Chapter 387 Overture
February 1843, the prelude to spring.
A sailing merchant ship loaded with boxes of smelly cargo landed in the Port of London. The businessman who was waiting to book them couldn't help but yelled, "Damn it! Who are you going to let me sell these stinky things to?"
The captain wiped the saliva that had splashed on his face, took out a pipe and took a puff. The smoke ring he exhaled immediately made the other party cough repeatedly.
"That's none of my business. I didn't come all the way from the Yankees to get this stuff to you just to hear your complaints."
"What did you say!?" the businessman asked loudly.
"Listen, I have no interest or leisure in interfering in your private affairs, but the contract made cannot be denied. It is only natural to pay according to the goods." The captain said solemnly every word.
"Take your smelly things and disappear from here immediately! You can't even take a penny! Otherwise, you will suffer a lot!" the other party shouted.
"Do you want to default on your debt? Your contract is jointly recognized by the United States and Britain." The captain who is engaged in the transportation of ocean-going trade commodities has experienced many battles and has seen a lot.
Once these merchants cannot sell their goods, they deliberately find excuses to make things difficult and try every means to deny or reject them, so as to reduce their own losses.
But the captain has been doing this business for many years and has never seen any big storms or waves. After a wink behind him, several sailors quickly surrounded him, squeezing the businessman in the middle.
At this time, the latter also realized that something was wrong, and he quickly shouted, "What do you want to do! You can't afford to offend the forces behind me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the agile captain took out an awl and put it against his throat.
"I don't have time to talk nonsense with you. Listen up, there are only two options, either give me money or let your friends collect the body."
"You win! You damn vampire!"
The businessman tremblingly took out the check and cursed, while the captain who had just successfully intimidated the other party looked indifferent.
"Both the Bank of England and the Rothschild Bank are fine, but if it's a check, I'm afraid you'll have to come with us."
Looking at the stinking grains piled up under the scorching sun, the businessman sitting on the dock felt like crying.
Originally he owned several factories, but when he heard that there might be a large-scale war in Europe, he would definitely make money by hoarding food. He quickly sold his products and even borrowed a lot of money from relatives and friends, and finally purchased a large amount of agricultural products from the other side of the ocean.
However, the rumored all-out war did not come and the European continent was still welcoming a bumper harvest. He made the wrong judgment and could only swallow the bitter pill and dispose of the hoarded goods at a low price.
After all, the date for repayment is getting closer and closer. If he misses the date, the interest generated will weigh him down for the rest of his life.
But nowadays, Europeans are not interested in moldy grains, and the British are even less likely to buy them. It seems that they can only be sold to Ireland.
At that time, the Irish were not Europeans in the eyes of the Anglo-Saxons, nor were they even white; they just looked similar to white people, just like the difference between Native Americans and Indians.
Previously, a businessman from England was trying every means to lower the purchase price of grain, while the American businessman on the other side was trying every means to sell the low-quality similar goods he had hoarded.
Eventually they struck a deal, the British got the price they wanted, and the Americans were able to clear out their overstocked inventory.
A box of grain with deadly germs in Boston Harbor will be sent from here to Great Britain, and then to Ireland, where it will trigger a huge disaster that will kill millions of people a few years later.
Vienna, Schonbrunn Palace,
Tobacco has been introduced to Europe since the 16th century, but its original use was not for pleasure, but to treat headaches.
Later, people discovered that it can not only treat headaches, but also refresh and suppress other pain disorders. British doctors regarded it as a miracle cure-all, just like laudanum a few hundred years later.
On this day in 1843, France brought paper cigarettes to the market. However, the product did not create a sensation. On the contrary, the company that had high hopes for it went bankrupt a few years later.
The original target users of this kind of cigarette were women, just like the watch, because men at that time preferred pipes, which could show their identity and status.
But it's a pity that not many women smoked at that time. In fact, not only women, but also the proportion of men smoking is very low.
However, the former will also use high-end pipes to show their charm. However, in this era, just like high heels, they are usually only favored by prostitutes.
Franz ordered people to conduct an investigation. Due to a certain rumor, smoking was banned in public places in the imperial capital. It seems that only Bohemia and Northern Italy have a greater demand for tobacco, and they should be relatively wealthy as the locals. life related.
The prospects for tobacco consumption in Germany are not ideal either. The market in France is good, but the threshold is too high and it may be difficult to enter.
In fact, Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal in Western Europe are all major tobacco consumers. However, except for the Netherlands, the above-mentioned countries are all areas that are difficult for Austria to enter.
Tobacco consumption in Mexico and the United States is not low, but both countries are raw material producing areas, and they do not follow martial ethics.
Therefore, Franz's tobacco plan can only be postponed. The breaking point to change the situation has been grasped, but there is still no good opportunity.
Incidentally, the military loves cigarettes that are easy to carry and use. After all, it is not convenient for ordinary soldiers to carry a large pipe when marching and fighting.
"Franz, what do you think of me training a group of seals?" Archduke Friedrich said.
"It depends on the intention. If it's to head the ball, it's definitely not appropriate." He thought of the Navy SEALs at first sight, but that didn't refer to well-trained animals, but to Marines.
"Of course not, I am going to let them act as messengers. After all, communication at sea is too inconvenient. Especially between fleets."
"So division of troops is the most taboo in naval battles. And have you ever thought about, even if the training is successful, what is the chance of them catching traces of the fleet in the vast sea? What if they encounter sharks, killer whales and other beasts along the way?
To train seals, you might as well train some dolphins, killer whales and the like. The IQ is also not low, and he is close to people and easy to train. "
Franz himself was not optimistic about this project. He knew that this problem could only be solved by radio.
"Haha, don't underestimate this thing, it's very powerful!" Friedrich said as a seal weighing more than 80 kilograms knocked him to the ground, rubbed against him and slapped him fiercely.
Friedrich was not well received by animals, and this guy's still-ungrown figure was really powerless to fight back against ocean "behemoths" like seals.
Franz threw a fish to the seal, and the beast immediately transformed into a cute beast and ran to rest in the shade of a tree nearby.
"I think it's better for you to continue researching your one-shot deal. Although I think battleships are the wrong direction for human naval research, there doesn't seem to be a better choice at this time. How about the rocket speedboat I proposed before?"
Friedrich wiped his face twice and said.
"How is it? Very good! If the Barbary pirates still exist, you will definitely become a great hero. But the protection of this small boat is too low, and the range of the rocket is insufficient, so you need to get close to shoot.
The firepower is enough to easily sink a small boat, just like the Barbary pirates who like to join gangs and fight hand-to-hand. I guess you can blow people up every time.
But battleships are completely different. The opponent only needs to fire grapeshot to wipe out everyone on your ship. If a high-explosive bomb directly hits the hull or ammunition compartment, you can watch the fireworks show.
Those rockets may be quite effective against infantry and small boats, but they are far from the deterrent you imagine for battleships. "
Franz thought for a moment and then said.
"You mean, the lethality is insufficient and the error tolerance is too low, right?"