I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1407 Metternich's Reforms

Of course, the cost of a mile of urban rail is not as high as hundreds of thousands of francs; these are figures exaggerated by Bernese people through misinformation.

Moreover, the construction costs were basically covered by Bern's 300 million "franchise fee".

The French Ministry of Finance allocated only a little over 20 francs to the Haut-Germany province – mainly for the restoration and development of those “Roman-era ruins” and the associated road reconstruction work, which cost a considerable amount of money.

Freno continued with obvious envy, "I heard that gas streetlights will be installed here next year or the year after. From then on, this city will no longer have cold nights."

"Maybe there'll be running water or something, who knows? Anyway, French cities all have these amazing things."

These are just his wild guesses.

Bern has a population of less than 30,000, which simply cannot support the cost of using luxury facilities such as gas streetlights. In fact, even in France, only seven or eight major cities, such as Paris, Lyon, and Bordeaux, have gas streetlights, and only Paris and Lyon have running water.

The closer the Basel MP's carriage got to the Upper German Governor's Palace, the slower it became.

Looking at the crowded pedestrians, carriages, and vendors on the street, Goseran asked in bewilderment, "Is there some kind of festival today?"

Bern has a slightly larger population than Basel, but it is also a larger city. Based on his experience, there shouldn't be so many people on the streets on a normal day.

His entourage inquired with street vendors and learned that people from northern Swiss cities had been flocking to Bern for the past few months, and now even the suburbs were packed with people. Many of them were from Basel.

Yes, since the restoration of the Roman baths, many French nobles have come here to travel – this is a site that His Highness the Crown Prince has mentioned in public on several occasions.

These people were all big spenders, which quickly boosted the economy of the small town with only tens of thousands of people.

As the Roman theater neared completion of its restoration, people from surrounding cities flocked to Bern in search of opportunities.

Goseran frowned immediately: "If this continues, Basel may not even have many people left."

Freno sighed: "Hopefully Paris will accept our request..."

The next day at noon, the two finally got their wish and were summoned by Baron Bodleian, the governor of Upper Germania.

……

Vienna, Austria.

Schönbrunn Palace Grand Gallery.

Metternich was proudly reporting the situation in Switzerland to the Holy Roman Emperor:
"...A week ago, the five northern states signed a preliminary agreement in Zurich to form a federation. Currently, they are discussing the composition of the parliament and details such as state taxes."

"If our country sends someone to 'coordinate,' I believe that the Swiss Confederation will officially emerge as early as the end of next month."

Franz II nodded with satisfaction and said, "I must commend you for your outstanding work. You have restored the glory of the Empire to the land of Alemannia; this is truly a remarkable achievement!"

The so-called "Alemannia" refers to the northern region of Switzerland, which was the territory of the Alemannia tribe more than a thousand years ago. This tribe originated in southern Germany.

Franz II waved his hand generously: "I must give you a fitting reward."

Austria had indeed suffered setbacks in recent years, and now that it had finally achieved some diplomatic success that was somewhat respectable, it naturally put him in a very good mood. Metternich quickly bowed and said, "As a diplomat, it is my honor to do something meaningful for the Empire."

He glanced quickly at the emperor: "But if Your Majesty truly wishes to reward me, then I hope you will rescind your decree regarding the reform of the State Council."

Franz II frowned: "Why do you care about this?"

Metternich's expression was like that of a knight standing guard on the battlefield: "Your Majesty, the Empire must have its own dignity and order, and must not be influenced by the policies of the French!"

History will prove how foolish the French royal family's actions were.

"The monarch's authority must never be coveted by anyone, not even in a formal sense!"
“Those people will not be grateful for your kindness and generosity for being admitted to the State Council; they will only become more greedy and use their newfound influence to seize more power.”

"And the empire will fall into turmoil due to their insatiable desires!"

Franz II's expression also turned serious: "Frankly, I have shared your concerns. However, you should also know what the domestic reaction will be after the formation of the French Parliament. I must try to prevent those who have been poisoned by the likes of Rousseau from causing trouble."

Metternich proclaimed, “Your Majesty, as long as you display your supreme authority and give your people unwavering confidence, those with ulterior motives will be no threat at all!”

"what do you mean?"

Metternich's tone turned somber: "Your Majesty, everything in the Empire must operate in the way you permit."

"I believe that the first thing to do is to ban all actions that attempt to imitate France."

"The number of secret police is clearly far from sufficient, otherwise no one on the streets would be secretly discussing the affairs of the French House of Representatives."

"Yes, the harmful ideas of Rousseau and Montesquieu should have been completely banned long ago, and the secret police are needed to 'regulate' those who spread harmful ideas."

"As for the books written by the French, they must all be destroyed in our country and no one should be allowed to mention them. Otherwise, they will have to be imprisoned to correct their thinking!"

Franz II's eyes lit up. Metternich's words were exactly what he wanted to hear; he had always loathed the liberals in the country—it was because of these very people that he had been forced to flee to Brno a few years earlier.

Seeing the emperor's expression of approval, Metternich felt even more confident:

"And what other schools' professors and newspaper editors have 'influenced' liberal and human rights ideas that mostly flowed from them?"

"Therefore, these problems must be addressed at their source. For example, special police officers should be stationed in all universities and newspapers to monitor the words and actions of these individuals at all times."

"By the way, the school should add courses so that every student understands that His Majesty is ruling the empire on behalf of God."

"As for newspapers and books, they should be censored even more strictly. Publications like the Vienna News and the Enlightener should not only be banned immediately, but their editors should also be tried."

"And the most harmful things are unauthorized gatherings and guys who spend all day giving speeches!"

"We should grant the secret police greater powers to arrest suspicious individuals at any time, and once verified, immediately impose severe penalties!"

(End of this chapter)