The sun never sets in America

Chapter 243 European Diplomacy: Breaking Through Austria

Austria is a large territorial country in Europe second only to Tsarist Russia.

A large empire that spanned Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, and even Southern Europe.

The land area is 650,000 square kilometers.

This is definitely a large area in Europe. You must know that France only has a land area of ​​over 500,000 square kilometers. After many wars in Europe and participating in the partition of Poland twice, Prussia currently only has a land area of ​​just over 300,000 square kilometers. It can be seen that the size of Austria at this time is very large, which can be clearly seen from the map.

(Poland: Why is it that every European history is indispensable to me??)

The current Austrian royal family, or the Habsburg family, currently rules the Kingdom of Austria, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Kingdom of Croatia, the Kingdom of Slovenia, the Kingdom of Dalmatia, and Galicia and Los Angeles, including Poland and later Ukraine. Kingdom of Domeria.

It can be said that even if this is already the period of decline of the Habsburg dynasty, these densely packed crowns alone are enough to make those Europeans who still only have the title of Grand Duke and no legitimate throne drool with envy.

And above this dazzling throne is the Emperor, the Emperor of Austria. (Not the later Austro-Hungarian emperor. The Austro-Hungarian emperor had to wait until Hungary was seeking independence in 1867. This was done to appease him)

The current Emperor of Austria, Ferdinand I, has a problem with this name. The most unpleasant thing about this person is that he has an intellectual problem. The former Emperor Franz II was worried that it would be difficult for him to handle state affairs because of his brain, so he drafted an edict. , Archduke Louis will handle the state affairs on his behalf, and you can ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Clemens Met, for all other matters. (Also known as Ferdinand V)

This person is also the famous prime minister who presided over the Vienna System, the Four Nations Alliance, and the Holy Alliance.

And it was such a big man who had shed blood and fought wars for the Habsburg dynasty and the Austrian Empire, and had controlled the government for 30 years. In March this year, because of a revolution, he announced his resignation in despair, fled Vienna, and went to London is not without drama.

(Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, who was still in London at this time, gave Maite a thumbs up)

After Mette left, the entire Austrian Empire had already had three prime ministers. On May 19, another Baron named Franz von Pillersdorff was replaced.

Judging from this messy handling, there is no difference between the Austrian Empire at this time and the French Kingdom, which was also facing riots in the original time and space and had an emergency change.

It’s all covered in chicken feathers, nothing is left! !

This is also the reason why Liu Peng is unwilling to intervene in the situation in Europe. He neither can nor dares to do so, because this hellish place is too chaotic. The only normal ones are the United Kingdom, Prussia and a few other countries that are still developing rapidly.

In addition, Europe is just a bunch of rat shit. No matter how you mess with it, it will always be shit. In this case, why bother getting involved.

At least the Americas, except for the United States, really don’t have that much trouble.

Of course, this does not mean that Liu Peng does not care about Europe. In fact, he is very concerned about the situation in Europe. Liu Peng will compile everything that happens in Europe into a book and study it carefully.

Regarding a certain wave of booming development in Europe, Liu Peng is even more vigilant and takes warning.

Even regarding the future development of the European situation, Liu Peng is actually increasingly unable to grasp it. After all, history has been messed up by him. Who knows whether there will be a surprise tomorrow.

Now if someone told Liu Peng that there might be a second Napoleon in Europe, Liu Peng might not agree on the surface, but secretly studied his so-called theory of time and space influence. (The new theory developed by Liu Peng himself is compared with the history of later generations and the current rapidly developing world situation)

(The most obvious one is that due to the dual influence of Han and the United States, the world's railway construction has obviously accelerated a lot. If rubber weapons are added, the history of this world will have been kicked off by Liu Peng for at least twenty years. , if this continues, who knows what will happen)

In this way, staying out of the game for the time being has become Han's best choice.

...............

Vienna train station...

A train station with obvious European characteristics, triangular roof, yellow walls and oil paintings that appear from time to time. If you don't know, you might think it is an art museum! !

In fact, this train station was really built by an artist. This person was an Austrian painter. He was later dismissed by the Austrian Academy of Fine Arts due to some problems. Later, through some shitty luck, he was hired by the man who built the railway at that time. Count Nancy took a fancy to him and was appointed as the designer of the train station. By designing such an artistically beautiful train station, he became very popular in the Austrian upper class.

This person also has a huge plan, which is to rebuild Vienna and build Vienna into the world capital. The entire Vienna will be built around the central Imperial Parliament.

There was even a plan to create a so-called urban railway, with the slogan of traveling through Vienna in twenty minutes.

Then there are some stadiums and building buildings. Even after learning that the Han Dynasty had the Empire State Building, the world's largest tallest building, this person also proposed to build a Vienna Building taller than the Empire State Building.

The two-hundred-meter-high Vienna Building will look down on the world, just like the Austrian Empire.

This is the ultimate dream of this young painter and designer of Vienna railway station named Silint.

As expected, this idea was ridiculed, and someone even said:

"If this kind of dream thing can become a reality, then I might as well believe that pigs can really fly!!"

