In truth, Franz was not optimistic about this business, but the Austrian Empire itself had interests in North Africa. If Duke of Aumale were allowed to keep developing unchecked, he would sooner or later make a move on Tunisia.
Although Duke of Aumale had so far shown no plans to attack Tunisia, Franz did not believe that state of affairs would last forever.
Meanwhile, construction on the Tripoli railway was not going well. The new Pasha of Tripoli worked with dismal efficiency and had fallen far short of Franz's expectations.
Replacing a Pasha was no problem for the Austrian Empire. After all, the Ottoman Empire had effectively abandoned Tripoli; Franz could put forward any candidate he pleased, and the Ottoman government would agree.
Yet building a railway through the North African desert at this time was no easy matter. In order to complete the railway, Tripoli's new Pasha had already reduced Tripoli's registered population by 30 percent, while the city's native population had been cut in half outright.
Of course, not all those tens of thousands had been worked to death building the railway. Most had fled or disappeared. The Spaniards and Italians newly relocated to Tripoli were Europeans, and the Pasha of Tripoli did not have the nerve to touch them.
Because Tripoli drew so little attention, coupled with the locals' abysmal human rights and the isolation of information, such a thing had somehow caused not even a ripple. Still, Franz had no intention of driving the locals into outright rebellion, yet the railway had to be built.
So Franz set his sights on the Ottomans. But he had no intention of taking Orthodox believers and inviting trouble from the Russians; he only intended to hire genuine Ottomans.
Moreover, the Austrian Empire would not appear personally. Everything would be