No one asked which expert had come up with the idea. Franz was unwilling to admit that he had proposed the "piece-rate system," while everyone else assumed he had principles and didn't want to take credit for someone else's work.
In this era, the "piece-rate system" was undoubtedly progressive. It could unleash more productive capacity and break the old habit of "soldiering on the job."
To be sure, the capitalists of this era used extremely brutal methods to crack down on workers who dragged their feet. Docking wages was the mildest punishment.
More often, workers were beaten viciously in addition to having their pay docked, and every year, no small number died as a result.
This was especially true in the mines. To spur everyone to work harder, capitalists often made an example of one worker to frighten the rest into doing their jobs.
The government obviously couldn't imitate such cruel methods. Karl's fear that state-run enterprises would operate at a loss came from his concern that widespread idling would take hold.
There were plenty of examples of this in later generations, too. A state-owned enterprise with severe losses could be turned into a private company, lay off half its employees, double its output, and turn its losses into profits overnight.
"What plans do you have for sentencing the prisoners?" Franz asked.
He decisively ignored the nobles and capitalists who had taken part in the rebellion. Most of them had already escaped, and the ones who had been caught were mostly idiots who weren't very bright.
As for the ringleaders of the rebellion, there was no need for a trial at all. They had already been dealt with during the suppression.
It could be said that Franz had acted swiftly and decisively against every rebel officer of middle rank or above, killing them first and asking questions later.
Apart from those who hadn't fired a shot and had led their troops out to surrender, every rebel leader ranked above platoon commander had met their end.
The suppression of the rebellion had killed just over three thousand rebels, yet more than two thousand rebel leaders were executed afterward.
There was no helping it. Rebels had no human rights. The more prominent a person was, the faster they died if they were implicated. Ordinary citizens, by contrast, weren't pursued too harshly.
Even the Cannon Party at the University of Vienna, which had preached revolution, had met its end this time. The army took over the campus, and anyone who had joined the revolutionary party and promoted revolutionary ideas faced only one outcome.
Franz had issued these orders, of course, but he certainly wouldn't be the one to take the blame. Before the cabinet had even been formed, he had issued them in its name.
If historians took an interest, they would find that the orders had all been signed by the prime minister. Crown Prince Franz, meanwhile, supposedly knew nothing at all.
These were minor matters. The people of Vienna had suffered badly this time and hated the revolutionaries. No one would feel sorry for them.
"Your Highness, this rebellion implicated far too many people. These prisoners must be punished severely, without exception, to make an example of them and deter the entire country!"
Archduke Louis spoke furiously, his eyes bloodshot, as though he had a blood feud with these people and wanted every last one of them executed.
He wasn't the only one. The other cabinet members all looked equally united in their hatred.
Franz didn't need to ask to know that the old aristocratic families had many relatives, and some of their friends and kin had undoubtedly died in the rebellion.
That alone would have been bearable. The problem was that the rebels had also looted their homes, stolen their valuables, and beaten their loyal servants to death.
Even Archduke Louis's younger son had been killed by the rebels after falling behind while fleeing because of bad luck. That was the main reason for Louis's fury.
Before this, he had advocated leniency toward the rebels to placate the public and stabilize the country as soon as possible.
But now, the loss of his son changed everything. He had first called for every noble who took part in the rebellion to be executed at the Nobility Council, and now he didn't even want to spare the prisoners.
Franz knew the rebellion's causes and consequences very well, and he understood his own class interests even better. So, when nobles who had taken part in the rebellion were captured, he hadn't executed them immediately. Instead, he had left them to the Nobility Council.
Most nobles had joined the rebellion because they had been lured by the prospect of profit. To recoup their losses, their main task had in fact been to burn the banks' records.
Not only had Austria's domestic financial institutions suffered a heavy blow, but the Vienna branches of international banks had not escaped the devastation either.
The hidden owners of these financial institutions were among the main proponents of harsh punishment for the rebels. The Vienna Court was one of them.
The financial sector was so profitable. How could the Habsburg Family, as the local power, possibly stay out of it? In fact, the Habsburg Family held shares in many Austrian financial institutions.
By now, it was obviously impossible to recover their losses. That was why Franz was in such a hurry to form a cabinet: its main purpose was to withstand the pressure and stop the nobles from reclaiming their losses.
After all, everything had been confiscated from the rebels, and no one could say who the property had originally belonged to. Aside from real estate with clear owners, Franz planned to send all the other valuables to the treasury.
If the property were returned to its original owners, he could guarantee that the nobles would quickly divide all the spoils among themselves. Franz wasn't about to test the depths of human greed.
Franz considered this, then said, "The rebels must be punished severely. But most of these prisoners are workers. Why not send them back to the factories to keep creating value for us?
"Depending on the severity of their offenses, they'll be fined and sent to work in factories, with their wages going toward the fine. They'll be free only once they've paid it off."
This was the lightest punishment he could secure. No one would turn down money, and the cabinet couldn't possibly refuse such a large supply of free labor.
"That's a good idea. We can't kill all these people. We might as well put them to use!" Finance Minister Karl was the first to agree.
With the Vienna rebellion, there were suddenly many expenses to cover. He supported any proposal that could increase state revenue.
"Fine, but what about the stubborn ones? What if they sabotage the factories?" Archduke Louis said, unwilling to let the matter go.
"That's easy. We can use collective punishment. Divide them into groups and have the workers watch and report on one another. Anyone who makes a useful report can have their sentence reduced.
"If no one reports the culprit and they're caught, the whole group will be punished. They'll all be sent to the mines." Finance Minister Karl sneered.
Franz couldn't help wanting to applaud. In fact, if Austria weren't about to face a series of further rebellions, he would have sent these prisoners to dig mines and build railways.
But there might be even more prisoners in the future. These men weren't hardliners, and they had quickly surrendered at his call, so he had secured the lightest punishment for them.
"If no one has any better suggestions, then that settles it!" Franz said calmly.
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