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

Chapter 1872 What to Eat

At this time, Frederick William IV of Prussia suffered a stroke and was unable to rule. All the hidden dangers he left behind erupted during the regency of William I (Prince of the Gravel).

It wasn't just a matter of East-West division; at this time, the Junker landowners had not united with the Prussian bourgeoisie, and what was even more alarming was the lack of bourgeois elites within Prussia.

Therefore, the contradictions between the two sides were extremely sharp. The Junker aristocracy hoped to restore their former glory and monopolize the army and government, while the bourgeoisie wanted to emulate Britain by expanding the power of the House of Commons to break the Junker aristocracy's monopoly, or to achieve a political status commensurate with their economic strength.

The most direct conflict between the two sides was their economic stance. The Junker landowners were afraid of the cheap grain from the Austrian Empire, but they were even more afraid of the overseas grain from Russia and the United States, so they inevitably wanted to strengthen trade barriers.

But the Prussian liberals wanted free trade; they were eager for foreign grain to flood the Junker landowners' land.

However, the Junker aristocracy and the Prussian bourgeoisie were not a monolithic entity; for example, the industrial Junkers looked down on the traditional agricultural Junkers.

However, the industrial bourgeoisie did not regard the industrial Junkers as their own people; on the contrary, they regarded them as their greatest enemy.

Because the Prussian industrial Junkers frequently abused their privileges, factory owners in Prussia were extremely annoyed, especially those in the western Rhine region, who hated these privileged officials and wanted fair competition.

The bourgeoisie is also riddled with contradictions. The big bourgeoisie wants property elections, parliamentary politics, and monopolistic practices; but the petty bourgeoisie wants universal suffrage and restrictions on market monopolies.

Even among the Junker nobles and the monarch, there were conflicts. Prussia, like Austria, faced the conflict between centralization and decentralization.

Furthermore, Franz intensified the East-West conflict within Prussia. The western Rhine region was predominantly Catholic, which was incompatible with the Protestantism of Prussia. Coupled with the impact of the Great Rebellion of 1848, the exodus of the liberal parliament, and pressure from the industrial Junkers, Prussia almost became a dualistic state.

Bismarck faced a Prussia that was in disarray, and his task was to mend the country's divisions and bring it back into a unified whole.

Otherwise, let alone competing with Austria for supremacy, it would be a miracle if it weren't annexed.

Bismarck needed a sufficiently enticing offer to win over the bourgeoisie and factory owners.

The prospect of dominating Germany was indeed tempting, but unfortunately, the liberals and parliament were stronger in this era, and the powerful military strength of the Austrian Empire made Bismarck hesitant to take military risks.

A strategy that could both win over domestic bourgeois liberals and bleed the Austrian Empire dry was thus born.

Bismarck always used a carrot and stick approach; he could use social security to ease tensions, or he could ignore labor-management issues in order to win over liberals.

In fact, after some cold calculations, the technological gap between the two sides will eventually narrow. As long as Prussian workers' wages are low enough, they can dump their goods on the Austrian market at prices lower than the cost of goods in the Austrian Empire.

While the Austrian Empire was indeed far ahead in some areas, the high wages in light industry, especially in labor-intensive industries like textiles, were extremely abnormal.

Bismarck was merely exploiting economic principles, and moreover, this concession would solve Prussia's biggest problem at the time—the problem of unity.

For a politician, turning poverty into an advantage and backwardness into potential is not too difficult.

This can also be combined with another grand narrative—the unification of Germany—under which all problems will be solved.

In this way, Bismarck brought together the Junker aristocracy, the bourgeoisie, and ordinary people.

Only a united Prussia could possibly challenge the Austrian Empire, but before that, the Kingdom of Prussia needed to catch up in basic technology.

William I quite approved of Bismarck's ideas, because he really didn't have any better solutions.

In the original timeline, William I almost abdicated, not to mention that the eastern and western parts were practically dual states at the time. He was overwhelmed by the problems that were on the surface.

And after being called "Shotgun William" for several years, he was starting to want to change his ways.