Silint said: "If a person has no dreams, what is the difference between him and the cod in the Atlantic Ocean!!"

…………

A train pulled by a red locomotive stopped at the west side of the Vienna Railway Station.

When Yan Jun walked down, he was greeted by the local mayor and celebrities he didn't know very well.

Then, he stayed at a local villa.

This villa is the private property of the Habsburg family. It is considered a great honor to give it to Yan Jun to live in.

"Mr. Yan, this city of Vienna looks older than Paris. It is said to have a history of many years." Seeing Yan Jun just standing outside the window, Secretary Ma took the initiative to find a topic.

"After all, there is a lot of fire in Paris..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jun replied meaningfully.

"Prime Minister Yan, why do you think this person, Meite, fell down so quickly? Doesn't it look so strange?" Secretary Ma was surprised that a big shot like Meite could fall so quickly. This seemed very strange to him. Incredible.

Yan Jun, on the other hand, said with full of fun and fear: "These ministers are originally meant to share the monarch's worries. How can I know that those people are against Meteor, not against the Austrian Emperor??"

"Prime Minister Yan, you mean..." Secretary Ma looked surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that there was such a doorway here.

"Boy, in being an official, there are three kinds of knowledge: knowing people, knowing things, and knowing friends. Most people can only do the first two and not the last. Do you know why??" Yan Jun asked Secretary Ma about an official topic.

"Why??" Secretary Ma asked directly without thinking.

"Because they have been sitting in high positions for too long and have forgotten what the people below think. Sometimes, lowering your head is not a bad thing!!" Yan Jun replied to Secretary Ma with a complex expression.

"The people below..." Secretary Ma thought about this sentence carefully.

"Boy, learn slowly. Once you learn it, you will sit in my seat..." Yan Jun patted Secretary Ma on the shoulder, and then walked into the room.

"The people below..."

Secretary Ma kept repeating this sentence.

.............................................

Vienna city center, Hofburg Palace.

This is a huge palace with 2,500 rooms and an area of ​​240,000 square meters. It has witnessed the rise and fall of the Habsburg dynasty and is a witness to history.

When Yan Jun walked into this palace, he always felt that it was very similar to the Palace of Versailles, but it felt different. He could only attribute this to the similarity of European architecture.

"The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Han submitted his credentials to the Emperor of Austria, the King of Austria, the King of Hungary, the King of Croatia...!!"

Austria's credentials presentation ceremony is better and more formal than that of France and the United Kingdom. Yan Jun guessed that it may be because the Habsburg dynasty is older. When Yan Jun personally handed over the credentials written in Chinese and German to Ferdinand I, Yan Jun carefully looked at the so-called Austrian Emperor.

He looks ordinary and wears luxurious imperial attire, but his brain is as rumored. He said: "Does the king of your country have a queen? If not, we Habsburg..."

This sentence directly embarrassed Yan Jun. Fortunately, Prime Minister Pillersdorf reacted quickly and said: "His Majesty the Emperor means to ask if your crown prince has a princess. The Habsburg family is willing to marry... "

Yan Jun refused without thinking and said: "My crown prince is only four years old and is still studying..."

In a word, he is really a child! !

After hearing this, Ferdinand I regretted that the Han royal family was the most noble royal family in America, and it was a pity not to marry with it.

Yan Jun, on the other hand, apologized awkwardly, but in fact he was already cursing in his heart, is it fun to engage in marriage on such an important occasion? ?

When Yan Jun left the Hofburg Palace, he found that it was almost dark and had to complain about the cumbersomeness of the Habsburg family again.

It took so long to hold a certificate of credence ceremony.

.........

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I think the tariffs between our two countries should be lowered. You know, your tariffs are much higher than Prussia's. Considering the distance between our country and your country, I think lowering the tariffs is inevitable. …”

"Reducing tariffs is conducive to the circulation of goods, and is also beneficial to the economy between China and Austria..."

Yan Jun is discussing the current tariff issue between Austria and Han with Austrian Prime Minister Pillersdorf.

This is what he is most concerned about during this trip. After all, according to Han's diplomatic plan, Austria has never been a partner for cooperation at the international level, and even Prussia is more important than Austria.

After all, Prussia has intensive military exchanges with Han. There are still more than a hundred Prussian cadets studying in the Army Sergeant School. If you include the exchange of weapons and equipment, then the relationship between Prussia and Han can definitely be improved in the diplomatic system. Ranked among the top three.

Austria, on the other hand, is in a very awkward situation. The two sides are basically engaged in economic and trade exchanges, with no other extras.

Pillersdorf, on the other hand, was not very interested in the so-called reduction of tariffs, and even asked:

“What benefits does lowering tariffs have for Austria??”

Yan Jun struggled to explain the so-called economic theory, as well as the popularity and strong demand for Chinese products, especially rubber products, in the Austrian market.

But in the end Pillersdorf said something that Yan Jun could not answer: "It is precisely because rubber products are so popular that we have to impose more tariffs. Only in this way can Austria receive more money and maintain the current war! !”

