Chapter 619 Brothers

Franz had expected that the US government would abandon the donkey, but he was somewhat powerless. Theoretically, the Austrian Empire could take advantage of the opportunity to do many things, but the reality was that it was unrealistic to micromanage across the Atlantic Ocean.

At the same time, due to the existence of the Nevada Desert, it was not realistic for Franz to divert traffic on a macro level, after all, this journey was too difficult.

But Franz still underestimated the charm of gold and the miserable experience of those American "retired" veterans.

The intelligence personnel he sent simply spread some rumors about California gold, and coupled with some recruitment notices of the Austrian-Mexican Joint Development Company, many desperate American veterans had already fallen into madness.

And some Austrian agents pretending to be "snakeheads" made those Americans regard them as saviors.

Snakeheads refer to people who specialize in organizing illegal smuggling and making money from it. Compared with the word "human snake".

"Human snake" refers specifically to people who smuggle abroad. They dare not go through normal channels, and only dare to move along rugged mountain roads or in the dark night, so they are called human snakes.

In fact, the journey to California is very dangerous, because in order to prevent the infiltration tactics of the Americans, the Austrian side once raised a large number of bounty hunters and headhunters.

As the Austrian-Mexican Joint Development Company grew, it became increasingly difficult to obtain a legal California citizenship.

So those stowaways were not people in the eyes of Californians at this time, but money that would move. However, hunting stowaways was not the only way to obtain legal citizenship.

In fact, the system in California was designed by Franz himself, so there were many roads that were just a matter of time.

However, they did not dare to kill everyone. For example, when they met a team led by an Austrian agent, they would behave as friendly as possible. After all, the former relied on absolute violence to gain a foothold in this wild West.

So Americans who arrived in California had two completely opposite attitudes when writing letters to their relatives and friends in China.

One was that California was simply a paradise on earth. Although the journey was difficult, the people on the road were very friendly, and there were some post stations where supplies could be obtained at very low prices.

The other was that this place was simply a hell on earth, with harsh deserts, poisonous insects and beasts that often appeared, and even "cannibals" and bounty hunters.

Although the reputation is not very good, there are still many people willing to take risks, but this kind of "spontaneous" small-scale immigration cannot attract the attention of the US government.

In fact, the United States at this time has been actively attracting immigrants, but what people want is high-quality craftsmen, scholars, engineers, bankers and other talents, not rough people who know nothing.

And those who want to go to California to fight for a future happen to be rough people who are not favored by others, so not only the US government but also mainstream public opinion does not discuss these things.

Although the changes in California in recent years can almost be said to be earth-shaking, it is still a poor place in Friedrich's eyes.

In order to prevent his brother from offending the upper class in California, Archduke Karl Ferdinand directly brought him to his manor.

But in fact, Archduke Ferdinand was overthinking, because no one dared to be dissatisfied even if Archduke Friedrich was rampant.

Archduke Karl Ferdinand's thundering methods had already shocked those people. When they saw the main force of the Austrian Imperial Navy, they felt not only shock, but also despair caused by the difference in strength to a certain extent.

Because these two brothers can really kill all the factions in the California region, and those giant ships and cannons are completely beyond the latter's imagination.

This is partly due to Franz's selection and design of the color of the military uniform. The uniform of the Austrian Marine Corps is different from the dark gray of the army, but uses the older black and white color scheme.

White military uniforms have always been Austrian traditions, but because the country's strength declined during the imperial period, it could not afford white cloth, and it was also considered part of the military technology progress of the Austrian Empire.

The military firmly claimed that dark gray uniforms were more conducive to concealment, but in fact, the mainstream tactics of both sides at that time were still line shooting and scattered lines.

In fact, according to Austrian tradition, the pants of the German Corps were white, and the pants of the Hungarian Corps were blue.

However, at this time, in order to reflect the inclusiveness of the Austrian Empire, the color of the pants was unified to black.

Although Franz did not understand clothing design, he knew that black and white color matching was an eternal classic.

