Chapter 586 The Backbone of Austria (Additional chapter for Lin Gu)
Chapter 587 The Backbone of Austria (Added update for Mr. Lin Gu)
In the special counsel's office on the top floor of Lightning Company, Carlona was summarizing the accounts with great interest as the musicians next door played.
During this time, he acted as the central coordinator and was responsible for financial matters.
Styler is responsible for company operations, sales and external presentations.
Mesmer pretended to be an aristocrat and went around bragging about the gaslight project, tricking wealthy people into buying bonds, and by the way, he tricked a few British girls.
Soon, the calculation results appeared on Kalona's account book:
Total income from Lightning bonds was £860,000;
Total revenue from the sale of gas street lights was £115,000;
Received £20,000 in project funding from the London City Council;
The total expenditure amounted to £12,000.
Total balance: £983,000.
Even though Carlona had been the French Finance Minister, his heartbeat could not help but beat faster when faced with this number.
980,000 pounds, that’s more than 24 million francs!
If there had been so much money in the French treasury, he probably would not have been removed from office.
He immediately began to sign bills of exchange or purchase lists, and transferred the huge sum of money to banks in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Venice, and finally entered the Bank of France through various channels. The purchased supplies were transported to the Southern Netherlands and then dispersed to various parts of France via Wallonia.
Moreover, there is still quite some time before the end of the year, and funds from all over the UK are still pouring into Lightning Company.
…
Austria.
Northern suburbs of Vienna.
A luxurious gray-black French "Gem 6" carriage, pulled by two Gallic horses, drove quickly towards the city.
In the luxuriously decorated carriage, Count Kaunitz was frowning and looking out the window, his fingers holding the armrest turned pale from too much force.
"Your Majesty is too indulgent towards those guys!" He gritted his teeth angrily to himself, "Your Majesty must be persuaded to issue an edict to make the Hungarians pay special taxes."
He has just returned from Silesia.
Due to tight funds, he had to personally comfort the soldiers on the front line, promising them to replenish their military salaries within a month and allocate urgently needed supplies, which barely stabilized their morale.
Marshal Lacy reported to him that the strength of the Prussian soldiers on the opposite side had increased rapidly recently, and they had obviously replaced them with new weapons and equipment.
If this trend continues, the battle situation in Breslau will become extremely unfavorable to Austria.
"We must request assistance from France as soon as possible..."
Kaunitz only said half a sentence before he remembered the recent revelations that the Vienna Chamber of Commerce was involved in defrauding French orders, and he suddenly slapped the armrest in anger.
These damn profiteers offended Austria's biggest ally at such a critical moment!
Just as he was thinking about how to resolve the predicament at hand, the speed of the car slowly slowed down, and a row of figures appeared on the road ahead.
When Kaunitz saw his son and grandson, he immediately forgot the worries in his heart and a smile appeared on his face.
After all the people who greeted him came forward to salute and greet him, his second son got into the car with a serious expression and sat down opposite him.
"Dominique, what happened?" Kaunitz looked at him and asked, knocking on the carriage to signal the driver to continue on his way.
"Father, Count Bezberodico met with His Majesty the Emperor yesterday."
Bezberodiko is the Russian Foreign Minister. His sudden visit to Vienna must have something important to do.
Kaunitz felt vaguely bad, crossed his hands, frowned and said:
"Go on."
Dominik von Kaunitz said solemnly: "He is here to mediate the Prussian-Austrian war."
"condition?"
"Count Bezberodiko said that as long as we sign an armistice with Prussia, the Tsar can recognize our claim to Wallachia."
Kaunitz's heart tightened. This condition is too tempting! The administrative system of Wallachia has always been in Austrian hands, and if the Slavs there do not cause trouble, Austria will soon be able to completely control it.
That's a territory not much smaller than Silesia. Although not as rich as Silesia, a bird in the hand is worth a hundred in the bush.
"Go to Schönbrunn Palace immediately!"
He shouted to the coachman, and then said to his son: "It doesn't matter, the Prussians will definitely take back Lignitz. As long as I grasp this, I can convince your majesty..."
"Father," Dominique said with his head lowered, "the Russians said they would convince Prussia to abandon Lignitz."
"This...how is this possible?!" Kaunitz's back suddenly collapsed and he couldn't help but shake his head.
Although Dominic couldn't bear to irritate his father anymore, he had to explain such a big matter clearly as soon as possible:
"Count Bezberodiko should be confident. He also said that if the war in Silesia continues, Russia will send 80,000 troops to mediate."
Kaunitz's back bent even more - he knew that Russia could not afford so many troops at the moment, but their attitude was enough to change the situation in Silesia.
Dominic continued: "The British Foreign Secretary also met with His Majesty and said that they would guarantee the armistice..."
Kaunitz knew that it would be difficult to reverse the situation this time, but he still rushed directly to Schonbrunn Palace.
After having a long talk with him for more than two hours, Leopold II reluctantly agreed to give him another month. If he still could not open up the situation in Silesia, he would accept the Russians' suggestion of an armistice.
Kaunitz returned home and was about to use all his strength to raise enough funds when he saw his son coming in a hurry with a messenger.
The messenger was sent by Marshal Lacy, and the letter he sent contained only a few words: The Hungarian Army retreated to the Lignitz line on the grounds of unpaid wages. Also, the shells were out.
The next day.
When Kaunitz came to Schonbrunn Palace and was about to make a final effort, he met Baron Walter in the corridor.
The latter shouted in an exaggerated tone: "Oh! Dear Count Kaunitz, you seem to have said at the cabinet meeting that if you cannot recapture Silesia, you will resign.
"Of course, although the current war situation is extremely unfavorable, with your wisdom and ability, you will definitely be able to make the Prussians escape."
"You rude guy..."
Before Kaunitz finished speaking, he saw Turgut and Kobucil leading more than a dozen officials to both sides of the corridor, looking at him with mocking eyes.
He could already imagine how these people would look weird if he went to see His Majesty the Emperor.
His self-esteem and pride did not allow him to suffer such humiliation.
He straightened his waist vigorously, glanced at these people coldly, then turned and left, his steps still steady and strong.
Two days later, Kaunitz formally resigned as Minister of State to Leopold II.
The emperor did not do much to retain him, but only praised him highly and gave him a large number of rewards. Then he appointed Turgut as the new minister of state, fully responsible for reaching an armistice agreement with Prussia.
