Slaughter

From top to bottom, layer by layer, the resolution of the Stambolov Cabinet was passed down in a muddled, half-understood state.

Hoover, who had been watching like a tiger stalking its prey, naturally would not let this heaven-sent opportunity slip by. The order Ferdinand had given him was to use a borrowed knife to kill, clearing away hidden threats.

Now that the timing was ripe, Hoover activated the intelligence agents who had been lurking within the police force for a long time. Their mission was simple: "Escalate the situation as much as possible!"

Laurenwell was currently very annoyed. As the head of the Sofia Police Department, few people dared to make things difficult for him.

However, recent times were an exception. Yesterday, a shocking assassination had occurred in Sofia, rocking the entire nation. As the chief of the Sofia police, it was only by the grace of God that he hadn't been dismissed yet, so his days were naturally far from pleasant.

He had just received a secret order from the Ministry of the Interior, and his mood soured even further. The core meaning was singular: he was to immediately "execute the ringleaders of the rebels," yet there was no specific list. Laurenwell was bewildered.

Who exactly am I supposed to kill? I have a huge pile of rebels in custody; there has to be a specific target! Does this mean I have to execute them all? At the thought of this, Laurenwell grew fearful. That was several thousand people!

Unable to make sense of it, Laurenwell could only pace back and forth in his office. Just then, his secretary, Conrad, suddenly said, "I think I know what this is about!"

"Oh, God be praised! Conrad, tell me quickly, what are those people above thinking?" Laurenwell asked, overjoyed.

Conrad said with a bitter smile, "Mr. Chief, if you connect what happened in Sofia yesterday, you will understand immediately!"

Laurenwell turned pale and said, "Yesterday... Ah, God! I've stepped into a massive mess. This is no good task! If things go wrong, it will cause a huge catastrophe. No wonder the people at the Ministry of the Interior didn't dare to say it plainly!"

Conrad complained, "Yes, Mr. Chief! The people above want revenge, but they don't want to bear the infamy of being butchers. The Ministry of the Interior doesn't want the reputation of butchers either, even though their reputation was already poor to begin with!"

Laurenwell said angrily, "Damn those bastards, they are making me the scapegoat! So, what should we do now?"

Conrad suggested, "Mr. Chief, since that is the case, why don't we learn from the Ministry of the Interior and leave it to the people below to handle?"

Laurenwell's eyes lit up. He slapped the table and said loudly, "Good idea! Let's do just that! At the very least, it will reduce our liability. By the way, don't forget to give the people below some hints, otherwise those idiots probably won't be able to get anything done!"

Conrad immediately chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Chief. It would be best to have the people below act tonight, so as not to invite further complications!"

"Good, I will issue the order immediately!" Laurenwell said after a moment of thought.

Laurenwell still did not know how much of an impact this order would have; tonight, Sofia would flow with blood.

It was clear that Conrad had given him a terrible idea. Coupled with the agitation from Ferdinand's intelligence agents, everyone knew that the Cabinet wanted revenge, and thus, the massacre began!

In fact, there were quite a few people who were just as bewildered at that moment. Everyone who received the secret order felt much the same way.

Just then, there would always be someone standing up to offer advice, leading people to associate the order with the assassination case. Many clever people thought they understood: the boss wanted revenge, so naturally, the more people killed, the better!

From the Cabinet's initial plan to execute a dozen ringleaders, the target had expanded to dozens by the time it reached the Ministry of the Interior. Now, after the agitation of the intelligence agents, it had been interpreted by those below as "the more you kill, the better." Some even killed all the rebels in their custody just to curry favor with the Cabinet!

A vague secret order, due to the misinterpretation of subordinates, created an accidental massacre. This was the "Secret Order Massacre" that had a profound impact on Bulgaria!

Because those specifically responsible for the execution were unsure who should be killed and who should not, they raised their butcher knives in a daze. Later generations would call it the "Bulgaria Muddled Massacre!"

Ferdinand successfully hid himself behind the scenes without leaving a single trace; on the surface, he still appeared to be in the dark.

The blame was accurately and firmly placed on the head of the Stambolov Cabinet. After all, one does not worry about too much debt. From "dictatorial government" to "police state," they now wore the hat of a "butcher government." It was even rated by later media as the worst cabinet in Bulgarian history.

On the other side, the opposition party, still in the dark, did not know that the butcher's knife was about to fall upon them.

On May 5, officers led by Major Panitsa launched an uprising at a military camp on the outskirts of Sofia. Unfortunately, because the organization was not tight enough, they were exposed as soon as they started and were suppressed by Sofia Garrison Commander Sava Mutkurov, who brought troops to the scene. Panitsa was shot dead on the spot.

At the same time, opposition strongholds across the country were also exposed one after another. The enraged police went straight to their doors, and the opposition was almost completely wiped out!

The Stambolov Cabinet, with everything progressing smoothly, did not yet know that the funeral bell had already tolled for them. They were immersed in the joy of suppressing the rebels, or perhaps bathing in the pleasure of having their revenge!

With the sound of gunfire in the suburbs, the prisons of Bulgaria gradually ceased their usual clamor and became empty once again.

After this night, the Stambolov government had finally physically and completely eliminated the opposition party. Even if there were any fish that slipped through the net, they would have no chance to become a force again, because their supporters no longer existed.

According to post-event statistics, more than 12,000 people were killed across Bulgaria that night.

"Rivers of blood, mountains of bones, the heavens are miserable, the earth is pale. Dark years, a tragedy beyond human description!" Nikolai Haitov, a famous Bulgarian writer of later generations, used such verses to describe this tragedy.

At the end of the 19th century, the strength of the Bulgarian bourgeoisie was still very limited. Occupying the dominant position among them were the landlord class—evolved agricultural capitalists—while the emerging industrial and commercial bourgeoisie were extremely weak.

The main supporters of the Stambolov government were precisely this portion of emerging industrial and commercial capitalists, who had close ties to the capital of Austria-Hungary and the United Kingdom.

Now, although the Stambolov government had successfully eliminated its competitors, it had simultaneously lost its fragile foundation of rule.

Originally, the vast majority of Bulgarian peasants, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and most missionaries and intellectuals were pro-Russian. They opposed the government's policy toward Russia and had extremely low support for the Stambolov government.

Coupled with the reign of terror of the Stambolov Cabinet, which made the public even more resentful, this shocking massacre would inevitably incite public opposition. The moment Ferdinand had been waiting for for many days had finally arrived.

Two updates completed!! I did my best.

The early morning chapter hasn't been written yet; it will be released with a delay of a few hours!

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