Chapter 54: Conversation at Schönbrunn Palace
Habsburg Schönbrunn Palace.
Ernst came to Franz for help.
To be honest, Franz has been very busy recently. In addition to dealing with the aftermath of the defeat, he also has to deal with the unreasonable behavior of the Hungarian Magyar nobles.
But Franz still found time to meet his future nephew-in-law.
"Ernst, how come you have time to come to Austria!" asked Emperor Franz.
"Your Majesty, I came here this time hoping that Austria can support me in recruiting workers in Austria," Ernst said frankly.
"Don't tell me such trivial things!" Franz asked puzzledly.
It was really exaggerated that he had to go to the palace to discuss such trivial matters as recruiting with me in person. Then with so many companies in Austria, wouldn't they have to report to me every day?
"Actually, your majesty, the number of people I am recruiting this time is a little bit too much. And I hope the Austrian government can endorse this recruitment."
"How many people do you want to recruit?" Franz asked curiously. After all, if there are few people, the government will not need to intervene.
"If possible, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands," Ernst replied without changing his expression.
"Ernst, are you kidding? Are you planning to arm an army? So many people is too outrageous!" Franz asked in disbelief.
Ernst explained everything in detail: "Your Majesty, actually, this is the case. I think you should know that I have a colony in East Africa. The current economic benefits are pretty good, and it can barely break even. The factor that hinders the development of the colony is population. At the beginning, no one was willing to develop in East Africa, so I recruited a lot of people from Asia. Just like the German population of the Austrian Empire, the number of white people in the colony is very small. I think you know what this means!"
"So you want to recruit people from the Austrian Empire to balance the Asians in the colonies! But why don't you recruit people from Prussia?" Franz asked curiously.
How should I respond to this? Ernst complained in his heart, could it be that the Austrian people have a low level of education and are easy to fool?
"It's actually like this, Your Majesty." Ernst said stiffly, "The Prussian army has solved the employment problem in Prussia very well in recent years, so few people choose to go overseas for development. As we all know, the size of the Prussian army is quite outrageous, so it has been difficult to recruit workers in recent years."
Franz certainly didn't believe a word of this nonsense, but he still decided to give Ernst a chance: "As long as you can tell me the reasons that will move me, I may still support you."
Ernst said slowly, "Your Majesty, is Austria now troubled by nationalists?"
Franz nodded. "That's the truth. The Hungarians in particular have been pushing their limits lately, causing a lot of trouble for the Imperial Central Government!"
Ernst asked: "Then your Majesty, what do you think the Hungarian Magyar nobles rely on to negotiate with the Austrian government?"
"Of course it is Hungary's strength. Hungary has a vast territory and a large population. If Hungarians become independent, Austria will also lose its position in Europe. The empire will never give up this place!" Franz said.
"That's right, Your Majesty." Ernst echoed, "The rise of nationalism in Europe is actually a conspiracy by Britain and France against your country. Germans account for less than 30% of your country."
"Germans account for more than 20% of the population, but Hungary accounts for 20% of the population, and there are also 10% of Poles, Czechoslovaks, Croatians and other Slavic peoples in the empire, as well as a small number of Romanians and Italians."
"Among them, the Hungarians alone are capable of challenging the Germans, not to mention the Poles and other Slavic peoples in Galicia. In the past, with the entire German region behind it, the empire could still suppress these peoples."
"But the international situation is becoming increasingly turbulent, and Austria can no longer dominate the European continent like it used to. Clowns like Italy dare to covet the Empire's territory. Once they instigate the Italians in the Empire to rebel, Trieste and the southern part of the Empire will be in great danger."
"The Poles have been actively seeking support for the restoration of their country in Europe and the United States, but Poland is only a country that existed in history. What drives the Poles is the cultural identity shaped by the glorious history of the Polish region."
"But are the Poles really only seeking territory within Russian borders? They are now concentrating on discrediting Russia in Europe because they need support, but they will not forget what happened to Prussia and Austria in the past."
