A Kleist story from ca 1800 that could well have been written today

I read the first half, approximately, of Heinrich von Kleist's short story, or perhaps short novel?, Michael Kolhaas, so not ready to comment yet on the work as a whole, but it's another one from this (seldom-read) German author (ca 1770-1810) of the Romantic era that's completely engaging from the first moment. In fact, compared w/ the other stories in the Arcade Press Selected Prose of HvK, it's probably the least weird and fantastic: the others I've read were each somewhat fable-like, involving mystical or supernatural elements and much violence and torment. In this story, set in 16th-century Germany, the eponymous MK, a wealth horse dealer, travels to a major city (Dresden, I think) to buy and sell horses. En route, as he crosses some private land, a guard stops him at a turnpike and demands a fee; MK notes that he's never had to pay any such fee before, and the guard tells him it's a new policy. This standoff quickly escalates, to the point where the owner of the estate appears, threatens and bullies MK, and seizes 2 of his horses - with the promise of restoring them to MK once MK gets the proper passport required to cross the property. This agreement sends MK into a deep spiral of loss and frustration: There is no need for any such passport, the landowner has cruelly abused the horses (and a servant MK had left behind to care for the animals) and ultimately refuse to relinquish them. MK goes to court in hopes of getting an order to restore his property, but runs into numerous roadblocks, including a corrupt system - many of whose officers are related to or depending on the landowner. So in a way this feels like a story anticipating Kafka's The Trial - with an individual bewildered and destroyed by a faceless bureaucracy. In other ways, it feels contemporary: With the necessary changes, it could have been written today. We see many such narratives - particularly in film and in documentaries - about individuals who seek justice and are crushed by the system (e.g., The Night Of). Even in America!: justice systems controlled by powerful families and special interests, law enforcement driven and distorted by racism and fear. It's a harrowing narrative; MK's faith in "the system" is touching, quaint, and unsustainable. We know that in the end he will be crushed.