Since the establishment of the Holy Roman Economic League, the economies of the member countries have been closely linked, and the import and export trade between the alliances has risen rapidly.

In 1850, for example, the total import and export trade with Austria rose by 23 per cent, with imports increasing by 32 per cent and exports by 7 per cent.

For the Kingdom of Bavaria, the trade deficit with Austria in 1850 widened to 8 million guilders, which dealt a serious blow to the development of the Bavarian capitalist economy.

Of course, things are two-sided, because of the geographical location, Austria's trade with other states in South Germany has to pass through Bavaria, which also drives the development of Bavaria's domestic transportation industry.

Whether it is a loss or a gain, it is difficult to say clearly. One thing is certain, though, those who engage in import and export trade make money.

These people all have a characteristic, most of them are local powerful people - nobles. The European aristocracy did not mean to discriminate against business, they did not get along with money.

In order to make the alliance smoothly established, Austria naturally attracted a part of the powerful aristocracy, and it was the efforts of these people that promoted the establishment of the economic union.

Profit is always the best catalyst, and even now that Bavaria is diplomatically united with the Kingdom of Prussia, it is still economically unaffected.

Maximime I didn't dare to touch the cheese of the interest group, if the trade was cut off, the royal family would be one of the biggest losers, and if he didn't do it, he would make trouble first.

The boom in the construction of railways in Austria inevitably affected the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the call for the construction of railways by the people became louder and louder.

Under the guidance of the Deutsche Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Countless experts and scholars came out of the platform to trumpet the theory of a strong railway country and listed a series of benefits of building a railway.

The heated discussion in the society has also attracted the attention of capital, especially those engaged in the transportation industry, who know how profitable railways are.

Bavaria is not without railways, but it does not have a well-developed railway network, and it lacks a main railway line through the east and west of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

From the point of view of economic development, the establishment of such a main railway line will greatly promote the economic development of Bavaria.

Munich

Within the Royal Bavarian Railways, the construction of this main line is being discussed.

At the suggestion of economists, the railway was extended west to Baden and east to the Salzburg and Austrian rail networks.

Now everyone is talking about technical feasibility and economic feasibility, and the Royal Bavarian Railway is a state-owned enterprise, so it is inevitable that the efficiency will be a little lower.

Engineer Sayll replied with a serious face: "There is no big technical problem, except for a small number of sections that need to be detoured, there is no great technical difficulty in building this railway." ”

Technically, it is not very difficult, and this so-called main road is actually only three or four hundred kilometers, most of which is in the Bavarian plain.

"What about economically? Do not forget that there is also a Danube between us and Austria, and water transport occupies an important place in the trade between the two countries.

Now the main reason for building this railway is to make money, can our railway compete for water transportation? Moorka, the president of the railway company, asked with concern

Wilkes, head of commercial operations, replied: "Water transport is cheap, but the Danube has a limited radiation. The river is not controlled by manpower, unlike our railway, where you can build it wherever you want.

Once the railway is completed, the economic lifeline of the entire South German region will be in our hands, and with today's commercial traffic volumes, profitability will not be a problem at all.

If we are worried about the risk, we can also raise shares externally, and there are many people who want to invest in this railway.

If we don't get the right to build the railway from the government as soon as possible, I'm afraid we will be preempted. ”

Don't think that there is no competition from state-owned enterprises, in this era, private Bavarian individuals can build railways, as long as you pay for it, you can build it as much as you like.

At this time, the competition was not fierce, and if it was at the beginning of the 20th century, there might still be several railway companies competing between the two cities.

After a pause, Molka made a decision: "Since everyone has no problem, then the engineering department will set up the railway project as soon as possible, take out the design drawings, and the operation department will immediately apply to the government for the right to build this railway." ”

Although the Royal Bavarian Railway is a state-owned enterprise, there are actually many people who share the interests in it, and these people are the main force in promoting the construction of this railway.

It may not be comparable to Austria's large-scale plan for a tens of thousands of kilometers of railway network, but once this main line is completed, then supporting branch line sections are also indispensable.

Thousands of kilometers of railways are undoubtedly a big project in this era, and the benefits contained in this are definitely not a small amount.

……

In the Munich Royal Palace, a proposal for the construction of a railway artery appeared before Maximi I, and not only the Royal Bavarian Railways, but also the Bavarian Watson Railway, also applied.

Profit is always the best catalyst, and there are obviously not only so many people eyeing this railway, and if the Bavarian government does not make a decision for a long time, it will receive more applications for railway construction in the future.

The military value of the railroad in this era was not taken seriously, and Maximi I did not consider the military threat posed by Austria to Bavaria after the construction of the railway.

The main thing is that it is useless to consider, the difference in strength between the two sides is too great. Munich is just over 70 kilometers away from the Austrian border, and the so-called issue of national defense and security is simply a fallacy.

Such a short distance, even if it is a walk, it will take two days at most, and it is the same with or without a railway. It would be more reliable to expect international intervention to be expected to prevent Austria from being prevented from advancing by traffic.

Maximi I attached great importance to the economic development of the country, and he also supported the construction of a railway that could promote the development of the country.

Moreover, the railway brought not only economic benefits to Bavaria, but also the spread of political influence, which could strengthen their position in the German state.

"Is there a diplomatic problem in building this railway, and it is necessary to coordinate several countries along the way?" Maximi I asked with concern

The Foreign Secretary replied: "Your Majesty, according to the rules of the Holy Roman League, the allies are treated equally with their own railway companies when they invest in the construction of railways, and we can communicate with the governments.

If they are willing to participate in the domestic railway company, they will join forces to complete the construction of the internal section of the road in their own country and form a joint railway operating company.

If there is no railway company involved, we can also invest in the construction of this railway in accordance with local laws. ”

……

Vienna

After receiving the railway construction plan from the Kingdom of Bavaria, Franz's first reaction was that the Bavarian government was crazy.

Wouldn't it be convenient for Austria to build such a railway? After making sure again, Franz realized that he was overthinking.

Bavaria is small, and the capital Munich is too close to Austria, and the presence or absence of this railway does not exempt Austria from military threat.

It was nothing more than that after the advent of the railway, Austria's military operations were more convenient. It's just that this convenience is not for Bavaria, but for the farther Baden, Württemberg and other German states to use troops.

Franz smiled and said: "The same request of the Bavarian government, since they want to build this railway, let them go and repair it." If we need our cooperation, we will cooperate with them.

If they are short of funds, they can go to the Vienna stock market to raise funds. ”

He did not say how much benefit the railway would bring to Austria after the completion of the construction of the railway, which of course would have to be a big deal.

You must know that when the German economic organization was originally instructed to promote the construction of this railway, Franz was prepared for strong opposition from the Bavarian government.

He was also prepared to use public opinion to force the Bavarian government to build the railway as well. As a result, the civil campaign has just begun, and the Bavarian government has taken the initiative to jump out.

For Franz, it was a good idea for the Bavarian government to come forward to build the railway. Naturally, they were responsible for coordinating the relations between the South German states, and the Austrian government did not need to do anything, and could sit back and enjoy the results.

As for the Royal Bavarian Railway, which will make a huge fortune in the future, Franz is very generous and says that they deserve it.

If this railway had brought convenience to Austria in the unification of South Germany, Franz would not have minded awarding them a large medal.

By the way, the Emperor Bavarian Railways was renamed the Royal Austrian Railways to commemorate their outstanding contribution to the cause of German unification.