Chapter 484

Buy or not?

This was not a multiple-choice question at all.

From the standpoint of the Government of Vienna, the Moroccan region must be taken. It was only a matter of time.

Although the Air Force's "Terminator Plan" was somewhat idealistic, it was not completely without merit.

It was unrealistic to storm the Royal Navy's nest, but it was possible to treat Morocco as a giant aircraft carrier, deploy hundreds of bombers on it, and lock the west gate.

To Holy Empire, the greatest benefit of taking down Morocco was that they would be able to grasp the strategic initiative.

With both the east and west gates of the Mediterranean in their hands, the Shinra Navy could take the initiative to attack and didn't need to stay in their nest every day.

In recent years, the Government of Vienna had been very peaceful and rarely intervened in regional conflicts. It was not that they didn't know how to cause trouble, but it was mainly because they lacked mobility.

Most of the Royal Navy's main force stayed in the home fleet to watch over the Shinra Navy. In order to ensure control of the Mediterranean, the Government of Vienna could only leave its main force ships in their nest.

There was no other way, the British Navy was too strong. Shinra could only let the navy and air force cooperate to gain the upper hand in the Mediterranean.

If the main force went out, the British would launch a surprise attack from behind, blow up the Suez Canal, and block the Shinra Navy outside, then it would be over.

When it came to the struggle for hegemony, they would always do anything. No one could guarantee that Britannia wouldn't have a ruthless person.

It would be different if they took over the Moroccan region. The west gate was locked. No matter how the outside world changed, Shinra could ensure control of the Mediterranean.

Even if war broke out, the British would at most send a few submarines to cause trouble. As for surface ships, they would probably be useless after passing through the strait.

Planes couldn't sink warships, but it was difficult to do so in a short period of time. If they kept bombing behind, even the most powerful warship would be thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

As long as the Mediterranean was still in their hands, the Government of Vienna could mobilize resources from Asia, Europe, and Africa in the shortest time possible through the sea route.

…

On another sunny day, the idle Franz appeared at the artificial lake in the palace of Vienna with a group of grandchildren.

For some reason, every wealthy emperor liked to build palaces, and Franz was no exception.

The giant artificial lake in front of them was one of Franz's masterpieces. After several expansions, the Palace of Vienna and Hofburg were connected into one, forming the current Palace of Vienna.

In terms of area, the Palace of Vienna was definitely the largest palace in the world.

If Franz wanted, he could race in his own home. If this happened in the Eastern world, the Emperor's wantonly enclosing land to build a palace would definitely cause the civil officials to be severely criticized.

But in the Holy Roman Empire, this was not a big deal. As a large empire with a territory of nearly 40 million square kilometers, they might lack anything but land.

Vienna was the emperor's territory, and most of the land belonged to the royal family. If the emperor wanted to build a wall around his own land, no one could stop him.

Vienna was the emperor's territory. Most of the land was the private property of the royal family. The original farms and manors were still there. Only the factories were moved.

The original farms and manors were still there. Only the factories were moved.

The seasonal vegetables in the palace were provided by these farms. They were all natural products without any chemical fertilizer or pesticide additives.

It was mainly for convenience. Running between two palaces was not a waste of money, but it was really tiring for the people.

It couldn't be helped. Franz was afraid of death.

Every time they went out, the guards had to monitor the area within two kilometers. They would not give the enemy any chance. It was no less than a march to war.

For everyone's convenience, the two places were connected. It would save the residents in the surrounding areas.

The emperor was rich now. He could afford to keep enough royal guards. No matter how big the palace was, it could be monitored.

Putting aside his private property, just the annuity alone was enough for Franz to squander.

When the Government of Vienna was in financial difficulties, Franz took the initiative to make a sacrifice. He proposed to share the joys and sorrows with the people. He set the royal annuity at 1.5% of the revenue.

It was really a "sacrifice." The Government of Vienna was really poor at that time. Even the royal family's annual income couldn't afford to support the palace guards.

