Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Chapter 24, Railway Network

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On July 11, 1849, Franz proposed the “establishment of an Austrian core industry system” at an expanded meeting of the Austrian Government.

Following that, the Austrian Government initiated field research to decide which industries to prioritize for development—a decision Franz couldn’t simply make on a whim.

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Even with ample justification, it was essential to gather sufficient data and perform analysis to ensure an infallibly precise decision.

The reality proved to be a slap in the face: there was ample evidence that the focus of the era’s industrial development should be on the military industry, particularly naval armaments.

For the cost of tens of thousands of army rifles, one could buy just one or two battleships. Cannons were pricier, but not by much. At that time, the army’s biggest expenses were not on weapons and equipment but on salaries and training costs.

The focus of armament enterprises was on research and development and production capacity. There was no need to consider production capacity—the domestic market was of a certain size, and the international arms market was even smaller. Blindly increasing production capacity was tantamount to suicide.

Research and development wouldn’t cost much either. How much money needed to be invested in developing a few types of cannons and rifles? Would one million shields a year be enough?

If not, ten million shields would certainly be more than adequate.

At that time, it was a big question whether all the European countries combined spent as much as ten million shields on research and development for land-based weapons and equipment.

Franz estimated they did not. Most of Europe’s armament enterprises were privately owned, all operating for profit. If research and development costs were too high, they would never recoup their expenses.

As long as profits were satisfactory, one could not expect capitalists to pursue technological innovation.

In that era, technological innovation wasn’t seen as a positive term. With a failure rate exceeding ninety-nine percent, capitalists were extremely cautious about investing in it.

This is why there was a saying that wars drive the development of weapons—only during wartime would there be a willingness to invest in researching and developing new arms.

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By comparison, the navy was a gold-devouring beast. Unfortunately, the Austrian Empire’s navy seemed too diminutive to rank higher than sixth or seventh in the world.

If the focus were on the navy, it probably wouldn’t take long to advance to third place in the world, immediately after the United Kingdom and France.

After that, there would be no further climbing. These two countries, unlike the others, were far stronger in terms of both technological strength and overall national power.

Considering the terrifying naval arms race, Franz felt instantly daunted. The Austrian Navy could only patrol the Mediterranean—what use would a grand fleet be?

It was colonial empires like the United Kingdom and France that developed large navies. At present, every naval powerhouse was a colonial nation. Austria, even if it planned to start colonial activities now, did not need to rush to dramatically expand its navy, right?

Franz wasn’t planning to compete with the British for India, so why engage in an arms race with them?

The final research report showed that it was sufficient to pay attention to the development of the military industry. A few million shields in government research and development funding each year would ensure a world-leading level.

The level of the basic industry was there; it wasn’t a matter of the more the government invested and emphasized, the greater the returns would be.

Reading the report, Franz could only curse those unscrupulous experts and professors from later generations who had tampered with history in his mind.

Think about it, aside from a new type of rifle, what noteworthy weapon did Prussia deploy during the Prussia-Austria War and the Franco-Prussian War?

Could it be that the culmination of the Prussian Government’s extensive investment in the armaments industry was just a breech-loading rifle?

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Wasn’t that absurd? Were the leaders of the Prussian Government fools?

Without boasting, Franz was convinced that by spending just ten thousand shields, Austria could even develop machine guns now.

In other words, the armaments industry plate was still small, and with just a small portion of the government’s effort, it was possible to maintain a world-leading standard.

Indeed, in that era, the Austrian armaments industry was at a world-leading standard. It was by no means behind any country.

Franz had no intention of developing cross-era high-tech products like airplanes and tanks right away.

In fact, even if they were developed, they couldn’t be produced.

Manufacturing a tank might still be feasible; one could just settle for the legendary steam tank. Though a bit fantastical, it was theoretically possible; but has anyone ever heard of a steam-powered aircraft?

Let embarrassment be, Franz’s skin was thick enough. Fortunately, the Austrian Government was pragmatic; otherwise, once state policies were established, there would be no option but to grit one’s teeth and swallow hard.

On September 11, 1849, the Austrian Government separated the department responsible for railway construction and established the Railway Department, formally making railways the core industry of Austria for the next twenty years.

On September 13, the Austrian Government also confirmed the core status of the manufacturing and agricultural product processing industries, to be supervised by the Ministry of Industry.

Thus, the three pillars propelling the Austrian Empire forward were all in place. The question now was how to develop these industries.

