The meeting between Franz and Alexander produced constructive results. The relationship between Russia and Austria quickly warmed up, and the small conflict caused by the Pudan War dissipated.
The Kingdom of Sardinia
The Austrian army was packing their bags. The armistice had been signed, and half of the war reparations had been paid. The rest was guaranteed by the Government of the United Kingdom. It was time to withdraw.
Franz had no intention of going back on his word. If possible, he didn't mind withdrawing the army immediately. It was expensive for an army to be out there.
However, since they had occupied the Kingdom of Sardinia once, the Austrian army naturally couldn't go there for nothing. It was impossible for them to not offend anyone. Almost all the soldiers returned with a full load.
It was troublesome to carry the spoils of war around. If they were to sell them on the spot, they wouldn't be able to fetch a price in the Kingdom of Sardinia that had just been baptized by the flames of war. Some goods couldn't even be found.
Marshal Radski was a good marshal. In order to protect everyone's interests, he immediately decided to have the troops transport them back to the country and sell them before splitting the profits.
…
In the Turin Industrial Zone, a major was giving orders. "Tom, be careful. These machines are precious. It's said that they're worth tens of thousands of duns. You can't turn them into scrap metal. Otherwise, we won't even be able to earn enough for the transportation!"
"Don't worry, Major. I don't dare to let these precious machines break, "Tom replied.
Bandits were like combing, and soldiers were like combing.
Ever since the Government of Vienna decided to give up the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Austrian army fully displayed their initiative and began to make a fortune.
Of course, they couldn't be bothered to rob ordinary people. Not only would they not be able to get anything out of it, it would also be a waste of time.
The reward of robbing a noble or a capitalist was greater than robbing a village. This was an easy choice.
Marshal Radski was strict with his army. Everyone was organized to make a fortune. Every unit was divided into areas and began to move.
This also tested their professional knowledge. European armies had a tradition of robbing. During the war against France, the Kingdom of Sardinia had been visited by the French many times.
In the process of robbing and being robbed, everyone learned to hide their wealth.
There was no need to worry about property and land. These immovable assets that couldn't be taken away were very safe. What everyone had to be careful about was how to hide the cash, antiques, and paintings that were easy to carry.
The nobles and capitalists weren't stupid. They started to hide their wealth before the enemy arrived. As long as they didn't resist, the army usually only robbed and didn't kill.
How much they could hide depended on their ability. Experienced people knew to hide the most valuable part of their wealth and leave some cash outside for the soldiers to rob.
If they hid everything, they would most likely lose everything. How much they were. How much they could hide? If he were to be provoked, what would he do if the other party interrogated him?
It was not like Li Zicheng was the only one who could interrogate people. There were many people who had done this kind of thing, it was just that the others were not as fierce as he was.
Franz was a man of integrity, so he naturally wouldn't let the Austrian army do something so unskilled.
Before the operation, he had already sent people to train the soldiers. For example, antiques, calligraphy, and other cultural relics had to be carefully kept, and mechanical equipment had to be handled with care.
Up. "Underground and Sea" Were Ning Heads. and said. "King" and said and could. and Ding.
"Everything is fine." Specialized. A well-trained robber team would have a lot of spoils.
In this era, Sardinia didn't have a railway that ran through Austria. Transportation was mainly done by human and animal labor.
Since August, the Austrian army had started to transport their belongings back to the country. They were still working hard.
A soldier reported, "Major, we found a warehouse with a lot of black wheat. It's said a grain merchant stored it here."
The major frowned and hesitated. "We've already seized a lot of food. We're about to leave and can't finish it. Seal it there and wait for orders. I'll report it. "
Austria didn't lack food. Spending a lot of money to transport it back from Sardinia wouldn't earn much. It was a worthless spoil.
…
At the highest headquarters of the expeditionary force, Marshal Radski had received too many reports about the seizure of food, coal, ore, and industrial raw materials.
These things were of little value to Austria. They wouldn't make any money if they were shipped back. They might not even be able to sell for the transportation fee.
He wasn't willing to leave it to the Sardinian government. After this war, the relationship between the two countries wouldn't be normalized for decades. Weakening Sardinia was more in Austria's interest.
