Holy Roman Empire

Employees of the colonial government are not able to resign if they want to. The government has signed a labor contract just like individuals. If they want to leave, they must complete the work handover according to the regulations. Generally, this time is one month, and it can last for up to three months.

The government can't hire people, something that hasn't happened in Austria for many years.Since the Vienna government implemented compulsory education, the government has never been short of public officials.

Of course, the situation in the colonies is special, and jobs in some remote areas are still unpopular.But as long as the standard is lowered and the treatment is improved, these problems will disappear.

This time is different, the gold rush has had too much impact, and young people who want to make a fortune are not willing to apply for government office at all.

It's not that the government can't recruit people, the main reason is that it can't recruit so many qualified public officials.No matter how the standard is lowered, the most basic ability must still be guaranteed, and some positions still have special skill requirements.

Governor Fickney frowned. This situation has been going on for several months, and he did not expect that there will be an intensifying trend.

"According to your plan, report to China, and ask the Organization Department of the Central Government to recruit 1000 government employees and 3800 veteran police officers for us from China.

For those who are willing to come, the salary is double the average level of the same position in China, and the bonus and benefits are based on the standard of Vienna government employees. "

It is difficult to recruit people in the colony, so recruit from the country.With the emergence of a large number of gold mines, the South African colonial government has also become a wealthy unit that can afford money.

Director of Personnel Charlie: "Yes, Your Excellency the Governor!"

After a pause, Caspar Tamso, Director of Mines, took out a report: "Your Excellency, this is the latest development report.

Last month, another 12 gold mines were discovered in South Africa, all of which were of relatively high quality, with a gold content of more than 5 grams per ton, and 2 of them had reserves of more than 50 tons.

So far, 78 large and small gold mines have been discovered in South Africa, and the total gold reserves with mining value have been preliminarily judged to have exceeded 3800 tons.

另外还发现了5座钻石矿、7座煤矿、2座铜矿、5座铁矿、3座锰矿、1座铬矿、2座磷酸盐矿……

What is even more rare is that the quality of these ores is very good. Judging from the current data, the South African region has become the region with the richest mineral resources in the empire.

This is South Africa's advantage, but it is very difficult to develop these minerals. The biggest problem is the lack of people, followed by traffic problems.

To solve the traffic problem, we must first solve the manpower problem.According to the plan of the railway department, if we want to solve the transportation problem within ten years, we need to provide at least 20 laborers.

To develop these minerals, more labor is needed.Without a labor force of 300 million, it is impossible to effectively develop South Africa's mineral resources.

However, the reality is very bad. Not to mention 300 laborers, even if it is 20 laborers, the South African region cannot make up.

The existing labor resources are somewhat insufficient even for mining gold mines.To continue to develop, we need a large population. "

"Lack of people" is a common feature of all Austrian colonies, and it is also a common problem faced by major colonial empires.

No, except for the British.They are supplemented by human resources in India, as long as they are willing to invest capital is enough.

Austria is different. The population of Africa is not large.In addition to the previous labor export policy, Austrian Africa has sent a total of 430 million laborers to the Americas and 110 million laborers to Persia over the past decade.

The number of local aborigines has decreased sharply, and there are no indigenous tribes in the West African area that was developed earlier.

At present, there are slightly more indigenous tribes in Austrian East Africa and South Africa, but the total population will never exceed 300 million.

This can be seen during the Anglo-Boer war. In the later period of the war, it developed to the point of lack of cannon fodder. The whole of Austrian Africa together was not enough to flatten Cape Town with crowd tactics.

It is not only the export of labor services that has led to the sharp decline in the population, but more importantly, the decline in the birth rate. The notorious "Dingkou Tax" is the main culprit.

In order to increase fiscal revenue, the colonial government imposed a tax of 1 Aegis per person per year on all indigenous tribes, which directly led to a decrease in the local birth rate.

Governor Fickney sneered: "The country has promised to solve the shortage of people for us. The agricultural crisis in Europe has already broken out. It won't be long before there will be a wave of bankrupt farmers. The country will give priority to emigrating to South Africa.

In addition, the colonial government of the Nanyang region also promised to sell us [-] labors in the next five years.The governorship of the Arabian Peninsula will have a major operation in the near future, and they will deal with all the prisoners of war to us at a low price.

