African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 58: Chapter 54 Mei Quan Palace Talk

Habsburg Schönbrunn Palace.

Ernst came to seek help from Franz.

To be honest, Franz has been extremely busy lately, not only dealing with the aftermath of defeat but also handling the unreasonable behavior of the Hungarian Magyar nobility.

Yet, Franz still took some time to meet his future nephew-in-law.

”Ernst, what brings you to Austria!” Emperor Franz asked.

”Your Majesty, I’ve come this time hoping Austria can support me in the recruitment efforts within Austria.” Ernst stated frankly.

”Such trivial matters don’t need to be mentioned to me!” Franz said in confusion.

Recruitment is such a trivial affair, needing to be presented to the palace in person; if so, wouldn’t every enterprise in Austria come to report daily? It’s really exaggerated.

”Actually, Your Majesty, this time the number of recruits is slightly large. Furthermore, I hope the Austrian government can support this recruitment effort.”

”How many people do you intend to recruit?” Franz asked with curiosity, since a small number wouldn’t require government involvement.

”If possible, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands.” Ernst answered, maintaining his composure.

”Ernst, are you joking? Are you preparing to arm an army? That’s an absurdly large number!” Franz asked incredulously.

Ernst explained truthfully: ”Your Majesty, the truth is, as you might know, I have a colony in East Africa. Currently, its economic benefits are quite satisfactory, barely balancing revenue and expenditure. The factor hindering the colony’s development is the population. Initially, no one wanted to develop in East Africa. Thus, I recruited many people from Asia. Similar to the German population of the Austrian Empire, the number of Caucasians in the colony is very small, and I believe you understand what this implies!”

”So you want to recruit people from within the Austrian Empire to balance the Asian population in the colony! But why don’t you recruit from Prussia?” Franz asked curiously.

How am I supposed to respond to that? Ernst inwardly complained, shouldn’t I say Austrian citizens have lower cultural levels and are easier to persuade!

”Actually, Your Majesty,” Ernst said reluctantly, ”in recent years, Prussia’s military has effectively resolved its employment issues, so fewer choose to develop overseas. It’s well known that the Prussian army is unusually large, making it difficult to recruit workers these years.”

Of course, Franz didn’t believe a single word of this nonsense. However, he decided to give Ernst a chance: ”As long as you can present a reason compelling enough for me, I might support you.”

Ernst responded unhurriedly: ”Your Majesty, might I ask if Austria is currently bothered by nationalists?”

Franz nodded: ”That is indeed true, especially the Hungarians, who have been pushing their luck, causing significant trouble with the Empire’s central government!”

Ernst asked: ”So, Your Majesty, what do you think the Hungarian Magyar nobility relies on to negotiate with the Austrian government?”

”Naturally, it’s Hungary’s strength. Hungary is vast and heavily populated. If Hungarians were to become independent, Austria would lose its status in Europe. The Empire can never abandon this place!” Franz said.

”That’s right, Your Majesty.” Ernst agreed: ”The rise of European nationalism is, in fact, a plot by England and France against your country. Germans account for less than thirty percent of your population.”

”Germans account for just over twenty percent, but Hungarians constitute twenty percent, and the empire also has ten percent Poles, Czechoslovakians, Croatians, other Slavic ethnicities, and a small number of Romanians and Italians.”

”Among these, Hungarians alone can challenge the German ethnicity, let alone the Poles in Galicia and other Slavic ethnicities. In the past, with the support of the whole German region, the Empire could still suppress these ethnicities.”

”But now, with the increasingly turbulent international situation, Austria cannot intimidate continental Europe as it used to, and even clowns like Italy dare to covet the Empire’s territory. If they incite Italians within the Empire, Trieste and the southern empire would be at risk.”

”The Poles have always actively sought support for restoration in all European and American countries. But Poland is just a nation that once existed. What motivates the Poles is the cultural identity shaped by Poland’s historic glory.”

”But do Poles truly only demand the territories within Russia? Currently, they are focused on discrediting Russia in Europe because they need support; they won’t forget Prussia and Austria in the past.”

