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

Chapter 1664 High Theory
"Your Highness, I must remind your country that the mouth of the Danube River is still in Russian hands."

As far as I know, Russia has always imposed high tariffs on ships traveling to and from your country, and no matter how close the relationship between the two countries is, they have no intention of changing the status quo.

This is precisely why the ports of Venice and Trieste are so busy. Imagine what a different world it would be if your country could control the mouth of the Danube River!

George Villiers was right; as Russia’s largest trading partner, the Austrian Empire had long suffered as a result.

Merchants in the Austrian Empire harbored deep resentment towards Russia, as Russians were often unruly and frequently operated temporary private checkpoints in addition to the official Russian government checkpoints.

Fraud, bribery, and forgery frequently occurred, and apart from the royal family, it was almost impossible for other merchants and nobles to protect their rights in their business activities.

This directly resulted in Austrian merchants earning far less than expected profits in their business dealings with Russia, while the royal family and government remained unaffected.

However, their profits would decrease if they went through the government and the royal family, so many people wanted to try their luck.

Franz can only say that he brought this upon himself; he could have easily avoided trouble by paying a small handling fee, but he chose to create problems for himself.

In fact, the fees Franz asked for were not high, but many people just wanted to save that little bit of money, and these guys didn't want the Austrian Imperial government to find out about their goods.

The Austrian imperial government, of course, could not afford to break ties with the Russian government over things that were unclear, and instead of using the proper channels, it chose to take the unorthodox route.

Franz could not possibly support these guys playing this game. The Austrian Empire's policy was to protect its own economy, not to let those guys make money.

Or perhaps the existence of royal companies and state-owned enterprises meant that the imperial government did not place much importance on privately owned businesses.

In fact, the difficulty in collecting taxes is a major reason for this outcome.

Franz initially tried to support entrepreneurs, but they preferred to bribe officials at all levels rather than pay taxes honestly.

They frequently traveled to neighboring countries to stimulate local consumption and invest there. Some even fled to neighboring countries with money and technology to help them fight against the Austrian Empire.

Franz initially didn't understand why these people were so ungrateful, but as time went on, he came to understand the reasons behind it.

Many entrepreneurs and factory owners view paying taxes as a loss, while bribery is seen as an investment. Although bribery may be more costly than taxes, its effects are more direct, such as gaining the protection and favor of officials.

Therefore, they view it as a long-term investment, a smarter approach.

Comparatively, paying taxes rarely brings direct benefits. Moreover, factory owners who pay taxes according to the law often lose out in competition to entrepreneurs who have "invested" in networks of connections.

Over the centuries, the constant expulsion of good money by bad has created a ingrained mindset among people. Merchants distrust the imperial government, and imperial officials are accustomed to using their power for personal gain.

The two could be said to appreciate each other, but Franz's appearance made everything seem so abnormal.

Ultimately, while bribing officials at this time carries risks, the risks are not significant.

On the one hand, the probability of being discovered is very low, and on the other hand, the punishment is very minor. Often, they would just pick it up and show it to Franz, and then gently put it down to pave the way for the next collaboration.

Moreover, the so-called bribery methods were extremely secretive, even sophisticated. Numerous professional brokers operated in ways that left even Franz, in his later years, bewildered.

If he weren't in the emperor's position, many of these operations would remain undetected. Tax evasion and avoidance methods are incredibly diverse, involving a large number of professionals who often leave investigators bewildered, making it difficult for anyone other than a genius to spot the deception.

What's most disgusting is that even if ordinary officials discover something wrong, it's difficult to deal with it, and after several appeals, more than a decade or so has passed.

By this time, the other side has also come up with new and innovative methods, and the result is often just a waste of time.

Moreover, those businessmen did not want to disclose their situation; they felt they were being forced to leak their trade secrets.

Franz decided to help them change their bad habits, but before that, he still wanted to keep the reins of the economy firmly in his own hands.

Although Franz implemented several tax reforms and abolished outdated systems such as tax collectors and landowners collecting taxes on his behalf, tax collection remained extremely difficult, and tax evasion and avoidance were widespread.

Moreover, some things have become so deeply ingrained that even the Great Purge of 1848 did not prevent these bad habits from surviving.

Franz had no other choice but to gradually eliminate the deep-seated problems through persistent and meticulous efforts.

However, the Austrian Empire had long been dissatisfied with Russia, and many people hoped to wrest control of the Danube River from the Russians or to forcefully guarantee the freedom of trade.

At least it can punish those unscrupulous Russian businessmen.
Schwarzsenberg was immediately struck by a headache. How could these British people know so much about the problems of the Austrian Empire and always manage to strike with such precision?

"You're right. But my great Austrian Empire has its own unique circumstances."

George Villiers smiled. He knew that the alliance with Russia was the established national policy of the Austrian Empire, but he was even more aware that this so-called holy alliance was already riddled with holes and leaking everywhere.

In George Villiers' view, the alliance between Austria and Russia was not a dam with a few ant holes, but rather an ant hole disguised as a dam.

It's a disgrace for a diplomat to have put in so much effort and still failed to destroy the dam.

“Your Highness, if your country is willing to contribute to the peace of Europe, then we, Great Britain, are willing to support your country in achieving it.”

Schwarzenberg was immune to such empty promises. Although he also disliked Russia, he believed that gaining access to the Danube River would be tantamount to cutting off Russia's lifeline in the Balkans.

Needless to say, he knew the outcome. Russia would inevitably fight the Austrian Empire to the bitter end, and the Holy Alliance would cease to exist.

“Mr. Villiers, you are instigating us to betray our allies.”

George Villiers smiled and shook his head.

"This is not a betrayal, but merely a small action taken for the peace of Europe and the world. As far as I know, the Holy Alliance is not a true alliance of offense and defense."

The Austrian Empire's obligation to send troops was only to intervene when France attacked a country. However, when your country was attacked by France in 1848, Russia did not send troops as agreed.

This can be seen as Russia breaking the alliance first. When Russia launched the war, the Austrian Empire could have remained neutral, and this action would not have been considered a violation of the alliance.

This is not only legal, but also reasonable.