Chapter 527

War was cruel, especially for the civilians who were caught in the flames of war, they were even more precarious.

The people of East Prussia were deeply affected. Ever since Russia had taken over their town, their good days had come to an end.

Phoenix was just a small, unremarkable town, but it still couldn't escape the calamity. The well-informed nobles and merchants had all fled. Only a bunch of poor people were left.

Even so, they still couldn't escape from the Russians' hands. Since they could not get anything out of this, they had to find someone strong.

There was only one church in the town, and it was already full of people.

A middle-aged man frowned and asked, "The Russians just sent someone over and asked for 500 laborers. Father, what should we do?"

The church was probably the only place that had been spared. For God's sake, the Russians had not ransacked the only church in the town.

Now that all the influential people in the town had fled, the elderly Father Prague was the most respected. The people could only turn to him for help.

As a member of the religious world, Father Prague could not run away, nor did he need to. Europe's religions were very influential. The Russian Army would not attack the church, even if it was a Protestant church.

Father Prague said regretfully, "Son, I've heard the news too. I've just spoken to the Russians. They want 20000 rubles to be exempted from labor.

The Russians have warned that if they do not gather enough people in a week, they will start killing. "

Father Prague had never thought of gathering the money. If the nobles and merchants had not left, they might have been able to do so. But now, it was impossible.

It was not that the town did not have 20,000 rubles, but property was not the same as cash. The nobles and merchants might have left, but the Russians only wanted cash.

No one wanted to fight against their own country, but they had to lower their heads when they were under someone else's roof.

The Hairy Bear was not a pushover. If they said they would kill, they would kill. The head of the young man who had first tried to resist the Russians was still hanging on the flagpole outside the town.

If one person resisted, his whole family would be killed. If the guerrillas were found not reporting, they would be killed. If anyone attacked the Russian Army, every five people within a 200-meter radius would be killed. If there were more than ten people resisting, they would slaughter the town.

Under such high pressure, the local people did not dare to speak up. Up to this point in the war, the Russians had gone all out. Many villages and towns in East Prussia had been slaughtered.

International opinion? Unfortunately, the Tsarist government was used to being scolded. They were in too much debt to bear.

Besides, the Russians were not stupid. They would not admit it. Without evidence, the most they could do was to curse in the newspapers. The Russians had nothing to fear.

In this era, the cameras were too big, and the quality of the pictures was not good. It was useless to secretly take pictures, and the Prussians could not produce convincing evidence.

These were all excuses. In reality, the various countries could not do anything to Mao Xiong. It would not look good if the cover was revealed, so they simply pretended not to know.

Someone suggested. "What? Should we run?"

Someone suggested. It was not a good job on the battlefield, especially for the Russians.

The news had spread, and many people knew that the Russian army liked to use laborers as cannon fodder. This was the experience they had learned from the Near East War. Capturing laborers as cannon fodder could reduce the losses of the troops.

An old man asked, "There are Russians everywhere. Where should we run?"

Running was not as easy as it sounded. They had to bring their families, no money, and the Russians were searching for them. How far could they run?

A young man questioned, "But we can't really work for the Russians and fight against our own army, right?"

The old man reprimanded, "What do you know? There are less than five hundred young adults in our town."

This was the crux of the problem. It was not a matter of whether they were willing or not. It was an impossible task.

The population of the town was small. After the war broke out, a large number of young adults enlisted. There were less than five hundred young adults in the town.

…

Looking at the arguing crowd, Father Prague had a headache. These were the believers he had developed. If these people were gone, he would lose his livelihood.

"Children, please remain calm before the Lord. I will go to Gurnis and ask my friends to see if there is any other way."

Gurnis was the closest city to the town. If the Russians wanted to recruit people locally, they would not only target this town.

Going to the city to ask for help was Father Prague's fantasy. Not all the nobles had run away. A large number of nobles in East Prussia had stayed behind.

Some chose to form guerrilla groups to resist the Russians' invasion. Others tried to run but failed. Most of them were gathered in the city.

There was no tradition in Europe to kill nobles. The only condition was that you were not alone. If it was just one person, it would be fine if he was killed. No one would know anyway.

But if everyone gathered together, it would be different. The Russian Army would not attack them. This was the rule of the game. It applied to the Russians as well.

In order to be in a hurry, Father Prague rode to Gurnis. What he saw was a bleak scene. The once bustling streets were no longer crowded. The scattered pedestrians left quickly when they saw the Russian Army's patrol team.