If you want to increase the labor force in the short term, you can only tap internal potential.That's good, raise the tax to 1 Aegis per person per month, and anyone who can't pay the money will be sent to mine.

The scope of the Dingkou tax can be expanded, and all non-Austrian citizens are taxed.Immigrants can be given a one-year tax incentive period.

If you have learned German within one year, you can apply for naturalization. The naturalization assessment period is inconvenient or 3 years, and you can also be tax-free during this period.

Those who fail the assessment, either get the hell out of me, or stay and obediently pay taxes.How can it be so easy to take advantage of us! "

In order to increase the labor force, Viscount Fickney is ready to spare no room.The small tax of 1 Aegis per person per month simply forces the locals to mine, and they have to work hard, otherwise they will not be able to make up the small tax for the whole family.

Even foreign gold diggers have not escaped. If they cannot become upstarts within the first year, it is better to learn German early and then apply for naturalization, otherwise the small mouth tax will hurt their wallets.

Like it or not, Governor Fickney has never welcomed these unruly gold diggers.As a traditional nobleman, Viscount Fickney hated speculators and upstarts the most.

Although he also made his fortune in gold mining, this does not affect Viscount Fickney's personal views.Maybe he was ruthless when he was colonizing, but when he returned to Austria, Viscount Fickney strictly abided by the noble code.

This kind of double-standard concept is not only shared by Viscount Fickney, but also by many colonists.

……

In Vienna, since the Austrian government decided to find an unlucky guy to divert the crisis, the cabinet has been busy.

War is not a child's play, and requires a comprehensive balance of pros and cons.It took a lot of effort for the European continent to stabilize. Franz didn't want to cause chaos in the world, so he had to be cautious about who he chose.

Prime Minister Felix: "Your Majesty, the current situation is a bit complicated. The only suitable targets for us are Poland and the Ottoman Empire, which are not very ideal.

By taking action against Poland, we can reduce a competitor in the international grain market and alleviate the world agricultural crisis, but the sequelae are very serious.

First of all, the Russians are likely to get involved, and the Kingdom of Prussia will not be idle.The Kingdom of Poland is very poor. If we take military action, it is unlikely that we will receive compensation directly. We can only recover the cost of the war by ceding land.

In this way, there is a half chance of the fourth division of Poland between Prussia, Austria and Russia, and a 40.00% chance of a merger between Prussia and Poland, and only a tenth chance of maintaining the status quo.

Also consider the reaction of Britain and France, they will not want to see us continue to grow bigger.Besides, Poland owes them a huge amount of money, and if they get rid of this debt, the financial circles of both countries will make trouble for us.

The situation facing the Ottoman Empire is also very complicated.It still involves the three countries of Britain, France and Russia. The debt problem of Britain and France is also unavoidable, and there are also strategic conflicts between countries.

Especially with Britain and Russia, the tsarist government has been waiting for us to act, so that the Ottoman Empire can be hurt, and the Transcaucasus can be retaken.

If we don't occupy the territory of the Ottoman Empire, that's all. If we seize the Middle East and extend our sphere of influence to Persia, the sensitive nerves of the British may be stimulated again.

They are still brooding over the South African issue. If the British are provoked again, the Anglo-Austrian relationship may be over. "

Franz also has a headache, and the current situation is really not suitable for rash actions.No matter which unlucky one is chosen to start, Austria will not be able to maximize its benefits.

"If you can't eat mutton, you have to get into a show."No matter how you look at it, Austria is suffering, which is not in line with Franz's behavior style.

After wandering around for a few steps, Franz suddenly turned his head: "If you want to gain benefits, you must pay a price. This agricultural crisis is not only hurting us, but also the Russians and Prussians.

Either we join forces to face the pressure from Britain and France together; or we hold back together to see who has the stronger ability to resist pressure.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicated with Prussia and Russia, and we will cooperate with whoever bids higher.If the returns are too low, then abandon the plan.

With our family background, it is not a big problem to last for three to five years, so there is no need to rush for a while.Prussia and Russia can't last so long, whoever can't stand it first, let whoever is the first bird! "

……

Chapter 1 Intrigue

If it weren't for the political confrontation, it would be very simple to solve the agricultural crisis. Several grain exporting countries connected together, raised grain prices uniformly, divided their respective grain export shares, and all problems were solved.

This is how OPEC played in later generations. In order to avoid vicious competition, everyone deliberately controlled oil production to ensure the interests of all member countries.

