Chapter 581: Promotion
Kaunitz had no idea that a net targeting him had quietly begun to close around him four months earlier.
Hungary had received promises of benefits from Wallachia—benefits the British had secured from Russia.
Wallachia lay just south of Hungary, and should Austria decide to expand there, Hungarian nobles would undoubtedly be the greatest beneficiaries. Thus, they most eagerly wished for the Silesian conflict to end, so the Emperor could turn his gaze towards the Balkans.
Meanwhile, several highly influential Bohemian nobles had taken British bribes, continuously obstructing Vienna's efforts to raise military funds.
At the same time, Baron Thugut also assured them that once he became Minister of State, he would grant them greater autonomy. This immediately brought the Bohemian parliament to the side of the peace faction.
Other factions were even easier to subvert. The Slavic ethnic groups, for instance, didn't even demand benefits; a mere nod from Russia was enough for them to eagerly move against Kaunitz.
Of course, during this process, the attitude of Holy Roman Empress Ludovika was also crucial—Baron Walter, acting as her representative, lobbied throughout Austria to ensure that several key factions would not falter at the critical moment.
Time entered July.
In the Austrian Minister of State's office, Kaunitz's face was grim as he stared at the war preparation documents before him, his hands trembling slightly with rage.
Not only was there still a 70% shortfall in war materials, but at the current rate of military expenditure, they would run out of military pay within three months...
...
France.
Paris.
On the Seine River dock, workers busily loaded crates of fashionable clothing and particleboard furniture onto the ships.
These ships belonged to the "Blue Sky Caravan" of the French Trade Alliance. They were taking advantage of the reduced tariffs in the Duchy of Tuscany to transport and sell as many goods as possible there.
As for the goods themselves, they were, of course, the products manufactured during the previous fraudulent order scheme.
Since the factories had lost their orders, and had received partial deposits along with subsequent government compensation, they were operating with a mindset of selling whatever they could to recoup costs, keeping prices extremely low.
After receiving the negotiation results from Talleyrand, Joseph instructed the French Trade Alliance to begin selling the stockpiled products from various factories in the Southern Netherlands and Tuscany. Naturally, many were also sent to the German States, as the markets in the first two locations were too small to absorb over ten million Francs worth of goods.
This was where the advantage of the government possessing a large-scale caravan became evident.
Once the order was issued, acquisition efforts across various regions were fully underway within half a month. The Trade Alliance could also negotiate uniform industry prices in its name, reducing transportation costs to approximately 85% of their original amount.
At the same time, to protect French industry, Joseph mandated that the Trade Alliance's purchase price should not fall below 80% of the usual normal price.
Other non-Trade Alliance caravans, who had initially planned to take advantage of the situation and profit handsomely, were forced to raise their acquisition prices due to this established floor price.
The salespeople of the Blue Sky Caravan conducted their final training session on the deck.
The course, established by the Minister of Trade at Joseph's behest, would teach the caravan personnel many modern sales techniques.
There was no other option; the accumulated products were simply too numerous. Using conventional sales models, it would be virtually impossible to clear them out in a short period.
He had also rejected Bailly's suggestion of "selling at reduced prices."
Such a large-scale price reduction would inevitably cheapen the prestige of French goods. Moreover, once prices dropped, raising them again would be difficult.
Thus, Joseph could only come up with some ideas for sales strategies.
Aboard the "Giant Tortoise," the caravan members were shouting their pitches loudly:
"Not 99 Florins today, not even 9 Florins! For just 9 Kreuzer, take home this refined, high-carbon, industrially produced axe from Nancy!"
"At 9 Kreuzer, you can't go wrong, you won't be fooled—it's truly worth every penny!"
"Today, I, Paul, am offering a special deal to everyone! Normally, this dress, designed by a top Parisian fashion designer—look at the material, the style, the craftsmanship—would sell for at least 100 Florins. Today, not 100 Florins, but just 90! Ten percent off! And not only ten percent off, but if you buy one dress, I'll even throw in a sterling silver collar pin! Look at this craftsmanship; normally this collar pin alone sells for 15 Florins! You say I'm not being generous enough? Fine, I'm going all out—buy the dress and I'll add a belt! Look at this embroidery quality; it could easily sell for 15 Florins in Paris! Meaning you're effectively getting this dress for 60 Florins..."
"Today's special offer is limited to just 50 items! Once they're gone, I'm leaving, not a single one more. If you want to buy such quality goods at this price again, you'll have to wait until next year! Oh, and dear customers who've made a purchase, remember to enter the raffle! The grand prize is the trendiest particleboard wardrobe!"
The caravan's salespeople were utterly serious, having rehearsed their sales pitches until they were second nature.
They had tried this in France, and with these "pitches," they could even increase sales tenfold! People, as if under a spell, rushed to snap up the goods.
...
In a carriage heading to the eastern suburbs of Paris, Minister of Trade Bailly was reporting to the Crown Prince on the preparations of the Trade Alliance.
"...Currently, nearly five million Francs worth of goods have been acquired, and they are expected to arrive at various destinations in 10 to 15 days. Training for the caravan's sales personnel has also been completed, and I anticipate all goods will be sold within two and a half months.
"As for the next batch of goods, I recommend waiting until next spring to sell them..."
Joseph frowned slightly. "Why wait so long?"
"Your Highness, these goods are surplus to normal trade," Bailly explained. "Meaning, most people have already bought what they need. It will be quite difficult for us to get them to buy an additional five million Francs worth of goods in the second half of this year."
Only then did Joseph remember that this was not the consumer-driven future. People's purchasing power was low; they bought items intending them to last a lifetime, and generally only purchased necessities.
It was indeed very difficult to sell tens of millions of Francs worth of additional goods.
'How could they stimulate foreign trade consumption?'
He suddenly recalled something an employer, with whom his former mentor had collaborated, once said: 'If customers don't have a need, we'll help them create one.'
That employer later went to France to promote energy conservation and environmental protection, ultimately succeeding in selling over a thousand wind power generators in several provinces.
Joseph looked at Bailly and asked, "When do people usually spend the most money?"
"Ah?" The Minister of Trade paused, then mused, "When they're sick... or getting married?"
"Marriage, precisely!" Joseph's eyes narrowed. "Therefore, we must create more demand for people when they get married in other countries."
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