Chapter 900

The passion of the pilgrimage could not be stopped. After staying in Venice for a day, everyone was rejuvenated. The next day, they started a new journey.

Due to seasickness, Franz did not like to travel around. Even the Austrian royal family did not have a special cruise ship. This time, they directly borrowed a luxury passenger ship from the royal shipping company.

Although it was a luxury passenger ship, it still looked a little shabby with such a large family.

There was no other way. There was too little time. The coronation date had been set long ago. It would only take three to four months. Even if the shipyard could complete the task, Franz did not dare to take a ship that was in a rush.

The core members of the House of Habsburg were all on board. If an accident happened, they would all be lost. This was a risk that could not be taken.

At first, Franz planned to take a warship. It was safe, convenient, and domineering. Unfortunately, plans could not keep up with changes. The old, weak, women, and children insisted on following, so they had to consider comfort.

It seemed like a normal trip, but the Austrian Mediterranean Fleet was out in full force. Hundreds of warships of all sizes were on duty along the way, and more than a dozen main ships escorted them.

Such a big fuss was actually a show of force.

There were Austrian ports along the eastern Mediterranean. Franz and his group took ships during the day and rested on land at night. They only needed to spend one night on the ship, so there was no so-called safety hazard.

At the beginning of the year, the Austrian Navy had been sweeping the eastern Mediterranean Sea for pirates. Even if there were fish that slipped through the net, no one would be so stupid as to run to their deaths at this time.

It was another peaceful day. Franz, who was bored to death, stood on the deck and looked into the distance.

"Looking at the sea again. Since when did Franz like the sea?" Empress Helen's voice sounded.

Franz shook his head and handed the binoculars over. "Look, those little fellows are the ones who like the sea."

Following the direction of Franz's finger, Empress Helen looked over. After a while, she said, "It's good to be young!"

There was a hint of loneliness in her tone, as if she was reluctant to part with the lost youth.

Franz nodded very cooperatively. Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, he had been an emperor for more than 20 years.

Youthful and passionate years. Unfortunately, this was not the life an Emperor should have. When he was young, he had to pretend to be mature and steady enough to convince people.

After so many years, his power and status had been stabilized, and there was no need for him to continue pretending. Unfortunately, his lost youth was gone forever.

After a period of sadness, Franz asked in a negotiating tone, "What do you think if I let Frederick The Great serve in the navy?"

Serving in the military was an indispensable life experience for members of the royal family. As the crown prince, Frederick was no exception. The only difference was whether he would join the army or the navy.

As early as during the Near East War, Franz was ready to throw Frederick into the army to gain some gold. Unfortunately, the new military service law stipulated that he should serve at the age of 20.

As the one who made the rules, Franz was very clear about the consequences of breaking the rules. The seemingly insignificant change was actually the beginning of the collapse of the system.

Moreover, Franz, and, and, the rule, the most. "Franz" in for Franz. "King Frederick The Emperor, he would would. Franz was not prepared to produce a Napoleonic heir. Austria needed only a conservative ruler.

Queen Helen replied firmly, "Not good at all! Austria was a country with land as its core. Even though its navy had expanded rapidly in recent years, its nature had not changed.

Frederick is the crown prince. If he enters the navy, it will send a wrong political signal to the outside world, which will lead to a new round of land and sea wars. "

Frederick The Great is the crown prince. If he serves in the navy, it will send a wrong political signal to the outside world. This will trigger a new round of land and sea battles. "

After so many years as a queen, Empress Helen was no longer a political novice. She still had the basic ability to make judgments. There was no room for negotiation in this respect. Being neighbours to Russia, France and Prussia, it was inevitable that Austria would have to maintain a continental army.

The outside world might not know, but the higher-ups were very clear that Franz attached great importance to the development of the army. The total number of troops did not expand much, but the number of reserves was increasing day by day.

The reserve plan of the General Staff was also getting bigger and bigger. Today, if a war broke out, the Government of Vienna could mobilize three million reserves in one month, and five million in three months.

If it were not for Franz's steadiness, many people would have suspected that the emperor wanted to conquer the European continent, which was why he created such a crazy reserve system.

After a long time, everyone was relieved. His Majesty the Emperor preferred to use diplomatic means. He did not want to challenge the world.

Now, the international boosters all felt that Franz had set up so many reserves mainly for the sake of fairness.

In everyone's subconscious, there was no need for so many people in a war. No matter what kind of war it was, there was no need for so many troops.

From the royal family to the ordinary people, everyone had to serve in the military. No one could be an exception. This in itself was a manifestation of fairness.

Franz nodded helplessly. "This is indeed a problem, but it's not impossible to solve.

Forget it. Let Frederick The Great make the choice himself. I can deal with the aftermath for him. "

Even if he was confident that he could suppress the military, Franz still had a headache. The war between the army and the navy was a problem that almost every major country would face, and it was an unsolvable problem.

If the army and the navy really lived in harmony and didn't even bother to fight for military expenses, it would be a real disaster.

For example, the recently promoted Montenegro Kingdom never had a war between the army and the navy.

Since the Osman Empire withdrew from The Balkans, Montenegro was really free.

It had to be said that this was a smart move. For a small country with a population of less than 200,000, an army was a very extravagant thing.

Of course, in name, Montenegro also had an army and a navy. The police on land were the army, and the police responsible for anti-smuggling were the navy.

What was the point of expanding the military? The neighbor next door was not easy to mess with. If the Government of Vienna became hostile, the country could be destroyed at any time.

Fanatical nationalism also needed to be stimulated. The rulers were not fools. Who would risk their lives for something that was completely hopeless?

Without the pressure, the Montenegro Kingdom, which focused on farming, had a good life. Although it did not become rich, it was still on the road to riches.

This time, Franz did not intend to visit along the way. He only passed by three countries. Greece and Montenegro were not worthy of him personally. The Osman Empire was originally an enemy. It was right to fight, but there was no need for him to visit.

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