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

Chapter 1319 The Road Back

Albrecht finally understood why Franz wanted him, the Field Marshal, to do this personally. If it were someone else, he might not be able to resist such a great temptation, nor might he be able to calm the situation.

Albrecht looked at the makeshift execution ground nearby. Even though it was already filled with corpses, there were still people who tried to steal gold under the noses of the public with a fluke mentality.

After years of fighting, he has become accustomed to life and death, but Albrecht still does not think that gold is more important than human life.

However, he also understood that sometimes it was impossible to control the situation without using harsh punishments, which would only lead to more deaths and even cause the mission to fail, making the soldiers' sacrifices meaningless.

"Soldiers of the Empire, the fact that you have been given this mission is a sign of the Empire's trust in you. Please do not let the Empire down.

I, Albrecht von Habsburg, hereby guarantee that as long as we successfully complete the task, everyone will be rewarded as they deserve, and the victims will also be compensated, but those who robbed the company will not be included! "

Albrecht's words caused cheers. The soldiers were not cheering for the so-called reward, but for an affirmation, a recognition of their perseverance.

In fact, the reason why Franz mobilized the Royal Legion was because one or two kilograms of gold would not change anything for them. On the contrary, it might not only bring shame to their family, but also cost them their lives.

Faced with such a huge contrast, most people would not choose to take risks.

Another benefit of doing this is that it can eliminate the trash in the team. If they can't even resist this temptation, how can we expect them to be loyal and brave on the battlefield?

It was not an easy task to transport the gold back to Austria. In addition to resisting the temptation of money, one also had to travel through mountains and rivers. The mountain roads in Spain were not easy to travel on.

However, this gold was a shot in the arm for the Austrian Empire, at least making the road ahead easier.

In Slovakia, the Imperial Railway was always very busy, and it was very difficult to buy more carriages. But the interior of the train in front of him was empty, and there was only one man and one woman in the noble compartment.

“It’s a small country, but it’s very interesting!”

Alexander casually tapped the button on the table, and soon the security guards and waiters squeezed in together.

Olga felt helpless as she looked at her brother who was still so naughty despite his age. She smiled apologetically and waved her hand.

"I want a bottle of red wine."

Alexander didn't care at all. Traveling by train was much more comfortable than traveling by carriage. He was in a good mood and wanted to drink some wine.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Soon the waiter pushed in a cart with a variety of red wines, decanters and ice cubes to enhance the taste.

Alexander randomly selected two bottles that were acceptable, and the waiter carefully brought out the wine.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince, Your Highness, Princess, does the wine need to be chilled?"

Alexander shook his head, and Olga smiled and shook her head as well.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince, Your Highness, Princess, do you need to sober up?"

The waiter asked again, and Alexander answered with some impatience.

"You go down. We can do this ourselves."

"I wish you a pleasant journey."

The waiter cautiously exited the carriage. He was actually a proper young nobleman, but in front of such a big shot he could only be a small waiter.

Of course, most people in this world are not even qualified to be this waiter.
Alexander poured a glass for himself and his sister, then casually placed the bottle in the wine basket beside him.

The wine basket is a special design to prevent the wine from spilling due to the bumps of the train.
However, this kind of decoration can be seen in modern times. After all, modern trains are far less bumpy than those in the mid-nineteenth century.

“This country is really nice.”

Alexander sighed again. "You don't have to comfort me. I'm not a child. I won't object to my father's decision."

Olga was concerned about her eldest brother's poor expressiveness, especially his relationship with their father, Nicholas I, which always seemed to end in unpleasantness.

"Olga, I'm serious. This country is really great. Do you know how much this railway will cost? How much manpower and material resources will it take?"

Olga answered without giving it much thought.

"Is it difficult for us in Russia?"

Alexander showed a rare serious expression, nodded and said.

"It's very difficult. If we in Russia want to build such a long railway, it will take at least ten years, but in fact our country can't build it at all."

"Why?!"

"No money."

Alexander's answer was straightforward.

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"How can there be no money? Isn't Russia's fiscal revenue increasing year by year?"

Olga asked with some confusion. Although she was not very interested in politics, she knew some information from what she had heard and seen.

"But the expenditures are also increasing! Expanding the army, building factories (mainly arsenals), suppressing bandits, suppressing rebellions, stabilizing the border, where doesn't it require money?"

Olga remained silent. The problems of the Polish rebellion and the Caucasus banditry had long been known to everyone in Russian upper class society.

Alexander continued.

"The most critical thing is that we in Russia lack relevant talents. Our engineers are all Austrians and Germans, and our universities don't even have relevant courses.

And look at these people outside the window.”

Olga looked out the window. The scenery passing by was beautiful, but it was just some ordinary farms.

"What happened to these people?"

“Look at the eyes of these people. There is no fear or shrinkage in their eyes. Their eyes are full of hope and curiosity. Their eyes are not gray!

Look at the serfs in our country. They live like animals all day long. Not only their eyes, but their world is gray!"

Alexander became more and more excited as he spoke, and Olga beside him hurried to stop him.

"Brother, don't be like this. You know that father hates those remarks the most. You have also read the letters that the Austrian Emperor wrote to father. You should know that they are the same person."

Olga's words immediately diverted Alexander's attention, and the latter complained.

"Indeed! They are more like father and son, so disgusting!"

Olga could only smile helplessly as she looked at her outspoken brother.

The young and handsome face appeared in Olga's mind. She had a good impression of Franz. Although they had only met a few times, they had been exchanging letters.

Especially during the time when Franz went to war, Olga's heart almost jumped into her throat.

After all, the plot of a prince leading an army to war usually only exists in myths or fairy tales, but Franz really chose to lead his army to war, not only defeating the rebels but also defeating the evil French.

This inadvertently made Olga admire Franz, and Alexander's analysis of the gap between the two countries made her admire Franz even more.