Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 425 Sounding the Horn
A butterfly flapping its wings once is enough to stir up a storm.

And this is exactly what is happening right now.

Three days after Crunt's Sixth Army's failed attack on Port Drey, Francis finally took action, dispatching the Fifth and Sixth Armies, totaling 40 men, to attack Crunt. In this battle, the morale of Francis's entire army was high; they vowed to reclaim the territory lost to Crunt in the war and avenge their defeat.

Meanwhile, on the eastern front, the Western European Empire also committed its Second Army to launch an offensive against Cront.

The reason why the two countries did this was because of the Battle of Port Der Lai.

In the Battle of Port Drey, Krant's Sixth Army was defeated. Although the Empire won, Port Drey was reduced to ruins, and rebuilding it will naturally take time. After all, this isn't some magical world where a few mages can simply cast spells to repair blown-up buildings; that's simply impossible.

Francis and the Western European Empire launched their offensive precisely because the empire was currently focused on repairing Port Drei and had no time to spare, while the Kingdom of Krant suffered another crushing defeat and its morale plummeted.

The current empire has indeed not gotten involved, because Her Majesty the Queen has more important things to do.

Just as the empire was engulfed in a public outcry, Her Majesty the Queen finally took action.

First, she dispatched troops—but to everyone's surprise, Her Majesty did not choose to disperse the protesters. Instead, Her Majesty first sent troops to surround all the banks in the empire and announced that all banks in the empire would be temporarily closed from that day forward.

Although on the surface the Queen's move seemed inexplicable and completely contrary to the current situation, it must be admitted that everyone's attention was quickly drawn to it.

After all, the war between the Empire and the Krant is thousands of miles away. Normally, it's one thing to join in the fun when there's nothing else to do, but now that the banks are closed, it's a different story. Banks are linked to the wealth of the entire Empire's citizens; almost every citizen with some spare money chooses to deposit it there. With the banks closed, they can't withdraw their money—this is a matter of utmost urgency!
Soon, the topic of conversation on the streets became why the Queen did this. Could it be that although the Empire is currently developing well, it is actually in deep crisis?

For a time, everyone was filled with anxiety. They couldn't wait to see the news and listen to the radio to find out what had happened.

However, their wish was not fulfilled, because just one day later, Her Majesty the Queen once again dispatched troops to shut down several newspapers and radio stations.

This left everyone even more astonished. If you said Her Majesty the Queen intended to suppress the protests and demonstrations, then targeting newspapers and radio stations would be justifiable, but what did you mean by seizing the banks?
Of course, some believe this could be a prelude to the Empire's intention to launch a full-scale military mobilization, as such mobilization would involve control of finance, information, and conscription. The Queen's actions are clearly intended to tell the rebels that the Empire will not withdraw from the war; on the contrary, they will engage in full-scale military mobilization!
This is also the view of many citizens of the empire. In their opinion, the next step is for the empire to announce a large-scale conscription and launch a full-scale attack on Krant.

However, to everyone's surprise, the empire remained silent for the next week. Of course, by then the protesters had long since dispersed—if they couldn't withdraw money from the bank, they wouldn't have food to eat, and if they didn't have food, how could they have the strength to shout in the streets?
A week later, on Monday, when the citizens of the Empire saw the newspapers and turned on the radio, they finally heard news that shocked everyone.

Her Majesty the Queen announced that the situation in Port Dley has been fully investigated and there is sufficient evidence to show that the imperial capitalist families, led by the Rothfield family, secretly passed messages to the Kingdom of Krant, betraying the Empire, which resulted in the Empire suffering heavy losses in the war in Port Dley!
These words shocked everyone. The Battle of Port Dreyfus had cost the Empire 68,000 soldiers, a loss unseen in a long time. Many were initially astonished by this news; in their view, the Empire was the world's strongest nation, with countless powerful steam-powered mechs and other advanced technology—how could it possibly have lost 60,000 men in a single battle?

Now, this question has been answered: it turns out that someone within the empire was colluding with the enemy!

The public was outraged! Especially the families of soldiers who had lost loved ones were indignant.

At first, some suspected the Queen was trying to divert attention, but international news soon broke that shortly after the Krante's defeat, the Sixth Army sent men to the Rothsfield Bank in Deburg. What happened there remains unknown, but a massive explosion occurred on the top floor. The bank's president, along with soldiers from the Sixth Army, were killed instantly. The bank was subsequently seized by the Krante government.