However, Wilhelm I insisted on following the example of King Frederick VII of Denmark, whose motto was "The love of the people is my strength," while Wilhelm I claimed to be "conquering Germany through moral conquest."

One could argue that this was about winning people over with virtue, which clearly contradicted Bismarck's later iron-fisted policies. But in the end, it's quite clear to everyone which one will be remembered in history and which one will fade into obscurity.

However, William I had one good quality: he was very self-aware. He knew that Bismarck was a genius and was willing to trust him and give him a chance.

Babelsberg Palace, Potsdam.

A torrential downpour was falling from the gloomy sky, and flashes of lightning made William I's face flicker between light and shadow. The curtains were not drawn, and the rain was left to pound against the glass.

William I sat alone by the French windows, waiting for someone, someone who could turn the tide.

“If he cannot turn the tide, then I will not go against my conscience. I would rather become a hermit like Alexander I.”

William I felt inexplicably better at the thought of handing over this mess to his disobedient son.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. The attendant pushed open the door and said in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Bismarck has arrived."

This was not the first time the two sides had met, but William I still said so.

"you lost weight."

"You too."

William I looked up, looking slightly tired.

"Look at those self-righteous liberals, power-hungry nobles, ignorant masses, and newspapers that can't wait to see bloodshed."
Right to our south, there are 500,000 fierce warriors ready for battle, yet they want to turn my sword into a mere decoration.

This isn't a country, this is a circus. My brother and I are the clowns, and I've had enough!

"But you don't want to be a deserter, do you? This is a war between royal rule and parliamentary rule!"

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.

Franz was unusually not pondering his grand plans, but he also didn't particularly enjoy taking care of children. However, given Olga's health condition, there were some things that only he could do.

Perhaps because Franz was too traditional, he always felt a sense of estrangement from his two sons.

Or perhaps Karl Augustus and Alexander were too precocious, and the three of them together always created a rather awkward feeling.

Compared to them, the great auks and seals on the side were much more lively.

It's called a great auk, but it's actually more like a goose, swaying left and right and honking loudly just like a goose.

However, the great auk is relatively docile and will not easily attack humans, but everyone was still told to remain vigilant, after all, it is a wild animal.

Normally, children would have pounced on these strange animals long ago, but Karl Augustus and Alexander didn't react at all, not even raising their heads.

Franz didn't want the silence to continue, so he had to break the deadlock.

"Look how interesting these birds are."

The two children nodded, and silence fell again.

"Don't you like it?"

"I like it, but there are many forms of liking."

"For example?"

"In the form of food."

Franz looked embarrassed; it seemed he had raised the great auk too well, making people forget that it was actually a rare animal. However, at that time, the Austrian Empire didn't really have the concept of rare animals; it was simply a matter of whether they tasted good or were edible.

Franz thought this might be a breakthrough, so he asked.

"What do you usually like to eat? I'll have someone make it for you in a bit."

Franz believed that satisfying the boys' appetites should prevent the atmosphere from becoming as awkward as it was now.

He hadn't tried any gourmet food in a long time, mainly because he found the dining etiquette too cumbersome.

But Franz dared not change the rules. He had previously refused a chef's recipe proposal, and that chef committed suicide that very night.

Of course, this kind of thing wouldn't be told to outsiders. An investigation revealed that the chef died in a struggle with a type of ingredient.
However, Karl Augustus's answer left Franz somewhat bewildered.

"Tiger, lion."

Franz looked at his eldest son's innocent face and then at his second son.

"I think elephants and brown bears are also good."

Alexander's thoughtful and repeated answers only made Franz more confused.

"What are you eating? Won't it give you an upset stomach?"

"Archbishop Rauscher said that you are what you eat. Eating these wild beasts can increase courage and strength."

Franz was speechless for a moment.

"Shouldn't you eat more turtles? That could increase your lifespan."

"Bordeaux, now I issue my order: from this day forward, the consumption of forest meat is strictly prohibited within the territory of the Austrian Empire."

If any jungle meat is found in the palace, it must be disposed of immediately.

