Chapter 463: Chapter 36: Inverting Black and White
 

Karen’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing the President’s question. She quickly masked her panic and replied, “We’ve reached a consensus on the main points, but there are still some details to be worked out.”

Without changing his expression, Young Pretorius said, “I understand. You may leave now!”

His voice carried a hint of sorrow, clearly indicating that his heart was not at peace. Young Pretorius was no saint, and in the face of self-interest, he could not maintain complete serenity.

Karen’s expression had not escaped his notice. If things were as he expected, this trusted confidant had also been in contact with the Austrians and might have even betrayed him.

Being smart enough to have reached his current position, Young Pretorius naturally wouldn’t bother to confirm whether Karen had betrayed him.

At this stage, it no longer mattered. Even if she remained loyal, refusing the Austrians’ bribes and confessing everything to him, what difference would it make?

Young Pretorius could do nothing about the Austrians; he couldn’t even protest to the Vienna Government. If relations were openly severed, he wouldn’t even be able to preserve his last vestiges of preferential treatment.

If negotiations between the domestic power players and the Austrians weren’t going smoothly, then his role as President could still be influential. Now that everything was proceeding well, they no longer needed him.

At the outset, Young Pretorius was prepared to negotiate with the Austrians on behalf of the government, striving for a more favorable political status for everyone.

Reality was a slap in the face. After the Vienna Government began to divide and woo them, one after another their stances changed. What did it matter if the country gained more benefits, compared to what they could gain personally?

The merger of the two Boer Republics, joining the Shinra Empire under the name of a sub-state, indeed offered better political status.

However, this meant that their personal gains were severely limited. Without any notable achievements, the dream of becoming nobility was just that—a dream.

Even though privileges were restricted, the title of nobility was still highly desirable in this era. After His Majesty Franz made his offer, many had a change of heart.

Since the Vienna Government insisted on annexing the Republic, and resistance was futile anyway, why not sell the Boer Republic for a noble title, becoming a ruler of the Shinra Empire?

As for the future of Transvaal and the Orange Free State, what did that have to do with them?

Most were either Dutch or German, once part of the Shinra Empire already, and now they were simply returning to the motherland.

Even Young Pretorius, the President himself, did not plan on resisting Austria to the bitter end, so how could he expect others to do so?

Recently, the British had made contact with the anti-Austrian forces, only to be caught and used by the pro-Austrian faction to launch a political offensive, effectively driving them out of the center of power.

If Young Pretorius hadn’t been smart enough to decisively reject the British, he would have been replaced as President by now.

What Young Pretorius now hoped for most was for the British to take action. Only if the situation spiraled out of control would he have room to exercise his role as President and perhaps sell himself for a good price.

There was no other way. Everyone could sell out the country, but as President, he could not. Otherwise, even if he became nobility, he would struggle to fit in with the noble circles.

Nobility too needed reputation, especially the newly established ones. To integrate into the circle, the first step was to whitewash their past.

Young Pretorius had no intention of bowing out of politics just yet, so naturally he couldn’t approach them openly. Apart from discreetly making his stance known to the Vienna Government, he couldn’t do anything explicitly.

Under normal circumstances, after joining Austria, he would become the Governor of the Austria South African region, and once the transfer of power was complete, he could take his noble title back home and retire.

“`

To become a true Governor-General, one would have to wait until the British attacked and the Vienna Government needed him to stabilize the situation.

For his own interests, Young Pretorius had made preparations as well. Since defeating the Zulu people, he had deliberately allowed his military to deteriorate.

On one hand, he was showing his attitude to the Vienna Government, proving that he had no ambition; on the other hand, he exposed his vulnerabilities to entice the British to make a move.

The South African strategy proposed by Governor Delf to the London Government was based on this premise.

It should be noted that, due to Austria’s transportation of immigrants to the Boer Republics, the current power of the two Boer Republics far surpasses their historical counterparts at the same time.

If fully armed, plus the strength of Austria in the South African region, even if the British joined forces with the Portuguesse people, there wouldn’t be much chance of victory.

…

In a manor in the capital of the Transvaal Republic, Pretoria, former President Skoman was hosting Viscount Feckney, the Austrian representative.

No one would consider having too many merits, and since the Vienna Government decided to annex the two Boer Republics, the nobility on the African Continent had sprung into action.

