Holy Roman Empire

As long as you have money, you don't have to worry about not being able to buy weapons.If you can't buy it, it must be that you are not rich enough.

The Mexican Civil War has been fought for many years. In the early stage, the government forces suppressed the rebels. Now it is a turning point.

In the autumn of 1868, the Mexican government army and the French army jointly carried out a large-scale encirclement and suppression of the rebels. It was originally a war that must be won, but it was finally overturned by the rebels.

There is no need to delve into the details of the process. In summary, the rebels took civilians as hostages. Maximilian I ordered the troops to shoot and kill civilians, and then they lost the battle magnificently.

The Mexican government forces were timid and cheated their allies by the way. The French army did not expect a threat from the flanks, and suffered heavy losses as a result.

More than 1000 people were hanged, and now Napoleon III claims compensation from the Mexican government, asking them to be responsible for it.

Franz has now received a letter of appeal for help from his younger brother Maximilian, generally complaining about how unreasonable the French are, and asking him for help.

Fortunately, this is a private message, and it was not sent directly to the Vienna government, otherwise it would be embarrassing.It is estimated that Maximiliano also knew that he was wrong, so he did not issue an official diplomatic document.

Franz was not at all worried about the reaction of the French.It was too late for Napoleon III to regret it now, and it was impossible to return the goods.

Since he wanted to support a middle-school boy as emperor, he would naturally have to bear the corresponding consequences.Overall, their investment in Mexico is still at a loss.

Looting wealth sounds good, but the Mexican civil war has continued, production has been severely damaged, and the country has long been exhausted.

Even if Mexico is turned into a source of raw materials and a commodity market, production must first be resumed.People have no money in their pockets, so naturally they have little purchasing power.

Now the benefits that the French get in Mexico every year are not enough to pay for military expenses.Although this expense is ultimately borne by the Mexican government.

However, the Mexican government is now so poor that even the annuity of Emperor Maximilian I is in arrears.This hard-working child has not received a full salary for so many years since he took the throne.

Now the main income of the Mexican government is international loans, most of which are loans from France.In Franz's opinion, it's not too much, just a billion francs.

If Mexico can end the civil war, resume production, and then work hard, there will be no problem at all in repaying the debt.

There is not much else in the Silver Empire, except that it produces more money.Before the price of silver fell to the bottom, they still had the ability to pay off their debts.

Rubbing his forehead, Franz wrote a reply letter helplessly.Borrowing money does not exist, how can one's own money be used to fill the bottomless pit?

The French are rich and powerful now and don't care about such a small loss.The matter was caused by Napoleon III, it is better to let them be responsible to the end.

It is very easy to suppress the rebellion, just contract this business to the French.If there is no money, there are still mines. The silver mines in Mexico are enough to cover the expenses.

There is only one focus, to settle the French commander in Mexico.Whether it's bribery or cheating, just ask him to sign.

Franz has been admonishing and exhorting, just fool the generals, don't talk nonsense with the French minister, as diplomats are usually not good at fooling.

After sending the letter, Franz decided to help his brother.Otherwise, with his operational ability, even if a treaty is signed, the French may not be able to accept it.

There were many internal problems in Mexico, especially after the reform of Maximilian I. Later generations commented on this war as a "reform war".

The emperor is a reformer, and the rebels are also reformers.It's just that the emperor is a real reformer, while the rebels are reformers who use the banner of reformers to seek their own interests.

The ideal finally gave way to reality, the rebels won, and the emperor became the spokesperson of the conservatives.In fact, Maximilian I would not have lost the civil war if he had hooked up with the conservatives.

The victory of the rebels marked the beginning of Mexico's warlord politics.Until the 21st century, the situation in Mexico has not been peaceful.

"Taylor, send people to build momentum in France to let the French people know that their army can't even defeat the native Indians.

Just get the news out. Let the French people make up their own minds about the subsequent problems. Don't get involved too much, so as not to make people feel too deliberate. "

Franz is still very good at hype public opinion.Right and wrong are black and white in an instant, especially in this era, when the right to speak is in the hands of a few elites, and it is easier to manipulate public opinion.

The French army was defeated by the rebels in Mexico. This is the truth, and the more than 1000 dead are the best evidence.

What happened is not the point, just skip it.The French people don't care why the army failed, and it just doesn't work if they lose to the Indians.

Despite the large number of whites among the rebels, the Mexicans were not much different from the natives in the eyes of the French, at least in Paris.

If you lose, you will naturally have to find your way back. If this is the case, how will the proud French people accept it?

Now there is no interference from foreign forces. In the divided United States, neither the North nor the South has the strength to wrestle with the French. There is no reason for the Paris government to be cowardly.

Moreover, the capital invested by the Paris government has also increased a lot compared to the original time and space. If the rebels are not suppressed, how will they recover the cost.

