Holy Roman Empire

Vienna Palace

Intelligence leader Talen Hui reported: "Your Majesty, Britain and France have failed in the Suez Canal. The Paris government decided to set aside the British and dig the Grand Canal alone."

This is what was expected. The Suez Canal is not only important for Austria, but also extraordinary for the French.With such a large investment in the early stage, it is naturally impossible to give up because of the opposition of the British.

The strength gap between Britain and France is not as great as it was at the end of the century, and the French still remember the position of world hegemony.

Moreover, they have the strength to match their ambitions.

The total strength of the French Army's standing army is as high as 400,000, which is only in Russia and Austria on the European continent; the French navy's total tonnage is more than six layers of the Royal Navy, close to the size of seven layers.

At the same time with a world-class navy and army, the French are the most balanced country among the powers, and their overall national strength is not weaker than any power.With such a strong strength, even if they want to settle down.

The only pity is that this is already the pinnacle of the French, and their national strength is not enough to support them further.

In order to compete with the Russians for hegemony on the European continent, the French population is too small. In this era of tactical dominance, the slow population growth rate directly took the French out of the game.

Wanting to compete with the British for maritime hegemony, the construction of the Continental Army has diverted resources, unable to achieve the power of the country, naturally it will not be the opponent of John Bull.

The French in the game only saw the strength of their own strength, but did not see the potential for development. They have been thrown away by their competitors and are still dreaming of world domination.

From this strategic point of view, the difficulties faced by France and Austria are somewhat similar. Both must develop the army and navy at the same time, and they cannot concentrate on one side.

The advantages of Austria are that it has a larger population, a larger local area, and more advantages in resources. The disadvantages are also very obvious. If a multi-ethnic country cannot complete national integration, it will be in trouble when nationalism awakens.

After clearing the cards in his hand, Franz thought that he was still happier than Napoleon III. There are so many people in Austria, but they are still safer than the French people!

Taking history as a mirror, Napoleon III has done a good job in history. He was ousted by the fevered people in just one defeat; the original owner has lost the French-Austrian War and the Pu-Ao War successively in history. .

From the beginning of power, Franz has promoted the unification of language and writing on the one hand, and the promotion of inter-ethnic marriage.

At present, it is the best language to do the same thing. German is basically popularized in towns and towns. For the time being, do n’t think about it in the countryside. Except for children who have received compulsory education, the older generation can speak a few words of German even if they are active.

In any case, there are still nearly seven people in the country who speak German.In ethnic minority areas, the newly occupied Balkans, the popularity of folk German is the highest.

Needless to say, although the official literacy rate has exceeded 67%, the social status of illiteracy is still largely unchanged.

Franz doesn't think he can write a few words, even if he is an intellectual.This 67% can also be understood as that 67% of the people can write their own names.

If you want to truly unify the language and characters, you have to wait for the generation of compulsory education to grow up.

In contrast, the number of mixed-race children will increase much more.With the advancement of industrialization, the communication between people of all ethnic groups has increased significantly, and naturally there have been more marriages.

Theoretically, as long as three million couples are inter-ethnic marriages, all races of the entire New Holy Roman Empire are tied together.

Everyone has become relatives, and the national concept has faded.To put it bluntly, apart from extreme nationalists, who would discriminate against their relatives and friends?

Franz instructed: "Continue to stare at the French. Digging the Suez Canal is not only a huge investment, but the risks are also unknown. The French government must raise capital in the capital market."

Investing in the Suez Canal is a cost-effective deal. This golden waterway is a source of money as soon as it is navigable. Franz will naturally not miss this opportunity.

In theory, after being opposed by the British, in order to reduce the risk, the French will probably draw Austria to join.

However, the French could not give up the controlling stake in the canal, and Franz did not expect to get a controlling stake.

Under this circumstance, the investment share that the Vienna government can get is at most three or four floors, which looks like a lot, but there are more people who divide the cake. As Emperor Franz, you must pay attention to eating.

Rather than taking government investment, it is better to secretly buy a part of the shares in the capital market. Anyway, this is an investment that only pays dividends. The more secretive, the better.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Tylen replied

After a pause, Franz asked: "What is the news of the Kingdom of Prussia recently?"

Taylor replied: "The Kingdom of Prussia is still undergoing reforms. The rule of Frederick William IV is somewhat unstable, and the domestic undercurrents are surging. His own condition is not good, and he has not appeared in public for a long time.

The specific situation is uncertain, and the Prussians blocked the news.However, from William Frederick Ludwig's frequent political activities, we can infer that Frederick William IV's body may not work."

After hearing this news, Franz reacted, and the famous William the Great in history was about to take the stage of history.

But one step slowly, the next step slowly, this time the Kingdom of Prussia has lost its time.

The pattern of three-pointed Germany was created by Franz. How could it be easily broken under the re-establishment of the Vienna system?

Now that Britain, France, Russia and Austria all want stability in the European continent, this is not something that can be controlled by individual forces.Unless he can open up and let everyone's brains enter the water collectively, there will be a chance.

Historically, the unification of the German region by the Kingdom of Prussia was against the background of the establishment of the government of Napoleon III.It was n’t just a wind that was drawn once, but three consecutive winds that created opportunities for them.

The current international situation is even more grim. Unless France and Austria are allowed to play in Italy and Britain and Russia in India at the same time, there will be no room for them to play.

After thinking about it for a while, Franz ordered: "Talen, look for an opportunity to get rid of Prussian ambassador to Russia Bismarck. Do something naturally, don't expose us to do it.

If there is no suitable opportunity, then stink him first and make him lose further opportunities."

My hero, my enemy.

Although Franz always obeyed the rules of political struggle and rarely played these conspiracies and tricks, it does not mean that he would not play them.

For the sake of insurance, he still decided to get rid of the iron-blooded prime minister first.Without his helmsman, even if other radical members came to power, the Prussians could not turn the waves.

The Kingdom of Prussia has limited national strength and cannot afford to lose in the hegemony. As long as any operation error occurs, it will be over.

William Friedrich Ludwig is not a simple thing. Without a chance of winning, he will not take risks with the radicals.Not all prime ministers are Bismarck, who can force the king to make concessions.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Tylen replied

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