Chapter 1145 Department Store
The prosperity of Vienna also shocked Duke Uvarov. He had visited Vienna several times, but each time he stayed for a short time.
And every time he was accompanied by someone, Duke Uvarov knew that what he saw was what the Austrians wanted him to see.
But this time was different. As an ambassador, he had greater initiative and did not accept the accompaniment of Austrian officials. He just let the security personnel follow behind.
The new model of department stores made Duke Uvarov particularly amazed.
In the past, buying goods required going to specific stores or special stalls in the market. Sometimes, in order to buy a few goods, you even had to go through several streets.
The emergence of department stores broke this situation, covering thousands of goods from household groceries to clothing, furniture, and hunting rifles.
This novel and convenient way of shopping was completely ahead of the times.
At this time, the interiors of department stores were luxuriously decorated and beautifully designed, as well as high-end furnishings and elegant displays, providing a comfortable shopping environment.
It was especially important for the wealthy class who were not of noble origin, because they liked the feeling of being respected and valued.
For the nobles, such a place is classy enough and can show their status.
For speculators, this is a great springboard for them to complete their class transition.
At this time, Franz also introduced a new concept, namely, clear price tag.
In 1848, most stores in the world did not have the concept of price tags. Basically, the clerks would serve customers according to their needs, and the prices of goods were directly linked to the bargaining ability of both parties.
Franz invented price tags to make the prices of goods transparent. On the one hand, it reduced the situation of clerks overcharging customers, and on the other hand, it also saved consumers a lot of trouble.
Especially for some single male nobles, this is simply great news, because they no longer have to worry about arguing with others for trivial matters.
For non-aristocratic groups, they feel more of the benefits brought by equality and price transparency.
In addition, these department stores are also small product release centers, and merchants will rent booths to display their new products.
Customers who like novelties don’t have to travel thousands of miles to participate in the so-called exhibition, after all, there are new products here every week.
In this way, department stores, merchants, and customers can maximize their own interests.
Of course, most of these win-win routines were added by Franz himself. After all, the waste of department store products was too serious according to the original design. He just maximized the use of space based on the experience of later generations.
Compared with this novel model, what surprised Duke Uvarov even more was the products. Not only the variety and quantity were far beyond his imagination, but the most important thing was the price.
The price of many luxury goods was only one-fifth or even one-tenth of that in Russia. No wonder the rich people in Russia like to go shopping in Vienna so much.
Even if the transportation costs and transit taxes are included, it is much cheaper than buying in their own country.
Then there is the inventory of its goods. According to Duke Uvarov's estimation, the Austrian Empire has been at war and often has large-scale military dispatches. At this time, the prices of food and weapons should be extremely tight.
However, the price of food in Vienna only rose sharply for a short period of time at the beginning of the rebellion, but it plummeted instantly after the government introduced policies.
The subsequent increase was very small, and even began to fall after Franz ascended the throne.
In order to further test the authenticity, Duke Uvarov even began to contact food and weapons merchants in Vienna, using large orders to test their reactions.
The result was that as long as there was money, there would be food and weapons, and merchants did not think that there would be any problems with their supply capabilities.
This confidence made Duke Uvarov feel a chill down his spine. It was obvious that the Austrian Empire had stockpiled a large amount of supplies at this time, so much that even if a considerable amount was sold, it would not affect the country's established policies.
Duke Uvarov began to re-evaluate the strength of the Austrian Empire in his heart, but there were some things he could not figure out.
Why didn't they end the civil war quickly when they obviously had the strength? You must know that the destructive power of civil war is the greatest among all types of wars.
Its cruelty is comparable to a war of national destruction. The general rules and order of civilized society will no longer exist, and the morality of both sides will be completely reduced to zero.
Duke Uvarov witnessed with his own eyes how the Russian army suppressed the rebellious Cossack tribes. The general in charge of the suppression first lured and killed the Cossack leader.
Then, taking advantage of the internal chaos of the Cossacks, they invaded their territory in one fell swoop, killed all the men they could see regardless of age, raped all the women, and finally burned everything.
In the second year, new tribes would come to this land to reproduce and become loyal Cossacks to His Majesty the Tsar or new nutrients.
The British and Ottoman ambassadors arrived in Vienna together. The British ambassador was Viscount Stratford and the Ottoman ambassador was Reshid Pasha.
The two ambassadors had nearly 700 people in total, including a large number of servants and security personnel. In the eyes of Prime Minister Felix, this was a complete provocation to the Austrian Empire. Did he bring so many people to attack Vienna?
In particular, the identity of the Ottomans as pagans made Felix even more disgusted. He even suspected that these guys would carry out a suicide attack.
Prince Schwarzenberg did not arrange the ambassadors of the two countries in the palace as usual, but arranged them in two confiscated noble mansions.
Both families were great nobles with deep roots, but they stood on the wrong side in the rebellion, which led to the death of most of their direct relatives, and most of the remaining branches were exiled or burdened with heavy debts.
The houses of the two families naturally became empty. Their luxurious decorations were not inferior to real palaces, and they were all British-style buildings, which were perfect for receiving Britain and its allies.
Both the British and Ottoman missions asked to dismiss the service personnel of the Austrian Empire and use their own servants.
This did not surprise Prince Schwarzenberg. After selecting the address and withdrawing the Austrian personnel, four regiments of troops were arranged nearby. The reason was naturally to protect the safety of foreign envoys.
Viscount Stratford did not have a good impression of Vienna, because every time he came here, he could not take away what he wanted.
The previous Metternich was a villain with a smiling face, and the current Prince Schwarzenberg was a hostile madman.
The Austrian army directly blocked the streets and built barricades.
Every day, a large number of soldiers patrol day and night, and any materials and personnel entering and leaving are carefully checked.
What's more, the city defense army, the guards, and the soldiers stationed outside the city will deliberately run around the station where the British delegation is staying.
In fact, Prince Watzenberg's behavior is a bit too much. The British are not ancient Han envoys. The probability of launching a beheading operation against Franz is not high.
However, the latter's undisguised behavior is indeed infuriating. The former is also a soldier. It would be strange if he did not fight back against such undisguised hostility.
This is a different time. Now Franz does not want to see Viscount Stratford's arrogant face again.