"Roon, that blind king is too much! He actually came up with something like this. This time, the Austrians won't be able to avoid disaster even if they want to."
Albrecht von Roon, standing beside him, did not share Bismarck's excitement.
"Our losses won't be small either. The factory owners have plenty of complaints as well—they fear Austrian retaliation."
Bismarck spoke with some disdain.
"If there's money to be made, do they really care about that? Those greedy bastards just want a higher price, nothing more."
Bismarck snorted coldly.
"Ha, trying to loot a burning house? Impossible!
Tell them that if they want subsidies, they have to listen to us!"
Roon nodded helplessly, but still said, "I understand. But our funds are nowhere near as ample as those of the Austrian Empire. If this drags on, we'll be the ones at a disadvantage."
Bismarck was unconcerned. After all, he had no intention of dragging this out indefinitely.
"Don't worry. The Austrians are larger than us, and they have more to pay. I'll go see His Majesty now."
William I had a headache. To be honest, the Prussian royal family was not particularly wealthy, and he was even less willing to divide his own money among others.
"Shouldn't our money be kept for fighting the Austrians?"
Bismarck immediately understood William I's dilemma.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. The subsidies will be disbursed by the government."
This eased William I's mind somewhat, but Bismarck once again said something startling.
"Moreover, we need to subsidize every industry."
"How much will that cost?"
Bismarck did not answer the question. Instead, he said, "That is the only road that leads us to victory. Once we defeat the Austrian Empire, every problem will unravel of its own accord."
William I was still somewhat worried. In truth,