Chapter 1058 The Mediterranean Is Our Inland Sea
Under Franz's intervention, the Admiralty's full-heavy artillery battleship plan was passed as a matter of course.
There was no fanfare, nor was there any deliberate secrecy.
After all, it is only a test ship, and no one can guarantee its success. On the road of exploring naval technology, the Vienna government has stepped on too many pits.
There are no accidents. After every failure, a group of "hindsight" will attack. Making the Admiralty look like crap and a waste of taxpayer money.
In fact, the failure of new technology attempts is nothing, the key is the lack of convincing record of the Navy. If it had been changed to an army with a strong record, there would definitely not be such criticism.
"learn from mistakes".
After learning from the previous experiences and lessons, when exploring new technologies and ideas, the Ministry of the Navy always adopts cold treatment.
If you succeed and announce it to the public, just enjoy the applause. If it fails, it is natural to swallow the bitter fruit silently.
This is the price that must be paid for being ahead of the times. In the field of scientific research, there has never been a so-called undefeated victory. Behind every success, there are countless failures piled up.
Of course, there is also a gap between failure and failure. It can be forgiven if the performance of the test ship fails to meet the design requirements, or lacks actual combat capabilities, but the basic mechanical principles must be followed.
If the built ship sinks before it leaves the port, then it will be held accountable.
It is okay not to publicize, but "confidentiality" is not necessary. In fact, for such a big thing as a warship, once it is on the berth, it cannot be kept secret.
The battleship of the 19th century is the embodiment of the highest industrial level of a country. To build a qualified battleship, at least hundreds of related companies must cooperate.
Such a big movement can't be hidden from the past. What can be hidden is nothing more than the performance parameters of warships, and the construction of warships is not a secret at all.
Even in the Holy Roman Empire, there were only a few shipyards capable of building battleships. It was targeted by international spies early on, and it was known that the ship was being built when the materials were shipped in.
Of course, the Vienna government can also play strategic deception if it wants to. Putting a merchant ship in the dock of a battleship can also fool people.
It's just that it's not necessary. If it wasn't for worrying about being too deliberate and arousing the suspicion of the British, Franz would have revealed the parameters of the full-heavy artillery battleship.
An arms race, of course, requires people to participate. If the British don't know, how can they play?
"Secretization", using the advantages of new technologies to hit the enemy with a surprise attack, that only exists in theory.
The most critical thing is that the "dreadnought" is full of uncertainties. Before the warship is launched, no one can guarantee that it will be successful.
If he is 100% sure of success, Franz doesn't mind starting a dozen ships at one go, and immediately catches the British by surprise after serving.
In fact, the birth of the original space-time dreadnought was full of twists and turns. Everyone only saw the success of the British, and no one paid attention to the setbacks experienced behind them.
Ten years earlier, Franz could not guarantee that the Admiralty's "dreadnought" plan would be perfect.
If there is a problem with the design and a bunch of big toys with no practical value are created, it will be embarrassing. The emperor also could not afford such political risks.
Gambling is a taboo of the monarch, and what the people need is a stable emperor.
Small countries have no more choices, so they need to take risks; big countries have more choices and a higher fault tolerance rate, and conservatism is king.
The parameters of the warship have not been disclosed, and the outside world only regards it as an ordinary battleship. Shinra builds it almost every year, so naturally there is no disturbance.
Franz was in no hurry about all this. Anyway, the British will know when the warship is launched. At that time, the stimulus to the London government will be even greater.
According to the plan, Shinra's first "full heavy artillery battleship" will start in early February 1898. If there are no accidents, it will be able to launch in 1899.
The timing was very good, and the Central Asia Railway opened to traffic at about the same time. Maritime hegemony and India are threatened at the same time. It is estimated that the British government will not be driven crazy, but will jump in a hurry.
...
In the evening, the Spanish embassy in Vienna was brightly lit, and accompanied by bursts of music, a diplomatic ball began.
"Your Excellency, Minister, we really have no intention of spying on your country's colonies. Aren't you tired of probing like this every day?"
Shinra Foreign Minister Weisenberg, who was invited to the banquet, is having a very headache now. I don't know where the Spaniards got the news that Shinra was plotting against Morocco. Recently, Minister Brad has been pestering him every day.
In order to verify the authenticity of the news, Weissenberg not only contacted the military and the colonial department, but even sent a telegram to inquire about the province of Algeria, saying that there was no similar plan "recently".
