Chapter 1259 Hard-won
As the saying goes, people die for money and birds die for food, and there will always be brave men under great rewards. Even though these people made the matter sound so dangerous, there were still a few people who planned to try their luck.
After all, people were dying, so who cares so much.
However, those people were not satisfied and shouted loudly.
"What are you going to do?"
The leading coolie turned around and responded.
"People are dying, what else can they do? Go to work! It's not like they haven't been whipped before. The supervisors also have whips in their hands and they have been whipped a lot."
More coolies stood up. They didn't have much ability to make money. There were always wars, and the dock gangs and foremen exploited them severely, and they were dying.
Now there is an opportunity to make money, so naturally they don't want to miss it. Although those people said it was terrible, the impression of the Austrian Empire in the hearts of most people was not bad.
This impression came from the nostalgia for the Habsburg rule, although the Bourbon dynasty made a lot of changes to history after taking power, and even smeared it.
But as the Spanish Empire continued to decline, people naturally missed the peak of the empire that was praised by people, the golden age, and the prosperous era when everyone had food to eat.
"Stop! You are not allowed to go!"
"Why?"
"You want to be an accomplice of the Austrians!"
"How can we be the accomplices of the Austrians?"
The coolies looked confused.
"Do you know what the Austrians want you to do?"
"It's written on it, moving goods, repairing the city walls, and cleaning the camp."
These coolies knew some words, and Franz hired some Spanish translators to explain to them in case someone couldn't understand.
These translators were all Spaniards who had taken benefits or were close to Austria, but those who challenged them were not easy to deal with, so they didn't dare to stand up and oppose.
"Repair the city walls? I think they want to surround us to death!"
When this was said, everyone was shocked.
"What do you mean?"
"There are so many people in Austria, why don't they build the city wall themselves? Why do they have to let you build it?
And they are here to fight, why do they have to build the city wall?
They obviously want to surround us in the city and then massacre us!"
"Ah?! Really?!"
People immediately began to panic, and the coolies were all scared to death. They didn't expect things to turn out like this.
At this point, with just a little incitement, the people of Barcelona would start a riot and drive the Austrians out of the city.
At least some people think so. They are the controllers of the city's order and they don't want the Austrians to come.
The main reason is that they are not ready yet, and Austrian policies actually affect the interests of certain industries.
So these people need bargaining chips to negotiate with the Austrian Empire, so nothing is cheaper and easier than the lives of civilians.
They are not afraid of opposition now, let alone the Austrians producing evidence, because they have firmly grasped the right to speak and the so-called public opinion.
Even if the visitor spoke eloquently, even if the commander of the Austrian Empire Expeditionary Force knelt down, even if Franz came in person, it would be impossible to change the situation, because the seeds of suspicion and hatred had been planted and no one could eradicate them.
"What nonsense!"
"Damn it! Who? Which Austrian lackey, stand up!"
"Me!"
A priest in a black robe stood up, and the people recognized him as Father Anthony, Saint Anthony Maria Clare. For many years, he has been committed to helping the poor and vulnerable groups, providing education and spiritual support, and healing the wounds caused by war and famine.
Although Father Anthony has not been canonized at this time, his reputation has spread widely, and he is one of the few lights of hope in the eyes of the Spaniards at this time.
The few people who challenged him were not easy to do because of Father Anthony's reputation.
"Father Anthony, you have been deceived by the Austrians! Please lead us to drive the Austrians out!"
"Yes! Father Anthony, please help us!"
The ignorant people around him begged him, but Father Anthony was very angry and quoted a passage from the Bible.
"He who tills his own land will be well fed; he who follows vanity is ignorant. Why don't you want to work for food? If you don't think about yourself, you should think about your family.
Go to work, children! Live hard! God will bless you!"
"Father, why don't you understand? This is the conspiracy of the Austrians! How could they be so kind and give such a high salary?"
Father Anthony glared at the person who spoke and said loudly.
"What conspiracy? How could I not know? I asked the Emperor of the Austrian Empire for these jobs in person. This is the salary of Austrian workers!"
The people around him cheered as soon as they heard it, and people threw their hats into the air and shouted.
"Long live the emperor!"
"Go to work! Children! Live hard! Keep your faith! Everything will be fine!"
People really can't change this situation, but God can.
The greatest advantage of the Catholic Church lies in its control over the grassroots people. The people may not know the local officials or the king, but they must know who the parish priest and bishop of their parish are.
However, those who challenged them were unwilling to give up. They still used the same old tricks.
"You Austrian running dog!"
"Quick! Kill this Austrian lackey!"
Although Father Anthony was protected by civilians and believers, how could they possibly defeat professional gangsters?
The gangsters rushed forward quickly, and Father Anthony was about to be killed.
Gunshots rang out, and the local police in Barcelona came.
The fat Mayor Urfas squeezed into the crowd under the escort of a large group of bodyguards.
"Father Anthony, you are not injured, right?"
Then he winked at the police chief, who immediately understood.
"Aggression in the street? Take all these troublemakers away!"
Mayor Urfas, who was gradually walking away, added another sentence.
"Let me interrogate them carefully and see who is destroying this hard-won peace!"
"Hard-won peace" made the Spaniards feel deeply. How long have they not enjoyed the so-called peace?
Whether it was Isabella II or the Carlos faction, they would only ask them to pay taxes, taxes, and taxes!
If there is no money, use people to make up for it!
They have had enough!
"Go to work! Children, try to survive!"
The priest's words rang in people's minds again. When people thought that it was a job assigned by the Emperor of the Austrian Empire, they could understand that the salary was higher.
So the Spaniards in the city had no more scruples and went to the dock to start working.
And the performance of the Austrians did not disappoint them. They had set up a big pot at the dock and everyone could get a meal.
Their first job was to move the supplies on the ship down to provide relief to the people.