Holy Roman Empire

Of course, it is in the interests of Austria that the French do this. With them as the first birds, Britain and Russia have dropped a level of fear of Austria.

Human thinking is complex, and most of the time it is judged by subjective consciousness.In terms of comprehensive national strength, Austria is not weaker than the French, but in everyone's subconscious, they still think that the French are more threatening.

This cannot be changed in a day or two. Historically, Bismarck used everyone's subconscious to isolate the French.

If it weren't for the collapse of William II later, the London government discovered that Germany was a greater threat, and the Allied Powers would not be established.

Now that the French are proud, they probably never dreamed of what price the French government has paid to eliminate the French threat theory in history.

In order to win over the Russians, the French government sent out a large amount of funds in the form of loans, which slowed down the domestic economic development.

In order to win over the British, they deliberately showed weakness and gave up the naval arms race in the early 20th century.Of course, the lack of government financial resources is also a factor.

Many people think that the British are good at diplomacy, but in fact the French are also very good at diplomacy.In the case of absolute disadvantage, they still wooed Britain and Russia to form the Allied Powers.

It's just that the French love infighting too much, the cabinet changes too frequently, and many strategies cannot be implemented because of power struggles.

After cheating Napoleon III, Franz was refreshed.No, this can't be regarded as a trap, it should be called a win-win situation, everyone is getting what they need.

France, which is so awesome now, is still in full swing, and there is no threat to its survival.The French are still dreaming of world hegemony, so naturally they don't care about everyone's envy, jealousy and hatred.

In the face of tangible interests, what is it to pull hatred?Back then, Napoleon singled out the entire European continent, and the French were not afraid. Now they are just showing off, and it is even more impossible to persuade them.

……

Vienna Palace

At the cabinet meeting, Franz announced new appointments.

"After the departure of Prince Metternich and Field Marshal Radkis, the Foreign Minister was replaced by the Ambassador to Russia Wesenberg, and the Chief of the General Staff was replaced by Field Marshal Edmund."

Originally, Chief of Staff Franz was more interested in Marshal Julius Jacob von Hainau, but unfortunately the Habsburg tiger was dying, so he could only settle for the next best thing.

Perhaps in the eyes of many people, Julius is an executioner and butcher, but in Franz's view, it is just the opposite.

All he did was to maintain the rule of the Habsburg dynasty. In order to solve the hidden danger once and for all, he did not hesitate to bear the infamy and bloody suppression of the rebellion. He is completely a model of a minister.

Under Franz's strong intervention, Marshal Julius still became a positive figure.Did not become the same as in history, became notorious.

Facts have proved that good or bad mood does affect people's lifespan.Under Franz's butterfly effect, the fate of many people has been rewritten.

Grand Duke Louis asked concerned: "Your Majesty, my resignation?"

Both the previous two retirements were approved, but when they arrived at him, they suddenly got stuck.Grand Duke Louis doesn't want to continue to consume, it has nothing to do with the desire for power, he really can't hold it anymore.

Europe does not have a cultural tradition of rushing to office. Basically, people will choose to retire when their health fails.

Franz explained: "Let's wait for two months, I am going to let Prince Wendisch Gretz take over as Minister of the Interior, so I need to familiarize myself with the affairs in advance.

After the transfer of Prince Windischgrätz, the Minister of War was replaced by General Albrecht, the Governor of the Balkans; the Governor of the Balkans was replaced by Lieutenant General Morkes. "

This is a rule established after Franz succeeded to the throne. If an inter-departmental official is appointed, he must be familiar with the affairs first, so as not to make jokes.

Important personnel appointments are personally in charge of him, the emperor.Franz didn't ask about the transfer of positions further down.

Human energy is limited, and Franz does not consider himself a superman.To manage the central government and local officials well, these 80 No. [-] people are enough, and the rest is naturally left to them to manage.

The appointment of the Minister of the Interior was decided by Franz on a temporary basis, and everyone did not know it in advance.

