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

Chapter 1871 Advantage
In fact, Prussia misunderstood the Austrian Empire's colonial strategy. The reason Franz developed agriculture and urbanization in Antananarivo was mainly because the local environment was suitable and the population was relatively large.

The central plains of Madagascar are a traditional agricultural region, and it would be a real shame to abandon it and instead plant other crops, which would be putting the cart before the horse.

Furthermore, the area had a large population and, having been the capital of a kingdom, already possessed the foundation for urbanization. Franz's urbanization efforts here were not for poverty alleviation, but rather to concentrate purchasing power to facilitate plunder and dumping.

If the locals continue to live in rural and mountainous areas, even if Austrian goods are cheap, no one will know about them and they will not fetch a good price.

Even if the message gets through, the journey can be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

But with the city's large markets, everything became much simpler.

The Austrian Empire's strategy in Madagascar was to first stabilize the situation before pursuing further development.

Without controlling agriculture, how can one control the indigenous people? But conversely, as long as agriculture is controlled, the locals can only obediently follow orders.

A large population has advantages: it generates a lot of energy and has a strong ability to resist. However, it also has disadvantages: the resources they need for survival are enormous, and they can easily be cut off from resources.

Once the most crucial foundation is secured, things become much easier. In a slave-owning country like this, a little manipulation can make them forget their past rulers and so-called traditions.

Next, they would mine minerals and develop some simple processing industries, and the entire colony would become permanent territory.

However, the Prussians only saw that the Austrians were teaching the locals how to farm, and even that the Austrians were farming themselves.
This was completely out of step with the diverse practices of other countries around them, so the Prussians naturally had no interest in slowly learning from it.

On the other hand, somewhat to Bismarck's surprise, his body recovered very quickly.

"It seems that the concoction made from those smelly leather shoes and bat droppings is quite effective."

However, Bismarck still distrusted those charlatans, always feeling that they were just lucky and that there might be even greater side effects later.

It's hard to say whether there will be even greater side effects in the future, but at this time, medical skills were a required course for the clergy of the Austrian Empire.

They might not be able to treat serious illnesses, but they're perfectly capable of dealing with minor ailments like headaches, fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea.

After all, these people mainly study basic medicine, with a focus on the prevention and treatment of common diseases and the identification of infectious diseases.

Overall, it primarily uses practical Eastern medicine, supplemented by modern Western medicine.

These people certainly can't compare to doctors with specialized training, but they have the advantage of rich experience, and the placebo effect of religious patronage cannot be ignored.

As for why it must focus on practical Eastern medicine, it is clear that empirical medicine is more suitable for the church because their special status and the special era allowed them to quickly accumulate a wealth of experience.

The experience accumulated by the Austrian Church each year surpasses the accumulation of many families over dozens of generations.

Because there are a large number of available practical cases, it is possible to quickly summarize and develop a newer and more effective solution.

Furthermore, since information is shared, many errors and omissions can be quickly discovered and fixed, making it almost impossible to conceal them.

Several years ago, no family could surpass the church in terms of comprehensiveness. With the development in recent years, the Austrian church has entered a completely new field in the prevention and treatment of common diseases.

In fact, Franz promoted pragmatism in the church, and traditional Chinese medicine was just one of his methods. Any effective means could be incorporated into it without being bound by any restrictions.

Franz's decision to have priests receive medical training was essentially a product of the times, when a doctor needed at least ten years of study and practice, starting as an apprentice, before he could obtain a medical license.

Even with professional university training, it still takes three years of practical experience after graduation to obtain a medical license. The Medical Association will not budge on this, as it concerns their livelihood.

The Austrian Empire didn't have many extra university students to study medicine, since those who could attend university were already extremely rare.

The medical association wanted to maintain the scarcity of medical resources, but Franz did not want that; their ridiculous profits did not move him.

However, things must be done step by step, and since the Austrian Empire had so many priests and nuns, they might as well contribute to the country and society since they were just sitting around doing nothing.

There are many advantages to doing this through the church, such as the fact that there were churches all over the Austrian Empire, so there was no need for secondary construction.

