Holy Roman Empire

Metternich got up and wandered around the room for a few steps before giving the answer.

"It's not a big problem. The above-mentioned areas are our traditional sphere of influence. We have not crossed the border, and the reaction of the big powers will not be too drastic.

Not long ago, British Foreign Secretary Palmerston visited Vienna. We also re-determined everyone's sphere of influence in Italy. Even if the British were dissatisfied, they had no reason to interfere.

From the Russian side, we can still get support, and the tsarist government will not care about these small problems.

The French are preoccupied with themselves, and the republicans will not accept Louis Napoleon Bonaparte's disgraceful means of winning the presidency.

With the republican-dominated cabinet, parliament, and president opposing each other, the French will be unable to do anything for a long time to come.

It is estimated that the Prussians will strongly oppose it, but their opinions are dispensable and powerless to stop our actions. "

"The British have no reason to interfere" is a joke, and Franz prefers to believe that the British have no strength to interfere, or that there is no interest in making them act regardless.

In this era, the British Empire had no shortage of markets. As the only industrial country with the largest colonial market, their lives were really comfortable.

The British investment in Italy is mainly concentrated in the Kingdom of Sardinia, as well as Lombardy and Venice. Few businessmen will be foolish enough to invest in South Italy, where there is nothing.

The Italian state is still a feudal dynasty, and the commercial market is dispensable to John Bull, and it is not worth turning against Austria for this.

Coupled with the support of the Russians, even if the British objected, it would be invalid.Before the Crimean War, the British had not yet achieved a recognized hegemony, at least Austria did not.

The attitude of the Kingdom of Prussia is not enough to make Austria fearful. Now they have not unified Germany, and they are not the second empire that is so awesome in later generations.

In 1848, the population of the Kingdom of Prussia was only 1300 million, less than 40.00% of Austria's, and its economic aggregate was about half of Austria's. (Note: economic aggregate is not equal to industry)

"Where's Spain?" Franz asked concerned

Other European countries can ignore it, but Spain's attitude cannot be ignored. Spain's influence in the Kingdom of Naples is not weak at all, and even greater.

Spain is no longer the era of the Habsburg dynasty, but now is the era of Isabel II of the Bourbon dynasty, and their attitude must also be taken into consideration.

Metternich explained: "Your Majesty, according to the information we have, there are serious internal conflicts in the Kingdom of Spain, and a revolution may occur at any time.

We just established a business alliance and did not harm their interests. It is unlikely that the Spanish government will interfere. "

Franz nodded, isn't it the most conventional operation to soften the persimmon, as long as Austria does not annex the Kingdom of Naples, the Spaniards can accept it.

Besides, given Spain's current industrial level, there are really not many industrial products exported to the Kingdom of Naples.

"Mr. Carl, if we expand the market in this way, can the domestic industry and commerce keep up? If we can't seize the market in the first place, if we cultivate a group of competitors, we will be ashamed." Prime Minister Felix asked with a frown road

Don't laugh at others, the Austrian industry in this era is not well developed.In southeast Europe, it is at a well-developed level, far behind the British, and even slightly worse than the French.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, you can rest assured that our Ministry of Industry can guarantee to defeat any competitor!" Minister of Industry Kaschin Kubek said confidently

His self-confidence is based on the initial success of the establishment of the state-owned enterprise system. Compared with the pursuit of profits by private enterprises, the current strategic goal of state-owned enterprises is to complete the industrial revolution as soon as possible, and profits are only floating clouds.

The Austrian government has not drawn blood from the enterprises, and the profits generated by these enterprises are naturally all invested in technological innovation and expansion of production.

Because the damage caused by the war to industry and commerce has now recovered, Austria's manufacturing industry is rising rapidly.

This speed is not the limit, as long as the government is willing to spend money on it, it can continue to increase.

This was expected by Franz. No matter how later generations criticized the state-owned system, the state-owned economy played a positive role in the stage of primitive capital accumulation.

As long as the management of the enterprise is not rotten, state-owned enterprises with many advantages are definitely more effective than private enterprises.

The Soviet Union is the best example. It developed by leaps and bounds in a short period of time and established a huge empire.

As for the issue of late decline, Franz was completely dismissive.If you want to decline, you have to rise first.There are no problems yet, why think so far?

The big deal is to wait for the state-owned economy to fail, and then carry out economic transformation.Anyway, Austria is not just a state-owned economy, and private enterprises are also developing.

After the industrial revolution is completed, the unprofitable light industrial enterprises will be sold off one after another, and the government will only need to control the industries that are related to the national economy and the people's livelihood.

Seeing that everyone has no doubts, Franz said: "If you have no doubts, then the establishment of a business circle plan with Austria as the core will start voting now. If you agree, please raise your hand."

Democratic voting is not Franz's innovation. It has existed in Europe for a long time. He just learned from the advanced experience of his predecessors.

In Austria, those who are qualified to participate in decision-making are all senior officials above the ministerial level, and the main purpose is to check and balance power.

Franz is not a person who loves to seize power, and he has left most of the government affairs to the cabinet. In order to avoid being emptied, he added another democratic vote in the enlarged government meeting.

