Chapter 645

The wheel of history rolled on and didn't change because of one person's will. The mastermind behind the scenes never appeared, and the Government of Japan could only swallow the bitter fruit.

In a sense, whether there was a mastermind behind the scenes or not, the final result was the same. In short, the escalation of the conflict between Japan and Russia was inevitable.

The war didn't break out because neither Japan nor Russia was ready for war. Now the two governments were tacitly delaying time. Whoever completed the war first would make the first move.

Perhaps it was to relieve the pressure on the Government of Japan, or perhaps it was a pure coincidence. After Christmas 1903, the Government of London announced that it would withdraw from the free trade system.

Not surprisingly, the secret negotiations between Shinra and Britannia ended in failure last week.

Even Franz's proposal for the two countries to form an alliance and jointly rule the world hegemony was rejected by the British.

If they really continued to maintain the free trade system and jointly rule the world hegemony with Shinra, it was estimated that in less than ten years, Britannia would have to go home to collect their clothes.

As a vested interest, the British wouldn't be satisfied if they didn't go all out. Not to mention they still had the Royal Navy.

Although the Royal Navy's advantage was no longer obvious, it was still an advantage.

With the collapse of the free trade system, the hegemony struggle between Shinra and Britannia could no longer be eased.

While closely monitoring the situation in the Far East, Franz also began to prepare for the next war.

Frankly speaking, Franz didn't want to seize hegemony through war. Unfortunately, the reality was cruel. From the moment the British refused to compromise, the chariot of the Holy Roman Empire started to move.

As the driver of this chariot, Franz could step on the brakes, but there was no way to stop the chariot from moving forward.

"Frederick The Great sent a note to all countries to hold a World Free Trade and Economic Summit in Vienna next month to encourage all countries to sanction the British.

If necessary, they can raise the export price of the monopolistic export products to the British market, causing a shortage in the short term and triggering the economic crisis in advance.

Inform the relevant companies in advance and let them prepare to reduce our losses as much as possible. For the companies that suffer heavy losses, the government will give corresponding subsidies. "

The monopolistic products were self-evident. In addition to food, there were petrochemical products. As for machinery, although the performance of the products produced by the British was not good, they could still be manufactured.

Even if it was food and petrochemical products, Shinluo's monopoly was not complete. As long as there was time, the British could still find substitutes.

Unfortunately, the British lacked time. Before the Parliament passed, the Government of the United Kingdom didn't have the right to reserve the relevant materials in advance.

The government didn't reserve in advance, and the private companies didn't prepare. According to Britain's usual practice, it was possible for a policy to be delayed for decades. No one expected the results to be out so quickly.

Unlike Shenluo's economic system, where the government could interfere with the market at any time, the London government had no right to order domestic enterprises to do what they should do, much less order everyone to store raw materials in advance.

Once the international market prices rose, the relevant companies would be affected, and the downstream consumption would also be affected.

It was not Franz's wish to impose trade barriers. This was a method of fighting that would cause both sides to suffer. Although the British would not be able to take it, Shinro would also suffer heavy losses.

Was it to kill a thousand enemies while sacrificing eight hundred soldiers, or to kill eight hundred enemies while sacrificing a thousand soldiers? No one could give an answer before it happened.

The only certainty was that a new round of economic crisis would erupt with the collapse of the free trade system. All export-oriented companies would be hit hard.

In a sense, the outbreak of the economic crisis was the countdown to the war. With the two world wars in the original space and time as a template, Franz could see further than the average person.

It was not impossible to delay the outbreak of the war, but Franz couldn't wait.

He had reached the age of 74, and his physical and mental qualities had been greatly reduced. If he didn't start the war, he would not have the ability to lead the war.

After dealing with the British, there were still a lot of things to do in the country. A large part of the affairs could only be handled by Franz himself.

In order to draw a satisfactory end to his career as an emperor, Franz must reserve enough time to complete all of this before his energy could support it.

The outbreak of the economic crisis was the beginning of the war, but the first confrontation would be the economy, not the army.

Frederick The Great advised, "Father, isn't it too fast? The country is not ready yet. If the economic crisis erupts now, we will also suffer heavy losses. "

As the Regent, Frederick The Great was well aware of the economic situation in Shinra.

Since the news of Britannia's withdrawal from the free trade system came out, the farsighted domestic companies were preparing to store food for the winter.

It was not that everyone had a high ideological awareness, but mainly because the state-owned enterprises and the Royal Consortium had made a good start, and many other capitalists were passively following.

Specifically, in 1903, the main enterprises in Shenluo Country all stopped expanding their production capacity, reduced their inventory, and increased their cash flow reserves.

However, these were still not enough. In just one year, even if everyone was prepared, there was still no guarantee that they could survive the coming winter.

Britannia was not the only country that had suffered from the free trade system for a long time. With the British taking the lead, there were definitely a lot of people following the trend.

Destruction was far easier than construction. The reality was very obvious. Before defeating Britannia, they could not even think about re-establishing the free trade system.