Viscount Feckney, who had made his fortune through starting colonies, naturally did not want to fall behind. Although he had only recently advanced from hereditary Baron to hereditary Viscount, the chances of progressing further were almost nonexistent.

Resting on his laurels from previous merits was certainly not a problem, but he couldn’t bear the burden of his numerous sons!

The eldest son would naturally inherit the title and most of the family property, while the remaining two younger sons could only split a portion of the property and become a branch of the nobility dependent on their older brother, turning into commoners in the next generation.

The Baron Feckney, who was deeply fond of his children, naturally did not want to see this happen. The great His Majesty Franz had been compassionate and considered this problem in advance for them.

He allowed them to earn merits to acquire more noble titles, which could also be requested to be inherited by multiple heirs separately.

Of course, the heirs had to be of direct parent-child relation. For other inheritance scenarios, they had to abide by the original rules of title succession.

The main purpose was to strike at the buying and selling of titles. According to the new Aristocratic law, a noble wishing to sell a title could only sell it to the Vienna Government, prohibiting private transactions.

There’s no way around it, this world will never be without prodigals. If there were to be an auction of titles, one can imagine the impact it would have on the nobility system.

To avoid the worst-case scenario, Franz directly eliminated the transaction of hereditary titles from the source. There was no need to worry about life-long nobility titles, as they simply couldn’t be inherited.

If there really was a prodigal looking to sell, the Vienna Government was also open for buybacks, offering very high prices.

The lowest rank of hereditary Knight was worth fifty thousand Divine Shields; the highest rank of King, was even offered at the lofty price of ten million Divine Shields.

Of course, this was limited to the titles conferred by Franz and included the taking back of the fiefs; empty titles would certainly be discounted.

As for titles from before this time, their prices had to be determined based on the actual situation. Essentially, any title issued by the Habsburg dynasty was recognized by Franz, while those conferred by others were bought back at rock-bottom prices, with foreign titles not being eligible for buyback at all.

With their value established, everyone became even more enthusiastic about noble titles. The rights of great nobles were restricted, and their enfeoffed vassal nobility were no longer recognized by the state.

This included the Kings of the Sub-States; they were no longer able to grant titles indiscriminately either. If the person being ennobled did not have sufficient merits, the Empire would not recognize it.

From the initial quota restrictions to the current merit assessments, Franz had successfully taken away the right to confer titles from the hands of the Kings of the Sub-States.

“`

Selling a title was not a simple matter; it required the consent of all legitimate heirs, which was almost impossible.

There is a large number of relatives in nobility, and no matter how remotely related, as long as they have inheritance rights, even indirect ones, they are considered heirs. It is not impossible for a single title to have thousands of heirs.

This inheritance relationship is likely to drive one to despair. Hoping for everyone’s agreement is almost like expecting them all to collectively “bite the dust.”

Viscount Feckney said elegantly, “Mr. Skoman, we must accelerate our pace. To my knowledge, our neighbors, the British, are training native armies and are very likely to stir up trouble.

His Majesty does not wish to see a chaotic South Africa, so we must act in advance. Once the merger is complete, the British will dare not make any underhanded moves.”

This is the game rule among major powers in colonial activities. Everyone is intentionally controlling the scope of conflict.

Colonies that have not been effectively controlled are considered no man’s land, open for everyone to employ whatever means they have. Once it falls under the actual control of another, any further action changes its nature to an invasion.

Generally, such scenarios do not happen; if they do, it means war.

If one is unwilling to confront directly, even if desiring to grab territories, they usually just operate underhandedly, squeezing the other party out.

If everyone wasn’t exercising restraint, with the many conflicts arising during colonial activities, the major colonial empires would have been at each other’s throats long ago.

Skoman had served as the Acting President of Transvaal for a while. Though his personal reputation was not impressive, his power was considerable.

Due to a business deal, he had a chance encounter with Viscount Feckney. The two were barely acquainted, hardly different from strangers under normal circumstances.

However, as the situation changed, it brought the two men back in touch.

Viscount Feckney needed to win over the Transvaal Power faction and incorporate it into the Austrian Colonial System; Skoman, on the other hand, needed to establish connections with Austria to protect his interests in the new era.

The two parties hit it off immediately, instantly becoming “good” friends.

