Holy Roman Empire
Chapter 385: Stimulus of Interests

Outside the city of Venice, a few kilometers away in an ancient castle, Viscount Orabi was hosting a lavish welcome banquet, the guest of honor being the recently returned Baron Falkner.

This wasn’t Baron Falkner’s first visit here, but unlike the previous one, the scale of the welcome banquet was much grander.

It was evident that Viscount Orabi was very enthusiastic this time, unlike the last time, which was merely a perfunctory reception.

As the saying goes, “When you’re poor, no one cares about you even in a busy city; when you’re rich, you have distant relatives even in remote mountains.”

Baron Falkner deeply felt the truth of this saying. Ten years ago, when he went into debt to develop colonies, he was often mocked. But now, those former mockeries had turned into praises.

Even though he was far away on the African continent, this was no obstacle for the well-informed nobles.

Times had changed. Ten years ago, the African continent was seen by everyone as a place infested by venomous insects and ferocious beasts, ravaged by disease and plague. Now, the African continent has become a land of hope.

Successful individuals are exempt from criticism. As a success story, Falkner was enjoying the treatment accorded to one, satisfying his vanity.

There were many Austrian nobles involved in the development of Africa, but once they spread across the vast African continent, they became few and far between.

Moreover, everyone was busy getting rich. How many of them would have had the leisure to hold banquets every day?

Baron Falkner’s attendance at the banquet was not without purpose. To promote the integration of the colonies, the support of local nobles was indispensable.

Currently, aside from those involved in Africa’s development, local capitalists are also a significant force supporting colonial integration. However, this is still far from sufficient.

Austria was not like England or France — capitalists had very little political say. Even nobles like Baron Falkner developing in Africa had greater political influence than capitalists.

The main force behind promoting colonial integration this time would be these nobles.

It might be an exaggeration to say that by connecting with five individuals, one can establish connections with everyone in the world. However, it is not difficult to connect with all the nobles in Austria through five nobles.

……

Baron Falkner said with a smile, “Orabi, it’s been ten years since we last met. I didn’t expect Harrington, Gardner, and Dewington to have all grown big now. You can tell they will all become excellent soldiers.”

Viscount Orabi responded naturally, “Yes, I am proud of all of them.”

Joining the military was an Austrian noble tradition. Noble children received strict military training from a young age, and becoming excellent soldiers was the pursuit of many of them.

Modesty was not considered a virtue in Europe. It only makes people perceive it as a display of hypocrisy.

Since Viscount Orabi believed his sons would become outstanding soldiers, he would openly admit to it. It was his true inner thoughts.

Baron Falkner inquired with concern, “Are you planning to send them to serve in the army or the navy?”

In recent years, the status of the Austrian navy has been significantly elevated, almost on par with the army.

Many noble children who initially chose to join the navy seized the opportunity of its expansion, rising swiftly and making remarkable progress.

Now, for noble children entering service, there was an additional option — the navy.

Orabi proudly said, “Harrington and Dewington are joining the army, while Gardner is going to the navy. They have all been accepted into military academies.

Harrington studied at the Vienna Artillery Command Academy and has already graduated. He’ll be enlisting in the army in a little over a week. Gardner and Dewington have come back this time to see him off.

Dewington is in his third year at the Munich Infantry Command Academy, while Gardner is studying at the Austrian Naval Academy right here at home, just starting his first year.

Falkner, you’ve come back just in time. If you had come any later, you wouldn’t have been able to see them.”

This is a typical case of hedging bets on both sides. With the continuous expansion of overseas colonies, the aristocrats who were well-informed recognized the importance of the navy.

In the face of uncertainty over the nation’s future strategic focus, many nobles were hedging their bets on both fronts. Since there is little conflict between Austria’s army and navy, there is no harm in doing so.

Having all three sons admitted to military academies did give Orabi reason to be proud.

Although aristocrats have a naturally higher starting point, Austrian military academies are not easy to enter either. There are a total of nine national military academies for both army and navy, with an annual admission of just over 3,500, while the number of applicants has never been less than one hundred thousand.