Previously, it was also discussed in the cabinet meeting that there are too few suitable candidates, and it is also a helpless move to choose Prince Wendisch Gretz.

This is not the withering of talents in Austria, but the withering of talents among the great Austrian nobles.It is inevitable for this to happen. Where is the population base? How can there be talents from generation to generation?

Because of medical technology, many families are facing the danger of extinction.In the absence of new blood, the class of the great aristocracy is doomed to be unable to control power for a long time.

This time when the old and new powers alternate is often the bloodiest time.If this degree cannot be grasped, it is easy to cause domestic turmoil.

"As an emperor, you can't look at your identity when employing people, and you can't ignore your identity." This is the sentence that impressed Franz most when he was educated by the emperor.

Now he has a deep understanding that in order to govern a country well, it is necessary to promote talents. At this time, it is obviously not possible to judge by status.

But when it comes to balancing power, identity must be considered.Otherwise, if the family dominates in the end, the emperor will become dispensable.

Relatively speaking, the so-called class is actually not important.This identity can be changed. Franz suppressed the bourgeoisie, but not the capitalists.

To suppress this class, the main bourgeoisie is too aggressive.

Once it grows bigger, driven by interests, it will turn the country into a money politics that is more in line with their interests.

Emperors and nobles are all feudal cancers, so they must be washed away.If you are lucky, the emperor can also become a rubber stamp, and if you are not lucky, you will be guillotined.

Since they are destined to stand on the opposite side, they can only be suppressed.

But the bourgeoisie, this group itself is a combination of contradictions, the internal struggle is more intense than the external struggle, and everyone's competition is much higher than cooperation.

As long as they are not allowed to gather together to form a coalition of interests, then the threat will be within the controllable range.

Franz has no objection to doing business in an orderly manner to make money.If you want to participate in politics, you can, as long as you enter the system according to the rules, he will not object.

If you use the money in your hands to corrupt government officials and try to manipulate national politics behind your back, then you must suppress it.

……

Chapter 52 Iron Barracks, Flowing Soldiers

Economic crises in the capitalist world often come and go quickly.The first global economic crisis finally came to an end in early 1859.

By the end of 1858, the gross industrial production value of Austria had dropped by 20.00% 17.00% compared with the previous year, the total economic volume had dropped by [-]% [-], more than [-] bankrupt enterprises, and the unemployed population once exceeded the million mark... …

Franz finally understood why everyone was so afraid of the economic crisis. The Vienna government took active measures to deal with it, but the loss was still so great, let alone the countries that did not take measures.

Of course, such a large loss in the Austrian economy is also directly related to the previous wild economic growth. The market value of the railway company fired by Franz once fell below one-tenth of its peak period.

The losses caused by the economic crisis are large, and it is not just a bad thing.Looking at the problem from another angle, this also means that Austria's industrialization is about to be completed.Only when the capitalist economy has developed to a certain extent can such losses occur.

If the capitalist economy has not developed, even if it encounters an economic crisis, it will not be affected in any way.

The Russian Empire next door is an example. Does the economic crisis have something to do with them?

The United States and Austria suffered the most losses from this economic crisis. In the United States, because the British withdrew funds, there was a money shortage in the market, and the weak central government was completely at a loss.

Austria is naturally the influx of capital, the sequelae of blind investment by capitalists.After the economic crisis, the market has returned to rationality, which is not a bad thing.

After briefly reading the economic report, Franz nodded in satisfaction.

In the absence of any experience to learn from, the performance of the Vienna government is still qualified for being able to get out of the economic crisis so quickly.

Prime Minister Felix said: "Your Majesty, the economic crisis is over, and the world economy is beginning to pick up. The cabinet decided to end the economic stimulus policy to avoid frantic blind investment again.

In order to cope with this economic crisis, the government has increased investment in infrastructure, and our fiscal deficit in 1858 was as high as 2.8 million Aegis, which has seriously exceeded the government's financial capacity.

