Free Web NovelChapter 1144: Chapter 153: Assassination Failed
Although there were relatively fewer people here, Ferdinand still tirelessly greeted the crowd, and amidst the cheers, no one noticed Gallilov’s unusual actions.
Finally, Ferdinand’s vehicle was getting closer to Gallilov’s position, and the distance between them was less than five meters.
Gallilov seized the moment, suddenly accelerating towards the carriage and at the same time, his movements happening in sync, a Browning pistol suddenly appeared in the air.
At this point, Gallilov’s sudden departure from the crowd and approach towards Ferdinand’s vehicle naturally caught everyone’s attention.
Including Ferdinand himself, who, upon seeing a young man leave the crowd, instinctively felt alarm bells ringing, coordinating with Gallilov’s pulling out a gun, Ferdinand didn’t believe that Gallilov would pull anything other than a pistol from his coat at this moment.
Gallilov’s heart raced as he looked at Archduke Ferdinand, who was standing close to him in a brief daze, and without hesitation, he pulled the trigger, a sharp gunshot breaking the clamor in Sarajevo.
When Gallilov pulled the trigger, Ferdinand immediately reacted, swiftly ducking towards the back of the car.
But unfortunately, Gallilov was already very close to Ferdinand, and the shot penetrated the car window and hit Ferdinand’s right chest area.
Gallilov wanted to shoot a few more times, but unfortunately, he lost his target, as there was only one window to aim through on the car, and with the car moving at a corner, in an instant, Gallilov could only see the rear of the car.
Gallilov didn’t have time to think, instinctively firing two more shots at the back of the car, hoping to inflict more deadly damage on Ferdinand through the car body.
Meanwhile, as Gallilov fired his gun, another member of the Black Hand Organization finally took action, though he didn’t have a position like Gallilov’s, and could only indiscriminately shoot at Ferdinand’s vehicle.
The streets of Sarajevo had descended into chaos, with responding Austria-Hungary soldiers beginning to arrest the assailants and surrounding Ferdinand’s vehicle, effectively announcing the end of this assassination attempt.
A soldier with noticeable Chinese heritage rushed forward with a rifle, delivering a solid blow to Gallilov’s head as he tried to fire more shots.
As a local Bosnian soldier, his position was initially behind Ferdinand’s vehicle, while at the front of the convoy was the Sarajevo City Government and a guard of honor carefully selected by the military.
The rifle butt struck Gallilov’s head, and the soldier showed no mercy, as Gallilov felt his head heat up, his vision blurring.
Blood seeped from his hair as the Chinese soldier continued his assault, kicking Gallilov’s pistol to the ground and using the rifle as leverage, pinning Gallilov to the ground, until others arrived after a few seconds to help thoroughly subdue the criminal. By this time, Gallilov had already lost consciousness.
...
"My God! Dear, how are you?" The ordeal was far from over; inside the car, Ferdinand’s wife Sofia was completely panicked.
Sitting on the inside, Sofia was not in danger, and in original history, due to the open-top design of the car, she was shot too.
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Bosnian military government chief Potiorek was also in a panic, for it was the Grand Duke of the Empire who had been injured.
Fortunately, as a soldier, Potiorek quickly displayed the expected response, starting to rapidly command the scene.
"Duchess, at this moment we should first take the Grand Duke to the hospital. He was shot in the chest; maybe he can still be saved."
Ferdinand hadn’t completely lost consciousness, holding his chest with one hand and touching Sofia’s head with the other, saying, "I... think there’s still a chance to save me; don’t worry!"
Archduke Ferdinand and Sofia were considered true loves; after all, Sofia was only a court maid, and for Archduke Ferdinand, a top nobleman, to choose a maid as his wife in the ancient Habsburg court, clearly the two had a basis of affection.
At this time, Potiorek also comforted from the side, "Your Excellency, the Grand Duke, you will surely be fine."
Turning to the driver, he said, "Once I get out, go straight to the nearest hospital."
After saying this, he directly opened the car door and got out, since there was still much to handle next, and with Ferdinand injured, he was the highest authority on-site.
Soon, under Potiorek’s command, his adjutant led the way, escorting the Ferdinands to the hospital. Meanwhile, to prevent a repeat of the tragedy, a large group of soldiers surrounded Ferdinand’s vehicle, running along, and fortunately, since this was the city center, the hospital wasn’t far, and Potiorek stayed at the scene to start catching the perpetrators.
Soon, a disheveled Gallilov and his two accomplices were brought before Potiorek, with Gallilov still in a state of unconsciousness.
Potiorek pointed at Gallilov and asked, "Who captured the assailant?"
Gallilov, as the true culprit, left a deep impression on Potiorek, as he was in the front passenger seat, and had Gallilov’s gun veered slightly, he could have become a direct victim.
"Report, General, it was Juno from the Bosnian Infantry Regiment!" freēwēbηovel.c૦m
An unfamiliar name reached Potiorek’s ears, as such a name didn’t fit European traditions, so he asked, "Is he Ottoman?"
"No, he’s of Chinese descent, or rather a soldier from the lower reaches of the Neretva River region."
"No wonder!" Potiorek said.
Potiorek still had some understanding of his soldiers, knowing that among the Bosnian Infantry Regiment two groups stood out: the Ottomans, being part of a Catholic Empire, using Ottomans as soldiers was quite incongruous.
The other notable group was Chinese from the valleys in the lower Neretva River region; in recent years due to their compliance, many Chinese soldiers had been enlisted in the Bosnian Infantry Regiment.
Potiorek met this soldier named Juno and, while not unfamiliar with Chinese soldiers, Juno’s fluent German especially won Potiorek’s favor, because language had not been unified among such local Bosnian troops.
Being an immigrant descendant speaking fluent German in a place like this, Potiorek decided to put Juno to important use, provided he continued holding local office.
Because it was under his watch that Archduke Ferdinand encountered trouble, any mishap might affect his career prospects.
After briefly chatting with Juno, Potiorek hurried to the hospital where Archduke Ferdinand was taken.
The eventual outcome, however, allowed Potiorek to breathe a sigh of relief; although Archduke Ferdinand had been shot in the chest, fortunately, the bullet missed any vital areas, being somewhat distanced from the heart, mainly affecting the lungs, and due to the city center location and hospital proximity, emergency treatment was timely, preserving Ferdinand’s life.
Yet, this was entirely different from historical reality; Ferdinand was shot directly in the neck by Princeling, without any chance for rescue, but this time, due to the different car design, it left fewer opportunities for the assailants.
Even the subsequent five shots didn’t further harm any passengers due to the car’s bulletproof capabilities, and over time, with cars specially produced for dignitaries, defense measures significantly improved, with East Africa’s first car using bulletproof windows, recent years having further advanced such technology, primarily preventing Gallilov from further success.
If at the time Ferdinand hadn’t been waving to the crowd, closing the car windows instead, the Black Hand Organization’s assassin might not have found an opportunity to make the attempt, so in some ways, East Africa’s car could be said to have saved the Ferdinands’ lives.