The war Pillersdorf is talking about is the Italian War of Independence currently taking place in Italy, which has been going on since March.

The war has continued intermittently until now, and it seems that Austria has the upper hand. However, because of its unpopularity, military expenditure and maintenance costs are very high, so high that Austria's finances have reached the point where it needs to borrow debt. At this time, Yan Jun proposed to reduce or even exempt part of the mutual agreement between the two countries. Tariffs can be said to have hit a wall.

In the end, with Yan Jun's argument and Pillersdorf's concession, the two sides signed a Han-Austrian tariff treaty that neither side was very satisfied with.

The treaty stipulates that rubber products exported from Han to Austria are subject to a 10% higher tariff than other products, and if smuggling is discovered, Han businessmen will bear legal and economic responsibilities. (The original tariff increase was 12%, which was reduced by 2%)

In addition, tariffs on Chinese food, bicycles, some Chinese mechanical products that Austria needs, and even Han telegraph machines have been reduced by 2% to 5% in different specifications. Among them, telegraphs Machines and cables produced in China are of high quality and are among the world's first-class information industry products. Due to the huge demand for building a telegraph network in Austria, the tariffs that were directly exempted were changed to zero tariffs.

(The Han telegraph industry, due to huge internal demand and cabinet investment guidance, is currently the leading industry in the world. Han engineers can be seen in many parts of the world helping other countries to install telegraph networks)

In addition, there are some so-called diplomatic blessings and gifts given to each other by the two monarchs.

Among them, Yan Jun presented to Ferdinand I a Han-made golden dragon vase, a twelve-constellation clock made by the Xijing Clock Factory, and a steamship model based on a list he had prepared long ago.

Ferdinand I gave Liu Peng an oil painting collected by the Habsburg family, which showed a bunch of golden grapes, a royal gilded carriage from the Habsburg family period, and even a sterling silver flintlock. Musket. (Antique from a hundred years ago)

It can be seen from the gifts of the monarchs of the two countries that most of the Han Dynasty showed things from the present, while the Habsburg ones showed the past.

Although this doesn't mean anything, it is very similar to the current situation between the Austrian Empire and the Han Kingdom.

One is old-fashioned and the other is in his prime.

Just like young people and middle-aged people, although they are both men, their physical strength is very different.

…………

Five days had passed since he arrived in Vienna, and one day later, Yan Jun was about to leave for Prussia again.

Yan Jun actually had some expectations for the trip to Prussia. After all, according to His Majesty, the country of Prussia still has a lot to do.

Liu Peng’s comments on the Kingdom of Prussia are also very different from other European countries:

"Prussia is a country caught in the middle. Although it is a small hegemon, it still has the ambition to dominate the European continent. However, time is also destiny, and the number of days is also..."

Regarding Liu Peng's evaluation of Prussia, Yan Jun actually only understood the first half. In his opinion, Prussia is completely different from other European countries, especially half-old countries like Austria. It has an ambitious monarch. , with the wildness to forge ahead, and the current international situation that is pretty good, there may be no chance of rising in troubled times. (implying that France and Austria may be in chaos)

The only trouble is one country, the United Kingdom, which looks at the European continent with a magnifying glass every day.

Only the United Kingdom, in Yan Jun's view, is the biggest variable in the future situation in Europe.

Yan Jun has a deep understanding of the difficulty of the British. After experiencing the trip to London, Yan Jun suddenly understood the last half of His Majesty's meaning.

It's just a matter of time and fate, and it's just a matter of days to encounter such a cunning and cunning country like the United Kingdom.

"Prime Minister Yan, someone is looking for you outside..."

Just when Yan Jun was thinking about how to deal with the trip to Prussia, Secretary Ma's voice came to mind from outside the door.

Yan Jun immediately got up from the sofa, took off the glasses he had been reading on, threw the historical records in his hand on the table, and opened the door.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Secretary Ma's ambiguous eyes and sullen face, as if he was about to smile in the next second.

"Who??" Yan Jun looked at the malicious Secretary Ma and asked with a frown.

"Prime Minister Yan, just go and see for yourself..." Secretary Ma pointed to Yan Jun outside the door.

Yan Jun glared at Secretary Ma, and then walked out of the door. As soon as he walked out, he saw a foreign woman wearing a blue dress and flowing brown hair standing outside the door.

Seeing this foreign woman, Yan Jun was stunned, and it took him a long time to blurt out:

"How did you come!!"

"My dear, why can't I come? As I said, I belong to you first and belong to the East."

Irina looked at Yan Jun's unnatural expression and stepped forward unhappily to answer.

Yan Jun said a little unnaturally: "This is Vienna, not Paris. How did you get here? If I remember correctly, there should be guards outside...you!!"

And Irina's Persian cat-like eyes stared at Yan Jun and replied: "I told them that I was your mistress, and then I came in!!"

After saying that, he hugged Yan Jun directly and kissed him continuously on the face.

Yan Jun didn't know where to put his struggling hands, and finally shouted:

"Pony, get back, don't come out!!"

　Please give me a reward, please give me a monthly ticket

　　

　

(End of this chapter)