"Even if the Poles in the empire currently support the royal family, there is a saying that goes, we can share happiness but not adversity. Now they support your rule because they are highlighting the suffering of the Poles in Russia. Once the Austrian Empire encounters economic problems one day, they will blame Austria."
"Besides that, there are other Slavic peoples in the empire. The Russians hate your country because of the Crimean War. Russia's influence on the Slavs is obvious to all. The Ottoman Empire has suffered a lot in the past two years."
…
Franz listened to Ernst's long speech with a frown on his face, and interrupted: "That's enough, of course I understand what you mean."
Franz stood up, put his hands behind his back, looked at the map of the Austrian Empire, and said dejectedly: "I know the many ills of the empire, but politics is not as easy as you think, Ernst."
He slowed down his tone and said: "Maybe you are still young, and young people always have the courage to face difficulties, but Austria is too old, so a small change may lead to a disaster and end the life of the Austrian Empire."
"For example, Maximino was a very radical guy, but he suffered a big setback in Mexico. He was also very competitive and didn't want to ask me for help. I don't know how he is doing now!"
He walked up to Ernst and said with a resolute look: "The Austrian Empire was once the hegemon of Europe. Although it is now facing unimaginable difficulties, I don't think I can solve Austria's problems, but I still have the ability to support this great country to continue to move forward."
He turned his back to Ernst and said, "When I am old, the future will belong to you young people. I believe that you and the younger generations of Austria will use your wisdom to make Austria great again."
"Austria has indeed become unstable because of nationalists, and the Austrian government itself wants to change this situation."
"But the pressure we face is unimaginable to ordinary people. The control of local areas by the nobles of various ethnic groups in the country far exceeds that of the central government. In addition, the Austrian central government itself has its own problems, and finances have been a problem for the government to promote reforms in Austria."
Franz seemed a little lonely when he said this, and he continued, "I have also tried to learn from my ancestors to promote centralization and strengthen the German language education of the people."
"However, whenever the government puts forward these suggestions, the local dignitaries try their best to stop them. At the same time, the economic situation of the empire has been getting worse and worse in the past two years, and the government does not have the extra financial resources to support reforms."
Ernst certainly knew these difficulties. Austria was indeed facing the problem of difficult transformation, and there was no figure in contemporary Austria who could turn the tide.
For example, although Franz was an emperor, he could not be a radical reformer. His identity determined that he had to put the interests of the Habsburg family first.
If he implemented reforms, it might shake the Habsburg rule, so the royal family would not take the initiative to lead the reforms.
At present, the Austrian government does not have a politician of outstanding ability and unrivaled influence throughout the empire.
Bismarck emerged in neighboring Prussia, and William I and successive Prussian monarchs were all relatively wise, which laid a good foundation for Prussia. Bismarck also established his personal prestige with the help of war victories and diplomatic achievements.
If Austria could have produced a Bismarck-like figure at this time, it would still have a chance. Unfortunately, Austria is not a gambler like Prussia and does not have the spirit of self-innovation.
Of course, Ernst's purpose in coming here was not to help Austria solve its political problems, but to attract population for the colony.
"Your Majesty, the Austrian problem is indeed more difficult, but we can choose to make things easier."
Ernst went on to say: “For example, when I recruited workers in the empire, I was actually absorbing the unemployed farmers in the Austrian Empire. They had just moved into the cities from rural areas across the country. The problem was that the jobs in Austria obviously could not absorb so many people.”
"Once these people cannot find jobs, Austria's social crisis will be aggravated and reform will become more difficult. Moreover, they will be exploited by radical capitalists, after all, they have criminal records."
Franz sighed and said, "Okay, I know what you are thinking."
"You can recruit workers in the Austrian Empire. As long as you have the ability, you can recruit as many people as you want. But I have to warn you first, you can't attract the attention of Germans. As for other nationalities, if you can recruit more, we will not only not object, but will support it."
In this way, the two men tacitly reached a verbal agreement that Austria would reduce the number of other ethnic groups through Ernst, while Ernst would obtain white labor to develop Africa.
There is a bright future for everyone...
(End of this chapter)
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