Rochefort City Hall
Visit of Kaiser Wilhelm Augustus III
Royalist Capile
That was quite the revelation.
As a former sovereign, Wilhelm was still cleared for the classified data which landed on the Kaiser’s desk; not that he was necessarily supposed to see it, but it usually found its way to him somehow. He was aware of the severe food shortage in Capile as well as the still recovering economic situation, however the civil unrest had been unreported. Or perhaps the Abwehr had desired that no one know just how bad things were among Capilean society, the anxiety and worry running rampant among the citizenry. Their agents should know as much.
Wilhelm was privy to the deep-cover program of Abwehr agents in Capile, it had been initiated just before he took the throne after all. There had been several times he had considered revealing or dismantling the network of agents buried across Capile but had always decided against it. The countries long-time instability had seemed a credible reason for keeping a contingency in place to secure German interests in the region, this civil war seemed to vindicate that reasoning.
“I was unaware the civilian unrest was quite so advanced. However I do have a few words of advice for you.”
“To start with every effort must be made to show the public that everyone is committed to winning this war...” he held up a hand before anyone could accuse him of anything. “I do not accuse that you are not already committed to victory rather that right now how much does the public actually witness that commitment. How often do civilian’s get a glimpse inside the Reichskanzler’s office, witnessing him conducting the orderly business of government? Or see their Grand Duke in conference with his officers and official’s discussing important matters of state?” He let that sink in for a moment before continuing on.
“My advice is that a massive propaganda campaign should be launched to inspire the public that not only is victory still possible, it is an assurance. The newspapers, televisions, internet all should be awash with everything from interviews with soldiers at the front to cartoons displaying Nemetz as so ridiculous a character no one could possibly take him seriously. That’s just the basic level. Senior members of government should be seen amongst the public, frequently if possible, this will dispel some of that fear of a return to elitism and absolutism. The Defense Minister should be seen personally pinning medals for bravery on soldiers or inspecting fortifications, the Agricultural Minister should be seen visiting farms and actually hearing the grievances of the farmers, the Health Minister should be seen visiting hospitals.” He turned to look towards Knott. “The Reichskanzler should be making as many public appearances as possible, giving speeches to fire up the populace, tell them that victory will be not just the Grand Duke’s or the monarchy’s but that it will be for every single individual Capilean.”
“Not to sound cretinous but some use could be gained out of Karl and Elizabeth as well. In times of crisis, people pay special attention to the young for their reaction for they have the most to lose or gain from any outcome affecting the future. Karl and Elizabeth can be sent to visit the wounded soldiers in field hospitals, to convey their respects to war widows and orphans, even actively work in a soup kitchen or field hospital. This will show the public that their leadership are not just a bunch of tired grey old men as Nemetz would have them believe, but a diverse set drawn from all ages with dynamic ideas to achieve victory.”
The old emperor took a short break to down a glass of water, else he could not continue talking.
“As to the Reichsrat, it should be reorganized immediately, let the people see that you, Klaus, will not sit idly by while their liberty is threatened. The BSU asserts that the Royalists cause is merely that of an aristocratic elite enslaving the common people, so by God take the wind out of their sails and knock them to the ground. In particular you might make a public address of it, ignoring any political divide by speaking to the matter of the country’s liberty. Don’t even directly allude to monarchists, socialists, conservatives, populists or any of the many ideologies which divide any nation, speak of how every citizen coming together to elect a new Reichsrat can only help the nation. There’s even a chance you could win over the undecided socialists and populists, turning them against Blücher and Nemetz respectively even without a change in ideology. If you can force a divide between the socialists particularly that could cripple the BSU, what with all those civilian militia they have running around if they start to believe that Blücher is butchering the beliefs of Marx while the Royalists respect their socialist citizens without embracing the ideology. Imagine the chaos that would cause in the Red’s camp.”
“Now my final piece of advice is a simple one. With the Stammburg enclave reconquered and Großmarschall Winser’s offensive due to reclaim even more territory soon, you will have a properly sized functioning state again. While it is important to gear the nation to the war, those territories not under active threat such as Rochefort and Stammburg should immediately undergo significant civilian renovation and repair. Not military infrastructure but rather civilian infrastructure and civilian industry, as if the war had already been won. This will have two effects, repairing your economy and boosting public morale. Regardless of Nemetz’s yapping and propaganda, if you can give the public the appearance that you are so confident in victory that what would have been future peace time projects are already being undertaken, it will have a marvelous effect.” Once more the old emperor held up his hand before Knott could object with the simple truth that the Grand Duchy did not have the money for such an undertaking. “As to how this is to be payed for, I have a few thoughts. Even with my connections I could not secure another loan from the Reichstag of the substantial size of the first relief loan, smaller ones targeted at specific projects are possible however. I was speaking with senior government officials in France, Russia, and Britain on my flight here and their sovereign’s are leaning towards following big-brother Germany’s lead and willing to provide you with modest loans at very low interest rates. Russia and Britain both have an interest in seeing a growing Communist movement crushed due to the underground movements there, while France wants to impress Germany so the European Parliament will vote in their favor to be elevated to Imperial Status in the Federation.”