Officials above the ministerial level are appointed and dismissed by the emperor himself, and under normal circumstances it is impossible to be bribed.They are all candidates for cabinet ministers. While accepting the leadership of the cabinet, they also share the power of the cabinet.

Chapter 12 Holy Roman League

Since everyone has no opinion, the plan to build the Austrian economic circle was naturally passed by a high number of votes.

To be honest, Franz really doesn't know how to implement it. The times are different and the national conditions are different. Many things cannot be applied mechanically.

Including the little brother La, they have to do ideological work one by one, and the benefits promised to each state may be different.

Franz still believes in Metternich on this point. After all, this "European Prime Minister" has rich experience, and balancing the interests of all parties is his special skill.

In Franz's view, this economic alliance can also become a political alliance and a military alliance in the future. With economic development, it will be a matter of time before everyone's interests are bundled together.

It is important to plan ahead.

For example: the name of the alliance must be representative, and Franz thinks the Holy Roman Alliance is a good choice.

"Your Majesty, if it is named after Holy Rome, I am afraid that the Italian state will find it difficult to accept it emotionally." Prime Minister Felix thought for a while and said

"What if we put the headquarters of the alliance in Rome? It can even be placed next to the Holy Land, the Vatican. There is both sacredness and Rome, so there is no problem calling it that way?" Franz asked rhetorically.

Metternich dissuaded: "Your Majesty, placing the headquarters of the alliance in Rome will damage the reputation of the empire in the alliance."

Franz thought for a while and said: "This is not important, the economic alliance is essentially developed around Austria, we have already occupied a dominant position, and the impact on reputation is minimal.

We can also send a signal to the outside world that this is just an economic alliance and reduce the vigilance of all countries.

We don’t need to directly bring up this name, but call everyone to a meeting to decide where to set up the headquarters. As long as Austria does not participate in the competition, where can it be more competitive than Rome?

When the headquarters is confirmed, let His Majesty the Pope propose the name, and Pius IX will not refuse anything that can expand its influence. "

He is the least important to those who have a false name.If the headquarters of the Economic Union is located in Vienna, even if everyone agrees, Franz would not dare to play the banner of Holy Rome.

Don't think that the Holy Roman Empire has been destroyed for so many years, and everyone doesn't remember it.European countries are very vigilant. Austria dares to reveal the meaning of rebuilding Shinra, so don't think about having a good life in diplomacy.

Now it’s okay to play side-by-side. The headquarters is next door to the Vatican, the holy place in the Christian world. It is both holy and Roman.

"Your Majesty, what benefit does this do for us?" Metternich asked suspiciously

In other words, this has become a religious version of the Holy Roman League.It has nothing to do with the Holy Roman Empire of the Habsburg dynasty, and it does not seem to be of much benefit to Austria.

"Of course there is no interest on the surface, but in fact the difference between the Holy Roman Alliance and the Holy Roman Empire is only two words.

If the economy develops further, we can ask the media to change the name in the future, for example, the Holy Roman Economic Empire, or the Holy Roman Empire directly.

These are the media's own titles, and have nothing to do with us. The governments of various states can only hold their noses and recognize them if they have opinions. " Franz explained calmly

The influence of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe is far-reaching, especially in the German region. It is known as the First German Empire and the only empire recognized by the German states.

This is a huge political resource left over from the Habsburg dynasty. How could Franz not take advantage of it?

The more you call, the more you will get used to it.Ordinary people don't have so much time to distinguish the difference between this "Holy Roman Empire" and that "Holy Roman Empire".

When everyone recognized the Roman Empire, the popular foundation for Austria's annexation of the southern German states was established.

Relying on economic binding and political infiltration, the merger can be completed without resorting to force at all.

The only thing is the tool and the name, not a dummy.

—— "Zuo Zhuan" · "Battle of Zong"

Franz took advantage of the age gap to preempt the naming rights. As long as Austria can develop and grow stronger and increase its advantages over other states, it will be able to become an established fact.

People's minds have changed, and the unification of historical Italian regions and the unification of German regions is all because the idea of ​​unification is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Without this foundation, the Kingdom of Sardinia would not be able to unify the Italian region; the Kingdom of Prussia would probably feel the pain of the Habsburg Dynasty, and was paralyzed by the German states and foreign forces.

Prime Minister Felix sneered and said: "As long as the people in the German region approve it, even if the governments of the states don't want to recognize it, then they will have no choice.

In order to avoid external interference, it is best for us to act secretly, first sign secret agreements with each of these states, and then announce to the public after the agreement is reached. "

As a staunch German faction, Prime Minister Felix is ​​unwilling to let go of any opportunity to expand to the German region.

In his opinion, the Holy Roman Alliance, or the Holy Roman Empire, is the best weapon to counter the Prussian idea of ​​a small Germany.

If the strength of Prussia and Austria continues to grow, there are only two roads left before the German state, either join the Little Germany led by Prussia, or join the Holy Roman Empire led by Austria.

That's right, in the future it will not be the Holy Roman Alliance, but the Holy Roman Empire.

