.

Putting down the telegram in his hand, Franz said calmly, “Things have come to this point. No matter what we do, it won’t change anything.

The difficulties with immigration are caused by force majeure, not the fault of any individual. Failing to achieve the previous plan does not require accountability.

Inform the staff in Poland to prioritize their safety. When traveling, they should have Russian troops assigned to protect them. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will handle the coordination.”

Austria had a well-established system for performance evaluations and accountability. Officials who performed well were credited with achievements, which served as the main reference for promotion. On the other hand, those who failed to complete their tasks would be held accountable, and any issues could effectively end their careers.

However, there were always exceptions. If the failure was due to force majeure and there was no clear negligence on the part of the official, they would not be held responsible.

There was no doubt that what happened in Poland fell under force majeure. If even the Austrian government could not prevent it, how could the lower-level staff?

With such an opportunity, Franz naturally used it to win people’s loyalty. These words of concern were not only meant for the officials in Poland but also for those within Austria.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Foreign Minister Wessenberg responded.

Prime Minister Felix stated, “Your Majesty, a large number of refugees have gathered at the Polish border, attempting to cross into Austria.

Many refugees have been traversing mountains and forests, sneaking across the border. Since the outbreak of the Russo-Prussian War, the border guards have arrested over 100,000 illegal border crossers.

The situation has worsened significantly since the Russians began expelling refugees. Every day, thousands of refugees deliberately attempt to force their way across and are apprehended.”

Since the start of the Russo-Prussian War, illegal border crossings had become a major issue troubling the Austrian government. In reality, the situation was far worse than Felix described.

This also tied into historical issues. Many people living near the Austro-Polish border had familial connections, and a significant number of illegal border-crossing refugees were being sheltered by the local population.

In addition, there were numerous illegal immigration networks. These organizations controlled hidden mountain paths and were smuggling refugees from Poland across the border. Ṛä𐌽ǒBËꞨ

There’s no doubt that these organizations exist purely for profit. Those with money pay smuggling fees, while those without are directly sent to illegal factories or construction sites.

According to data from Austrian courts, over 76% of crimes in the border regions are caused by illegal immigrants.

Naturally, the Austrian government has been cracking down on such criminal activities, which severely threaten Austria’s public security.

Unfortunately, the results have been minimal. Illegal immigration organizations are like weeds—cut down one batch, and another quickly grows in its place.

By comparison, illegal immigrants relying on relatives and friends are somewhat more restrained. Most of these people hide in rural areas, where their family and friends find ways to support them.

After a few years, once they’ve learned German, most of them apply for citizenship. The method is simple, they head to the border and pretend to be citizens of the Holy Roman Empire living in Poland. With so many German states, it’s practically impossible to verify.

This, of course, is the result of the Austrian government turning a blind eye.

Such is reality. Sometimes, it’s better to feign ignorance. Since they claim to be Germans, the government simply doesn’t bother investigating further. Otherwise, Austria’s percentage of ethnic Germans wouldn’t have been steadily rising over time.

Take the example of Galicia. In 1848, Germans in the area 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.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been impossible. Yet, it happened in reality. What transpired in between? Franz didn’t know, nor did he care to know.

It may seem like self-deception, but it was actually highly effective. These people integrated voluntarily, and their sense of identification couldn’t be questioned. If anyone doubted their ethnicity, they would fiercely defend it.

Essentially, European ethnicities were a tangled mess, with many later divided artificially by historians. The 19th century was Europe’s last opportunity for ethnic integration.

The massive influx of refugees into Austria was inevitable. Everyone knew that the Kingdom of Prussia was no match for the Russians, and fleeing to the Prussian rear would still mean facing the ravages of war.

Aside from Prussia, the only neighbors of Poland were Russia and Austria. As long as one had any survival instinct, they wouldn’t flee to Russia so the only option left was Austria.

If not for the deliberate efforts of the Russian army to push refugees toward Prussia, even more might have fled to Austria.

In a sense, those now arriving at the Austro-Polish border were either the fortunate or the clever ones.

Fleeing to the Kingdom of Prussia wasn’t safe, and there was no guarantee of receiving aid. Going to Austria, however, was different. No matter how brutal the Russian army was, they wouldn’t cause trouble in the border areas.

Under normal circumstances, as long as refugees entered the buffer zone tacitly agreed upon by both sides, the Russian army would stop pursuing them.

Once there, if they could slip through unnoticed, they’d try to do so. If not, they could attempt to cross the border illegally. As long as they were smart enough to surrender when encountering border guards, they’d at least have someone to feed them.

