On the other hand, Hungarians also shared the common failing of steppe peoples: they despised any work other than herding and war. At the same time, because their own lands did not produce enough, they needed to trade their cattle, sheep, horses, and grain for the supplies they required.
Neighboring Austria, mountainous and short of grain, happened to be Hungary's trading partner. To maintain the scarcity of grain, the Hungarian nobles suppressed expanded production. After all, the more expensive grain, cattle, and horses became, the more they earned.
There was also the most important consideration: the military one. Though Hungary was wedged between the two great powers of Austria and the Ottoman Empire, Hungary had once been a powerful state in its history.
Yet after losing control of its two most important natural barriers to the east and west, the flat, open Hungarian lands could only serve as a punching bag.
To take fewer beatings—or at least avoid being caught in a sudden attack—the Hungarians began building cities, leaving vast tracts of wasteland as military buffer zones.
Franz, however, had no need to consider such matters. The Austrian Empire's recapture of Belgrade had already largely removed the Ottoman threat.
Even if Belgrade fell, there was still Nordsave. The Austrian Empire had no need to worry about border defenses. In fact, even the Hungarian Plain could serve as a buffer zone for the Austrian Empire; after all, Austria still had Pressburg.
Of course, such a situation was unlikely to arise in the Austrian Empire at this time.
Serfdom was even more meaningless to the Austrian Empire. Not to mention that in the industrial age, serfdom itself hindered the progress of the times.
Those several million Hungarian serfs alone were no great threat to the Austrian Empire. After all, there were countless