German Red Prince

Page 213

Politically, they were outmaneuvered, and economically, they were outmaneuvered as well. Their original goal was to suppress the Aryan National Party, which was still in its development stage. After the Social Democratic Party came to power, they personally handed it over to the Social Democratic Party. The Social Democratic Party even held an emergency meeting. It was rare that even they had to resort to intrigue and trickery.

This is an absolutely daring plan: to assassinate the Crown Prince and frame the Aryan National Party. However, the plan must not be too drastic. If the Crown Prince is actually killed, then everything is over. Just make it a token effort, like an accidental shooting. While the Crown Prince is hunting, fire a sniper, arrange for a random assassin to be framed, and quickly take them down.

Emperor Karl was completely unaware of this matter. When he heard that the crown prince had been assassinated, he nearly fainted. He wished that such a thing would never happen again.

"How is the Crown Prince now? Quickly, fetch a well-trained doctor!"

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince was merely frightened and is otherwise unharmed."

"Catch the murderer! We must catch the murderer as soon as possible! Who is it?! I will never let them get away with this!"

The fact that the Crown Prince was safe relieved Karl, but he needed to know immediately who was so audacious as to attempt to assassinate him. The Social Democrats had done a good job; after all, no one would believe they could actually assassinate the Crown Prince—wouldn't that be insane?

Everyone had their own guesses. At this point, the truth was no longer important. Everyone just believed what they believed. The murderer was caught quickly. Sure enough, it was the Aryan National Party that did it!

Nobody cares how many bowls of noodles you ate. The Aryan National Party was naturally speechless. Emperor Karl was truly enraged this time. The issue of succession was Austria-Hungary's Achilles' heel; whoever touched it would perish.

"If you dare to assassinate the Crown Prince, you'll dare to go to Vienna and kill the Emperor tomorrow!" Karl immediately issued an order to ban the Aryan National Party, declare it an illegal political party, and shut it down immediately.

This might have worked in the past, when the Aryan National Party didn't have much influence. But things are different now. The Aryan National Party has sympathizers in all levels of society. The emperor? Who does the emperor matter? Did the Social Democratic Party you appointed really change the Austrian economy?

Liben Fils declared at the time that the matter had nothing to do with the Aryan National Party, that it was slander and a frame-up, and demanded a thorough investigation.

He was a little flustered, but the National Party members within the party were practically bursting with excitement. It was a godsend. They were experts at controlling the emperor. Karl must be crazy now. If he dared to abolish them, he should first ask the tens of millions of Austrian people if they would agree.

Arthur Seyss-Inquart is the National National Party's mouthpiece within the Aryan Party, and the main forces of the National National Party are also with him in Upper Austria. This opportunity is too good to pass up.

A few days after Emperor Karl issued his order to ban the Aryan National Party, the Aryan newspaper published an article in its Linz, Upper Austrian branch entitled "Bombard the Reichstag, a Million Young Soldiers Unite!"

The article directly points out that all of this is a conspiracy by the Social Democratic Party, demanding that the emperor immediately punish those involved, ban the Christian Social Democratic Party, and prevent these scoundrels from continuing to wreak havoc on Austria. Moreover, they are coming to Vienna to demand an explanation.

Upper Austria mobilized all Aryan National Party members, who wore uniform black suits. The Upper Austrian branch of the Aryan National Party issued a notice calling on all Aryan National Party members in Austria to organize a grand rally, hold fellowship meetings, march on the capital, march on Vienna, and prove to Emperor Karl that they had been wronged.

This report completely ignited the situation in Austria. On the day the newspaper was published, members of the Aryan National Party in Linz, Upper Austria, had already gathered, and thousands of them marched toward Vienna. The Social Democratic Party had truly shot itself in the foot.

488. March on Vienna

The Aryan National Party wielded considerable influence in many parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Within the federation, several large states also had the influence of the Aryan National Party, making the Social Democratic Party's decision to ban the Aryan National Party at this time a very foolish thing to do.

