Chapter 150 Ling Xun
In early 1839, the ice flood arrived as expected.
Because Austria had widened the river channel before, but Hungary did not widen it in time, and there was more rain and snow in winter, the ice accumulated continuously at the bend of the Danube, forming an ice dam water storage tank, which caused the water level in the upper reaches to rise sharply.
Finally, as the temperature rose, the ice dam broke and the ice flood broke out. This was a huge ice flood that had not been seen in a century in history. It destroyed half of Budapest. Thousands of houses were destroyed in Budapest alone, and tens of thousands of people were homeless.
After that, the ice flood flowed freely on the Hungarian Plain, destroying countless farmland and houses with a devastating force, and stopped only when it returned to the Danube again.
This diversion of the Danube caused hundreds of thousands of people in Hungary to be homeless.
The Hungarian government applied for 200 million florins in relief funds from the Austrian Imperial Government, which was naturally rejected by the Imperial Government.
The nationwide disaster in 1838 had already caused the imperial government to bear another 200 million florins of debt, and the total debt of the empire was as high as 1.531 billion florins.
In the end, the Austrian imperial government only approved a disaster relief budget of 20 million florins, and required the Hungarian local government to allocate at least 10 million florins for disaster relief.
The disaster relief efforts at this time were much stronger than those in the same period in history, but when Count Széchenyi hurriedly returned to Hungary, it was devastated. The damaged houses were not only not repaired, but were violently demolished.
Countless men, women, children, and the elderly had to leave their homes. Because they could not pay taxes, their land was forcibly expropriated.
Those expropriated lands will become new farms or hunting grounds for entertainment.
Looking around, there are displaced victims everywhere, wandering aimlessly on the Hungarian Plain.
Some "kind" factory owners are recruiting indentured servants, and many victims are fighting for the qualification of an indentured servant.
Occasionally, a few luxurious carriages with guards would stop by the roadside, announcing that a certain noble wanted to adopt a son or daughter. In fact, most of those nobles were just looking for entertainment, or looking for young boys and girls to satisfy their special fetishes.
Szechenyi was well aware of the shady dealings, and some human traffickers also mixed in to look for goods for brothels.
He sat in the center of the carriage and felt like a knife was twisting, so he asked the butler beside him.
"How many people can be accommodated at home?"
The old butler watched Szechenyi grow up, and knew that the young master was kind, so he said a little more, because he knew that a considerable number of the victims would not be able to reach Szechenyi's manor, some would die on the way, and some would run away because they missed their families and their homeland.
"There are enough workers in the manor, but if the young master wants to feed more people, one thousand people should be no problem. We still have 30,000 florins in coins, but we can use the expected banknotes when we arrive in Budapest, so it's not a big problem."
Hungarian civilians do not recognize Austria's expected banknotes, but coins are the common currency.
Szechenyi's convoy had seven carriages. Except for two carriages for people to ride, the last five carriages were all loaded with gifts. Szechenyi and the old butler sat in the first carriage. In the second carriage were four servants responsible for taking care of Szechenyi's daily life, and there was also a 40-man guard team accompanying them.
The huge team suddenly stopped, and a knight came to Szechenyi's car. The butler briefly explained a few words to the former.
Under the gaze of the people around, the knight shouted loudly, "Count Szechenyi's family is looking for a long-term worker, 300 florins a year!"
Szechenyi's family is very famous in Hungary, and his father is a famous philanthropist. Moreover, 300 florins a year is simply a dream job for an ordinary Hungarian.
The old butler also thought it was too high, but Szechenyi's reason was that the long-term workers in his manor were all 300 florins, and he couldn't let these disaster victims feel discriminated against.
The old butler could only shake his head helplessly. This young master was very smart and good at making money, but he gave all his money to others. If he continued like this, the family fortune left by the master would be squandered sooner or later. Fortunately, the long-term workers in the manor saved a sum of money for him, and he only hoped that he would not need this money one day.
The quota of one thousand people was soon filled, and then several knights bought 30,000 florins of food nearby to distribute to the victims, but it was still a drop in the bucket.
Soon Count Szechenyi arrived at the Hungarian Parliament Hall, which was full of well-dressed nobles. They smoked cigars shipped from the other side of the ocean and drank expensive wine. The atmosphere in the hall was very warm, as if they had just won a war.
"Look! Our hero is back! Welcome to the triumph, my dear Count Szechenyi. This is another great victory of the Hungarian nation over the Austrian Empire!" Count Bilal, the speaker of the parliament, hugged Szechenyi warmly, and thunderous applause rang out in the hall.
Szechenyi was a little confused. There were already starving people everywhere outside. It was obvious that the relief efforts were not enough. What was there to be happy about? He should be sad.
"My friend, thanks to you, not only did the Austrians give us 20 million florins, but we also paid 10 million less in taxes. You are really a hero of Hungary. Now the Hungarian Parliament has decided to award you the Order of the Crown of St. Stephen, the highest honor of the Kingdom of Hungary."
Count Bilal put the gold medal inlaid with diamonds on Count Szechenyi's chest and hung a ribbon for him.
"But there are still countless victims waiting for help outside. This money should be used." Count Szechenyi wanted to say something.
"What else can we save? Is there ever a flood that doesn't kill anyone?"
"If you want to save, save us! My hunting ground is flooded, and now I can't find a single deer. My son has no choice but to go to the brothel."
"Count Szechenyi, this time our family will get at least one million florins. You are going to treat me to dinner tonight!"
A group of nobles were chattering away. Széchenyi looked at the hopeless people in front of him indifferently and walked up to the podium.
As Count Széchenyi took the stage, everything fell silent. After all, Count Széchenyi is now a very popular figure in Hungary. Although he is a bit deviant, he has done a lot of practical things for Hungary.
When it comes to paying taxes, Széchenyi can be said to be number one in Hungary. After all, Hungarian nobles have tax-free privileges, and every transaction between Count Széchenyi and the Habsburg royal family is reported truthfully and taxes are paid truthfully.
You must know that it is millions of dollars in taxes. If it were anyone else, they would still find a way to keep the money even if they had to fight for their lives.
“This is not a victory for the Hungarian nation, but a tragedy for our nation. A group of elites abandoned hundreds of thousands of Hungarian compatriots for their own selfish desires. Is this what you call a victory?
Why is there this severe flood? Weren't you the ones who prevented the construction of the Danube dam? If the Austrian Imperial Government and the Emperor of the Habsburg family know that we have embezzled disaster relief funds, who will help the victims next time?
I am not a hero of Hungary, I am a sinner of Hungary. If you are a conscientious Hungarian, please extend your helping hand to save those who are experiencing suffering! I do not accept this medal, I do not deserve it! "
After Count Szechenyi finished speaking, he took off the medal from his chest, slapped it heavily on the table, and walked toward the door of the venue alone.
"Don't worry! Count Szechenyi, come back! The emperor of the Habsburg family is a fool!"
There was a burst of laughter behind him, and Count Szechenyi left the venue without looking back.