Chapter 385: Chapter 72: The Catalyst of Interests
About ten kilometers outside the city of Venice, within an ancient castle, Viscount Olabi was holding a grand welcome banquet for the guest of honor who had just recently returned, Baron Feckney.

This was not Baron Feckney’s first visit here, but unlike his previous visit, the welcome banquet was much higher in standards.

It was apparent that this time, Viscount Olabi was very enthusiastic, quite different from the last time when it was merely a perfunctory reception.

When you are poor in a bustling city, no one asks about you; when you are wealthy in remote mountains, distant relatives come to you.

Baron Feckney deeply felt this truth. Ten years ago, he had gone into debt to develop a colony, and had been the subject of much ridicule; nowadays, the past ridicule had turned into praise.

Even though he was far off in the African Continent, nobles who were well-informed about the news considered such distances no barrier at all.

Times have changed. Ten years ago, the African Continent in everyone’s eyes was a place where poisonous insects and fierce beasts roamed and epidemics of disease were rampant. Now, it has become a field of hope.

The successful are beyond reproach, and Baron Feckney luxuriously enjoyed the treatment of a successful person, which satisfied his vanity.

In the African Continent, there were quite a number of Austrian nobles who ventured into development, but once spread throughout the vast Africa, it was rare to bump into any of them.

Besides, with everyone busy making riches, how many would have the leisure and inclination to host banquets daily?

Baron Feckney attended the banquet not without purpose, as promoting the localization of the colony was inseparable from the support of the local nobility.

Currently, those supporting the localization of the colony included the capitalists from the local area in addition to those developing in the African Continent, but this was far from enough.

Austria was unlike England and France, where capitalists had very low political clout. Even nobles like Baron Feckney, who developed in Africa, had higher political speak than the capitalists.

This time, the main force behind promoting the localization of the colony was these nobles.

It might be overly exaggerated to establish relationships with everyone in the world through five people, but linking all the Austrian nobility through five nobles was no difficult feat at all.

…

Baron Feckney said cheerfully, “Olabi, it’s been a decade since we’ve seen each other. I didn’t expect Harrington, Gardena, and Devon to have grown so much. It’s apparent they will all become excellent military officers.”

Viscount Olabi answered as a matter of course, “Indeed, I take pride in each of them.”

Joining the military is a tradition among the Austrian nobility, and noble children receive military training from a young age. Becoming an excellent military officer is the pursuit of many noble children.

Modesty is not a virtue in Europe and is only seen as hypocritical.

Viscount Olabi believed that his sons would become excellent military officers and would openly admit it, as this was his true inner thought.

Baron Feckney asked with concern, “Do you plan to send them to serve in the army or the navy?”

In recent years, the standing of the Austrian Navy had risen significantly, almost equal to that of the army.

Many noble children who initially chose to join the navy had seized the opportunity of the navy’s expansion to soar high and rise rapidly in ranks.

Now noble children had an additional choice when serving—the navy.

Viscount Olabi said proudly, “Harrington and Devon will serve in the army, Gardena will serve in the navy; they have all been admitted to military academies.

Harrington has been studying at the Vienna Artillery Command College and has already graduated. In just over a week, he will be enlisted. Gardena and Devon have come back this time to see him off to his enlistment.

Devon is a third-year student at the Munich Infantry Command College; Gardena has just completed his first year at the Austrian Naval Academy right here at our doorstep.

Feckney, your return is quite timely, if you were any later, you wouldn’t have been able to meet them.”

This was a classic case of hedging one’s bets. With the continuous opening of Overseas Colonies, well-informed nobles had already realized the importance of the navy.

In uncertainty over the nation’s future strategic focus, many nobles were hedging their bets. Anyway, there was no significant conflict between the Austrian army and navy, so such a move was harmless.

Having three sons admitted to military academies, Viscount Olabi truly had grounds for pride.