The Aryan National Party is currently enjoying an unprecedented period of unity; at least no one is causing divisions. In contrast, the Social Democratic Party is seeing more and more people leaving as economic reforms deepen. At this time, attempting to suppress the Aryan National Party would be digging its own grave.

Upper Austria is one of the strongholds of the Aryan National Party, and Arthur Seyss-Inquart is no fool. A lawyer by training, he has a knack for politics. As soon as the Social Democratic government issued a report to ban the Aryan National Party, he immediately took action.

Artur was aware of the current situation, noting that many people still harbored imperial sentiments. Therefore, in his article, Artur did not emphasize the emperor's actions, but instead repeatedly stated that it was all a conspiracy by the Social Democratic Party, and that they were only opposing the corrupt and backward Social Democratic Party, not Emperor Karl.

The Aryan newspaper's call for a million-strong rally is not just empty talk; the Aryan National Party truly has the capability to do so, and they can indeed gather a large group of people.

Sesster was one of the many "SS" members of the Aryan National Party. The SA had already put the SS's organizational structure and basic "corporate culture" into practice for them, so the organization developed very quickly after its formation.

Unlike the SA, which was highly political, the SS had a strong religious flavor, as evidenced by their purple armbands, which were full of mysticism and featured a "black sun wheel"—very Aryan indeed. Although their insignia differed from the SA, their slogan was the same: "One nation, one leader, one empire."

Fueled by religious and fanatical nationalist sentiments, Seyszt became a member of the "million-strong SS," forever loyal and devoted. When Vienna announced the banning of the Aryan National Party, Seyszt was furious. What was this? Could they not stand to see others succeed?

Upper Austria's economy is much better than other regions under the Aryan National Party's rule. Look at Austria's economy, what are those stupid economists from your Social Democratic Party doing?

If you can't solve the problem, then eliminate another group of people who are trying to solve it, so you won't seem incompetent. Is this the Social Democratic Party's line of thinking?

Many SS members shared Sesster's feelings of immense humiliation and indignation. To banish them? What bad things had they done?

You Social Democrats just say the Aryan National Party did it, but why don't you say it was a Social Democratic conspiracy? How can there be such a quick investigation? Who can explain this? Why do you say who did it and that's who it is? Are you just trying to outdo each other in shouting?

If it's a contest of who can shout the loudest, then let all of Austria hear it. Who should be kicked out? The news of the bombardment of the Reichstag immediately caused an unprecedented reaction throughout Upper Austria. The entire state of Upper Austria was in an uproar. A million SS soldiers rallied together, marched on Vienna, and overthrew the corrupt government.

Half a day after the report in the Aryan newspaper was published, the Aryan National Party organization on the street came to inform Sester to prepare. They were to wear uniforms and armbands, and the street party organization would bring flags to immediately support the march and participate in this grand rally to Austria.

The march did not begin immediately, but was rehearsed first. After his article criticizing the Imperial Diet, Artur Seth-Inquart emphasized that this was not a riot, but a peaceful movement.

He also appealed to the Vienna government, saying that the loyal SS fighters of the Aryan National Party could choose not to go to Vienna, but the Vienna authorities must immediately order either the dissolution of the current Social Democratic-controlled Reich government or the formation of a coalition government with the Aryan National Party as the majority.

The Aryan National Party is indeed gaining momentum, and so far it's only in Upper Austria; other Aryan National Parties in other regions have not yet expressed their stance and remain silent.

At this point, Emperor Karl became somewhat worried. He thought it best to give up, but seeing that the other side was indeed hostile, Emperor Karl was genuinely worried that these madmen might do something outrageous.

On the contrary, the Social Democrats were unusually resolute, earnestly advising Emperor Karl not to be intimidated by them.

These rebels are just bluffing. The iron fist of the military and police will shut them up. We must be tough and resolutely ban this damned illegal political party.

