Whether the military wants it or not, Austria's disarmament resolution has been confirmed. The government's focus has shifted from military to local construction.
On top of this, the more important national policy is compulsory education. In order to mobilize the enthusiasm of the bureaucrats, Franz decided to adopt an assessment system.
Namely: link the effectiveness of compulsory education with the promotion of officials.
The core of this is the promotion of the Austrian language. After all, the purpose of this compulsory education is not simple, but mainly to unify the language and culture and lay the foundation for national integration.
"Has it been counted from the church's purchased assets?" Franz asked with concern
Chancellor of the Exchequer Carl replied: "Your Majesty, the statistics are still underway, and many of the assets here are intricate and difficult to value.
According to preliminary statistics, there are about 4.78 million hectares of land, including arable land, forest land, grassland, etc.; it has 386 large and small mines, including gold, silver, copper, iron, coal and other minerals; it owns real estate, shops, houses…”
Franz nodded, these assets are indeed not easy to be valued, and the cash, antique calligraphy and paintings have long been divided up by the clergy.
Even if there is art left over, it is placed in the church, and the Austrian government cannot pick it up.
Many of these real estates have become the private property of certain clergy, but under the pressure of the Austrian government, they were forced to hand them over.
It's up to them to choose, and the real estate can't be hidden at all. If they don't hand it over, they will go to the Papal State to act as a death squad.
"The value of these assets is calculated slowly, first estimate the annual income, how much is it?" Franz asked
"It's about 80 million rupiah. This income is very stable and basically won't change much." Carl replied
This figure does not arouse everyone's astonishment. Religion has been a wealthy unit since ancient times. Especially in the monotheistic system of Europe, the church is often much richer than the government.
They have many privileges, such as tax exemption for church property and free control over the donations of believers.
This is after the religious revolution. If in the Middle Ages, the church still controlled most of the European continent, and kings and emperors must be attached to them.
"What about the tithe?" Franz continued.
By the mid-19th century, Austrian tithes were not exclusive to the church, and both the monarch and the great aristocracy shared the benefits.
After the education surcharge is changed, the money will go directly into the pocket of the Ministry of Finance, and naturally there will be no sharing.
The tithe originated in the Old Testament times and has continued, mainly for agricultural products, including grains, wheat, fruits, vegetables, livestock, etc.
The tax rate is a fixed 10%, which Franz knows will still be charged in some places even in the 21st century.
The French were the first to abolish it, and it was abolished in the era of the Great Revolution in the 18th century. European countries also abolished it in the 19th century. The British received it in 1936.
"Your Majesty, the Austrian tithe is about 80 million to 100 million dong, but considering the actual situation, we may not be able to directly change it to the education surcharge." Carl thought for a while and said
"Why?" Franz asked
"Your Majesty, all Austrian citizens benefit from compulsory education. If we charge an education surcharge, it will only be aimed at land-owning peasants and nobles, which will be unfair," Karl reminded.
Franz instantly understood that the name of the tax cannot be changed arbitrarily, and social influence must also be considered.
If it is changed to education surcharge, then it must be collected for all industries, otherwise the nobles will not be expected to pay taxes honestly, and it is easy to stimulate social conflicts.
If Austria imposed an education surcharge on all industries, their other taxes would have to be cut, or it would be more than they can afford.
On the surface, the meat is all in the pot, and it doesn't matter if you change it. In fact, it is difficult to implement.
First of all, it is the working class at the bottom who cannot accept this tax. Their income is limited, so they were finally relieved of their ties. Another education surcharge was added, and they were immediately beaten to a prototype.
This kind of thing is definitely not possible, and Franz doesn't want to die and lose the people's hearts that he has finally accumulated.
"What advice does the Ministry of Finance have to avoid this problem?" Franz asked with concern
Carl thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Finance recommends that tithes should still be collected by the clergy, and there is no need to change the name, and the Ministry of Finance will send someone to supervise.
We can have His Majesty the Pope give an order to transfer all Austrian tithes to the government to finance education. "
Yes, the Austrian government is preparing to turn the Holy See into their subordinate institution, and the church will do all the hateful things.
Franz thought for a while and said, "Okay, let's put the issue of the education surcharge on hold for now, and let the church continue to collect tithes."
He really couldn't find a reason to refuse. For the sake of compulsory education in Austria, let the church continue to carry the blame.
Anyway, God and his old man are very powerful, and he can resist a little complaint.
When the Austrian government becomes rich, find another reason to abolish it.
Not only the Catholic Church was targeted by the Austrian government, but other churches were not spared.
It's just that these churches are not mainstream, their influence is not enough, and their financial resources are naturally limited, so they can't search for much wealth, and they are not worthy of Franz's personal attention.
…
On November 2, 1848, at the invitation of Pope Pius IX, the Austrian government dispatched 80,000 troops to help mediate internal rights disputes in the Papal State.
This was naturally opposed by the reactionary regime of the bourgeoisie, and the anti-Austrian movement in the Italian region rose again. Numerous nationalists gathered in Rome, trying to deter the Austrian army with their actions.
The end result was that Pope Pius IX ordered - kill, and then the heroic Austrian army sent them to see God.
On November 7, 1848, the Austrian army launched an attack on the reactionary regime, killing more than 8,000 people on the spot and taking more than 30,000 prisoners, physically hitting Italian nationalists hard.