Since he had decided to join forces with Austria, Skoman naturally did not hesitate and, after some thought, replied, “Your Excellency Viscount, I will push matters along as quickly as I can.

However, it will still take some time as the public opinion has only just begun building momentum and needs more time to peak.

If we move too soon, there is a high likelihood of an unexpected outcome, as some flies have not been completely swatted away, their presence also a potential risk.”

Political struggles rarely result in total annihilation, but this time was clearly an exception. To create the spectacle of the entire populations of Transvaal and the Orange Free State clamoring to return to the Shinra Empire, it was essential to eliminate any hidden threats.

This concerned the face of His Majesty Franz, as directly annexing two independent countries would look too aggressive. Using the pretext of the empire’s citizens desiring to return to their motherland made the move appear much more palatable.

After all, tracing back the lineage of the Boer people, they originated from the Shinra Empire, and their cultural traditions were also inherited, sparing no one any ground for criticism. As long as they insisted on returning to the motherland, the legal issues were perfectly resolved.

If it wasn’t for the concern of appearances, the Vienna Government wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble; a direct military approach would have been simpler.

The current Boer Republic, should it consider military resistance, would first have to ponder whether their German Descendant soldiers might suddenly turn their coats.

Viscount Feckney said gravely, “Those flies must be squashed. Since they dare to collude with the British and betray the empire, they must pay the price in blood.”

On the issue of defending the empire’s interests, Viscount Feckney was incredibly staunch. In his eyes, traitors deserved death.

Although these people were not Austrians at all, and there was no so-called betrayal, by standing on the opposite side of the Empire, they had to die.

Austria now needed to “kill the chicken to scare the monkey”; otherwise, how could the powers that be intimidate the fence-sitters who had just pledged their allegiance?

Feckney did not think that those who could betray their own country would have much loyalty towards Austria. The best way was naturally to make them fear betrayal.

Having them personally eliminate the anti-Austrian elements was both a declaration of their commitment and a clear lesson on the cost of being an enemy to Austria.

Smart people always made choices that were in their best interest, and Skoman was one such person. Even though he was well aware that this was Viscount Feckney’s scheme, he decided to play dumb.

He immediately assured, “Rest assured, Your Excellency the Viscount, we will root out all the spies lurking within the Empire and bring them to justice!”

Heaven knows when the anti-Austrian faction within the Boer Republic turned into spies for the British, and how they infiltrated the Shinra Empire.

If we’re to discuss traitors, it seems that it is they who are more fitting of the label. They directly handed over Transvaal and the Orange Free State to Austria in exchange for their own benefits.

Viscount Feckney smiled slightly, raising his wine glass and saying, “Then let me offer you my early congratulations, future Baron Skoman.”

After speaking, he clinked his glass with Skoman’s, and then drained it in one go, seemingly truly happy for his friend’s attainment of nobility.

The wily Skoman couldn’t keep his composure any longer and instantly revealed a smile. It was no easy feat to leap from commoner to noble in this era, let alone become a hereditary noble.

Prior to this, the terms had been negotiated: if Skoman could ensure a smooth transition, he would become a titled baron.

Skomans’ voice trembled as he replied, “Thank you, Your Excellency the Viscount!”

There was no helping it; before this, the two were not truly friends, so formalities were necessary.

However, the future might not necessarily be the same. Viscount Feckney wouldn’t befriend commoners, but he was open to befriending a noble.

Status determined how people interacted with one another; since Skoman was willing to cooperate, he was considered one of their own.

In high spirits, Feckney, considering their modest acquaintance, offered some advice, “My old friend, you now need a tutor in etiquette.”

“Once the matters here are settled, you still have to travel to Vienna to receive his Majesty’s ennoblement to become a true noble.”

“The ennoblement ceremony for nobility can’t afford the slightest mistake; otherwise, you’ll become the laughingstock among the nobility and you’ll never be able to hold your head up again.”

While the government would arrange an etiquette tutor, the time to learn would be too short. To ensure no errors, it would be best to start learning in advance.

This was true; to make a faux pas during the nobility ennoblement ceremony was quite serious, as it was seen as a sign of lack of breeding.

At best, you would be embarrassed and become the butt of jokes among the nobility. At worst, you could directly lose your title.

Skoman’s countenance changed drastically, and he hurriedly thanked Viscount Feckney.

…