On July 11, 1849, Franz proposed at the enlarged meeting of the Austrian government: "The establishment of an Austrian core industrial system".
Immediately afterwards, the Austrian government started on-the-spot research work and listed which industries as the core development focus. This is not something Franz can decide with a slap of his head.
Even if the reason is sufficient, it must collect enough data and analyze it to ensure that nothing is wrong before it can be determined.
The actual results are very face-saving. There is enough evidence to show that the development of the military industry should be focused on in this era, so the focus is on the naval military industry.
The army's hundreds of thousands of rifles add up to the price of one or two battleships. Artillery is more expensive, but it is not much higher. The biggest military expenditure of the Army in this era is personnel salaries and training costs, not weapons and equipment.
The focus of military enterprises is R&D and production capacity. There is no need to consider production capacity. The domestic market is so large, and the international arms market is even smaller. Blindly increasing production capacity is death.
It doesn't cost much for research and development. How much do you need to invest in several types of artillery and rifles? Is one million dong a year enough
If it is not enough, 10 million dong will never be spent.
In this era, the total amount of research and development expenses invested by all European countries in army weapons and equipment is 10 million dong, which is a big question mark
Franz estimates that it is not. Most of the military enterprises in Europe are private enterprises, and they are all for profit.
Don't expect capitalists to innovate in technology as long as the profits are good.
Technological innovation is not a good word in this era. With a failure rate of more than 99%, capitalists are cautious when investing.
This is why there is a saying that war promotes the development of weapons. Only in times of war are people willing to invest in the development of new weapons and equipment.
In contrast, the navy is the beast that swallows gold. Unfortunately, the navy of the Austrian Empire seems to be too small, and it can probably rank six or seven in the world.
If we focus on the development of the navy, it is estimated that it will not be long before we can rush to the third place in the world, behind Britain and France.
Then they can't rush up. These two are different from the scumbags in the back. Whether it is the accumulation of technical strength or the comprehensive national strength, they are much stronger.
Considering the terrifying naval arms race, Franz shivered in an instant. The Austrian navy can only go around in the Mediterranean Sea and build a large fleet, what's the use
Britain and France were both colonial empires, and they only had large navies. Now, the several naval powers are all colonial countries. Even if Austria is preparing to participate in colonial activities now, it does not need to immediately explode the navy, right
Franz is not going to rob India with the British, why should he play an arms race with them
The final survey report shows that it is enough to attach importance to the development of the military industry, and the government can ensure the world's advanced level by appropriating millions of R&D expenses every year.
The level of basic industries is placed here, it is not that the more the government pays attention and the greater the investment, the greater the final harvest will be.
Looking at this report, Franz could only scolded the unscrupulous experts and professors of later generations for tampering with history.
Think about it, in the Prussian-Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, what else could Prussia have to offer besides a new rifle
Could it be that the military industry developed with all the strength of the country, the final result is a breech rifle
Isn't this bullshit? Are the leaders of the Prussian government all fools
Don't dare to say anything else, Franz can guarantee that hundreds of thousands of dongs will be thrown, and Austria can even make a machine gun now.
In other words, the military industry's plate is still small, as long as the government allocates a small part of its energy, it can maintain the world's advanced level.
Yes, the Austrian military industry in this era is still at the advanced level in the world, and it is not backward compared with any other country.
Franz is not ready to develop across the era, and he is not ready to develop high-tech products such as aircraft and tanks immediately.
In fact, it has been developed, but it cannot be produced.
It is still reluctant to manufacture tanks. The big deal is the legendary steam tank. Although it is a little magical, it is theoretically feasible; but has anyone heard of steam aircraft
If you slap your face, you can slap your face, anyway, Franz has a thick skin. Fortunately, the Austrian government is pragmatic. Otherwise, when the national policy is determined, it can only be broken and swallowed in the stomach.
On September 11, 1849, the Austrian government independent of the department in charge of railway construction, established the Ministry of Railways, and railway officially became the core industry of Austria for the next two decades.
On September 13, the Austrian government confirmed the core position of the manufacturing and agro-processing industries, both of which are in charge of the Ministry of Industry.
At this point, the troika that propelled the Austrian Empire forward was all in place. The question now is how to develop these industries.
