Chapter 587 Pilgrimage Road

In the age of the gold standard, it was absolutely impossible to not have enough reserves. Don't look at Britain, France and Austria as allies. Once there is a problem with the French currency reform, Britain and Austria will be the first to take advantage of the situation.

This is not to say that other countries are friendly with France, the main reason is that they are not strong enough to offend France. In this world where cannon range is an axiom, there are many benefits to having a big fist.

Napoleon IV asked suspiciously: "The price of gold has always been at a high level, will it have an impact on Britain and Austria?"

Both the British pound and the Aegis are on the gold standard. As the price of gold rises, the price of the British pound and the Aegis also rises. The increase in the currency value will also affect the export trade between Britain and Austria.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Allen replied helplessly: "Your Majesty, the main international settlement currencies are the British pound and the Aegis, and the impact of rising currency values ​​on them has been minimized.

On the contrary, we suffer even more. Affected by changes in currency values, more and more capitalists choose to hold pounds and Aegis, and the market share of francs continues to decline. "

This is the power of currency hegemony. Although Aegis and the British pound are rivals, the two countries have the same interests in maintaining the gold standard system.

In addition to market share, Britain and Austria also occupy the vast majority of the international import and export trade market, and countries have to hold a large number of pounds and Aegis.

In the future, the United States has similar currency hegemony. It knows that holding a large amount of dollars will be sheared, but there is no way. If you want to do international trade, you still have to hold it.

Unlike other countries, it can make concessions on the currency issue and seek the support of Britain and Austria to complete the reform of the gold standard. France can only bear it to the end.

This is not just a matter of face, but also involves international status and a lot of interests. Once the Paris government is submissive, it will no longer be the three major powers that dominate the world, but the two points between Britain and Austria.

There is no doubt that the Paris government must not compromise on this issue, otherwise the French people outside will punish the thieves of the country.

After wandering for a few steps, Napoleon IV said fiercely: "Since there is not enough gold to buy from the international market, then find a way from the gold and silver complex.

Selling silver for gold, don't they want to raise the price of gold? Then we will also follow along. The gold and silver exchange ratio in the market is only 1:23.5, so let me fry it to 1:30, or even 1:40.

The price of gold has skyrocketed against silver, and the value of sterling and SHIELD will also skyrocket, exceeding the limit of the market, and I am not afraid that they will not sell gold to calm the value of the currency. "

This is a lose-lose game. The sudden surge in the value of the currency will inevitably affect the export trade. Britain and Austria were not happy, and France, which was a multi-standard system, was not happy either.

Apart from a few financial capitalists who can profit, it can be said that there will be no winners. All countries involved in international trade are victims of currency instability.

I have to say that Napoleon IV was ruthless enough to not let me join the game, then I would overturn the table, and no one would want to play happily.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Allen hurriedly discouraged: "Your Majesty, it is absolutely impossible. We have not completed the currency reform, and the franc is the first to be hit by the skyrocketing gold and silver exchange ratio.

If they do not compromise and let the market shock, the franc's credit system will be destroyed first, and countries that have not completed the gold standard reform will suffer heavy losses.

For Britain and Austria, it is acceptable to exchange short-term economic losses for the establishment of the gold standard system. "

It is not yet the era of free trade. As the two largest colonial empires in the world, the biggest trading partners of Britain and Austria are their own colonies.

No matter how much impact the increase in currency value brings, as long as the internal circulation system is not in chaos, Britain and Austria will be able to withstand it.

Moreover, there are many countries that have completed the reform of the gold standard, and the currency values ​​of all of them change synchronously, which will not affect trade after offsetting each other.

On the contrary, the countries with the double standard system of gold and silver are even worse. The sharp change in the exchange rate directly makes many import and export enterprises unprofitable, and may even lose money and make a profit.

Foreign Secretary Montero echoed: "Allen is right, if we follow up the price of gold, we will fall into the enemy's tricks.

The gold reserves are insufficient, and we can find solutions from other countries. There are also many countries that have not completed the reform of the gold standard, and we can exchange enough gold from them. "

Napoleon IV nodded thoughtfully in approval. A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist. As long as the problem can be solved, he doesn't mind which method he uses.