In order to reduce financial pressure, the government plans to reduce fiscal expenditure in the next three years and gradually reduce debt holdings by 3000 million Aegis.

Projects that have already started construction will continue, and projects that are under planning and have not yet been constructed will be postponed. "

Infrastructure construction also requires money. As the biggest receiver in this economic crisis, the Vienna government has also spent a huge amount of money.

Part of the funds raised from the issuance of bonds was used to take over unfinished projects; part of it was invested in railway companies and industries related to the national economy and people's livelihood in the form of investment shares.

The fiscal deficit of 2.8 million Aegis is spent.Two and a half years of fiscal revenue have been turned into infrastructure projects and corporate equity.

The remaining part should be earmarked for special use.Not all engineering projects are unfinished, and the hold-up plan still traps many people.

People are continuing to complete the project, so the government will naturally have to pay for the project.The Vienna government attaches great importance to reputation, and pays immediately after the completion and acceptance.

When the government ran out of money, it naturally wanted to cut spending, and the first cut was on infrastructure investment.

This time, the large-scale infrastructure construction is already equivalent to ten years of investment in normal times, so it is naturally impossible to continue.

No matter how crazy it is, it is impossible for Franz to double his fiscal revenue every year and invest in infrastructure construction.

In times of economic crisis, a wave of emergency response is okay.After the economic crisis is over, economic benefits should still be given priority in infrastructure construction.

Franz thought for a while and said: "This is inevitable, our total debt is already the fourth largest in the world, and we should indeed reduce some of it.

Now the infrastructure construction of important cities and towns in China has been covered. There are no major necessary projects in the short term, and the infrastructure construction can come to an end first.

In the next two to three years, the government's financial pressure may be relatively large.After this time, the large amount of corporate equity we hold in our hands should generate income. "

When he said this, Franz himself had no confidence.It is true that the income is generated, but unfortunately the largest sum of money has entered the railway company, and no profit can be seen from this investment.

Unless, he is now relaxing the policy, allowing railway companies to abandon some unpopular lines and only operate railways in prosperous commercial areas.

Economically, doing so is the most profitable; politically, this is absolutely unacceptable.

Covering the railways to every necessary city in the country is not only for economic development, but more for strengthening the central government's control over the localities.

In this context, Franz can only say sorry to the speculators who were trapped later.For the development of the country, the railway company must first operate at a loss, and does not aim to make a profit in the short term.

If the government hadn't tied up railway projects during the hot market period and capitalists were free to build railways, it is estimated that there would be three or five parallel railways in prosperous areas, and there would not be a single railway track in economically backward provinces.

This has been proven in Britain and France. Railways without economic value will never be built at all, and a large number of economically prosperous areas have been repeatedly built.

If there is only one pitfall, it’s fine. The problem is that many companies in which the government has invested are in heavy industries, which are high-input, long-term, and high-return investments.

In the short term, these companies still need to expand production and promote technological innovation, and basically they will not see dividends. It is nowhere in sight to expect these investments to make up for their finances.

Of course, from the very beginning, the Vienna government did not expect to get much benefit from it.

Most of the time, the government takes a stake to provide companies with life-saving funds to keep these core industries.

This is equivalent to the current government living a hard life, leaving a rich family fortune for the subsequent government.This kind of thing can only happen in politically stable countries.

If the government changes frequently in a country, it would be nice not to cause trouble for the next generation, and if you want to accumulate wealth for them, dream about it!

This is also the reason why many countries have more and more government debts. Anyway, as long as you are happy in this term, who cares about the life and death of your successor?

The accumulations piled up one after another, and in the end, the debts were so high that the government had to be influenced by the consortium and gradually became the spokesperson of money.

A camp made of iron, soldiers of flowing water.

The monarchy is different. The cabinet government will change. The emperor Franz cannot be changed. Even if he wants to change his successor, it will be his descendants.Naturally, no one will be allowed to sacrifice future development for the sake of immediate interests.