The duration of this market winter would start at least a few years, and it might even last for more than a decade.

Franz shook his head, "We can't wait. If we don't fight with the British, how can the Russians dare to fight with the Japanese to the death?

The Siberian Railway has not yet been opened, and the military power of Russia in the Far East is no match for the Japanese.

Although the Tsarist government has launched the eastward strategy, the interests in the Far East are still dispensable for the Russian Empire.

Once the front line is defeated, who can guarantee that the Russians will not cut their losses and directly give up the Far East?

If the Tsarist government gives up the Far East and continues to move south, I'm afraid that the Russians will shrink back and watch us play with the British.

If we don't pull out this nail in advance, can you rest assured to fight the British? "

"Trust" was a sore point. Even if the Russo-Austrian Alliance lasted for decades, Franz still did not dare to trust the Russians.

There was no betrayal, it was just that the bargaining chips for betrayal were not enough. For his own safety, it was better to let the Hairy Bear get sick first.

…

Politics had always been a case of moving one part and affecting the whole body. With the collapse of the free trade system, Britannia and Shinra officially went against each other.

Affected by this, the diplomatic mission investigating the Russian Embassy case was also divided, making the situation in the Far East even more confusing.

But this was what the big shots needed to consider, it was still far from the lives of ordinary people. The people who really "personally" felt it, were the people of Yoto. The situation was getting more and more tense.

Not to mention a street demonstration, even a gathering with friends and family would attract the patronage of the military and police, causing everyone to have to be careful when they talk.

There was no other way, the International Court of Justice had already begun, and the Government of Japan really did not want to cause more trouble.

No matter how much the people respected it, in the eyes of the Government of Japan, those who attacked the Russian Embassy were thugs.

No ruler liked people who did not abide by the rules. Even if the starting point was good, the result was tragic!

If they did not kill one to warn others, who knew if similar scenes would continue to happen in the future?

If they let the radical party's temper be, if they could destroy the Russian Embassy today, they would destroy the Shinra Embassy tomorrow, and the British Embassy the day after …

They had been courting death along the way, and no one knew when they had buried the foundation of Japan.

…

Since the diplomatic mission split, the Chief Judge from Switzerland, Lorelei, suddenly increased the pressure.

On the one hand, she had to maintain the sanctity of the justice, on the other hand, she had to bear the criticism from within the diplomatic mission, which made her miserable.

The biggest problem with this international trial was that there was no unified sentencing standard, and there were no international precedents to follow.

Russia and Austria demanded severe punishment, while Britain and Japan hoped to be lenient. Of course, this dispute was limited to ordinary people involved in the case, and important criminals still needed to be executed.

"Tanaka Kazuo, the founder and president of the Iron and Blood Revenge, has planned many anti-Russian demonstrations, assassinations, and one of the main planners of the Russian Embassy case …"

Before the representative of the investigation team finished, Tanaka Kazuo roared, "Objection! I was the one who planned the Russian Embassy case, how could I be one of the planners?

What are you trying to do? Are you trying to implicate my entire family? Where is the justice of the world, where is the law … "

The scene in front of them made many people dumbfounded, especially Tanaka Kazuo's defense lawyer, who was in a state of confusion.

This was completely different from what they had discussed before. The client took all the blame on himself, which made him, the defense lawyer, dumbfounded.

As the Chief Judge, Lorelei, was also dumbfounded. In the past 20 years of judicial career, she had never seen such a criminal.

Fortunately, the bailiff in charge of the detention reacted and stopped Tanaka Kazuo in time, ending the farce.

However, after this incident, the rest of the trial became child's play. Although Lorelei wanted to go through the judicial process, unfortunately, the other judges did not buy it.

The "International Court of Justice" did not necessarily have to be professional. Except for Lorelei, who was a judicial professional, most of the other judges were temporarily appointed by the ambassadors of various countries.

In this day and age, there was no unified international law, let alone a unified judicial process. The absence of rules and regulations meant that it was easy to operate.

In most people's opinion, as long as the crime was confirmed, they should be sentenced as soon as possible. There were still many people waiting.

Without any surprise, Tanaka Kazuo, who voluntarily admitted the crime, was sentenced to death.

Perhaps because of the Government of Japan's efforts, or perhaps because of Tanaka Kazuo's voluntary confession, the International Court of Justice finally decided to satisfy Tanaka Kazuo's request to be "circumcised."

Once the farce started, it would not end so quickly. Tanaka Kazuo was just the beginning. Whenever the evidence was conclusive and the criminals were doomed to die, they all took the initiative to take responsibility, and the only request was to be circumcised.

The Japanese present were even more outraged. After every criminal requested to be circumcised, there would be bursts of applause, as if they were welcoming a hero, which made Lorelei doubt her life.

Not only was she doubting her life, but the ambassadors of various countries who were watching the trial were also shocked by the scene in front of them.

At the very least, they had to struggle a little. Every single one of them put on a heroic expression, making the diplomatic mission seem like the villains.

Well, the ambassadors in this day and age were indeed not good people. Most of the time, they played the role of the villain.

