Chapter 1238 Governor of Galicia (Part 1)

Chapter 1238 Governor of Galicia (Part 1)

Franz did not expect that the Russians and the British would reach a consensus so quickly. Since everything happened so quickly, he did not even have a chance to stop it.

Franz also hoped that the Russians could hold out for a while longer in front to buy more time for the Austrian Empire.

The Treaty of Unkar-Iskelesi was eventually abolished. The reason why Russia has been attacking the Ottoman Empire from the west is not only because it is closer to Constantinople and there are more Slavs here.

But the marching road on the east line is too difficult, and the supply line is even more difficult to guarantee.

Sea transportation is the only way to ensure smooth supply on the east line at this time. However, once the hegemony of the Black Sea is lost, Russia can only choose to continue to attack from the west.

Russia's attack from the west line will inevitably win the support of the Balkan peoples, because the terrain of the Balkans is too restrictive, and it is impossible to seize Constantinople in one fell swoop.

Although Franz is not very interested in the Balkans, he cannot accept the Russians' full occupation of the Balkans. After all, no one wants to have a gun behind him all the time.

Moreover, will the Russians be satisfied after seizing the buffer zone? Will they take advantage of the situation and move westward? This question has been debated for hundreds of years, and no one can give a definite answer.

However, the Austrian Empire could not tolerate such a situation anyway, and Franz would not pin his future on the character of others.

And once the situation becomes unmanageable, it is hard to say whether the British will join hands with the Russians.

After all, when the Ottoman Empire was in its heyday, the British were loyal allies of the Ottomans. Even if Franz was not attacked from both sides by Britain and Russia, he had to consider the possibility of being thrown to the front line as a gun.

As mentioned earlier, if Russia wants to move westward, then the Austrian Empire must be an obstacle that must be removed.

At this point, the contradictions between the two sides cannot be reconciled and cannot be reconciled. The Austrian Empire can neither leave the German Confederation nor give up northern Italy and Illyria.

At this time, Belgrade is already a territory of the Austrian Empire, and after years of operation, it has become impregnable. On the other hand, the Eagle of Bucharest did a good job, and the Russian forces in Wallachia were basically eliminated.

Russia's attempt to attack the Austrian Empire from the southeast had basically no chance of success, and the fierce battle between the two sides would only occur in the north, that is, Galicia.

The Austrian Empire in history also realized this, so they chose not to develop the region. However, the largest oil field in the Austrian Empire was in Galicia, and it was also the second largest grain producing area in the future of the Austrian Empire.

Franz not only wanted to develop, but also to do it vigorously. He planned a large number of cities in Galicia, which were connected by railways.

These cities will attract a large number of immigrants to promote the development of the region.

At the same time, these cities are also strategic nodes for guarding the country. It is better to build well than to build fortifications aimlessly.

This will neither expose one's strategic intentions nor make other countries feel hostile.

The special point of the Galician region is that it was once part of Poland, and the other two parts of Poland were in the hands of Prussia and Russia.

As long as the Austrian Empire develops Galicia well, it will easily attract immigrants from the other two places.

The resources in Galicia are well distributed, and both agriculture and industry can be developed here. The main problem now is that the infrastructure is too backward, and road construction is the best choice at this time.

Railways, roads and waterways can greatly improve local transportation, and at the same time bring a large number of jobs and create a group of farmers who are no longer productive.

However, future industry still depends on foreign populations, after all, Galicians are still very attached to the land.

After the death of Count Stadion, the selection of a new governor was put on the agenda. The most popular one is the next governor of Galicia in history, Agnol Gowuchowski.

Western historians have evaluated Agnol Gowuchowski as a very outstanding governor and a conservative, but this evaluation comes from the values ​​of modern democracy.

Agnol Gowuchowski was a Polish nobleman, but he was loyal to the Austrian Empire. Before 1849, he was famous for his cruel and rapid suppression of the Polish noble rebellion.

In 1849, he succeeded Count Stadion as the Governor of Galicia. At the beginning of his tenure, he began to control public opinion. Before the Battle of Magenta, he had been a loyal supporter of the Austrian Empire's new despotism.

The Battle of Magenta, the decisive battle in the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859, ended with the victory of the French army.

In 18, Gowuchowski changed his strategy and began to promote Galician autonomy.

The reason given by Agnol Gowuchowski was to replace the Polish dream of independence with autonomy, and only in this way could the revolution be avoided.

Western historians evaluated him as successfully saving the Austrian Empire's rule in Galicia, avoiding the occurrence of crises and saving the people from war.

However, Agnol Gowuchowski's behavior was also a betrayal. His behavior caused Galicia to always be outside the Austrian Empire system.

Agnol Gowuchowski's only achievement was the so-called autonomy, and Galicia was still a large rural area with an illiteracy rate of 90%, comparable to Russian serfs.

Regardless of loyalty or not, what Franz needed was a governor who was good at development and construction, and preferably had some military knowledge, rather than a police chief or opinion leader.

In addition, Franz is very disgusted with the power of local families. The Govukhovsky family has huge influence in the local area. If Agnor Govukhovsky is allowed to become the governor of Galicia, he will probably end up with him. Historically, a local power was created.

Agnor Govukhovsky's influence still existed many years after his death. His family members and old friends controlled a large number of officials in important departments, and his son even became the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Austrian Empire.

The Govukhovsky family and the Yasusky family controlled the politics and economy of Galicia respectively, and their existence greatly restricted the development of Galicia.

At this time, the Yasusky family had been wiped out by Franz. If the Govukhovsky family was allowed to dominate, Franz was not sure what kind of monster he would raise.

Franz still remembers Luca Ambras back then. He was a very easy-going and gentle boy, he was kind and pious.

Franz even felt that he was not a playboy, but a good person like a model in religious stories.

However, even such a person still raised the flag of rebellion under the influence of his family. In his last letter to Franz, he wrote:

“Standing in the way of someone’s wealth is like killing their parents, and destroying someone’s job is like killing someone’s life.”

However, he turned a blind eye to the dirty deals his family was involved in. How could such a smart person not know what his family was doing?

It's just selective blindness.

How many parents have been killed and how many tragedies have been caused by the rise of the Ambras family? How many people suffer from their good life?

The Ambras family only occupied a few bishop's seats and monopolized local theocratic power.

What if there was a family that could hold both financial and political power at the same time?