Chapter 290: Bureaucratic Handling
Winter Palace
Upon receiving the news of Bismarcks assassination, Nicholas I was immediately enraged. To have an envoy assassinated in St. Petersburg was a slap in his face.
Investigate, conduct a thorough investigation. We must find the culprit! he commanded.
Yes, Your Majesty! the Minister of Police replied promptly.
After a momentary pause, Nicholas I asked, Is Bismarck dead?
Due to the frosty relations between the two countries, Nicholas I had never even met Bismarck, so he normally would not have been concerned about his life and death.
But now the situation is different. If Bismarck is not dead, there is still room for maneuver. As long as the culprit is caught, things can be resolved.
If he is dead, the Russians will once again become an international laughingstock. If even a foreign envoy cant be protected, the British might not miss the chance to kick them when theyre down.
Minister of Police Dumanov replied, Bismarck was hit by three bullets and is currently undergoing surgery. However, due to the delay, the chances of survival are slim.
Clearly, he was preparing to shift the blame. Dumanov was also extremely angry about Bismarcks assassination attempt. For him, it was a bolt from the blue.
Had the incident occurred elsewhere, it could have been attributed to security issues, which he would reluctantly accept. However, in front of the Prussian Embassy, the situation is different; the Russian government police do not usually loiter around foreign embassies.
With the instinct of a bureaucrat, he also wanted to shift the responsibility to others. The excuses were already prepared; the security of the Prussian embassy was their own responsibility. When such an incident occurred and the guards failed to react, it reflected their incompetence.
Cynically, it could also be internal power struggles within the Kingdom of Prussia, or orchestrated by Bismarcks enemies. If theres collusion both internally and externally, it becomes much more plausible.
In this way, his own responsibility was greatly reduced. Everyones attention would be drawn to the internal strife in Prussia, and international pressure on the Russian government would be lessened.
Aside from reporting to the Imperial Palace, Marquis Dumanov began looking for evidence to support his excuses.
Just as he returned to his office, he received word that Bismarck had succumbed to his injuries. Shortly thereafter, he received good news: the suspects had been apprehended.
Marquis Dumanov inquired, Has the identity of the suspects been confirmed?
His assistant solemnly replied, The preliminary assessment indicates that the suspects are members of the Polish Independence Organization. The bullet casings found at the scene match the ones seized from the arrested suspects.
These weapons and ammunition are all handmade, not mechanically produced, which is typical of the equipment used by the Polish Independence Organization.
Based on initial interrogations, they confessed that their infiltration into St. Petersburg was aimed at creating chaos by assassinating high-ranking officials of our country and creating opportunities for Polish independence.
It is said that there is more than one such group. Considering that the Kingdom of Prussia also occupies Polish territory, it is not surprising that Bismarck became a target for assassination.
After thinking for a while, Marquis Dumanov said solemnly: Public opinion is now very unfavorable to us. Immediately release the information we have, and be sure to pin the Polish Independence Organization as the perpetrators.
Also, tell the reporters that there may be traitors within the Prussian Embassy. It was under their internal and external collusion that the diplomat Bismarck was assassinated.
Because of the traitors involvement, Bismarcks wound was not treated promptly at the hospital, leading to his death.
As for the specific details, let the journalists fabricate them themselves. After all, we have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the Prussian Embassy. Notify the Foreign Ministry to send them a letter urging the Prussians to conduct their own investigation.
Whether its true or not doesnt matter anymore; Marquis Dumanov no longer wants to bear this responsibility, and the current investigation results are already sufficient.
The Polish Independence Organization has been causing trouble in the Russian Empire for quite some time. They usually operate in the Polish region, so its no surprise that theyve expanded their activities to St. Petersburg.
In this era, there arent many detective tools available, making it very difficult to uncover the details of such incidents. By firmly blaming the Poles and suggesting internal collusion, they effectively implicate the Prussian government.
If they continue to insist on this narrative, it will be difficult for the Prussian government to avoid getting involved themselves, so they wouldnt dare escalate the issue any further.
This relates to domestic ethnic issues, especially considering that there is a significant Polish population within the Kingdom of Prussia, making up nearly a quarter of the total population.
After all the efforts to assimilate them, stirring up more trouble on this issue could easily exacerbate ethnic tensions.
Marquis Dumanov thought he had considered this from all angles. Youre happy, Im happy, everybodys happy, and the matter could now be put to rest.
Berlin
When Regent Frederick William Louis received the news of Bismarcks assassination, he didnt feel much. After all, their relations were bad to begin with, so grief was out of the question.
