The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven Chapter 14

"A general with two brigades pursued 800 fleeing rebels from Genoa to Rome, and finally let hundreds of people escape, only captured 26 prisoners, and killed nearly a thousand people. The most important thing It's about Sardinia and the Pope, why do we need the Austrian Empire to provide money and people.” Count Korolov said indignantly.

There is no division-level unit in the military system of the Austrian Empire. An infantry brigade has two infantry regiments under its jurisdiction, about 5,000 people.

"Your Excellency, it is also for the stability and unity of the empire. As for the military operations, I don't understand. You might as well ask Earl Tural for his opinion."

Count Latour wanted to get under the table immediately or hide in a corner without being noticed.

This military operation in Italy seemed like a farce performed by a group of third-rate screenwriters and extras, constantly beating the face of the Austrian military.

And Count Tural didn't want to get involved in the fight between Metternich and Count Korolov at all.

But hearing what Friedrich Liszt said, he knew he couldn't escape.

"10,000 to 800, the advantage is huge. General Li Qi may have been careless. Although the process was a bit tortuous, the final result is that our Austrian Empire won." Count Tural replied embarrassingly.

"Tural, let me tell you. Prince Metternich accepted bribes from General Li Qi, so this incompetent general escaped punishment. More than 100,000 soldiers and civilians died because of his incompetence. If the coffins are connected together, they can be spread from Vienna to Budapest."

Friedrich Liszt couldn't believe it, but it didn't seem like a fake when he saw Count Korolaf's righteous indignation.

In fact, he has also heard a lot of rumors about Prime Minister Metternich in Vienna recently, such as accepting bribes, being romantic, using his personal relationship with the emperor to influence the government...

"Do you have proof?"

"Of course." Count Krolov finished speaking, and threw a document in front of Friedrich Liszt.

"It records in detail the private gifts received by Prince Metternich and his family over the years."

Friedrich Liszt took out his glasses from his coat pocket and looked carefully at the document.

After reading only two pages, he was startled. The document records all the black material about Metternich since he served as a Dresden diplomat in 1801.

The bribes accepted include: gold, silver, horses, real estate, mansions, jewelry, works of art, factories, ships, ordnance...

The number is so large that it is unbelievable.

In fact, Metternich here is to a certain extent learned from others.

For example, if someone wants to bribe the emperor, the emperor will naturally not accept the bribe directly, so Metternich's white gloves are needed.

Another example is the confiscated property of Prince Elthhazi, which should have been sold into the treasury.

But Franz II liked it and didn't want the money to enter the treasury, so after a series of operations by Metternich, it became royal property.

Friedrich Liszt in the Hall of Mirrors was greatly shocked, and Kororav knew it was time when he saw this.

"I know it's difficult for you to accept for a while, but that's the way it is. Also, Mr. List, do you know why Prince Metternich is so keen on joining the German Customs Union?"

"Isn't it for the empire and His Majesty the Emperor?"

"Mr. Liszt, you are an expert, haven't you discovered the business opportunities in the German Customs Union?"

"Business opportunities?" Friedrich Liszt was a little puzzled for a moment, because in his eyes, there were business opportunities everywhere in the German Zollverein. How did he know which business opportunity Kororav was talking about.

"My lord, the Austrian Empire has not yet formally joined the German Customs Union. Moreover, there are business opportunities everywhere in the alliance. I don't know what you mean?"

"A railroad franchise, of course."

These words really shocked Friedrich Liszt. You must know that there is currently only one railway in the whole of Austria.

In 1824, Franz Anton received a special 50-year permit from the government to build a 139-kilometer (about 86-mile) horse-drawn railway line.

The line will connect Budejovice, along the Vltava River in southern Bohemia, to the Danube port city of Linz in the Upper Austria region, 48 miles south.

Although Anton obtained the franchise of the railway, the imperial government demanded a huge return from him as a condition.

Even so, Franz Anton still reaped handsome profits.

Seeing how profitable it is to invest in railways, the entire German region went crazy.

The various small and medium-sized states of the German Confederation were particularly keen on this, and they rushed to build railways so that important trade routes would not pass through neighboring countries and bypass them.

This was in stark contrast to the German states' anxiety about gaining control of emerging trade lines and their frantic investment in railways.

In Austria, there is no sense of tension at all.

It was only in 1830 that engineer Franz Xaver Repp teamed up with banker Solomon von Rothschild to apply to the government for approval of a more ambitious steam locomotive railway project.

The line would link Vienna with the steel and coal mining regions of northern Moravia and the Galician salt pans further to the east.

Once this railway is opened, Moravia, Silesia, Galicia and Bukovina will be connected as one.

It's just that His Majesty the Emperor rejected the proposal because the black smoke from the steam locomotive might cause pneumonia.

Korolav, who is now the Minister of Finance of the Austrian Empire, brought up the matter again.

Has His Majesty the Emperor changed his mind? Friedrich List immediately realized that this was a great opportunity. UU reading www.uukanshu. com

These words came from the mouth of Earl Korolav, and the credibility is very high.

"And the Minister of Finance of the Austrian Empire will never take my money away." Friedrich Liszt thought to himself.

"But it still needs to be formally signed." Friedrich Liszt said to himself.

I also thought that now is the time for the Austrian Empire to join the German Customs Union. If it can obtain an important franchise, wouldn't it be soaring from now on?

Become the general manager, marry Bai Fumei, and walk to the pinnacle of life from then on...

"Sign? Mr. Liszt, I mean the sale of the railway franchise. His Majesty the Emperor recently intends to restart Austria's railway construction plan. Even if His Majesty does not want to, Metternich will bring up the old matter again."

Friedrich Liszt was a little confused. The emperor allowed the construction of the railway. Shouldn't he seize this opportunity to find a high-quality line and take a gamble?

"Lord Earl, shouldn't we seize this opportunity to invest in the construction of railways? This is a career for the country and the people, which will last forever and make a lot of money."

Korolov waved his hands and smiled, "Have you ever seen a gambler who wins all the time?"

"No, what do you mean?" Friedrich Liszt asked a little puzzled.

"No matter how lucky a gambler is, there will be a day when his luck runs out. But those who run a casino will make a profit no matter what."

"You mean the sale of licenses for railroad franchises?"

"That's right, the current railway market is very good. But who can guarantee that he will always be like this. Rather than risking his wealth and life, it is better to sell this opportunity. At least we can guarantee that we will make a profit without losing money." Looking forward to Friedrich Liszt.

Chapter end