Holy Roman Empire

Before the advent of radio, wireless broadcasting was naturally out of the question.Franz now listens to cable radio, a technology that was born with the birth of the telephone.

Simply put, it is to connect many telephone lines in series to receive the same information source.

This kind of high-level technology is naturally not something that ordinary people can enjoy.If you want to listen to the radio, you need at least a phone and pay high radio fees.

At present, there are less than [-] cities in the world with broadcast, and even less than [-] broadcast users.

Austria was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, and broadcasting started relatively early.Vienna now has more than [-] paying subscribers and is the city with the highest broadcast coverage in the world.

This number is approaching its limit.Want to increase broadcast coverage, unless wireless broadcasting is born.

The audience is limited, so radio programs cannot be colorful.In addition to news, there are only comments on popular current affairs, and occasionally a few songs and a few jokes, even if it is an entertainment program.

The only advantage is probably that there are no advertisements. It's not that broadcasters don't want to charge advertising fees. The main reason is that there are too few users and they can't receive a few dollars.

Moreover, the customers we serve now are all high-end users, so there is no owner of money. What everyone wants is high-end service.

Frederick shrugged and replied: "No need, father, I just went to see it yesterday. It is progressing very slowly, and the transmission distance is still at 1000 or 1097 yards (about [-] meters), and there must be no obstacles in the middle. "

No way, who made Franz have a bad memory?The principle of radio has long been forgotten, and now it can only be freely developed by scientists.

"1000 two hundred yards", this number is far from what Franz expected.Don't talk about wireless telegraphy, even it's a bit awkward to use as a walkie-talkie.

Franz sighed: "Forget it, let them experiment slowly! Scientific research is all about luck, and it's useless to rush."

This was said to Frederick, as well as to himself.

Chapter 213 Technology

In the late 19th century, the second industrial revolution began to exert its full force, and technological innovation emerged one after another.

As the birthplace of the industrial revolution, Austria was the first to enjoy the dividends of scientific and technological progress, and the domestic economic development train went directly to the fast lane.

By the end of 1877, 80.00% of Austria's cities had universal access to electricity, and the remaining cities were in progress.

This speed is beyond everyone's imagination, and the fundamental reason for all this to happen is the advancement of science and technology.

No one expected that the power generation technology would make another breakthrough in a short period of time.The power of the generator has been increased, and the coal consumption has been reduced to 450g~630g/kWh.

The disparity is so big, mainly because of the quality of coal.Austria's power plants are all private enterprises, and naturally do not need the government to unify coal use standards.

Second, is the gap in power generation technology.Different power plants and power generation technologies have also begun to widen the gap, and a new round of survival is about to start.

The Austrian metallurgical industry has also made breakthroughs at the same time as the cost of electricity generation has fallen.The price of copper in the market has fallen sharply, resulting in a drop in the cost of wire production.

The sharp drop in cost has made the establishment of a power supply network no longer a dream, and laid a decisive foundation for the popularization of electricity.

The popularization of electricity brings not only a revolution in lighting technology, but also an industrial revolution.Mechanical equipment using electricity as energy has sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.

In addition to electric power technology, there is also the great development of internal combustion engine technology.This cross-generational invention directly swept the steam engine into the garbage heap.

Of course, it will take time, and now the steam engine is still the mainstream of the times.Even Austria, at the forefront of the industrial revolution, is just beginning to experiment with internal combustion engines.

But the potential of the internal combustion engine has been seen by everyone.Capital is profit-seeking. After realizing the huge potential of internal combustion engines, the number of companies developing internal combustion engines has increased rapidly.

Especially for enterprises engaged in machinery and equipment manufacturing, if they do not launch new power research and development projects, they will not be able to keep up with the times.

Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes, and if more people participate, there will always be results.For example: the internal combustion engine car was born in advance.

Of course, limited by power technology, the internal combustion engine vehicles of this era have no practical value.A car that needs to be maintained once after running [-] to [-] kilometers is obviously not of economic value.

All cars in use on the market are steam engine powered cars.However, because the noise is too loud, the brakes are inflexible, and accidents are prone to occur in emergencies, so it is forbidden to use in the city.

Although steam engine cars are bulky, inconvenient to use, and run relatively slowly, their carrying capacity is good.This kind of black technology equipment is usually active in mines.

Occasionally there are local tyrants who are not afraid of death, using this steam engine version of the large car.This is not a big idea. If the size of the car is small, where should the steam engine be placed?

Franz has always admired these warriors.Without their mortal spirit, the Austrian auto industry would not have developed so quickly.

As the so-called market, there is production.After realizing the needs of local tyrants, automobile companies began to develop internal combustion engine vehicles.

Of course, there are also deviations.As far as Franz knew, there were also electric cars.

Instead of installing batteries, there is no such technology in this era, but a small generator is directly installed, and then a motor is installed as the power system.

