War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Prince Metternich did not realize his mistake, and most of Franz's suggestions were selectively ignored.

However, the superficial skills were still very good, and Franz even believed that the prince had accepted his suggestion.

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

"Archduke Franz, your words don't seem to be as easy to accept as you thought."

Adjani said with a hint of ridicule, Franz knew that the other party would not be aimless, and it seemed that there must be a problem in some link.

"What do you want to say?"

Adjani did not continue to hide it and spoke straight to the point.

"Our Prime Minister is still supporting the Orthodox Union in Switzerland, while his investment in the Papal States continues unabated."

This made Franz a little surprised, because according to intelligence from many sources, the Austrian Imperial Government should have indeed reduced funding in two places.

Let Prince Metternich pay for it out of his own pocket? That's impossible! And he couldn't afford it. In the 19th century, only the state could mobilize funds worth tens of millions.

"How is that possible? I haven't heard of any recent changes in the Papal States and the Swiss Confederation? And the most important thing is where does the money come from?"

Adjani: "Our Prime Minister is also known as the 'European Prime Minister' after all. He has been operating in the diplomatic field and in Austria for decades. Isn't it easy to hide the truth?

As for money, of course it’s your education fund and colony development funds! "

The new basic education was jointly undertaken by the imperial government and the church. One of Franz’s purposes for doing this was to save money. Because of the church’s own financial resources and obsession with education, the government could do a lot with very little money.

But the disadvantage is that the church is very independent and does not rely on the state's financial support. At the same time, due to Franz's special status, the former does not dare to make too many demands.

So even if the government defaulted on funds, Franz's basic education plan was still advancing steadily, and he naturally had no way of noticing.

In the eyes of those bureaucrats, Franz was the emperor for some time, while Metternich was now the actual prime minister. After weighing the pros and cons, they almost all chose silence.

There are people who want to speak out, but let alone those petty officials who are as big as sesame seeds and mung beans. Even local officials who want to give gifts to Franz may not have the chance.

Similarly, neither the intelligence network (Vienna Chamber of Commerce and Industry) formed by Franz, which was mainly businessmen, nor the secret police organization that paid a lot of money to hire, were unwilling to get involved in the struggle between the future emperor and the current prime minister.

The reason is very simple, not seeking merit but seeking no fault. Especially in political struggles, taking sides before the situation is clear is more dangerous than not taking sides.

As for the Bavarian Mutual Aid Association controlled by Mrs. Sophie, it may be very influential among the people, but it is nothing on the table, let alone have access to this level of intelligence.

The same is true for the church's intelligence network. Their first task is to monitor public sentiment, targeting civilians and nobles, as well as those enemies who may threaten the empire's rule. Their intelligence collection capabilities for foreign governments may be better than their own. .

The Violet Knights in Adjani's hands are completely different. Their intelligence collection direction is entirely based on Franz's needs. In addition to external affairs, they are also internal. They are an organization that is completely loyal to Franz and do not involve choosing sides. The problem.

The personnel are even more diverse, including socialites, bartenders, live-in nannies, cooks, handymen, and even castrati.

After years of training, these people have penetrated into all walks of life, and some have even become the "Madame Pompadour" of the Netherlands.

In the colonies of the Austrian Empire, Franz arranged multiple checks and balances in order to maintain stability and relative loyalty.

Although everyone is responsible to Franz in the end, due to some balancing measures, the information between these forces is not transparent enough, and there are even some gaps.

The result is that the government did not respond much to the reduction of funds, but first became suspicious of each other.

At the same time, due to the rapid development of the economy and the relatively smooth construction of colonies, this contradiction has been greatly alleviated in practice, and some colonies have even been able to completely get rid of their dependence on government funds.

But this is not good news. The colonies can develop independently without the support of the mother country, which is something Franz has been trying to avoid.

It's just that Austria's plate is too big. Just the compilation of intelligence requires ten secretaries, and the confidential work that requires ten secretaries requires a total of thirty people to complete.

If Franz had to do everything by himself, 24 hours a day might not be enough. Any emphasis will inevitably lead to omissions. At this time, decentralization is needed, and it is difficult for people in the 19th century to have Franz's vision and judgment.

The result is an endless stream of problems and some hidden dangers that cannot be traced, creating today's situation.

Tens of millions of dollars were missing, and Franz didn't notice at all.

But what made Franz the most angry was Metternich's approach, which was not only submissive but also self-righteous. The latter never realized the trouble his approach might cause.

In fact, what made Franz even more angry was that Adjani's intelligence showed that Prince Metternich did not increase troops or build bunkers in the areas of the Papal States that were actually controlled by Ferrara, Bologna, Ravenna, and Ancona. , and there was no major construction, development of agriculture and commerce.

Even if it means quietly building a railway in the Papal States, Franz can understand it. And our Prince Metternich actually used Franz's money to bribe those cardinals, those church priests, and those scum.

This made Franz feel as uncomfortable as eating Xiang. He really didn't know whether it was because he knew the rules of the game too well or because he had empiricism in his brain.

But the most outrageous thing is its operation in Switzerland, which sent a large amount of materials and funds to Ticeno, just like in history.

As a result, the other party just issued a receipt, and the officials of the Austrian Empire went home happily.

Although this Ticeno state is ostensibly a member of the Orthodox Alliance, it has actually been bribed to join the Free Alliance.

As a result, this money and weapons directly solved the urgent needs of the Freedom Alliance. The foundation for maintaining the Freedom Alliance under Franz's gold and dollar offensive was already in jeopardy.

But at this time, Metternich's funding directly gave a big boost to the Free Alliance, which was on the verge of collapse. Those weapons and equipment made Dufour even more delighted.

You must know that due to the arms embargo agreement between Austria, France, Prussia, and Sahara, the Freedom Alliance can only rely on the British to import weapons.

However, the British are not willing to do anything early, and the weapons they sell are not only expensive, but most of them are obsolete and junk goods.

Although they are now using products that have been eliminated by the Austrian military, they are really much better than those eighteenth-century antiques sold by the British to the Swiss.

Franz had previously thought that the war might not be fought if this continued, but as a result, Prince Metternich's wave of poverty alleviation may lead to a fight between the two groups in Switzerland.

Although the Swiss Orthodox Alliance is now at a huge disadvantage, they don't know it, and Franz will not let Switzerland continue to pretend to be neutral and become a villain.