The stronghold of Italian nationalism was in the Kingdom of Sardinia. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Sardinia was destroyed by Austria once, and the backbone of nationalist ideology was severely damaged physically.
The government of Charles-Albert, who had just returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia, was frightened and dared not wave again.
In order to keep their rights, they embraced the British thighs while suppressing domestic radicalism, for fear of irritating Austria and causing disaster.
Disappointed Italian nationalists came to Rome, where they planned a final counterattack in an attempt to keep their last stronghold.
The ending was naturally tragic. Pope Pius IX returned to Rome, and the first thing he did was to suppress these nationalists.
To unify the Italian region, Pius IX is also willing, but the prerequisite must be that the Papal State he leads to unify. Failing that, preserving the Papal State is the number one priority.
Among the Italian states, the Kingdom of Sardinia has the strongest strength and the best development. Many nationalists support the Kingdom of Sardinia.
In Pius IX's view, this was a blatant betrayal, as abominable as the revolutionaries. Now that he has Austria's support, he will naturally go on a killing spree.
Killing may not solve the problem, but killing is the best way to physically destroy an enemy. After the bloody crackdown, the situation in Rome stabilized.
After the recapture of Rome, the Papal State army logically fell to Pius IX, and the Austrian army did not need to fight in the following battles.
While in Vienna, Franz gave Pope Pius IX a bad idea, suggesting that he disband part of the army and use the savings to hire the Swiss to protect the Papal State.
This is a precedent. The Swiss mercenaries have fought all over the European continent, and the battle has been widely recognized by everyone. They also often undertake some tasks of defending the country or attacking a certain country.
Since the 16th century, the Papal Guard has become Swiss, and the Swiss have gained respect with practical actions.
In 1789, at the Palace of Versailles, 138 Swiss mercenaries swore to defend Louis XVI, but none of them chose to escape.
Pius IX, who had experienced a coup d'état, naturally followed suit. If Franz recommended German mercenaries to him, he would probably have to worry about whether there was any conspiracy involved.
But with the Swiss mercenary, he was not worried at all. Everyone knows the grievances between the Habsburg family and the Swiss. Although everyone has eased the relationship now, most of the Swiss still won't buy the Habsburg family's account.
Under the butterfly effect of Franz, the guards of Rome from now on will no longer be Italians, but Swiss mercenaries who are brave and skilled.
With these gang of thugs who work hard for money, the authority of Pope Pius IX has been greatly strengthened.
Other armies may sympathize with the revolution and even support the revolutionary party, but these Swiss mercenaries from outside the country have no interest in the revolution.
Of course, this is the future. His Majesty's Swiss Corps has not had time to form, and now the force in his hands is still the Papal State army.
For this army, Pius IX did not trust him, and all of them were sent out to suppress the rebels. Now it is the Austrian army who is protecting him.
Vatican
A cardinal said happily: "Your Majesty, we have contacted three Swiss mercenary groups willing to accept our employment, with a total number of more than 2,000 people."
Pius IX nodded with satisfaction. The Swiss mercenaries were a bit more expensive, but they got what they paid for. These people were loyal and reliable, and they were much stronger than the Papal Army outside.
Think about it, if Louis XVI had 1380 Swiss mercenaries instead of 138, would he have been guillotined
I am afraid that he had already covered him to break out of the siege and called the royalist army to suppress the rebellion.
Another example is the just overthrown King Louis-Philippe. If he had a Swiss mercenary group in his hands, he would have suppressed the revolution long ago. Where would he need to flee in a hurry
Thinking about his own experience, Pope Pius IX found out that if there were 2,000 Swiss mercenaries, the revolutionaries he had killed would have been rolled out. Why would he need to go into exile
The more you think about it, the more crooked you will naturally be.
Pius IX has forgotten that as a king, he needs foreigners to protect his own safety, which is enough to show how unsuccessful he is.
This means extreme distrust of the subjects. After this trust is lost, the relationship between the monarch and the subject will no longer be close.
But this question doesn't matter to the Pope. Anyway, his throne cannot be hereditary. As long as he is comfortable, why bother with the next one
Pius IX thought about it and said: "Sign a contract with them as soon as possible, and let them come to Rome immediately.
There is also continued contact with the Swiss Mercenary Corps. The strength of a regiment of more than 2,000 talents is far from enough to guard the Papal State. "
"Your Majesty, are the Austrians going to withdraw?" the cardinal asked with concern
"Yes, Lieutenant General Edmund has repeatedly urged us to form a loyal army as soon as possible. They also want to go back to spend Christmas with their family." Pius IX said with a smile.
Asking the Austrian army to suppress the rebellion, what worries him most is that it is easy to ask God to send him away.
Fortunately, none of this happened, and the Austrian army offered to withdraw, which was exactly what Pius IX wanted and saved him a big problem.
The performance of the Austrian army also made Pius IX very satisfied. The military discipline was strict, and there was no harassment in places. Even robbery was disciplined, and he never stretched out his hands indiscriminately.
Perhaps it was because he cooperated too happily with the Vienna government. Lieutenant General Edmund, the commander of the Austrian army, respected him as the pope very much, respected him everywhere, and did not cause him any trouble.