The emperor still had options, but the Social Democrats knew that now was the most critical period. The Aryan National Party and the Social Democratic Party had reached a life-or-death point. This time, it would be either the Aryan National Party or the Social Democratic Party that would disappear. They had no chance to retreat; they could only go down the path of certain death.

The Social Democratic government firmly rejected Artur Seys-Inquart's so-called reconciliation terms. There was nothing to negotiate; this time, they had to destroy him. Vienna issued another announcement demanding that the gathering be immediately dissolved, or all participants would be charged with treason, and the Aryan National Party must be dissolved immediately.

"The Social Democratic government is trying to ban us on charges of treason, comrades! That's ridiculous. Treason? Are all the tens of thousands of SS soldiers gathered here traitors? We are just defending our rights, defending Austria. Is patriotism illegal? Comrades, are you traitors?!"

"Nein!"

“That’s right! We are not traitors. How could tens of millions of Austrian people be traitors? If that’s the case, then everything is obvious. It’s those few high-ranking Social Democratic Party members deep within the government who are the traitors. These traitors want to drag Austria and the Austro-Hungarian Empire into the abyss of depravity, and yet they come to accuse us, the true patriots. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

It was late at night, but Arthur was still speaking with great enthusiasm. In the Grand Place, tens of thousands of SS members were also extremely excited, holding torches high. The Vienna government had rejected their proposal, so they would just wait for the parade to begin.

"Listen to the people's cry! See whether their ultimatum or the people's ultimatum is more effective! Long live the Empire!"

"Long live! Long live!"

"Even if people are no longer loyal, we remain loyal. Our ranks will forever stand on this land. The vision of a better era awakens our youth—an era of virtue and honor in sacrifice. We will always stand with you, never yielding..."

The jubilant SS members shouted "Long live!" and then began to march with torches in hand, collectively singing the SS anthem "When People Are No Longer Faithful," which was incredibly powerful.

At dawn, these men, showing no signs of fatigue, began their march toward Vienna at the call of Artur Seys-Inquart, the plenipotentiary leader of the Aryan National Party and the SS in Upper Austria.

489. You guys really made me suffer.

As the sun slowly rose and the torches went out, the SS members of the Aryan National Party, dressed in uniform with identical armbands, looked quite imposing from a distance.

The SS procession lined both sides of the street to send off the SS troops marching into Vienna, throwing flowers at them. Huge flags fluttered in the air. It seemed as if the whole of Linz had put aside its work, and all activities gave way to the SS action. There were even police officers on the streets maintaining order.

"Comrades, carrying the hopes of our hometown people, march into Vienna!"

"Marching to Vienna! Marching to Vienna!"

Sester joined the SS soldiers in shouting, and after the bugle call, the orderly ranks began their armed march.

Artur said this is a peace movement, but a peace movement has nothing to do with whether or not you carry a gun, right? I carry a gun not to shoot people, but for self-defense. If someone shoots at us on the street, it's reasonable for me to shoot back a couple of times, isn't it?

This is big news in Austria: the Aryan National Party has marched into Vienna to confront the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Let's see how the SPD responds.

Whether in politics, among farmers, workers, or businessmen, there were sympathizers of the Aryan National Party. The nation's enthusiasm for the Aryans had reached its peak. At this time, planning an armed march on Vienna seemed like a risky move, but in fact, they were fully prepared.

Regarding the march in Upper Austria, the Aryan headquarters in Styria has not made any clear statement, neither opposing nor supporting it. They are also observing from the sidelines. Styria is a stronghold of the Aryan National Party's old guard, and most of the people there are former members of the Unified Aryan Party.

Libenfels watched Artur's actions without explicitly stating anything, which effectively meant he tacitly approved of Artur's actions. The Social Democratic Party had bullied them to their doorstep, and when they couldn't win, they resorted to underhanded tactics, even going so far as to ban the Aryan National Party. Sending Artur over would be a good way to dampen the Social Democratic Party's spirit.