They are more firmly rooted than the imperial government and are more likely to gain the trust of the people. For example, it is convenient to spread the message that a single sermon can solve 99% of the cognitive problems.
All hygiene problems can be labeled as "unclean," which is far more effective than a group of experts talking about scientific principles for ages.

The Austrian Empire's basic medical and sanitation systems underwent a dramatic transformation in less than twenty years under Franz's supervision, largely thanks to his strategy of leveraging the power of the powerful.

The death rate in the Austrian Empire was declining sharply, and living past thirty or forty was no longer a luxury.

To put it in a somewhat ambiguous way, in 1840, the average life expectancy in the Austrian Empire was 33 years, with only Russia having a lower life expectancy than Austria.

Secondly, Franz was also trying to help the church; only by becoming useful could they avoid being eliminated.

The Austrian Empire had high requirements for its clergy, requiring them to love their country, God, others, and themselves.

Putting others before oneself may be difficult for ordinary people to accept, or even foolish.

But for clergy, this is the bottom line; otherwise, why should they be supported by others?
If you can't stand it, you can simply become an ordinary person. That's why a large number of clergy members returned to secular life every year after Franz's reforms began.

At this time, Austrian clergy always carried two books: a Bible and a Gospel (a manual for the prevention and treatment of common diseases, a guide to the identification of infectious diseases, and temporary treatment methods for acute and severe illnesses).

There were already many church-run charitable hospitals within the Austrian Empire in the 19th century, but they were largely forgotten in history mainly because they followed the French in implementing somewhat unsuccessful secular reforms.

The value of doctors is measured in a commodified way, but doctors' salaries are not increased.

People who study medicine aren't all fools. Since it's money-driven, they'll naturally work for whoever pays the most.

At the same time, the commercial operation model is not well-suited to the believers, and medical staff at the grassroots level have to bear the dual pressure of performance and morality.

As a result, high-end talent left and was lost, while low-end consumables were abandoned and laid to rest, causing charitable hospitals to become out of touch with the times.

It's important to understand that the pace of social change in the 19th century was extremely rapid; those who couldn't keep up with the times were simply swept away.

In fact, the church has developed its own medicine in history, such as using willow bark to treat fever and pain.

Willow bark is rich in salicylic acid, the precursor to aspirin.

However, the church likes to authorize, sanctify, and dogmatize. For example, they regard the theories of the ancient Roman physician Galen as unalterable classics, only to be thoroughly defeated by the theory of blood circulation.

Furthermore, due to his limited thinking, he tends to attribute illness to moral and spiritual matters, even believing it to be a punishment for disrespecting God.

Franz naturally wouldn't keep such dross; he wanted to make everything valuable.

Before leaving the aid station, Bismarck threw two thalers into the donation box. Just as he was about to turn away, someone called him back.

"What's the matter?"

“Sir, it’s not safe for you to carry so many coins with you when you’re out and about.”

Bismarck was somewhat confused, so the priest immediately explained.

"The things that jingle in your pocket will bring you a lot of unnecessary trouble; pickpockets will be targeting you."

You might consider exchanging your money for cash; it would be better if you were out and about.

Train stations are places where all sorts of people mingle; not only are there pickpockets who cut pockets, but some people even take the risk of robbery and fraud.

Austrian banknotes enjoyed high acceptance, circulating not only within Austria but also throughout Central Europe. Furthermore, with the existence of the Europa Monetary Union, Austrian banknotes could theoretically be used in any European country except Russia and Sweden.

Prussia, however, was an exception. Although the German Confederation had standardized the exchange rate, Prussia refused to accept paper money. They could not accept the Austrians using blank paper to extract their wealth.

"Thanks, but I don't need it."

Bismarck boarded the train back home and saw the train full of people and livestock. He vowed that next time he would never be greedy for small gains and would always buy a seat in the first-class carriage.

In this special era, the lower-class carriages could not be too clean or comfortable, but at least they were not as dark and cramped as they used to be.

However, it is still unavoidable for passengers to secretly bring some animals or goods into the carriages, but there will be no scene of a flock of sheep or a group of pigs appearing.

