I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1408 Diplomatic Genius
Metternich became more and more excited as he spoke: "Yes, the secret police alone cannot completely eliminate the appearance of 'pests,' but fortunately most of the people of the empire are absolutely loyal to Your Majesty."

“We can set up reporting stations in every village and every neighborhood, and provide generous rewards to those who report the spread of harmful ideas.”

"As for 'dangerous elements,' they can be convicted without a public trial."

"I believe that it won't be long before the empire can restore the beautiful and stable order it once was."

"Your suggestion is excellent!" Franz II's lips curled into a smile at the thought of those damned liberals being thrown into prison by the secret police.

But he quickly added with concern, "But won't this cause people's... discontent?"

He originally wanted to say "resistance," but ultimately changed it to "dissatisfaction."

Metternich bowed and said, “Your Majesty, people’s discontent does not stem from whether they can discuss those ‘harmful ideas,’ but from whether they can get enough bread or whether the products made in the workshops can be sold.”

Franz II nodded in agreement: "But that's not easy to do."

Metternich immediately replied, “This will indeed require a great deal of effort, Your Majesty, but under your great rule, it will certainly be accomplished!”

"What I need are concrete measures."

Metternich had long had a comprehensive plan for domestic reforms, and at this moment, he confidently replied:

“Your Majesty, I believe that we should now restart His Majesty Joseph II’s serf reforms.”

"Those landlords occupied a large amount of the serfs' time to work for them. Many serfs only had three days a week to tend to their crops, which inevitably had a serious impact on the harvest."

"If you could allow serfs to redeem their land, they would pray for you every day."

At this point, he stopped mentioning that the buyout model was also learned from France.

"With increased harvests, land taxes will also rise. The empire's finances will be relieved."

Metternich continued, "At the same time, we must also promote industrial development as quickly as possible. You know, we have now reached an era where industrial capacity determines national strength."

"But this first requires solving many inherent problems. For example, abolishing tariffs within the empire and facilitating free trade markets between Bohemia, Moldova, Hungary, and the empire itself."

"The next step is to improve a series of regulations, such as establishing a Company Law, encouraging private factories to be built, and reducing the steps required to apply for company registration..."

"Oh, the guild system also needs to be abolished. It's very difficult for companies to grow under the constraints of guilds..."

Well, he himself didn't even realize that these measures were being copied from France, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Franz II was surprised by the young man's extraordinary insight and excitedly asked, "How long do you think it will take to build an industry comparable to that of France?"

Metternich somewhat awkwardly skipped over the question and instead said, "Your Majesty, if we want to achieve our industrial goals in the shortest possible time, we must seek the help of Britain."

Franz II couldn't help but recall the British attitude when he borrowed money from them before, and shook his head: "The British only pretend to be friendly when they need something from us."

Metternich smiled and said, "Then let them be the ones who need us."

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

“France,” Metternich said, “Britain’s greatest enemy has always been France.”

"We can tell the British that if they don't provide the necessary industrial assistance, we will choose to side with France."

Franz II immediately and instinctively said, "No, we must defeat France!"

Metternich said, “Yes, Your Majesty, but we must make a show of it to convince the British that we will do so. And they certainly don’t want to lose their last ally on the continent who can deal with France.” Franz II looked at the young man before him in surprise. Previously, it was always Britain scheming and blackmailing Austria; now he could turn the tables and “extort” the British!

Metternich continued, "Oh, and there's also the crucial market, which also requires the help of the British."

"Our goods face serious tariff barriers in German countries, so we can only look eastward now."

"You mean Russia?"

“Russia, and the Ottomans, Your Majesty,” Metternich said. “And to gain access to the Russian market, the British will need to coordinate.”

"If a common market of Austria, Britain, Russia and Turkey can eventually be formed, our country can use its huge market size to attract the German states to join."

Franz II paused for a moment: "But they have all joined the Stuttgart Trade Agreement."

“We can be more flexible. We don’t need to reject the Stuttgart Agreement, or even sign a formal agreement with them. As long as both sides can tacitly agree to trade with low tariffs, that’s fine.”

Franz II's face lit up with delight: "What a brilliant idea!"

Metternich calmly replied, “Your Majesty, but all of this is predicated on the elimination of trade barriers within the Empire first.”

Yes, if Bohemia, Hungary, and other regions within Austria impose tariffs on Vienna, what's the point of having a "Common Market" like Austria, Britain, Russia, and Turkey?
Franz II's expression turned serious again: "This is not easy."

Metternich said, “Your Majesty, this first requires weakening the power of local councils, especially in Hungary.”

"I suggest implementing a comprehensive 'Germanization' policy, mandating that all regions must use German, and that German be the primary subject in schools, while other languages ​​can be omitted."

"And gradually, you will be able to directly appoint senior officials in each autonomous region."

Franz II frowned: "What if the local councils object?"

“As long as they retain their tax collection rights, and we use industrial technology as bait, they will accept it,” Metternich said. “After that, we need to establish a national bank and issue paper money to replace gold and silver coins. This will completely solve the current financial crisis…”

The two discussed until dusk, and Franz II was so moved by Metternich's words that he immediately appointed him as the royal secretary, responsible for formulating and implementing reform measures.

……

Paris.

Palace of Versailles.

Talleyrand respectfully placed a document from the Sharp signal tower in front of the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, this was just sent by Baron Bodley."

"According to a message from two Basel parliamentarians, the Austrians facilitated the formation of the Swiss Confederation from the five northern continents of Switzerland."

"Judging from the timeline, the negotiators from each state should have already arrived in Zurich."

Joseph raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Vienna's efficiency this time is indeed very high. And the Swiss Confederation also surprised me a bit."

He picked up the report from the Governor of Upper Germania, which first mentioned that the Assistant to the Austrian Foreign Minister had personally gone to Basel, and then the Basel parliamentarians requested that France intervene in the negotiations in Zurich.

After Talleyrand finished reading, he immediately said, "Your Highness, if a pro-Austrian unified state emerges in northern Switzerland, it will have an adverse impact on our eastern region."

“I suggest that, even if we don’t directly block the negotiations to form the Swiss Confederation, we should at least provide support to the pro-French factions in Zurich and Basel.”

(End of this chapter)