"Your Majesty, this is the Ministry of Railways' draft on the rapid establishment of a national railway network, please take a look at it," said Baron Stein, the new Minister of Railways.
After finishing speaking, he handed over a document to Franz. The document is not very thick, only a thin dozen pages.
Franz took the document and flipped through it. There was not much content in it, but it was quite predictable. There are tables and text descriptions, all the content is purely handmade, maybe it is too hasty, and some lines are still curved.
After spending more than ten minutes, Franz browsed it roughly, and said blankly, "Jenny, get a map of Austria."
This is a plan for a national railway network. There are many cities involved. Franz does not have such a good memory and can remember every place clearly.
Looking at the map, Franz found that once the plan was implemented, all major cities in Austria were connected in series, and some railways were extended to the frontier areas. Obviously, the Ministry of Railways also considered military needs.
"There is no problem with the plan. The problem is can it be achieved technically? Many regional railways have to pass through mountains and mountains, which will bring a very severe test to railway construction." Franz thought for a while and said
"Your Majesty, this is just a draft. In fact, before construction, engineers must be dispatched to conduct on-the-spot inspections along the way. We cannot guarantee that it can be implemented without obtaining these data.
We are ready to take detours once certain road sections are restricted by geographical conditions and cannot be repaired. Now it's just our goal, to extend the railway to major cities across the country. ' explained Stein
Franz nodded. Strictly speaking, Stein is not a qualified manager, he should be an engineer.
However, now the main job of the Austrian Ministry of Railways is to build roads, and the railway management is under the responsibility of the subordinate railway companies, and is under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport.
If it weren't for the government's emphasis on railways, it might not be as high as the Ministry of Railways, but a railway construction company.
Since it is a simple road construction, Franz naturally doesn't mind appointing an experienced engineer to preside over the work, at least there is no need to worry about the emergence of an imaginative railway construction plan.
Stein participated in the design and construction of several railways in Austria, and was one of the most famous railway engineers in Austria in this era.
Originally the chief engineer of railways invited by the Austrian government, now he has become the minister of railways.
The title has changed and the power has grown, but the content of the work has not changed. He is still in charge of repairing the railway and participating in the design and construction.
The railway designers of this era are very hard. They have to personally participate in the field exploration work in important areas, but they do not have the benefits of sitting in the office and blowing the air conditioner.
Franz is not at all worried about whether the railway network plan can be completed, but when it will be completed is a question.
The 19th century is not the 21st century. The railway network of more than 38,000 kilometers, even the main roads, has more than 12,000 kilometers.
It is not so easy to build so many kilometers of railway. At present, only 1,359 kilometers of railways are in operation in Austria, and 896 kilometers of railways are under construction.
"How long will it take to complete this plan?" Franz asked with concern
"At least 20 years, if the financial resources are sufficient, this time can be greatly shortened."
Stein didn't say it to death. Railway construction is not another industry. As long as you are willing to spend money, you can still start construction on multiple lines, and the construction speed can naturally be doubled.
Franz didn't speak for a while. This answer was like no answer. If the railway is more than 38,000 kilometers long, if it is slowly built, 20 years may not be enough.
If the construction is carried out in different sections and divided into 30 small projects, then each project will only have more than 1,000 kilometers. If the division continues, it may be completed in a few years.
If you really think so, you must be a layman. First, it requires a lot of capital investment, and secondly, it requires a lot of railway workers.
In addition to ensuring these two basic requirements, a series of factors such as the adequacy of technical personnel, transportation, raw material supply, and geographical conditions should also be considered.
"Then I will give you 20 years. In terms of funds, I can guarantee that the government will allocate no less than 20 million dong each year, and the government will also introduce relevant laws to allow private capital to participate in railway construction.
I hope that in twenty years, you will see this railway network all over the country, can you do that? ' Franz asked cautiously.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I promise to complete the task ahead of time!" Stein said excitedly
As long as there is money, railway construction is not a problem.
Do you know that the Austrian government still has a group of laborers? These unlucky bastards who participated in the rebellion were destined to be sacrificed from the beginning.
Franz didn't believe it. With these 200,000 lives, 38,000 kilometers of railway could not be built. If it's not enough, continue to provoke wars, bully the Ottoman Empire, and the laborers will not come in
The industrialization of any country is full of blood, either internally or externally, without sacrifice, where does success come from