War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Chapter 670 Some Are Happy, some Are Sad (Part 1)

Ace and Rebbe are the adopted sons of Archbishop Rauscher. Although the elder brother is physically disabled, he has become the mouthpiece (preacher) of the church through hard work.

And the younger sister Rebbe has become a fighter with her extraordinary talent and courage, which is very rare in the entire church.

This is their second Christmas in Austria. Although they have been living in the open air, they have a home again.

In 1843, the Dutch government decided to relocate the German (Dutch) population who believed in Catholicism in the Flemish region for the sake of domestic political security and people's living space.

The destination is naturally the Austrian Empire. It must be said that the enterprising spirit of the maritime nation is strong. After getting Franz's promise, these people became the main force of Austria's foreign colonization.

In contrast, the Italians are much more indifferent. They would rather be porters at the docks and do odd jobs in the fields.

However, Franz could not allow these guys to gather in the same place all the time. There are too many Italians, and they must be dispersed to better integrate into the country.

The Austrian government began to encourage Italians to "go out". In addition to those who found jobs on their own, the government also tried to use Italians for some projects.

The most important of these was the construction of railways. Due to the complex terrain of the Austrian Empire, the number of workers and technical requirements required to build railways were much higher than those of other countries.

Fortunately, the Austrian Empire had a large number of talented engineers in this era. They completed many tasks that were considered impossible at the time, and also created miracles that amazed later generations.

For example, the Semmering Railway (known as the greatest civil engineering in European history and a miracle in the history of railway construction), the Zell Railway (one of the most dangerous railways in Europe), the Arlberg Railway (the highest railway in Europe at that time), the Tauf Mountain Railway, and the Zillertal Valley Railway.

Franz did not know much about engineering, and all he could provide was high-quality cement and materials, as well as enough manpower.

At the same time, he could guarantee one thing, that is, the treatment of all engineers would not be reduced, and their names would be remembered by history.

Under the heavy reward, the railway engineering of the Austrian Empire once became a prominent subject.

Another result is that after 12 years of hard work, the length of the railway in the Austrian Empire has increased from 30 kilometers to 6,300 kilometers today (600 kilometers in the same period of history).

At this time, the Austrian Empire temporarily became the country with the longest railway mileage in the world, but it would soon be surpassed by Britain and the United States.

At this time, the United States had 4,500 kilometers of railways, but in the next five years, it would increase rapidly at an average rate of 2,000 kilometers per year, and finally reach 14,000 kilometers in 1850.

At this time, Britain had 5,200 kilometers of railways, but it would reach 12,000 kilometers in 1848.

Historically, the length of railways in the German region was 3,200 kilometers, but at this time, due to the stimulation of the Austrian Empire, the total mileage had reached 4,500 kilometers.

France increased from 1,400 kilometers to 1,800 kilometers.

Although the Louis Philippe government had just announced a 10,000-kilometer railway construction plan not long ago, it was still questionable how much of this plan could be put into action.

According to Franz's plan, the total mileage of the Austrian Empire's railways would reach 7,500 kilometers before 1848.

In this way, the main cities and fortresses in the Neretania region are connected. If necessary, a large number of troops can be assembled at key nodes in a short time, which is enough for defense and rebellion.

Back to the point, in addition to building railways and dams, Franz's other plan is overseas immigration.

Austria's overseas colonies can actually absorb a considerable number of immigrants, but the Italians are really too lazy.

Even when these guys arrived in Africa, they often gathered together in dozens of people to watch ants fighting in the scorching sun that could kill people.

In fact, white people are a race that is very prone to sunburn, so it is extremely difficult to colonize Africa.

But these Italians would rather be lazy at the risk of sunburn than do more meaningful things. It can only be said that they are too lazy.

In the Salzburg military camp, Robert Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson met again. The last time they met was during the Mexican-American War, in Zachary Taylor's Grand River Camp.

It was just that the victory came in a rather embarrassing way. The U.S. Army was repeatedly beaten by the Mexican Army, and finally won under the tyranny of the French.

"That was not a good memory."

When an American student mentioned the Mexican-American War, Robert Lee sighed.

"It was a disaster caused by a stupid pig. Mexico was like a bandit on the prairie, and the federal soldiers behaved like a group of frightened lambs."

"Stonewall" Jackson's words were much more straightforward. He was very dissatisfied with Zachary Taylor's command. Because the latter perfectly interpreted what it meant that one incompetent general exhausted the three armies.

Richard Iwell, a famous Southern general, was 29 years old at this time. He participated in a more brutal battle-Stephen Kearney's expedition.

Whether it was the risk of crossing the Death Valley, the Night of Terror, or the battle to storm Fort San Gabriel, Richard Iwell participated.

Therefore, he was demoted from an army captain to a second lieutenant. One third of his men died on the road. Richard Avil was the first to discover the Austrian sneak attack on the night of terror.

But the sentry on duty that night rejected Richard Avil's request on the grounds that the general had fallen asleep.

Later, he tried to find several other senior officers, but he didn't even have a chance to talk. In the end, he could only watch tens of thousands of troops slaughter each other.

"In fact, there are more than one idiot, and those politicians and intelligence personnel should also be thrown into the cesspool. The Austrian army is much stronger than they say.

Fortunately, what we encountered at that time was just a ragtag force composed of militias and mercenaries. If it was really the main Austrian force stationed in Salzburg, the expeditionary force to California would definitely be wiped out!"

Richard Avil's words immediately resonated. Anyone who participated in the California Expeditionary Force still remembers the brutal battle.

If the Battle of the Grande River was a sit-in and a shame, then the Battle of California was a nightmare and a lingering shadow for these people.

In addition, there are some battles that American students are reluctant to mention, that is, the Battle of Veracruz.

The Battle of the Grande River encountered the yellow fever epidemic, which was a good time. The Battle of California faced the unconquerable Fort San Gabriel, which was a good location. Then the Battle of Veracruz was entirely due to Winfield Scott's arrogance.

The US military had a great start in that battle, but missed opportunities again and again, and finally could only survive by relying on the opponent's mistakes.

These American students in Austria became more and more frustrated as they talked, especially when they saw the powerful Austrian Imperial Army outside, they felt desperate, and finally could only drink to relieve their sorrow.

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