Chapter 143 From Bavaria
First Laubin was a simple Bavarian farmer who worked hard on the barren land just for the food and clothing of his family.
But only two of Pfister's six children survived. He did not complain about anyone and was still grateful that he was still alive.
However, this year, drought first caused plants to wither, lakes to dry up, and some people were even heated to death. The seedlings in the ground cannot be saved, and hungry stones keep appearing in the river.
The church is packed with people every day, some of them want to say goodbye to their loved ones, and some of them are at a loss and can only pray for God to send rain as soon as possible.
During the rainy season, heavy downpours arrive as scheduled. Before people have time to celebrate, the rain turns into a disaster.
Under the continuous erosion of heavy rain, the withered vegetation could no longer bind the loose soil, and eventually turned into a flash flood.
After the monstrous flood, everything on the earth was destroyed, including houses, trees, fields, and livestock. The homeless victims were in urgent need of help. However, Bavarian officials said that the government had no money and could only lend the victims a small amount of food.
As far as the eye can see, the fields are filled with mourning, ruins, and the corpses of people and animals have not been collected.
A plague soon broke out, and even the parish priest died of the disease. First Laubin had to flee his hometown with the living people and came to Munich.
However, the citizens did not welcome these refugees, and they had to beg to survive until someone said, "We can't survive here anyway, let's try our luck in Austria."
There is a special carriage for refugees on the train, and you can get on the train by paying half the price. It is said that the Austrian royal family takes special care of the refugees.
It's just that the refugee carriage was very simple. The small space was crowded with victims from all German states. There were only two rows of seats facing each other. However, those seats had long been occupied by some strong and fierce-looking people.
The first stop for the refugees was Salzburg, which is an important border defense town in Austria. As soon as the car door opened, the refugees saw a group of fierce-looking officers.
The leading officer shouted, "Anyone who is willing to join the Austrian Imperial Army must come to my place for 100 florins a year, including food and lodging!"
The package of food and accommodation is very attractive to refugees. However, very few can pass the military physical examination because there are too many people who want to eat this bowl of rice. Fortunately, there are still many opportunities.
The second stop was Linz. There were many factories here and the salary was very good, but it was said to be very tiring.
The third stop was Vienna, the capital of the Austrian Empire. The station had a temporary rest area set up by the church, where the refugees could take a hot bath and eat Holy Communion provided by the church.
At the same time, the church requires the refugees to fill in a registration form and register their personal information. These will then be sent to the Austrian Imperial Government and the Vienna Chamber of Commerce and Industry respectively. They will usually receive a reply within a week. Of course, the refugees can also find their own information in Vienna. Work.
There are many Bavarians in Vienna. After all, Bavaria and Austria are not far apart. They are both Catholic and have similar languages, but their incomes are very different.
The revenue of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1830 was 34.8 million florins, which was only one-fourth of the Austrian Empire during the same period. Moreover, the upper class in Bavaria was corrupt and extravagant, and corrupt officials were rampant. Ludwig I and his mistresses even brought the entire court to its knees. It was a mess.
The city seems to have not been affected by the food crisis, and the streets are still very bustling. This is mainly due to the government's relief bill, which allows the poor to find jobs and support themselves without having to abandon their dignity to beg for charity from others. .
There are many wandering artists in Vienna's parks. Some of them portrait people, draw greeting cards, and some play musical instruments to entertain the public. They work hard for their ideals, and no one will look down on them if they rely on their ability to earn a living.
The Habsburg royal family simply built some simple houses near the park for these wandering artists to live in. Of course, not everyone can enter. At least you have to prove that you are indeed an artist.
As for how to prove it, of course it is to draw a picture, sing a song, or play a piece of music.
Sometimes the royal family and the government would also issue some tasks to these wandering artists, allowing them to perform in specific places. Although the salary is very limited, it is also an opportunity for them to show themselves, and most wandering artists will accept it.
First Laubin quickly found an organization called the Bavarian Mutual Aid Association. Under their advice, First Laubin decided to participate in the construction of the Danube Dam first. After all, the salary was high.
And as a disaster victim, First-Laubin understands the importance of dams better. If his hometown had a strong enough dam, maybe he would not become a refugee.
But there are no ifs. At this time, he just hopes that more people will not lose their loved ones and become homeless due to floods.
At the construction site of the dam, the heads of the imperial government and important figures from the royal family appeared one after another. Their speeches emphasized the importance of the dam and encouraged the workers to continue this great cause that would benefit the present and future generations.
He also promised all the workers that as long as they worked hard and completed their daily workload, they could stay in Austria and work in the royal estate after the project was completed.
At this time, the royal estates in various German countries had an unparalleled appeal to farmers, because they could enjoy many rights by entering the royal estates, and at least they no longer had to worry about being able to afford medical treatment. Moreover, the land is fertile, taxes are low, and income is high.
In fact, the tax rate on imperial grain is not low, but it makes people feel very comfortable without exorbitant taxes.
Plague usually occurs in places like labor camps, but in dozens of labor camps, few people get sick. Not only that, even after the flood, no large-scale epidemic was heard in Austria.
This confused First-Laubin. In fact, it is not difficult to explain, because the diet of all workers is managed uniformly, the food is fresh, and the water is heated after being disinfected with bleach.
The government and the church regularly deal with sanitation issues in the labor camps, allowing workers to take showers and disinfecting the labor camps.
At the same time, a large number of doctors also volunteered to join the medical team organized by the royal family to treat workers.
There are also strict regulations on the workers' work and rest, and soldiers are responsible for managing the discipline of the labor camp, which also avoids the birth of labor bosses.
Of course, entertainment is also an indispensable item in Austria.
Opera is obviously not suitable here, and professional actors cannot be hired. Using third-rate actors may be counterproductive. After all, Franz also plans to take the opportunity to carry out a wave of patriotic education.
As a result, those painters and musicians in Vienna parks came in handy, and soon there were tens of thousands of paintings depicting the Austrian people's determination to build dams, and a few of the outstanding paintings made the headlines of major Austrian newspapers.
It not only promoted the Austrian Empire, but also solved the painter's livelihood problem.
The music aspect was much more chaotic. These musicians usually worked independently, harassed each other, and blamed each other. Franz originally wanted them to work together to create a song or a piece of music.
However, reality told Franz that that was simply impossible.
Therefore, the construction site is full of all kinds of music, which may be good to listen to alone, but when mixed together, it is a deadly noise.
Franz sighed.
"It seems that I can only unify these discordant tones."