Chapter 388 Interest Catalyst

A dozen kilometers away from Venice, in an ancient castle, Viscount Olabi is holding a heavy welcome banquet. The host of the banquet is Baron Fickney, who has just returned.

This is not the first time Fickney has come here, but unlike the last time, the welcome banquet has a much higher standard.

It can be seen that Viscount Olabi is very enthusiastic this time. Unlike the last time, it is just a courtesy banquet.

No one asks the poor in the downtown area, and the rich have distant relatives in the mountains.

Baron Fickney felt it deeply. Ten years ago, he borrowed money to go to the colonies, but he was ridiculed a lot; today, the ridicule of the past has become a compliment.

Even if he is far away on the African continent, these are not obstacles for the well-informed nobles.

Today is different from the past. Ten years ago, the African continent was in everyone's eyes: poisonous insects and beasts were infested, diseases and plagues were rampant; now the African continent has become: a field of hope.

The winners are not blamed, and Baron Fickney enjoyed the treatment of the winners once, which satisfied his vanity.

There are many Austrian aristocrats who developed on the African continent, but after they are distributed in the vast Africa, there are not many of them.

Besides, everyone is busy making a fortune, and how many have leisure time to hold banquets every day?

Fickney's participation in the banquet is not without purpose. To promote the localization of the colony, the support of the local nobles is inseparable.

In addition to the people who developed on the African continent, the local capitalists are also a major force in supporting the localization of colonies, but this is far from enough.

Austria is not Britain and France, and the capitalists have a very low political voice. Even Baron Fickney, the nobles who developed in Africa, have a higher voice in politics than capitalists.

The main force driving the localization of the colonies this time is their nobles.

It may be too exaggerated to be related to everyone in this world through five people; but it is not difficult to connect all the nobles in Austria through five nobles.

...

Baron Fickney said with a smile: "Olaby, I haven't seen you for ten years. I didn't expect Harrington, Gardner, and Dwinton to be so big. It can be seen that they will all become excellent soldiers."

Viscount Olabi replied as a matter of course: "Yes, I am proud of them."

Joining the army is the tradition of the Austrian aristocracy. The children of nobles have to receive military training since childhood. To become an excellent soldier is the pursuit of many children of nobles.

Modesty, which is not a virtue in Europe, can only be seen as a sign of hypocrisy.

Viscount Obila thinks that his son will become an excellent soldier, and he will admit it openly. This is the real thought in his heart.

Baron Fickney asked with concern: "Are you going to send them to serve in the army, or to serve in the navy?"

In recent years, the status of the Austrian navy has been greatly improved, and it can almost keep pace with the army.

Many aristocratic children who chose to enter the navy at the beginning seized the opportunity of this navy's great expansion and soared to the sky.

Now that noble children are serving, there is one more option - the navy.

Olabi said proudly: "Harrington and Dwinton went to the Army, Gardner went to the Navy, and they all went to military school.

Harrington was studying at the Vienna Artillery Command Academy, and he was enlisted in the army in a week or so after graduating. Gardner and Dwinton returned this time to enlist him.

Derwinton is in his third year at the Munich Infantry Command Academy; Gardner is in the Austrian Naval Academy, just outside his home, and is in his first year.

Fickney, you're back just in time, and if you're any later, you won't be able to see them. "

This is a typical two-way bet. With the continuous development of overseas colonies, well-informed nobles have realized the importance of the navy.

Uncertain about the future strategic focus of the country, many aristocrats are betting on both sides. Anyway, the conflict between the army and navy in Austria is not big, so it's okay to do so.

All three sons have been admitted to the military academy, and Olabi does have a proud capital.

Although the nobility is born with a higher starting point, the military school in Austria is also not so easy to get into. There are 9 army and navy academies across the country, and the number of students admitted each year is only more than 3,500, and the number of applicants is not less than 100,000.

This is the impact of compulsory education. The number of people with basic education has increased sharply, and students with good grades have been admitted to middle schools and can apply for student loans to continue their studies, which directly led to a sharp increase in the number of middle school students.

Austrian military academy admissions and university admissions are separate. Candidates can apply for both sides. Anyway, the three months are staggered in the middle and will not affect each other's admission results.

There is no doubt that this is the era when thousands of troops cross the single-plank bridge. Whether it's a university or a military academy, the students all sign up first.

The grassroots students who can rush out all the way are not much worse if they are not academic masters, at least in cultural classes.

Even if it is limited by resources, the education they receive cannot be compared with the children of nobles, but there are always geniuses and lucky ones.

If it's just competing with grassroots students, then it's nothing. The problem is that the competition among the aristocratic children is also fierce. Only children are not popular in Austria in this era, and every family basically starts with three or five.

There are also a large number of descendants of nobles. Although these people have no titles to inherit, it does not mean that their children's education is poor.

The middle class in Austria is now basically

All these people. Doctors, teachers, lawyers, small and medium-sized businessmen, most of their ancestors were nobles.

Really pure grassroots, too few can rise. Without knowledge, without social connections, the lucky ones who can grow up are the children of destiny.

At present, the proportion of aristocratic students in Austrian universities is only 31.1%, and the proportion of students from ordinary families is only 1.2%. The rest are this middle-class group.

In the military academy, children of nobles still dominate, accounting for about 64.8% of the total number of students. The middle class accounts for 34.3% of the total number of students. Students from ordinary families can be ignored, and there are not many international students.

No way, this is the result of fair competition. The reality is so cruel, from the beginning of public compulsory education, it has lost at the starting line.

In the primary school stage, students from ordinary families make up the majority, but in the middle school stage, students from ordinary families become a minority. On the surface, the probability of entering secondary school from primary school in Austria is about 8%.

