The battle for routes exists in any country with ideals. This is an unsolvable puzzle, there is no right or wrong, just whether it is suitable or not.

At present, the claims of the Balkans and the South Germans are well founded.

From a development point of view, the Balkans are more fertile and resource-rich, which can accelerate the economic development of Austria; And the South Germany region has the population that Austria needs the most.

Both sides were important, but Franz preferred to give priority to the South German region for the sake of national integration.

Once South Germany was annexed, the Austrian Empire was stable. The government can speed up the pace of ethnic integration by allowing ethnic groups to live together through immigration.

In Franz's view, the best way to speed up national integration is to marry, and the birth of a couple is equivalent to the identity of two families, and it can also influence the position of a bunch of relatives and friends.

There are more marriages, and the next generation is a mixed-race race, and these people naturally have the highest degree of identification with the products of ethnic integration.

Metternich said slowly: "The question of whether to go west or south first is to be cautious.

The international situation is ever-changing, and even if we make a decision now, we may still encounter force majeure and be forced to give up.

The Russians could make a move against the Ottoman Empire, that was only possible, and what would happen in the end was unknown.

The Russo-Turkish war has been fought so many times, and the Ottoman Empire is still standing, who can guarantee that the Russians will be able to swallow them in one gulp? I'm afraid you don't think the Russians can do it, right?

In that case, it will depend on the reaction of Britain and France. If they go to war for the sake of the Ottomans and the Russians, then we have the possibility of operation, whether to choose to go west or south.

If Britain and France do not enter the war, we will probably be a dream if we want to annex South Germany, and even if we want to gain too much benefit in the Balkans, we will be interfered with by them. ”

The Crimean War in history is full of coincidences, Napoleon III had just been restored, and he needed a foreign military victory to consolidate his position; The British wanted to strike at the Russians and ensure their own interests in the Mediterranean.

At this time, the Russians sought control of the Black Sea straits, and at the same time harmed the economic interests of Britain and France. As soon as the government of London and the government of Paris consulted, they decided to do what he wanted.

Then the suicidal Crimean War broke out, and it has to be said that it was a worse battle. Whether it is on the side of Britain and France, or Russia, more people are killed in logistics pits than on the battlefield.

No matter how much historians try to cover it up, it cannot change the fact that the soldiers went to the battlefield and that the greatest enemy was not the enemy army, but disease and logistics.

A suicidal war, in the end, naturally both sides lost, the Crimean battlefield woolly bear lost, but in the Caucasus battlefield they found the field again, beating the Ottomans crying dad and mother.

The final result of the war was that there were no reparations, no land cession, and the biggest loss was the victor Ottoman Empire, which exposed its weak nature and became the fat sheep to be divided by the next powers.

Britain and France won a strategic victory, locked the Russians out of the Black Sea, split the "Three Northern Court Alliance", and ended Russia's hegemony in Europe.

Franz agreed with Engels' assessment that this was a "comedy of large misunderstandings".

Will history change under his butterfly effect? Where is it headed?

What if the Russians choose to change the battlefield? For example, the direction of the main attack is placed in the Caucasus, or the troops are sent in advance to attack the Bosphorus, or even pushed all the way from the Balkan Peninsula.

So many ifs are possible, and with the Russian-Austrian alliance in Austria, they will not defect, and the Russians have more room for strategic choice.

If the Russians had acted in advance, Louis-Napoleon-Bonaparte would have not completed the great cause of restoration, and the French government would continue to be busy with infighting, and it is estimated that John Bull himself would not have been able to go into battle.

Without the Anglo-French Ottoman group attacking Russia, Austria would not have had the opportunity to go westward except to expand in the Balkans.

"Mr. Metternich is right when he says that the question of strategic choices is too early. What we need to do at this time is not to prepare for expansion, but to sort out the internal problems of the government.

The first problem is the lack of government enforcement capacity. From the central government to the local government, there is a lack of executive power, which is the biggest cancer in the current government.

