Chapter 1436 Street Explosion
February 14, 1926.
The vanguard of the Austro-Hungarian Empire has been engaged in fierce fighting with the army of the Hungarian Labor Party regime. In the past few days, Budapest has been like St. Petersburg in the past. The Labor Party has swept through the suburbs and surrounding areas of Budapest like a tide.
In this way, a relatively solid base was established. At the same time, there were also large and small Labor Party strongholds in other parts of Hungary, centered around Budapest to fight against the imperial suppression army.
The Hungarian incident also triggered turmoil in other kingdoms of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but it was not as dramatic as that in Hungary. The entire Austro-Hungarian Empire was in turmoil.
The Kingdom of Dalmatia, located on the Adriatic Sea, was a subordinate kingdom of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was one of the most stable regions compared to other regions of the empire.
The city of Zadar.
It was the capital of the Kingdom of Dalmatia and one of the main port cities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on the Adriatic Sea.
Before World War I, the main residents here were Croats, followed by Italians, Serbs, Serbs, Germans (Austrians) and other nationalities.
However, Zadar's population structure underwent a dramatic change around World War I. Mixed-race Germans from the south moved north and poured into the city, causing the German population in Zadar to grow rapidly.
Although they did not constitute the majority, the influence of the mixed-race Germans was completely impossible to stop, because the entire Dalmatian Kingdom was already dominated by the mixed-race Germans in the south.
According to the latest population data, the German population in Dalmatia has risen to two million, occupying an absolute advantage, while the other ethnic groups combined only number a few hundred thousand.
And because of intermarriage, social interaction and policy, Dalmatia is rapidly becoming Germanized.
A typical example is that German is becoming more and more popular in Dalmatia. Even in central and southern Dalmatia, German accounts for more than 80%.
However, due to its border with Croatia and historical reasons, the north can still barely maintain the current situation where Croatia and other ethnic groups are in the majority.
Zadar is one of the typical representative cities. Zadar is basically the northernmost city in Dalmatia. Because it has long been the political and economic center of the Dalmatia region, its original population structure is more difficult to break than other regions.
However, faced with the influx of mixed-race Germans from the north, the number of Germans in Zadar is now approaching 20%, and the wave of Germanization is engulfing this ancient city.
Some Croatians may be unhappy about this, but they are completely powerless to stop the spread of this trend.
Because of the administrative divisions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was difficult for the Kingdom of Croatia itself to interfere in the affairs of the Kingdom of Dalmatia.
If this situation does not meet their needs, they can choose to leave Dalmatia and move north to the Kingdom of Croatia.
Of course, there were some forces that tried to confront the mixed-race Germans head-on, but when faced with the mixed-race Germans who had a population advantage, it was like hitting a rock with an egg.
This also included the connivance of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, because Croatia's vacillation during World War I obviously could not reassure the Vienna government.
Although the mixed-race Germans are not of pure blood, their loyalty to the empire is genuine.
In short, the Germanization of the entire Dalmatian Kingdom was accelerating at an unstoppable rate. The Germans now not only had an advantage in numbers, but also had a higher fertility rate than other ethnic groups due to the influence of immigrants from the Far Eastern Empire.
In a few decades, other languages and ethnic groups throughout Dalmatia will be completely unable to shake the Germans' advantage.
However, at this stage Croatian nationalists still want to try again.
Streets of Zadar.
Two Croatians were plotting furtively in the alley.
Both of them were not very old, in their early twenties, with fierce looks and a rebelliousness that only young people have.
One of them was relatively calm. His name was Holovich. He was holding a black linen bag in his hand, and it was impossible to tell what was inside.
The other man, who was Horovich's accomplice, was named Orlov. He looked more immature than Horovich, and there was a hint of subtle nervousness and excitement in his eyes.
Holovich handed the woven bag in his hand to Orlov and told him the precautions with a serious face.
"Olov, the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire has become turbulent recently because of the Hungarian incident. Now is our chance as Croatians."
"These damn Austrians and Far Easterners, mixed-race bastards, are greedily devouring the land left to us by our ancestors."
"If we don't take action, the Croatian people in Dalmatia may disappear into the long river of history in the future."
"So, we have to teach these damn German bastards a lesson, let them feel fear and pain, and then withdraw from Zadar, a land that belongs only to us Croatia."
Olof held the woven bag, his face somewhat angry and fanatical as he nodded and said, "Horlovich, you're right. Those Habsburg termites and the hounds attached to them are tearing at Croatia. If we let them continue to be arrogant, we will not only lose Zadar, but they may even go further and ride on the heads of the entire Croatian community in the future."
Horovich was very satisfied with his younger brother's performance. He raised his hand, pinched the brim of his hat and pressed it down, staring at Orlov with his deep eyes.
He said in a deep voice: "Olov, you have indeed become a great and brave national warrior in terms of ideological awareness."
"However, our enemies will not give up easily. Therefore, we can only perish together with them through our own flesh and blood, and let them feel the pain of offending us."
"But are you ready to sacrifice everything for our great nation, Olof?"
Hearing Holovich's vague doubt, Orlov's face became firm and he said unconvincedly: "Of course, I am not a coward."
"Compared to the future of the entire nation, my personal sacrifice is totally insignificant. It's just death! Anyway, I can drag the Germans down with me."
"Even if it's one for one, it's still a huge profit, so let's go to hell with these damn Habsburg minions!"
Horovich raised his arm and patted Orlov's shoulder twice with his relatively rough hand. He said, "Orlov, the organization really didn't make a mistake in choosing you. However, I believe that what you have done will definitely not send you to hell."
"Struggle for the national cause and save fellow countrymen from suffering. Even God will sympathize with us unknown fighters. Therefore, only Germans can go to hell, and you will definitely be guided by God and ascend to heaven."
