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

Chapter 1503 Gold Standard (Part )
Foreign Secretary Lord Habescu immediately retorted.

"Prime Minister, are you trying to start a war?"

The Minister of War, Count Latour, was the first to become restless.

"So what if they start a war? They are the ones who should be afraid! Not us! Do they think the British will care about their lives?"

"Do you want to start a European war and follow in Napoleon's footsteps?"

"Why should Napoleon compare with us!"

Franz was really fed up with these meaningless quarrels. It seemed that every imperial meeting would turn from a discussion on the fate of the country into a struggle for the interests of all parties.

The reason why so many ministers opposed the gold standard was not only because the Austrian Empire itself was a conservative stronghold, but also because many of the high-level officials of the Austrian Empire had close ties with the nobles in Germany and the Apennines, and some of them even came from these regions.

Speaking of silver itself, many families in the Austrian Empire held large amounts of silver, and some silver mines were even in the hands of these families.

The Austrian Empire was powerful at that time, so those allies and vassals would try every means to win over the high-level officials of the Austrian Empire. Now was the time for these people to show their abilities.

Most of the supporters of the gold standard were radicals, and the victory of the Austrian Empire gave them great confidence. These people always hoped that the Austrian Empire would speed up its pace to unify Germany, unify the Apennines, and even unify Europe.

In their eyes, war is not an option but a necessity, because they will always win.

There are also people like Baron Brook, who feel that they are doing it for the country, so they have a clear conscience and ignoring the opinions of their colleagues is a common occurrence.

In theory, these people are the most useful group to the country, but in reality, their number is too small and it is difficult for them to form a group, so their role in actual politics is quite limited.

Because of his foul mouth, he is often disliked by the rulers, and because his words are too real, he is often blamed.

There would be no problem if Franz was in power, but if he was not there or those people could not reach Franz's level, then the situation would be very bad.

However, the reform of the political system involves more interest groups and cannot be solved overnight. At the same time, being overly lenient with officials will lead to other problems and make it easier for others to take advantage of loopholes.

Franz looked at the quarreling officials and heaved a long sigh. The whole room immediately became quiet, and everyone's eyes fell on the emperor. Franz actually didn't like the feeling of being overly noticed.

"I think the Treasury's data is credible. We must plan ahead for the future and never let the Austrian Empire's economy follow in Britain's footsteps."

In fact, at that time, except for some officials specializing in finance and taxation, the officials of the Austrian Empire did not feel deeply about the economic crisis. After all, being backward also has its advantages.

Faced with confused officials, Franz could only ask Baron Brook to explain the relationship.

However, these officials still looked unwilling. Although it was no problem for Franz to suppress them with his current reputation, he still had to help them think of a way out.

“The trade between the Empire and the Far East will still be settled in silver, and the Royal Development Company will hold a fund-raising event recently to expand trade.

You can consider it.”

"Your Majesty, wise!"

In fact, there are not many emperors like Franz who would directly let ministers and allies invest.
Fortunately, Franz did many surprising things on weekdays, and the officials of the Austrian Empire were used to it. In addition, Franz's reputation was always good, and he did make a lot of people money.

Many nobles escaped poverty and returned to a life of nobility because of Franz's policies. Many families also revived.
Of course, Franz also made many families and nobles who opposed him disappear forever in the long river of history.
Therefore, the entire aristocracy was in awe of Franz at this time, and his goodwill would naturally attract people. The news that the Austrian Empire demanded a gold standard reform quickly spread throughout Europe, and the most direct consequence was a surge in gold prices and a depreciation of silver.

However, in the early days, countries such as Britain and France, as well as some major European banks, all stated that gold would not increase in price and silver would not depreciate.

London, England.

John Russell wanted to overturn the table.

"What is wrong with the Austrians? What did the Austrians say at the Vienna Peace Conference on December 1848, 12?

Isn't the Europa Monetary Union going to adopt a gold and silver bi-standard system? "

British Foreign Secretary George Villiers said as he wiped his sweat.

"Yes, the Austrians promised this before, but now they are going back on their word."

"Damn it! Do they still have any credibility if they go back on their word like this?"

Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Wood said with some embarrassment.

“The Austrians claim this is reform.”

"Reform? With our consent?"

Faced with John Russell's questioning, Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Wood was also helpless.

"The smaller states of Germany and Italy all agreed. Spain, France and Prussia also sided with Austria, and now more than two-thirds of the member states supported the Austrian Empire."

John Russell couldn't hold back his expression any longer, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Why would the French agree to this? Are they crazy? Don't they know what will happen if the Austrian Empire dictates the monetary system?"

George Villiers spread his hands.

“No one knows why they do this except the French themselves.”

In fact, Napoleon III had no choice but to support the currency reform proposed by the Austrian Empire, because France was divided into three parts at that time and its strength was far less than before.

Franz also offered Louis Napoleon a deal he could not refuse: the Austrian Empire would support Napoleon's government in retaking Guatemala and El Salvador.

France at this time really needed a victory to boost morale, especially for someone like Napoleon III who came to power by betraying his own people. If he could not change the current situation in France, it would only be a matter of time before he was overthrown.

Alexander Colonna Walewski also supported Napoleon III's approach. After all, it was unlikely that France would be able to reverse the situation entirely on its own after losing Algeria and Alsace-Lorraine.

Retaking Guatemala and El Salvador will ease France's capital outflow problem and boost France's economy and morale again, after all, there are still untapped gold mines there.

The reason why Napoleon III, Louis Philippe and the Duke of Aumer did not take action was that after the fall of the Orleans Dynasty, Guatemala and El Salvador fell into a state of anarchy.

The British on the side naturally would not miss this opportunity. They had already established puppets in the local area and were just waiting for the right opportunity to annex it.