In fact, the combination of black and white tones is very harmonious and not monotonous. It can not only show a simple and elegant beauty, but also give people a mysterious and unique feeling.

Although animals with black and white colors are not normal, such as pandas, penguins, huskies, and killer whales in the ocean, people with black and white colors often give people the feeling of a suit thug.

Killer whales have a high IQ, but this does not mean that they are normal. They have done a lot of things such as tortoises, seals, and birds. Especially as a "fish", catching birds is simply not doing their job!

Back to the book, since Franz invited many "masters" to design Austrian military uniforms, they are particularly beautiful.

It's just that when thousands of people act in unison, they give people not only beauty, but also a breathtaking momentum.

Don't worry about whether they can fight, but they have already won in terms of momentum.

The only drawback is that the M42 helmets on the soldiers' heads and the yellow rubber shoes on their feet look a bit out of place, especially the "pot helmet" that can be used as a rice cooker when put on iron wire, which makes people feel a little funny.

The yellow rubber shoes on their feet make those North American "country bumpkins" very curious, after all, they have never seen rubber shoes before.

This is not because the vulcanized rubber technology is difficult to handle, but because Austria controls more than 95% of the world's rubber trade at that time.

In short, the Austrian Imperial Navy's debut in California was very successful.

"Friedrich, you are the Imperial Marshal after all. How can you still be so outspoken."

"Ferdinand, it's not like you to be so weak."

The conversation between the two brothers after meeting was not harmonious, because the two had opposite personalities. Friedrich was very flamboyant, while Ferdinand was the most stable of the brothers.

So Franz chose the latter to come to California as the governor. After all, Sun Ce's youthful and careless character is not suitable for this murderous Western world.

Similarly, if the Austrian Imperial Navy wants to survive in the cracks and carve out its own world, in addition to the accumulation of technology and materials, it also needs a commander who dares to fight and fight.

Ferdinand: "Why are you mobilizing so many troops? Is there gold on that Hawaiian island?"

Friedrich: "Are you crazy about mining? Do you think gold is apples in the ground? Can it grow if you plant it?"

(Austrians call potatoes apples in the ground.)

As an elder brother, it is really unpleasant to be criticized by his younger brother, but Ferdinand does not have the majesty of his elder brother Albrecht, so he can only continue to complain.

"Which genius came up with this plan? What if your fleet is overturned by a wave? Wouldn't the empire's investment for so many years be in vain?"

Ferdinand's ignorance of navigation also made Friedrich unhappy. In fact, the larger the tonnage of the ship during this period, the more difficult it is to sink.

In particular, the performance of warships in all aspects far exceeds that of cargo ships. There are battleships that have sunk in storms in history, but very few of them are over 2,000 tons.

This time, Friedrich brought all the big guys with more than 4,000 tons. These "iron" ships are not only stronger than the previous ships, but also more powerful. As long as they are operated properly, it is difficult for them to capsize.

"Our future emperor, I think he is a genius, what do you think?"

Friedrich's words were full of gunpowder, especially this attitude of playing bad, plus the sentence "what do you think" made Archduke Ferdinand angry.

However, the fact that Franz is the future emperor has long been determined within the royal family. He didn't want to bet whether Friedrich, the unlucky child, would make a fuss about what he said, so he had to say it.

"But what does this genius want to do? I heard that Hawaii is British territory. Does he want you to go to war?"

"That's not the case." Friedrich answered frankly, "He wants me to help him get justice and rent a dock or something."

"That doesn't mean he needs to mobilize so many troops."

"It's better to be prepared. What if a wave capsizes the boat like you said?"

Friedrich continued to speak in a sarcastic tone, which made Ferdinand even more unhappy. After all, the latter has the final say in California.

"Oh! You annoying dwarf! Can't you talk normally?"

"I'm getting married."

"Who are you kidding! You haven't even touched a woman, are you going to marry your ship?"

"Damn it! You're marrying the ship, I have a fiancée, right on my ship."