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“Your Majesty, this is the draft plan from the Railway Department for the rapid establishment of a national railway network, please review it,” said Baron Stein, the new Railway Minister.

After speaking, he handed over a document to Franz. The document wasn’t very thick, just a slim volume of a dozen or so pages.

Franz took the document and began to flip through it; its content was succinct but substantial. It included tables and written explanations, all handcrafted. Perhaps due to the rush in production, some of the lines were still crooked.

After spending fifteen minutes or so to skim through it, Franz said, expressionless, “Jennie, bring me a map of Austria.”

This was a plan for a national railway network, and it implicated many cities. Franz didn’t have such a good memory to clearly remember each place.

Looking at the map, Franz noticed that once the plan was implemented, all the main cities of Austria would be connected, with some railways even extending to the border regions. Clearly, the Railway Department had also taken military needs into consideration.

“The plan has no issues, but the question is whether it can be achieved technically. Many areas of the railway will have to pass through mountains, which will pose a very stern test for railway construction,” Franz thought aloud.

“Your Majesty, this is just a draft. In fact, before construction, we must send engineers to carry out field surveys along the way. Without these data, we cannot guarantee we can implement the plan.

We are prepared for the possibility that certain sections may be restricted by geographical conditions and will have to be detoured. Right now, this is only the target we want to achieve, to extend the railway to all the main cities of the country,” explained Stein.

Franz nodded. Strictly speaking, Stein was not a qualified manager; he was better suited to be an engineer.

However, the main task of the Austrian Railway Department now was to build roads. The management work of the railways was in the hands of subsidiary railway companies, which in turn were overseen by the Ministry of Transport.

If it were not for the government’s emphasis on the importance of the railways, there would probably not be a department at such a high level as the Railway Department but rather just a railway construction company.

Since it was purely about building roads, Franz naturally didn’t mind appointing an experienced engineer to oversee the work, at least there would be no concern about fanciful railway construction proposals.

Stein had been involved in the design and construction of several Austrian railways, making him one of the most renowned railway engineers of his time in Austria.

He was originally the chief railway engineer solicited by the Austrian Government, and now he was transformed into the Railway Minister.

His title changed, his power increased, but the nature of his work remained the same. He was still responsible for building railways, participating in their design and construction.

Railway designers of this era had a tough job; they had to personally participate in field surveys of critical areas and didn’t have the luxury of sitting in an air-conditioned office.

As for whether this plan for the railway network could be completed, Franz had no worries at all. The real question was when it could be completed.

The 19th century was not the 21st century; a railway network of over 38,000 kilometers, with main lines that span more than 12,000 kilometers alone.

Building so many kilometers of railway was not so simple. The railway currently in operation in Austria was only 1,359 kilometers long, with 896 kilometers under construction.

“How long will it take to complete this plan?” Franz asked with concern.

“At least twenty years, if the funds are sufficient, this time can be greatly shortened.”

Stein didn’t speak definitively; building railways wasn’t like other industries. As long as one is willing to spend money, work can proceed on multiple fronts simultaneously, and the construction speed can naturally double.

Franz said nothing for a while, as this response was as good as no answer at all. Over 38,000 kilometers of railways, if built slowly, might not be completed even in twenty years.

If construction was divided into sections, segmented into thirty smaller projects, then each would just be over a thousand kilometers long. If further divided, perhaps they could be completed in just a few years.

If one really thought that way, then they were definitely an amateur. First and foremost, it requires a large amount of capital investment, followed by a need for a large workforce of railway workers.

Aside from ensuring these two basic requirements, one must also consider whether there are enough technical personnel, transportation logistics, raw material supplies, geographical conditions, and a range of other factors.

“Then I will give you twenty years. In terms of funding, I can guarantee that the government will allocate no less than twenty million shields annually, and the government will also enact related laws to allow private capital to participate in railway construction.

I hope to see this national railway network within twenty years. Can you do it?” Franz asked seriously.

“Your Majesty, please rest assured, I guarantee I will complete the task ahead of schedule!” Stein said excitedly.

As long as there is money, railway construction is not a problem.

You see, the Austrian Government still has a bunch of laborers, right? Those who participated in the rebellion were doomed to be sacrificed from the start.

Franz didn’t believe that with these two hundred thousand lives, they couldn’t pave 38,000 kilometers of railways. If that’s not enough, just provoke another war, perhaps with the Ottoman Empire. Wouldn’t laborers come rolling in?

Industrialization of any country requires sacrifices. Without sacrifice, where would success come from?