Orlov and Horovich looked at each other and said, "I won't say any more. Now let me take action."
Then, Orlov opened the rope of the woven bag in his hand, and the contents inside were completely revealed: a square brown linen package tied with a rope. This was a simple explosive pack.
Horovich said on the side: "Because of the relevant laws recently introduced by the Dalmatian government, it has become difficult for the organization to obtain weapons."
"We can only use local materials to make some simple explosive packs, but the power is absolutely reliable."
"I'll tie it to your chest and light the fuse. You rush out of the alley to the street and find the most crowded area. Wait for it to explode completely."
Olof said calmly, "Don't worry, I might be willing to find a few more Germans to accompany me. After all, if one more German dies, I will save one more life. There is no way I will suffer a loss."
Soon, Orlov was armed by Horovich, and explosives were strapped to Orlov's chest.
Holovich pulled out a box of matches from his pocket, took out a match and lit it with a "click". He used the flame to ignite the fuse, which instantly spread upwards with a crackling sound.
"Let's go!" Holovich gave the order.
Olof rushed out of the dark alley and came to the street, shouting "Long live Croatia!" while quickly searching for the target with his eyes.
In fact, it was not easy to identify Europeans, but mixed-race Germans were obviously not among them, so he quickly rushed to a place where he thought there were more Germans.
The sudden appearance of a "madman" on the street undoubtedly scared passers-by. Before many people could react, Orlov pounced on them.
At this time, people with sharp eyes discovered that the thing tied to Orlov's body had a burning fuse. "There's a bomb, run!" Passers-by on the street were startled and fled in all directions.
Unfortunately, it was too late. With a loud "boom", Orlov turned into pieces. Thick smoke rose in the street. Several unfortunate passers-by died directly. Many others were affected by the fragments that came from nowhere and lay on the ground wailing with injuries.
After seeing the explosion at Orlov, Horovich pulled out a stack of leaflets from his pocket, threw them into the air in the street while there was chaos, and then immediately evacuated.
Soon, Zadar police arrived and cordoned off the scene.
Half an hour later, Zadar Police Chief Kurt drove to the explosion site with a grim look on his face.
"What's the situation at the scene?" Kurt asked.
"Reporting to the Director, this was a serious terrorist attack. Six people died and fifteen were injured at the scene."
After hearing the report from his subordinates, Kurt's face was so gloomy that water could be squeezed out of it. He asked, "What was the cause of the explosion?"
The subordinate replied: "Director, this is a terrorist attack planned by Croatian extremists. We collected anti-German leaflets at the scene. The Croatian National Front in Dalmatia claimed responsibility for this action."
"They were obviously targeting Germans, and according to eyewitnesses at the scene, there were probably two people behind the terrorist attack, one of whom had explosives strapped to his body and rushed towards innocent people."
"The other one took advantage of the chaos to distribute anti-German propaganda, and after he distributed these leaflets, he ran away. We are trying to track him down."
When Kurt heard the report from his subordinates, he became furious because he was a German himself. Of course, to be more precise, Kurt was a native German and his ancestors lived in Dalmatia.
In the last century, after the Austro-Hungarian Empire made Dalmatia its own territory, Germans like Kurt were naturally valued.
So, Kurt was extremely angry about the terrorists targeting Germans.
Croatian national extremists do not carefully distinguish between Germans and mixed-race Germans. In their eyes, the two are one.
However, mixed-race Germans are easier to distinguish because they are born with some Asian features, which also makes them easy targets for attack.
Kurt said, "It seems that the chaos in the empire has caused some clowns to jump out impatiently. They think that the Hungarian incident will make the empire unable to take care of the stability of Dalmatia."
"Humph, I won't let them succeed. Now, listen to my orders. The whole city will hunt down the terrorists, dead or alive. Anyone who provides clues or captures the terrorists will be rewarded handsomely."
Therefore, a city-wide manhunt was immediately launched. Due to Zadar's special geographical location, if the criminals were not caught quickly, they might escape by sea.
The actions of the Croatian nationalists undoubtedly aroused the anger of the Dalmatian Kingdom Government. Now that mixed-race Germans hold the upper hand in the Dalmatian Kingdom Government, they naturally cannot tolerate the outbreak of such vicious incidents, especially targeting mixed-race Germans.
Therefore, under the promotion of the Dalmatian Kingdom Government, a martial law campaign was launched in the northern region of Dalmatia.
The Dalmatian government even temporarily cut off its border with the Kingdom of Croatia.
Although there is no direct evidence, there is no doubt that the Kingdom of Croatia is the base and area of activity for various Croatian extremist nationalist groups.
Many of the terrorist attacks in Dalmatia involved personnel and equipment from Croatia.
However, in the past, the Kingdom of Dalmatia and the Kingdom of Croatia belonged to the same administrative region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so it was difficult to break off relations.
Now, the frequent terrorist attacks in northern Dalmatia and the chaos in the Austro-Hungarian Empire have forced the Dalmatian government to take some extreme measures, such as blocking the land passage between the two places and strengthening inspections of Croatian merchant ships.
This temporarily cut off the channels through which these Croatian nationalists could smuggle contraband, especially weapons and ammunition, into Dalmatia.
This also led to a further deterioration in relations between the Kingdom of Dalmatia and the Kingdom of Croatia. After offending the Serbs, the Kingdom of Dalmatia offended the Croatians again.
Apart from Montenegro in the south and the Adriatic Sea in the west, the Kingdom of Dalmatia is almost surrounded by Serbs and Croats. This is why the Kingdom of Dalmatia does not want the Austro-Hungarian Empire to disintegrate. If the Austro-Hungarian Empire disintegrates, there is no doubt that Croatia and Serbia will have fierce contradictions and conflicts with Dalmatia.
(End of this chapter)
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