In fact, he felt a tinge of satisfaction, seeing this as an opportunity to bleed Russia. After all, as the victim, they needed to be appeased, and without their cooperation, resolving the matter wouldnt be so easy.
Foreign Minister Manteuffel reported with a grim expression: Your Highness, weve just received a briefing on the case from the Russians. They believe the culprit to be the Polish Independence Organization, linking the incident to domestic political struggles, and theyre asking us to conduct our own investigation at the embassy. Here are the detailed reports for your review.
The same words held different meanings when interpreted by people of different positions.
With internal currents stirring within the Kingdom of Prussia, and with Frederick William IV falling ill, the government was undergoing a reshuffle.
If it could be proven that there was collusion between someone in the Prussian embassy and the assassins, it would cause a political earthquake that would be highly detrimental to the newly appointed regent, William Frederick Louis.
The principle of political struggle is to fight but not to destroy, and incidents of heinous acts such as hiring assassins are rare within the governments of European countries. When such incidents occur, they are condemned by all.
Now, the Russians attempt to shift the blame is clearly unacceptable to William Frederick Louis, as it indicates that the political struggle in the Kingdom of Prussia has crossed the line.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Just speculating and arbitrarily concluding that there is a traitor in the Prussian embassy clearly shows that the Russians are just trying to sweep things under the rug.
The claim that Bismarcks assassins came from the Polish Independence Organization could still be reluctantly accepted, since at least a few suspects have been arrested, and the discovery of custom-made weapons and ammunition could count as evidence.
These were the scapegoats carefully chosen by Franzs intelligence organization, which of course left some clues. To close the case quickly, the bureaucrats of the Russian government will certainly not overlook these pieces of evidence.
The so-called delay in the rescue and the existence of a traitor were pure nonsense.
With such a major incident of a diplomat being murdered, there would undoubtedly be chaos at the scene. By the time everyone reacted and sent him to the hospital for treatment, some delay was inevitable.
In reality, there was only a delay of about ten minutes, including time for simple bandaging of the wounds. How could this be considered an intentional delay in treatment?
The speculation about the existence of a traitor in the Prussian Embassy is also nonsense. In his opinion, this is Russias deliberate attempt to sow discord within the Kingdom of Prussia.
The issue of the assassination of Bismarck by the Polish Independence Organization is not a big problem in itself. However, when assimilated Poles are involved, especially government officials, the problem becomes significant.
This means that assimilated Poles have not given up their quest for independence and are cooperating with the Polish Independence Organization. If the issue is escalated, it will inevitably lead to disunity between the Polish people and the government.
William Frederick Louis furiously said: Tell the Russians that we need an explanation. We will not accept such vague and speculative reasons. Prussia will not tolerate such nonsense excuses.
Foreign Minister Manteuffel objected: Your Highness, lets have an internal investigation first! We are not sure if the Russian allegations are true, and they still have members of the Polish Independence Organization in custody.
If there is indeed someone colluding with the Polish Independence Organization, and evidence falls into the hands of the Russians, then we will have to handle it delicately.
The Kingdom of Prussia has already assimilated its Polish population, and Manteuffel doesnt believe they would mix with the Polish Independence Organization. Even if they did, they would be the minority and could not represent everyone.
In contrast, the possibility that someone within the government was involved in this operation, using it as an opportunity to eliminate Bismarck, seems more plausible.
Political struggles are ruthless, and it is not uncommon to use someone elses hand to commit the act.
Its important to note that there had always been a connection between the Prussian government and the Polish Independence Organization. During the time of the revolutions, anti-Russian factions advocated supporting Polish independence to restrain the Russians and concentrate forces to unify German territories.
Although ultimately unsuccessful, this link was never severed. Now it makes sense for the anti-Russian factions within the country to collude with the Polish Independence Organization to eliminate Bismarck and prevent a reconciliation between the two countries.
Because of the ethnic conflicts involved, the government is destined to tread lightly. If an investigation is to be conducted, it must be done in secret to reduce the risk of exposing everyone.
Moreover, there are still enemies of Bismarck within Prussia who may have used this opportunity to eliminate him. These enemies are not only political opponents but also his personal enemies, which adds to the complexity of the situation.
To Prince William Frederick Louis, the Russian claims seemed absurd, but to Manteuffel, they seemed like the truth.
With so many possible places to carry out the attack, why choose the embassys doorstep? And how could the perpetrators quickly leave the scene without any assistance?
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