Holy Roman Empire

No matter how insane the nobles were, it was impossible for them to let the serfs work for fifteen or six hours a day. Except for the busy farming season, how could there be so many things?

Lighting costs are not cheap in this era. Capitalists make money by letting workers work night shifts. If nobles let serfs work night shifts, they will lose money.

Needless to say, the lives of workers and serfs are the same-bitter!

But relatively speaking, workers in this era are more miserable. A factory is like a prison. Once inside, it is difficult to get out. If something goes wrong, they will be beaten severely.

Whether you can get your salary depends entirely on the integrity of the capitalists. If you meet someone whose conscience is not dead, you can get a little bit of it.

The problem of difficulty in paying wages, let alone in this era, even in the 21st century, has not been resolved in many regions.

Happiness is all contrasted, and pain is also contrasted.

Under the manipulation of the aristocrats, the working class suddenly felt that they were the ones who suffered the most. At this time, if the government wants to formulate the "Labor Protection Fee", it must support it!

A series of issues related to self-interest, so-called constitutional reform, popular elections, and the abolition of serfdom, can be postponed indefinitely.

The bourgeoisie is also not a soft persimmon. If it is a matter of self-interest, it will not give an inch. At this time, patriotism has long been eaten by dogs.

Prime Minister Metternich, who was caught in the middle, had a headache. This diplomatic strongman was powerless when faced with internal conflicts.

Like the abolition of serfdom that he had previously implemented, he is still negotiating with representatives of the bourgeoisie, trying to gain their understanding and formulate an answer that everyone can accept.

"Your Excellency, I would like to know when the Labor Protection Act will come out?" Earl Croft asked indifferently

As Prime Minister Metternich's political enemy, how could he not do something at this time?Even without Franz's hint, he would have taken action, but now his purpose is more clear.

"Earl Croft, it will take some time for any law to be enacted. We need to conduct actual research and then conduct a comprehensive analysis. Just wait patiently!" Metternich said disdainfully

He didn't bother to be polite when dealing with political opponents. Anyway, no matter how nice he said, everyone was an enemy.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I can wait, but the workers outside can't wait, you have to know that every day hundreds of workers in Austria die because of the unscrupulous oppression of capitalists!

Don't they call themselves patriots?It is immoral to accuse us of depriving the serfs of their freedom every day, but what do they do now?

Aren't the workers Austrian citizens?You must know that most of these workers are serfs that we released. Not only did emancipating the serfs not make their lives better, but they fell into another abyss!

This abyss is even more frightening, he wants to swallow everything, and finally destroy the whole of Austria! Count Croft pointed at Prime Minister Metternich and roared.

This is another general. The purpose of emancipating the serfs is to let the serfs live a better life, but the result is just the opposite. There is too much evidence that their lives have become worse.

This was a heavy blow to the abolition of serfdom that Metternich advocated. Before this problem was resolved, all his previous work had to be stopped.

But to solve this problem, it means that he must break with the bourgeoisie who supported the abolition of serfdom, and even beat the bourgeoisie to the ground.

Most of the current domestic reformers are bourgeois, which will shake his position as prime minister unless he fully moves closer to the nobility.

Well, Prime Minister Metternich himself is a representative of the great aristocracy, and he has always stood with the aristocracy. Except for the abolition of slavery, he does not reject another compromise with the aristocracy. The problem is that this stance also has its own merits.

He cannot be forced to stand in a team, which is related to the issue of future dominance.Metternich also wanted to be the leader of the aristocracy, not become an agent supported by the aristocracy.

"Okay, Earl Croft. The government will give an answer to this question as soon as possible. You can go back and wait for news!" Metternich said with a frown

"I hope so, otherwise our Prime Minister will be a disappointment!" Earl Croft said eccentrically

After seeing off Count Croft, Prime Minister Metternich's expression darkened in an instant. He was cornered, so it's no wonder he was in a good mood.

After contemplating for a while, Metternich slapped the table and said to himself: "Just such a trick, I just want to seize power. Kroft seems to be really old!"

He said this as if he was very young, but in fact Metternich, who was born in 1773, was also 74 years old.

Chapter No.16 The Great Revolution in Brewing

Being able to establish the Vienna system, keeping the European continent stable for more than 30 years, and sitting in the position of Prime Minister of Austria for more than 20 years, firmly suppressing political opponents, how could Prime Minister Metternich be an ordinary guy?

Earl Croft was obviously trying to stimulate him today. Only when stimulated, people are prone to make mistakes. How could Metternich not know?

This is a conspiracy. Prime Minister Metternich has already felt the pressure on his face. This pressure was not brought by Count Kloft, but by the Austrian conservatives and the Vienna court.

It is impossible for Metternich to be ignorant of Franz's role in this, and he does not need evidence. He can judge it only by relying on his rich experience in political struggle.

As early as a year ago, Franz had discussed this issue with him, but Metternich wanted to maintain the balance of power in the country and did not take action to suppress the bourgeoisie.

