Chapter 154 Death upon Death (Part 1)
Austria's royal estates had an unparalleled attraction for farmers, because entering the royal estate meant being exempted from all exorbitant taxes.
As long as you pay enough of the royal rations, the rest will be yours, as the saying goes, the more you work, the more you will get.
The excess grain can be converted into money, and the housekeeper who comes to the city can help carry the goods, or you can follow the housekeeper out to the city to purchase, pretending to be a rich man.
Children can attend primary school for free, families can receive free medical treatment, there is an independent chapel, and they can go hunting and picnicking during leisure time.
Watching the sunrise and sunset, watching the children grow up day by day, enjoying the tranquility of the years in the homemade armchair, until one day he passed away peacefully.
However, in fact, this was only true during the decades of peace that relied on the Metternich system to maintain the Austrian Empire after the Napoleonic Wars.
In the past, every time there was a war, the peasants on the royal estate had to perform military service or pay for the service.
Generally speaking, no one wants to die on the battlefield, so farmers do not dare to spend their money randomly, and they save it to pay for the service.
Even those fanatics who admire the Habsburg family very much must get themselves good equipment when they go to the battlefield. An excellent rifle made in a large blacksmith shop usually costs 100 to 200 florins, and mass production Bulk goods only cost 20 to 30 florins.
Dagger, bayonet, ammunition box, kettle, matchbox, tent, blanket, raincoat, military boots, chain mail, cross, flagon, sewing box, and a mule or horse.
Even so, the peasants in the royal estate still lived a better and more dignified life than the peasants outside.
After the royal estate announced that it would accept refugees, not only did a large number of refugees try to join, but the poor and homeless in the city also tried to fish in troubled waters.
In order to avoid bringing some of the dregs of society into his manor, Franz could only add some restrictions, that is, women and children were given priority. After all, these people belonged to a vulnerable group.
At the same time, it is unrealistic to allow these vulnerable groups to participate in land reclamation, and these people are also the easiest group of people to assimilate.
Labor for land reclamation requires strong people, and these people need to be treated with caution. Unlike the German immigrants who left their hometowns, they are more susceptible to the influence of radical ideas. Once these people riot, not only will Franz's efforts be in vain, but also more It will bring disrepute to the royal family.
The remaining elderly people can only send them to workhouses or let them work at the lowest level. Of course, they are not city cleaners or excrement collectors. There are still many people competing for such jobs.
The only jobs left for the victims are: bone pickers, dog shit pickers, rag pickers, mud diggers, ditch pickers, river walkers, and shore walkers. This kind of job sounds incredible.
River people usually carry a 3-4 meter long wooden stick and rummage through the mud on the river beach for some valuable items. They usually wear large coats with very large pockets so that they can hold more. of scrap metal.
They are usually accompanied by one or two less strong companions, called mud diggers, who rummage at the feet of the river people for garbage that others look down upon, such as coal, ropes, and relatively complete pieces of wood.
People on the shore wait for someone to drown or a floating corpse to pass by before they can do business. There is usually no business for many days, but one business can often feed them for several months or even half a year.
Bone pickers collect the carcasses of various animals in cities and surrounding areas, while dog poop men collect the feces of various animals.
Although Franz's approach could not absorb all the refugees immediately, it at least gave them hope.
Adjani also successfully penetrated into the human traffickers and collected a large amount of criminal evidence. At the same time, she also found out the biggest buyer, who was indeed a Frenchman.
The French ordered three thousand Hungarian laborers in one fell swoop, who would be sent to the Port of Houston. Each living white slave can be sold for 800 francs, and a female slave can be sold for 1,200 francs. If you can speak French and English, the price can be increased.
At this time in the book, 1 dollar equals 4 francs.
The Tsar was ecstatic when he learned that his next-door neighbor was going to buy grain from his own country and transport it to Hungary for sale, because he knew that this behavior would undoubtedly add fuel to the ally's fragile internal relations.
As a neighbor, the Tsar was naturally very willing to see this result. As for the agreement with the Americans, he threw it behind him, not to mention that the country had too much food to eat. Selling it to Austria would not only make profits, but also By disrupting the other party's internal relations to weaken it, killing two birds with one stone, why not?
Russian grains arrived in Budapest one by one along the Danube River, which made Hungarian profiteers completely lose their temper and could only sell grains like crazy. Some people also tried to introduce Russian grains into Vienna, but after adding tariffs, it became a loss-making business. .
Someone tried to destroy the place to scare away these outsiders, but after the destruction, they discovered that it was the property of the royal family. Not only would they be exiled from the country, but their family property would also be confiscated to compensate for the royal family's losses.
Of course, the Hungarians would not let Franz act so recklessly. Letters reporting and condemning Franz were thrown into the Hofburg Palace like snowflakes.
Hofburg Palace, Hall of Mirrors.
"My stupid brother, look at what good things your son has done? How can he inherit this country in the future if he looks like this?"
"My poor brother, why do you think it was my son who did it and not me. He is just a child."
"My stupid brother, didn't you say he was a genius?"
"My poor brother, how can you believe what a fool says."
"." Ferdinand I was speechless, paused and continued, "My stupid brother, in this case, I have no choice but to ground you."
"My poor brother, how can I hunt? You can't be so cruel to your brother!"
"My stupid brother, why don't you stop drinking?"
"Then I'd better ground myself."
Hungarian "immigrants" boarded the so-called immigration boats in the Port of Trieste, but there were only four small boats with 3,000 people.
These ships were the most commonly used by slave traders. They were fast and had a large loading capacity. Usually hundreds of people would be packed onto the deck. When it rained, they would be covered with a rubberized canvas. This simple cabin is also called a living hell.
However, those brainwashed Hungarian refugees were willing to endure this humiliation and pain and boarded the ship one after another in order to reach the new world of their dreams.
Of course, Franz would not let them do this. After all, there were some big shots mixed in. They were just here to experience the suffering of the people, not to risk their lives.
So the Austrian Imperial Navy suddenly appeared and seized the ship on the grounds that it was overloaded. After the Hungarian government sent people to negotiate, the Austrian Navy decided to send ships to help.
At first, the Hungarian government was very happy, after all, it even saved transportation costs.
After a month of wandering, Hungarian victims finally arrived in Houston.
After the Austrian Imperial Navy left the shore, the French slave traders came to pick up the goods in accordance with the agreement in the contract. Soon the victims understood that the other party was not an intermediary at all, but a slave trader. What was even more frightening was that they were sold and the money was returned. Not in your own hands.