Because of religious beliefs, most of the North German states will fall to the Kingdom of Prussia, but the South German states are different. They naturally tend to Austria.

Under the influence of Franz, there have been voices in Austria that Pau and Austria have joined forces to carve up the German region. This voice not only has a market in Austria, but also has supporters in Prussia.

Before the unification of the German region, the Prussians themselves could not believe that they could unify the German region. The highest goal of Frederick William IV was to annex the North German region.

The Junker nobles are not as awesome as the later generations. If they were asked to defeat Austria and France, it is estimated that they would go back one by one before the war started.

It's not a question of whether to fight or not, but whether you can't win at all.

Otherwise, in the middle and late stages of the Crimean War, the Kingdom of Prussia would start, and the British, French and Russians were in a bitter battle. As long as they defeated Austria, they could unify the German region.

Don't look at the invincibility of the German army in later generations, but that is the future, not the present. The rise of the Prussian Kingdom entered a period of rapid development after the reform in 1848.

It is still a feudal dynasty now, and its comprehensive national strength restricts their military strength.Success in history is full of coincidences. Both the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War were betting on the country's luck.

It is not at all what the textbooks say, winning in the system, in compulsory education, and in comprehensive national strength.

If the Austrian government hadn't killed itself, employed improper personnel, and made mistakes in military deployment, the Prussian-Prussian War would not have ended so easily. As long as it dragged on for three to five months, Prussia would have to cry.

The Franco-Prussian War was even more of a comedy. Napoleon III, who had drifted away, thought he was the reincarnation of the god of war. He did not mobilize the whole country at all, and declared war on the Kingdom of Prussia in a hurry, with 22 French troops and 47 Prussian troops in a decisive battle.

The result is self-evident. After the end of the Franco-Prussian War and the unification of Germany, after some packaging, the German army's military spirit was established, and its combat effectiveness reached its peak.

Winners should always be respected, and Franz was very afraid of the rising Prussia.

In his opinion, either the road to the unification of the Kingdom of Prussia will be interrupted in advance; or simply let Prussia unify the German region, and Austria will shift the direction of development.

This multiple-choice question cannot be done by him, and reality has already helped him make a decision.The Austrian people could not tolerate losing their status as the leader of Germany, and the Austrian government could not afford the political consequences.

That being the case, Franz could only go down the first path.It is not enough to interrupt Prussia's plan. Since Austria's energy is being held in the German region, it will naturally gain something.

It is a good idea for Puao to join hands to carve up the German region.As compensation, Austria will support Prussia's expansion in other directions.

Well, this is pure bluffing.With the exception of middle school boys, most politicians would not believe that Austria would really support Prussia's external expansion. The most important thing is that they have no direction for expansion.

Expanding to Northern Europe, have you asked the Russians?

To expand to the low countries, let's see if the French agree?

Go overseas to grab colonies, where is the powerful navy?

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take care of the negotiations. The question now is, what are the common interests of this alliance, and how can we lure them to join?" Metternich asked indifferently

Since it is a bundle of interests, we must first let everyone see where the interests lie.

"We can follow the example of the German Customs Union, where everyone lowers tariffs and promotes the flow of goods.

We can also subcontract the sales rights of certain commodities to powerful factions in various countries, and buy them with profits.

For example: we have a competitive advantage in agricultural products.

If we sell it directly, it will definitely harm the interests of the local nobles, but if we sell it to them, this situation will not exist.

Originally, these states had to import food from the outside world, but where did they buy it from?Tariffs have been lowered, and everyone's profits have increased. " Chancellor of the Exchequer Carr explained

To put it simply, it is to sell part of the benefits to the local nobles in exchange for the unimpeded flow of Austrian industrial and commercial products.

The interests of the nobles are met, and the interests of the capitalists are naturally sacrificed.These states are still feudal dynasties, and the nobles still control the dominant power. If you buy them, you buy the government.

"No, if we do this, how can we guarantee the profits of our agricultural products?" Archduke Louis objected

The benefits of any industry are limited, and every link that constitutes this industrial chain is making profits from it. If one link gets more, the other link will naturally get less.

"Don't forget, we can enter the market with lower tariffs, and we have an advantage in price. We can also manipulate the alliance to raise tariffs on foreign agricultural products to protect everyone's interests.

After crowding out other agricultural products from entering the market, our total grain export volume can continue to expand, and even monopolize the grain imports of various states.

Austria's food production has not yet reached its limit, and there is still a lot of wasteland to be reclaimed.

After the emancipation of the serfs, farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain was increased, and domestic grain production was about to usher in a period of explosion.

If new markets are not opened up, there may be a large amount of unsalable domestic grain.If you can’t even sell it, what profit are you talking about?

In order to open up new markets, is it not possible to give up some immediate benefits in exchange for greater profits in the future? "Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl fooled

I have to say that his theory is very reasonable.Profit is not profit, and the grain must be sold first. What is the profit at home if it is unsalable?

This is not much different from the low-price dumping in later generations, except that the low price is only for wholesale, and the profits are all in the hands of the powerful, and the price of grain in the market will still not drop too much.