Should he destroy it? Marshal Radski hesitated.
"Marshal, why don't we sell it to the merchants?" Lieutenant General Edmund Leopold Friedrich suggested.
Robbery also depended on the target. The British and French merchants weren't part of the scope. Of course, this was only limited to the big merchants. Small merchants didn't care.
After the Austrian army occupied Sardinia, there were merchants who wanted to buy the spoils of war from the Austrian army. It was just that the price was too low and Marshal Radski didn't want to lose out. That was why he chose to sell it back to his country.
Marshal Radski hesitated for a moment and said, "Then let's sell it!"
You can go against anyone, but you can't go against money. With so many basic resources, no matter how cheaply they were sold, it would add up to a large sum.
Marshal Radski couldn't be bothered to think about the consequences of these resources falling into the hands of these merchants. It wouldn't be good for Sardinia anyway.
…
In the St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, a religious feast was being held. Pope Pius IX was personally "participating" in the meeting.
Yes, participating in the meeting. Even though he was the leader of the religious world, he had fallen. Even though it wasn't to the point of being bullied by dogs, he had lost his authority.
Faced with the Austrian's offer, he really couldn't find a reason to refuse.
The headquarters of the Roman Curia had fallen. In order to recapture the headquarters, it was only natural to sell a portion of the church's property to raise military funds.
Whoever dared to object was not pious enough in their faith in God. Clergy who were not pious had no right to continue serving God.
This was only Pius IX's opinion. To many Austrian bishops, this was very unreasonable. The Curia had so many properties. Why should they all sell their properties?
"Stop arguing. This is an order. If anyone objects to reclaiming the holy land, I will remove him from his position! "Pius IX threatened.
Removing him from his position was probably only the first step. If things went wrong, he might even be excommunicated. That would be terrible.
They weren't Protestants who could use the Pope's order as toilet paper. Nor were they a feudal lord who could directly bring troops to Rome and threaten the Pope to revoke his order.
There had never been a lack of people who were blinded by benefits in this world. Bishop Monterrey was one of them.
Unlike the veteran bishops who had already earned enough, he had just been promoted. In order to get this position, Monterrey had invested all his wealth. He hadn't even had the time to recover it.
At this time, to sell the church's property on a large scale, wasn't this cutting off his source of income?
Sweeping his gaze across the entire place, he saw that all the bishops were enraged, and his courage rose.
This wasn't the Middle Ages anymore. What right did the Pope have to be so arrogant?
"Your Holiness, the clergy also need to eat. If we sell the church's property, what will we eat?" Monterrey questioned.
"As servants of God, we are not allowed to be greedy for pleasure. The income of the church is enough to maintain the lives of the clergy," Pius IX said nonchalantly.
It wasn't like the church had no business. In a country with a strong religious atmosphere like Austria, there would be no shortage of donations from believers.
Monterrey continued to argue, "But, Your Holiness, the church also needs to operate. If there isn't enough funding, we can't guarantee that the faith of the people won't decrease."
Pius IX said with a pious expression, "As a devout believer, you must overcome these difficulties. Child, if you don't have the ability to bear this responsibility, let someone who can do it!"
The people who were about to speak up to help quickly chose to shut up. It was obvious that the Government of Austria had their eyes on the church's wealth. In order to recover the Papal State, Pius IX had already sold them off.
Not to mention deposing one bishop, even deposing all of them would be a small problem. Without the halo of holiness, they were no match for the government.
Seeing that the indignant bishops had quietened down, Monterrey knew that he was done for.
If he wasn't careful, he would actually become the chicken that was killed to warn the monkeys. At this time, he didn't even have the courage to defend himself.
If he confessed obediently, he could be dealt with leniently. If he continued to resist, one death would be considered a light punishment, and his entire family might be in trouble.
Don't think that there wouldn't be repercussions in Europe. Even if it wasn't to the extent of exterminating his entire family, a blow to his family would still be inevitable.
Looking at Monterrey, who had admitted his guilt, Pius IX was very satisfied with his display of authority.
After no one objected, Prime Minister Felix was invited out.
Under God's witness, Pius IX represented the Holy See and the Government of Austria represented by Felix signed an agreement on the transfer of church property.
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