Chapter 53 Strategic Immigration

The busiest of the economic crisis should be the Immigration Department under the Colonial Department. From the end of 1857 to the beginning of 1859, in just over a year, the performance of the Immigration Department exceeded the sum of the past few years.

In the face of survival, many people have to choose to leave their hometowns. Among them, the largest number of people immigrated to the Balkan Peninsula, accounting for [-]% of the total number of immigrants.

This is the result of the government's intentional control, otherwise more than 80.00% of immigrants would choose to go to the Balkans.

There are only two kinds of people who voluntarily go to the African colonies: one is ambitious and wants to make a fortune;

Immigrants to the African continent can sign employment contracts with the government, or plantation owners, mine owners, and have a stable income without worrying about the livelihood of the family.

Many people directly regard going to the African continent as going out to work.Anyway, it is not mandatory to immigrate. When the contract expires, you can stay if you want to stay, and you can come back if you don’t want to stay.

For people who have eaten their last meal but never finished their meal, as long as they can have an income to support their families, it is considered good, and the farther away the farther away, the farther away.

After completing the personnel adjustment, Franz said again: "Colonial Department, talk about the development of the colony."

Colonial Secretary Josip Jeracic replied: "Your Majesty, at present we have opened up colonies in the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria, Congo, Cameroon, Libya and other regions.

Established 68 colonial strongholds, owning 18 cities, more than one million immigrants to the colonies, and directly controlling the colonial territory of more than 300 million square kilometers.

Among them: the Gulf of Guinea has 25 colonial strongholds, including 8 cities, and the actual controlled territory is about 70 square kilometers.The total local population is 184.8 million, of which 28.4 are immigrants, and the rest are local aborigines.

The Congo region has 14 colonial strongholds, including 4 cities, and the actual controlled territory is about 68 square kilometers.The total population of the jurisdiction is about 300 million, of which about 31.8 are immigrants, and the rest are local aborigines.

The Nigerian colony has just been established not long ago, and we have only established 8 colonial strongholds in the local area, including 3 cities, with a territorial area of ​​about 28 square kilometers.The total population of the jurisdiction is about 218 million, of which about 18.5 are immigrants.

The Cameroon region was developed even later. Currently, there are only 5 colonial strongholds, including 2 cities, and the actual controlled territory is more than 10 square kilometers.The total population of the area is about 56, with only 5.8 immigrants.

The Libyan region is continuing to implement the strategy of vacating cages and replacing birds. Because of the resistance of the local people, the progress is much slower than expected. There are still about 15 people stranded there, and the plan may not be completed until next year.

We have controlled all the cities in the region, transported 8.6 immigrants, controlled all the coastal oases, and nominally controlled more than 100 million square kilometers of desert.

The resources of the Sinai Peninsula are too poor. We did not develop them. We only transported 6 immigrants and ruled the [-]-square-kilometer peninsula in name.

The islands in the European region are directly included in the local rule and are not counted within the scope of the colony.

Farther overseas, colonial strongholds were established spontaneously by the people, and have not yet been brought under government management.

So far, except for the Gulf of Guinea colony, which has achieved a balance of payments due to the mining of gold mines, and has a small surplus, all other regions are at a loss.

Overall, the total income of our colonies in 1858 was negative 985 million Aegis, and immigration expenditures and foreign military expenditures still accounted for the bulk.

It is expected that in the next two to three years, the earlier developed Congo region can achieve a balance of payments.The rest of the colonization will take a certain amount of time, at least five years later, before the finances can be denied. "

Franz nodded. Obviously, the Austrian colonies still have great potential to be tapped. Now the colonial government controls only a small part of them, and there is still a large amount of land waiting for them to occupy.

Franz is not so optimistic about relying on colonial income to supplement the central government's finances.As long as the colony can make ends meet, it's blood money.

After hesitating for a while, Franz said: "The population ratio of the colony is a big problem, and there are too many natives, which is not conducive to our long-term rule.