It is a pity that the two countries of Pubo and the Russian Empire have formed a deadly enmity, and it is impossible for the Tsarist government to agree to reconciliation.

This is a matter of principle, and even if Alexander III, a pacifist, came to power, it would be impossible to compromise on this issue.

The Russian people can tolerate failure, but they cannot tolerate admitting defeat.The Russian Empire was able to develop and grow, relying on this tenacity of not admitting defeat.If the heart is discouraged, the Russian Empire is over.

To get to this point, it is impossible not to experience multiple failures in a row.This made it impossible for the tsarist government to admit cowardice to Pubo and Poland. If they dared to compromise, a revolution would have to break out in the country.

The first Russian-Prussian War failed, and the tsarist government did not collapse. In addition to the support of Austria, there was also the political legacy left by Nicholas I. An army loyal to the tsar ensured the stability of the regime.

Alexander II was not an idler. After the defeat of the war, he acted decisively. He took the opportunity to clean up a bunch of moths in the government, cracked down on the arrogance of the conservatives, and laid the foundation for reform.

After the outbreak of the agricultural crisis, Austria suffered the biggest loss on the surface, but in fact the biggest loser was the Russian Empire.

It is true that Austria is the number one grain exporter, but most of the exports are finished grains, and some of the losses are offset by industrial added value.

There are also some snack food manufacturers, not only did not lose money in this agricultural crisis, but increased a lot of profits.

No matter how the price of raw materials drops, the price of snacks on the market does not change much.The seemingly inconspicuous small commodities actually bring profits that are not low at all.

If someone investigates the details of agricultural products exported by Austria, they will find that the total sales of canned food, biscuits, French fries, chocolates and other non-staple foods exported by Austria have exceeded the total sales of grain.

At present, there are thousands of food brands registered in Austria. If these types of snacks are subdivided, there are hundreds of products.

For profit, capitalists have invested huge sums of money in research, and new types of food appear almost every day.Only food that has withstood the test of the market can survive, or it will soon disappear from people's sight.

From time to time, capitalists hold food festivals to collect data from people trying new snacks. If they are well received, they will promote them and sell them on the market;

In addition to independent research and development, capitalists also send people to collect delicacies from all over the world. Everyone has no resistance in the face of interests, and exotic flavors are still produced.

As long as it is a snack that sells well in the market, it is produced in Austria.These humble little things are actually the real backbone of Austria's agricultural exports.

In contrast, the export of finished grains has been relegated to a secondary position, mainly relying on volume to make profits, and the profit margin is far from comparable to these non-staple foods.

Perhaps in later generations, a family workshop can produce these humble commodities, but in this era, they are still high-tech products.

Among other things, few countries can produce food packaging bags alone.Anti-corrosion technology is also a problem. There are many capitalists who use mercury as an anti-corrosion agent these days.

This kind of large-scale food export must not be played like this.In the event of an accident, tens of thousands, or even tens of thousands of people, will be poisoned by food. No one can afford such a big thing.

This requires a test of chemical technology. Generally speaking, it is still quite messy. In addition to the most commonly used table salt, there are a lot of messy preservatives, which can only be said to be less harmful than mercury.

The only thing that can be guaranteed is that you will not get food poisoning immediately, or you will not be able to pass the Austrian customs security check.It is related to the entire agricultural product export industry, and the Vienna government is still relatively strict.

If you take it for a long time, you don't know what the consequences will be.Anyway, Franz never touched these packaged foods, and such junk foods would never appear in the entire Vienna court.

These are all small problems. Everyone’s life expectancy is short. Maybe they met God before the sequelae broke out. So far, no one has come out to complain about the harmfulness of these junk foods.

No matter how harmful it is, at least the taste is good.These junk food, which can be stored for a long time, are the favorites of the crew and have become the necessary supplies for sailing, and have been exported to all over the world along with the era of great voyages.

With the support of these industries, Franz was able to sit still after the finished grain export market shrank.

However, some people are in a hurry. The export market of Austria's finished grains has shrunk, and domestic processing companies have naturally reduced production. Poland and the Russian Empire are the first to bear the brunt.

The Polish government was also forced to do something.The Vienna government increased the tariffs, and Polish farm products were directly blocked out.

A large number of agricultural products are unsalable, not only the farmers can't stand it, but the nobles and capitalists can't stand it either.In order to survive the crisis, it is not surprising that the government deliberately provoked conflicts in Obo to attract attention.

