Chapter 241 Ironclad Ship

When the war in the Near East broke out, other parts of the world were also not peaceful. Britain, France and Russia started fighting, which made Americans on the other side of the ocean feel that an opportunity was coming.

First, Cuba was involved in things, and the Spaniard cut off his tentacles, touched his nose, and was warned by Britain and France, and had to continue to shrink back to pretend to be a grandson.

However, the Americans still did not give up. In July 1853, the Americans created the Black Ship Incident in Japan and used force to force the shogunate government to accept their conditions and signed the "Japan-US Kanagawa Treaty".

According to the feces and urine of the foreign powers, it is naturally impossible to watch the Americans monopolize Japan's interests, so everyone joined it, Britain, France, the Netherlands and other countries took the lead, forcing the shogunate government to sign a similar treaty.

The news reached Vienna, and the Austrian colonialists saw an opportunity and wanted to take the opportunity to join in. The Vienna government is discussing whether to follow suit.

Prime Minister Felix said: "Your Majesty, Japan is too far away from us, and our interests there are not large, so there is no need to spend too much energy.

Now our focus is on domestic development, especially in the southern German region. Rather than taking action in East Asia, it is more in our interest to infiltrate the German Federal Empire. "

Admiral Philcos objected: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, we don't need to pay much for taking action in the Near East. The Dutch can force the Japanese government to compromise, and it is not difficult for us to obtain equal benefits.

Now the Japanese government has been frightened and dare not refuse our proposal at all.

Even if diplomacy fails, we have an agreement with the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal to obtain supplies from their colonies, and it is not difficult to send a fleet to Asia to deter Japan. "

To open up overseas colonies, Austria is not doing nothing. Signing an overseas port supply treaty with the declining colonial empire is one of the measures.

In the short term, it is an empty promise. Austria has no overseas colonies, but no one doubts that Austria has the strength to open up overseas colonies.

By convention, the entry of emerging empires is bound to seize the sphere of influence of established empires. The Vienna government released its goodwill and willingness to coexist peacefully. Naturally, everyone would not object.

Metternich analyzed: "There are many countries that are eyeing Japan, and now that they have opened their doors, I am afraid everyone will flock to it.

In fact, the Russians had long planned to colonize Japan. If the Near East War had not broken out, it would not have been the Americans' turn to take the lead.

Under the current international situation, it is not a big problem for us to join in and get a share of the pie, but if we want to gain greater benefits, we must send a naval fleet. "

Austria's navy is not very good, even after Franz came to power, it has been expanded to a certain extent.

However, the strengths and weaknesses are compared. Compared with the two naval powers of Britain and France, it is not worth mentioning. There is naturally no pressure to bully Japan in this era.

However, this cannot be a reason for Austria to send a naval fleet to the Far East. The key is to look at the interests.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz made a decision: "The Far East is not the focus of our expansion. Even if we are to colonize overseas, we must try our best to avoid conflicts with European countries.

Now everyone should focus on the borderless land, even if it is desolate at all, it doesn't matter, just start accumulating experience.

What we should do now is to send more expeditions to explore the land that has not been occupied by various countries. As long as it is an area that is easy to rule, we can take it down to practice, and there is no need to pursue immediate interests too much.

On the issue of Japan, just follow in the footsteps of other countries, you can get a part of our interests, and you don't need to continue to expand. "

Franz said these words lightly on the surface, but in fact, blood was dripping from the bottom of his heart. It's hard to catch up with the last train of the colonial empire, but because of the strength of the navy, I can only pick up some British and French scraps.

If you don't know how to snatch fat, let alone Britain and France, it is estimated that old colonial empires such as Spain and the Netherlands will make Austria unable to eat and go.

Overseas colonization is not only based on strength, but also on the way of governance. As a newcomer to join in, these old empires do not interfere with force, just dig a hole, you can make your losses upside down.

Including the American occupation of the Philippine Islands in history, it seems that they have won the victory, but they actually know the hardships. In the hands of the Spaniards oil-rich land became a loser in their hands.

This is still a wealthy Philippine archipelago, and if it is replaced by a backcountry, it is estimated that the loss will be even worse.

Colonial rule also depends on the cost. If you have no experience in colonial management, if you blindly join the colonial army, you are ready to die!