Now that Franz was mixed up with the conservatives again, there is no doubt that this shows that the tolerance of the Vienna court for the reformers has reached its limit.

Not to mention the royal family, even Prime Minister Metternich himself was disappointed with the reformists, and the idealistic reform plan proposed did not take into account the actual situation at all.

The bourgeoisie wants to seize power, and they don't even bother to restrain their ambitions. The demands they put forward are simply not acceptable to the government.

Even Metternich was certain that if the conditions of the bourgeoisie were fully accepted, the Austrian Empire would immediately become history.

In order to be able to seize power, the bourgeoisie has united with splinter groups. Their so-called American-style autonomy has completely ignored the actual situation.

There are so many countries on the European continent. Once Austria is dispersed, it is ready to split. The enemy cannot give up this opportunity.

A group of idealists, under the instigation of the bourgeoisie, became the vanguard of the reformers. The proposals they put forward were completely taken for granted, without any consideration of the consequences. Such reformists could not stand it.

"Someone is here, let me know, the cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow, and the Regency Committee is invited to participate!"

Obviously, Metternich has made up his mind. Now that the reformers are out of control, they can naturally be sacrificed for political needs.

No, it should not be considered a sacrifice, but the bourgeoisie is out of luck. This group of idealistic intellectuals has split, and some people who are less involved with the bourgeoisie also support the formulation of the "Labor Protection Law."

Some people even think that it is possible to go a step further and calculate wages directly based on the profits of the factory, and everyone can share benefits so that the working class can benefit along with it.

Well, for such an idealist, Metternich has nothing to say.He bets that if this idea is brought up, he will not want to go out in the future.

With a labor protection law, the capitalists are about to go crazy. If they dare to deprive the capitalists of most of their profits, it would be no wonder that the bourgeoisie didn't tear up their prime minister!

"Yes, Prime Minister!" The attendant said quickly

……

After the victory of the July Revolution, the development of capitalism in France made the majority of workers, peasants and petty bourgeoisie poorer.

The development of the industrial revolution made the capitalists rich. While their wealth continued to increase, thousands of handicraftsmen and small owners went bankrupt due to the competition from the big capitalists.

The social crisis in France is deepening, and the call for social change is getting louder and louder, but all this has not attracted the attention of the July Dynasty.

(July Dynasty: After the July Revolution in France in 1830, the Orleans Dynasty was established, representing the dynasty of the French financial group, and the usury empire has begun since this time.)

By 1847, Franz had begun to pay close attention to the situation in France. As the vane of European revolutions, basically every major revolution started in Paris.

Looking at the news from France, Franz knew that a revolution was brewing in France, and the "banquet movement", the prelude to the revolution, had begun to flourish.

(French Banquet Movement: A way of political struggle in which French reformers and various social forces opposed the rule of the July Dynasty and held banquets to give speeches and state political opinions.)

There is no doubt that the revolution that is about to break out is still led by the bourgeoisie. In Franz's view, this is the uneven distribution of spoils within the French bourgeoisie.

The capitalists who failed in the competition were not reconciled to their interests being usurped, so they united with various anti-government forces, took advantage of the public's dissatisfaction with the government, and launched the February Revolution.

Franz knew that a new round of revolutionary climax was approaching. Historically, in 1848, revolutions broke out in all European cities with a population of more than 10.

The fuse of this revolution was the February Revolution in France. The success of the French set an example for everyone, so everyone followed suit. Except for the bears in agricultural countries, the whole of Europe was in chaos.

Franz said cautiously: "Tayron, to infiltrate the social groups in Vienna, you must keep track of their movements, including the workers' groups at the bottom!"

"Yes, Grand Duke!" Intelligence Chief Tyron replied

That's right, this intelligence organization is the secret army of the royal family. After Franz got in touch with them, he recruited them.

Of course, the letter of appointment that Franz flicked from his uncle Ferdinand I also played a vital role.

As a price, Franz had to pay [-] rhine guilders for activities every month, which made his wallet dwindle day by day.

There is no way, even if most people are voluntary labor, intelligence organizations need money to operate.

But it was all worth it. Now that Franz knew a lot about the domestic situation in Austria, he was surprised that the bourgeoisie hadn't planned a revolution yet.

In other words, the March Revolution in Vienna in history was not premeditated for a long time, but was launched after a group of people patted their heads under the influence of the outbreak of the February Revolution in France!

Many of these people are not even revolutionary parties. They include the bourgeoisie, students, and workers. This can be seen from the conditions put forward by the revolutionary groups after the March Revolution.

Even because the "Labor Protection Law" proposed by the government has diverted the attention of the people, most of the people at the bottom still have expectations for the Vienna government.

They are still waiting for the introduction of this law to improve their distressed living conditions.

This allowed Franz to see new possibilities. Once the government implements the Labor Protection Law, the upcoming March Revolution may die due to lack of supporters.

Even because of the antagonism of interests between the working class and the bourgeoisie, they might side with the government to suppress bourgeois rebellions.

