Chapter 242: No Choice
Franz did not make an immediate decision on the future strategic development of the navy, which will be discussed after the war in the Near East is over.
However, he readily approved the funding for the navy to build ironclad ships. In any case, the honor of buying the world's first ironclad ship with a few million guilders, the political gains alone are enough to make up for it.
The new Holy Roman Empire has just been established, and the government needs good news to cheer people up. A few million dongs to build a warship to buy a wave of national pride is much stronger than a face project.
Global cruising is not something that can be done in a short period of time. At least an iron-clad fleet is required to have a shocking effect.
Franz is not a prodigal. Before the first ironclad ship came out to prove its superiority, it was impossible for him to make a bunch of them at one time.
When the first generation of ironclad ships comes out, the shipyard has accumulated experience, and it will be easy to upgrade the technology later.
As for the performance of the early ironclads, Franz is not worried at all. The big deal is to upgrade it in the future and sell it to the Americans during the Civil War.
Not only Americans, but also a lot of big international customers. Russians are a potential big customer, although they are a little poorer.
However, Franz is not worried. The big deal is to fool the Russians in the future. On the grounds of saving money, the two countries will engage in naval research and development together.
The French did it before World War I, and then they jumped into the pit with the Russians. Everyone else is blasting dreadnoughts, but the two countries have not responded, and they have built a bunch of warships that can be retired before they are in service.
Then it is even more important to fight for the honor of the "first ironclad ship", and the brand effect is the basis for selling a good price.
Every time technological innovation is half a step ahead of others, it will naturally leave the outside world with a very powerful concept of technology.
Don't think how professional the politicians are. In fact, most of these people can make decisions with a slap in the ass. The first thing everyone weighs is the benefit, and the second is the impression.
This is the same as the sales of ordinary products. Products with brand bonuses are always sold at a higher price, while products without brands can only be sold at street prices.
Obviously, military products can't be sold at the price of goods on the ground. If you do that, you will lose a lot of money.
Now the arms sold by Austria to the Russians are all at the same price in the international market before the war, but the net profit will not be less than 30%. The huge profits in the arms market can be seen in general.
...
In the Balkans, since Britain, France and Austria reached an agreement on the Greek issue at the Paris Conference, the coalition forces have naturally withdrawn from the Kingdom of Greece.
There is a Montenegrin principality next door, and they need to get it done, so Oliver has no time to continue playing with the Greeks. Anyway, under the principle of the unanimity of great powers, the Greeks have no right to choose.
The conditions of acceptance are semi-colonial and semi-capitalist countries. Under the mutual restraint of major powers, the Kingdom of Greece can still maintain its territory without worrying about the survival of the country; if it rejects the demands of various countries, it will immediately become history.
After the Greeks got down on the ground, the morale of the coalition forces finally recovered. Neither the British nor the Sardinian army put the Principality of Montenegro in their eyes. On the contrary, the Ottoman army often fought against Montenegro and knew that it was a hard bone.
Major General Oliver was very dissatisfied with the procrastination of the Ottomans. No, Lieutenant General Oliver is now. He has just won a battle. Naturally, he has been promoted, and the position of commander of the expeditionary force has been obtained.
I have to sigh once again the importance of the backstage. Compared with other British generals, Oliver got into the position of lieutenant general before the age of forty, which is enough to make many people feel ashamed.
The liaison officer Amedeo Biawati said dissatisfiedly: "Your Excellency Commander, the Ottomans rejected our request to send troops jointly on the grounds that they needed to clear up the rebellion to regain lost territory."
In his opinion, now everyone is helping the Ottomans to fight, and none of their allies have fallen off the chain. The Ottoman army actually retreated first.
However, he had no way to blame the Ottoman government, because in the previous battle, Britain and France directly killed the main force of the Ottoman army.
In order to appease the Ottomans, the two governments made a promise that they could not participate in the following battles.
Oliver thought about it and said, "Forget it, a mere Montenegrin principality is not worth mentioning at all. It doesn't matter whether the Ottoman ginseng participates in the next battle."