Despite nobles inherently having a higher starting point, it was still not easy to be admitted into Austrian military academies. There are a total of 9 military academies across the nation, and each year they admit only over 3,500 students, while the number of applicants has never been less than one hundred thousand.

This is the impact brought by compulsory education. The number of people with basic education has increased dramatically, students with good grades are admitted to high schools, and they can apply for student loans to continue their studies, which has directly led to a sharp increase in the number of high school students.

The Austrian military academies and universities have separate admissions, and candidates can apply to both, since their admissions are spaced by three months, which does not interfere with each other’s results.

Without a doubt, this was an era of extreme competition. Whether it was university or military academy, students would apply first and see what happens.

Those grassroots students who were able to break through all the way were not far from being geniuses. They did exceptionally well in academics, at least.

Despite being limited by resources, and unable to receive education on par with the noble children, there were always some geniuses and lucky ones who stood out.

If the competition were only against grassroots students, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. The problem was that the internal competition among noble children was also fierce. In this era, Austria did not favor one-child families, and most households started with three to five children.

There were also numerous children of the lesser branches of the nobility who, although they had no titles to inherit, this did not mean their children’s education was lacking.

Now in Austria, the middle class was primarily composed of these people. Doctors, teachers, lawyers, small-to-medium-sized business owners—most of their ancestors were from the nobility.

The true grassroots who could rise up were too few. Without a background of knowledge and social connections, those few fortunate ones that did grow up were children of destiny.

Currently, in Austria University, noble students only accounted for 31.1%, while students from ordinary families were a mere 1.2%, with the remainder being the middle-class group.

In the military academies, noble children still held the dominant position, making up about 64.8% of the total student body, with the middle class accounting for 34.3%, and ordinary family students being negligible, less than even the number of foreign students.

It couldn’t be helped, this was the result of fair competition. Reality was this harsh, starting from public compulsory education, you were already losing at the starting line.

In the primary school stage, students from ordinary families were in the majority, but by the secondary school stage, students from ordinary families became the minority. On the surface, the chances of advancing from Austrian primary to secondary schools were around 8%.

However, once compulsory education ended, nearly 100% of children from wealthy families could advance to higher education, so this ratio was skewed.

Students from ordinary families who are not academic overachievers basically have little chance. They must rank in the top one percent in entrance exams to be awarded a scholarship.

This was originally intended for geniuses; in an era of limited educational resources, Austria adopted an elite educational system.

The military academies were the most obvious example. Students who had undergone strict military training from a young age naturally had an advantage; however, this required substantial investment, beyond the means of ordinary families.

No matter how high their cultural achievement scores are, once all the specialized exam scores are added up, they still face elimination. It could be said that the more subjects tested, the less chance ordinary students have.

Improving the quality of public education and increasing these specialized courses is a nice idea, but it’s just wishful thinking.

Adding a course means adding an educational expense. Providing compulsory education at the standard of the nobility’s offspring would be enough to bankrupt the Vienna Government ten times over.

Unless there’s an increase in social demand for ordinary talent, university expansion is impossible, as higher education is too expensive in this era.

Currently, even among the nobility, no more than 35% are able to receive a university or military academy education.

Of course, there are no restrictions on lesser technical institutes or third-rate universities; anyone with money can study there.

Baron Feckney said calmly, “Is that so? It seems I am really fortunate!”

Viscount Olabi replied confidently, “Of course!”

Baron Feckney took a small sip of wine and continued to inquire, “Which unit does Harrington serve in? Is he preparing to develop in the African Continent? The chances of earning military honors there are much greater, aren’t they?”

Baron Feckney was starting to negotiate terms. There was no choice but to use benefits to garner the support of local nobility for the integration of the colonies.

Most nobility face a problem: numerous descendants but only one title.

If the eldest son inherits the title, what arrangement can be made for the younger sons?

In the Germany Region, it’s customary to divide a portion of the estate among them if wealthy enough. If not, they’re left to strike out on their own or sent to the church to become a priest.