As for the future?

Why bother thinking so far ahead? Surviving the present is the priority.

After all, Austria is a country governed by the rule of law. As long as they didn’t violently force their way across, getting caught would result in only two outcomes: imprisonment or exile.

After pondering for a moment, Franz slowly said, “Set up temporary refugee camps in the border areas. The number of people attempting to cross the border will only increase. Not just at the Austro-Polish border, soon, the Austro-Prussian border will also become a hotspot for refugees.

The number of refugees this time might reach astronomical figures, and our prisons probably won’t be able to hold them all. Sending all of them to the colonies would be a huge management headache as well.

Prime Minister, are there any major construction projects in the country that need workers? Right now, we’ve got a batch of free labor coming to us so let’s not waste this opportunity.”

In a country governed by the rule of law, adhering to the law is paramount. Regardless of how many refugees there are, if they cross the border illegally, they must be arrested and detained as required.

This is a matter of principle, and Franz would not bend the rules. Being willing to pay for the establishment of refugee camps was already a sign of his conscience. In these times, the idea of providing free aid to foreign refugees simply didn’t exist.

Prime Minister Felix stated, “The Ludwig Canal in Bavaria (the predecessor of the Main-Danube Canal) can no longer meet the demand, and the government is studying whether to expand it.

The Ministry of Agriculture plans to build 50 medium and large reservoirs in the next decade. The Ministry of Railways is planning the construction of the Arabian Peninsula Railway and the Middle East Railway.

The Ministry of Energy is preparing to promote hydroelectric projects, with plans to increase the share of hydropower from the current 0.3% to 8.5% over the next ten years…”

A series of grand plans made Franz feel as though he had returned to the era of Austria’s great infrastructure boom. However, he was well aware that this time was fundamentally different.

Back then, Austria had mobilized the entire nation to focus on infrastructure development. Now, although these plans were extensive, they required only a fraction of the government’s attention and resources.

The canal expansion and reservoir construction projects primarily faced financial challenges, with no significant technical difficulties.

The railway and hydropower plans, however, were a different matter. In addition to economic challenges, there were also technical hurdles to overcome.

Austria had some experience building railways in desert environments, but these were all short-distance projects. Constructing railways spanning hundreds or even thousands of kilometers in the desert was an entirely different level of complexity.

Hydropower projects were relatively simpler, but only in comparison. The reason was straightforward: hydropower technology had just emerged and was still in its experimental phase.

This was evident from the power generation statistics. Hydropower accounted for only 0.3% of total electricity generation, an almost negligible amount.

Most rivers in Europe have relatively small elevation differences, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of utilizing hydropower. If not for Austria’s abundance of rivers, the idea of promoting hydropower might not have even been considered.

Franz asked, “Have the technical issues with desert railways been resolved?”

He didn’t inquire about hydropower technology because most of Austria’s hydropower projects were privately funded. Capitalists are shrewd. They wouldn’t invest in ventures that would lose money.

Prime Minister Felix replied, “The issues have been preliminarily resolved. The Ministry of Railways plans to establish sand-blocking forests, planting shrubs, date trees, poplars, and sand-binding grasses along both sides of the railway.

Considering the threat of sandstorms, desert highways will first be built in areas prone to frequent sandstorms, with railways postponed for the time being. These concerns mainly apply to inland branch railways.

As for the Middle East Railway and the Arabian Peninsula Railway, most of the areas they will pass through are arid regions rather than true deserts. While some areas will be affected by wind-blown sand, sand-blocking forests should suffice.

We’ve conducted trials, and so far, the results are promising. As long as there aren’t major sandstorms, the forests provide excellent protection. However, the process does take considerable time.”

Franz nodded. In this era, the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula had not yet suffered the extensive damage seen in later generations. Especially after Austria took control of these regions, policies such as land fallowing and bans on livestock grazing were immediately implemented, protecting the natural environment.

“Proceed according to the plan. The government will handle the allocation and proper use of this free labor. Assign language teachers to educate them.

Be sure to first identify and remove any criminals among them. For the rest, evaluate them based on their individual behavior. Those who perform well can receive slightly better treatment, and proactive individuals can have their labor service ended early.

Once their labor service is completed, allow them to leave freely. Those who wish to stay can be paid regular wages.

For refugees with families, especially those with elderly or infirm dependents, provide them with certain benefits and try to settle them in areas with better conditions.”

Showing leniency to the elderly and infirm wasn’t due to Franz being overly compassionate. Refugees fleeing with their families were generally of decent character. With their families as a burden, these individuals were often the easiest to assimilate.

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