Turmoil

Metternich, the prime minister, had to be given credit for his ability. The Austrian Government was also very strong at this point; a bourgeois boycott of the markets wasn't enough to scare them.

The great nobles supported the government at a time like this. Their influence was no less than that of the capitalists. They might not have much of other goods, but they had plenty of grain.

Every one of them was a major landowner, with a whole crowd of serfs on their estates. Who didn't have some grain in storage? The government could buy a batch from them and ship it over to meet the emergency without the slightest problem.

There was no way the capitalists could keep their coordination secret. Even before the crisis erupted, the Vienna Government had paid the nobles for a batch of grain to build up its reserves.

As soon as the boycott began, the government started selling grain to the public, ensuring Vienna's food supply. But the city had lost its former prosperity. Many people in the government grew anxious at the sight of the desolate markets.

Interior Minister Fischer said worriedly, "Prime Minister, we can't go on like this. The grain problem has been solved, but other supplies are still scarce.

"Besides, the capitalists have closed their factories, depriving the workers of their income. I'm afraid the workers will soon run out of money, and then..."

Metternich sneered. "There's no need to worry. This won't last long. The capitalists are losing gold coins every day they keep the markets closed. The small merchants won't be able to hold out for more than a few days!

"Still, we can't just sit back and do nothing. Some nobles have joined the boycott too, haven't they? I'll ask Archduke Louis and the others to reason with them. If they stand with the capitalists, we'll expel them from the nobility.

"Once someone takes the lead, the rest will be easy. The capitalists aren't a single, solid bloc. No matter how dissatisfied they are, they won't turn their backs on money!"

And so it proved. The boycott lasted less than a week before ending in the capitalists' defeat.

The nobles who had joined the boycott were the first to be persuaded.

Did they no longer care about the honor of the nobility?

For the sake of a little profit, they had sunk so low as to consort with capitalists. It was an utter disgrace to the nobility.

Of course, it was easy to talk when you weren't the one facing the problem. Most nobles in this era had yet to become capitalists. They had long resented the upstarts who went into commerce and industry, so now they could denounce them with righteous indignation.

The nobles stopped inviting them to their banquets. When they invited others, those invitations were also refused with righteous indignation. Friends and relatives came by one after another to talk some sense into them.

Radical nobles were already clamoring to kick these degenerate aristocrats out of noble circles. That frightened many of them.

Austria's capitalists might be rich, but they had no political standing! Earning a hereditary title was no easy feat. What would happen if they lost it?

Unable to withstand the pressure, the nobles had no choice but to draw a clear line between themselves and the capitalists and leave the boycott.

Some even thought, If workers' pay has to go up, then fine. I'll just use serfs from now on!

Well, fools like that were in the minority. Most people knew that once they gave in, labor costs would inevitably rise in the future.

Use serfs? Dream on. Did they really think that all the calls to abolish serfdom were just empty slogans, and would never become reality?

Once someone broke ranks, the capitalists' instinct to chase profits meant their alliance was doomed to fall apart.

None of them was selfless. Watching others open their shops and make money naturally bred resentment. Why should they risk their necks to fight for concessions while the others sat back and reaped the benefits?

The bourgeoisie's first counterattack soon collapsed. Their organization was too loose, and they had no way to restrain their members.

Franz wasn't surprised by any of this. Unless they could cut off the supply of essentials like grain and coal, it would be hard to make the Vienna Government back down in a short time.

But the capitalists simply couldn't do that. The Austrian nobility was too powerful at this point. Grain and coal came from their estates. If the capitalists refused to sell, the nobles could simply transport the goods to market themselves.

You had a purchase contract? And you expected them to follow the rules of the game at a time like this? As the ones who made the rules, they had the right to change them!

Franz knew the matter wasn't over. The capitalists wouldn't accept defeat, and if the government wasn't prepared, they would suffer another heavy loss in the economic battle to come.

Thinking about it, Franz couldn't help regretting that he hadn't stockpiled supplies. During the capitalists' boycott, prices in Vienna had nearly doubled.

"Raul, how much grain can we sell from my estate?"

"Archduke, as you instructed, we didn't sell any of this year's grain. But when the boycott broke out a while ago, we sold the government one million five hundred thousand pounds of wheat to help with the emergency. After setting aside enough for our own use, we have about three million eight hundred and sixty thousand pounds left," Raul replied.

(1 pound = 0.45359237 kilograms)

Franz knew about the grain sold to the government, of course. His estate was only thirty kilometers from Vienna, and as the Empire's heir apparent, he had enough decency to help in a crisis like that.

Three million eight hundred and sixty thousand pounds sounded like a lot. Converted to metric tons, it came to only a little over one thousand seven hundred and fifty. Selling it would bring in no more than two or three thousand gold coins.

That was before deducting the production costs; only then could Franz calculate his actual earnings. All the royal estates had already freed their serfs, and labor costs were no small expense.

"Make the preparations. Once the price of wheat rises by more than twenty percent, sell this grain," Franz said after a moment's thought.

He knew the capitalists wouldn't give up. Driving up prices was one of their most common tricks, and grain prices in Vienna were bound to soar.

Industrialization had already begun, so the wheat could now only be sold to flour mills. No matter how high the market price of grain rose, the flour mills wouldn't offer much more for it.

The greatest advantage of Franz's estate was its proximity to Vienna. But with a rebellion liable to break out at any moment, that became a disadvantage; one wrong move, and marauding soldiers could ravage the estate.

Stockpiling large quantities of grain at a time like this was a gamble. Even though he knew Hungary's revolution would break out the following year and grain prices in Austria would skyrocket, he could only grit his teeth and sell.

In the upcoming showdown between the capitalists and the government, driving up prices would indeed be a quick way to make money. Unfortunately, Franz's position meant he couldn't play that game. Otherwise, if the nobles followed suit, Prime Minister Metternich would be unable to hold out.