Ferdinand had always been a man of action. Since he planned to build a grain processing plant, he started making preparations immediately.
His territory mainly grew wheat, barley, sugar beets, potatoes, and flax; animal husbandry focused on raising pigs and cattle.
Therefore, to maximize profits, complementary processing was necessary. A flour mill was naturally the first choice; followed by a sugar refinery. Oh, potatoes could also be used to make fries, which was a good option to keep. Flax? Did he also need to open a weaving mill or a clothing factory? He would set that aside for now. A slaughterhouse was feasible and didn't require much investment. Should he get into… The more he thought about it, the more ideas came to him. If all of them were realized, Ferdinand could proudly say: food, clothing, housing, and transportation—all self-sufficient. The ultimate pursuit of feudal landlords would all be achieved.
Opening a factory was not that simple. His father had died early, and his family's businesses were basically conservative investments, typical of the aristocratic class, and had not yet transitioned to capitalism.
Then he would start with himself, a combination of a great aristocrat and a great capitalist, the mainstream of current society.
At the moment, Ferdinand faced some trouble. Although his family had shares in some factories, none of them were under their primary control, so their talent reserves were definitely lacking.
"Butler Karl, please send someone to investigate the flour processing plants near Vienna!" Ferdinand finally decided to start with a flour processing plant.
"Yes, Your Highness, I will attend to it immediately!" Karl-Chekhov replied politely.
Ferdinand was becoming more and more accustomed to his aristocratic identity, unlike when he first arrived, when he liked to do everything himself. For example, having his maid help him dress, being waited on hand and foot, that was his life now.
Ferdinand planned to report to the city guard. Except for the first few days after he transmigrated, when he worked regular hours, he had been absent ever since.
Although no one had questioned it, he still felt it was inappropriate. Where else could he find such a good job?
It was well known that nobles in the German-speaking regions had a tradition of joining the military. If you didn't join, you would be looked down upon, considered a coward, and it would even be difficult to find a suitable wife!
The Ferdinand family was also a noble family from the German-speaking regions, and naturally, they maintained this tradition.
However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was indeed corrupt, and there were many officers like Ferdinand who were just coasting along.
The old emperor was powerless. To maintain the army's combat effectiveness and prevent them from corrupting others, he simply threw them all into the city guard.
Of course, if one was willing to endure hardship, they could be transferred out. The original Ferdinand had always disliked these playboys and refused to associate with them, so he didn't have many friends there.
Entering the city guard building, a decaying smell assaulted him. Just as in his memory, it was a dilapidated and unsightly office building, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.
"This is too dilapidated! No wonder no one comes to work. With this environment, only a ghost would want to come. I don't know how the original owner endured it!" Ferdinand secretly complained.
Walking along, besides a few lazy guards on duty, Ferdinand didn't see anyone else.
He found his office, a small room less than twenty square meters. Inside, there was a small wooden table, a chair, a teacup, and a stack of outdated newspapers. That was all the original owner's office contained.
There was a thick layer of dust in the room, indicating that no one had been there for a long time. Ferdinand looked around, then gave up the idea of cleaning it himself.
He returned the way he came. Without even a single officer, what was the point of reporting? The state of the city guard greatly disappointed him. With such a force, relying on it for combat, no wonder they were beaten senseless by the Russians.
Ferdinand also knew that this was only a part of it, specifically for them, with no training and no missions. Other armies might still have some combat strength; after all, it was one of the five great European powers.
However, thinking about the chaotic ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ferdinand shook his head. The old emperor needed to speak eight languages; the thought alone was terrifying.
"So how should the army be commanded? If each ethnic group formed its own army, the country would easily split. If they were mixed and integrated, to ensure their combat effectiveness, the commanders would first have to learn other ethnic languages. Where would one find a group of academic overachievers?"
"This must be the root cause of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's collapse! Unless they cut the Gordian knot now and unify language and culture, even without World War I, this country wouldn't last long!" Ferdinand thought to himself.
Walking on the streets of Vienna, Ferdinand was still somewhat unaccustomed. Compared to later generations, Vienna was just as bustling now, but unfortunately, it wasn't clean and tidy; many places stank!
If you can't change the world, then adapt to it! The current Ferdinand was a good example.
Unconsciously, he reached the entrance of Volvo. Ferdinand stopped to observe. He watched the bustling crowd entering and exiting, carrying large and small bags, people chatting and laughing, returning home laden with goods.
Ferdinand was very satisfied. He strode towards Volvo, gestured to the security guards at the entrance, indicating that they should not move.
Then he entered the supermarket. The service staff were busy at work. Seeing Ferdinand walk in, they were about to approach him, but he quickly gestured for them to continue.
It was a bit chaotic inside, with many goods scattered around. The service staff were busy tidying up, and there was still a lot of trash on the floor. Ferdinand frowned, then relaxed.
Overall, he was satisfied. Everyone was performing their duties diligently, and business was booming.
However, perhaps due to the limitations of the era, they hadn't considered the importance of hygiene and customer shopping comfort.
Of course, in the 19th century, people might have been used to it. Vienna itself was smelly, and the streets were littered with trash, so there weren't such high demands for hygiene.
Ferdinand still found Franz, expressed his appreciation for his work, and also brought up requirements for environmental hygiene.
Ferdinand would rather increase costs now to retain customers, after all, with one side clean and tidy and the other chaotic, it was easy for people to make a choice.
This era was the most comfortable for capitalists. They could make workers work overtime at will, there were no unions like in later generations, and certainly no threat from the Soviets.
The labor costs Ferdinand envisioned did not increase, but the service staff now had the additional task of constantly cleaning.
Protests, demonstrations, strikes, demands for wage increases, and so on—the terms deeply embedded in Ferdinand's memory—did not appear.