However, no matter what Weisenberg explained, the Spanish envoy Brad in front of him didn't believe it.
Well, that's not surprising either. There is no recent plan to plot against Morocco, which does not mean that there was no plan in the past, and it does not mean that there will be no plan in the future.
On the issue of overseas colonization, the Vienna government fully delegated powers.
Not only the military and the Colonial Department can lead the development of colonies, but overseas colonial governments, nobles, and civil groups can also develop colonies.
Generally speaking, before the start of colonial activities, it is enough to report to the nearest government, and there is no mandatory requirement.
Anyway, whoever leads is responsible, the colony has been successfully opened, Vienna
The government has ratified it. Non-government planning, colonial activities failed, all consequences are at your own risk.
In recent decades, the Vienna government has issued 80,000 or 100,000 colonial licenses. There are too many groups and individuals with colonial qualifications.
The forest is big and there are all kinds of birds. With so many colonial groups, there are definitely not a few who are eyeing Morocco.
A few of them, Tie Hanhan, leaked their own colonial plans to the hands of the Spanish government, which is nothing more than normal.
Wesenberg has encountered similar protests many times. Not to mention the Spanish colonies, even the British colonies, some people dare to spy on them.
Generally, these stay in the planning stage. Without the support of the Vienna government, few dare to take practical actions.
Wesenberg can only guarantee that Shinra officials have no intention of attacking Morocco. As for whether there is anyone in the civil society, it is none of his business.
In any case, Spain is also a medium-sized country, and it cannot be provoked by a few civil colonial groups.
In Weisenberg's view, Minister Brad's current nervousness is completely over a trivial matter.
As if his tail was being stepped on, Brad flatly denied it: "Your Excellency, I really didn't try.
As you know, we have suffered from wars in recent years, and the government's financial pressure is very heavy.
Although the colonial rebellion was suppressed not long ago, it will still take a long time for the local economy to return to normal.
In the next few years, our colony will not only be unable to create wealth, but will need the government to pour money into it.
In order to reduce expenses, after careful research in the country, the Morocco region is ready to be sold. Considering our traditional friendship with your country, I give priority to contacting you. "
Obviously, Weisenberg's denial not only failed to clear up the suspicion, but instead made Minister Brad firm in his domestic judgment.
Now that it has been determined that Shinra is plotting against the Morocco region, the Spanish government, which is unable to resist, naturally has to find a way to stop losses.
If you can't keep it anyway, then find a way to sell it at a good price. It is a pity that buyers are hard to find these days. There are many countries that are eyeing the Morocco region, but there are no countries that dare to prey on them.
Even the British are unwilling to run to be neighbors with Shinra for the sake of Morocco.
For the British government, the longer the land border with Shinra, the greater the pressure to bear.
It is easy to buy the Morocco region, but the problem is what to do after the occupation? You can't deploy hundreds of thousands of troops to confront Shinra for the sake of Morocco, right?
Sea power countries go to the mainland to play against land power countries, that is definitely a manifestation of brain flooding.
To put it bluntly, the Spanish government only has a nominal suzerainty. It was obtained by illegal means, and the Moroccans simply do not recognize it.
If Spain completely occupied the Moroccan region and established a complete order, maybe some people would dare to take food from their mouths.
After all, at this point, the Vienna government has already begun to lose face, and it is impossible to snatch our colonies for no reason.
Unfortunately, the Spanish government can only sell a name. At most, the control of the northern region is added, but this control area is not only limited in size, but also very lacking in control, and is often threatened by indigenous tribes.
In this context, buying Morocco at a high price may not only offend the Vienna government, but also send troops to fight Morocco, which is obviously a loss-making business.
No one is willing to pay a big price, and the Spanish government can only put its idea on the Vienna government.
After a long period of contact and understanding, the Spanish government found that the Holy Roman Empire was different from the previous European overlords. It was a master who paid attention to appearance and image.
For the Spanish government, the Vienna government's face is the biggest "good thing". Since the boss pays attention to his own image, he can't take advantage of it.
Even for the purpose of "buying bones with a thousand dollars", the Vienna government, which does not want to bear the notoriety of bullying the younger brother, must offer a high price.
Colonies, as a kind of wealth, are tradable in themselves. In the original time and space, the Spanish government almost sold Cuba, but the Americans were a little darker.
Although it was proposed to buy, the conditions offered were all empty checks full of traps. You must know that the U.S. dollar at that time was not an international currency. The U.S. government was only willing to pay in U.S. dollars, and it was not a one-time payment.
