Chapter 11: Sunshine, Afternoon, and Lap Pillows

Austria, Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

The sun was warm, and the leaves were translucent.

Under a tree, Franz was sprawled out, lying across Talia’s lap.

Talia was the tutor hired by Archduchess Sophie for Franz Joseph.

In Talia’s own words

"The little Highness is perfect in every way, except that his studies are a bit..." "Too advanced!"

Although the little Highness still couldn't write many words, he could always draw inferences about other cases in physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Many things that Talia didn't understand, the little Highness could grasp instantly.

So much so that, most of the time, Talia could only read the newspaper to him.

The little Highness also had a strange quirk: he liked to hug people's legs to sleep.

Talia thought about the royal regulation that Archduchesses could not raise their children personally, and felt the little Highness was quite pitiful.

Little did she know that Franz, lying on her lap, was lost in his own thoughts.

For the current Franz, getting the old Emperor to agree to join the German Customs Union was the absolute limit of what he could do.

As for whether they could actually join, and whether they could "harvest the leeks" of Prussia afterward, that would depend on the will of the heavens.

For Franz, what he should be doing now was enjoying everything his status brought him. The sunshine, the grass, the fair legs...

After all, "He who does not take what Heaven provides will suffer the consequences; he who does not act when the time is right will suffer the disaster!"

In the afternoon, Franz stretched, only to find that Talia had fallen fast asleep.

He tried poking her twice, but Talia didn't wake up; she merely turned over, her sleeping posture becoming even more unrefined.

So, Franz walked alone to a table in the garden and opened the newspaper.

In the corner of the page, there was a piece of news

Land prices in the United States have hit a record high. From 1830 to 1834, in just four years, land in Chicago has risen by 200%. Currently, the upward trend in land prices shows no signs of slowing, and it is expected to double again within the next three years.

Franz smiled. It seemed the Austrian economists were still conservative. From 1834 to 1837, Chicago land prices rose by 6,400%, which directly triggered the Panic of 1837.

In the end, the land returned to its original value. Land that could be sold for $12,000 at the peak in 1837 would be waiting for buyers at a value of only $100 by 1839.

The parties that suffered the most in this economic crisis were Britain and the United States, naturally due to their overly close economic ties. Meanwhile, the European continent, which generally practiced trade protectionism, was less affected.

It was just a pity that Franz couldn't go and invest; otherwise, he would have definitely helped out in causing trouble for the Americans.

Let the Austrian royal family buy it? What if they refused to sell when the economic crisis hit? Franz dared not gamble on human greed.

The newspaper used two full pages to report the news that the Austrian Empire was preparing to join the German Customs Union.

Of the two pages, one was dedicated to singing the praises of Francis II, and the other to explaining the immense benefits that joining the German Customs Union would bring.

As soon as the clock struck midnight on January 1, 1834, the lines of carriages that had been waiting anxiously at the borders of various states rushed through, fully loaded with goods like madmen. Because the various taxes previously required to enter other countries had been abolished, profits suddenly increased significantly, and all German merchants were rushing about, driven by profit.

In 1834, the total trade within the German Confederation in the first quarter alone exceeded the trade volume of the entire year of 1833. Meanwhile, Austria's trade volume had only risen by 6%; if this continued for long, the merchants of the Austrian Empire would suffer huge losses.

The newspaper described the German Customs Union as providing Austria with a massive market of 23 million people.

Although blind optimism was not advisable, one couldn't pour cold water on the merchants at this time either.

Prince Metternich's censorship system was implemented quite effectively; no dissenting voices were found in the newspaper.

There were also reports about rebels in various regions. From 1833 to 1834, a total of 12 uprisings occurred within and around Austria.

Three recent ones had been quickly suppressed. One was small-scale, with the smallest involving no more than 20 people. Another was anticipated by the garrison; Count Tural had assigned Austria's most capable generals to the locations most likely to see uprisings.

Only the uprising in Genoa had the largest number of people and lasted the longest. Franz even saw two names he recognized: Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Franz read on and finally understood what had happened. The general sent by the Austrian Empire to suppress the uprising was Lichnowsky. This general was quite something.

During the Napoleonic Wars, he was a famous "King of Surrender" and a money bag for the French. He was captured by the French army and its allies eleven times, and each time he returned to Austria thanks to his family's ransom.

Moreover, this brother was incompetent but addicted to command; every time he was captured by the French, he would demand the Emperor let him lead troops into battle again.

During the Year of Revolutions, as the Governor of Venetia, he had 20,000 troops stationed in Venice. Facing the rebelling citizens, he didn't fire a single shot, instead ordering his soldiers to surrender their weapons and leave the city with only their flags.

He even indirectly buried the Austrian Navy. At the time, it happened that the previous Austrian Admiral had died accidentally, and the successor was vacationing with beauties on a beach in Belgium.

Without a commander, most of the Austrian naval officers and men scattered like birds and beasts. Only one unknown captain remained, fighting the rebel army for five days with less than a hundred sailors before they all died for their country.

If the Austrian fleet had still been there, the ridiculous scene of 7 warships from Genoa blockading the Austrian imperial port of Trieste would never have happened.

Venice could not have held out for so long, and Field Marshal Radetzky would not have needed to divert troops to prevent the Venetian army from cutting off the Austrian supply lines. More troops could have been committed to the front, and the war could have ended much sooner.

Afterward, not only was General Lichnowsky not held accountable, but he also took command of the Bohemian Army in northern Austria and lived to be 85.

This piece of trash, leading over 10,000 men to pursue 800, chased them from Genoa all the way to Rome, and still let more than 300 of them escape.

Having captured only 20-something prisoners, he actually had the nerve to claim credit in the newspapers. Franz was speechless, determined in his heart that he would never let such a person continue to occupy a position without doing any work.

Mazzini, as the mastermind behind the uprising, successfully escaped to Switzerland. The Swiss Confederation rejected the proposal from the Austrian and Sardinian governments to expel Mazzini.

Historically, Mazzini did not continue to prepare for new uprisings in Switzerland, but instead traveled across the ocean to England to seek a path to salvation.

At this time, Garibaldi, merely a gunman, did not attract the attention of various countries. Yet, this unknown gunman would stir up wave after wave of storms in Italy in the future.

This man snuck onto a merchant ship and later arrived in South America. He even participated in the independence war of a small country and achieved great merit.

Just when everyone thought Garibaldi would continue to enjoy the treatment of a hero in that small South American country, the president of that country suddenly had a lapse in judgment and actually wanted to counter-attack a nation more than ten times its size and with dozens of times its population.

The result was predictable; Garibaldi had no choice but to return to Italy.

In an inconspicuous corner, it was written: Friedrich List from Württemberg will serve as a special advisor to the great Emperor Francis II for a period of five years.

Franz yawned. Perhaps because he was too young, he felt sleepy after reading for only a short while. So, he put down the newspaper and, following the undulating mountain range, burrowed inside.

Thanks to book friend Shenzhou Buwu Tianxia Fengdao for the tip.

(End of chapter)