The Rise of the Empire

"For the friendship between the two countries, for the relationship between the two countries where blood is thicker than water, and for..." At the banquet, the two sides enjoyed the feast of the guests and the host. Everyone is very happy.

A lot of wine, champagne and delicious food dilute the tense atmosphere before the talks between the two sides, but Prince Ruprecht is not relaxed, because after this banquet, there will be a war without gunpowder! The so-called brothers are clear about settlements, not to mention that the two parties are only cousins!

"For hardened armor, we can import materials and armor from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but it is impossible to build a joint venture. We have spent more than 6 years preparing for this work. So far, all the work and expenditure have been undertaken by the Bavarian royal family. And at this time, you come up to take a share, no matter from which point of view it is not acceptable. This request has not even been raised by the Kaiser!"

On behalf of the Bavarian royal family, Prince Ruprecht categorically rejected the request for a joint factory between the two parties. No matter how poor the Kingdom of Bavaria is, it is not a problem to build a first-class armor steel production plant. What you have worked so hard to create, you just buy shares when you say you want to buy shares? After the Austro-Hungarian Empire started this, what did the German royal family think? What do other duchies think? How could sales of at least £3 million a year be split like this?

"We are talking about cooperation, so cooperation is naturally future-oriented. When you propose to us to invest in the production of armor steel, can we invest in the Skoda factory?" Dad Cheap also made up for it.

The implication is that Fritz, you are too unnatural, you can only get in and out! Why didn't you think of us in Bavaria when the Austrian Emperor, Kaiser and Krupp controlled Skoda? Now that we have something good, you just want to come in and get a piece of it? What are you thinking? There is no way to talk about this basis!

"This is just the beginning. Your country's future products can enjoy various tax and policy preferences in Austria-Hungary. We can even give the Kingdom of Bavaria the most-favored-nation treatment." Earl Taft played the policy card.

"It doesn't make much sense, because in the future development plan formulated by the royal family, the industry of the Kingdom of Bavaria is not based on low-quality and large-scale basic products. The pure coal and iron industry cannot make Bavaria strong. The Ruhr area, Lorraine , The industry in the Saar district has an extremely huge resource advantage. The small tax transfer of ordinary products is of very limited significance to us."

The prince snorted inwardly. Austria-Hungary is just a market of my brother, and it is not such an important market. If you want to exchange sesame seeds for watermelon, you should save money first.

If you continue to talk like this, the result is easy to break up. The demands made by the Austro-Hungarian Empire are too high, and they are not what the Kingdom of Bavaria needs! And the Austria-Hungary Empire never thought of giving some of the advanced technological support that Bavaria wanted. For a while, the venue fell into silence.

What should I do if I encounter difficulties? Ludwig III glanced at his son and his younger brother Prince Leopold sitting next to him. He looked at Prime Minister Taft on the opposite side and General Auffenberg next to him and said: "There are some issues that require professional knowledge to communicate. If possible, you and General Auffenberg can talk to Prince Leopold and General Auffenberg first. My kids talk about things that everyone is interested in, and then talk about collaboration."

In Earl Taft's view, this was a tactful refusal, but the other party seemed to have left another opening. After all, the other two important members of the royal family are willing to continue contacting, and it is always good to have a chance.

What does the Kingdom of Bavaria need most now? Naturally, it is the military technology of the Austro-Hungarian Empire! Fortunately, there are some that can be obtained in my own hands. The way to cooperate is to exchange what we have. Since it is military technology, professionals are needed.

The prince began to think about the strength comparison between the enemy and us. Earl Taff doesn't know much about military affairs, but he understands the situation. Does military politics have to be separated? Most people don't know about the Auffenberg next to him, but the prince knows it well. In history, this buddy was the commander of the Fourth Army of the Austro-Hungarian Eastern Front.

It can't be said to be fierce, but at least it is a passing level. And it can be said in the Austro-Hungarian army.

In my previous life, I was an otaku and a fan of war history, so I have an advantage in knowledge. And Prince Leopold next to him has fought in battle and made great achievements, both in theory and in actual combat. My side is Dayou! But before that, the traveler still intends to let the Austrians see his new good things. Powerful rapid-fire guns and machine guns, as well as cheap and easy-to-use mortars, I believe they will interest the other party, right?

"Uncle, do you think the Austrians will be interested in our new things?" According to Ludwig III's arrangement, Earl Schelling accompanied the Austrian delegation to visit the kingdom's new equipment, and used the last two In a few days, the prince and Prince Leopold are going to make something interesting to each other!

"Remember, the more unstable the country, the more important the monarch is to the military power in his hands! They try to master a power that can suppress all opposition voices when necessary. This is very obvious in the Austro-Hungarian Empire! Old Fry Cici needs a capable force to undertake the tasks of internal suppression and external combat at the same time."

"But the scale of this army cannot be too large. This is determined by the situation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Up to now, even in Austria, the proportion of Germans is not even half! The population base of the Austrian Emperor is very poor. Stability. In order to deal with other ethnic groups who may rebel at any time, he must ensure the size of the army. The huge gap between the elite troops and the total force has formed a contradiction that is difficult to bridge." The prince analyzed very seriously.

"So he needs a lean force and needs to be equipped with the most advanced weapons. At the same time, the lack of production capacity of the Austro-Hungarian Empire has also brought us opportunities, right?" the prince said with a bright light.

"Not only that, but if you talk about it in detail, there are many problems within the Austro-Hungarian army. As early as during the Austro-Prussian War, I thought that Austria-Hungary could not be relied on. Although I participated in the war, I once suggested not to intervene in this war. And in the In a matter of weeks, Austria-Hungary was defeated and has since become a dual empire."

"To be honest, I am very uneasy about such an unreliable ally. If possible, I would rather choose the same number of Russians as my comrades-in-arms than mix with a nation. There are various internal constraints and quarrels more than making plans Let's fight together!" In the prince's words, he made no secret of his disdain for the fighting power of the Austro-Hungarian army.

"Uncle, even if it's a pig opponent, it's our teammate. Save some face when you speak, okay?" the prince roared in his heart. I'm afraid that my uncle will say something inappropriate during the formal negotiation. But precisely because of this, in order to cope with the First World War, the traversers really need to strengthen Germany, the weak little brother. After all, no matter how bad it is, it is better than Italy!

"The Bavarians want to cooperate with us in military technology." Two days later, Earl Taft finally understood the other party's purpose.

"And they do have some capital in their hands now." Offenberg said with a nod.

"Then let's see their asking price." Taft decided to talk first!

Thanks to book friends zhouyu1976, Windsor, and heavensailer for their rewards~~~. Yesterday's collection was 40 less than the day before yesterday.... The author is very depressed--!