In the United States of America, thick smoke was rising from a farm in Texas, and it could be seen from tens of miles away.
As the owner of the farm, Oder had mixed feelings as he looked at the fire.
After living for so long, this was the first time he met a buyer who burned the grain on the spot instead of transporting it away.
However, for the sake of the Divine Shield, Oder would not reject the buyer no matter how strange the request was.
In the end, Oder could not hold back his curiosity and asked, "Mr. Urbert, our deal is complete.
But don't you think it's a pity to burn such good grain? "
Urbert said helplessly, "I have no choice. The French are sharpening their swords to invade my country.
As a businessman, I can't return to my country to participate in the war, but I still want to do something within my power.
Not long ago, there was news from Europe that Austria had finally joined the war. They even issued an announcement to order the French to stop the war. Otherwise, they would call for the rest of the world to impose a material embargo on France.
It's said that 13 countries have announced their participation, and this is the only chance to avoid war.
As long as the French can't buy enough strategic materials, they won't be able to launch an invasion, and my country will be free from the threat of war. "
Of course, there was an announcement. In order to take the moral high ground, Franz had recently issued many announcements to persuade the French to stop before it was too late.
When the same words fell into the ears of different people, the effect would be completely different.
To the European people, Franz was doing his best to avoid war, but to the French, it was Austria being afraid.
On one hand, they were being tough on diplomacy, and on the other hand, they were calling for peace. It was obvious that they did not want war.
Other than being afraid of France, there was no need for Franz to stand out and make meaningless announcements. Even the threat of a material embargo was weak, and there was no domineering will to fight if they wanted to.
Many of the French even suspected that as long as they made a move, Austria would retreat, and they could easily conquer Central Europe.
An embargo by 13 countries sounded scary, but those who knew the inside story knew that it was a joke. It was obvious by looking at the countries involved.
There was no need to mention Belgium, Germany, and Austria. After that, there was Greece and Montenegro.
Opening the map, it was not difficult to see that these two small countries had to join the embargo union, because after the Austrian blockade of France, their trade with the French had been interrupted.
The remaining countries, Sardinia, the Kingdom of Sicily, the Papal States, Tuscany, Lucca, Modena, and Parma, were all French territories, but they actually announced their participation.
Without a doubt, these countries were announced by the exile governments on behalf of their countries. It was impossible for the French-controlled countries to rebel at this time.
Together with the Mexican Empire that was in exile in Austria, it just happened to be a total of 13 countries' embargo.
Oudel sighed. "You, the Empire, of the United States. But if you don't sell it to the French, that's enough. Why burn it? "
Nowadays, the trend was that capital had no borders. Patriotic businessmen were definitely rare creatures. Most businessmen only had profits in their eyes.
Urbert replied in a righteous manner, "I will not sell to the French. There are others who will sell to the French. As long as it's resold, I can't control where the grain ends up.
As long as the Government of France doesn't give in, the grain they have will not flow to France. The price of grain will continue to rise in the short term.
As long as the French government does not give in, the food in their hands will not flow into France. In the short term, food prices will continue to rise.
If the price of grain continues to rise, I can't guarantee that I will be able to hold my own in the face of profit.
If the price of grain continues to rise, I can't guarantee that I will be able to stand my ground in the face of profit.
To avoid the worst, it's better to burn it. "
…
Perhaps it was a coincidence, when the two of them were talking, they met a reporter from San Franco Daily, who recorded everything with a pen.
After the news was published in the newspaper, it quickly caused a sensation in the Alliance. Patriotic businessmen would rather burn grain than sell it to the French. Such a touching story naturally spread far and wide.
Soon, there were news of businessmen burning grain everywhere. Some were patriotic businessmen, some out of pure indignation. In any case, no one wanted the French to buy the grain.
There was a reason to be optimistic. Grain was a necessity. Before, Austria was rushing to buy it, and then there were righteous businessmen burning grain. There was less grain in the market, and the price was bound to rise!
With the capitalists adding fuel to the fire, everyone thought that the price of grain was going to skyrocket. Even ordinary citizens began to hoard grain.
Then, the trade price of grain in the Alliance began to skyrocket, and there was a trend to catch up with Europe.
Especially in the futures market, the trade price of grain more than doubled after a few months.
Similar scenes were not only happening in the Alliance, but also in other American countries.
But the script was changed, and it wasn't necessarily only grain that rose. Other industrial raw materials were not left behind.
…
The rise in prices affected not only the French, but the whole world suffered from it.
There was no other way, the capitalists were too powerful. Austria only took the lead, and the rest was up to them to manipulate.
Just as the newspaper said, "The Emperor gave an order, and Europe trembled, and the world changed.