After the Reformation, the church’s opportunities for profit were not as plentiful. Churches in prosperous areas did fine with business to earn money, but those unlucky enough to be in poor regions had to scrape by.

Striking out to seek fortune is only suitable for the fallen aristocracy. Most rely on family connections to find respectable employment, and that is how adjunct nobility or ennobled middle-class emerge.

With scarce opportunities and fierce competition at home, the colonies are different. With family assets and willingness to invest resources, nobility titles can be carved out.

If they can get the cooperation of local powerholders, the difficulty can be further reduced. After all, warfare in the colonies happens quite frequently.

Besides accumulating military achievements, one could also pursue a career in the Colonial Government. Once colonial localization comes through, the tide will rise for these official positions.

Alternatively, engaging in trade or establishing plantations in the colonies are viable and highly successful paths.

Viscount Olabi was tempted. He received Baron Feckney with such high regard not only because they were cousins but also because he was ready to invest resources to secure noble titles for several of his sons.

Although Olabi’s sons were all enrolled in military academies, seemingly with promising futures, Olabi knew that too few would rise to prominence in peaceful times.

It doesn’t matter if they are Viscounts’ descendants or bear a Duke’s title upon entering the military; upon retirement, they are not guaranteed to become generals without wartime merits.

Without battle honors, everyone can only depend on seniority.

After all, everyone has been receiving military education from youth, and nobody’s abilities are too inferior. Without proof that your abilities are exceptional, why should you be promoted first?

The military is a place where strength speaks volumes. The best method is to use battle exploits to make one’s case. Unfortunately, in this era, warfare mostly involves colonial powers bullying the natives and the spoils are few and far between.

Olabi pondered and said, “It’s not decided yet, at the moment he’s just a recruit not yet enlisted, with at least six months before being assigned to a unit.

If he is sent to the African Colony, then I will have to trouble you, uncle, to look after him.”

Without a doubt, Olabi was still undecided.

As a seasoned nobleman, he had many connections in the military, and using them to decide his sons’ service units was not difficult.

But pushing for colonization localization is no simple matter. Like many others, Olabi worries that his family’s estates might be impacted after the colonies become localized.

After all, the colonies abound with land. Once these lands are developed, the prices of agricultural products might plummet.

Without a definitive reply, Baron Feckney still responded with his characteristic grace, “Of course, I am his uncle, after all!”

He could only silently lament that the timing was not right; if only Olabi’s sons were a bit older, preferably just retired from military service and concerned about their futures. Then, without his prompting, these lads would have helped persuade their father.

During this banquet, Baron Feckney had already convinced three nobles to support colony localization, mainly because of considerations for their progeny.

The impact of colonies on domestic agriculture is a concern only for those nobles with abundant land. If the land is already gone, why worry about it?

Following the redemption of landholdings, the land in Austrian Nobility’s hands is actually not that much. Nowadays, the land owned by nobility has fallen to less than 20% of the nation’s total land area.

Since the opening of Overseas Colonies, including the Royal Family, many grandees have been gradually selling off their land.

Driven by interests, the proceeds from selling land can be invested in overseas plantations, often yielding several times or even more than ten times the area of land previously held.

Although colonial lands are inexpensive, it does not affect the value of the economic crops they produce. The yield per acre may not match the homeland, but the sheer volume of land compensates!

As the volume increases, so does the revenue. The emergence of large plantations also drove advancements in agricultural technology.

Mechanized farming is steadily gaining ground in Austro-Africa. Unfortunately, the internal combustion engine has not yet been invented, and steam-powered machinery is too cumbersome and inconvenient.

Under the stimulus of interest, the true driving force behind colony localization, in fact, remains the grand nobility led by Franz.

Yet, everyone conscious of political impact has not openly taken a stance. Instead, they have pushed forward minor nobles like Baron Feckney to lead the charge and test the domestic public’s reaction.