Chapter 290: Chapter 39, The Approach to Handling Bureaucrats

Winter Palace

Upon receiving the news of Bismarck’s assassination attempt, Nicholas I’s fury was instantaneous. An envoy of a nation being attacked in St. Petersburg was a slap in his face.

“Investigate, conduct a thorough search. I must have the assassin found!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” the Minister of Police hurriedly replied.

After a pause, Nicholas I asked, “Is Bismarck dead?”

Due to the chilly relations between the two countries, Nicholas I had never even seen Bismarck’s face, let alone cared about his well-being.

But now the situation was different. If Bismarck was not dead, there was still room for maneuver; it would be manageable once the assassin was caught.

If he was dead, then the Russians would once again become a laughingstock internationally. Unable to even protect visiting envoys, the British would likely not miss the chance to kick them while they were down.

Minister of Police Dumanov replied, “Bismarck was shot three times and is currently in critical care. Due to the lengthy delay, his chances of survival are slim.”

Clearly, this was preparation for shifting blame. Dumanov was also seething with anger over Bismarck’s assassination, viewing it as an unwarranted disaster.

If the attack had taken place elsewhere, he would have accepted it as a security issue. However, at the entrance of the Prussian Embassy, things were different; Tsarist police normally did not loiter at the doorsteps of foreign embassies.

Out of bureaucratic nature, Dumanov also sought to push the responsibility away. The excuses were already prepared: it was the Prussian Embassy’s own duty to ensure its security. Given this unexpected incident and the guards’ failure to react, it was their incompetence.

Thinking more maliciously, this could also be part of the Kingdom of Prussia’s internal power struggles, or the machinations of Bismarck’s enemies. If there was collusion between internal and external forces, then it made much more sense.

With this line of thinking, his own blame was greatly reduced. As everyone’s focus shifted to infighting within the Kingdom of Prussia, the international pressure on the Tsarist Government would lighten.

Beyond the Imperial Palace, Marquis Dumanov began gathering evidence to support his excuses.

Upon returning to his office, he received the news of Bismarck’s death due to the failed resuscitation. Then came another piece of news, a positive one: the suspect had been captured.

Marquis Dumanov inquired with concern, “Has the identity of the suspect been confirmed?”

The assistant replied earnestly, “Preliminary judgment suggests the suspect is a member of the Polish Independence Organization. The bullet type found at the scene matches those found during the search of the suspects’ residences.

These weapons and ammunition are all hand-made, not machined, and are commonly used by the Polish Independence Organization.

Based on initial interrogations, they admitted their infiltration into St. Petersburg was specifically aimed at assassinating our high-ranking officials to sow chaos and create opportunities for Polish independence.

It is said that there are more than one such action group. Since the Kingdom of Prussia also occupies Polish territories, it is not surprising that Bismarck was targeted for assassination.”

After thinking for a while, Marquis Dumanov said sternly, “The current public opinion pressure is very unfavorable to us. Immediately report our gathered intelligence; remember, the assassin is from the Polish Independence Organization.

Also, tell the journalists that there may be a mole within the Prussian Embassy, and it was their collusion that led to the attack on Envoy Bismarck.

Moreover, due to the mole’s actions, Bismarck was not sent to the hospital in time for treatment, leading to his death.

Let the journalists make up the details. After all, we have no right to inquire into the Prussian Embassy’s internal issues. Notify the Foreign Ministry to send them a letter, demanding that the Prussians investigate themselves.”

The truth was no longer important; Marquis Dumanov himself did not wish to carry this burden, and the current investigation results were sufficient.

The Polish Independence Organization causing troubles in the Russian Empire was not a new phenomenon. Regularly, they targeted the Polish Region, so their presence in St. Petersburg was not strange.

In an age without many detective tools, it was exceedingly difficult to trace the actual course of events. Firmly asserting it was the work of Polish individuals, and with the involvement of a mole, pulled the Prussian Government into the mire.

If they continued to dwell on this matter, it would be difficult to absolve oneself from implication; the Berlin Government would not dare to exacerbate the issue.

This touched upon internal national issues, as a significant number of Poles lived within the Kingdom of Prussia, nearly a quarter of the total population.

Having struggled to assimilate them, further agitation on this matter could easily provoke nationalistic conflicts.

Marquis Dumanov thought he had covered all bases, creating a situation where everyone would be content and the matter could simply pass.

Berlin

Upon receiving the news of Bismarck’s assassination attempt, Wilhelm Frederick Ludwig, the regent, felt little. The relations between them were strained, so genuine grief was nonexistent.

