The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1071 Uninvited Guest

Businessmen even saw Austria's financial resources and foresight in the storm of 1848.

In particular, the counter-purchasing of small expected banknotes before the war was a stroke of genius. Otherwise, it would be difficult to say that the Austrian Empire would not have followed in the footsteps of Britain and France and fallen into an economic crisis.

Some astute businessmen and economists have noticed something unusual: the economic strength and precious metal holdings of the Austrian Empire far exceeded their estimates.

In fact, Franz had another reason for stopping the circulation of small-denomination banknotes, and that was the emergence of counterfeit banknotes.

Strictly speaking, it is very difficult and risky to counterfeit banknotes because banks have stubs and special anti-counterfeiting measures.

However, with the economic development of the Austrian Empire, people were no longer willing to go to the bank when using some small denominations.

This gives counterfeiters an opportunity to take advantage of. After all, most people in this era have poor ability to distinguish banknotes. They cannot have the eyesight of a professional teller. If you don't pay attention to the order, it is inevitable to be deceived.

The Austrian Empire's banknotes started late, but they introduced a lot of technology from Sweden and France, and the country has never stopped researching and developing banknote anti-counterfeiting technology.

However, since 1844, counterfeit currency has always been an insurmountable obstacle for the financial system. The Austrian Empire has always cracked down on counterfeit currency very hard, but there are more and more counterfeit currency, and the technology is getting better and better.

These counterfeit coins have exceeded the limits of personal ability and look more like they were made by professionals using specialized machines.

Behind the scenes, there is the support of government officials and financial bigwigs, so these counterfeiting groups can update in real time to the point where the fakes are almost as real as the real ones.

In fact, after Franz takes the throne, a new type of anti-counterfeit currency will be launched, which will definitely give those guys who think they are hiding in the dark a heavy blow.

But Fanny Cote still held on to a glimmer of hope before she came, hoping that Franz could announce something at the coronation.

After investigating that the counterfeit coins came from Bavaria, Austrian agents quickly discovered the real source of the counterfeit coins-France.

All Franz could think of were special inks and anti-counterfeiting threads. It was not difficult to develop these two technologies, but the difficulty was in their practical application.

Soon they were joined by the British, who targeted areas of the colony that were more difficult to control.

The whole meeting was just Austria and France bargaining, and the others could only be spectators at best.

Of course, there are also people like Fanny Cote and Thalia who came to watch the ceremony with complicated emotions. The former fully recognized the gap between the two parties at the negotiating table in Strasbourg. As a representative of the Duchy of Orleans, she Not even qualified to speak.

In order to prevent anyone from fishing in troubled waters during the war, Franz chose to return the small-denomination anticipatory banknotes to the treasury and replaced them with a large amount of metal currency and large-denomination anticipatory banknotes.

For the Catholic Church, this ceremony is also a good opportunity to restore the church's influence. After all, it has been a long time since there has been such a pious and powerful monarch.

In the face of such a national-level counterfeiting group, conventional methods are obviously useless. Giving up food due to choking is not a long-term solution, so new anti-counterfeiting technology is the first choice.

However, she obviously thought too much. The fairy tale was indeed a lie. After all, in reality, Franz could not even decide his own marriage, and Fanny Cote did not have the courage to speak in the hall of mirrors filled with big shots.

From now on, the gap between her and Franz will become wider and wider. Fanny Cote finally understood the words written by the French writer Michel de Montaigne in "Essays".

"The gap between humans is greater than the gap between humans and beasts." (Later generations often extended it to mean that the gap between humans is greater than the gap between humans and dogs.)
Franz could only express his helplessness at this. The title of saint was too heavy for a woman with only a passionate heart. If Franz doesn't help her, Fanny Cote will be crushed to death by this title sooner or later.

"He is a hero, I am a enemy." This sentence is not wrong. Franz does not like to kill innocent people indiscriminately, but it does not mean that he will let it go.

In Franz's plan, Fanny Cote could consider herself a patriot, and Franz could quietly complete the support and layout of the Germans in the Duchy of Orleans.

The annuity provided by Franz for the Duchess was enough for her to maintain a decent life. In fact, without the money provided by Franz, the Duchess would have had to borrow money from everywhere.

After Thiers took advantage of Fanny Cote, he had no intention of actually letting a woman enter the government or the army.

Pensions are naturally even less likely. After all, the Orleans Dynasty is in a desperate situation and has plenty of money to spend.

As for the donation from the Duchess, since it is a donation, there is absolutely no reason to return it.

Thiers didn't feel guilty at all about this, and Fanny Cote had finally seen the warmth and coldness of human nature in Franz's words.

Thalia looked at Franz with an indescribable emotion, feeling both relieved that her silly son had finally grown up, and also annoyed at being abandoned by a scumbag.

But Talia is not the kind of person who dwells on the past. She has her own career. After all, she is the principal, and she has a group of children at home who need to be educated by herself.

Franz's father, Archduke Franz Karl, cried bitterly while drinking. No one knew whether he was sad because he drank or drank because he was sad.

(Actually, he is the first in line to succeed, but no one has ever listed him as a candidate.)
Mrs. Sophie is much more determined. She believes that her child is born extraordinary and will be able to revitalize the family. She is only proud of this.

In the Hall of Mirrors, Franz walked through the royal steps and slowly knelt down in front of Ferdinand I. The latter crossed himself on his chest and spoke in a voice that could be heard clearly.

"May God bless you."

After speaking, Ferdinand I seemed to have been drained of all his strength, then took off his crown and placed it on the tray in the hands of Archbishop Rauscher.

This was not because Ferdinand I refused to give up the throne, but that his illness was getting more and more serious, and he had already exhausted all his energy just to make no mistakes.

“In the name of God we shall witness the coronation of a great man, Franz Joseph Karl Ludwig Anton von Habsburg.

Emperor of Austria, blessed by God, King of Hungary and Bohemia; King of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slovenia, Galicia and Lodomeria; King of Illyria, Lombardy and Venice;

King of Jerusalem; Duke of Austria; Grand Duke of Tuscany and Cracow; Duke of Lorraine, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola and Bukovina; Grand Margrave of Nibelungen ;
Count of Moravia; Upper and Lower Silesia, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Guastalla, Auschwitz and Zator, Duke of Ragusa;
Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Archbishop of Montenegro, Protector of Western Bosnia and Albania, Restorer and Defender of Allgäu, King of the Romans.”

Rauscher read out Franz's lengthy title, but his words were suddenly interrupted and someone shouted in unison.

"The savior of the German nation and the Emperor of the German Empire!"

"Long live the Greater German Reich!"