Chapter 121: Swiss mercenaries

Whether the military wants it or not, Austria's disarmament resolution is thus finalized. 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 the assessment system.
That is: 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. It is mainly to unify the language and culture and lay the foundation for national integration.
"Are the statistics on the assets purchased from the church?" Franz asked with concern.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Carl replied: "Your Majesty, statistics are still in progress, and many of these assets are complex and difficult to value.
According to preliminary statistics, there are approximately 4.78 million hectares of land, including cultivated land, forest land, grassland, etc .; there are 386 large and small mines, including gold, silver, copper, iron, coal and other minerals; real estate shops, houses ...
Franz nodded. These assets are indeed not easy to value. Those in cash and antique calligraphy have long been divided up by the clergy.
Even if art remains, it is placed in the church, and the Austrian government cannot pick it up.
Many of these real estates were turned into the private property of some clergy, but they were forced to surrender under pressure from the Austrian government.
It was impossible for them to choose. The real estate could not be hidden at all. If they did not hand it over, they would go to the Papal State to serve as a death squad.
"The value of these assets is slowly calculated. Let's first estimate the annual income, how much is it?" Franz asked
"About 80 million dongs, this income is stable, and basically does not change much." Carl replied
This number did not surprise everyone. Since ancient times, religion has been a wealthy unit, especially in monotheistic systems such as Europe. The church is often richer than the government.
They have many privileges, such as exemption from church property, and free control over the donations of believers.
This is also after the religious revolution. If the church controlled more than half of the European continent in the Middle Ages, the king and emperor must be attached to them.
"What about tithes?" Franz continued to ask.
By the mid-19th century, tithes in Austria were not exclusive to the church, and monarchs and great aristocrats would share their benefits.
After the education surcharge is changed, this money will directly enter the Ministry of Finance ’s pocket, and naturally there is no sharing.
Tithes originated in the Old Testament era and have continued since, mainly for agricultural products, including cereals, wheat, fruits, vegetables, and livestock.
The tax rate is fixed at 10%. According to Franz's knowledge, even in the 21st century, there are still some places that collect this tax.
The earliest abolition of the French, the era of the 18th century Revolution, and the abolition of European countries in the 19th century, the British received in 1936.
"Your Majesty, the tithe in Austria is between 80 million and 100 million dongs, but considering the actual situation, we may not be able to directly change to education surtax." Carl thought for a moment
"Why?" Franz asked
"Your Majesty, all Austrian citizens of compulsory education benefit together. If we collect education surcharges, it is only targeted at farmers and nobles who own land, which will be unfair."
Franz instantly understood that the name of the tax cannot be changed, and social influence must also be considered.
If it is changed to education surcharge, then it must be collected for all industries, otherwise do not expect the nobles to pay taxes honestly, and it is easy to stimulate social contradictions.
If Austria imposes education surcharges on all industries, they must reduce their other taxes, otherwise they will exceed their economic affordability.
On the surface, the meat is in the pot. It doesn't matter if you change it, in fact, it is difficult to implement.
First of all, it is the bottom working class who can't accept this tax. Their income is limited, so it's easy to loosen them up. Then there is an additional education tax, which is immediately prototyped again.
This kind of thing can't be done, Franz still doesn't want to die, and he loses the people's heart that he has hardly accumulated.
"What advice does the Treasury have to avoid this problem?" Franz asked with concern.
Carl thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Finance recommends that the tithe should still be collected by the clergy, and there is no need to change the name. The Ministry of Finance sends someone to supervise it.
We can ask His Majesty the next order to hand over all Austrian tithes to the government to finance education. "
Well, the Austrian government is ready to turn the Holy See into their subordinate organization, and the hatred has let the church do it.
Franz thought for a while and said, "Well, let's put the issue of education surtax first, and let the church continue to collect tithes."
He really couldn't find a reason to refuse. For the compulsory education in Austria, let the church continue to carry it.
Anyway, God and his elders have great powers, and some complaints can be resisted. They have been charged for thousands of years, and they don't care about collecting them for decades.
When the Austrian government becomes rich, find a reason to abolish it.
It is not only the Catholic Church that has been followed by the Austrian government, other churches have not escaped.
It's just that these churches are not mainstream, their influence is not enough, their financial resources are naturally limited, and they can't search for much wealth, which is 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 bourgeois reactionary regime, the anti-Austrian movement in Italy rose again, and numerous nationalists gathered in Rome in an attempt to deter the Austrian army with their actions.
The end result was that Pope Pius IX ordered-kill, and the heroic Austrian army sent them to God.
On November 7, 1848, the Austrian army launched an offensive against the reactionary regime, killing more than 8,000 people on the spot and capturing more than 30,000 captives. It physically damaged the Italian nationalists.