However, the compulsory education is over, and almost 100% of the children of the rich can go to higher education, and this proportion has been pulled up.

Grass-roots students from ordinary families are not academic masters, and basically do not have many opportunities. They have to be in the top one percent of the entrance exam to get the bursary.

This was originally prepared for geniuses. In an era of limited educational resources, Austria adopted an elite education.

The military school is the most obvious, and students who have received strict military training since childhood naturally have an advantage. However, this requires a lot of investment and is not affordable for ordinary families.

No matter how high an ordinary person's cultural performance is, if he adds up the scores of various professional examinations, he will only be eliminated. It can be said that the more subjects tested, the less opportunities for ordinary students.

Improve the teaching quality of public education and increase the teaching of these professional courses. Unfortunately, this seems like a good idea, just think about it.

An additional course means an additional education expenditure. Compulsory education according to the standards of noble children is enough for the Vienna government to go bankrupt ten times.

University expansion is impossible unless there is an increase in the demand for ordinary talents in society, and higher education is too expensive in this era.

Now even the children of nobles, who can receive university education or military school education, will not exceed 35%.

Of course, there are no restrictions on second-class technical colleges, or pheasant universities. Anyone with money can study.

Baron Fickney said calmly: "Yes, it seems that I am really lucky!"

Viscount Olabi replied affirmatively: "Of course!"

Baron Fickney took a sip of wine and continued to ask, "What army does Harrington serve in, and is he planning to develop in the African continent, where the chances of making military exploits are much greater?"

This is Baron Fickney making an offer. There is no way, to get the native aristocrats to support the integration of the colony, it is natural to speak with interests.

Most nobles will face a problem, there are many descendants, but there is only one title.

The eldest son inherited the title, so what about the second son?

According to the practice in the German region, if you have money, you can also give them a portion of the industry. Those without money either let them go out on their own, or send them to church to be priests.

After the Reformation, there was not so much oil in the church. Churches in prosperous areas are not bad, some of them are making money from business.

Going out and wandering, this is only suitable for breaking down. Most of them use the family connections to find them a decent job, and that's how the aristocratic offshoots or the redemption of the middle class come.

Local opportunities are few and competition is fierce, but in the colonies it is different. If you have a family background, you can smash a title even if you are willing to spend resources.

If the cooperation of the local snake is obtained, then this difficulty can continue to be reduced. After all, for the colonies, wars would happen every so often.

In addition to earning military merit, you can also enter the colonial government to develop. Once the colonization of the colony is passed, these official positions will also rise.

Or do business in the colony and open up plantations, these are all roads, and the success is still very high.

Olabi was tempted. He received Baron Fickney with such a high standard. In addition to the cousin relationship between the two, he was also going to invest resources to obtain noble titles for several of his sons.

Don't look at his sons who have entered the military academy and look like they have a bright future. In fact, Olabi knows that too few people can make a difference in peacetime.

Not to mention the descendants of viscounts, even if they enter the army with the title of duke, they may not be able to become generals when they retire.

Without military exploits, everyone can only endure seniority.

After all, everyone has received military education since childhood, and no one's ability is too bad. There is no way to prove that your ability is superhuman, so why promote you in the first place?

The army is a place to speak with strength, and the best way is to speak with military exploits. It is a pity that the war in this era, at most, the colonies bullied the natives, and there were more monks than porridge.

Olabi thought about it and said: "It has not been determined yet, now he is just an unenlisted recruit, and there is still at least half a year before the allocation of troops.

If you come to an African colony, you will have to trouble your uncle to take care of it. "

There is no doubt that Olabi has not made up his mind.

As an old-fashioned nobleman, he still has a lot of connections in the army, and it is not difficult to use these connections to decide his son's military service.

However, promoting the localization of colonies is not so simple. Like many people, Orabi is worried that his own industry will be hit when the colonies are localized.

After all, there is not much else in the colony, except that there is a lot of land. Once so much land is developed, it is estimated that agricultural products will be impacted by the price of cabbage.

Without getting an accurate answer, Baron Fickney still replied gracefully: "Of course, I'm his uncle!"

In my heart, I can only sigh to myself that I didn't catch up with the good time. It would be better if Olabi's sons were older.

It's best when you've just retired from the military and are worried about your future. Then, without him speaking, these boys will help convince their father.

In this banquet, Baron Fickney has persuaded three nobles to support the localization of the colony, and these people basically support it because of the next generation.

The colonies attacked local agriculture, and that was the concern of the aristocrats with a lot of land. If the land is gone, why worry about it?

After the land redemption, the land in the hands of the Austrian aristocracy was actually running out. Now the land in the hands of the nobles has dropped to less than 20% of the total land area of ​​the country.

Since the establishment of overseas colonies, many aristocrats, including the royal family, have been selling off their land.

This is determined by interests. Using the funds from the sale of land to open up plantations overseas can often obtain several times or even a dozen times the previous land area.

Although colonial lands are worthless, it does not affect the value of cash crops produced from these lands. Perhaps the income per mu of land is not as good as that of the native land, but it can't hold up as much land!

As the number goes up, so does the income. The emergence of large plantations also promoted the advancement of agricultural farming techniques.

The popularity of mechanized agriculture in Austrian Africa is increasing. It is a pity that the internal combustion engine has not yet come out, and the steam engine machinery is too bulky and not at all good.

Under the stimulation of interests, it was actually the big nobles headed by Franz who really promoted the localization of the colonies behind the scenes.

It's just that everyone paid attention to the political influence and did not directly state their position. Instead, the little nobles like Baron Fickney were launched to charge into the battle to test the reaction of the domestic people.