He even felt a tinge of schadenfreude, seeing an opportunity for Russia to pay a dear price. After all, the victim needed consolation, and without their cooperation, this affair wouldn’t have concluded so smoothly.

Foreign Minister Andrea said with a grim face, “Your Highness, we’ve just received a case report from the Russians. They claim the assassin belongs to the Polish Independence Organization and they think it’s related to internal political struggle. They want us to conduct a self-examination of our embassy. Here are the details, please have a look.”

The same words, interpreted by people of different status, naturally take on different meanings.

Now, undercurrents stirred within the Kingdom of Prussia. With Frederick William IV falling ill, a reshuffling was taking place within the government.

If it were proven that someone in the Prussian Embassy colluded with the assassin, it would trigger a political earthquake, which would be highly detrimental for the newly appointed regent, Wilhelm Frederick Ludwig.

The principle of political struggle is to fight without breaking; bitter incidents of hired killings are rare within the governments of European nations. Such events, once they occur, are resisted by all.

The Russian attempt at passing the blame was certainly not something Wilhelm Frederick Ludwig could accept, as it suggested the political struggles within the Kingdom of Prussia had gone beyond all decency.

The more he read, the angrier he became. Basing their conclusions on mere speculation that there was a traitor within the Prussian Embassy was clearly a perfunctory effort by the Russians.

The murderer of Bismarck being a member of the Polish Independence Organization was a somewhat acceptable theory. After all, suspects were apprehended and the specially manufactured weapons and ammunition seized could be considered as evidence.

These were the scapegoats chosen by Franz’s intelligence organization, naturally leaving behind traces. The Tsarist Government’s bureaucrats would, of course, not overlook these “evidences” to close the case quickly.

The so-called delayed rescue and the existence of a traitor was utter nonsense.

The incident of an envoy being assassinated was significant, chaos at the scene was inevitable, meaning treatment would be delayed as everyone reacted and him being sent to the hospital.

In fact, it was only a delay of about ten minutes, which included the time to hurriedly bandage the wounds. How could this be construed as an intentional delay in treatment?

Suspecting a traitor in the Prussian Embassy based on this speculation was ludicrous. In his view, the Russians were intentionally stirring discord within the Kingdom of Prussia.

The issue of the Polish Independence Organization assassinating Bismarck was manageable, but if the assimilated Polish, especially government officials, were involved, then the problem was grave.

This would mean the assimilated Polish hadn’t given up on independence and were colluding with the Polish Independence Organization. If the issue were to be amplified, it would inevitably alienate the Polish from the government.

Wilhelm Frederick Ludwig said angrily, “Tell the Russians, we need an explanation. Don’t dismiss this with “probable” and “possible” reasons; the Kingdom of Prussia will not accept such ludicrous excuses.”

Foreign Minister Andrea objected, “Your Highness, we should still perform a self-examination! We can’t be certain if the Russian claims are accurate. After all, they do have members of the Polish Independence Organization in their custody.

If there really is someone colluding with the Polish Independence Organization, and the evidence falls into the hands of the Russians, then we can only play it down.”

The Kingdom of Prussia had already assimilated the Polish within its borders. Andrea did not believe they would mix with the Polish Independence Organization; even if there were any, it would only be a very few and could not represent the majority.

By comparison, it was even more likely that someone in the government was involved in this action, taking the opportunity to get rid of Bismarck.

Political struggle is cruel, and playing a ruthless game to eliminate an opponent is no big deal.

The Prussian Government had always maintained contact with the Polish Independence Organization. During the period of the Great Revolution, the anti-Russian faction advocated for supporting Polish independence, to restrain the Russians, focusing on unifying the Germany Region.

Although it wasn’t ultimately successful, this connection had never been severed. Now, the domestic anti-Russian faction, colluding with the Polish Independence Organization to eliminate Bismarck and thwart the rapprochement between the two countries, seemed logical.

Because the affair touched on ethnic conflicts, the government was doomed to minimize the incident. Even if they were to investigate, it would have to be done secretly, reducing the risk of exposure for everyone involved.

Moreover, within Prussia, there were enemies of Bismarck who would take advantage of this opportunity to take him down, which did not seem strange. This “enemy” was not only a political adversary but also held personal vendettas, adding more complexity to the matter.

In the eyes of Prince Wilhelm Frederick Ludwig, the allegations of the Russians were far-fetched, but in the eyes of Andrea, they became the truth.

With so many places available for the assassination, why choose the embassy doorstep? Without collaboration, how could someone escape swiftly after committing the murder?