This is the impact of compulsory education. With the increase in basic education, students with good grades who are admitted to secondary schools can apply for student loans to continue their studies, leading to a sharp increase in the number of secondary school students.

Admissions for Austria’s military academies and universities were separate processes. Applicants could apply to both, as there was a three-month gap between them which would not affect the outcomes of admissions.

Undoubtedly, this is an era where thousands of soldiers are crossing a narrow bridge. Whether it’s the university or military academy, students apply first and then decide.

Commoner students who manage to emerge from this competition are not much inferior to academic elites, at least in terms of cultural subjects.

Even though they are limited by resources and their education cannot compare to that of aristocrats, but there are always geniuses and lucky ones who stand out.

If it were just competition among commoner students, it wouldn’t be much of an issue. The problem is that competition among aristocratic children is also intense. In this era, only-child families were not popular in Austria; most households had at least three to five children.

There are also numerous children from branches of noble families. Although they don’t inherit titles, it doesn’t mean their children’s education is lacking.

Nowadays, Austria’s middle class is largely composed of these people. Doctors, teachers, lawyers, small businessmen, most of them have noble ancestry.

True commoners who can rise to prominence are very few. Without a solid knowledge base and social connections, those lucky enough to grow despite this are truly children of destiny.

Currently, in Austrian universities, the proportion of noble students is only 31.1%, while students from ordinary families are a mere 1.2%. The rest belong to this middle-class group.

In military academies, aristocratic children still dominate, accounting for about 64.8% of the total student population, while the middle class comprises 34.3%. Students from ordinary families are negligible, even fewer than international students.

Unfortunately, this is the result of fair competition. Reality is just that cruel; starting from public compulsory education, they are already at a disadvantage from the very beginning.

In primary school, students from ordinary families are the majority, but by the time they reach secondary school, they become the minority. On the surface, the probability of Austrian primary school students transitioning to secondary school is about 8%.

However, once compulsory education ended, children of the wealthy progressed to higher education almost 100% of the time, skewing the percentage upwards.

Unless they were top students, children from common backgrounds basically had no opportunity. They had to place in the top 1 percentile in entrance exams to qualify for scholarships.

This is originally intended for geniuses. In an era of limited educational resources, Austria adopted an elitist education system.

This is most evident in military academies, where students who undergo rigorous military training from a young age naturally have an advantage. However, this requires significant investment, which ordinary families cannot afford.

No matter how high the cultural scores of ordinary students are, when all the scores from various professional exams are added together, they still face the fate of elimination. It can be said that the more subjects they are examined, the fewer opportunities ordinary students have.

Unfortunately, improving the quality of public education and increasing the number of these specialized courses seems to be an unattainable ideal.

Adding a new course means increasing education expenditure. Implementing compulsory education standards based on those of children of nobles would bankrupt the Austrian government ten times over.

Unless there was greater societal demand for commoner talent, university expansion was impossible. Higher education in this era was just too costly.

Currently, even aristocratic children who can afford university education or military academy education do not exceed 35%.

Of course, there are no restrictions on attending second-tier technical colleges or mediocre universities as anyone with money can enroll.

Baron Falkner said calmly, “Is that so? It seems I truly am fortunate!”

Viscount Orabi replied confidently, “Of course!”

Baron Falkner took a small sip of wine and continued, “In which unit will Harrington be assigned, and is he planning to develop in the African continent? The opportunities to distinguish himself there are much greater.”

This was Baron Falkner laying out the groundwork. There was no other choice. To gain the support of local nobles for colonial integration, it was natural to speak in terms of interests.

Most nobles faced a common problem: they had many descendants, but only one title. If the eldest son inherited the title, then what about the younger sons?

According to the customs of Germany, those with wealth could allocate a portion of their estates to them. For those without wealth, either they were left to make their own way in the world or they were sent to the church to become priests.

After the religious reforms, the church’s profits weren’t as plentiful. Churches in economically prosperous areas fared better. Some had lucrative businesses, but if luck was not on their side and they were assigned to impoverished areas, they could only make do with meager resources.

