February 3, 1914. When the artillery fire and smoke from the world war were still shrouded in most of Europe, the world's eyes once again gathered in Austria, a European power that had lasted for hundreds of years. On this day, the ancient empire once again determined its master. Under the auspicious emperor, at the Hoffman Palace in Vienna, Princess Mary finally completed the transformation from a princess to a successor to the throne. The whole process lasted only two hours. Behind these two hours was the efforts of the Ruprecht couple and their subordinates for more than ten years! And then, history opened a new page!

"Ruprecht, I really didn't expect that being the heir of an empire would be so tired. At the beginning, you were very relaxed when you governed Bavaria and Bohemia." Looking at the pile of documents being prepared to be reviewed by the desk, Crown Prince Mary said to the crown prince.

"After all, you're taking over an empire with a size that is several times larger than the area we've controlled before, and it's more complicated than what we've dealt with before." Ruprecht said to his wife with a smile.

"So well, let me tell you your advice, my Regent." Crown Prince Mary stood up and said intimately with her hands over her husband's neck.

"The war is about to end, and as the ruler of the empire, you need to do two things well. The first thing is how to divide the winning cake and quickly resume production. The second thing is to deal with ethnic issues."

"My opinion on the first thing is that we can use land to meet the needs of nobles and civilians. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is different from Germany. Germany has too many populations, while the Austro-Hungarian Empire has only a population of more than 40 million, but has 650,000 square kilometers of land. Now, we have obtained half of Ukraine and part of Belarus, as well as the territory obtained from the Balkans and Poland. Our current area is more than 1.1 million square kilometers. Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire also wants to inherit about 20 million people, arable land is still relatively enough. It is cheapest to use agriculture to meet the needs of nobles and civilians." The prince said.

In fact, in the war, in order to prevent the allies from obtaining the population on Russian land, the Russians were forced to move with the defeat of the Russian army, especially from the southern line to Ukraine. Therefore, the Austro-Hungarian Empire incorporated not many alien populations. Compared with the Poles, the Ukrainian tendency to be independent was very poor. As long as they ensure their lives and land, it is not difficult to make them stable. If they look at the chaotic Russia opposite, they may be glad that they were ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire?

"What about industry?" asked Crown Prince Mary.

"In terms of industry, Bavaria and the Austro-Hungarian Empire need to establish their own systems. We now have no shortage of markets and Bavaria does not lack technology. As long as we follow the steps and establish an efficient management team, our future industry will not be weak. Domestic private capital can also develop and provide support. The industrial monopoly of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is far less deadly than Germany, so there is no need to worry about some people doing too much."

"We also don't have much problem with finance, because after all, only our government can obtain a large amount of financial loans from Americans, and there are very few hot money among the people." Ruprecht said. Sometimes, backwardness has the benefits of lagging behind. For example, the current Austro-Hungarian Empire can be said to be in a mess and there are not so many oligarchs in the country, which makes it very easy for Ruprecht to promote his own policies.

Of course, there are still some serious problems in Austro-Hungary, that is, the long-term difficulties and ethnic issues of the Austro-Hungary Empire... With the influx of the population of 20 million other ethnic groups, the proportion of German population in the empire further decreased... Moreover, there are many ethnic groups such as Romanians who fought to the death on the battlefield before the empire! Like Romanians and some Russians, they are not so honest! As for the Hungarians, some of them are also unstable factors.

"For the Ukrainians, as long as they don't do anything, we can provide appropriate support and help. We can do better what the Russians can do, and we can also provide help. The suggestion proposed by Count Nomen to establish collective farms to strengthen management and resume production is very good. At least in the beginning of the post-war period, the efficiency of such collective farms was higher than that of family farms. Of course, for collective farms, we must implement supervision to prevent illegal things from happening." Ruprecht said.

"For the residents in the town, my response is to establish a large-scale urban foundation to digest these excess productivity, and at the same time change the backward transportation and livelihood facilities in Ukraine. As for the development of heavy industries and chemical industries with relatively high technical content, it may not work in a short period of time."

"What about Romanians and Hungarians?" asked Princess Mary.

"The Romanians are going to implement a high-pressure situation. We were once enemies. If they still don't want to obey the government's orders and choose to fight, then we will not be ruthless because they have changed their nationality."

"As for the Hungarians, it is mainly about winning over. After all, there are more than 10 million people in the Hungarian nation. They have suffered disasters. At this time, a little relaxation can make them very satisfied. After the war, Austria's labor force may be in short supply, and the remaining part can recruit Hungarians. Of course, in terms of culture, we must step up the pace of assimilation. At least, German must become a compulsory course in every Hungarian school!" said the prince. "By the way, not only Hungary, Slovakia and other ethnic autonomous regions should also promote German teaching. The language of their own nation can exist, but German must become one of the official languages!"

"Well, that's all about Austria, and Germany's affairs are coming to an end, right? If everything follows your plan, then it's good, but if the German Emperor and the Social Democratic Party reach an agreement to share the regime and Prussia is not split, then they are likely to turn back to deal with Bavaria. After all, in a group, the eldest and the second have hostile attributes themselves." Princess Mary said.

"Don't worry, it's not only us who want to split Prussia, but others," said Ruprecht.

"But few people can participate in this bet," said Princess Mary.

"And the Americans happen to have the qualification and willingness to participate in this bet. Remember, now, we are friends with the Americans, but one day in the future, we will become enemies!" Ruprecht said.
Chapter completed!