Chapter 102: Not to Rule the World with Common People (Prussian Version) (for The

Chapter 102: Not to Rule the World with Common People (Prussian Edition) (Additional Update for the Last Issue's Ticket King)

Franz was very grateful for Archduke Karl's rescue, because he did not expect Solomon Rothschild to suddenly come out to disrupt the situation.

Solomon Rothschild's behavior seemed to be just a normal transaction, but he was very likely to cause the bankruptcy of Franz's entire plan.

Franz's goal was not just to make money, he wanted more

In fact, what Franz did not know was that his anonymous letter did not reach Archduke Karl at all, and Baron Brook's lobbying did not work.

The letter was withheld by Archduke Karl's butler, and Archduke Karl had no interest in making money. He bought the railway before because he thought it was a strategic resource and should be nationalized.

(In the eyes of the royal family of this era, what belongs to the royal family belongs to the country)

It was Archduke Friedrich who really made Archduke Karl determined to invest in grain. Talia quietly found Friedrich and asked him for help.

Although Friedrich spent money lavishly, it was just for eating, drinking and having fun. For such large transactions that could easily cost millions, he could only ask his father for help.

Archduke Karl liked his third son very much. The eldest son was too stubborn, the second son was too weak, and the fourth son was weak and sickly. Only the third son could please him the most.

But in fact, Friedrich didn't like his father at all, because Archduke Karl was very strict, especially after his mother's death, Archduke Karl became even worse.

So Friedrich chose the navy and completely left Archduke Karl's sight. There is a saying that distance creates beauty. Because he was away from Archduke Karl's sight, Archduke Karl was particularly close to him.

For the stubborn Archduke Karl, Friedrich had his own way, that is, to cut in from a military perspective.

The biggest losses in the Napoleonic Wars were Austria and Spain.

Austria lost 550,000 people, of which 250,000 died of starvation.

Spain lost 590,000 people, of which 280,000 died of famine.

Why did Napoleon lose in Moscow? Wasn't it because there was no supply?

This shows how important food is to a country.

Although the words are a bit rough, the logic is not rough.

Archduke Karl immediately realized the seriousness of the problem. In order to deal with the possible crisis, he not only had to purchase enough food, but also had to stop all the estates under his name from selling food.

Archduke Karl's sense of crisis and his actions directly raised the price of food.

Berlin, City Palace.

William III sat in the main seat with great pride. After the formal establishment of the German Customs Union, Prussia's economy had developed comprehensively. Due to the clever restrictions on the railways, Prussia's position in northern Germany became more stable.

But what made him happiest was that the crops in his territory were sold at a good price, and even the previous backlog of inventory was sold out.

"I heard that the Austrians are raising the price of food. They are really crazy." Prime Minister Karl von Weyrich said.

"This is an opportunity for us. It just happens to let us completely defeat the Hungarians. The purchasing power of the Austrians is stronger than that of the entire northern Germany. We can't lose this market." The new Finance Minister Friedrich List said.

Now that Friedrich List has become the spokesperson for the Junker landlords, he must speak for his new masters.

Prussian grain can be sold to Austria, which is something the Prussian Junker landlords could never dream of.

Of course, this is thanks to the assistance of the Hungarians, who insisted on imposing high tariffs on Austria and did not allow Austria to build railways to Hungary.

Although this kept the distance between Hungary and Austria, it suffered heavy economic losses. The poor did not have such a strong sense of patriotism. They only knew to buy whatever was cheap and could fill their stomachs.

Moreover, Hungary had been vigorously promoting the slogan that they were not Austrians, which worked at this time. The Austrians gave up Hungarian grain and turned to buying cheaper Prussian grain without any guilt.

"But..." Prime Minister Karl von Weyrich said with some concern.

"Now our Prussian grain supply has reached the bottom. If we continue to sell grain to the Austrians, we can certainly make a profit, but if a natural disaster really happens, what should we do?"

William III agreed with Weilich's words. When he was a child, he experienced the Napoleonic Wars. Natural disasters and man-made disasters left starving people all over the city of Berlin. He had seen that terrible scene and still remembered it vividly.

"I think Mr. Weilich is right." William III said.

"So what? We can buy grain from Russia. The price of Russian grain is lower than ours. The reason why we have been prohibiting the purchase of Russian grain is to protect the interests of our citizens. If a famine caused by natural disasters occurs, we can completely buy grain from Russia to survive the crisis." Friedrich List said.

Russian Tsar Nicholas I was William III's son-in-law. He also helped this son-in-law suppress the Polish uprising. Compared to this son-in-law, he must be grateful to him. Even if a natural disaster really happens, as long as he speaks, he believes that this son-in-law will definitely help.

William III felt that Friedrich List made sense.

"Mr. Lister is right."

"Your Majesty, the fate of Prussia should not be in the hands of others. We must stop selling grain to Austria and leave enough grain for Prussia. Otherwise, once the Russians break their promise, the whole country will fall into turmoil." Weili said.

"Mr. Weili, are you trying to sow discord between your Majesty and your family? National turmoil? What a joke, are our 200,000 Prussian troops just for show?" Friedrich List asked back.

"Nicholas is your Majesty's son-in-law, but he is also the Tsar of Russia!" Weili emphasized.

"Will the Russian Tsar sit back and watch Prussia decline and Austria's influence in the German Confederation increase? Don't forget that Russia and Austria are in a competitive relationship in the Balkans, and they both hope to take the legacy of the Ottoman Empire. Only a strong Prussia can contain Austria and prevent it from moving east!" Friedrich List said passionately.

"What about civilians? Even if the Russians are willing to sell us grain, it is questionable whether civilians can afford it. What if people starve to death?" Weili asked.

"Starving to death? Don't people starve to death in good years? Mr. Weilich, you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, and you know very little about common people. I was born a commoner, and now in any city in any country, there are people starving. This situation has existed for at least thousands of years, but have common people become extinct?" Friedrich List asked.

"But" Weilich wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Friedrich List.

"Your Majesty rules the world with the nobles, not with the common people!"

"Mr. List is right." William III said.