Chapter No.17 "Labor Protection Law"

The nobles are on the move, and the capitalists are naturally not idle. They have always regarded themselves as reformers, but now they have suddenly changed roles, and many people are very uncomfortable.

A banquet is being held in a manor in Vienna. Most of the participants are Austrian capitalists, and of course a group of experts and scholars are also indispensable.

"Mr. Virus, the current public opinion is very unfavorable to us. Many people are criticizing us for profit-seeking. If we don't take action, the enemy's conspiracy will come true!"

"Yeah, they don't hurt their backs when they stand and talk, and they don't think about the actual situation. Now that the competition is so fierce, our profits are already very thin!"

"That is, we only have such a small profit, and the market is ever-changing. We may make money today and lose money tomorrow, and we must continue to invest in expanding production. It would be nice to be able to feed the workers!

Where is the money to improve their treatment? If there is a labor protection law that gives all the benefits to the workers, why don't we do it for nothing?

At that time, who will invest in industry?These nobles, they lie down to make money every day, thinking about these crooked ways! "

……

The respected Virus said: "Okay, gentlemen, we are all clear about these issues, at this time we must unite and let the enemy see our strength!

Labor protection laws are absolutely impossible. Once there is the first time, there will be a second time. If we make concessions, the enemy will press on every step of the way.

The nobles wanted to strangle us, but they didn't have the guts to do it directly, so they came up with a sinister idea.

Don't look, the current labor protection law only requires us to make a small step back, but once the enemy's ambition is succeeded, they will continue to encourage workers to rise up against us.

Finally, use the high labor cost to let us decline, so as to ensure that their superior status will not be shaken! "

"Mr. Virus, what should we do now? You must know that the nobles control the government now. Many of us may have used our influence to lobby the government, but it is still not optimistic!"

Virus sneered and said: "Mr. Terrios, you are right, the nobles control the government, how could our appeal be effective?

Why did the aristocrats propose the Labor Protection Law? Is it rare that they are really full of love?If so, why didn't they free the serfs? "

That's right, why did the nobles suddenly become kind?

Everyone is an old fox, and this question was clear at one point. In a short period of time, everyone came up with several reasons.

For example: everyone's diversion of attention, turning the attention of the reform to the welfare of workers; or the aristocracy's revenge on the bourgeoisie for the abolition of serfdom...

"Mr. Virus means that we continue to do what we do?" Trios asked uncertainly

Virus said indignantly: "Yes, we cannot be led by the nose by the enemy, the main purpose of the aristocrat's proposal of the Labor Protection Act is to make us make concessions.

But can we back down?

One step back is the abyss!

The most important thing for us now is to expose the enemy's wolfish ambitions and win more people to our side in order to win the final victory! "

"But Mr. Virus, the enemy suddenly attacked us and caught us off guard. Now the public opinion is very unfavorable to us, and many neutral people have turned to them on this issue!" Ham asked, frowning.

Virus' face changed. He knew that he was not convincing as the leader. Ham was one of his challenges. On the surface, his question was correct, but secretly there was a murderous intention.

"Mr. Ham, I think such a simple matter is not a problem for everyone, isn't it easy to convince them?

It’s not the first time that we bought some of them, let them speak for us, killed the diehards, and blamed the secret police! "

Black and white, it doesn't matter anymore, public opinion can also be manipulated.Everyone is fighting for profit, and capitalists don't want to give up the benefits they have already obtained, even if they use the government to make concessions in other areas.

It is the nature of capitalists to only want to get, not to give. They may be weak in other places. Once their own interests are involved, they can also explode their fighting power.

Now that Veres has made the matter clear, everyone's gentlemanly demeanor can be discarded, and soon Austria will feel what a capitalist is talking about.

……

The fighting power of the capitalists is strong, at least in terms of their influence on public opinion, they are much stronger than the nobles. If it were not for the censorship of books and newspapers, the current public opinion would have been reversed.

Looking at the information in his hand, Franz didn't even bother to complain. In this wave of battles, the performance of the conservative nobles was really too muddy to support the wall.

The students were the first to be fooled by the capitalists. The University of Vienna was the first to be captured. Many people thought it was a scam organized by the government.

Whether he really thinks it or not, Franz doesn't know. Anyway, he knows that many people have been bought by capitalists.

Franz ordered: "Tayron, give Archduke Louis a hint, let them discover the conspiracy of the bourgeoisie, and get the "Labor Protection Law" out as soon as possible!"

The best thing to do now is to take advantage of the counterattack of the capitalists to create established facts.

Franz didn't bother to participate in the specific content of the "Labor Protection Law". He knew that the nobles wanted to retaliate against the bourgeoisie, so the terms of this law would be very unfavorable to the capitalists.

Franz didn't bother to care about the connection between the intelligence organization and the nobles. He had to admit that he had overestimated these corrupt nobles.

At any rate, they also controlled the government. Under the influence of the bourgeoisie, a mere bill did not come to fruition for several months.