If 100 million U.S. dollars were exchanged for 100 million pounds and paid in cash, it is estimated that there would be no subsequent Spanish-American War.
Now that the words have come to this point, Weisenberg is too lazy to continue explaining. If you misunderstand, just misunderstand. If you want to be the overlord, you still have to be afraid of being misunderstood.
Since the Spanish government dared to sell, the Vienna government dared to buy. In any case, Morocco is also a rare good place in Africa.
It not only has a piece of fertile soil, but also has the reputation of "cool land under the hot sun" and "North African garden". More importantly, it can guard the gateway from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
In the hands of the Spanish government, Morocco's strategic value is infinitely close to zero. Once in the hands of Shinra, it will be able to lock the west gate of the Mediterranean Sea.
When domestic media boast, they can add another sentence: "The Mediterranean Sea is our inland sea."
Although it's a bit arrogant to brag like this, if you want to compare it with Spain, France, Greece, Montenegro, Sardinia and other countries that are also Mediterranean countries, you won't have much opinion.
With military and political bonuses, even if it is only a nominal suzerainty, it is also impossible to
should.
After pausing for a while, Weisenberg said slowly: "Well, since your country is in financial difficulties, we can understand the sale of the Morocco region.
It's just that your country doesn't completely control the Morocco region, and the Kingdom of Morocco still retains a certain strength, so the price has to be discounted.
If your government really wants to sell it at a good price, I suggest that your country send troops to occupy the Moroccan region and talk to us.
In that case, we will definitely give you a price that satisfies your country, and your country will never suffer. "
Knowing that "encouraging Spain to send troops to Morocco" is unrealistic, Weisenberg still didn't mind throwing it out.
It's not to lower the price, but mainly to let Minister Brad recognize the reality, don't think that the Vienna government needs to pay attention to eating, and they can take Shinra as a fool.
As soon as the words fell, Minister Brad's expression brightened. If Spain has the strength to kill the Kingdom of Morocco, there is no need to wait until now.
As the country closest to the European powers, Morocco has been able to maintain independence for so many years. In addition to the mutual containment between the great powers, their own strength is also an important factor.
You know, in order to deal with several indigenous tribes in the north, the Spanish government has gone back and forth several times, but they have not completely solved the problem.
Sending troops to destroy the Kingdom of Morocco is easy to say. If it is really implemented, it is not known how much military expenditure will be spent.
Brad directly chose to ignore Weisenberg's "satisfactory price". Just listen to this kind of words, if you take it seriously, you will be an idiot.
"Your Excellency, based on our current situation, it is no longer suitable to continue to wage war. For Spain, the most important thing right now is to recuperate.
As for the Kingdom of Morocco you mentioned, in fact, there is no need to care about it at all. It's just an indigenous kingdom, and for your country, they can be wiped out without breaking a sweat.
Even the army does not need to be mobilized. As long as your government signals, the civilian armed forces alone can wipe out Morocco ten times.
Such a little dust will not affect the transaction at all. "
Flattery, shameless flattery. In order to sell the Morocco region for a good price, Minister Brad obviously gave up his integrity.
Knowing that Brad was flattering, Weisenberg still accepted it unceremoniously. The overlord needs the aura of the overlord. If you don't even have confidence in your own strength, how can you mess around?
What's more, Brad's praise is not too much. The Kingdom of Morocco is really not a problem for Shinra. On the issue of expanding colonies, Shinra's civilian armed forces are extremely motivated.
If Shinra gathers all the civilian armed forces, not to mention destroying the Kingdom of Morocco, even Spain will not be a problem.
If you want to make a world army ranking, then it is:
First, the Holy Roman Empire;
Second, the Russian Empire;
Third, the noble private army of the Holy Roman Empire;
...
There is no way, the status of these guys is all obtained from the battlefield with one knife and one shot. It may not be possible to do other things, but it is absolutely not timid to fight.
Before these military strongmen went to see God, Shinra's noble private army was an important armed force.
"Your Excellency, there is no point in talking about these things. Since your country really wants to sell the Morocco region, why don't you make a price first?"
It can be seen that Weisenberg is in a good mood. It seems that Brad's flattery has had an effect, and he seems to be very satisfied with the deal.
Minister Bullard: "Okay, Your Excellency. The Morocco region has great economic, military, and political value. I think 300 million Aegis is a reasonable number."