But this time was obviously an exception. Other than punishing the real culprit, the ambassadors did not take advantage of the situation.

It was not that they did not want to, but it was mainly destroyed by the sh * t stirrer. Britain and Austria were opposing each other, and the ambassadors split in advance, so the robbery naturally could not continue.

Fortunately, only a few people were not afraid of death. With the end of the trial, the people behind gradually returned to normal, and the defense lawyers were finally no longer spectators.

In fact, the first wave of warriors were also forced to come out. As the main person responsible for the Russian Embassy case, no matter how they defended themselves, they could not escape, so they might as well be brave.

The accomplices after that were different. Most of them had only participated in the protest that day, and some of them had been caught in the crossfire.

They were not the masterminds of the organization, and they did not attack the Russian Embassy. Naturally, they did not need to be responsible for the death of the Russian Embassy staff.

Although the International Court of Justice was violating the sovereignty of Japan, the most basic fairness was still necessary. Naturally, it was impossible to kill all of them.

Although the representative of Russia wanted to do so, unfortunately, the Tsarist government did not have enough influence in the ambassadors, and it was not enough to make everyone put down their principles.

Because there were too many people involved in the case, more than 5,000 people were being tried. In the beginning, the criminals were tried one by one, and later on, they were tried in groups.

…

"Yamagata Erō, Tanabe Ichijō, Wang DeCheng, Li Yixiang, Watanabe … A total of 33 people organized and participated in the protest on November 27, 1903, causing traffic congestion, seriously endangering social order, resulting in …"

Unknowingly, the scene had changed. The original accusation of the Russian Embassy case became a crime of endangering social order.

If the ambassadors behind the International Court of Justice were not easy to deal with, the Government of Japan would have scolded them. Endangering social order? Wasn't this stealing their rice bowl?

Of course, this was not possible. Anyone with a little political knowledge knew that the crime of endangering social order could be serious or minor. The investigation team charged these people with this crime, and it was obvious that they were ready to let these people go.

Connections existed everywhere. International students could think of ways, and as a local tyrant, Japanese students naturally had connections.

Criminals with conclusive evidence could not be rescued. However, if there were no people directly involved in the case, as long as the connections were in place, they could still be rescued.

Of course, acquittal was impossible. The investigation team also wanted to save face. It was still necessary to give him a symbolic punishment for a trivial crime.

"Dear judges and jury, my clients were just participating in an ordinary protest. No one wants to see an accident happen.

We have reached a compensation agreement with the victims, and the victims and the Tokyo government have agreed not to file a lawsuit … "

Lying through one's teeth was also a skill. As a defense lawyer, she naturally did not lack in this area.

As a judge, Lorelei hated people who used connections the most. This meant that justice was being challenged.

For example, now, the other party did not affect the verdict, but directly changed the charges.

The case involving the Russian Embassy could easily be sentenced to three to five years, or even eight to ten years. However, just for disturbing social order, the victims and the Tokyo government had given up on the prosecution. As the presiding judge, he was also helpless!

After discussing with the other judges, everyone unanimously decided to deal with it and give a symbolic punishment.

After all, it was good for everyone, good for you, and good for everyone.

In a daze, the 33 people, including Wang DeCheng, were released from prison with two years of community voluntary labor.

As for how it would be implemented and where it would be implemented, naturally, no one would delve into these small problems.

Wang DeCheng, who escaped a disaster, understood the cause and effect from his cousin, and his whole person was not good.

Participating in a protest, not only did he stay in prison for two months, but he also implicated his family and owed a lot of favors.

Being able to stand out among the many children of the Wang family and study abroad, Wang DeCheng knew how much he was worth.

With his reputation, he could at most make a few friends run for him, but it was not enough for him to escape unscathed.

Although he was not the only one who was implicated, to facilitate the arms deal with Shinra, his family must have put in a lot of effort.

These needed to be exchanged with political resources. As for when to repay the debt, it would depend on when the other party needed it.

As if seeing his cousin's worries, Wang DeRan comforted him, "You don't have to worry too much. The elders in the family know more than us.

Although the family owes a lot of favors this time, it may be a blessing in disguise. Don't forget, by taking advantage of this opportunity, we've also expanded our network. "

There was nothing wrong with it. This was how connections were built. You help me today, I help you tomorrow. After helping each other a few times, everyone would become friends.

Wang DeCheng nodded reluctantly to his cousin's comfort. Although connections were built this way, as the person involved, he was definitely not a hero.

It was fine in Japan, but once he returned to China, it would be time to settle the score with him.

Based on his understanding of his strict father, even if his father did not beat him to death, it was very likely that he would be beaten half to death.

Big feudal families were very strict with the education of their children. Being dragged by Japanese friends to participate in the protest and causing such a big mess, it was taboo in itself. If they did not punish him severely, how could they warn the future generations?

Not only would he be unlucky, but his cousin would also be punished. It was just that his cousin was lucky and did not go to prison, so he could think of a way to cover it up.