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

Chapter 1508 Fight back
Vanderbilt was indeed a great figure in the United States at that time, and the Vanderbilt family was indeed out of reach.

However, at this time, Franz was still a nobody in front of them, and he had no interest in getting rid of the harm for the United States.

But this time Vanderbilt came to cause trouble for Franz himself, and it would be unreasonable if Franz did not fight back, after all, Franz's allies were watching.

If Franz did not fight back, he might be praised for his magnanimity, but he would never win the hearts of his allies, let alone their respect.

So Franz had to respond, to fight back forcefully, even if the other party was just an ant.

But Franz wouldn't act like a domineering boss and use money to kill the other person?

Putting aside the fact that the United States has a history of intercepting foreign investment, why would Franz invest the money he had worked so hard to save in the United States? Wouldn't it be better to keep it for the development of Austria?

Moreover, on the opponent's territory, choosing the method that the opponent is best at, putting yourself in danger, and being bound by the opponent's rules, isn't that clearly telling others that you are a green and wasteful idiot?
Directly eliminating the opponent on a physical level is the most direct and effective means of deterrence, but this seems too cruel and inconsistent with Franz's personality.

Moreover, the problem cannot be solved at its root. What Franz needs to do is to nip the cauldron in the bud and kill the person.

Newport Estates, New York.

This is one of Vanderbilt's favorite estates. Although it is not as huge as the Biltmore Estate of the Vanderbilt family in later generations, the Newport Estate at that time also covers an area of ​​300 acres, which is equivalent to 170 football fields and 1.5 Forbidden City.

(The Biltmore Estate covers an area of ​​50600 million square meters, equivalent to half of Hong Kong Island.)
Standing in the center of the manor is an elegant three-story retro Greek-style building, supported entirely by columns made of polished white marble. The walls are made entirely of manually polished granite, with each wave pattern having an accuracy of less than 0.1 mm.

It took several professional stonemasons several weeks to carve just one of the stone walls, and the cost of the white marble columns was even more staggering.

Next to this Greek-style building is an artificial canal, the width and depth of which can accommodate any cargo ship or warship in the world at that time.

At the end of the canal is the Vanderbilt family's private port, where 12 of the most luxurious cruise ships in the United States at the time are moored. On the one hand, it is convenient for family members and political upstarts to enter and exit, and on the other hand, it shows off the Vanderbilt family's financial strength.

When you walk into the lobby of this building, you will see a mural on the dome of Vanderbilt crowned with the laurel wreath of Poseidon, and Poseidon kneeling on his knees to present his trident to Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt never called himself a king because it was too feudal, he thought he was a god.

Cornelius Vanderbilt had forgotten what had happened before, and as soon as he and his family returned to the estate, he began to admire his masterpiece.

Only a sudden stench interrupted Cornelius Vanderbilt's thoughts. He and his family went out to check and found a carriage full of manure that was emitting a foul smell.

"Who brought this dung cart here?"

Cornelius Vanderbilt shouted but no one answered, and he was wondering where all his diligent servants had gone.

The fully loaded manure truck exploded, manure rushed into the sky, and the stench knocked people down on the spot. Before they could get up, heavy brown rain poured down.

The heavy rain soon covered people up, making it difficult to breathe. But people had to breathe, so they could only wipe off part of it with their hands to leave their nostrils and mouth.

It's just that every time you open your mouth to breathe, some brown rain will come in, which makes you burst into tears.
Cornelius Vanderbilt rushed into the New York mayor's office smelling bad. Even though he sprayed the most expensive perfume on himself, he still made the mayor vomit.

"What do you wanna do, Mr. Vanderbilt?"

"My home was attacked! What do you do for a living? Are there still laws?" "Who? What attacked you? Ugh. Can you please stay away from me?"

It was obvious that the Mayor was a respectable man and that he rarely came into contact with such filth except when he went to the toilet.

"How do I know who it is? Can't you smell what they are using?"

Cornelius Vanderbilt said angrily, and then he began to retch.

"Your territory is not within our jurisdiction. This is what you told me. Didn't you notice that there are so many guards in your house? Ugh."

"They are all a bunch of rubbish! They know nothing! Some of them just disappeared!"

"Did you offend someone? Ugh."

"Who dares to offend me?"

At this moment, Cornelius Vanderbilt suddenly remembered something and a chill ran down his spine.

The car could be loaded with manure or gunpowder. Vanderbilt's home could be a mess or a sea of ​​blood.

Cornelius Vanderbilt suddenly seemed to have lost all his strength, and staggered out of the mayor's office. He no longer had the motivation to investigate further.

But Vanderbilt's misfortune was far from over. On his way out of City Hall, he heard a newsboy hawking on the street.

"Breaking news! The Emperor of the American South Steamship Company is now open for business! More affordable than the Pacific Mail Steamship Company! Only basic storage fees, no priority loading and unloading fees, and no forced mortgages!"

Cornelius Vanderbilt tore his hair and face desperately, and finally pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the newsboy, but the carriage bumped and hit a watermelon beside him, which shattered to the ground.

At this time, Vanderbilt was not yet the railroad tycoon known to later generations. It would be more appropriate to call him the shipping king. He alone monopolized 75% of the inland trade in New York Port, 80% of the Atlantic trade, and all shipping business between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

To kill a snake, you have to hit it at its most vulnerable part. Franz's kick was naturally intended to hit Vanderbilt's vital point.

In fact, Franz did not need to invest in either the Emperor Southern Railroad Company of America or the shipping company. He only needed to put forward these projects, and the powerful bosses in the southern United States would naturally spare no effort to provide him with financial, personnel and policy support.

They were doing it for money and for themselves. Both to please the Austrian Empire and to get rid of the control of the North were very important to them.

At this time, the Emperor Steamship Company of the Southern United States purchased steamships from the Austrian Empire. These ships were not comparable to the steamships produced in the northern United States in terms of performance or price.

As for the malicious competition that Vanderbilt often practiced, Franz was not afraid of bankrupting competitors by selling at prices below cost.

Vanderbilt was indeed rich, but he alone was not as rich as the entire American South.

Moreover, we should not be too obedient to those who engage in malicious competition. Doesn’t he like to steal business?

Then Franz will find him some business.