Of course, "provocation" is not in the plan of the Polish government. They are just preparing to shout slogans in the country, and they are not prepared to hard-top.

After figuring out the positions of various countries, although the Polish government did not fully accept Austria's conditions, it immediately explained and apologized.

As the mastermind behind the scenes, it is naturally impossible for the Prussians to watch the Polish government pass the border so easily.The news quickly leaked out, and public opinion in Poland exploded.

The unlucky "suicide" turned into a national hero, patriotic youth held high the flag and went to the Austrian embassy in Warsaw to protest.

The Polish government still knows the seriousness, and if they provoke the Austrians, they may call them.Prime Minister Dombrowski immediately sent the police to block the street, and there was a fierce conflict between the parade troops and the police.

Originally, the Polish government was only trying to divert the crisis, but it did not expect that things got out of control and instead triggered a political crisis.

Except for the ignorant and fearless middle school boy, all politicians know that provoking Austria at this time is courting death.

It is no secret that great powers like to use war to divert internal crises.The agricultural crisis broke out in Austria, and Poland is looking for excitement at this time, isn't it sent to the door to be beaten?

Poland is also a big agricultural country. In the European grain export market, Poles still account for 13% of the market share.

If the Vienna government wants to reduce a competitor, it is not difficult at all to take advantage of the opportunity to beat them up.As long as there is no expansion, European countries will not interfere.

The Polish government was forced to forcibly suppress the anti-Austrian wave in the country. Naturally, the Vienna government reluctantly accepted their apology, and the Austrian-Polish conflict seemed to have come to an end.

Of course, this is just the opinion of ordinary people.Looking at the frequent activities of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, one knows that something is going to happen.The atmosphere in Europe suddenly became tense, and the smell of gunpowder became stronger.

The top leaders of the Prussian government were very disappointed that the Berlin and Vienna governments did not immediately take action against Poland.

As one of the victims of the agricultural crisis, the Prussian government naturally wanted to get through the crisis as soon as possible.Provoking a conflict in Obo is a plan that kills multiple birds with one stone.

Not only can the agricultural crisis be alleviated, but there is also a chance to annex the Kingdom of Poland.The international situation is obvious. Britain and France do not want to see Austria continue to expand in the European continent, and Austria also does not want to see Russia and Prussia grow stronger.

In the view of the Prussian government, the Vienna government should be more afraid of the Russians than they are, otherwise Austria would not be able to paddle in the last Prussian war.

If Austria fully supports the tsarist government, I dare not talk about other issues, at least the tsarist government's army will not lack strategic supplies.

It is nothing more than changing the marching route and sending troops along the border of Austria.Putting the materials in Austria and transporting them when needed, the Russians can save even the troops stationed.

According to that style of play, no matter how good the Prussian army is at fighting, it will fall under the crowd tactics of gray cattle.

William I waved his hand with a complicated expression: "That old fox Franz is really tolerant, we all gave them excuses, and he didn't do anything to the Poles.

It seems that Austria's strategic focus is really not on the European continent. Could it be that their African localization strategy is not a smoke bomb? "

No one can answer this question, but most countries believe that Austria's African localization strategy is a feint, mainly to distract everyone's attention and create opportunities for the unification of the German region.

There is no need for a reason, the Europeans of this era are so arrogant.The lands other than the European continent are uncivilized and wild lands, and the African continent is even known as the "Poisonous Insect Continent".

Austria's African expansion road is actually a history of struggle between man and nature.The biggest enemy we face is not the local indigenous countries or other great powers, but the harsh natural environment.

Almost no one thinks that there is a need for localized management in the African continent. Everyone paranoidly believes that the land on the European continent is more important, especially the land in Western and Central Europe, which is the best in the world.

Prussian Foreign Minister Jeffrey Friedman: "Your Majesty, the Austrians have sent a political signal that they want us or the Russians to do it first. It is almost certain that they are not going to do it first."

Since ancient times, the first to appear is the one that is most likely to be unlucky.Of course, if it succeeds, the benefits are often the greatest.

The Austrian family has a big business, and its foundation has long been stable.The possibility of expansion on the Continent has become irrelevant to the Vienna government.

This is not comparable to Prussia. If possible, William I did not want to continue to expand in continental Europe.Europe is too complicated, and it affects the whole body.