Franz's order came as a surprise, leaving the two children somewhat bewildered, as it was an executive order.

Bordeaux, however, was in a dilemma.

“Your Majesty, those beasts are worth at least several million florins. And they don’t just belong to the royal family; many other families and businesses also have a stake in them.”

Franz turned around abruptly.

"what happened?"

"Your Majesty, your previous order was to prohibit the consumption of jungle meat in the colonies."

"I know that, but how dare they?"

"Of course they wouldn't dare, but aren't you raising crocodiles in captivity and selling crocodile meat?"

So they think this is a signal you're sending.

Bordeaux's words reminded Franz of two previous actions he had taken: raising ostriches and crocodiles in captivity.

By this time, the Austrian Empire already possessed refrigerated ships, which made it possible for some strange and unusual foods to be introduced.

Ostriches were raised primarily for their feathers; people in this era loved to stick a feather in their hats to show their nobility and uniqueness.

The great auk went extinct not only because it was too delicious, but also primarily because of its beautiful tail feathers.

Ostrich feathers are certainly slightly inferior to those of great auks and birds of paradise, but their price is still equivalent to that of gold of the same weight.

Ostrich meat is merely a byproduct, but it is also a luxury item.

The situation is similar with crocodiles; they are raised for their skins.

Crocodile skin is also a luxury item, but the main target audience has shifted from women to men.

At that time, crocodile leather shoes, belts, trunks, and knife sheaths were all top-tier luxury items.

Like ostrich meat, crocodile meat has relatively few parasites and bacteria, and its unique flavor makes it a luxury item. However, it is still a byproduct compared to crocodile skin.

Franz couldn't possibly eat all of these byproducts himself, so he sold them on the market through department stores.

The public was quite interested in these novel meats, but the powerful and wealthy saw them as a different signal.

If dangerous animals like crocodiles and ostriches can be eaten, then other animals should also be edible.

The Austrians' confidence, fueled by numerous victories, bordered on narcissism, leading them to hunt ferocious beasts such as lions, tigers, elephants, and brown bears.

This gives them a sense of superiority and dominance, as if even the king of the forest and the overlord of the grassland can only become their prey.

Franz's two sons have clearly been led astray by this group of people; eating these wild animals won't give them any sense of dominance whatsoever.

On the contrary, they are more susceptible to parasites and serious illnesses.

While Franz was busy with internal and external operations, this group had already turned the beasts into an industry.

Tigers and lions are skinned and then served on the dinner table. As for elephants and brown bears, only the elephant trunk, hooves, paws, and legs are considered valuable; the rest of the meat is processed into sausages and sold directly.

Bear ham is a traditional food in Austria, but bears have long been exhausted in the Inner Leitania region, so it has always been purchased from the east, and even from Russia.

Fortunately, Austrians do not have the same fondness for a bloody, wild culture as the British and Americans; they generally prefer deep-frying and slow cooking, so there has been no widespread infection of parasites or diseases.

However, at this time, British culture was widely spread, so it was inevitable that some attempts would be half-baked or even completely uninspired.

Franz thought about it and decided that banning it would be better to monopolize it.

"Colonel Bordeaux told Prince Schwarzenberg that tigers, lions, and bears could only be fried or cooked thoroughly; all other cooking methods were prohibited, and the national government was to sell them in a unified manner."

Tell those guys investing in the jungle meat business to watch their step, but this time the Empire will compensate them for their losses.

It's supposed to be compensation, but in reality, it forces those foodies to use their own money to re-bid.

Of course, if they can resist the temptation of their appetites, they can indeed save some money.

Franz was happy to see this happen. He didn't care what they ate; he just didn't want them to develop any health problems or set off any bad habits.

The Austrian Empire's healthcare system was just beginning to show results, and he didn't want to ruin it all just because some people wanted to eat something different.

However, Franz still welcomes their investment, with the only requirement being that they follow the rules.

Franz didn't want to avoid including these nobles, but they were just too adept at using their connections to intimidate others and take advantage of others.

Franz always made a point of checking whether they were using his name to bully and monopolize the market or act tyrannically.