War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

"Five million florins? Franz, are you crazy? The Greek government's annual income is only three or five million. How many lifetimes can it pay you back?"

Maximilian II did not forget to mock his brother at this time.

"You are talking nonsense! The fiscal revenue of my Great Greece last year was as high as 9.6 million drachmas!"

Otto I crossed his arms proudly. 1 drachma = 0.1 florin

"Isn't that still not enough to pay back the money?"

Maximilian II added insult to injury again.

"You talk as if Bavaria is so rich."

"Unfortunately, after you left, Bavaria's fiscal revenue increased by 50%, and now it has exceeded 30 million florins."

"That's not as good as a province of Venice, how dare you say that!"

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Franz had to come out to stop them.

"My two cousins, the situation in Greece and Bavaria is not very good now. We should help each other."

"I don't have money."

Maximilian II raised his hand first, while Otto I said a little embarrassedly.

"Franz, you really borrowed too much. I'm afraid I can't even pay the interest."

"No need for interest. No matter what the result of this conference is, you should stabilize the domestic situation first."

"Well, thank you very much! You can rent Crete as long as you want!"

The two sides smiled at each other and didn't say much.

In fact, it is a good thing for everyone to be able to use each other.

"Big cousin, you should also show your appreciation."

Franz said.

"Bavaria is not Austria. I don't have as much money as you do."

"But you can send people. The Greek government cannot be without its own people."

"You can have as many people as you want. But if Otto does this, the Greek top leaders may not agree."

"That's easy. Compete for the job, and whoever can do it will stay."

"Good idea." Otto I couldn't help but praise. Those damn officials always pushed the pressure on me, why didn't I think of pushing it back?

"And don't they like to practice democracy like the British? Then change it to land qualification election!"

"Isn't this okay, Franz? The land is in their hands, and the people elected are still theirs."

Otto I said dejectedly.

"Cousin, this is just the first step of the plan."

"What about the next step?"

In fact, Otto I and Maximilian II didn't hold much hope, they just followed Franz's meaning and asked.

"Carry out land ownership reform and redistribute land according to population."

"Those guys won't agree."

"It doesn't matter whether the Greek elites agree or not. If they have a conflict with you, who do you think the lower class will help?

I know those guys smear you all day long. Even after you convert to Christianity, they claim that you are a pagan. They call you arrogant if you want to revive Greece, and they call you a warlike act to recover your homeland.

You have the blood of the Komnenos family, but they call you a bastard, and even publicly claim that you are intellectually disabled.

They also contributed to the Don Pafisico incident.

But you must know that redistributing land will bring real benefits to the people. What can those so-called Greek elites provide?

Continue to use you as a window to vent national emotions?"

After hearing this, Otto I couldn't help but fall into deep thought. In the 19th century, the poor were considered lazy, incompetent, immoral, and lowly species who only shouted slogans and engaged in empty talk.

The rich are noble people who are hardworking, wise, virtuous, pragmatic, and pious.

But Otto I knew very well that the appearances of the poor were more often a kind of helplessness. They had no opportunities and no platform at all.

He had seen many civilians who won Mensur. Those civilians were not afraid of the noble swordsmen who had honed their sword skills since childhood. Their courage alone was more than that of most nobles.

(Mensur is a bloody entertainment activity in the German region. It was originally a duel between students to show courage without killing each other. Later, it became an entertainment activity between nobles and rich people.

Although it was generally not fatal, it was common to force the other party to surrender and cause disability and injury. In addition, accidents also occurred frequently.)

Otto I also adopted two civilian children, initially just to pass the time and show his kindness.

Adopting a civilian child may not cost more than raising a royal hound at that time.

But it turned out that the two were more loyal and brave than the nobles and those Greek elites, and they made great achievements in the war against the Ottomans.

In fact, Otto I was doing what Franz said at first. The former appointed a group of officials from Bavaria.

However, under the British obstruction and the Greek elites' internal and external cooperation, these Bavarian officials could not do their work at all, and finally had to resign.

At that time, Otto I was too young and too weak to dare to stand up, let alone the strength. In this way, under the coercion and inducement of the British and the Greek elites, the situation in Greece has fallen to the present.

"Franz, I believe you. Just do as you say!"

"Franz, Otto. Are you two crazy? You actually count on those mud legs at the bottom? They are lazy, stupid, and immoral.

Don't touch the interests of the upper class, don't touch the ideas of the lower class! What are you thinking!"

Maximilian II said earnestly.

"I believe my people will make the right choice!"

Otto I looked righteous.

In fact, Otto I's real confidence came from Franz's five million florins, which gave him the capital to confront the parliament.

On the other hand, Greece bordered the Austrian Empire, and as the theoretical highest military commander of Greece, he could borrow troops from Austria to quell the rebellion.

Otto I believed that as long as Franz wanted, even if all Greeks participated in the rebellion, it would not be successful.

Although Franz has always enjoyed a reputation for kindness among the people, the church is even preparing to canonize him as a saint.

But Otto I knew that his cousin was too terrifying. The killing in 1848 alone was three times the total population of Greece.

Franz would not do everything recklessly. He was more particular about strategy and methods. It would be sad if he was used by others to do bad things like Wang Anshi's reform.

However, Franz was not very interested in this kind of verbal dispute. In the era of change, if you hold on to your old ideas, it will be difficult not to decline.

If the reformer does not even have this kind of courage, it is better to give up as soon as possible.

There was once a teacher in the East, and his thoughts and actions were enough to prove everything. If the old man saw that a few words of scheming in the future were actually regarded as the criterion, he would definitely feel ridiculous and absurd.

In addition, this sentence is not a traditional Eastern thought, let alone what Hayek said.

(Friedrich August von Hayek is an Austrian economist. He later became a British citizen in 1938 because of his Jewish ancestry.)

"Cousin, who told you this sentence."

Franz knew very well the wisdom of his cousin, and he would not be able to think of such a sentence even if he was given another hundred years.

"A wealthy and wise gentleman."

"Don't use him. This is my advice to you. Bavaria, as the country with the lowest per capita income in Germany, doesn't want to change. Sooner or later, someone will change all this.

Capitalists can run away with their capital, or even transform themselves into national capitalists. But you can't, my brother.

Remember Philip Equality? Even if he can "kill his relatives for the sake of justice", he still can't be trusted, and he can only end up with his head and body separated.

In a sense, the monarch is the same as the common people. Only the country can rely on it. And the rich can be Austrians in Austria and British in Britain."