Holy Roman Empire

Gladstone was not blinded by the good news before him. Although monopolizing the Ottoman Empire’s benefits would be ideal, supporting the Ottoman Empire to keep Austria in check was not something Britain could do alone.

Currently, with the Ottoman Empire in decline, the Austrian government could sit by idly and watch. But as soon as the Ottoman Empire showed signs of resurgence, the situation would quickly change.

If one day the Austrian government suddenly decided to remove this ‘thorn’ in its side, Britain would find itself unable to act effectively. The British government wasn’t about to go to war with Austria for the sake of the Ottomans. Regardless of the outcome, the only beneficiary would be France.

Therefore, dragging the French into the matter was the best option. The goal was not for the Ottoman Empire to play a major role, but simply to exist as a distraction, preventing Austria from fully committing to continental dominance.

With Austria unable to give its full attention, it would have no means to overcome obstacles to unifying the German region. Moreover, for its own strategic security, Austria would be forced to hold France back.

As France and Austria hinder each other, the British could maintain a balance between the two, achieving their own strategic goals.

Maclean shook his head and said, “Prime Minister, that might be a bit tricky. The French financial sector does not have confidence in the Ottoman Empire. Since the Second Near East War, French banks haven’t issued a single loan to the Ottoman government.

During Napoleon III’s reign, his relationship with the financial sector was quite poor, and it hasn’t improved since. Even if the French government were willing to support the Ottoman Empire, they wouldn’t be able to provide much funding.”

Despite the financial sector’s earlier support of Napoleon III, tensions arose when he began encouraging the development of the real economy and establishing a national bank. At that point, the two sides diverged.

In the original timeline, Napoleon III was driven out of power by the financial capitalists. But now, without the crushing defeat of the Franco-Prussian War, the financial capitalists don’t have the power to rebel.

However, the deterioration of relations between the financial sector and the French government remains an undeniable fact. After Napoleon IV ascended the throne, though the French government often quarreled, it still continued many of the policies from Napoleon III’s era in terms of economics.

For example: imposing heavy taxes on the financial sector, legally limiting the maximum loan interest rate, and cracking down on financial speculation, among other things.

From a national development perspective, these actions were undoubtedly correct. However, for financial capitalists, these measures blocked their profits.

Of course, during this era of booming French economic growth, financial capitalists still took the largest slice of the pie. But people are never satisfied, especially capitalists.

The emperor believed that the financial capitalists were already making easy money and that the benefits they were receiving were more than enough to justify their contributions. However, the financial capitalists didn’t see it that way.

Things like the greater good or long-term development didn’t concern them. Capitalists just wanted to grab more profit. The country’s development and well-being? That wasn’t their problem.

This is how the conflict between the two sides arose, and their relationship became complicated.

On one hand, the capitalists acknowledged the contributions Napoleon III had made in developing the economy. On the other hand, they resented him for setting restrictive conditions that hindered their ability to make money.

This deteriorating relationship had a direct impact on the French government’s ability to raise funds. When they wanted to mobilize large amounts of money, they first needed the approval of the capitalists.

If both sides agreed that they could make money, everything was negotiable. But if they didn’t see eye to eye, the financial sector would withhold its cooperation.

Now, the French financial sector views lending to the Ottoman government as a high-risk venture. Under these circumstances, unless the French government personally guaranteed the loans, the capitalists wouldn’t be interested at all.

Of course, secret exchanges of benefits also happen. Many international loans are given out with the knowledge from the start that they won’t be repaid. The reason they’re still issued is because of behind-the-scenes exchanges of interests.

For capitalists, even if the loan turns into bad debt, the losses can be shifted elsewhere. For example, they could set up a shell company to take on the business and then sell the debt as bonds to the public.

Every year, hundreds of banks and securities firms around the world go bankrupt, and a significant portion of these are intentional setups by capitalists. After all, the executives and owners would make their money, while the ones losing in the end are ordinary investors.

Gladstone frowned slightly and said, “Then let the French participate in the Ottoman Empire’s currency issuance. Aside from the essential tariffs we need to secure, we can make some concessions in other areas.”