What's the use of keeping officials if they can't follow through on the government's orders?

The Austrian government is not a place for them to retire, officials who are incapable, do not feel at ease in doing things, and try to make a mess, let them go home and plant potatoes as soon as possible! ”

The battle for the route could not be achieved in a short time, and Franz decisively chose to change the topic. He has wanted to deal with internal affairs for a long time, but he has never had a chance.

In 1848, the government was too busy fighting a war to take care of these problems, but only roughly sorted out and eliminated a few bureaucrats who were not sober-minded.

In 1849, the government was busy. Franz had just succeeded to the throne and wanted to ensure stability in the country. Compulsory education was introduced, the civil service examination system was creatively introduced, and Austria's pillar industries were defined.

Now that the government is finally idle, Franz naturally will not let the cabinet have nothing to do. If there is nothing else, then it is good to purify the ranks of officialdom.

Anti-corruption is a good weapon, but Franz, the emperor, cannot shout, and now there are corrupt officials everywhere in the Austrian government, and it is easy for everyone to endanger themselves.

In fact, since Franz succeeded to the throne, the Austrian bureaucracy has been much cleaner, and in the face of a strong emperor, many people have consciously restrained their behavior.

The top of the government has become clean, and the middle and lower levels will definitely be affected. There are few fools who can enter politics and know what to do when and when.

During the reign of Ferdinand I, the emperor was unable to handle government affairs, and power fell into the hands of the ruling council.

A group of powerful ministers are fighting with each other, and it is too late to win over the people below, how can they make a big move for the sake of such a small matter as corruption?

You can't be killed with a stick, so it's always okay to grasp the ability to execute, right? Franz was not ready to go on a killing spree, but simply drove the incompetent officials home.

If you are unlucky enough to be found to be corrupt, then there is no way, Austria is a country with a legal system, and you can do whatever you want.

Incompetence is more terrible than corruption. If you are corrupt and incompetent, then you are heinous.

It didn't take much, just drive one percent of the incompetent people home, and then select a few unlucky people to come out and make an example of them, and the problem of Austrian officials will be contained.

Franz will not have the idea of killing all the corrupt officials. If it were in an emerging country, an old empire like Austria, interest groups would have colluded long ago.

As an emperor, every time you hit a small group of people who don't eat and act recklessly, there is no problem, as long as the excuse is appropriate, everyone will actively cooperate.

If they want to wipe out all the interest groups and are forced to be in a hurry, they can't do anything about changing the emperor.

Bureaucratic discipline cannot be expected, and as long as they do not violate the bottom line, Franz's tolerance is still very high.

Qing officials should be used, corrupt officials should also be used, and even faint officials can leave a few, as long as they are placed in the right position, they can play an unexpected role.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Felix replied

He is already preparing to promote the merit appraisal system, which is a performance appraisal system specially designed by the Austrian government in order to avoid the passive slackness of subordinate officials.

This standard is not very high, as long as you can complete the work within the scope of your responsibilities and act in accordance with the rules and regulations of the government, you are considered qualified.

If you have made achievements on this basis, then congratulations on your preparation.

On the contrary, if you do not act in accordance with the rules and regulations of the government, and you do not have the achievements to take action, you will be purged of incompetent people.

Economic development is a political achievement, the promotion of ethnic integration is a political achievement, and the universalization of compulsory education is a political achievement.

It involves a wide range of areas, and as long as achievements are made in a certain aspect, they are all political achievements.

The Austrian government is fighting disobedient and incompetent officials.

The central government asks you to promote the Austrian language, you run to promote the local dialects, who will be finished if you don't finish?

As the target of the government's crackdown, it is naturally indispensable to check your wallet. If the problem is found, it can be used as a typical example for killing chickens and monkeys.

How many officials have lost their hats because of this, and how many officials have been promoted, Franz does not really care, he only needs the final result.