Whether it can be done, Franz doesn't know.Anyway, this kind of car, the final volume is definitely not small.

The bigger the size, the more self-weight.If you want to run, you can only increase the power of the motor, and by the way, increase the power of the generator.

This is a vicious circle. The more powerful the mechanical equipment these days, the larger the volume and the increased self-weight, and the problem is fed back again.

In this respect, this super-era car has lost its market competitiveness during the research and development process.

Technological innovation is worth encouraging, and even if it fails in the end, it can draw lessons from experience.

After seeing the news on the news, Franz just smiled and didn't mean to interfere.

If an enterprise wants to survive for a long time, it will not work without taking a few detours and learning from experience.

If the operator of the enterprise has poor vision, or lacks his own judgment, it will be finished sooner or later.Such a company has absolutely no value to save.

Half a step ahead is a genius, one step ahead is a lunatic.A few steps ahead, Franz doesn't know what it is, he will probably become a martyr!

Who knows?Many scientific and technological innovations are unintentional, and if the company is lucky, it can also make a lot of money by producing other valuable by-products on the road to death.

For example, making the motor smaller and the power larger; or making the generator smaller, these are all achievable under existing industrial conditions.

There are many similar advanced projects, such as: electric trains.

In the end, the development of electric trains failed, but a tram was accidentally created.

This is also fortunate that the Austrian Railway Company, which has spent a lot of money on research and development, directly changed its line of business to start intra-city transportation.

Trams are clearly competitive with horse-drawn buses and steam buses, and several cities in Austria already use this advanced mode of transportation.

Unlike later generations, a project needs several years or even more than ten years to promote from its birth to its use.

Today's capitalists are undoubtedly more active. Usually, after a new product comes out, it only takes a few months, or a year or two at the longest, to promote it to the market.

The most important factor is interest. Now many industries have just started, and there are not so many interest groups hindering them.

Horse-drawn buses and steam-engine buses are mostly government-funded and subsidized infrastructure projects. There are more advanced and lower-cost trams available, and the Austrian government will naturally not refuse.

There are successes, and naturally there are failures.For example: a big local tyrant came up with a "moon landing plan", and Franz could only sigh that he was rich and self-willed.

In this era, if you want to go to the moon, you should go to bed earlier, and it will come true in your dreams.

This project has only just begun and has not yet achieved results.However, the momentum is quite big. It is said that dozens of rich people in China have already invested in it, preparing to open the interstellar era of mankind.

If this project can persist for 80 to [-] years, there may be a possibility of success. If it wants to generate economic value, perhaps this time will be doubled.

In any case, this scientific research spirit is worth encouraging.

If nothing else, the moon landing program should win the Austrian award for best scientific and technological innovation in 1878, while the interplanetary program will win the most promising project award.

These awards are specially set up by Franz to encourage technological innovation.

There are only two application conditions, and any one can be met: first, the project has achieved phased results; second, the project investment exceeds 100 million Aegis.

Of course, there is also a premise that scientific research projects must be beneficial to human beings.

All award-winning projects can apply for the use of free scientific research sites, and the water and electricity costs will be halved. The local government will also vigorously cooperate with the project team.

Not to mention tax-free, all scientific research projects in Austria can receive tax-free government support.The premise is to accept government supervision of scientific research funds, and prevent people from using scientific research to launder money.

In theory, it doesn't matter whether the project can be successful in the end, as long as you draw a big pie, get social recognition, and are willing to invest money in it, you may win an award.

The moon landing plan and even the interstellar plan behind it are all money-spending projects and have been widely recognized by the society.

This is just an honorary award, and it is not too difficult to win.The real scientific research award is the scientific and technological contribution award issued by the royal family. In addition to cash awards, there are also knighthood awards.

However, the award must have outstanding scientific research results, and if it is theoretical research, it must also be collectively recognized by the scientific community.

The "Science and Technology Contribution Award" is not held every year.

Overseas scientists can also sign up, and Franz is open to all.

Of course, this is theoretical. Austrian scientists in the field of military industry can also win awards, and scientists in the field of overseas military industry will not have the chance.

No way, the award is to test the success of technology.Military technology is strictly confidential, and you can't just show the results to the Austrians in order to win awards!

Can everyone really believe that the integrity of the Austrian judges will not use these technologies for their own use?

If someone does this, Franz will not be stingy with this reward.Including the follow-up impact, he is willing to take it.

Chapter 214 The Outbreak of the Pacific War

In the early morning, Franz had just finished his morning exercise and had not had time to have breakfast.Foreign Secretary Wesenberg came in a hurry with bad news.

"Your Majesty, there is news from our embassy in Bolivia that the Chilean army invaded Bolivia two days ago, and the balance of South America has been broken."

The Austrian government paid attention to this war, mainly because of the saltpeter trade.Because of the relationship between the South American colonies, the relationship between Austria and Chile and Argentina is not good.

