Chapter 1447: Deadly Counterattack
Chapter 1447: Deadly Counterattack
Count Ulfeldt frowned, his expression grave. "I can help you cover up an incident like this once or twice, but if it continues, even I might find myself under investigation."
Federer was the tax official who had been strangled to death in a town east of Vienna just last month.
Holtz offered a fawning smile. "Everyone knows those secret police wouldn't dare lay a finger on you. Very well, I promise to find other ways to make those fools at the Tax Bureau understand who they are dealing with."
Count Ulfeldt was the former chairman of the Vienna Council of State and Economy. Although he had stepped down, a third of the senior officials in the council were still his men.
He was also a "longtime friend" and business partner of Federer.
As they spoke, a short elderly man with heavy, drooping eyelids walked into the hall, flanked by several tax farmers. The room immediately fell silent, and those present bowed in greeting. "Lord Baron."
"You have arrived."
Indeed, while the gathering was held at Count Ulfeldt's residence, the central figure was Baron Arnstein—the former chairman of the Vienna Tax Farmers Association.
"I have called you all here today primarily to discuss our future."
He looked around at the gathered tax farmers. "I am aware that out of desperation, some of you have recently employed certain... special measures. There has even been loss of life.
"The intelligence I have received from Schönbrunn Palace is that the young royal secretary..."
The middle-aged man beside him whispered a reminder. "Metternich."
"Yes, Metternich. He is quite a ruthless character. He has advised the Emperor to mobilize thousands of secret police to conduct a sweeping arrest of everyone involved in the attacks on tax officials."
Holtz gave a disdainful snort. "Hmph, who's afraid of him?"
Baron Arnstein glanced at him and said in a low voice, "You should have noticed that Bernhart is not here today. In truth, he is already in the Hofburg."
The Hofburg housed Austria's largest prison, where high-profile political prisoners were kept.
Bernhart was a tax farmer of relatively minor influence. The others had assumed he simply hadn't been invited, and they were shocked to learn he had been arrested.
A wave of hushed conversation broke out across the hall. "What did Mr. Bernhart do?"
"I heard the incident in Favoriten was linked to him."
"We have to find a way to get him out!"
"Exactly, we are all in the same boat now..."
Favoriten was a suburb on the outskirts of Vienna. Last month, three tax officials there had been severely beaten and hospitalized.
Baron Arnstein raised his hand, signaling for silence. "Our goal is to make the Emperor change his mind. While your current methods cause some trouble for the tax collectors, they will not be enough to fundamentally reverse the situation.
"In fact, they only provide that man Metternich with an excuse to move against us."
Someone immediately cried out in agitation, "Are we supposed to just admit defeat?"
"This is an industry my family has held for centuries! I will never give it up!"
"You know I have to pay interest to my investors; I must secure those tax farming rights..."
Baron Arnstein frowned. "I am not telling you to give up, but we must use the right methods."
He pointed to the middle-aged man sitting to his left. "This is my dearest friend, Mr. Alexandre Barillon. He has proposed some excellent suggestions. I would like you all to hear him out."
Barillon rose with a smile and nodded to the crowd. He spoke in German marked by a distinct accent. "I have worked with Baron Arnstein for over a decade. The current situation is indeed troublesome.
"In my opinion, we should leverage our own strengths. Our advantage clearly does not lie in mindless violence, but in..."
He made a gesture of counting coins. "Capital. What we must do now is sell off our holdings of Austrian Government Bonds as quickly as possible and withdraw our investments from the Bank of Vienna.
"Currently, the Empire's finances are already extremely strained. Before long, the Emperor will find himself missing our tax advances."
The tax farmers began to shake their heads in doubt. "But the interest from those bonds is my only income."
"The Emperor can surely hold out for at least half a year. What do we do in the meantime?"
"Yes, this will drive us into bankruptcy as well."
One man even looked at Barillon suspiciously. "If I am not mistaken, you seem to be a man of France?"
Barillon nodded frankly. "Indeed, I live in Reims, but the majority of my business is conducted in Vienna and Prague. You can trust me completely.
"Now, allow me to address your concerns.
"First, the imperial treasury cannot possibly last half a year. In fact, I estimate that within two months at most, His Majesty the Emperor will be forced to compromise with us."
"How is that possible?"
Barillon smiled. "Perhaps the news hasn't reached you yet, but the imperial army has suffered a crushing defeat in Switzerland."
"His Majesty will soon require a massive influx of war funds to send reinforcements to Basel."
The hall erupted in gasps of surprise. "The people of Basel are that formidable?"
"Are you certain this information is reliable?"
Barillon nodded. "In a few days, the news of the defeat will be common knowledge."
It had been three days since Germann defeated the Austrian army at Aarau. Vienna had received the report long ago, but under the orders of Franz II, the news was being suppressed across Austria.
Holtz suddenly narrowed his eyes. "What if the Emperor decides to stop interfering in Swiss affairs?"
Barillon was clearly prepared for this question. "Then we must ensure he cannot retreat.
"Many of you here know influential figures who can sway the decisions at Schönbrunn. You must have them urge the Emperor to take a hardline stance.
"Furthermore, we will supplement this with certain public opinion tactics..."
By the time he finished, the tax farmers were nodding in agreement.
Barillon continued, "As for the issue of returns after you withdraw your capital, I recommend purchasing railway bonds from Italy or the South German states. The interest is not quite as high as the imperial bonds, but the difference is marginal.
"More importantly, these bonds are in high demand. If you need liquidity, you can find a buyer almost instantly. If you want even more stability, buy French railway bonds; they can even be liquidated directly at the Marseille Stock Exchange.
"Of course, if you prefer to avoid the hassle, you could also hoard grain. Styria is suffering from a drought, and the wheat harvest is expected to fail. Grain prices will soon skyrocket."
A portly tax farmer waved a hand dismissively.
"Only Styria is seeing a decrease in production. That won't have a significant impact on national grain prices."
Barillon looked at him with a knowing smile.
"No one can truly say for certain how much grain is missing from the market. As long as everyone believes there is a shortage, the price will inevitably soar. The disaster in Styria simply gives us the perfect opportunity to tell a convincing story..."
Early the next morning, Miss Gloria sent her maid to cancel her piano lesson, claiming she was unwell. Instead, she hurried directly to Lukas's residence.
As soon as the door opened, the girl whispered in a frantic rush:
"My dear, I eavesdropped on my father's gathering last night. Someone said the imperial army has suffered a disastrous defeat in Switzerland."
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