Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 372: Interrogation

The failed rebellion in the Austrian-controlled Italian territories had far-reaching impacts. The Austrian government was enraged, and Franz immediately ordered a nationwide investigation.

Upon investigation, authorities were shocked by what they found. Traces of unrest were discovered from Lombardy-Venetia to Hungary and Galicia.

Numerous individuals who had interacted with the Hungarian Independence Organization were summoned for questioning. While no arrests had been made yet, the atmosphere was already fraught with anxiety.

Those implicated couldnt help but curse Stephen and his entire family. Why did they have to write letters to them if they were going to rebel?

For something that has a high degree of difficulty, didnt they understand the importance of secrecy? Their actions had made the whole world know of it, no wonder the rebellion failed.

Many regretted not reporting them directly earlier. That momentary hesitation cost them the opportunity, and the rebels foolishness incriminated them, making the situation increasingly unclear.

Whether or not they participated in the rebellion, or were aware of it, became the key question. Without sufficient evidence, the authorities didnt arrest them, opting instead for routine questioning.

However, this was also highly troublesome. Once implicated in the rebellion, all social connections became useless.

At this moment, Atessa was filled with regret. He knew the Hungarian Independence Organization wouldnt amount to anything and had severed ties with them.

Unexpectedly, the police arrived at his door so quickly. As someone who had contact with the leaders of the insurgents and had exchanged letters with them before the uprising, he naturally became a prime suspect.

Atessa said nervously, Chief Partivat, please believe that I am innocent. I only coincidentally met the rebel Stephen at a banquet and I am not at all familiar with him.

He couldnt have dreamed that the Hungarian Independence Organization would actually launch a rebellion in the Italian region. Isnt this a trap?

Despite Stephen inviting him to join the uprising, there was only a time mentioned, but no specific location. Atessa naturally assumed that the Hungarian Independence Organization was planning the uprising in Hungary and that he was simply being approached for support.

If the rebellion had occurred in Hungary, limited by the communication methods of that era, his interactions with Stephen would have been untraceable by the Hungarian police.

Chief Partivat said expressionlessly, Mr. Atessa, theres no need to be nervous. No one is accusing you of being involved with the rebels, otherwise, someone else would be having this conversation with you.

You are merely a suspect now, and we are only conducting routine questioning. If you want to clear up this suspicion, please answer my questions truthfully.

Some witnesses saw you and Stephen having a pleasant conversation at the Mark Manor during that banquet. Your conversation lasted for over half an hour, which goes beyond the interaction of strangers.

To my knowledge, many of your friends also attended the banquet, but you did not speak as much with them.

Atessa hurriedly explained, At that time, the leader of the rebels, Stephen, concealed his identity. On the surface, he posed as a colonial merchant, and I had a keen interest in overseas colonization.

You already know, Chief. The simplest way to obtain a title of nobility now is to go abroad and establish colonies in exchange for military achievements. I was also planning to organize a colonial expedition to overseas territories.

Chief Partivat continued to ask, dissatisfied, From what I know, Stephen was recruiting mercenaries to cover the entry of the rebels into the country.

Most of these were Italians. I apologize, Mr. Atessa, I have no intention of discriminating against Italians.

However, Italian mercenaries are universally acknowledged to lack combat capability in mainland Europe.

Currently, there are over one hundred thousand mercenaries in the entire Austrian colonial territories, but Italians account for less than a thousand. This already speaks for itself.

From the beginning, Stephen surfaced as a laughingstock. It was precisely because of this anomaly that our police were able to deploy in time and suppress the rebels.

However, the leader of the rebels still managed to escape. It has been confirmed that someone sheltered them, allowing them to evade our search.

Dont be nervous, Mr. Atessa. I didnt say you sheltered them, but your answers to me are problematic.

If you truly wished to organize a colonial team, there were many others you could have consulted. Even a random sailor from the docks could have told you Italian mercenaries are unreliable.

Even among your friends, some have organized colonial expeditions before. Why didnt you consult with so many other people and instead choose to discuss this topic with someone who is considered a fool?

Atessa explained helplessly, Chief Partivat, believe me, there isnt much to it, just purely because its cheaper. Under the same conditions, you can hire two Italian mercenaries for the price of one German mercenary, which presents a significant manpower cost advantage.

We only need to deal with indigenous people, so theres no need for strong combat capabilities. With the same amount of money, I can hire Italian mercenaries and get more troops, giving us an advantage in the labor export business.

He was speaking the truth, but unfortunately, this didnt dispel Chief Partivats suspicion. The entrapment operation wasnt something he would be privy to at his level and position, so Atessas explanation only heightened his suspicion.