As a member of the religious community, Father Prague was not questioned. Of course, he did not approach the Russian Army either.

Under normal circumstances, the Russians would not attack the religious community. However, it did not mean that they did not dare to do so. In this chaotic era, a few people dying was not a big deal.

Father Prague did not wander around. He went straight to the church in the city. No matter how rich or poor the Europeans were, they were all related to the church.

There was a saying that went, "If you want to find someone, just wait at the church gate."

"Father, what's the hurry?"

It was a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes. He had met Father Prague a few times and they were acquaintances.

Father Prague, who had bumped into an acquaintance and was about to ask for some information, was pleasantly surprised. He asked in confusion, "Mr. James, you didn't leave?"

The situation was not good. All the rich people had run away to avoid the war. Under normal circumstances, a well-informed businessman like James would have known the news beforehand.

James replied, "I just came back from a business deal. The Russians came. But I got the citizenship of the Empire not long ago. The Russians won't make things difficult for me. "

The "Empire" was, of course, the Shinra Empire. Even though it was a new word, it was still the only recognized empire in the German Region.

The Russians were not crazy. Naturally, they would not look for trouble and attack foreigners, especially merchants from their allies.

Father Prague said with some surprise, "God bless you, Mr. James. You're really lucky to have escaped this disaster.

The Russians are looting everywhere. My town, Phoenix, was threatened by the Russians to provide 500 laborers because they could not afford it. "

This news could not be hidden from James. As a successful businessman, the most important thing was to be well-informed.

At this time, he returned to Gnisburg to make money. The Austrian colonies were short of labor. Sending immigrants to the colonies was also a business.

James saw the war as an opportunity. He had already signed labor contracts with many companies in the Austrian colonies. Now he was back to recruit people.

The Russians might interfere if he wanted to organize the immigrants to other places. If it was to go to the Austrian colonies, there would be no problem. The loan from Vienna was not for nothing.

James had communicated with the colonial government before he came back. As long as he could convince the people to go to the colonies, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs would take care of the aftermath.

James pretended to be surprised. "God! Five hundred laborers. Isn't Phoenix going to be in trouble? "

Father Prague nodded bitterly and said helplessly, "Indeed. I have no choice but to ask for help."

At this time, Bishop Bernard walked over. There were seven or eight priests with him. One could tell from their expressions that something bad had happened.

Father Prague repeated what he had said. Bishop Bernard said helplessly, "I'm sorry, I can't do anything about this. Everyone has encountered this problem.

I've already visited the Russian officers on behalf of the Church. Unfortunately, I was kicked out before I could even enter the door. "

What could they do? They were the Protestant Church, while the Russians were the Orthodox Church.

They were already giving the heretics face by not shouting to kill them. How could they expect them to be nice to them?

Seeing the ashen-faced people, James knew his chance had come.

"Bishop, if you want to avoid Russian labor, I suggest we organize the people to leave Gnisburg and come back after the war is over."

Bishop Bernard shook his head. "Mr. James, your idea won't work. The Russians have set up roadblocks on the main roads. They won't let us leave. "

James smiled. "Under normal circumstances, of course, we can't pass. But we can use other methods. As early as two years ago, Russia and Austria signed the "Labor Employment Treaty".

We can sign a short-term contract with an Austrian company and take a boat to the Austrian colonies. We can return to Gnisburg after the war is over. "

This was purely a bluff. It was easy to enter the Austrian colonies, but difficult to leave.

The cost of immigration was not something ordinary people could afford. When they earned enough money, would they still have a place to live?

While Bishop Bernard was still thinking, Father Prague couldn't help but ask, "Mr. James, will this work?"

James answered with certainty, "Of course! Since the contract has been signed, the Russian Army officers will definitely execute it. Otherwise, it will cause a diplomatic conflict between Russia and Austria. It's not something the middle and lower officers can handle. "

Father Prague said without hesitation, "Alright, I'll go back and talk to the people. They can decide if they want to leave or not."

Bishop Bernard stopped him. "Father, this is too important. We must consider it carefully."

He knew very well that if the people left, Gnisburg would become a dead city. Would there still be any value in the Church's existence?

Come back? This was a bluff. Once they went to the Austrian colonies, it would be God's blessing if a third of the people came back.

Father Prague said indifferently, "Your Excellency, it can't be worse than it is now. I can't watch the children kill each other.

The Russians are recruiting young men to be used as cannon fodder. Let them fight against our army. Can you tolerate this kind of thing? "