Returning to the book, under the collective protests and strong pressure of the Junker landlords, the farmer was quickly dismissed from his post and has not been reinstated. The kingdom's predicament is simply due to economic factors rather than anything else.

If Franz, who was far away in Vienna, saw the investigation report at this time, he would definitely cry out for injustice! The conscience of heaven and earth, he had no intention of using Prussia as a source of raw materials.

First, it would be a waste of land and talent, and second, Liebig's paper would have been published throughout Europe, and the continent would soon have an agricultural revolution.

Unless one loses one's mind, trying to change the structure of production at this time by means of a large purchase of Prussian agricultural products is tantamount to useless work, and will not help the current and future strategic layout plan.

As for the surge in demand for sugar beet and fodder, it is entirely due to the fact that Austria's economic development is developing in a healthy way, and the people's incomes have increased, and they have more money in their hands than before, so it is natural to pursue higher and better living standards, such as food and clothing (sugar and meat).

Of course, one thing that was still right for the Junker landlords was that the estrangement between Hungary and Austria was deepening; Especially not long ago, under the banner of rescuing the victims of the disaster with immigrants, the slave trade was a farce that caused a lot of excitement, not to mention the kidnapping of the royal duke.

All of this made the merchants of Inner Letania disgusted with the Magyars, and the increasing improvement of railway traffic and customs duties with foreign Tania and Hungary gave them more options.

The entry of Austrian merchants coincided with the needs of the Junker aristocracy to reduce grain production and increase income by planting other crops. The two then hit it off, and the beet and fodder became a sharp blade in the hands of the Prussians.

The area between the Ruhr and Lipper rivers, tributaries of the lower Rhine, was still surrounded by rows of small workshops and simple shacks, but in a few years it would become the heart of German industry – the Ruhr region.

At this time, no one could have imagined that this would become the capital on which Prussia relied to unify Germany and the capital of the Second Reich to wage a world war. And just 26 years ago, at the Congress of Vienna, Metternich took the initiative to throw this "rotten land" to this Holy Alliance ally.

Among them, there was a large steel workshop with only 130 employees for the production of kitchen and agricultural tools, as well as solid cannonball steel, and its name was the famous Krupp Steel. (Friedrich Krupp AG)

There was a heated discussion going on in the hammer-wrenching factory, and one participant gave a very different opinion than the Berlin top brass and the vast majority of onlookers.

"Economic invasion? No, I don't think the Austrians want more than just money and the market. What really interests them is the people and the people. ”

"Are you sure? Today, there are 38 million Austrians, and even the remaining members of the German Confederation combined. Alfred Krupp, the current head of the Krupp company, retorted.

The combined population of the other members of the German Confederation at this time was 32.6 million. In Europe, there are about 63 million in Russia, 34 million in France, and 27 million in the United Kingdom. (This figure is inaccurate, and the European mainstream expelled Russia from Europe at the time.) ）

"You're right. But perhaps you have forgotten that the Germans make up only 20% of their population. If the Habsburgs want to strengthen their rule, they will have to rely on us Germans. The young man said.

"Oh, dear Otto, do you mean that the Josephists have taken over the Viennese again?" Alfred Krupp couldn't help but laugh out loud, after all, if it weren't for that ridiculous emperor, this southern neighbor might not be so weak now.

Historically, there has been more than one monarch and important minister who wanted to strengthen the centralization of Austria by bringing in large numbers of Germans, and the most recent one was Joseph II.

As the eldest son of Empress Teresa, he inherited a Habsburg dynasty that had been transformed by the empress for nearly half a century. His mother ruled the feudal empire with great skill, and even the most arrogant shield of God learned to submit; At the same time, on the European political stage, the whole monarchy has a sense of prosperity.

However, some people think that Joseph II is a time-traveler, but Franz thinks that it is more accurate to say that it should be the reincarnation of the war criminals of the P Society.

When Joseph II came to power, he overhauled the skills tree of multiculturalism, religious freedom, free trade, human rights protection, speech protection, electoral bureaucracy, emancipation of slaves, compulsory education, and militarized police.