In contrast, Franz is more willing to go to uninhabited islands to plant the national flag, and he can swear an oath of sovereignty by simply stationing a few soldiers. Don't worry about being robbed.

Of course, this kind of island, either with poor geological conditions or too small, should not expect much benefit, at most it can only be used as a resource reserve area.

Admiralty Philcos suggested: "Your Majesty, we have been developing on the European continent and have not made a sound in the world, which is very unfavorable for us to open up overseas colonies in the future.

Why don't we organize a navy cruise around the world, visit countries around the world, and take a chance to win some borderlands as our first step out of Europe. "

The rise of almost every maritime power is inseparable from a large-scale naval battle. obviously

Austria has no such opportunity and cannot find such a stepping stone.

Britain and France can't win at all, and they still can't win after 20 years of development. Franz still doesn't want to die, and has no intention of challenging the maritime hegemony.

The next best thing, unfortunately, the rest of the country is not worthy of the Austrian challenge. If you look at the map, you will know that everyone is simply out of reach, and there is not enough conflict of interest.

Unless you go to beat the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire navy once ranked fifth in the world in history, which is barely qualified.

But according to the current situation, Franz is very doubtful that the Ottoman government still has the money to build such a fleet.

If there is no suitable opponent, you can only take another path. Anyway, Austria is an old-fashioned empire, and there is no need to determine the status of the powers through war. It is already on the field, so why bother to grab the tickets?

As a civilized man, Franz hated war. In his opinion, war means risk, and a lunatic who rashly provokes a war without sufficient benefits will definitely not survive in this era.

The current proposal of the Secretary of the Navy is actually based on the international political environment. Since Austria adopted a conservative colonial strategy, force deterrence was important.

Even if you can't scare Britain and France, you still have to show your strength to deter other countries, so as to avoid unnecessary troubles when you colonize overseas.

Historically, at the beginning of the 20th century, Americans established their status as a maritime power through a flamboyant voyage around the world.

Feasible is feasible, the premise is that the Austrian Navy has that strength. Franz is very skeptical about this. It is not so simple to travel across the ocean. Traveling around the world is still challenging in this era.

In case of an accident in the middle, if you can't pretend to be a fool, you will become a fool, and then the fun will be great. The Austrian Navy has no experience in the global industry, and whether the warships can withstand it is a question.

If the warship breaks down in the middle, where will it be repaired? In the ocean-going industry, how to obtain logistical supplies? How can naval officers and soldiers endure long-term sea life? All these aspects must be taken into consideration.

Franz asked directly: "Filkos, are you sure that our navy can do this and won't make an international joke?"

The stakes are very important, and Filcos naturally can't guarantee it. Not to mention the Austrian navy, even the British and French navies cannot guarantee that a circumnavigation of the world will not be a problem.

Philcos encouraged: "Your Majesty, this is a medium-term strategic vision, and it will definitely not be possible at the beginning. We can choose an ocean-going route to gain experience, and then go around the world when the time is ripe.

Moreover, our Admiralty is not unprepared. In order to narrow the strength gap with the British and French naval powers, our independently developed ironclad technology has matured.

We have placed an order and expect the first ironclad to enter service with the Navy within two years.

This epoch-making warship will definitely rewrite the history of naval warships and eliminate the naval warships of all countries. "

As a catcher, the best way to gain an advantage in the navy is to promote technological innovation, eliminate old warships, and put everyone on the same starting line again.

Historically, the outbreak of the German navy was due to the advent of the era of dreadnoughts, allowing them to see an opportunity to catch up with the British.

The Austrian Navy is no exception. If sailing warships are developed to catch up with Britain and France, no one has this confidence. The gap between them is really too big.

Since Franz proposed the concept of ironclad three years ago, it has attracted the attention of the Austrian Navy. After careful study by shipyard engineers, it was found that ironclad is theoretically feasible.

Since it is feasible, it is natural to carry out research and development. Most of the increased military expenditure of the Austrian Navy in recent years has been invested in the research and development of warships, and now it is finally coming to fruition.

No matter how many sailing warships the British and French have, once the ironclad ships come out, these warships will be eliminated.

Blockade technology is impossible. In this era, the navies of various countries are only a breakthrough in concept from ironclad ships, and there are no major problems in technology.

