Chapter 219 Two plans

Before returning to Vienna, Ladislaus invited Sazhastein to dinner.

Ladislaus did not leave any maids, so he asked Margarita to serve the dishes and pour the wine. Anyway, the Marquise was happy with this.

Ladislaus and Margarita no longer do it in the dark every day these days. Anyway, no matter how scary the face is, it will just happen after seeing it too many times. You just have to get used to it.

Of course, this face is not actually scary now. In order to please this strange new favorite concubine, Sazastan presented a mask.

The soft mask made of sterling silver is very exquisite. It not only covers the unsightly half of her face, but the exquisite patterns on it also add a bit of charm. Margarita seems to never take this thing off now.

Ladislaus could confirm that the gift from Sazastan was a piece of equipment recognized by the system and was worth at least a thousand thalers, far exceeding the value of the silver itself.

"Has Your Highness Misrilla set off already?" Ladislaus asked after taking a sip of "Tranquility Harbor".

"Yes, I sent Enxi and several old subordinates to go with her to Prague." The so-called old subordinates are all very powerful rogues and even tricksters, and they are most of the potential forces in Sazastan's hands.

"I will appoint Her Royal Highness Misrella as the deputy director of the Austrian Secret Service and the director of the Prague station. In addition to the town and state allowance, I will allocate an additional 30,000 thalers to her activities every year. The Prague area is our next work

The point is, I want not only intelligence but also expansion of influence. The Bohemian nobles in Prague and the King of Hungary in Buda are not of the same mind." Ladislaus raised his hand and grabbed Margarita who was about to leave.

, he wanted to try to see if such a favor and bringing this woman up from the lowest point in life could be exchanged for some pure loyalty.

For the Red Robe Mages, Ladislaus's treatment was quite lenient. He only wanted to go to Misrilla and Prague to build an espionage network. This would also be a problem for the Red Robes Mages and Kasusu behind it.

It is an acceptable plan. Although the pace in Austria will be smaller, Kasus still has a certain potential power in Bohemia. At that time, there were still many believers of the Lord of Fire who just reluctantly believed in Sirik. Once it is restored,

There are still great opportunities to invest resources in that area.

"Thank you for your generosity. Please rest assured that Misrilla's abilities are sufficient. She will definitely be able to find opportunities for you to expand your influence in Prague." Sazastan was telling the truth. His lover just refused to work.

, under certain pressure, it can definitely bring out a lot of potential.

Thirty thousand talers were only used for an intelligence station, which indeed showed that Ladislaus still valued Misrilla. This arrangement was not a pure exile, but a semi-exile.

Ladislaus decided not to operate on the red-robed mage after weighing it for a long time. Although from his experience, the practicality of "Guo Zhen" mages was much worse than that of "Guo Guo" warriors, and Austria was not as good as Spain.

That kind of national power can establish a powerful force similar to the Arcane Corps, but mages are not completely worthless. Ladislaus believes that the best uses of mages are small-scale battles and organizing intelligence agencies.

Another factor is that Ladislaus doesn't want to fall out with the Lord of Fire for the time being. Although he actually reached out to the backyard of the Warlock Royal Family, after recovering, Cassius is one of the most powerful gods after Sirik, and

A son who has been favored by God may not be able to use it for himself. Even if his mother seems to have almost no chance of reconciling with him, the current calm implies a storm in the soul, but the blood between the son and his father is always thicker than water.

Maybe we can use this as an opportunity to greatly develop our own power.

With this in mind, Ladislaus drank a few more drinks. Seeing that his monarch was in a good mood, Sazastan decided not to beat around the bush and expressed his opinion: "Please forgive the old minister's stupidity, but for the people with the Republic of Venice,

Is the Alliance too worried, and would it be better to wait until they return to Vienna to consult with the other members of the Council of State before making a decision?"

Although his power had suffered a big blow, Sazastan was convinced from Ladislaus's treatment that the other party still needed him, so he was not timid about speaking up on issues related to national affairs.

"I know you must still have reservations about the alliance with Venice, but the cost of breaking up the alliance between Venice and Hungary is worth it. We can't afford the cost of rebuilding the port of Trieste, and we simply can't afford it.

Venetian merchants compete in business."

"But there is no need to form such a close economic alliance. Although we will also benefit, the Venetians will get ten times the benefits as us."

"If they invest in rebuilding the road between the two capitals, it would be 28%. Considering that they have to pay to build the road first before getting the benefits, I think it can be 307%." Ladislaus's account was unfavorable.

Quite clear.