Going out to seek one’s fortunes was only suitable for the destitute nobility. Most relied on family connections to secure them respectable positions. This was how nobles from lateral branches or those who bought their way into the middle class came about.

Opportunities are scarce and competition is fierce in the homeland, but it’s a different story in the colonies. If one has a substantial fortune, one can invest resources to secure a title.

If they gained the cooperation of the local powers, then this difficulty could be further reduced. After all, for the colonies, war was something that occurred every few years.

Apart from gaining military accolades, one can also pursue a career in colonial government. Once colonial integration is achieved, these positions will rise in importance.

Alternatively, engaging in business or establishing plantations in the colonies are viable paths, and the chances of success are quite high.

Orabi was enticed. In receiving Baron Falkner at such a grand scale, apart from their relationship as cousins, he was also prepared to invest resources to acquire noble titles for his sons.

Do not just look at his sons entering military academies, with seemingly bright futures ahead. In reality, Orabi understood that in peacetime, very few could truly rise to prominence.

Not to mention the descendants of viscounts, even those entering the military with the title of duke might not necessarily rise to the rank of general upon retirement.

Without military accomplishments, everyone could only accumulate seniority.

After all, they all received military education from a young age, and no one’s abilities were too lacking. With no way to prove outstanding capabilities, on what grounds would they promote you first?

The military is a place where strength matters the most, and the best way to assert oneself is through military achievements. Unfortunately, the wars of this era at most involved bullying natives in the colonies — opportunities were few and far between.

Orabi pondered for a moment and said, “It’s not confirmed yet. Right now, he’s just a recruit who hasn’t been assigned to a unit, and it will be at least another six months before that happens. If he ends up in the African colonies, then I’ll have to trouble you, his uncle, to look after him.”

Without a doubt, Olabi hasn’t made up his mind yet.

As an old-line aristocrat, he still has quite a few connections in the military, and it’s not difficult to use these relationships to decide which unit his son will serve in.

However, pushing for the integration of the colonies is not that simple. Like many others, Orabi is also worried that the integration of the colonies will impact his own estates.

After all, the colonies had little else besides abundant land. Once so much land was developed, agricultural products would likely be driven down to dirt-cheap prices.

Not receiving a definitive reply, Baron Falkner still responded with grace, “Of course, I am his uncle after all!”

Inwardly, he could only lament not catching an opportune timing. If only Orabi’s sons were a bit older, that would be better.

It would be best if they had just retired from the military and were worried about their futures. Then without him having to say anything, these fellows would help persuade their father.

At this banquet, Falkner had already successively persuaded three nobles to support colonial integration. Basically, all of them only supported it for the sake of the next generation.

The concern about the colonial impact on local agriculture was only shared by nobles with abundant land. If they had no land left, why worry about such matters?

After the land redemption, the amount of land in the hands of Austrian nobles had actually diminished significantly. By now, the land held by nobles had decreased to less than 20% of the total national land area.

Since the overseas colonies were opened up, many prominent nobles including the royal family had been gradually selling off their land holdings.

This was determined by interests. With the funds from selling land, opening plantations overseas often resulted in obtaining several times, or even dozens of times, the land area they previously held.

Although colonial land was not valuable, it did not affect the economic value of the agricultural produce from these lands. Perhaps the per-acre income was lower than in the homeland, but with so much land, the quantity made up for it!

With the increase in quantity, the income also increased. The emergence of large plantations also drove advances in agricultural cultivation techniques.

Mechanized agriculture was becoming increasingly widespread in Austria’s African territories. Unfortunately, the internal combustion engine had not yet been invented, and steam-powered machinery was too cumbersome and inconvenient.

Under the stimulus of interests, the actual driving force behind the integration of the colonies was still the prominent nobles led by Franz.

It was just that everyone was mindful of political implications, not directly declaring their stance. Instead, they pushed forth minor nobles like Falkner to test the waters and gauge domestic public opinion.