During this period, the French Navy also started the road of ironclad research and development. The British had a similar plan in 1856 after they obtained the information on the French ironclads.

Of course, it will definitely take time from research and development to final service, and the adoption of new technologies cannot be smooth sailing. Even if the research and development starts a few years in advance, Franz is not sure who will build the ironclad first.

What he asked for was to build an ironclad ship, not an ironclad ship with a layer of iron covering the outside of the warship. If you just add a layer of iron, it came out hundreds of years ago, and there is no need for research and development at all.

Prince Wendischgritz asked, "Iron armored ship? Mr. Philkes, are you sure that the all-iron warship will not sink after it is equipped with cannons, and it will still be able to run?"

This is the view of most people, and the first impression of many people is to sink. Ironclad ships must be much heavier than wooden warships, plus artillery, ammunition, personnel, etc., whether they can run is a problem.

Philcos said dissatisfiedly: "His Royal Highness, please don't question my professionalism. If it is the same tonnage, the ironclad ship must not be heavier than the wooden warship because of its own weight.

However, wooden warships are limited by raw materials. Now the technology of various countries can only build warships with a displacement of more than 4,000 tons, but ironclad ships do not have this limitation.

We can make up for this small problem as long as we increase the tonnage of the warship.

The armor of the ironclad can block the enemy's artillery fire, even if it is a 48-pound gun, it will bring it a little trouble at most.

And because the hull of the ironclad ship is more stable, we can also equip explosive cannons. As long as the sailing warship hits the key point, one shot can solve the enemy.

The ironclad is powered by a steam engine, so there is no need to worry about the speed. You can refer to the steam ship.

On the battlefield, an ironclad ship can easily kill more than a dozen sailing warships. "

These are the advantages of ironclad ships, and the disadvantage is naturally the skyrocketing cost. Philcos will naturally not speak out about these issues.

Anyway, as long as Austria wants to carry out colonial expansion, it is impossible for the cabinet to give up after seeing the power of the ironclad.

Prince Wendischgritz continued: "Sorry, Philcos, I'm not questioning your professionalism. I'm just a little puzzled. Ironclad ships have so many advantages, so why don't other countries build them? Could it be that our shipbuilding technology has become the world's first?"

Philcos said confidently: "His Royal Highness, this statement is not accurate, it's not just us who are interested in ironclads.

As far as I know, the French have a similar design but haven't started implementing it yet.

Britain and France have a large number of sailing warships. Once the era of ironclad ships comes, all of their warships will be eliminated.

This is not only an economic loss, but more importantly, most of their naval advantages have been lost, and everyone has to work hard again on the same starting line.

So even if they have plans for this, they have to weigh the pros and cons. Recklessly promoting the innovation of shipbuilding technology will not only bring benefits, but may also be disasters.

As a latecomer, we do not have this pressure. Because there is no relationship with overseas colonies, our navy is far from comparable to theirs.

Even if it is all over again, we will take advantage of it. In fact, only two ironclad ships are needed now to match the total tonnage of the Austrian Navy. "

Chancellor of the Exchequer Carl exclaimed: "What, an ironclad ship has a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, how much does it cost?"

It is not surprising that the naval ships of this era were not very large, and the total tonnage of the Austrian Navy was only so small.

The chancellor was surprised not by the size of the warship, but by the professional reaction to how much it would cost to build such a warship.

Philcos said calmly: "Not so much, I just exaggerated a little, the displacement of the ironclad is only eight or nine thousand tons.

The specific data will not be known until it is constructed. You all know that the role of new technologies is full of uncertainty, and it is acceptable to have a little error in the final displacement.

The cost is indeed a little higher than that of ordinary warships, but the excellent performance of the ironclad ships is still worth the price. If you add weapons and equipment, it will probably be more than three or four million dongs, not more than five million.

This is the first ironclad ship. Many technologies need to be tested. When the number of constructions increases, the cost will drop. "

A warship plus weapons and equipment accounts for one-third of the Navy's annual budget. Franz knew that the era of the Navy's burning money had come.

If you use this money to build sailing warships, you can build five or six first-class battleships, which is bound to bring even greater financial pressure to the colonial empire.

Everyone fell into contemplation and began to weigh the pros and cons, whether to provoke a new round of naval arms race.