Chapter 40: Chapter 39: 1835

The aftershocks of Franz II's passing continued to spread, and the small states that had previously been on warm terms with Austria were now as withered as frost-bitten eggplants.

Many state governments had lost confidence in Austria; after all, their ambassadors had reached the same conclusion after meeting the new Emperor and his chief advisor.

Emperor Ferdinand I was a good man, but he likely would be unable to steer this massive empire.

And the chief advisor, Mr. Karl von Schlut, was an absolute fool.

The new Emperor and his empire would face continuous challenges and pressures in the days to come.

If we were to stand on Austria's side, we would be forced to face those challenges and pressures alongside them, which does not serve our national interest.

Austria had already completed 20% of its 1,400-kilometer railway construction plan; the railway between Vienna and Moravia had been built, and the century-defining Semmering Railway had begun construction.

The cost of the Semmering Railway was expected to be more than three times that of an ordinary railway, but its significance was immense. It would not only strengthen the connection between the coastal regions and Vienna but also link Northern Italy, thereby revitalizing the entire region.

The Prussians had gone on a frenzy of construction, building two hundred kilometers of railway, though not on their own territory.

Meanwhile, Prussia's new economic advisor proposed a new railway standard to the member states of the North German Customs Union.

The gauge of this railway was different from that of the Austrians; a wider gauge meant the ability to carry more cargo.

Friedrich List's true intention was to help Prussia confine Austrian influence to Southern Germany.

To be honest, Franz admired this economist from the bottom of his heart, wondering how he could have thought of such a method to marginalize Austria.

In truth, Austria had countermeasures at this time: they could either change their gauge or forcibly demand that the members of the German Customs Union build railways according to Austrian standards.

However, either choice would damage Austria's reputation within the German Customs Union, and more importantly, it would require a stable and powerful government.

The Regency Council would significantly diminish the efficiency of the Austrian government; furthermore, Count Kolowrat and Prince Metternich failed to recognize Friedrich List's insidious intentions altogether.

But this was understandable, as both Count Kolowrat and Prince Metternich had very limited knowledge of railways.

By the time Franz saw this, the situation was essentially settled, and there was little point in attempting a remedy now.

Yet, Friedrich List's scheme allowed Franz to see a new possibility for Austria's future.

By this time, Britain had already built over 1,000 kilometers of railway, while France had nearly 300 kilometers.

In Russia, an Austrian engineer obsessed with railways, Franz Gerstner, wrote a letter to Nicholas I.

The letter described a grand plan to build a railway connecting Saint Petersburg and Kazan to strengthen the Tsar's control over Western Siberia.

The railway would be over 1,000 kilometers long—a plan that was almost unbelievable to people of that era.

However, it piqued the great interest of Tsar Nicholas I, who viewed this railway as a gift from heaven to Russia.

Tsar Nicholas I's ideas were even bolder; he wanted to use railways to connect the entire Great Slavic Empire

Constantinople — Saint Petersburg — Kazan — Yakutsk (a Russian Far Eastern city) — Alaska.

To realize his grand vision, Tsar Nicholas I established a Railway Commission.

The result, of course, was fierce opposition from his ministers. The nobility disagreed with the Emperor's views and openly opposed building any railways within the country.

The most vocal opponent was the Minister of Finance, Count Conklin, who stated in a report to the Tsar that the Ministry of Finance did not have a single penny set aside for railways.

Russian experts also stepped forward to support Count Conklin.

They argued that the cargo capacity of trains was too low, claiming it was inferior to the capacity of three hundred horses, and that since the Russian Empire possessed five million horses and mules, it could handle any situation.

Furthermore, Russia lacked coal; to power trains, forests would have to be cleared, which would leave Russian commoners without wood for heating.

Russia's pig iron production was also severely insufficient; to cast such a long railway, massive amounts of pig iron would have to be imported from abroad, which would plunge Russia's metallurgy industry into a winter.

Even the Duke of Lieven, Nicholas I's most trusted subordinate, suggested that this might be an Austrian conspiracy to use railways to weaken Russia's national strength, thereby gaining an advantage in the partition of the Ottoman Empire.

Ultimately, Nicholas I had to abandon his magnificent blueprint, but he was not disheartened.

Russia still had no railways.

The amount of railway built by Americans in a single year was longer than the total length of French railways at the time—400 kilometers.

Because American cotton production exceeded expectations, cotton prices dropped.

However, at this time, both British and American wheat had experienced super-harvests; after experiencing losses, wheat farmers switched to planting cotton.

Although cotton prices had declined, they remained generally popular and, at the very least, did not result in losses.

The revenue from land sales by the American government this year was already sufficient to repay the government's debts, with a large fiscal surplus expected next year.

Saxony purchased another 500 steam looms from Austria. Combined with Austria's entry and the establishment of the German Customs Union, Saxony's fiscal revenue nearly doubled.

This was not only because Saxony was the textile center of Germany, but also because it was the largest middleman within the German Customs Union.

Friction between Prussia and Austria was constant, and Saxony, wedged between them, became the greatest beneficiary.

After all, merchants do not turn away from money; friction between two nations does not stop their merchants from doing business.

Although Austria's mechanical manufacturing industry received many orders, it remained in a state of semi-existence, primarily due to competition from the British, as Britain had already permitted the export of machinery.

British mechanical manufacturing had started much earlier than Austria's, and their level of craftsmanship was naturally much higher.

If not for the protection of the German Customs Union and the fact that Hanover refused to join, Austria's mechanical manufacturing would have drifted further toward agricultural technology, just as it had in history.

Due to internal chaos, Austria increased its military expenditures but reduced the number of its army personnel, which now stood at 440,000.

For its own security, France added 20,000 soldiers and gendarmes, along with several indigenous troops, bringing its total strength to 530,000.

Prussia remained at 200,000, and Russia, engaged in war against domestic nomads, maintained its strength at 600,000.

This year, both France and Austria began updating their weaponry with more stable, new-style muzzle-loading rifles.

France developed a new type of field gun: a 4-pounder that was lighter and more accurate.

Austria, meanwhile, developed a famous "suicide tool" in history—a type of artillery with a range and power far exceeding contemporary guns of the same caliber.

However, due to casting technology and the lack of better materials, the rate of barrel bursts for these guns was as high as 20%, making them even more "thrilling" than the Russian revolving cannons of later eras.

The Austrian Navy welcomed its fourth Admiral of the Fleet in ten years. This admiral was still not a professional soldier, but a merchant engaged in inland shipping—Varus Taffy.

Austria's fiscal revenue reached 158 million florins, higher than the 132 million florins of the same period in history.

(End of Chapter)