"But this is still of much greater benefit to the Republic of Venice, and they are responsible for at most a section of this road construction within the country. The most they have to pay for is an interest-free loan, and it is impossible for them to help me pay for it.

"

"Interest-free loans are very good. If Vienna wants to become a trade center on the Danube River, it must strengthen its infrastructure. Trade will only develop if transportation is convenient, and when trade develops, silver talers will naturally come rolling in."

Sazastan remained unimpressed with Ladislaus's ambitions: "Even if Vienna really becomes the trade center on the Danube, Venice will get more, and it will become the trade center of the Eastern Mediterranean."

"Venice is already the trade center of the Eastern Mediterranean. What's more, with convenient transportation, not only the caravans can move faster, but the army can also move faster." Ladislaus said while shaking the wine glass in his hand.

.

"What do you mean?" Ladislaus's hint and the previous idea of ​​harmonious development are completely different things.

"If you forget to fight, you will be in danger. Diplomacy is an extension of military. If our neighbors are cautious, we will prosper and develop with them. If our neighbors are careless, we will get all the prosperity alone." Ladislaw

Strauss unashamedly expounded Machiavelli's theory. "What we have to do now is to restore the road first, and then

Build warehouses and inns along the roads, then build hotels and develop small towns around the warehouses to attract people to cultivate and settle. These small towns along the roads can be protected by the army and do not need to build walls to defend against bandits. They can develop with peace of mind. This will be an economic boost.

The best group of small towns, which can not only improve the mobility of the army, but also get some tax revenue."

An important factor that limits the size of the army is roads, which are more important than population. France has the highest level of roads among the major European countries, so it can attack with superior force.

Although Spain's road level is relatively poor, its navy is very powerful. As long as the Spanish army does not leave too far from the coastline for supplies, it is not a problem. Therefore, the power Spain can invest in the Mediterranean and the Netherlands is also very strong.

The upper limit of Austria's mobile troops at a time is 5,000. If this number exceeds this number, too many pack animals and civilians will be needed to transport food, and Austria's national strength cannot afford it.

Moreover, even the figure of five thousand is a huge burden in mountainous terrain. The reason why crossing the Alps is so difficult and the losses are so high is because the camels cannot work in that kind of terrain, and the loss rate is astonishing if the transport is solely dependent on civilians.

Therefore, Ladislaus urgently needs a high-level road in order to be able to send a decisive force in the competition between France and Spain. It always hopes to use a small number of troops to carry out gambling-style adventures, although it can leave a shining legacy in history.

However, as long as you play a few more times, you will eventually lose everything.

Ladislaus's plan was moderate, and Sazastan, who knew how to accommodate both military and civilian affairs, certainly agreed with it, but there was another problem: "But Austria's finances had no surplus at all, although this time it received a large amount of funding from the government.

However, this amount of money is not enough to develop Wiener Neustadt. How can we renovate the roads? Even if the Venetians can lend us the money to renovate the roads, where will the money to repair the warehouses and inns come from? "

Although this plan will not cost too much, Austria's financial situation is really just barely able to maintain a bleak operation. The current port of Trieste is also destroyed. Although there is not much tax collected here, it is still less.

An input.

The only good news is that the maintenance costs of the Austrian Navy can be temporarily eliminated, but rebuilding the navy will inevitably be a huge expense.

No matter how small a fleet is, it will take more than 100,000 talers to build, not to mention that the sailors who died in this battle must be given some pension. Although it will not be of much use to orphans and widows, the general plan is another

expenditure.

"Let's discuss this issue back in Vienna." Ladislaus still needs to think more about how to collect private wealth. "There is another reason why I am promoting the easing of relations with Venice. The threat from the Ottoman Empire is growing.

"

After Ladislaus whispered a few words to Margarita, Margarita left the tent and led someone in, or to be more precise, she helped someone in.

"Thank you for your visit, His Highness Habsburg."

"Don't do this, don't do this." Ladislaus stopped the opponent's intention to kneel down and supported Knight Deverich in time.

The hospital knight who once helped Ladislaus reconnect Sirica's arm, this time, as a messenger seeking help from the Austrian monarch, followed the Ottoman blockade fleet and slipped into the Adriatic Sea. Finally, he found Ladislaus, who was now the monarch.

Dislaus.

The Knights Hospitallers can actually be one of the maritime powers in the Mediterranean, with more than thirty large and medium-sized galleys and twenty giant galleys. This fleet was not destroyed by the Ottomans, and half of them were blockaded in Rome.
Chapter completed!