The Hohenzollern Conglomerate's involvement in Bosnia drew little attention. Military occupation did not mean that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had brought the region under its rule. Historically, the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not seek to incorporate Bosnia into its territory until the early twentieth century.
The main reason was that the profits were not worth it. Bosnia lacked resources; although its coal reserves were fairly abundant, transportation was extremely underdeveloped, making development difficult.
At any point in time, Bosnia was almost always one of the poorest regions on the Balkan Peninsula, so it truly had little economic value. Take the agricultural crisis, for instance—there were practically no merchants willing to go to Bosnia for agricultural development.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire valued Bosnia, but that had nothing to do with its economy. The main reason was that it had once been the Ottoman Empire's forward base for advancing northward and threatening Austria and Europe.
Sarajevo was a northern military outpost established by the Ottoman Empire, and it gradually developed into Bosnia's most important city.
Even if the Austro-Hungarian Empire wanted to provide Bosnia with economic support, it would have been impossible. After all, who would pay was a major problem. Hungary would certainly refuse to spend a single cent. Even the Hohenzollern Conglomerate had not entered Bosnia to alleviate poverty, but for political purposes.
As for extracting economic benefits from the region, Ernst had never even considered it. Conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina were simply too poor. Breaking even would already count as achieving the goal.
Ferdinand said, "So the main purpose of your investment in Bosnia is to alter the local population. But that won't be easy. Even the Austro-Hungarian Empire Government could not accomplish it—how could a single agricultural company possibly do so?"
Ernst said, "We are not investing in Bosnia for