Chapter 301 Transaction

But even so, it still can't stop the British from loving Swiss handicrafts, especially those engaged in navigation-related careers who regard it as a symbol of status and strength.

The environment at sea is more severe and bumpy than on land, and there are higher standards and requirements for the accuracy of time, so seafarers are in urgent need of a spiritual object.

After all, facing the vast and endless sea, it is easy for people to suffer from mental depression without reference objects. With watches, seafarers can at least live by counting their fingers.

In fact, the development from pocket watches to wristwatches is an inevitable process, because the pace of human life will become faster and faster, and clothing will also develop towards simplicity and lightness. This is the trend of history. Knowing this, Franz can do a lot of things.

For example, the formal clothes that Franz wears every day are normal for people of this era, but in another hundred years, people who wear them all day will be regarded as crazy.

Back to the watch industry, even if the level of the watch factory opened by Franz is not up to the level of Swiss watches now, it will not be much worse.

But if it comes to fame, I am afraid it will not be comparable to it for a long time. If you want to open up the Russian market at this time, there is no better billboard than the Tsar’s family. Moreover, if watches can really set off a trend, perhaps the Austrian watch industry can complete a counterattack.

Queen Alexandra put a watch on her hand and held her husband’s arm.

“Dear, do you think it looks good?”

Nicholas I looked at it carefully and said.

“Isn’t it just a watch with a strap? Wouldn’t it be better to put it in your pocket? It’s so ostentatious.”

Alexandra knew her husband’s straight man temper, so she said carefully.

“Dear, just imagine that a lady puts her hand into the inner pocket of her skirt to look back and forth in order to see the time. This is probably not very elegant. It is much more convenient to wear it on your hand, and I think it looks good. You see, the children like it too.”

Nicholas I just replied lightly.

“As long as you like it.”

Then he said to Archduke Karl.

"Karl, let's go. My children are also excellent hunters."

Olga Nikolaevna, Alexandra Nikolaevna, Konstantin Nikolaevich, Nikolai Nikolaevich, Mikhail Nikolaevich, among the six children of Nicholas I who are still in Russia, only Alexander did not come.

Queen Alexandra explained that they were newlyweds and were sweet and intimate, so they could not be present. But in fact, the Crown Prince had gone somewhere to fool around again, and the Special Section 3 could not find him after searching all over St. Petersburg.

The Special Section 3 is a spy organization directly under the Tsar, similar to the Austrian secret police force. Although the number of people is small, it is much more efficient.

On the outskirts of St. Petersburg, the Royal Hunting Ground.

A gunshot rang out, and then a brown bear 150 meters away let out an angry roar. A bullet hit its abdomen. Fear and anger overwhelmed its mind, and it chose to attack the crowd.

"Don't shoot first!" said Nicholas I.

At this time, facing the brown bear running at high speed, Archduke Karl raised his gun, aimed and pulled the trigger.

Another gunshot, the brown bear's forelimb was hit, and it immediately fell to the ground, but it still roared angrily.

But soon the struggle stopped, the Tsar's gun had been loaded, and one shot hit the brown bear's forehead.

The bullet pierced the skull, and blood flowed out. I don't know who took the lead and shouted.

"Your Majesty the Great Tsar, Hurrah."

"Hurrah!"

"Hurrah!"

The Tsar had a good harvest today. In one afternoon, they hunted 3 bears, 1 tiger, 5 deer, and 12 rabbits.

The accompanying officials naturally praised the Tsar's shooting skills to the utmost. Only he knew that this was entirely due to the new bullet.

As Archduke Karl said, this bullet not only has a high filling speed but also has extremely high accuracy. A skilled shooter like him only needs more than ten seconds to complete the loading.

During this period, it was generally believed that the reloading speed was equivalent to firepower. The design of the bullet was at the bottom of the box. Faced with such a generous gift, Tsar Nicholas I was a little overwhelmed.

"Karl, my friend. I really don't know how to thank you. This gift is really great!" After that, Nicholas I called his two daughters over.

"This is Olga and Nikolaevna. They are my most precious treasures. If possible, I hope they can marry your sons."

Nicholas I had only met Albrecht. He had a good impression of this young man. He was a very brave young man and an excellent soldier.

In fact, marriage with Austria has always been within the Tsar's consideration. Last time, he hoped that his eldest son Alexander could marry the youngest daughter of Archduke Karl.

Because Russia really needs an ally, the British are like a mountain lingering over his head.

In the several crises that broke out before, Russia was increasingly isolated, which was not what the Tsar wanted to see. Although he did not want Austria to compete with it for hegemony in the Balkans, it was better than turning to the enemy.

"Your Majesty, I am flattered by your generosity, but it is better for the children to decide their own affairs." Although Archduke Karl was very rigid in many aspects, he was extremely open-minded when it came to his children's marriage.

So his children had many strange marriages. In fact, Archduke Karl's own marriage was very strange because he married a Protestant, which was definitely an outlier among the Habsburg family, which claimed to be the guardian of Catholicism at that time.

"Oh? What do you want, my friend?" Nicholas I was a very straightforward person, so he spoke directly.

"I want to discuss a business with your Majesty. Our textile industry needs a lot of cotton, and this crop cannot be grown on Austrian land."

Archduke Karl actually didn't quite understand Franz's purpose, but he believed in his elder brother's vision. Of course, even if he was wrong, it was Franz II who was wrong and had nothing to do with him.

"Cotton?" Nicholas I didn't know much about the economy. He only knew that his country earned foreign exchange by exporting grain and timber.

"Ilarion." Nicholas I called Prime Minister Ilarion Vasilyevich Vasilychkov, and the Prime Minister trotted all the way to the Tsar.

"Your Majesty, what do you want?"

"My friend wants to buy cotton, please talk." Nicholas I said, but Ilarion immediately looked embarrassed.

"What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, Russia is also a cotton importer." Ilarion replied.

Nicholas I frowned immediately, but he felt that the design of the bullet was much more valuable than the shitty cotton, and was about to ask Ilarion to meet the requirements of Grand Duke Karl.

"Your Majesty, in fact, your land near southern Russia, the Black Sea and the Caucasus is suitable for growing cotton, but the local officials don't know it."