Regardless of admitting it or not, Maximilian I is now the spokesperson of their interests in Mexico, and their interests will inevitably be greatly affected if the emperor falls.

The economic crisis is not over yet, and there are not many such fatty meats in the world.Among other things, the tariffs and minerals mortgaged to them are worth the French.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Intelligence leader Tai Lun replied calmly

Just revealing a piece of news, there is no difficulty at all.French newspapers are not as obedient as Austrian newspapers. As a beacon of the free world, freedom of speech has always been the insistence of the French people.

The book inspection system can continue to be implemented in Austria, because everyone is used to it.

France is different. These restrictive systems have long since disappeared. Napoleon III did not have the confidence to formulate such a law and implement it.

Without restrictions on speech, this kind of news naturally cannot be kept secret.It is very natural that what happened in Mexico was reported back to Paris and published in the newspapers.

Newspapers in Paris can make news if there is no news, why not publish the news?

It has always been the responsibility of journalists to convey this kind of genuine news.There are many such responsible men in Paris who will carry out this honorable mission.

……

Paris in the early morning is the best time of the day.This is the only moment when you can breathe fresh air. After a while, the factory will start and thick black smoke will rise, and the feeling will not be so good.

Of course, compared to London, the weather in Paris is better every day.Happiness depends on comparison. After London is at the bottom, the people of Paris don't think there is any problem.

In the winter of 1868, the weather in Paris was exceptionally better, probably the only benefit brought to people by the economic crisis.

A large number of factories closed down and pollution sources were cut off.The sky is bluer and the air is fresher.

Unfortunately, these changes failed to attract Paqueron's attention.As a member of the unemployed army, Pa Kelun's only goal now is to find a job, and other issues are not worth mentioning.

Now he was going to receive unemployment benefits. Although the money was not much, it was enough for him to eat black bread without worrying about starvation.

Do you think it is very advanced, there were unemployment benefits in the 19th century.This is one of Napoleon III's political achievements, not only unemployment benefits, but even pensions have appeared.

It's not surprising just to consider Napoleon III's other title - "Emperor of Socialism".

Thanks to these good policies, even in the economic crisis, Napoleon III's popularity has not decreased.

This period was also the best era for French workers. After Napoleon III, they did not have this kind of treatment throughout the 19th century. It was not until the rise of the Soviet Union that they enjoyed this series of benefits again.

Paqueron soon attracted his attention, and quickly stepped forward to ask an acquaintance, "What's going on, Cross?"

Cross complained endlessly: "Pacron, do you know? Our army was defeated by a group of indigenous bandits in Mexico. It is said that more than 1000 people died and thousands were injured.

God, tens of thousands of French troops can't even beat a bunch of native bandits?

These bloody bastards have disgraced France.If this news gets out, our status as the world's number one army power will be lost.

It's just awful...”

Parkron couldn't listen to the following content.He grabbed the newspaper with one hand and read it carefully.

Forgive the lack of knowledge, he doesn't know many of the words above, but he still knows the most important casualties and defeats.

Then, the whole person was engrossed in the news of the defeat of the French army. The tens of thousands of French troops were unable to defeat a group of natives.Said to himself:

"This is impossible!"

"How could we fail?"

……

As for the news, if it is not exaggerated, how can it attract everyone's attention?

After the artistic processing of the editors of the newspaper, it has finally become tens of thousands of French troops who suffered a major defeat in Mexico and suffered heavy casualties.

In fact, fewer than [-] French troops participated in the battle.If there were tens of thousands of French troops, it would be impossible for the Mexican rebels to win.

The absolute strength gap cannot be changed by some small calculations.The order of Maximilian I was only valid for the Mexican government army, and the French army did not care about the order of the Mexican emperor.

Seeing that the momentum was wrong, the Paris government hastily came out to refute the rumors.But it's useless, the defeat of the French army is always a fact, and the reason is that this is not what the French people care about.

In short, the French people were outraged.Without any surprise, the people of Paris resumed their daily activities - marches.

You can parade when you are happy, you can parade when you are angry, you can parade when you are empty and lonely, and you can still parade when you are dissatisfied with the government. There are no problems in France that cannot be paraded.

This is a period of economic crisis, and many people are idle and have nothing to do, which makes the scale of the parade much larger, starting from Paris and spreading to the whole country.

Things got worse and worse, and the news of the French army's defeat in Mexico quickly spread throughout Europe through newspaper embellishments.

At this time, the Paris government can't help but retreat. If they don't take revenge quickly, the Mexican rebels will step on their shoulders and become famous.

Now the French army does not have the prestige established by defeating the Russians, and losing to the Mexican rebels will not be regarded as an accident, and countries will only add fuel to the flames and say that the army's combat effectiveness is not good.