When the gold standard reform of European countries in the original time and space was carried out, due to the lack of sufficient reserves, the solution was finally solved by external plunder.

Now history has returned to its original track. The French Empire, which has been silent for many years, is about to show its fangs to the outside world again.

...

The French people's gold gap is not very big, and they can solve the problem by plundering foreign countries, but other European countries can't.

Not every country has the strength to rely on colonial plunder to solve problems. More countries have to choose to compromise with Britain and Austria in exchange for their support for currency reform.

The Vienna Palace, looking at the good situation in front of him, Franz felt a little unreal. Isn't it a joke that the British are willing to share monetary hegemony with Austria?

The unmoved John Bull gave Franz even more headaches. He believed that the British must be planning some kind of conspiracy, but it was not discovered.

Persecution paranoia, maybe there is! It's always right to be vigilant, and it's better to be busy than to be unprepared to suffer later.

...

When winter comes to spring, the earth exudes vitality. this time of year

During the festival, Franz will take his family out for an outing.

This year is no exception, but this time the destination is a bit special. Jerusalem, an ancient and legendary city, is the destination of this event.

Because the destination is so special, there are more participants than usual. For example: the aged Archduke Karl, the Queen Mother Sophie, and the abdicated uncle Ferdinand I and his wife.

This puts a lot of pressure on Franz. These old guys are not too young. If there is a little accident on the road, he will go back to the house for the funeral.

Persuasion is impossible, people are the true believers. As my uncle Ferdinand I said: My greatest wish is to plant the Habsburg flag in Jerusalem.

Well, many generations of Habsburg emperors have said the same thing, only they were unlucky and met the Ottoman Empire in its heyday without success.

Now that the opportunity has come, I can't hold back one by one. Even the honest father, who has always had no thoughts, said that if he died in Jerusalem, he would be with God.

If it wasn't for Franz's obstruction, they would have run over as soon as the armistice was signed. Facing a bunch of religious madmen, Franz was also helpless.

Since Austria recaptured Jerusalem, there have been many pilgrims from European countries to Jerusalem, not to mention the inside of the city, and even outside the city, tents have been set up.

In order to solve the accommodation problem of the pilgrims, the Jerusalem City Management Committee was forced to change the original plan of all demolition and reconstruction, and repaired and rebuilt the buildings in the city.

Most of the buildings were converted into hotels, hotels, and the renovation was completed in the shortest possible time, and then they were opened for business.

Without waiting for Franz to react, Jerusalem has become the most famous tourist city in Austria, and all propaganda, planning and advertising are superfluous.

This time I went to Jerusalem for the coronation, mainly for show + pretending, so the pomp is naturally not small.

In order to prepare for this grand ceremony, the Vienna government also made a lot of money. A lot of manpower and material resources have been invested at any cost, and Franz estimates that the final cost may be as high as tens of millions of Aegis.

Don't think it's expensive, it's all worth it. If nothing else, after the recapture of Jerusalem, Austrian rule was more stable. In the face of this good news, there is no market for all the messy doctrines and ideas.

This is only domestic, and Austria's reputation internationally has also skyrocketed. The growth of soft power cannot be measured in money.

On April 3, 1875, Franz set off from Vienna with a large family and started the pilgrimage.

As soon as I got on the train, there were frequent accidents. First, my uncle, Ferdinand I, got sick. Well, this is only a small problem. He gets sick every day, and everyone is used to it.

Then the mother, the Queen Mother Sophie, fainted again. After a period of chaos, the doctor gave the answer: the train was too fast - motion sickness.

Needless to say, slow down! The special train that Franz rides is the fastest train of this era, and theoretically it can run as fast as 80 yards.

Of course, this is only in theory. The railway is not flat, and when you encounter a curve in the mountain road, you must not run so fast. The average speed is about forty or fifty yards, which is fast in this era.

After the slowdown, things were much better. It was supposed to arrive in the morning, but it was delayed until the next day to arrive in Venice, and even the transportation was affected.

This is only a small problem, it is nothing more than an extra day on the railway from Venice to Vienna, and the loss is not big. In Venice, the test really began. In addition to Franz, the seasick emperor, there was also a family of old and weak women and children.