If the situation gets out of control, we'll see how it goes. If things are going badly, we'll concede and push them out. If things are going well, we'll join in and beat up the Social Democratic Party.

There was no movement from headquarters, and Artur knew what they were planning. However, he needed this banner now. The elders' silence meant they tacitly approved of his risky actions. For now, Artur was just a pawn, but this was only temporary. Soon, he would participate as a player in the chaos in Europe.

After the march on Vienna began, Arthur published a "revolutionary manifesto" in the newspaper "The Aryan" (Aryan newspaper), announcing the start of a national revolution and calling on all members of the Aryan National Party and the SS to unite, overthrow the Social Democratic Party's tyranny, and return Austria to the hands of patriots.

Of course, in this revolutionary manifesto, Artur also emphasized that their march into Vienna was not to overthrow the royal family and the emperor, but to rescue the emperor from the "clutches" of the Social Democratic Party. They were purging the court of corrupt officials and eliminating the villains around His Majesty the King.

The SS's operation was aimed at overthrowing the corrupt rule of the Social Democratic Party and improving the basic living standards of the Austrian people. Arthur also advised the military and police not to oppose them, as it was a peaceful demonstration and no one wanted any accidents to happen. Arthur also did not want any casualties.

In an effort to win over the local property owners and royalists, Artur repeatedly emphasized in the newspapers that their action was aimed at protecting the legitimate rights of the people and that they were absolutely loyal to the monarchy. He claimed that they were not against the emperor, that Emperor Karl was a good man who had been deceived by a villain, and that they would personally go to Vienna to explain the situation to him.

The SS operation was indeed very successful, just as predicted. According to Seist's observations, the movement really was like a tour; on the way from Upper Austria to Lower Austria, the people of Lower Austria welcomed them.

They cheered loudly, welcoming the SS soldiers and constantly stuffing food into their backpacks, just like on a picnic. Sester hadn't brought any money, but he didn't go hungry along the way, as his backpack was filled with bread and eggs by the enthusiastic people along the way.

"The people welcome us! We are the true patriots!"

Sester shouted into the marching troops, which immediately drew a response from the crowd. Everyone cheered, and the procession continued to grow, with many more people joining along the way, including not only SS soldiers but also ordinary people. Of course, the procession accepted all of these ordinary people.

The march to Vienna was also a large SS gathering. Seist's team was originally composed of SS members from Linz, and as more and more people joined, he got to know many SS members from other regions, who were basically young men in their twenties like him.

These people came from Ansfelden, St. George, and Stranberg. In addition to Austrians, there were also Slovenes, Czechs, and Hungarians. They were not familiar with each other and did not even speak the same language, but at this time, they were all Aryans and SS members.

Sester excitedly shook hands with these people, welcoming the new comrades who had joined the march. The language barrier disappeared under the powerful cohesive force of Aryan theory. Even if they couldn't understand each other's languages, they could still chat happily by gesturing. In a sense, the Aryan National Party had also achieved a kind of "unity".

It can only be said that the National National Party learned a lot from the German Communist Party, using Marxism-Leninism to practice evil arts, which almost destroyed the Social Democratic Party. The Social Democratic Party's policy towards the nation was to promote autonomy, a different form of empire, while the Aryan National Party used theory to forcibly integrate all nations into one nation through strong political power.

Judging from the current results of this movement, the Aryan Party is clearly ahead. They have been marching on Vienna for so long, and the military police have indeed not taken action against the advancing SS, just as Artur's newspaper said, because there are many supporters among them.

Economic factors determine approval ratings. Under the guidance of Keynesian theory, the Aryan Party's approval rating is now clearly higher than that of the Social Democratic Party. Although no polls have been released, everyone knows the truth, including many people in the government who turn a blind eye and tacitly approve of this action.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) once questioned the military high command about why they did not forcefully stop the SS march. Their answer almost infuriated the SPD: they were the Austrian Royal Army, and their duty was to protect the Royal Family. The SS march did not claim to overthrow the Emperor, so why should they stop it?