Chief Partivat frowned and said, Mr. Atessa, you should understand that this is your last chance. If you still refuse to tell the truth, the consequences will be very serious when you are eventually found out.

Atessa hurriedly vowed, I can swear to God that I have told the complete truth.

Chief Partivat asked in a cold tone, Mr. Atessa, according to intelligence, you received a confidential letter before the outbreak of the rebellion. It was a personal letter written by Stephen.

If youve only met once, why would he write to you? Dont tell me it was love at first sight. Youre not a beauty with such overwhelming charm.

As the leader of the rebellion, Stephen has always been cautious, minimizing contact with the outside world as much as possible. Why would he take the risk of writing to you?

Wouldnt he, as a fugitive for over a decade, know that any unusual behavior would attract attention and increase the risk of exposure?

Atessa realized that things were getting serious; Chief Partivat was now suspecting him. Under normal circumstances, Partivat should have inquired about the contents of the letter, rather than probing why Stephen would write to him.

As a prominent capitalist, Atessa had an extensive network of contacts; ordinarily, he wouldnt even bother with a low-ranking police chief.

However, the situation was different now; with the involvement in the rebellion, no one dared to speak up for him.

If he said the wrong thing at this moment, it could easily lead to an accusation of harboring rebels. Bureaucrats were not fools; the Austrian government had always shown zero tolerance for matters involving rebels, drawing lessons from the upheaval of the past revolutions.

Atessa replied with a furrowed brow, This question, you should ask Stephen. I have the right to refuse to answer.

Chief Partivat chuckled coldly and said, Of course, that is your right. Now I demand that you provide this confidential letter; its contents are relevant to whether you are involved with the rebels.

Atessa cursed inwardly; the letter had already been burned, so how could he provide it? Moreover, if the contents of the letter were exposed, he might not be able to leave today.

Sorry, these kinds of letters, I receive many of them every day and hardly ever read them. They are usually treated as junk. I can go back and look for it, but Im not sure if I can find it.

Chief Partivat did not continue to dwell on this issue; instead, he brought up a new question: Mr. Atessa, someone has reported that you have connections with the Italian Independence Organization.

Your youth art and culture training center, established with friends, is said to be a propaganda arm of the Italian Independence Organization, attempting to divide the great Austrian Empire.

Now, please provide a reasonable explanation as to why the curriculum of the training center includes content related to the independence of Lombardy-Venetia.

Atessa was shocked, realizing the magnitude of the trouble he was in. If this issue had been discovered during normal times, he could have simply blamed the teachers at the training institution and dismissed them.

But now it had coincided with the rebellion, providing grounds to suspect him. Being targeted by the government would certainly not bode well.

As a wealthy capitalist, Atessa had many shady dealings that could land him in jail if uncovered. Things that could easily be smoothed over using his network of connections during normal times could now be a death sentence.

If he couldnt dispel the suspicion of Chief Partivat now, his tragic fate would be all but sealed.

When dealing with suspected rebels, the Austrian government had never shown any leniency; once they had a charge to imprison them, they never hesitated to do so.

Atessa hurriedly explained, Chief Partivat, this is all baseless. The curriculum of the youth art and cultural training center has never involved politics.

You can send someone to investigate; our materials are all professional courses. If anyone dares to propagate separatist ideas, we immediately expel them. These are all slanderous accusations.

He could never shoulder the charge of attempting to split the nation. If confirmed, he would be doomed.

Even if he had inclinations toward independence, he couldnt admit to it! The Austrian government dealt strictly with such matters; just uttering a slogan for independence could result in a life sentence.

Chief Partivat sneered, Mr. Atessa, given your lack of cooperation, we have no way to clear your suspicion. Therefore, I officially inform you that you are now being detained.

In the future, you may face charges of conspiring to incite rebellion and attempting to split the nation. Please confess the truth promptly and cooperate with the governments actions.

Atessas face changed drastically, and he exclaimed, I want to see a lawyer, I want to file a complaint; this is unlawful detention!

He was truly panicked now. If the police detained him, even if he was ultimately proven innocent and unconnected to the rebels, any other crimes uncovered would still incriminate him.

Lawful conviction would be irrefutable. Especially at this critical moment, being involved in the rebellion, his social connections were useless so he couldnt even find anyone to help him.

Partivat said indifferently, Of course, that is your right. However, as you are suspected of the grave crimes of conspiracy to rebel and attempting to split the nation, we have the authority to prohibit you from contacting the outside world for one week.

Atessa looked ashen-faced; a week was enough time to change many things. Without him personally overseeing everything, who knew how many problems would be exposed?