Chapter 1319 The Road Back
Albrecht finally understood why Franz wanted him, a field marshal, to handle this matter in person. If someone else was there, he might not be able to resist such a big temptation, and if someone else was there, he might not be able to calm down the situation.
Albrecht looked at the temporary execution ground nearby. Even though it was full of corpses, there were still people trying to steal gold in front of everyone with a sense of luck.
After many years of fighting, he had already seen life and death, but Albrecht still did not feel that gold was more important than human life.
However, he also understands that sometimes it is impossible to control the situation without severe punishment, which will only lead to the death of more people, and even cause the mission to fail, making the sacrifices of the soldiers meaningless.
"Commanders of the Empire, your ability to receive this mission is the Empire's trust in you. Please do not betray the Empire's trust.
I, Albrecht von Habsburg, hereby guarantee that as long as we successfully complete our mission, everyone will receive their due rewards, and the victims will also receive compensation, but those who robbed themselves will not be included! "
Albrecht's words caused cheers. The soldiers were not looking for the so-called reward, but a kind of affirmation, a recognition of their perseverance.
In fact, the reason why Franz used the Royal Legion was because for them, one or two kilograms of gold could not change anything. On the contrary, it might not only bring shame to his family, but also cost him his life.
Under such a huge contrast, most people will not choose to take risks.
Another advantage of doing this is to eliminate the garbage in the team. If they can't resist this temptation, how can they expect them to be loyal and brave on the battlefield?
It is not an easy task to transport this gold back to Austria. In addition to resisting the temptation of money, you also have to travel through mountains and rivers. The mountain roads in Spain are not easy to walk.
However, this gold is a shot in the arm for the Austrian Empire, which can at least make the road ahead easier.
In Slovakia, the Circum-Imperial railway line is always very busy and it is very difficult to buy more carriages. But the train in front of me was empty inside, and there was only one man and one woman in the noble box.
“This country may be small, but it’s very interesting!”
Alexander casually tapped the button on the table, and soon the security guard and the waiter squeezed in together.
Olga looked helplessly at her older brother who was still very naughty. She smiled apologetically, and then waved her hand.
"I'd like a bottle of red wine."
Alexander was indifferent. Traveling by train was much more comfortable than traveling by carriage. He wanted to drink some wine when he was in a good mood.
"Okay, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Soon after, the waiter pushed a trolley in, which contained a variety of red wines, as well as decanters and ice cubes to enhance the taste.
Alexander randomly selected two bottles that were still acceptable, and the waiter carefully took out the wine.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Princess, does the wine need to be chilled?"
Alexander shook his head, and Olga smiled and shook her head.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Princess, do you need to sober up?"
The waiter asked again, and Alexander answered impatiently.
"You go down. We can do this ourselves."
"Have a nice trip."
The waiter carefully exited the carriage. He was actually a serious aristocratic young master, but he could only be a small waiter in front of such a big shot.
Of course, the vast majority of people in this world are not even qualified to be such waiters.
Alexander poured a glass for himself and his sister, and then put the bottle in the wine basket aside.
The wine basket is specially designed to prevent wine from spilling due to bumps in the train.
However, this kind of decoration has been seen in modern times. After all, modern trains are far less bumpy than those in the mid-19th century.
"This country is really nice."
Alexander sighed again.
"You don't need to comfort me. I'm not a child. I won't object to my father's decision."
Olga was worried about her eldest brother's poor expressive skills, especially his relationship with his father, Nicholas I, who always seemed to end unhappy.
"Olga, I'm serious. This country is really good. Do you know how much this railway will cost? How much manpower and material resources will it require?"
Olga answered without thinking too much.
"Is it difficult for us in Russia?"
Alexander showed a rare serious expression, nodded and said.
"It's difficult. If we in Russia want to build such a long railway, it will take at least ten years, but in fact our country cannot build it at all."
"Why?!"
"No money."
Alexander's answer was straightforward.
"How is it possible that there is no money? Isn't our Russian fiscal revenue increasing year by year?"
Olga asked with some confusion. Although she didn't have much interest in politics, she knew some news through hearing and seeing.
"But expenditures are also constantly increasing! Expanding the army, building factories (mainly arsenals), suppressing bandits, suppressing rebellions, and stabilizing border areas, where do we not need money?"
Olga fell silent. The problems of Polish rebellion and Caucasian banditry were already well known to the Russian upper class.
Alexander continued.
“The most critical thing is that we in Russia currently lack relevant talents. Our engineers are all Austrians and Germans, and our universities do not even have relevant courses.
Look at these people outside the window. "
Olga looked out the window. The scenery passing by was beautiful, but it was just some ordinary farms.
"What's wrong with these people?"
"Look at the eyes of these people. There is no fear or shrinkage in their eyes. Their eyes are full of hope and curiosity. Their eyes are not gray!
Look at the serfs in our country. They live like animals all day long. Not only their eyes, but their world is gray!"
Alexander became more and more excited, and Olga on the side hurriedly stopped him.
"Brother, don't be like this. You know that father hates those remarks the most. You have also read the letters written by the Austrian emperor to father. You should know that they are the same person."
Olga's words immediately diverted Alexander's attention, and the latter complained.
"Indeed! The two of them are more like father and son, disgusting!"
Olga looked at her outspoken brother and could only smile helplessly.
The young and handsome face appeared in Olga's mind. She had a good impression of Franz. Although they only met a few times, they had been exchanging letters.
Especially during the time when Franz went to war, Olga's heart almost rose to her throat.
After all, the plot of a prince leading an army to war usually only exists in myths or fairy tales, but Franz really chose to lead the army to war, not only defeating the rebels but also defeating the evil French.
This inadvertently made Olga have a kind of admiration for Franz, and the gap between the two countries analyzed by Alexander made her admire Franz even more.