Chapter 1363 Predatory Demand
However, this promotion does not determine the exchange ratio of precious metals, nor does it grant mutual qualifications for coinage, but replaces the local currency with the currency of the Austrian Empire.
Of course, this is only the first step. Franz's real purpose is to lay the foundation for the future issuance of paper money. The so-called expected currency model has too small a scope of application to achieve the effect of paper money.
Once paper money can replace local currency, the Austrian Empire will be completely economically assimilated to the region. In theory, paper money can be used to continuously extract profits and materials from the region.
However, compared with these, the most urgent problem for the Austrian Empire to solve is still the food problem of 47 million people. In fact, Europeans have really had enough food since the end of World War II.
But the historical reasons are more complicated. After the 20th century, most of the time, it is not that there is no food, but that people cannot afford it.
The problem facing the Austrian Empire now is relatively simple, that is, insufficient productivity. Once a famine or war occurs, people will starve to death if food production decreases.
Even if Franz established a food security system, some people will still die after dawn.
Because the wartime system cannot last forever, when the market is opened up, food prices will rise, making some people unable to afford food.
Franz would hold celebrations and charity events for various reasons to help these people through the difficulties. In addition to material assistance, the Austrian Empire's royal factories, estates, and overseas development companies have never stopped recruiting.
But when manpower is exhausted, some people still cannot escape the fate of being eliminated. At this time, the national strength of the Austrian Empire was not yet able to feed "anyone".
In 1848-1849, there was no famine in the two years. On the one hand, Franz had already made food reserves, and on the other hand, he took it from the colonies in a predatory manner.
During these two years, all the colonies of the Austrian Empire in West and Southwest Africa suffered from famine.
In order to quickly recoup the cost, the colonies of the Austrian Empire mainly planted cash crops, but where did the food come from?
The answer is to rob.
Before, due to its unstable foothold, the Austrian Empire adopted a cooperative approach in its African colonies, using food, commodities, and weapons to exchange for the labor of the local primitive kingdoms.
In fact, it is much easier for the local primitive kingdoms to implement indirect management than for the Austrian Empire to directly domesticate and manage black slaves.
Because it saves a lot of trouble, the efficiency is higher than direct management. The so-called trouble is the cost of capturing, domesticating, managing and controlling black slaves, and on the other hand, it reduces the hostility of local tribes.
In addition, the lack of direct management also avoids excessive emotional investment. On the contrary, parallel management will increase the discrimination of ordinary colonists against black tribes.
Of course, if those black slaves and supervisors show abilities, wisdom and character far beyond the Austrian colonists, then Franz will be backfired.
But Franz doesn't think this is possible. Of course, just in case, the priests Franz appointed in the colonies are all a group of pan-Germanists, who will not have the slightest good impression of black people.
And this is also a conspiracy. Because of the indirect control, direct conflict with local indigenous people is avoided.
The contradictions that should have been between colonists and indigenous peoples were transferred to the contradictions between indigenous peoples and the indigenous ruling class. Although those tribal leaders are bad, they are not stupid.
They also know that they can't force their own people too much, but they don't want to or can't give up the opportunity to cooperate with the Austrian Empire in exchange for supplies.
So these tribal leaders chose the most primitive and effective way - slave hunting.
Those tribes with more people attacked the tribes with fewer people, and the tribes with fewer people attacked the larger tribes by sneak attacks and uniting with other small tribes.
All tribes began to rely more on the colonists of the Austrian Empire, either actively or passively, because the colonists could provide powerful weapons and overwhelming power.
Various conspiracies and inhumane massacres continued to unfold. After continuous swallowing and fusion, only a few of the most despicable and powerful tribes were left.
Originally, this game should have lasted for more than ten years, or even decades, but the arrival of the war changed everything.
To be honest, the pressure of the war in 1848 was greater than Franz imagined. He initially thought that the food he had stockpiled would be enough for ten years.
However, the reality was that a large number of refugees poured into the Austrian Empire during the war, greatly increasing the food gap.
In addition, limiting food prices could not completely prevent illegal merchants from speculating and profiteering. A large amount of food was stockpiled by a small number of people, and even transferred abroad.
Falsification of reserves and embezzlement were common. Many reserve bases did not purchase enough grain in previous years of abundance, but the wrong intelligence led Franz to misjudge.
Later, with the arrival of the war, grain prices soared, and some officials had evil thoughts. Not to mention taking the opportunity to take bribes, some areas even raised private soldiers, and some even secretly assisted the enemy through secret channels.
After the war, fifteen of the nineteen directors of the Ark were shot, one was exiled, and only three were clean.
(The secret granary prepared by Franz for wartime was also called the Ark. Those who could get into the Ark generally had strong personal abilities and family backgrounds.)
Under the combined effect of various forces, Franz had to plunder colonies to make up for the losses that were far higher than expected.
In fact, accelerating the progress of colonization was also within Franz's plan, but if possible, he hoped to do it in a safer environment.
Because black slaves were too difficult to use, they could not do simple tasks such as clearing stones, leveling the land, and plowing. They were not satisfactory, but full of complaints.
Almost every colonial official would write letters to complain that the black tribes were untrustworthy, constantly stealing, and even deliberately destroying colonial facilities and attacking lone colonists.
The work done was even more messed up, and it was not until several tribes were destroyed that they were restrained.
However, those tribes would relapse after a year or two. The colonists of the Austrian Empire were not only wary of the black tribes, but also hated them.
When Franz asked the colonial government to plunder those black tribes, not only did no "Virgin Mary" jump out to oppose, but he even won widespread support. After all, the colonists of the Austrian Empire had suffered from black people for a long time.
The premise of the "Virgin Mary" is that there must be an emotional basis, but at this time, most of the colonists in the Austrian Empire's colonies had no direct contact with black people. What they saw was a group of barbaric, violent, cruel, bloodthirsty, morally corrupt, despicable and shameless humanoid creatures.
What's more hateful is that these guys have to bear the problems left over from their work, and even have to share limited supplies with them.
Except for a very small number of people, most of the "Virgin Marys" are because the things didn't happen to them, and they didn't lose anything and could casually create a persona. But if their interests were affected, they would turn their faces faster than turning a book.
So the group of people who should have been "Virgin Marys" became the vanguard at this time.