In the first few years, Franz spent a lot of money. The media also did some publicity, which touched many people.

But no one thought that the country would develop so fast. In the short span of 40 years, Austria, which was less than 700,000 square kilometers in size, had snowballed into the current Holy Empire.

The country was growing and the economy was booming. The revenue of the Government of Vienna naturally rose. It expanded dozens of times.

Needless to say, listed companies also had equity incentives. As the hero who promoted the development of the country, the emperor would naturally benefit.

To this day, the political show back then had become a legend that had spread all over the world.

As far as Franz knew, there were already many ambitious monarchs who followed suit. The end result was that these followers had developed the good habit of being diligent and thrifty.

There was no other way. If a country wanted to develop, it had to face too many challenges.

Although Austria declined, it was still the fourth largest power in the world. It still had the strength to support itself.

Not only did it not need to worry about foreign enemies, but it could also play colonial expansion to divert domestic conflicts while promoting social reform.

Even without the wealth, they still jumped out to follow the trend. But what else could they want in a hard life?

One had to know that industrialization was very costly. Without the benefits of foreign colonial plunder, the speed of development would be absolutely shocking.

Franz, who was known as the role model of a monarch, could only silently express his moral support for his peers who were inadvertently tricked.

Simply put, he often asked his attendants to write letters of encouragement to these younger generations and constantly instilled chicken soup for the soul.

In short, the road ahead was tortuous, but the future was bright. As long as they persevered, one day they would succeed.

Based on the principle of fooling one by one, Franz's reputation in the monarchs' circle was rising, and he had a large number of believers.

As for the final outcome, it was not something that Franz could control.

As a qualified spiritual mentor, Franz was very clear about the principle of "the more you do, the more mistakes you make."

Therefore, he had always only given moral encouragement and never made any specific suggestions, in the name of not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

It was all because he was idle. When he started his business, Franz could not wait for the rulers of other countries to lead a befuddled life, not to mention encouraging them to work hard.

Now it was different. The dominant position of the Holy Roman Empire had been established. No matter how much trouble the latecomers caused, they could not change the overall situation.

Then they might as well be good people, encourage the younger generation to study hard, complete industrialization as soon as possible, and promote the development of human civilization.

He did not know if it was because of the "fish eating unlucky food", but every time Franz went fishing, he came in high spirits and returned disappointed.

This time was no exception. Looking at the group of lively grandchildren, Franz knew that it would be difficult to get anything today.

However, this was a small problem. Fishing was to kill time, and it was not important whether there was any harvest or not.

"Father, the British are stirring up trouble again!"

Hearing the familiar voice behind him, Franz knew that trouble was coming again. In recent years, the secret war between Shinra and Britannia had become more and more intense.

Today you trick me, tomorrow I will trick you. Over the years, the grievances between the two countries had long been unclear.

Especially during the period when Frederick The Great was in charge, the Government of Vienna had suffered a lot. Based on the principle of paying tuition fees, as long as it did not involve core interests, Franz did not bother to ask.

"A problem in Morocco?"

From the news that the Spanish government wanted to sell the Morocco area, Franz knew that the British were going to stir up trouble.

The essence of international politics was: oppose what the enemy supports, support what the enemy opposes, and make it impossible for the enemy to do what they want to do.

Frederick The Great: "That's right. The British are spreading rumors that we are threatening the Spanish government and want to take over the Morocco area.

Just this morning, the British Foreign Minister issued a public declaration supporting the Spanish government to protect its own rights and suggested that the Spanish government completely take control of the Morocco area. "

Franz commented with interest, "It seems that this Government of the United Kingdom has made rapid progress, and their political means are becoming more mature.

However, these little tricks can only disgust people. Unless the British are willing to pay, supporting Spain to control the Morocco area is a joke.

As long as the Spanish government's financial problems are not solved, their determination to sell the Morocco area will not easily waver. Now that they are making trouble, it is nothing more than making it easier for the Spanish to raise the price.

