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

Chapter 1569 Lyon Silk
Franz had two rolls of silk brought to him, the prints of which did not show any obvious regional style.

“Mr. John Sina, can you tell which roll is Lyon silk?”

Franz said with a smile, but John Sina was not flustered.

“Your Majesty, you are probably mistaken. My lining is made of Lyon silk, and I will be able to find the difference if I compare them carefully.”

John Sina may not be a fabric expert, but he is a person who is particular about the finest food and the finest products. He has used far more high-end goods than any of those experts.

John Sina carefully examined and compared the three, but after a long time he still couldn't find any obvious differences between them.

As intelligent as John Sina was, he immediately analyzed the reason.

"Your Majesty, are the two rolls of silk you are carrying from the same place?"

Franz nodded.

"Okay, both of these rolls should be Lyon silk. Am I right?"

John Sina was very confident in his answer, but Franz had to pour cold water on him.

"These two rolls of silk do indeed come from the same place, but they are not from Lyon."

John Sina's eyes widened; he could hardly believe his ears, after all, the two rolls of silk were so similar in quality to the Lyon silk he was wearing.

"Don't be surprised. French silk doesn't have many secrets. The fuel formula and mechanical processes are easy to imitate. As for the specific silk quality, there are indeed some differences, but 99% of people can't tell the difference at all."

Why should our Venetian silk be sold for less than Lyon silk?

Franz's words, however, made John Sina even more incredulous, not because of the silk itself, but because of Franz's choice.

“Your Majesty, by doing this you are not only ruining Lyon silk, but also Venice silk. From now on, Venice silk will only be regarded as a inferior imitation of Lyon silk.”

Franz laughed again.

"Who said this is Venetian silk? It's made of Japanese silk."

Austria and France each have their own share of the European market, and tariffs could easily squeeze France out. The real battleground for them is South America and North America.
As the saying goes, scarcity makes things valuable. When a large number of Lyon silk and Lyon-like products appeared on the market, Venetian silk naturally became a scarce commodity.

Moreover, Lyon silk is not as well-regarded in North and South America, making it relatively easier to establish the luxury image of Venetian silk.

John Sina was somewhat surprised by the development of the Japanese silk industry, but he figured that the Austrian Empire must have been supporting it, and that Austrian manufacturers might have directly used raw Japanese silk to produce it.

That's actually true. After all, the higher the production niche, the more money you make, and Franz certainly wouldn't let the shogunate take all the money.

"Your Majesty, are you going to fight the French to the death in the American market?"

Franz enjoyed talking to intelligent people, but his purpose went beyond that.

In the 19th century, it would have taken decades or even centuries to build a luxury brand, but it only took a few years to destroy a brand's reputation.

"We're not in a hurry. We'll first satisfy our domestic and European needs, and then we'll compete for the American market."

"But what if the British release their Indian silks first?"

John Sina remained uneasy. He couldn't ascertain India's production levels, nor did he know when the current silk price surge would end. "It doesn't matter whether they release the goods first or later; the British simply can't absorb such a large market. Besides, their silk will only be considered cheap goods."

John Sina didn't know where Franz's confidence came from, but the huge difference in their status and the unique insights Franz had shown before made John Sina hesitant to draw conclusions, but he still gave a reminder.

"Your Majesty, if the war ends, our previous efforts will not be completely wasted, but the benefits will certainly be greatly reduced."

Franz nodded and said.

"There's no such thing as a sure-fire way to make money. But don't worry, this war won't end for at least ten years."

Although John Sina had been involved in politics for a time, it was only in California, a small colony. The international situation was beyond his control. His expertise was in business and finance, so he could only choose to trust Franz's judgment.

"But Your Majesty, the French and British may expand reproduction, which will also affect our profits."

Franz wasn't too worried about this, after all, the limits of French silk were there, and it would be difficult to make further breakthroughs without the support of genetic technology.

As for India's silk industry, Indians are already struggling to feed themselves, and now they're talking about converting rice paddies to mulberry fields? It might just hasten the Indian Revolt.

"Don't worry. They won't have a chance."

What Franz didn't know was that he wouldn't have to wait long at all. After winning an award in Britain, French Lyon silk was riding the wave of war in the Far East, and its price was skyrocketing.

However, within France, several financial giants had long coveted this lucrative industry. For years, they had been maliciously acquiring and merging silk reeling factories and workshops, while colluding to drive down acquisition prices.

Many silkworm farmers were forced to take on debt to make a living, while the factory workers fared even worse. Due to the high demand for silk, industrial technology was constantly advancing, and new machinery no longer required as many workers.

As a result, a large number of silk reeling workers lost their jobs and ended up on the streets, while the high demand for jobs gave factory owners an advantage in the labor market.

As a result, factory owners generally reduced workers' wages by 20%-30%, which triggered strong dissatisfaction among Lyon silk workers.

At this time, the French government itself was also in a bad situation. On the one hand, they wanted to protect their cash cow, and on the other hand, they did not want to clash with the workers.

Local government officials in Lyon tried to use nationalism to get the workers to put up with it.

"Don't you know? Our Lyon silk just won an award at the Crystal Palace in London. Even His Majesty Napoleon III felt honored. Don't you have any pride as a French nation?"

The bishop who had received the money also stepped forward to speak in support.

"Christ suffered for the world, and you endured hunger for France; you are all saints!"

If this were said in any French city other than Paris and Lyon, the workers and farmers would most likely disperse.

However, the people of Paris and Lyon had heard this kind of talk far too often, and this crisis was not a recent occurrence; in fact, the French in the Lyon region had been under immense pressure to survive since 1837.

"We want bread, we want dignity! We don't want British medals! And we certainly don't want your empty promises!"

Silk workers and silkworm farmers, unable to make a living, held up signs and blocked the entrances to the city hall and police station, while a large number of military and police officers stood in their way.

However, Lyon Mayor Claude Marie Dubois did not want the situation to escalate, so he simply ordered soldiers to disperse the crowd, resulting in only a little over a hundred casualties.

(End of this chapter)