The Shadow of Great Britain Chapter 1175 - 126: Money Laundering? No, Railroad Investmen

I thought the monk would be furious, but unexpectedly he spat on the ground, showing no clerical deanor at all.

He pursed his lips and said solemnly to : "Hey, sir, I wish I could sink all the Pauline Order monks to the bottom of the Rhine River. I’ve often thought of setting the monastery on fire and converting to Islam. When I was fifteen, my parents forced to wear this damned robe so that my wretched, accursed brother could get a bigger share of the estate. The monastery is full of envy, intrigue, and madness. I preach haphazardly to earn a bit of money, half of which is deducted by the dean, and the rest spent on won. Every ti I return to the monastery in the evening, thinking about these things, I wish I could smash my head against the bedroom wall and die. You think I’m lucky only because you don’t understand the dirty secrets behind it all."

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at these words, and Krupp, emboldened by the alcohol, asked: "So there are Pauline Order monks in London too? I thought they were only active in Germany and Eastern Europe."

Arthur winked at him: "Oh, Alfred, you’ve been tricked. That story was actually made up by . However, the monk I talked about does have a real-life prototype."

ndelssohn’s interest was piqued: "Who is the prototype?"

"Who else could it be?"

Disraeli’s face was flushed from drinking, and he downed his beer with satisfaction, letting out a long breath: "I bet it must be the French Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mr. Talleyrand. Arthur loves to mock Talleyrand’s exploits. Imitating his limp, hinting at him betraying his master as a politician and betraying God as a bishop. What’s puzzling is that, despite his usual pettiness, Mr. Talleyrand surprisingly tolerates him. Napoleon was betrayed twice by Talleyrand, yet Talleyrand never uttered a single bad word about him."

Arthur was also a bit tipsy, and he revealed the reason in one sentence: "That’s because he still owes money! He lost at least three hundred pounds in gambling debts to , and he has only paid off a small portion of it. Moreover... hic! Before he settles his debt, I’ve brought him another substantial revenue. Mr. Talleyrand loves money; he wouldn’t be at odds with his own cash cow."

Upon hearing the ntion of money, Krupp’s drowsiness from the alcohol quickly dissipated, and he pursued: "Did you introduce him to a lucrative project?"

Arthur forked a potato dumpling and mused while chewing: "When it cos to profitable projects, there are quite a few. But not all of them were introduced by ; so were little favors he asked of , such as Bona..."

Midway through his speech, Arthur realized the misstep and quickly corrected: "Such as the investnt with the Bonaparte family’s Louis Bonaparte in the British Great Western Railway, which is a lucrative project. As long as the railway is completed smoothly, this investnt is absolutely guaranteed to be profitable."

"Great Western Railway?" Liszt, who was drowsily listening on the side, perked up at these words: "So you also involve yourself in railroad investnts? I never expected that you were my fellow in this field."

"Fellow?" Arthur didn’t expect his offhand remark to uncover new information: "Aren’t you a political economist? Do you also work as a railway engineer?"

Upon Arthur’s query, Liszt imdiately began to enthusiastically recount his history and investnt projects.

Liszt, after immigrating to the United States, initially worked as a farr to make a living.

However, he had no talent for agricultural work, so it didn’t succeed, and he sold the farm to turn to his old trade, opening a German-language newspaper called the "Reading Eagle" in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Since the newspaper was quite successful, he took the opportunity to et many German-Arican wealthy rchants and established a coal company through their connections. To increase the company’s operational efficiency, Liszt quickly got into railway construction and participated in establishing so of the earliest railroad companies in the United States.

With the increase of wealth and social influence, Liszt naturally advanced toward politics and got acquainted with the current U.S. President, Andrew Jackson. To reward Liszt for his support, Jackson imdiately granted him U.S. nationality after being elected president in 1830, and this year appointed him as the Consul of the United States in the Grand Duchy of Baden.

With his new diplomatic identity, Liszt naturally got diplomatic immunity too, allowing him to return to Germany boldly, without worrying about being arrested and imprisoned by Wurttemberg Duchy police.

However, Liszt’s return to Europe wasn’t entirely for flaunting his success.

This economist, who first proposed the necessity of a customs union, realized the great comrcial potential hidden within the German States as his ideas were gradually being implented.

The establishnt of a unified German market ant explosive growth for the transportation industry, particularly railway transport.

Bavaria and Prussia, as leaders of the North and South German Customs Union, are bound to compete in railroad construction. It is evident to keen observers that whoever completes the railway to other German States first is more likely to secure mbership promises from smaller states.

Liszt not only has experience in railway construction but is also the proposer of the customs union, so he believes he is highly likely to be valued in Germany.