The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1501 Transaction (Part )

Franz rubbed his forehead. With such a mother, the intelligence of the offspring might be worrying.

However, it is normal to draw such a conclusion based on the logic, knowledge and observation of Europeans at that time. After all, there are many ready-made examples. This is how King Otto I of Greece came to the throne.

However, Franz continued to joke.

"How do you know if it's a boy or a girl before it's born?"

"I knew it!"

The servants on the other side looked at Franz, and Franz waved his hand, and they stepped back tactfully. Anna was also brought over by Bordeaux, and was looking at Franz apologetically.

"Your little friend is really good at causing trouble."

Lakshmi Payi was very confident in her words.

"The prince is old, and he doesn't want to see the country fall into the hands of the British, so he came up with this idea."

The more Olga listened, the happier she became. She couldn't help but imagine the day when her child was born, when she would lift that little life above her head and announce that he had inherited a piece of land to shock everyone.

But Franz didn't want to listen any further.

"There is no such a cheap deal in the world. Gangadhar wants to use us to check the British. Go back and tell him that if he is sincere, we can discuss the arms business, but he'd better forget it if he wants to get something for nothing from me."

"The prince is sincere. He just doesn't want our land to fall into the hands of the British. Everything he does is for the people of Jhansi."

Lakshmi Payi argued loudly, but Franz only had one sentence.

"Whether he is doing this for the people of Zhangxi or for himself, you know better than me."

Olga was a little disappointed, but was still pulled away by Franz.

But Anna did not leave, for she was afraid that the emperor's attendants would take her friend away like they would any uninvited guest.

In fact, Anna was worrying too much. Franz was not a bloodthirsty person, and generally speaking, he would not attack a little girl. After all, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its creditor.

Lakshmi Payi did not quite understand why the Austrian Empire was unwilling to accept Maharaja Gangadhar's conditions. Was the so-called reputation so important? Didn't Maharaja Gangadhar have to endure more?
In fact, although Gangadhar Rao had many concubines, he had no children. This may be difficult for people from other countries to understand, but for Franz, it was normal for Gangadhar Rao, a long-term opium addict, to have no children.

It is true that there is no heir, but Gangadhar Rao may not really be willing to hand over the country to others. Franz thinks this is just a means for the former.

The purpose was to gain bargaining chips in negotiations with the British. After all, rather than allowing the Austrians to obtain the land in inland India, it would be better to continue to let those unambitious princes rule Jhansi.

As for the Austrian Empire, after all, it is thousands of miles away from Zhangxi and is in the heartland of the British. Even if the Austrian Empire really has any intentions, the British will definitely not sit idly by and watch it die.

Franz had no interest in this kind of empty promise, but he was still willing to do the business if it could be done. After all, there is meat on the grasshopper's legs.

Of course, the weapons sold could not be new weapons. Those old rifles that had long been eliminated by the Austrian Imperial Army could be loaded onto the ship after a simple refurbishment.

Franz has done this kind of business many times. The Indian subcontinent has always been an important market for the Austrian Empire's arms, whether it is the princely states or the Afghans.

In fact, Franz had been thinking about whether to build a large arsenal directly in Southeast Asia or Japan, because the son of God who liked to write doggerel was about to take action. 1851 was another Xinhai year.

Franz sighed and looked into the distance.

The Austrian Empire had made adequate preparations for this year, stockpiling large quantities of silk, tea, steel, gunpowder, and anything else that might make money.

Most of the tea trees planted four or five years ago have matured at this time. Although the taste is not good, the quantity is large and the food is filling.

As for silk, all the money invested by Franz was used by Venetian merchants to expand reproduction. After all, the Austrian Empire had never experienced a real economic crisis. They did not know how to exercise restraint and thought that the market was unlimited.

As the Austrian Empire raised the purchase price of raw silk, the shogunate also took strong action and launched a plan to replace rice with mulberry trees throughout the Japanese archipelago.

Anyway, the food in the Austrian Empire was good and cheap, and the spies sent to Hawaii and California also said that the grain fields in the Austrian Empire were endless.

In the past, the shogunate's policies were constrained in many ways, but since it received help from the Austrian Empire, the shogunate's power has become unprecedentedly stable, and even some seemingly impossible policies have been implemented.

Once the war started, the prices of semi-finished products such as steel and gunpowder would increase, but the profits would be far less than those of the finished products. Therefore, Franz wanted to set up several arsenals to produce swords, spears, rifles, and artillery.

But the question is what to do with it afterwards? And too many weapons may also shake the rule of the Austrian Empire.

Another issue is the opium business. Franz has received many proposals from the public and some officials requesting the opening of the opium trade.

Opium and its extracts were illegal as drugs in the Austrian Empire, but they were allowed as medicines.

In particular, the military has always been a major consumer of opium. After all, no matter how strong one's faith is after a gunshot wound, it is not as effective as a shot of morphine.

Moreover, merchants are all profit-seeking, and many of them discovered the business opportunity of transporting opium to the Far East.

The Austrian Empire prohibited the shipment of opium to the Far East, largely because of the trade agreement with the British. The Austrian Empire did not try to seize the British's traditional trade share, so the Tranqueba colony was able to live in peace with the British.

However, the traditional trade products of the British in the Far East did not include morphine, an extract of opium.
Between profit and morality, Franz chose to make money with conscience and directly opened the hospital there. Anyway, the Pope was there, so Franz had more reasons.

The advancement of a practical science like medicine requires a lot of practice, but he would not be stupid enough to let the talents that the Austrian Empire had worked so hard to train serve as military doctors for the Qing army or the Taiping army.

So this matter had to be handed over to Pope Pius IX, otherwise Franz's hospital would have to be opened on the sea.

In addition, alum will become a best-selling product in the Far East in the foreseeable future. In fact, alum can not only be used for frying dough sticks, but it is also one of the most effective hemostatic drugs on the battlefield at this time.

Franz thought Australia was a good place for refugees from the Far East. At that time, the gold mines in Australia were short of workers, and the population of Southern Ming was too small, so even if everyone moved to Australia, it would not take up much land.

Therefore, Australia needs more Chinese people so that they can create enough trouble for the British.

No matter how good Australia's geographical location is, it is useless for a continental country like the Austrian Empire. After all, the distance is too far and the area is too large. Even if they want to conquer it, they are powerless.

But it was different with Britain, so as long as Britain could not gain any advantage in Australia, the Austrian Empire could accept it.

Another paradox is that although super gold mines were discovered in California and Australia, the price of gold in the world hit a new high at this time.