The base of Italian nationalism is in the Kingdom of Sardinia. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Sardinia was destroyed once by Austria, and the backbone of nationalist thought was physically damaged.
The Charlie Albert government, who has just returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia, has been frightened and never dares to wave again.
In order to preserve their rights, they were holding British thighs and suppressing domestic radicalism, for fear of stimulating Austria and causing disaster.
Disappointed Italian nationalists rushed to Rome, where they planned a final counterattack in an attempt to keep the last base.
The end is naturally tragic. Pope Pius IX returned to Rome. The first thing he did was to suppress this group of nationalists.
The unification of the Italian region, Pius IX is also willing, but the prerequisite must be the unification of the Papal State under his leadership. If this is not possible, then the preservation of 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 nationalist elements support the Kingdom of Sardinia.
In Pius IX's view, this is a naked betrayal, as bad as the Revolutionaries. Now that he has the support of Austria, he is naturally going to kill.
Killing may not solve the problem, but killing is indeed the best way to physically destroy the enemy. After the suppression, the situation in Rome stabilized.
After the recapture of Rome, the Papal army fell to Pius IX as a matter of course, and the subsequent battles did not require the Austrian army to fire.
While in Vienna, Franz gave a puppet idea to Pius IX, suggesting that he disband a part of the army and use the saved expenses to hire Swiss to defend the security of the Papal State.
This is a precedent. However, Swiss mercenaries have spread throughout 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 Pope Guard has become Swiss, and the Swiss have gained respect through practical actions.
In 1789, at the Palace of Versailles, 138 Swiss mercenaries swore to defend Louis XVI, and none of them chose to escape.
Asylum IX, who had experienced a coup, naturally followed the good. If Franz recommends German mercenaries to him, it is likely that he will worry about whether there is any conspiracy in it.
But when he changed to a Swiss mercenary, he was not worried at all. Everyone knows the grudges between the Habsburgs and the Swiss. Although the relationship has now been eased, most Swiss still do not buy the Habsburgs.
Under Franz's butterfly effect, from now on Roman guards are no longer Italians, but Swiss mercenaries who are brave and valiant.
With these thugs who are desperate for money, the authority to protect the Pope of the Ninth has been greatly strengthened.
Other armies may sympathize with the revolution and even support the revolutionary party, but these foreign mercenaries from Switzerland have no interest in the revolution.
Of course, this is the future. His Majesty's Swiss Corps has not yet had time to form, and the force in his hands is still the Papal Army.
As for this army, Pius IX did not trust it, and all sent out to suppress the insurgents. Now it is the Austrian army that is protecting him.
Vatican
A cardinal said happily, "Your Majesty, we have contacted three Swiss mercenary regiments willing to accept our employment, with a total number of more than 2,000."
Pius IX nodded with satisfaction. The Swiss mercenaries were a little more expensive, but they paid a penny and a lot of money. These people were more loyal and reliable than the outside Papal army.
Think about it. If Louis XVI originally had 138 Swiss mercenaries, but 1,380, would he be sent to the guillotine?
I'm afraid he had already covered him and killed the siege, and had called up the royalist army to suppress the rebellion.
Another example is King Louis-Philippe, who was just overthrown. If he had a Swiss mercenary regiment in his hand, he would have suppressed the revolution long ago. Where would he need to flee?
Think again about your own experience. The Pope IX found that if there were 2,000 Swiss mercenaries at the beginning, the revolutionaries who had long been killed would be tumultuous. Where else would he need exile?
The more you think, the more crooked you will naturally be.
Pius IX has forgotten that as a king, all who need foreigners to protect themselves are enough to show how failed they are.
This means extreme distrust of the subjects, and after losing this trust, the relationship between monarchs and ministers can no longer be close.
But this question doesn't matter to the pope. Anyway, his throne can't be hereditary. As long as he has been comfortable, why care about the next so many?
Pius IX thought for a while and said, "Sign a contract with them as soon as possible, and let them immediately come to Rome to work.
There is also continued contact with the Swiss mercenary regiment. The strength of a regiment of two thousand or more talents is not enough to defend 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 rush back to spend Christmas with their family." Pius IX said with a smile.
Asking the Austrian army to suppress the rebellion, what worries him the most is to ask God to send God easily and difficultly. If the Austrian army depends on it, it will be a big trouble.
Fortunately, none of this happened. The Austrian army took the initiative to withdraw, which coincided with the asylum of IX, and saved him a big problem.
The performance of the Austrian army also made Pius IX very satisfied. The army was disciplined and did not harass the place. It even disciplined the robbery and never stretched its hands.
Perhaps he and the Vienna government cooperated so happily. The Austrian army commander, Admiral Edmund, respected him as Pope and respected him everywhere, and did not cause him any trouble.
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