Since 1863, the Atacama province on the Pacific coast of Bolivia discovered rich saltpeter deposits, and it has become the main importer of Austrian saltpeter.

With the increase of commercial and trade exchanges, the relationship between Austria and Bolivia is also warming up, and they are almost becoming quasi-ally.

It's just that the strategic core of the Vienna government is not in South America, and the power invested in South America is very limited, and it has not gone further.

In any case, as a foreign power, it is inevitable to play the role of a shit stick in the world.There is no fame, mainly because the British counterparts are too powerful, stealing everyone's limelight.

The power of investment is small, does not mean that there is no investment.The Vienna government also supports younger brothers in South America, but the relationship between the two sides is not deep, and they are considered partners.

Bolivia was one of them, getting help from Austria militarily.It is a pity that the Bolivian government is not very smart. Seeing that the three countries of Britain, France and Austria are secretly competing with each other in South America, they chose to swing left and right.

Swinging from left to right also requires capital. With capital, it is a flexible foreign policy. Without capital, it is a tightrope walk.There is no doubt that Bolivia is a country without capital.

As for the saltpeter trade, it seems to be very important, but in fact that is the case.For Britain, France and Austria, it is better to be able to obtain cheap saltpeter, and if not, they can produce it themselves.

There is no chemical fertilizer these days, and the demand for saltpeter is not very large.Even if its own production costs are a little higher, it will not be difficult for the three major powers.

Moreover, Bolivia is only one of the exporters of saltpeter, not a monopoly.Chile, next door, is also an exporter of saltpeter.

Facts have once again proved that the grass on the wall has no future.After the parties failed to win, Bolivia was abandoned by everyone, while Chile fell to the British.

During the War of Independence, Chile and Bolivia were allies against Spanish colonial rule.However, it is difficult and difficult to share with each other.

The Atacama Desert, which borders Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, was never clearly assigned during Spanish colonial rule.

After the independence of the three countries, Bolivia occupied the Antofagasta region in the central Atacama Desert, Peru occupied the Tara Paka region in the northern part of the desert, and Chile occupied the southern part of the desert.All three countries declared sovereignty over desert areas

If this desert has no resources, it is estimated that it will be nothing in the end.It is a pity that this area not only has resources, but also very rich resources, and contradictions have arisen.

Chile's strength is better, and now it is on the lap of the British, who have the qualifications to use force.

Franz asked with concern: "Did the British intervene?"

Franz was not interested in investigating the cause and effect. In the final analysis, it was still interests.Right or wrong, is actually the least important thing in international politics.

In the era of imperialism, if there is a debate between right and wrong, it is most likely that the situation is evenly matched, or there is a major power intervening, or justice belongs to the victor.

Foreign Secretary Weisenberg: "There is no sign of the British intervening at the moment, and it is more in the interest of the British to maintain the stability of South America from the perspective of interests.

If the Chileans won the war, they would have a complete monopoly on saltpeter exports, which the British didn't want to see.

Of course, this is only an analysis of interests on the surface.If the British and Chile had a secret pact, it's impossible to say.

We have a very cold relationship with Chile and have limited local strength.In a short period of time, there is no ability to determine whether the two parties are secretly dealing. "

Franz lingered. He didn't pay much attention to the history of South America. He only vaguely remembered that there was a Pacific War between Chile, Bolivia and Peru.

The specific time, passage, and attitude of the foreign powers are not clear at all.Even if it is clear, it is useless. Under the influence of the butterfly effect, the international situation has long since changed beyond recognition.

Franz: "Aside from external factors, who do you think will win this war?"

Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "I am more optimistic about the Chileans, who have clearly surpassed Bolivia in terms of military strength.

Although Bolivia has learned military from us in recent years, the Bolivian government is so stupid.

If they just study the military of any of the great powers in Europe, they are likely to succeed.He had to study the military of multiple countries at the same time, and finally came up with a different army.

From a purely military standpoint, the chances of Bolivia winning are almost nil.However, if other countries intervene, the situation is uncertain.

The relations between South American countries are intricate and complicated, and it is difficult to understand them clearly for a while.This time, the war over the ownership of the Atacama Desert also involves Peru.

Among the three countries, Chile now has the strongest military power.Peru and Bolivia alone are no match for the Chileans.

Under the common interests, the possibility of joining forces between the two countries is very high.If Bolivia and Peru drop their differences, it's hard to tell where the war will go. "

Franz was very hesitant to intervene in this South American war.The main issue is investment and return, he is not sure whether the final result will be proportional.

Austria's strength in South America is limited, and only relying on the power of Austrian South America, it is not qualified to interfere at all.

As for the military power of Austrian Central America, it cannot be moved lightly, otherwise the balance of North America will be broken.Without sufficient strength to deter, no one can guarantee that the United States and the Union Congress will not take the opportunity to do things.