”Even if the Poles within the Empire currently support the monarchy, there’s a saying: success can be shared but not hardship. They support your rule because of the hardships faced by Poles within Russia. If Austria ever faces economic troubles someday, they will blame Austria.”

”Additionally, there are other Slavic ethnicities within the Empire. The Russians really resent your country now due to the Crimean War, and Russia’s influence among Slavs is well known. The Ottoman Empire has suffered greatly in recent years.”

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Franz, frowning, listened to Ernst’s lengthy discourse and interrupted: ”Enough, I certainly understand your point.”

Franz stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed at the territorial map of the Austrian Empire, feeling downhearted: ”I’m well aware of the many maladies within the empire, but politics isn’t as simple as Ernst you might think.”

He softened his tone: ”Perhaps you are still young, young people always have the courage to face difficulties, but Austria is too old, so much so that even a small change could lead to a disaster that could cost the old Austrian Empire dearly.”

”Take Maximino, for example; he’s quite radical and ended up failing miserably in Mexico, yet he insists on taking risks and refuses to ask for my help. Who knows how he’s faring now!”

He walked in front of Ernst and, with a resolute look, said: ”The Austrian Empire was once the overlord of the continent. Though facing unimaginable difficulties now, I consider myself incapable of solving Austria’s issues; yet I still have the ability to support this great nation to continue moving forward.”

He turned his back on Ernst and said: ”When I am gone, the future will belong to young people like you. I believe you and the future generations of Austria will use your wisdom to make Austria great again.”

”Austria indeed has become turbulent due to nationalists. The Austrian government itself wants to change this situation.”

”However, the pressure we face is unimaginable, as the local nobility’s control exceeds that of the central government; currently, the central Austrian government itself has very tricky issues, with finances always troubling the government in pushing reform.”

Having said this, Franz appeared somewhat dejected, speaking to himself: ”I also tried to learn from my ancestors to enhance centralization and promote German education among the populace.”

”However, whenever these proposals are introduced to the government, those local magnates strongly oppose them. Meanwhile, the empire’s economic situation is worsening, and there are no extra funds to promote reforms.”

Ernst knew all too well the challenges; Austria indeed faced difficulties in transformation, and in contemporary Austria, there hasn’t appeared a figure capable of turning things around.

Take Franz, for instance; although he is an emperor, he can’t be an intense reformer as his status dictates that he must prioritize the interests of the Habsburg family.

If he pursued reforms, it could undermine Habsburg’s rule, so the royal family wouldn’t actively lead the reform.

Currently, Austria’s government also lacks capability and a political figure with unmatched influence throughout the empire.

Next door in Prussia, there’s Bismarck, combined with William I and the relatively wise Prussian monarchs who laid a good foundation for Prussia. Moreover, Bismarck leveraged victories and diplomatic achievements to establish personal prestige.

If Austria had a Bismarck-like figure now, it would still have a chance; however, Austria is not like Prussia, a gambler without self-renewal spirit.

Of course, Ernst’s purpose wasn’t to help Austria solve political issues but to recruit a population for the colony.

”Your Majesty, Austria’s problems are indeed quite tricky, but we can choose to lower the difficulty of matters.”

Ernst continued: ”For example, in my recruitment within the empire, I’m effectively absorbing Austria’s unemployed farmers. They’ve just moved from rural areas across the nation to cities. The problem is Austria’s job positions clearly cannot accommodate so many people.”

”Once these citizens become unemployed, it will intensify Austria’s social crisis, making reforms even harder. Moreover, they’ll be exploited by radical capitalists, as they have a history.”

Franz sighed and said: ”Alright, I understand your ulterior motives.”

”You can recruit within the Austrian Empire, as long as you have the capability. You can recruit as many as you want, but let me warn you first: don’t target the Germans. As for other ethnicities, if you can recruit more, not only do we not oppose, but we’ll support you.”

Thus, the two reached an unspoken agreement, with Austria reducing the number of other ethnicities through Ernst, and Ernst obtaining the Caucasian workforce to develop Africa.

Everyone has a bright future...