This was possible? Count Kolowrat's words opened Friedrich List's eyes.
"But what are we supposed to do?" Friedrich List was clearly tempted. After all, a business that required no capital was immensely appealing to anyone.
"It's simple. His Majesty the Emperor trusts you deeply. You can take advantage of this golden opportunity and find a way to get him to grant you a concession. As long as we work together with one mind and perfect coordination, we can both come out ahead."
Strange as it might seem, human beings were peculiar creatures. The leap from fervent idealism to willing depravity could happen in an instant.
Faced with overwhelming temptation, few people could stay true to themselves.
Count Kolowrat's proposal could earn Friedrich List more than he could have made in all the decades before combined.
One look at Friedrich's expression told Kolowrat he had drawn the dangerously formidable economist over to his side. He would make the perfect secret weapon against Metternich in the future.
Kolowrat understood that ideals and convictions alone could hardly keep a man loyal. Only shared interests and shared sins could bind people together for good.
At the same time, just as Count Kolowrat had predicted, Prince Metternich went to see his old friend, the titan of Austrian banking and the Rothschild family's man in Vienna, Salomon Rothschild.
"Salomon, my old friend, I have some wonderful news for you."
"Dear Metternich, you're my lucky star. You always bring me such good news. What have you brought me this time?"
The two had known each other for years and shared many interests. They exchanged a few brief pleasantries before getting down to business.
"By order of His Majesty Francis II, the Northern Railway Company has been established. Congratulations—you're about to become the founder of the Austrian Empire's first steam railway. This will be a historic moment, and the people will remember what you've done."
The Rothschild family had its own intelligence network. Salomon had learned the news before Metternich arrived and had already prepared a generous gift for the prince.
But Metternich's personal visit today was unusual. As it happened, Salomon had also wanted to see his old friend.
"You flatter me. I'm only a businessman. This is all thanks to His Majesty's wisdom and your help." Salomon Rothschild modestly demurred, then continued.
"Your Highness, you could have sent your steward, Berger. There was no need to come in person. I assume you have more than one piece of good news for me?"
Metternich smiled.
"Salomon, you're as sharp as ever. Nothing gets past you. Here's the other good news: under the original plan, the Northern Railway Company's line would run from Vienna to Brno, then through Olomouc to Lviv. It would connect Vienna with Moravia, Silesia, Galicia, and Bukovina."
Metternich took the tea a servant handed him, blew on it, and—perhaps finding it too hot—set it aside before continuing.
"His Majesty Francis II has now granted you permission to add another line. This one will run south from Vienna, through Prague, and end in Dresden. Once the Austrian Empire officially joins the Zollverein, you can imagine the potential this route will unleash."
Even without Austria joining the Zollverein, this route had been highly sought after in real history, because it passed through nothing but prosperous regions.
If Metternich's account was accurate, the Rothschild family would own a railway line spanning all of northern Cisleithania. It would stretch an astonishing 1,100 kilometers, connecting the most developed regions of Cisleithania. Its economic value was self-evident.
"Prime Minister, please convey my heartfelt gratitude to His Majesty. Rothschild Bank will always be a friend to the House of Habsburg." As he spoke, several burly men came in, straining to pull a cart bearing a large iron chest.
"Metternich, my old friend, I've prepared a gift for you as well. But you'll have to agree to do one thing for me."
Metternich was an old hand at this. He knew the greedy Salomon Rothschild must be plotting something bigger. He said nothing.
Salomon Rothschild had expected no answer. He ordered his men to open the chest. They removed the heavy chains, then slowly lifted the lid. Inside lay rows of neatly stacked gold bars.
"There are fifteen hundred gold bars here, each a standard hundred ounces. If you can get His Majesty to accept my proposal, I'll give you another two thousand as a thank-you."
A hundred-ounce gold bar was worth about 4,250 florins—the equivalent of a common soldier's pay for forty-two and a half years. The entire gift was worth as much as seventeen thousand years of a common soldier's pay.
Gold was also three times as dense as iron, so it was entirely possible to fit one and a half tons of gold into a large iron chest.
"Salomon, my friend, what exactly is it you want?"
"The Southern Railway Company."
"I'm sorry to say, my friend, that will be difficult to arrange," Metternich replied.
"Your Highness, I know you've been worried about the people of Northern Italy. We have a chance to solve the problem once and for all. If we build the railway to Venice, we can tie the interests of Italian merchants and nobles to those of the Empire. Then the Italians will never again be able to resist the Austrian Empire's rule."
Metternich knew all this perfectly well without Salomon Rothschild needing to tell him.
But the railways in Cisleithania couldn't be controlled by one person or one company. His Majesty would never allow it. After serving Francis II for so many years, Metternich knew exactly where the emperor drew the line.
Personally, he also had no wish to let Salomon Rothschild control Austria's entire transportation system. The "Emperor" Salomon would become even more overbearing.
Salomon Rothschild liked to compare his family to the world's sixth great power. His subordinates naturally played along and called him "the Emperor."
Though Salomon Rothschild liked the title, he didn't allow anyone to use it in public. Vienna already had another emperor, after all.
Metternich had come in person precisely because he feared Salomon Rothschild might covet the Southern Railway. He had even planned to ask the emperor for the Vienna-to-Dresden line to satisfy Salomon's appetite.
"Salomon, you know His Majesty is an extremely cautious man. He won't put all his eggs in one basket, much less let one person walk off with the basket."
Metternich had made himself perfectly clear, but Salomon Rothschild didn't seem ready to give up.
"Please discuss it with His Majesty again. If he needs it, Rothschild Bank is also willing to offer him a personal, interest-free loan of ten million florins."
Salomon Rothschild was so persistent not only because he believed in the future of the Austrian Empire's railways, but also because a French friend had made him a promise.
If Salomon could secure Austria's railways and transfer control to a French company—or help France at a crucial moment—he would become France's most important friend.
The road to Austria joining the Zollverein was long and arduous. Even before the country had joined, factions within the government had begun carving up the spoils.
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