Capitalists are the most difficult creatures to deal with, but also the easiest. As long as the profits are sufficient, all problems cease to be problems.

Gladstone’s initial promise to let the French train the Ottoman army essentially also meant handing over the Ottoman Empire’s arms market to them.

The “arms trade” is certainly highly profitable, but the Ottoman Empire’s arms market is different. The main issue is that the Ottoman government has no money.

Without money, the government can’t update its military equipment, so this seemingly lucrative market is actually just an illusion.

In comparison, customs duties and currency issuance are where the real profits lie.

Controlling a country’s tariffs is equivalent to controlling its market and controlling a country’s currency issuance is equivalent to controlling its economic lifeline.

To win over the financial capitalists, the best method is to let them participate in currency issuance.

As it happens, the British have the ability to secure this part of the profits but can’t hold onto it all. Sharing it with the French is a practical necessity.

...

Vienna Palace

Just after finishing a special journey, Franz felt mentally and physically exhausted.

Initially, he thought his “reclusive” nature in his previous life was due to a lack of money, but now he realized it wasn’t just about being “poor”—his nature was simply to be “reclusive.”

Back in his own nest, he instantly felt relaxed. To celebrate his return, the fish in the artificial lake were once again in trouble.

As a practical man, Franz never kept ornamental fish. The fish in the artificial lake were all edible species.

In this regard, he was almost entirely at odds with Austrian cultural traditions. Most Austrians didn’t like eating seafood, especially fish, shrimp, or crabs, which were absolutely not to be served during festive occasions.

The reasons were quite peculiar: people disliked crabs because crabs walk sideways, which was said to defy the natural laws set by God. They disliked shrimp because shrimp swam backward, which carried a bad symbolic meaning.

Because they didn’t like them, they avoided eating them.

Of course, in this era, most common folk didn’t have the luxury to be picky about food. Whether they liked it or not wasn’t important. The key was that fish, shrimp, and crabs were relatively cheaper sources of meat.

Except for holidays, fish was still a primary source of meat on the tables of commoners. Taking Vienna’s prices as an example: the price of 1 jin (0.5 kg) of beef equals 1.4 jin of mutton, which equals 2.3 jin of pork, which equals 3 jin of goose meat, which equals 4 jin of fish meat.

Prices varied across regions. Fish was cheaper in coastal or riverside areas, while beef and lamb were relatively cheaper in grassland areas. But overall, beef was the most expensive, and fish and poultry were the least expensive.

Public perception didn’t affect Franz’s diet at all. Instead, the emperor’s diet had an impact on the dietary habits of Austrians.

As in any society, people tend to follow the lead of those at the top.

Franz never cared whether the ingredients were expensive or cheap, as long as they tasted good.

Thanks to Franz’s butterfly effect, many delicacies from around the world had been introduced earlier than expected, taking root in Austria and enriching the dining tables of its people.

Watching the bobber in the water bobbing up and down, Franz quickly turned the reel, tightening the fishing line.

The commotion in the water grew stronger, and the fish on the hook leaped out of the water. But instead of excitement, Franz felt his joy vanish.

What appeared was a small fish, about seven or eight centimeters long. Franz didn’t care what species it was. Instead, he was thinking about how such a small fish could be eaten.

Fried, steamed, braised… it was too small for even a soup. Unfortunately, this little fish was Franz’s entire morning catch.

Having boasted earlier about using the fish he caught for lunch, he now found himself in a bind with no fish on the hook. This left Franz quite embarrassed.

It should be noted that this artificial lake was quite large, and the fish had lived there for many years. Other than the occasional fishing trip by Franz himself, no one ever paid much attention to them.

From where Franz stood, he could clearly see fish swimming in the crystal-clear water, and some were quite large, but none were biting.

After much hesitation, Franz decided to release his hard-won catch. With such a small fish, probably not even weighing an ounce, he didn’t want to trouble the chef.

As for the lunch problem—no worries! The rules had now changed. If the fish wouldn’t take the bait, then it was time to use a net. One way or another, there had to be fish for the meal.