I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 916 The storm is coming
Franz II immediately frowned and looked out the window.

Austrian Interior Minister Count Kobzl hurried to the door of the conference room and said sternly to his assistant Fyodort, "What's going on outside? Where are the police?"

The political environment in Vienna is not as relaxed as that in Paris. Usually, protest teams will be dispersed by the police before they can go two blocks. As for running to the vicinity of the royal palace to "make trouble", forget it.

Fyodor lowered his head and said, "Today, there were two larger protests on Silversmith Street and Stephen's Cathedral, and the police were transferred there.

"These people outside should have gathered near Graben Street. I have sent people to deal with them..."

The Austrian police is still under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Interior, so Kobzl cannot escape blame for incidents like this.

He gritted his teeth and said to his assistant, "I'll give you 20 minutes to disperse those idiots outside! If the police are not enough, let the palace guards assist."

"Yes, my lord." Feodor bowed and walked away.

Soon, sixty or seventy policemen wielding batons rushed into the protesting crowd in a line, immediately triggering screams and curses.

More than a hundred steps away, a company of palace guards, holding flintlock rifles, watched the police work coldly.

As dozens of protesters in the front were beaten and fell to the ground covered in blood, the crowd began to retreat gradually, and the voices of the slogans also weakened...

In a cafe on the east side of Graben, one street away from Schönbrunn Palace.

Baron Scherer, with disheveled hair, folded his hands, looked pitifully at the fat middle-aged man sitting opposite him, and said in a low voice:

"Count Graf, Lucas is only 17 years old. He is as fragile as a blade of grass in front of those Frenchmen. Please, you must help me find a solution."

Count Graf took a sip of coffee and shook his head slightly:
"You know, this conscription order was issued by His Majesty the Emperor himself. There is no room for 'manipulation' at all."

Baron Scherer grabbed his hand excitedly and said, "No, you can't just watch him die. This is my only son. For God's sake, please..."

Graf pushed his hand away and took the napkin to wet his mouth. "Well, Count Colombier asked me to help you. I can arrange for the child to be a logistics transfer officer in Klagenfurt. It is 20 miles away from the battlefield and very safe."

Graf was an official in the Military Commission's Recruiting Division and held considerable power.

Scherer was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you so much, I really don't know what to say, you saved our family..."

Graf coughed lightly and continued, "But you know, there are a lot of people eyeing this position. I have to take care of it to ensure that it won't be taken away."

Scherer nodded repeatedly: "Yes, this is very necessary. Um, how much do you think it will cost?"

"You should prepare 2 florins, but perhaps 5 florins would be safe."

Sherer was stunned.

Austria has been at war for the past few years, prices are high and it is difficult to make money, so his entire estate is probably only about 700 or 800 florins.

He took a deep breath and nodded vigorously again: "Okay, that's no problem. But can you give me some time to raise the money..."

"I can wait for you for half a month. You know the French may call at any moment."

Scheerer felt that he was having difficulty breathing. Two thousand florins was not a small amount, and it was definitely not enough for half a month.

He suddenly raised his head and said with difficulty: "Well, David's pension is 3 florins. If you can help me to collect it, I can give you all the money..."

"That money is not for me," Graf interrupted him unhappily. "As for the pension, it is not my responsibility... Anyway, I can only wait for you for half a month, but this is for the sake of Count Colombier."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and left.

The whole country is recruiting soldiers recently, and many people ask him for help.

Scherer buried his head between his elbows and closed his eyes in pain. He had asked someone to go to the Military Commission yesterday and learned that his eldest son's pension would not be paid until at least one year later.

There was simply no time to smooth things over for the younger son.

The manor in Trenheim Village is still worth one or two thousand florins, but I don’t know if I can find someone willing to buy it in half a month...

Just then, shouts came from outside the cafe, "No war!"

"Let us petition His Majesty the Emperor."

"Let's all resist the conscription!"

"Yes! An immediate ceasefire with France!"

Scherer couldn't help but stand up and look at the crowd holding banners outside the window, and life appeared in his eyes.

Yes, as long as there is a ceasefire, Lucas won’t have to go to war!

I hope His Majesty the Emperor will agree.

He grabbed his hat, rushed out of the cafe, and joined the parade, waving his arms and shouting with the bricklayers and boatmen beside him: "Cancel the conscription! Armistice with France!"

……

Trenheim Village.

In the farmland under the scorching sun, seven or eight serfs were gathered together, leaning on their hoes, frowning and talking about something.

"It was said by Master Niklas from the neighboring village. He must be right. The Emperor's decree will be announced soon."

A middle-aged man with a missing ear rubbed the dirt on his hands and said with his head down: "Too many people went to the war this year. The landlords need enough manpower to sow seeds, so the emperor will definitely increase the labor time of the serfs."

The others all frowned, "But if we work five and a half days a week, how can we find time to take care of the land?"

"Even so, we have to collect imperial taxes. Do we have to borrow money at high interest rates this year?"

"Meisinger's loan interest rate has already reached 20%, and you need two adult men in the family to borrow..."

Historically, the Great Depression broke out in France, but in fact, taxes in France were not considered heavy in Europe.

Take Austria for example. Farmers had to pay double the imperial tax and the seigniory tax, and they also had to pay tithes to the church.

All taxes that France has are available here, including "marriage tax", "migration tax" and "widow tax" that France does not have, and the tax rates are all higher than those in France. For example, the tithe tax rate in France is 7%, while in Austria it is 10% to 13%.

This is still a self-cultivating farmer. If he was a serf, he would have to serve the lord for three days a week, which was compulsory labor.

The three-day labor service was set during the reforms of Joseph II, but after Leopold II came to power, many lords increased the labor service to more than four days.

All I can say is that there are still many "old district people" in France, and if their lives are difficult, they will really dare to cause trouble.

The reason why Austria has not exploded is that the emperor was ruthless enough.

Second, Austria started planting potatoes early, so the lower-class people did not starve to death.

Third, Hungary, Bohemia and other places have their own systems and never get involved in Vienna’s affairs, so the scale of protests is always limited.

(End of this chapter)