This can be seen as indirect confirmation of the Queen's message. After all, Cronds is an enemy country and has no need to cooperate with the Queen's act. Moreover, after Cronds' defeat, they went to cause trouble for Rothsfield in a fierce manner. If it weren't for the fact that the Rothsfield family was involved with the Port Drey, they certainly wouldn't have done so.

In response to the public's expectations, Her Majesty the Queen quickly issued a reply.

First, all of the Rothfield family's assets in the empire, which were the masterminds of this incident, have been nationalized. All members of the family within the empire have been arrested and will be executed for treason after trial.

At the same time, members of their family abroad are barred from entering the empire for life, or they will be prosecuted for espionage.

Furthermore, the Empire also announced that many of the newspapers that had previously promoted anti-war rhetoric were acting on orders from the Rothfield family to deliberately confuse the public, distort the truth, and slander the royal family.

In addition, the Imperial newspapers published numerous articles detailing the Rothsfield family's heinous acts—proving that Her Majesty the Queen had indeed been keeping a close eye on these individuals, readily available and numerous examples of their dark past. Many readers were outraged and filled with rage. If some had previously felt the punishment for the Rothsfield family might be too harsh, after seeing this bloody evidence, they could only remain silent.

Until now, everyone's attention was still focused on the Rothfield family. Little did they know that for Her Majesty the Queen, this was just an appetizer. When the time was right, Her Majesty waved her hand and finally announced the main course.

After arresting the members of the Rothsfield family, they interrogated them and discovered that although the Rothsfield family had been granted hereditary titles by their ancestors, they were actually Eites! And Charles I the Great had issued a law prohibiting Eites from engaging in politics, the military, or religion!
Her Majesty the Queen also announced that, taking this opportunity, they would conduct a thorough investigation of the entire imperial nobility and high-ranking officials to see who else was breaking the law and concealing their identity as Ete people while holding high positions in the empire!
Upon hearing this, many members of the Ite family who had been merely watching the spectacle were initially taken aback, but then their expressions turned pale with shock.

Oh no, they're coming for me!
Now everyone finally understood the Queen's intentions and hurriedly resisted. Many people stood up and claimed that as Ete people, they were just working diligently and had no ill intentions towards the Empire—such remarks might have been popular before, but now it was different.

After all, the Empire has thoroughly exposed the Rothfield family's dark history. This family has committed countless atrocities for profit, including murder and arson. Of course, this does not mean that the imperial nobles are innocent. However, on the one hand, the imperial nobles are not professional capitalists, and on the other hand, the Queen is targeting these Et people this time. How could she possibly harm friendly forces by mistake?
Therefore, in the public's mind, the Rothsfield family has long been seen as the culprits who would stop at nothing for profit, even attempting to incite the public against the royal family, and colluding with enemy countries, causing heavy casualties.

Looking at them now, they are still Eites!
After all, if the newspapers were to introduce the law promulgated by Charles I the Great, they would naturally have to reiterate the actions of the Eites back then. And as everyone read it, good heavens, it really was true that the same thing happened wherever the Eites went—our ancestors were right!

That's fine.

In a short time, all the Itt people who had used intermarriage with nobles within the empire to rise to power were investigated. Sure enough, just as Li Wei had thought, Her Majesty the Queen had been watching them all along, just waiting for the right opportunity to reap the rewards.

These Itt people wanted to escape, but the Queen wouldn't give them the chance. Her Majesty had already ordered the borders sealed off, and no one was allowed to leave the Empire. By the time these Itt people realized something was wrong, they were already trapped.

Not to mention, because the banks were seized and all the assets of the Itt people were frozen, they couldn't transfer them even if they wanted to.

In an instant, all the It family members within the empire suffered severe blows. They were left with nowhere to turn. Although the It family had a good relationship with the Holy Bishop, Her Majesty the Queen had long since expelled the Holy Church from the empire, and she paid no heed to the Pope's orders.

As for attempting to incite public opinion, the newspaper has been taken over by Her Majesty the Queen, and now it is filled with reports praising the Queen and exposing the evil and dirty deeds of the Et people. It would be extremely difficult for them to find someone to plead for them.

Besides, no one really sympathizes with them. The Empire has this law, everyone knows that. You Ete people aren't illiterate, but you still knowingly break the law—aren't you courting death?
While taking advantage of the situation, Her Majesty the Queen also took the opportunity to issue a series of measures to inform everyone where the money was being used.

These measures included implementing a minimum wage across the empire and reforming tax rates. Those earning less than £300 annually were exempt from income tax, while those earning more would face progressively higher income taxes. The income tax rate for nobles was roughly 50%, while capitalists fared much worse, starting at at least 90%. Of course, the Queen wasn't entirely against capitalists; although the tax rate was 90%, those engaged in manufacturing could receive tax reductions if they provided stable employment and a certain number of jobs.

