The Viennese Waltz(9)

I don’t expect the wooden rails to last long, five to ten years I am told, depending on many factors. However, I consider them an important stopgap measure to facilitate trade until we can develop iron and steel industries and replace the wooden rails with steel. I have written your good wife to ask her authority to facilitate the road in Silesia and hope that you and Uncle Maximilian will use your influence with His Imperial Majesty to facilitate its approval between the border of Silesia and Vienna.





Karl knew that his Uncle Gundaker wasn’t going to be thrilled with his letter. Especially the part where he mentioned that he was appealing directly to Aunt Beth. Also, Gundaker wasn’t going to be all that thrilled with the limits of two hundred thousand guilder and a maximum interest of six percent. Inflation was rearing its ugly head in the USE, but for the most part it had been put off on other currencies, including HRE guilders which were still circulating in the USE. The silver ones, anyway. People were anxious to get American dollars because they were anxious to have what American dollars could buy—or at least that was how it had started. By now, almost everyone in the USE just trusted American dollars. However, the HRE didn’t have that advantage. There were things that you could buy with the HRE guilder more readily than with other currencies, but not nearly as many of them. Besides, HRE guilders based their value on the silver content, and silver had been dropping against the American dollar since the dollar’s introduction. The HRE was suffering stagflation, because imports from the USE were expensive, but sought after. Karl was right about his Uncle Gundaker’s reaction to his letter. In fact, he underestimated the case by a considerable margin.





CHAPTER 3

Plans and Proposals

June 1634

Fortney Home, Grantville

“Howdy, Prince Karl.” Sonny Fortney held out his hand like the prince was just anyone. It was easy because, to Sonny, the prince was just anyone. He knew that a lot of down-timers and more than a few up-timers didn’t feel that way, but he did. He felt that way before the Ring of Fire, when titles like doctor and professor were bandied about, and he felt it even more now. “I hope you’ll excuse the mess. We’ve sold the house and there’s a lot of packing being done right now.”

“Guten Tag, Herr Fortney.” Prince Karl held out his own hand, which was a good sign. “Think nothing of it. I trust you got a good price?” After they shook hands, Prince Karl continued, “I would like to watch you test Prince Ferdinand that way.”

“Really? How’d you think he’d do?”

“Fairly well. He’d be surprised, but I think after he got over the shock, he’d be amused rather than offended. However, if my uncles were in the room, they would probably call for the headsman. So while I’d love to watch, I can’t really recommend that you do it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sonny said. He would keep both the opinion of Ferdinand and the opinion of the boy’s uncles in mind.

“Well, Uncle Gundaker would call the headsman,” Karl clarified. “I’m not sure about Uncle Maximilian. Still, most of the court would act more like Uncle Gundaker, so if you do try it, don’t do it in public. I would hate to have you beheaded before you managed to survey my railroad for me. Besides, Hayley is a nice girl and doesn’t deserve to lose her father.”

“Who is important at court, Your Serene Highness?” Sonny Fortney asked more seriously. “Who is likely to be a problem about the railroad?”

“That’s hard to say. I have been out of touch. His closest adviser and perhaps his closest friend is the Hungarian nobleman Janos Drugeth. But Drugeth’s expertise lies primarily in military and diplomatic affairs. He might not get involved in these issues at all. Reichsgraf Maximilian von Trauttmansdorff is another of Ferdinand II’s close counselors. I’m honestly not sure whether he would support the railroad or not. Pal Nadasdy is fairly conservative as well. Peter von Eisenberg isn’t on the privy council, but is a bright guy. You might be able to get him on your side, though he is a bit rank conscious. His grandparents weren’t noble. Not even as noble as mine.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, too,” Sonny told Karl in a more somber tone. “So, tell me about this railroad?”

“Possible railroad,” Karl corrected. “I have written letters suggesting it to my Aunt Beth and to the family back in Vienna. I hope to get their approval, because it would connect the Danube at Vienna to the Oder at Opole. The Oder is mostly navigable up to Opole, with some breaks, so a railroad between the Danube and the Oder would link a route from the Baltic to the Black Sea by two rivers and a railroad. Which, according to Mrs. Wendell, would produce a lot of trade and a lot of wealth.”