This is undoubtedly disastrous for the French government.Countries do not recognize their strength, which means that they will be at a disadvantage in the competition for international interests.

After the decline of the Russian Empire, the French hurriedly put on the hat of the world's largest army power. Don't they know that the tree is big?

Obviously, Napoleon III will not be so superficial, it is just a false name, and it is not worthy of their lack of appearance.

There are still a lot of interests behind the false name, which is why the French are eager to seize power. They want to take over the hegemony of the European continent left by the Russians.

The cake is so big. When European countries divide the cake, they rely on their strength. The stronger the strength, the bigger the share.

Weak countries just watch from the sidelines, it has nothing to do with them.If you are unlucky, it will become a cake on the table.

Including the current battle for the Spanish throne, France can veto so many candidates, relying on its own strong strength.

If at this time, the outside world thinks that they are not strong enough, then maybe Spain will have another anti-French king.

At least both Britain and Austria want to support an anti-French king. Once France's strength can't hold the field, this will happen.

To prove one's own strength, the most convincing way is war.Get up wherever you fall.

The stability of France's future rear depends on their next performance.Now the face of France is priceless, not just a city.

Chapter 11 The City That Never Sleeps

Christmas Eve in 1868 was a memorable day, which ushered in a new era for mankind.

August is an ordinary citizen of Vienna. The changes in Vienna over the years have made him overwhelmed, as if in a dream.

With the children at home, looking at the bright street lights, this is the best Christmas gift.

"Father, is this a lamp? Why is it so bright?"

Hearing his son's question, August didn't know where to start.In this era, there is no Internet, and the dissemination of knowledge depends entirely on books.

Although August's academic qualifications are not low, his major is not suitable for him.As a doctor, he doesn't need to study electric lights, so naturally he can't answer this question.

Not only him, but not many people in Vienna knew why.Vienna is not an industrial city, there are workshops for this kind of research, but no factories for producing such products.

Vienna is an inland city as well as the capital. It integrates political center, financial center, cultural center, scientific research center and education center.

With so many titles added, it is really impossible to add another industrial center.Otherwise, the soaring population could crush this beautiful city.

From Franz's succession to the present, the population of Vienna has tripled in just 20 years, and it is still growing at a high rate of 8%.

This is obviously not natural growth. If the natural population growth rate is so fast, then unifying the world is not a dream.

Even with the factories closed, Vienna, the capital of the two empires, still sees a huge influx of people every year.

Population growth is the driving force of urban development. Today, Vienna is the most prosperous and beautiful city in the world, not one of them.

Per capita income has jumped to the top of the world list, and Paris and London can't compare. Although their economies are also very developed, a large number of workers has pulled down the average.

This is why Vienna can take the lead in becoming the city that never sleeps.The income of the people of Vienna can already afford the cost of lighting, while other cities cannot afford it.

Electricity is not cheap in this era, as long as the middle class and the rich can afford it.The annual income of an ordinary worker is not enough to open an account for the power company.

Since the technological breakthrough of large generators in 1866, Austrian power companies have sprung up like mushrooms.If there is any city without a power company, it must be a small city.

Now every city in Austria with a population of more than 10 people has a power company, or at least one branch.

As a new energy industry, the Vienna government has been supporting it, and now is the golden age for power companies to staking their land.

It is a pity that the cost is still high, and it has not been able to achieve universal popularization.The biggest obstacle to widespread electricity is not the cost of generating electricity, but the cost of wires, or copper and rubber.

No matter how low the utilization rate is, one kilogram of coal can generate one kilowatt-hour of electricity. The coal in Austria is worthless, and it is not picky about power generation. Any coal can be used.

The cost of pure power generation does not exceed 5 groschen per kilowatt-hour, but when it is delivered to residents' homes, the price of one kilowatt-hour of electricity becomes 8 shillings, a full increase of 159 times.

(1 shield = 100 shillings = 10000 groschen)

There is no way, the number of users is not many, the cost of wires is high, and the amortization cost will naturally go up.

The most direct benefit of the development of new energy is that under the recession of the economic crisis, Austria's copper smelting industry and rubber industry have grown against the trend.

Many companies in the relevant industrial chain have benefited from this, and at least have been driven to a market of 5 million Aegis, contributing to Austria's economic recovery.

Touching his son's little head, August said lovingly: "I don't know about this issue, and I need my little scientist to study it in person."

The academic atmosphere in Vienna is still very strong. Scientists have a very high social status in Austria, especially after Franz, the emperor who was keen to confer knights on scientists, has been sought after by all walks of life.

Of course, titles are not so easy to obtain, and there may not necessarily be a place every year.Franz is a realist, and he will not pay attention to the hype before he sees the results.