Chapter 670 Some are happy and some are sad (Part 1)

Chapter 670 Some are happy and some are sad (Part 1)

Ace and Rebi are the adopted sons of Archbishop Rauscher. Although their elder brother is physically disabled, he has become the mouthpiece (preacher) of the church through hard work.

The younger sister Ruibi has become a combatant with her extraordinary talent and courage, which is very rare in the entire church.

This is their second Christmas in Austria. Although they are sleeping rough, they have a home again.

In 1843, for the sake of domestic political security and people's living space, the Dutch government decided to relocate the Catholic German-speaking (Dutch-speaking) population in the Flemish region.

The destination is naturally the Austrian Empire. It must be said that the maritime peoples are very enterprising. After receiving Franz's promise, these people became the main force of Austria's foreign colonization.

In contrast, Italians are much more willing to work as porters at the docks and do odd jobs in the fields.

But Franz couldn't let this group of guys gather in the same place all the time. There were too many Italians, and they had to be broken up to better integrate into the country.

The Austrian Imperial Government began to encourage Italians to "go out". In addition to those who were self-employed, some government projects also tried to use Italians as much as possible.

The most important of these is the construction of railways. Due to the complex terrain of the Austrian Empire, the number of laborers and technical requirements required to build railways are much higher than those of other countries.

Fortunately, in this era, the Austrian Empire had a large number of talented engineers. They completed many tasks that were considered impossible at the time, and also created miracles that amazed later generations.

For example, the Semmering Railway (known as the greatest civil engineering project in European history and a miracle in the history of railway construction), Zell Railway (one of the most dangerous railways in Europe), Arlberg Railway (the highest railway in Europe at the time), Tao Husband Mountain Railway, Ziller Gorge Railway.

Franz didn't know much about engineering, and all he could provide was high-quality cement and materials, and enough manpower.

At the same time, he can guarantee one thing, that is, the salary of all engineers will not be reduced, and their names will be remembered in history.

Under the heavy rewards, railway engineering in the Austrian Empire once became a prominent science.

Another result is that after 12 years of hard work, the railway length of the Austrian Empire has increased from 30 kilometers to 6,300 kilometers today (600 kilometers during the same period in history).

At this time, the Austrian Empire temporarily became the country with the longest railway mileage in the world, but it would soon be surpassed by Britain and the United States.

At this time, the United States had 4,500 kilometers of railways, but over the next five years, the number would increase rapidly at an average rate of 2,000 kilometers per year, eventually reaching 14,000 kilometers in 1850.

At this time Britain had 5,200 kilometers of railways, but this would reach 12,000 kilometers in 1848.

Historically, the length of railways in the German region was 3,200 kilometers, but at this time, due to the stimulation of the Austrian Empire, the total mileage had reached 4,500 kilometers.

In France, the distance has been increased from 1,400 kilometers to 1,800 kilometers.

Although the Louis-Philippe government announced a 10,000-kilometer railway construction plan not long ago, there is still a question mark as to how much of this plan will be put into action.

According to Franz's plan, the total mileage of the Austrian Empire's railways would reach 7,500 kilometers by 1848.

In this way, the main cities and fortresses in the Neletania region are all connected. If necessary, a large number of troops can be assembled at key nodes in a short period of time, at least enough for defense and counter-insurgency.

Closer to home, in addition to things like building railways and dams, Franz’s other plan is overseas immigration.

Austria's overseas colonies can actually absorb a considerable number of immigrants, but the Italians are really too salty.

Even when these guys arrived in Africa, dozens of people would often gather together in the scorching sun to watch ants fight.

In fact, white people are a race that is very prone to sunburn, so it was extremely difficult to colonize Africa.

But these Italians would rather be lazy at the risk of getting sunburned than do more meaningful things. It can only be said that the salted fish is home.

In the Salzburg military camp, Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson reunited again. The last time they met was during the Mexican-American War, at Zachary Taylor's Camp Rio Grande.

It's just that that victory came in a bit of a panic. The U.S. military was repeatedly beaten by the Mexican army, and finally won the victory under the power of the French.

"That's not a good memory."

When an international student from the United States mentioned the Mexican-American War, Robert E. Lee sighed with emotion.

"It was a disaster caused by a stupid pig. Mexico was like a bandit on the prairie, and the Union soldiers behaved like a flock of frightened lambs."

"Stonewall" Jackson was much more straightforward. He was very dissatisfied with Zachary Taylor's command. Because the latter perfectly explains what it means to have one general incompetent and exhaust the three armies.

Richard Iwell, a famous southern general, was 29 years old at this time. He participated in a more brutal battle-Stephen Carney's expedition.

Whether it was the adventure through Death Canyon, the Night of Terror, or the storming of the San Gabriel Fortress, Richard Iwell participated in it all.

Therefore, he was demoted from an army captain to a second lieutenant. One-third of his men died on the road. During the Night of Terror, Richard Iwell was the first to discover the Austrian surprise attack force.

However, the sentry on duty that night refused Richard Awell's request on the grounds that the general had fallen asleep.

After that, he tried to find several other senior officers, but in the end he didn't even have a chance to speak. In the end, he could only watch tens of thousands of troops killing each other.

"In fact, there is more than one stupid pig, and those politicians and intelligence officers should also be thrown into the septic tank. The Austrian army is far stronger than they say.

Fortunately, what we encountered at that time was only a miscellaneous force composed of militiamen and mercenaries. If it was really the main Austrian force stationed here in Salzburg, the expeditionary force heading to California would definitely be wiped out! "

Richard Iwell's words resonated immediately as soon as he spoke them. Everyone who participated in the California Expeditionary Force still remembers that brutal battle.

If the Battle of the Rio Grande was a sit-in and a shame, then the Battle of California was a nightmare and a lingering shadow for these people.

In addition, there are some battles that American students are unwilling to mention, and that is the Battle of Veracruz.

The Battle of the Rio Grande was well-timed when faced with the Yellow Fever epidemic, the Battle of California was well-positioned when faced with the unconquerable Fort San Gabriel, and the Battle of Veracruz was entirely due to Winfield Scott's arrogance.

In that battle, the U.S. military had a bad start, but missed opportunities again and again, and in the end could only rely on the opponent's mistakes to survive.

These American students in Austria became more and more frustrated as they talked. They felt even more desperate when they saw the powerful Austrian Imperial Army outside. In the end, they could only drink to relieve their sorrow.