However, it is not uncommon to see a sheep or a pig, a basket of salted fish, and two geese.

Bismarck loved canned sardines, but he had no desire to become a sardine.

At that moment, Bismarck was squeezed in the middle of a group of people, and a greasy middle-aged woman even gave him a flirtatious wink.

Suddenly Bismarck heard the sound of tearing cloth. He looked down and saw a dirty little devil cutting open his pocket with a knife.

"You brat! Give me back my money!"

The child nimbly weaved through the crowd, while Bismarck's proud tall stature became a disadvantage, making it impossible for those around him to make way for him.

Just as Bismarck reached out to grab the brat, a goose suddenly bit his hand.

The entire carriage erupted into chaos in an instant.
Upon finally arriving in Berlin, Bismarck was once again pushed off the train by the crowd. His clothes were disheveled, and his hands were wrapped in bandages, as if he had been in a fight.

Bismarck went straight to the War Department and found Ron as soon as he got off the train.

Do you know what I saw?

"Of course I know what you saw."

Ron had also been to Vienna, and not just Vienna, but most of the Austrian Empire.

Prussia's hypothetical enemy was always the Austrian Empire, so it had to understand this enemy well enough.

However, the more they learned about it, the more terrified they became, because the enemy before them was far too powerful.

Austria has nearly three times the population of Prussia, and Austria also has, and perhaps even more, a youth army that Prussia is so proud of.

It lags behind in all aspects, including territory size, technological level, fiscal revenue, and the strength of its allies.

Bismarck spoke slowly.

"War is never a wise choice."

Ron was starting to give up on himself.

"I think war is the only opportunity. Do you expect things to continue developing? Or will another war break out within the Austrian Empire someday?"
Now that the Ottomans are gone, where do you think the Holy League can expand to?
We might just become the next Poland, the next Ottoman Empire.

It's clear that Ron is thinking about things from a purely military perspective, so it sounds a bit abstract.

But in fact, it is easy to reach this conclusion by simply looking at a military map and assuming that the Russo-Austrian alliance will not collapse.

However, Bismarck knew very well that this situation was simply impossible.

"Your worries are unnecessary. The honeymoon period between the Austrians and the Russians is over, and now they are probably plotting how to weaken each other's strength."

We Prussians are their best sword.

Ron asked with a blank expression.

"So should I side with Russia or Austria?"

But Bismarck answered.

“We will not take sides. We only want to fight for a place for Prussia and the German nation, not to fight to the death with those behemoths.”

Ron smiled.

"How can we strive for that? Can our development speed match that of the Austrian Empire?"

We are not yet unified in the east and west, but the Austrian Empire is constantly expanding its territory and even has overseas colonies.

To be honest, poor young people in our country prefer to go to Austria to make their fortunes, and nobles are more willing to join the army in Vienna.

We are losing both our population and wealth. If we keep waiting, will we have a future?
There is a very harsh reality that being a German is more advantageous in Austria than in Prussia.

The same job can pay two to three times more. And a train ticket is all you need to travel from Prussia to Austria.

What do you think those people will choose?

Ron hadn't finished speaking.

“You can take a look at Mr. Krupp’s report; it will make these comparisons even more striking.”

Their workers live in brick houses, our workers live in mud shacks. Their workers wear rubber boots, our workers wear straw sandals. Their workers eat meat three times a week, our workers are lucky if they eat meat once a month.

Skilled workers are respected no less than academics, and everyone is willing to do their best to achieve their ideals.

Even with such high salaries, their products still firmly occupy the market.
Bismarck casually set Krupp's report aside.

"Listen to me, this is their Achilles' heel. The Austrians are merely enjoying the benefits of technology now, but they are complacent and only know how to indulge in pleasure, just like the Spanish back then."

The Austrians will eventually die from their own arrogance.

When Ron heard Bismarck compare the Austrians to the once invincible Spain, he found it strangely reasonable, since both countries were ruled by the Habsburg family.

What are you planning to do?

Bismarck took a deep breath and said.

"We should make more rational use of our strengths and potential."

Ron was somewhat puzzled.

What are our advantages?

Bismarck thought for a long time before speaking.

"poverty."