With the establishment of the European Monetary Union, the Austrian Empire was now fully capable of combining the German Confederation, the Austrian Empire, and the Apennine Commercial Alliance into one enormous commercial entity.
It was a super-market with a population of nearly one hundred million. Only a market this vast could absorb all the goods the Austrian Empire brought back from its colonies.
The goods weren't the only things that needed to be absorbed. Franz also had gold and silver on hand. Only by constantly expanding the scale of trade and increasing demand for precious metals could Franz quietly inject them into the market while also resolving the debt problem.
At this point, the only debt the Austrian Empire had yet to repay was what it owed the British. The 490 million florins weren't beyond Franz's means to repay; it was simply more cost-effective not to.
After all, the British were always up to something behind his back. If Franz kept greeting them with a smile, they would probably grow even more brazen.
The amount the Austrian Empire had repaid had long since exceeded 490 million florins. Moreover, the two countries had agreed years ago that the Austrian Empire only needed to pay the interest.
At the same time, this debt also served as a means of keeping Britain in check. Unless offered sufficiently great benefits, Britain wouldn't rashly go to war with the Austrian Empire.
Those in power in Britain had to consider whether it was worth falling out with Austria over a trifling gain. Their so-called strategists would also have to think twice. A debt of 490 million florins might mean little to a great power, but to an individual, it was an unbearable burden.
Railways were the lifeblood of industry. Without them, industrialization was out of the