It was clear that they had supporters within the military as well. Seeing that the number of troops advancing was increasing, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) thought of dividing them from within. The SPD issued a statement saying that they could form a coalition government, but it would be Artur who would govern, not Liben Fils. They offered many benefits, such as more seats or a coalition government.

This is clearly an attempt to sow division. Artur certainly knows what will happen if he stops now. An incomplete revolution is no revolution at all. The National Party has used these tactics before.

Artur published an article stating, "There will be no compromise except for complete victory," and raised the banner of Libenfels, demanding a new government and that Libenfels be appointed as head of government.

To show their loyalty, the SS members in the march even held up portraits of Libenfels and chanted slogans such as "Resolutely support Libenfels' leadership and uphold Arthur's policies."

Arthur pledged his loyalty to Libenfiers, saying, "This time, it's not me who wants to take the throne; it's me who wants to put you on the throne."

Libenfels was indeed pleased by this flattery, which made him feel quite comfortable. The SS's actions were indeed unimpeded. Libenfels also issued a notice at the SS headquarters in Graz, Styria, that the entire SS should follow the example of Upper Austria and march on Vienna.

If they succeed, then Liben Fils will be able to seize power. Liben Fils can hardly contain his grin. You guys have really ruined my life.

490. Defensive violence

Artur's SS nationwide march grew increasingly large, and the military and police along the route remained neutral, offering no obstruction.

Whenever the SS arrived in a region, the local people welcomed the SS and the Aryan National Party with unparalleled enthusiasm, cheering almost fanatically for the SS's successful advance.

"Wherever our party and army go, the people welcome us wholeheartedly. We have truly seized the opportune moment. No matter what, unless the Social Democratic Party steps down, our movement will never stop."

Artur is the editor-in-chief of "The Aryan" newspaper and can be considered the mouthpiece of the Aryan National Party. He is quite capable, and these days the Aryan National Party has been publishing more than a dozen articles a day mocking the Social Democratic Party. They want to achieve a complete victory in politics and public opinion and completely defeat the Social Democratic Party, the usurper of the state.

I initially thought the SS’s so-called march on Vienna was just a bluff, but it turned out they were serious. The SS forces were huge, with more and more people joining along the way, and now they numbered about 50,000. And this is not even the entire strength of the Aryan National Party.

The march was initiated by Upper Austria, and the main force of the march was only the branch in Linz. The Aryan National Party in Graz, Styria, had not yet made any moves. If they took action, the march would become even more uncontrollable. Only then did the Social Democratic Party realize that the situation was getting out of control.

We accused others of bluffing, but now we realize that we were the ones bluffing. If we don't take action soon, these people will come to Vienna, and then everything will be over.

The Social Democratic Party began to discuss nervously what to do. It was clear that the majority of supporters now belonged to the Aryan National Party, and there were many sympathizers of them even within the government. The Social Democratic government had to do something.

Otto Bauer was an important figure within the Social Democratic Party. As a captain, he participated in the Austro-Hungarian Empire's external wars. After being captured, he began to summarize his political views and met with many Menshevik theorists, with whom he had close relationships. The views of these people greatly influenced Bauer.

As a member of parliament and an important cadre within the Social Democratic Party, Powell clearly recognized the danger posed by the Aryan National Party. This party had now swelled into a very dangerous political entity, and if left unchecked, it would not only drag Austria down with it, but the entire Austro-Hungarian Peninsula would be buried.

The Aryan Unity Party in Austria was originally just a conservative party with strong religious overtones. Although it was somewhat fanatical, it wasn't that fanatical. The reason it has gained such momentum is mainly due to the remnants of the National National Party from Germany. They did manage to drive out the National National Party in Germany, preventing the country from spiraling out of control. And now these people are causing trouble in Austria.

After the National National Party fled to Austria, political parties of this nature, large and small, sprang up like mushrooms after rain. They appeared harmless, as if everything they did was for the people, but in reality, they had been provoking the people of the country all along. They were just good at disguising it. Once they came to power, Powell knew very well what they were capable of.