Pay close attention, the British must have a backup plan. Warn the Spanish government to be wary of a revolution in the country. "

It was a bit surprising that the Government of the United Kingdom did not jump out to compete for the Morocco area. However, considering that the British had suffered similar losses before, it was not surprising that they had learned their lesson now.

As for the pressure from public opinion, it was nothing more than the price. Only when the price was low would it be forced to buy and sell; as long as the price was reasonable, it would be an ordinary colonial transaction.

Simply calculating, the Government of Vienna would have to pay tens of millions of BD for this, and the British had no reason not to do it.

Frederick The Great said with a depressed face, "The logic is right, but the British's calculations have once again put our negotiations with the Spanish into an impasse.

Not only has it attracted the attention of public opinion internationally, but the people at home are also very concerned about this issue. There are even a number of fundraising committees among the people who want to pay for the government.

Ever since the news that the Spanish government is interested in selling the Morocco area spread, there has been a steady stream of people coming to lobby. I am almost annoyed to death. "

Obviously, the sudden appearance of the "fundraising committee" that wanted to pay for the government was not because they were patriotic.

In the end, it was because of interests. The Holy Roman Empire was particular about the principle of reciprocity. How much you contributed to the empire's cause, how much of the cake you would get.

If the Government of Vienna paid to buy the Morocco area, it would be directly under the central government, and everyone would at most get a mouthful of soup.

If the civil society paid to buy the Morocco area and completed the armed occupation, then another group of feudal nobles would rise.

The government in charge of the lead would at most take a few big cities and important ports, and most of the benefits would be distributed to the people who contributed money and effort.

When it came to personal interests, everyone naturally reacted quickly. As for the problem of money, there was no need to worry at all. There were capitalists who wanted to cross class to sponsor.

Financial resources + military force = successful colonization.

As the world was divided up, the chances of getting a feudal land were getting fewer and fewer. Every time an opportunity appeared, there would be a large group of people fighting for it.

In particular, the Morocco area was very close to Europe, and the climate was also very good, making it even more attractive.

Franz did not show the slightest sympathy for his son's depression. Instead, he said gloatingly, "It's good to get used to it.

There will be a lot of such things in the future, and you have to learn to adapt.

When you have a strong heart, you will find that these trivial things are just a speck of dust in life, not a big deal at all. "

Sometimes, a little more chicken soup was also very good for the body. The chicken soup of dreams that could not be realized and transcended reality was the real poison.

Although Franz's words were deceptive, if one's heart was really strong, he could indeed treat these troubles as a speck of dust.

After all, Frederick The Great was the crown prince of the Holy Roman Empire. As long as he could stick to his principles, the people who lobbied him could not do anything.

Frederick The Great was very depressed about this result. Originally, he came to report to his father to ask for his help.

Not only did he not find a solution, but he also got a stomach full of chicken soup. If it was when he was young, Frederick The Great's blood would definitely be boiling, and he would put in 120% of his energy to complete it.

However, Frederick The Great, who was over 40 years old, was obviously past the age of being hot-blooded. He had long become immune to the encouragement in the chicken soup. Generally speaking, he was the one giving chicken soup to others.

Franz did not give an answer, which meant that he, the crown prince, had to decide the distribution of the benefits in the Morocco area.

Obviously, this was not an easy task. At any time, the distribution of benefits was the most troublesome.

The Morocco area was only so big, and there were only so many people watching. It was obviously impossible to satisfy everyone's appetite, so the distribution was a test.

Soon, Frederick The Great reacted. He had not even gotten the Morocco area, and he was already thinking about the distribution of benefits first. He was obviously thinking too much.

Looking at the group of children playing by the lake, Frederick The Great revealed an envious gaze.

Childhood was the best time, where one could play to their heart's content without having to think about anything. Unfortunately, time was gone, and it could never go back.

…