Thick smoke rose from the farms, changing the color of the sky and the earth. Mountains of fire appeared in the coal mines, turning day and night upside down!
Poor people, still running around for three meals a day, worrying about how to keep warm … "
The satirical news, whether it was Franz or Napoleon Iv, was a question worth exploring.
However, Franz, who had a good attitude, directly admitted that it was satirizing Napoleon Iv, and quietly sent people to change the title of the emperor to the French Emperor.
The subsequent act of burning supplies was also interpreted as a means for the people to oppose the hegemony of France. Unfortunately, it was used by the unscrupulous capitalists, and in the end, the world was accidentally hurt.
Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, these are diplomatic notes from various countries. They hope that we can exercise restraint and stop the current economic tactics."
What was to come would still come. In any case, the matter was caused by Austria, and there was nothing wrong with their protest.
But was the Government of Austria responsible for the rise in prices?
The answer was: No!
No matter how rich the Government of Austria was, there was no way for them to buy up all the supplies in the world. In fact, the supplies that were actually bought by the Government of Austria only accounted for a small portion.
Although the burning was first planned by the Government of Austria, it was only for show, and only a few thousand tons of food were burned.
The supplies bought with real money were burned. Franz wasn't that stupid.
The burning of supplies was nothing more than an excuse for the capital market to believe that there would be a shortage of supplies in the market, which would push up prices.
In a situation where there wasn't enough for their own country, they naturally had to restrict exports. France wasn't a member of the free trade system, so they were definitely the most unlucky one.
As for some of the small countries that were accidentally hurt, Franz could only say that it was a pity. After all, there was no perfect strategy in this world, and it was inevitable that someone's interests would be hurt.
Franz asked with concern, "How much did the price of goods in the international market increase compared to a year ago?"
Wesenberg: "The overall price has increased by 31.4%. The price of coal has increased by 94.1%, the price of food has increased by 144.1%, and the price of steel has increased by 79.7% …"
After hesitating for a moment, Franz slowly said, "The price is almost right. Start shipping! If this drags on, everyone will not be able to sit still. "
Although economic tactics were good, the problem was that it was difficult to offend public anger. It was fine to make a profit, but if they continued to play, the governments of various countries would definitely intervene.
In fact, the fact that the governments of various countries were able to delay until now to protest, the capitalists had also contributed a lot.
Prices were determined by market supply and demand. No one could not live with money. Austria's sweeping of goods pushed up prices, and the capitalists were the biggest beneficiaries.
In order to make huge profits, it was unknown how many capitalists burned supplies under the guise of resisting France's hegemony, adding fuel to the flames of rising prices.
Prime Minister Carr objected, "Your Majesty, if we start shipping now, these supplies will fall into the hands of the French …"
In a sense, the Government of Austria's shipping now increased the war potential of the French, which could also be regarded as a kind of "support for the enemy."
If it wasn't Franz who said it, Prime Minister Carr would have cursed his whole family if it was anyone else who proposed to sell the goods hoarded overseas.
Franz shook his head, "We can't drag on any longer. Prices have risen to a high level. If we delay any longer, these supplies will fall into our hands.
They were originally bought at a high price. If we don't take advantage of this opportunity not to sell them, it will be difficult to sell them later.
As for your worries about supporting the enemy, it is completely unnecessary. Even if we don't sell, the French can still buy them.
Don't forget, the capital world now has excess production capacity, not a lack of production capacity.
The supplies we have hoarded, compared to the entire market, account for at most one or two percent of it.
As long as the French delay the start of the war, all the problems will be solved.
The current international situation is not suitable for us to take the lead in provoking a war. Politics requires that the first shot must be fired by the French, and we can only be passive.
If we sell the supplies now, we can not only give face to the governments of various countries, but also take the opportunity to make a profit. At the same time, we can cheat the French. Why not? "
This was the truth. Whether the Government of France was willing to accept it or not, prices had already risen. If they wanted to buy, they had to accept a high price.
After a moment of contemplation, Prime Minister Carr nodded, "If that's the case, then we'd better provoke the French and sell the goods after provoking a war."
If he wanted to do something, he had to do it to the extreme. The highest price would definitely be after the war. The biggest problem for the French to not start a war was that they didn't have enough strategic supplies in their hands.
Once the war continued, they would be in trouble in less than half a year.
The French were not stupid. They naturally considered the consequences of the war continuing. After all, the enemy this time was not only Peter, but also the giant Austria.
The war between the big countries could not be ended in one battle. There was still a chance to make a comeback if they failed. As long as the enemy refused to compromise, the war would continue.
Even if the supplies were bought, it did not mean that they could be used immediately. They had to be shipped back to their country for processing, which would take a few months or even longer.