But for those in finance, there's no upper limit; if they don't give you 100% tax, they're already being kind.

In addition, Her Majesty the Queen announced the establishment of the Labour Arbitration and Protection Authority to mediate disputes between workers and businesses.

At the same time, Her Majesty also carried out banking reforms—she announced that all banks owned by the four major Itt families of the Empire, including the Rothsfield family, would be nationalized, and promulgated new banking laws to completely separate investment banking from commercial banking to avoid investment risks getting out of control.

In short, the four major family banks will be restructured into state-owned banks, primarily responsible for accepting depositors' funds for various aspects of the empire's development and financial stability policies.

As for investment risks? You can set up your own private bank and handle it yourself, bearing the risks yourself. Of course, if you make a profit, you have to pay taxes; if you lose money, that's your own problem.

Next, the Queen enacted the Communications Act and the Information Act, declaring that only the Imperial Government had the authority to issue radio station licenses, and only qualified radio stations, newspapers, and other organizations that obtained licenses could operate; all others would be considered illegal. The Information Act further declared that disseminating false information or leaking classified information for the purposes of other countries would be illegal.

In addition, the Queen also promulgated the "Protest Law," which stated that whether one supports or opposes the Empire, any march, demonstration, or protest must first be approved by the relevant authorities; otherwise, it would be considered illegal and prohibited.

As for how long the relevant departments need to spend on the approval process, and whether they will approve it at all, that's another matter.

At this point, it was clear to everyone that Her Majesty was using this as an excuse to launch a major reform. After all, these legal provisions couldn't be conceived in a day or two; many things required extensive discussion. Clearly, Her Majesty had been prepared, waiting for them to walk right into her trap so she could wipe them all out.

Unfortunately, at this critical juncture, all the forces capable of influencing Her Majesty the Queen are preoccupied with their own troubles. Francis is consumed by thoughts of revenge, while the Western Empire of Europe also wants to seize the opportunity to gain a share. The Sasha Alliance, having suffered a loss at the Duchy of Seth, is now in a dilemma.

In addition, Her Majesty the Queen had a legitimate reason for taking action, and more than 60,000 people had died, so there had to be an explanation. Moreover, many of her measures were quite popular with the people. Of course, there were also nobles who objected, after all, a 50% tax rate seemed too high to them. However... well, considering the Queen's temperament, this was clearly not a topic suitable to bring up in front of her.

In addition, capitalists pay higher taxes than nobles, which makes them feel psychologically balanced, since people are most afraid of comparison.

In fact, Her Majesty the Queen has left loopholes in this policy. For example, if you are a nobleman and own a company, your tax rate can be reduced to below 30% or even lower. However, the Queen does not intend to change these loopholes. She understands that people ultimately have desires, and this policy serves as an encouragement for members of the royal family to contribute to the country.

After all, it's really tough to run a business in the real economy.

Li Wei did not object to this. After all, the current empire was not his own country, and given the current environment, it was already quite good that they had achieved this much. In Li Wei's view, as long as capital could be successfully curbed, people would have relatively better lives; if it couldn't be curbed, then it would be truly over.

Not to mention, the Queen's loophole also benefits Levi, since he also owns a car company.

These turbulent days were a shock to the empire, but they meant little to Li Wei. His mission was complete after delivering the intelligence to the Queen. Although Li Wei could nominally lead the reforms and perhaps even gain favor, he saw no need to make it seem as if the empire couldn't do without him.

Besides, let others do the job of inciting hatred among capitalists.

During this period, Li Wei stayed at home or went to the factory to inspect the construction of jet engines.

Unfortunately, this thing is indeed difficult to manufacture, and so far, it does not quite meet Li Wei's requirements.

On the contrary, Dr. Tester sent some good news.

His newly invented power system has been installed on the Cyclops and has been tested.

Upon hearing this news, Li Wei had a sudden inspiration. He then called Dr. Tester to inquire about the situation. After thinking for a moment, Li Wei found Eileen.

"Eileen, there's something I need you to do."

"grown ups?"

"Go to the factory and have them build a mech based on this design."

"Mecha?"

Eileen curiously took the blueprints from Li Wei and examined them carefully.

“That’s not a problem, but sir…”

"Ok?"

"It seems that a mech built this way can't be equipped with a steam power system?"

"Don't worry about that."

Li Wei waved his hand.

"I have other ideas."

(End of this chapter)