In truth, Paris had a peculiar charm at the time. But France also still had strength to spare, and the generals of every nation were doing their utmost to keep their soldiers in check.
"The Austrian Empire has issued a statement: Austria will not invade French territory, but it also hopes that certain people in the French parliament will refrain from interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries."
Franz had actually issued this statement long ago, but Dan Gira had kept it from the public to stoke national hatred and maintain the tension and oppression of wartime.
The problem was that governments had few ways to control public opinion in this era. Austrian agents had only to use a few simple tricks to make the statement public.
Usually, they went straight to a printing shop, printed several thousand leaflets and newspapers, then handed them out to newsboys or simply to poor children from the slums.
For a few copper coins—centimes, with one franc equal to a hundred centimes—these people would do anything and dare anything. Almost no one could trace anything back to them. Or, rather, they were surrounded by so many clues that finding any one of them was like searching for a needle in the sea.
As soon as the leaflets reached the hands of a few gentlemen, they would spread the news on the spot, reading it aloud to passersby who couldn't read.
Dan Gira had known about the statement for a long time, but when he heard someone mention it, he still couldn't help cursing.
"And you claim you're not a traitor? You actually believe the enemy's fabricated lies! You're spreading rumors here! Guards! Guards!"
Seeing that the other man was about to lash out in desperation, the member of parliament shouted back without flinching.