"Oh! No! Is there a woman in that dirty and smelly cabin? She must be a witch who likes to eat frog legs and bat wings!"

"Your wife is the witch who likes to eat frog legs and bat wings! The deck of my ship is so bright that it can be used as a mirror! And my wife is a princess of the Oman Empire!"

"Princess? Oman? Isn't that a Muslim country? Will my father and family agree?"

"What's there to disagree with? Have you forgotten that your mother is also a pagan? And how can anyone oppose something that is good for the family?"

"My mother is a heretic, not a pagan!" Archduke Ferdinand corrected.

In fact, marriage is not unfamiliar to the members of the Habsburg family. After all, the family motto is "Let others go to war, and you, lucky Austria, go get married! What the god of war can give you, the god of love can also give you."

At this time, Archduke Ferdinand was imagining the image of the Muslim princess in his mind, but this image was not positive. After all, Austria and the Arab world have been enemies for dozens of generations, and that stereotype is lingering.

Soon, the image of an Arab wrapped in white cloth, covered with black gauze, holding a scimitar in one hand, holding poison in the other hand, and reciting strange scriptures in his mouth appeared in his mind.

Then Archduke Ferdinand patted his brother on the shoulder and said in a meaningful tone.

"You've worked so hard, sacrificing so much for the family and the empire."

"It's not hard." At this time, Friedrich smelled a special fragrance and said, "Huh? She seems to have followed us. Why don't you let her see her?"

"Sineka! Come in!"

Archduke Ferdinand was shocked when he heard this. He immediately reached for the pistol at his waist, ready to fight against the "monster" that might appear at any time.

But no monster appeared, only a woman in luxurious clothes walked slowly, and the gold and silver ornaments used for decoration made pleasant sounds.

At first glance, her clean and fair skin made it impossible to believe that she came from a desert country, and her face was a kind of exquisiteness that blended with the unique oriental people.

There was no scimitar or mask, which made Ferdinand very confused. Then Princess Sineka greeted the former in fluent French, and Ferdinand responded with an awkward smile.

"Is she Arab? Why doesn't she look like her?"

Ferdinand whispered to his brother, who was also embarrassed.

"She has Dutch, Portuguese, and Italian blood, and maybe Eastern European blood."

"Is she a real princess?"

Archduke Ferdinand's doubts were actually normal, because there was a problem of marriage between nobles and commoners in Europe. If one of the parents was not a noble or had a lower status, the children could not obtain the corresponding status.

Especially for the royal family, the purity of blood is very important.

"Don't worry, Franz has investigated this princess and she is a genuine princess. According to him, even if Sineka is not a princess, as long as she marries me, the Sultan of Oman will have to recognize her as a princess."

In fact, Franz only thought that this princess was a pawn used by Sayid for marriage. Since Frederick liked her and it was indeed beneficial to the Austrian Empire, he was naturally willing to match her up.

In fact, Franz also did a detailed investigation. Princess Sineka had a very good background. Her previous behavior in Vienna was just wandering around with Archduchess Carolina. She looked like a canary kept in the boudoir.

Since her bloodline is far from the European royal family, Franz is still very optimistic that this princess can add a few healthy new members to the Habsburg family.

It's just that Princess Sineka is not as simple as Franz imagined. The former has never forgotten the mission she shoulders.

The first time he met his "sister-in-law", Ferdinand, the brother, still had to express his gratitude.

So he gave Sineka some California specialties, 200 kilograms of gold sand, equivalent to 285,000 florins.

Such a valuable gift, even the princess of Oman was a little surprised, but she didn't know that the box of jewelry that Carolina and Albrecht gave her before was more valuable than the gold sand in front of her, and the paintings used for decoration in the Albena Palace were even more expensive.

After that, Ferdinand met Kagura again. He had some impression of this Japanese girl. After all, there were not many Asians in Austria.

Ferdinand looked at Friedrich with an inquiring look, and the latter's answer made the former even more dumbfounded.

"Our Archduke Franz plans to colonize her hometown, so he naturally needs a guide."