The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven Chapter 9

The thirty-eight tariffs of Germany have paralyzed the internal traffic. They are no different from binding a person's hands and feet tightly to prevent the blood from flowing. Only by abolishing internal tariffs and establishing a unified taxation system throughout the Federation can national trade and national trade be restored. Industry, too, benefits the working class.

— Friedrich List

Friedrich List, the father of the German Zollverein and the challenger of Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, lived a legendary life. (The full name has been used here to distinguish it from the later musician Liszt.)

On August 6, 1789, Friedrich Liszt was baptized in Reutlingen.

(Usually baptized on the day the baby is born)

Friedrich Liszt was born in a craftsman family, his father was a famous cobbler. When he was a student, he also worked as a part-time leather apprentice, helping his father.

But soon he showed amazing talent, and passed the financial officer examination of the Württemberg royal family and became a government clerk.

After working in the government for several years, he was sent to a university and became a professor because of his ability to work.

No one would have thought that this was just the beginning of his cheating life, after which Friedrich Liszt left the university and became the president of the Württemberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

After this he became a Member of Parliament for Württemberg, at the age of thirty.

He then left Württemberg for the New World (America). In the United States, he built a farm, started a newspaper, and started a railway company. Finally, he used the money he earned to buy a mine. He also wrote the "Outline of American Political Economy" in his spare time.

Afterwards, he was even appointed by the seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, as the Consul General of the United States to the Confederation of Germany.

In 1832 he returned to Württemberg and began to outline a railway network covering all of Germany.

But his national railway system plan failed due to feudal separatism and the narrow profit-seeking nature of the bourgeoisie.

In the end, only a castrated version of the railway with a total length of 115 kilometers was obtained, from Leipzig to Dresden.

Friedrich opened a joint-stock company with others for the construction of the railway, but the shares that should have belonged to him were assured that the "Leipzigers" were different from the "Yankees" and that the Germans did not lie to the Germans. Friends cheated.

The two crooks convinced Friedrich Liszt that the rest of the matter at that time was just going through the procedure, so he did not sign the contract.

When Friedrich Liszt realized that he had been cheated, the other party had successfully cashed out and disappeared without a trace.

In the end, this investment not only did not bring him any income, but caused him a loss of 10,000 talers.

Some down-and-out Friedrich Liszt had to live in a cheap family hotel.

He dragged his tired body back to his room, only to find that the door was ajar.

He rushed into the room immediately, an old gentleman was drinking tea leisurely in his room, and the attendant standing beside him was quite handsome and burly, without squinting, one could tell he was a powerful servant.

The old gentleman put down his teacup and spoke first.

"Mr. Lister, please sit down."

Friedrich Liszt took off his hat, bowed deeply, and said, "Sir, this is my room."

"It's mine now." The old gentleman smiled and took out a piece of paper, beckoning the attendant to show it to Friedrich Liszt.

Friedrich Liszt took a look, and it turned out to be a land deed.

"Then can I take my things?" Friedrich Liszt pointed to the cabinet beside him.

"Mr. Liszt, please don't worry. I'm here to give you a present."

"Are you Santa Claus?" asked Friedrich List.

"If you wish, yes. Let's get down to business. My name is Burg Turner, and I am the steward of Metternich. Come today, two things, the first is to give a gift and return your loss You, and at the same time I brought two friends."

Berg clapped his hands, and two burly men came in carrying two sacks, and then threw the sacks heavily on the ground, making a dull sound.

Then the sack was opened, and it turned out to be the two crooks who made Friedrich Liszt's teeth itch with hatred.

Friedrich Liszt immediately stepped forward and kicked them twice. At this time, the two crooks were tied hands and feet, and their mouths were still stuffed with rags, so they could only groan twice.

"Are they the Austrian secret police?" asked Friedrich List.

"No, they are just enthusiastic citizens who happened to pass by." Berg replied slowly, and then said, "Mr. Liszt, are you satisfied with this gift?"

"Satisfied, let's talk about the second thing." Liszt was a sensible person, so he naturally knew that the other party would not be courteous for nothing.

"My master wants to meet you. He thinks you are very talented and should work for His Majesty the Emperor."

"What if I say I won't go?" Liszt asked tentatively, and then pointed to the two big men next to him, "Will they catch me and put me in a sack?"

"No, Mr. Liszt. My master is a civilized person, but I am not. No matter if I say you are an X or a dangerous person, as long as I have my face is enough." Berg stood up and was The front of the skirt is closed.

"You convinced me, Mr. Berger."

Vienna, Hall of Mirrors.

Franz II sits high on the throne, and the ministers and dignitaries below all have their own thoughts, but it seems that they are performing their duties and are in order.

Franz II said proudly, "Look, child. The emperor, the most important temperament. You must first have the aura of a king, and then you can make them bow their heads."

Obviously the old emperor is gone. But Franz still pretended to admire him, and said in a child's tone, "Grandpa, UUReading Book www.uukanshu.com Why do the French object to Austria's joining the German Customs Union?"

"The French are all bad guys. They are afraid of us. We, Austria, are the chairman of the German Confederation. We are supposed to protect the interests of the German states, so we must join the German Customs Union." Franz II wanted to educate his grandson. Go in for yourself.

Franz saw that the old emperor had dug himself a hole, so he pushed again.

"Grandpa, grandpa, don't those who have the same views as the French are all bad people?"

"..." Franz II was silent.

Metternich almost spit out a mouthful of old blood, this is really Austria's savior. Unexpectedly, in the entire royal family, the clearest one was actually a child.

It's just that the dignitaries in the Hall of Mirrors didn't have a good face, especially Prince Wendy Goretz, he felt that the old emperor was looking at him, and his eyes could kill him.

He hurriedly found an excuse, and left the hall of mirrors as if fleeing.

The other dignitaries saw two bosses, one was exiled in Hungary, and the other escaped. Their confidence also collapsed, so the tree fell and the monkeys scattered.

Seeing the crowd fleeing frantically from the Hall of Mirrors, Franz II fell into deep thought. Why didn't he realize in the past that the one he trusted was a villain.

Count Kororav felt that this was very good, and it seemed that the workload could be reduced a lot.

Earl Latour continued his work. He felt that those guys would not give up so easily, and he must guard against it.

Of course, this also has something to do with Earl Latour's personal character. After all, he is a soldier, and if he makes a mistake, he will lose his life.

Now Metternich, Kororav, and Brook are all thinking about the same thing, whether to bring Archduke Franz with them in the next political meeting.

Chapter end