Chapter 19

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Chapter 19: The Era of Hardship

The 1830s, a truly magical era.

The new middle class started a revolution, the new working class started a revolution, the nobles didn’t want to lose power so they wanted a revolution, the religion wanted to regain power through a revolution, the serfs wanted liberation through a revolution, the citizens wanted voting rights through a revolution, and the women’s rights movement was also taking part in the revolution.

In the German region, in the Kingdom of Prussia, in Berlin, it was a magical place.

Leader One finished school in the afternoon. He planned to go home to continue writing his story, but on the way, he got blocked by a protest march. He had to find a random cafe to sit down at.

The small rooftop terrace of the cafe was a perfect spot to watch the action.

The people of Prussia preferred peaceful protests and demonstrations using ancient artifacts and family heirlooms such as flails, long spears, large swords, and crossbows. The protest groups would kindly showcase Prussian culture to onlookers.

Wilhelm Street intersected with Orange Road at the crossroads, about a twenty-minute walk from the Brandenburg Gate. Over two thousand people gathered, representing different groups like workers, Protestant groups, Catholic groups, and capitalists.

Leader One sipped on his bad coffee and chatted with the curious onlookers around him to exchange information. He soon got a good grasp of the situation.

According to the current king, Frederick Wilhelm IV, and a decision made by his cabinet, workers were forbidden from practicing religion. The weekly half-day off was eliminated, and they were required to work seven days in a row without breaks for worship.

The Prussian State Parliament did not agree with this decision, but the king directly enforced it through the Berlin City Parliament, which mainly consisted of Junker representatives who supported the king firmly.

As a result, all the workers, believers, and bosses came together to protest.

Why did even the capitalist bosses protest? It’s because the king doesn’t allow factory owners to practice their religion, and the managers don’t have any holidays anymore, all in the name of increasing industrial output or something like that.

Leader One had no idea who made this decision.

The current King of Prussia is Leader One’s elder brother. Leader One thinks that although his brother is not great, he is capable enough, not stupid. This confusing behavior might be due to some kind of coercion.

Or maybe Leader One doesn’t really know his brother, perhaps his brother is actually not that smart.

The protest march gathered at three o’clock in the afternoon and hadn’t started by half past four, causing a commotion at the crossroads.

"Sir."

Leader One heard the voice, "Oh, it’s Catherine! What brings you here?"

"The troops summoned by the King of Prussia are on their way, planning to violently suppress the protest. I’m here to protect you in case things go wrong," said Catherine.

"Go get us some coffee, and we’ll sit together on the balcony."

"Okay."

Violence was a common method used by Prussia to suppress people, especially by Leader One’s father.

The Prussian Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment was a powerful army unit directly under the king, known for their efficiency in dispersing protest groups by charging into them and causing chaos.

Throughout history, the Kings of Prussia were accustomed to this, including the current king.

They were always arrogant in handling things, believing that eliminating those causing problems would solve all issues.

They didn’t fear the resistance of the people, as the Magic Energy Knight unit could easily crush any opposition. They had done so from medieval times until now, and believed it would continue forever.

However.

As oppression increased, so did the strength of the resistance.

One day, when the people’s anger could no longer be suppressed, and they felt life wasn’t worth living, they were no longer afraid of death, and violence no longer worked.

With the awakening of a sense of freedom and advancements in technology, the demise of the feudal era became inevitable. If the King of Prussia continued to handle things in such a brutal and reactionary way, the only outcome would be death.

Catherine came back carrying a coffee saucer and cup, standing one step behind and to the left of Leader One.

Leader One asked, "How long do you think King of Prussia can continue causing chaos?"

Catherine replied, "How much longer can Prussia survive?"

Leader One said, "When do you think King of Prussia will be assassinated?"

Catherine remarked, "I think at this rate, Prussia will be no more, let alone King of Prussia."

The Prussian Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment arrived, unruly soldiers joined the battlefield, and the iron-clad devils with magic energy carried out a wall-like charge, causing the parade procession to fall apart.

Even though the protesters had fled, the devils relentlessly pursued them, holding onto their rifles in one hand and unsheathing their swords in the other, stabbing and cutting with great pleasure.

With limbs cut off and blood flowing like a river, the cries of the wounded soon faded into silence. This was not just any hell, this was hell itself.

In the year 1834, Prussia was still stuck in the old times of lords and peasants.

The cafe patrons had all retreated indoors, unable to bear watching from the balcony any longer. Only Leader One and Catherine remained, sipping their bitter coffee with blank expressions.

This was a common sight; having lived for 22 years in Blue Star, Leader One had likely witnessed it hundreds of times before.

All across Europe and the world, this era was filled with brutality and oppression, with bloody crackdowns happening everywhere. The situation was slightly better in England and France.

England and France weren’t saints either; they repressed, exploited, and persecuted their people too, just under the guise of capitalism. They used modern methods to oppress the lower classes while pretending to be civilized.

But at least they were modern nations, practicing capitalism instead of feudalism.

The key difference was that capitalists didn’t want people to die too soon; they wanted to extract every ounce of value before letting them go. They had constitutions and rules to disguise their dirty deeds.

On the other hand, the feudal reactionaries didn’t care about profit at all; they killed for the fun of it. Constitutions? Prussia didn’t even have one at that time.

Prussia gave nobles and Junker group exemption and the power of judiciary, meaning they could kill without restriction, even legally slaughter rebels and serfs.

This is too savage, really too savage.

The world in the early 19th century was like this, England and France were seen as beacons of civilization, capitalism was considered progressive thinking because others were too backward, feudal society had deteriorated by the early 19th century after thousands of years, instead of getting better, it got worse.

Leader One knew what he wanted to do, he also knew what he could do, and he understood what the era allowed him to do.

The time was not ripe in 1834, more waiting, just a bit more waiting.

"Catherine."

"Yes?"

"Could you contact Ron and Moltke and inquire about their current status, then urge them to accelerate the plan, I can only wait for one more year at most."

"Understood, Your Highness."