(The one above belongs to the fan version of the P Society.,Here's a normal version.。 Joseph II's behavior even gives the impression that he is a time-traveler.

First of all, he demanded the abolition of all aristocratic autonomy, judicial power, and economic tax exemptions, and at the same time the Germanization of the German language, the mad introduction of the German language, and the requirement that officials must be able to speak German.

Then there was serfdom, and during the reign of Empress Theresa, the serfs in the royal domain had been largely emancipated, but Joseph II felt that this was too mild, and he demanded the immediate emancipation of all serfs in Austria.

Joseph II not only dealt a heavy blow to the aristocracy and serfdom, but also the Church, which had always been an ally, by closing down 60% of the monasteries in Austria and confiscating a large amount of church assets.

Moreover, the Church was no longer subordinate to the Holy See, or even to the Catholic Church, but became a state servant, and all bishops had to owe allegiance to the Emperor, and the archbishops were appointed directly by the Imperial Family, and all those who could not perform the functions of the state were required to be returned to the laity.

Freedom of religious belief is enforced, and Jews can even support pagan weddings in Vienna churches, and even say that as long as citizens do not violate the laws they make, even Satan is free.

Of course, the petty burgher class, which has always supported him, will not let Joseph II go. He used an extremely exaggerated police system to stipulate a code of conduct for all citizens from birth to death.

For the most loyal army, it is still a big move to let a large number of veterans and veterans retire on the spot. At the same time, a number of codes of conduct were imposed, such as the stipulation that anyone who participated in or accepted a duel must be executed in an attempt to curb the culture of duels within the empire.

All of this would take 1-2 chapters if written in detail. In addition, don't be afraid, these words are added later, and there will be no charge. ）

Needless to say, the consequence is that he has sinned all those who can be offended.

But in a country as bizarre as Austria, there were still plenty of supporters around even such a quick success. On the contrary, the political situation in the country was dominated by the reformers, who were the first Josephists.

But history is full of chances, and within a few years the Austrian Empire was inexplicably embroiled in the Russo-Turkish War, and while the two Austrians were fighting fiercely, the old rival Prussia took the opportunity to declare an alliance with the Sultan, and the Magyars rebels also took the opportunity to revolt.

Faced with a stormy and erodive situation, Joseph II had no choice but to compromise, and finally died in despair and isolation.

His epitaph reads:

"Those who are buried here, although they are very good, will not achieve anything in the end."

Although the disgraced monarch is gone, the Josephists have not disappeared with it, but still have a very strong influence.

The hardliners among them even advocated national equality and the elimination of Magyar traitors. That's right, this man is the Minister of War, Count Tular. However, the entire Austrian military leadership was somewhat of a Josephist believer.

"Mr. Alfred, I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. As you all know, we Germans have been caught between the French hammer and the Slavic anvil for many years, and we have finally been able to breathe after defeating the damned Corsican and his swarm of locusts, because the presence of Austria has brought the tripartite balance to a delicate balance.

If one day this balance is artificially upset, then the continent will be back in endless scuffle. ”

Otto von Bismarck was never a war maniac, but a calculating politician.

"Otto, your words have confused me. Can you tell me whether you want Austria to decline or to become strong? ”

Alfred's ability to grow a small workshop of 17 people into one of the most prestigious steel mills in the Rhine region with 130 employees in seven years shows that this man is by no means mediocre, but still falls short compared to the future Iron Prime Minister.

The sophisticated Bismarck did not give a direct answer, but asked rhetorically.

"Mr. Alfred, do you think the Josephists will repeat the mistakes of the past this time?"

Alfred Krupp scratched his head. He never thought that this group of losers would succeed, because the arrogance of the Germans in the Austrian Empire made it difficult for them to make peace with other peoples. But after some thought, the future steel tycoon answered.

"I think so, after all, there is an unborn talent like you. Isn't it? ”

("I guess so, you're here, after all.") Isn't it? This is the original sentence, but since some book friends say that there are too many things to think about, it has been simplified. ）

Thanks to the book friend S Yundong Bafang, Chop 6 sauce, and Zimu for their rewards.

Ask for tickets.

Also, I'm sorry I can't add it for the time being.

(End of chapter)