"The Aryan National Party is growing in power, and our democratic system is under unprecedented threat. Their theories are brainwashing the people and controlling workers and farmers. We must fight back!"

Austrian Marxists have their own methods for transitioning to socialism. They do not advocate violence, which is why the Aryan National Party has seized on this weakness, allowing them to stir up trouble every day. Now it seems that they really cannot be lenient with themselves; they don't know the pain until they are slapped in the face.

"Violence is likely to cause unnecessary chaos now. The situation is already on the verge of getting out of control. We cannot escalate the situation any further, or it will be difficult to control."

"This situation is going to get out of hand. If we don't take action soon, we'll be replaced. What's there to hold back now? Do you want a proletarian government or the lives of the bourgeoisie?"

These Austrian Social Democrats considered themselves to represent a proletarian government, even though there was an emperor above them, but that was only because they were still reforming it.

Once the reforms are complete, it will be a proletarian government. Powell firmly believes that the Aryan National Party's march is a counterattack by the bourgeoisie, and a counterattack is necessary. This time, violence and bloodshed are unavoidable.

"We do not advocate violence. We believe that a peaceful transition to socialism is the only correct path. Not advocating violence does not mean that we cannot use violence. If the bourgeoisie tries to use violence to overthrow the proletarian regime, then we, the proletariat, must use violence to suppress them and defend our regime. After the proletariat seizes power, if the bourgeoisie resists with violence, the proletariat will have no choice but to use violence to suppress them in order to defend its regime."

"This is not proactive violence, this violence is not something we want to inflict. This is not an attack, it is self-defense, defensive violence. What we do is to protect the regime. This is not a sign of undemocratic behavior. On the contrary, it precisely reflects the democratic nature of the proletariat, which is the dictatorship over those bourgeois reactionaries!"

Powell's concept of "defensive violence" is indeed novel. One of the main reasons why the Social Democratic Party is now hesitant is that it made too many promises before, which allowed others to take advantage of the situation. Powell has essentially patched up the loopholes today. The theory of "defensive violence" allows the Social Democratic Party to use violence in a very reasonable way to deal with these insurgents.

"This defensive violence, while not bad, could potentially trigger a larger-scale violent conflict. Austria can't afford that. I think it's better to play it safe and see if we can persuade them to back down. All they want is a position in the government, right? Just give it to them."

Carl Lenner still wanted to play it safe and avoid provoking them too much. Who knew what these guys would do if they went crazy? Carl Lenner had clearly seen how high the Aryan National Party's support rate was at the grassroots level. A direct confrontation would only result in mutual destruction.

"I'm not afraid of war at all. I get excited at the mere mention of war. What kind of war is this in Austria? It's just cold weapons, or maybe throwing a few stones. The real war is in Germany. Both sides have hundreds of thousands of soldiers, guns, cannons, and I've heard they even have rockets. The bourgeoisie who fled Germany want to launch a general offensive here. Well, we'll give them a good beating!"

Powell's attitude was very firm: to implement his theory of "defensive violence" and fight back hard, so that these remnants of the bourgeoisie would not dare to utter a sound.

Although I advocate reform and a free market, we are truly a socialist country, and we must ruthlessly eliminate these reactionaries. Powell was being a bit extreme. After discussing it, the representatives decided to play it safe and try to appease them first. If they disagreed, it wouldn't be too late to take action.

Arthur's side also made a mistake in accepting the Social Democratic Party's offer of amnesty, directly refusing it. To show his loyalty, he even brought up Liben Fils. Since you're so uncooperative, then don't blame me for being impolite.

491. The Bloodshed of St. Bernard

Does the Aryan National Party really have the influence it currently displays? While their political influence is indeed quite significant, this doesn't mean they are without opponents. The Social Democratic Party is just one of these opponents; in fact, there are quite a few people in Austria who oppose the Aryan National Party.