Chapter 102: Ruling the world with the common people (Prussian version) (Part 1)
Chapter 102: Ruling the world with the common people (Prussian version) (Additional update for the winner of the previous issue)
Franz was very grateful for Archduke Karl's rescue, because he did not expect that Solomon Rothschild would suddenly come out to disrupt the situation.
Solomon Rothschild's behavior seemed to be just a normal transaction, but he was very likely to cause the bankruptcy of Franz's entire plan.
Franz's purpose is not just to make money, he also wants more
In fact, what Franz didn't know was that his anonymous letter never reached the hands of Archduke Karl, and Baron Brooke's lobbying had no effect.
The letter was withheld by Archduke Karl's steward. Archduke Karl had no interest in making money at all. He had previously purchased railways because he felt that this was a strategic resource and should be nationalized.
(In the eyes of the royal family in this era, what belongs to the royal family belongs to the country)
It was Archduke Friedrich who really made Archduke Karl decide to invest in food. Thalia quietly found Friedrich and asked him for help.
Although Friedrich spent money lavishly, it was just for eating, drinking and having fun. For such large transactions that easily cost millions, he could only ask his father for help.
Archduke Karl liked his third son very much. The eldest son was too stubborn, the second son was too weak, and the fourth son was weak and sick. Only the third son could please him the most.
But in fact, Friedrich did not like his father at all, because Archduke Karl was very strict, especially after his mother's death, Archduke Karl became even more strict.
So Friedrich chose the navy and completely left Archduke Karl's sight. There is a saying that distance brings beauty. Because he was far away from Archduke Karl's sight, Archduke Karl became particularly close to him.
Friedrich had his own way to deal with the stubborn Archduke Karl, and that was to approach it from a military perspective.
The greatest losses in the Napoleonic Wars were Austria and Spain.
Austria lost 550,000 people, 250,000 of whom starved to death.
Spain lost 590,000 people, 280,000 of whom died from famine.
Why did Napoleon defeat Moscow? Isn't it because there are no supplies?
This shows how important food is to a country.
Although the words are a bit rough, the reasoning is not rough.
Archduke Karl immediately realized the seriousness of the problem. In order to deal with the possible crisis, he not only had to purchase enough grain, but also stopped selling grain in all the manors under his name.
Archduke Karl's sense of crisis and some operations directly raised the price of food to a higher level.
Berlin, City Palace.
William III sat proudly on the throne. After the formal establishment of the German Customs Union, Prussia's economy developed in an all-round way. Due to the clever restrictions on the railway, Prussia's position in North Germany became more stable.
But what makes him happiest is that the crops on his territory have been sold at good prices, and even the previously accumulated inventory has been sold out.
“I heard that the Austrians were raising the price of food. They were crazy,” said Prime Minister Carl von Weylich.
"This is an opportunity for us, which allows us to completely defeat the Hungarians. The purchasing power of the Austrians is stronger than that of the entire North Germany, and we cannot lose this market." said the new Finance Minister Friedrich List.
Now that Friedrich List had become the spokesman for the Junker landowners, he naturally had to speak for his new masters.
Prussian grain could be sold to Austria, which the Prussian Junker landowners had never dreamed of.
Of course, this was thanks to the assistance of the Hungarians, who insisted on imposing high tariffs on Austria and at the same time did not allow Austria to build a railway to Hungary.
Although this maintained the distance between Hungary and Austria, it caused heavy economic losses. The poor did not have such strong patriotism. They only knew what was cheap and what could fill their stomachs.
Moreover, the slogan that Hungary has been trying its best to promote, that they are not Austrians, worked at this time. The Austrians gave up Hungarian food and switched to cheaper Prussian food without feeling any guilt.
"But..." Prime Minister Carl von Weinrich said with some worry.
"Now our food supply in Prussia has bottomed out. If we continue to sell food to the Austrians, we can certainly make profits, but what should we do if there is a natural disaster?"
William III deeply believed in Weilich's words. When he was a child, he experienced the Napoleonic War, and Berlin was starved to death by natural and man-made disasters. He saw that terrible scene and still remembers it fresh.
"I think Mr. Weilich is right," said William III.
"So what, we can buy grain from Russia. The price of Russian grain is lower than ours. The reason why the purchase of Russian grain has been banned is to protect the interests of its own citizens. If there is a famine caused by natural disasters, we can definitely buy grain from Russia. Buy food to survive the crisis," said Friedrich List.
Tsar Nicholas I of Russia was the son-in-law of William III. He also helped his son-in-law suppress the Polish uprising. Compared with him, this son-in-law must be grateful to him. Even if a natural disaster happened, as long as he opened his mouth, I believed that this son-in-law would definitely help.
William III felt that what Friedrich List said made sense.
"Mr. Lister is right."
"Your Majesty, the fate of Prussia should not be in the hands of others. We must stop selling food to Austria and leave enough food for Prussia. Otherwise, once the Russians betray their trust, the entire country will fall into turmoil," Weilich said.
"Mr. Weilich, are you trying to sow discord between His Majesty and his family? The country is in turmoil? What a joke. Are our Prussian troops of 200,000 just decorations?" Friedrich List asked rhetorically.
"Nicholas is His Majesty's son-in-law, but he is also the Tsar of Russia!" Weilich emphasized.
"Will the Russian Tsar sit back and watch Prussia decline and Austria's influence in the German Confederation increase? Don't forget that Russia and Austria are competing in the Balkans. They both hope to take the legacy of the Ottoman Empire into their pockets. There can only be a strong Prussia , can we contain Austria and prevent it from advancing eastward!" Friedrich List said impassionedly.
"What about the civilians? Even if the Russians are willing to sell grain to us, it is doubtful whether the civilians can afford it. What if people starve to death?" Weilich asked.
"People starve to death? Don't people starve to death in good times? Mr. Weilich, you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, and you know very little about civilians. And I was born a civilian, and now no matter where I am in any city in any country, , people are hungry. This situation has existed for at least thousands of years, but are the civilians extinct?" asked Friedrich List.
"But" Weilich wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Friedrich List.
"Your Majesty rules the world with the nobles, not with the common people!"
"Mr. Lister is right," said William III.