When he said this, Oliver was very confident. There was no loss at all in attacking the British army in Greece. With the addition of the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia, there were now 65,000 people.
On the other hand, how many troops does the enemy have? Even if the Principality of Montenegro was madly recruiting troops in the newly occupied area, it was a pity that the Ottomans searched it first, and there were not many young adults left.
Even if the same clan among the captives were collected, the Principality of Montenegro had only managed to gather 40,000 troops, and it was unknown how much combat effectiveness it would have.
Oliver is full of confidence, just relying on this group of rabble who have just gathered, trying to block their heavy siege, it is simply a dream.
Oliver didn't care about the lack of a group of Ottoman cannon fodder. As a high-ranking officer, Lieutenant General Oliver still knows politics.
Now the London government hopes that the Ottoman Empire can maintain a certain strength and can continue to help guard the Black Sea gateway after the war.
They have seen the strength of the Russians. The London government does not want another war in the Near East, and they have lost confidence in defeating the Russians.
Even if we win on the Balkans, and we win on the Crimea, it still won't kill the Russians. Continuing to attack the Russian mainland, they could not afford to lose.
Against this background,
Naturally, we must find a way to use diplomatic means. Although the Ottoman Empire is rotten, it is precisely because of the rotten London government that they are assured to guard the golden waterway.
This requires the Sudanese government to restore its strength as soon as possible, which is obviously not easy. A war in the Near East was fought, and the entire Balkans was devastated.
Since Ottoman was unwilling to participate in the following battles, Lieutenant General Oliver could not force it. Didn't you see that the French were guarding Constantinople alone?
Now that the losses are so heavy, they have not said a word to allies for help. Of course, this does not rule out the factor that the French are afraid of being pitted by their teammates.
Great powers still need credibility, and since they have made commitments, they must fulfill them. If you breach the contract again and again, everyone will stop playing with you, even the British Empire can't stand it!
Without any hesitation, Lieutenant General Oliver led the British-Salar coalition to kill the Albania region in a mighty manner, and the war was about to break out.
...
Looking at the menacing coalition forces, the Principality of Montenegro panicked. Unlike the Ottomans, they often fought against each other, and without awe, they were still very afraid of the British Principality of Montenegro.
Small but complete.
The various departments of the Montenegrin government are still perfect, which fully proves that they are a country, not a cottage.
Danilo I said solemnly: "Everyone, the Near East War has been going on until now, and the development on the battlefield has completely exceeded our control.
After a hard fight, we successfully captured the fortress of Shkodar, captured half of Albania, and obtained the sea port we dreamed of.
We also paid a heavy price behind this brilliant victory. Nearly 4,000 warriors fell on the battlefield. The war emptied our treasury, and now we owe a huge foreign debt to Austria.
Strategically, we have got everything we want, Montenegro is tired and doesn't have the strength to continue fighting.
Now we have to think about how we can eat the land we already control. "
Obviously, Danilo I's desire to fight has been exhausted, and he wants to be safe.
There is no way, the capital of the Principality of Montenegro is too small, and the land that has been captured several times as much as the mainland at one time has already exceeded their limit.
For other countries, the loss of 4,000 people may be a number. For the Principality of Montenegro, this is a serious loss of vitality, almost to the point of wearing filial piety.
Even if they knew that the enemy was going to attack, they could only passively defend now. In the early stage, I played too much, and I put a lot of capital into it. Now Danilo I dare not continue to play.
Claude Drerich, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, said: "The Grand Duke, the swallowing of the territories we occupy will not be possible unless the Russians can win this war.
However, from the current situation, the outcome of this war is still unclear.
Britain and France had the upper hand on the Crimean Peninsula, but could not defeat Russia in a short period of time; the Russians had an advantage in the Balkans, but were unable to conquer Constantinople for a long time.
If the Russians lose the war, then we will be in big trouble, and after the war we will definitely be retaliation by the enemy.
Relying on our own strength alone, we may not be able to resist the enemy's counterattack. "
Mirkov, the commander-in-chief and Minister of War of the Principality of Montenegro, said: "There is no need to wait, according to the information we have received, the enemy is already on the way, and the war will break out within a week.
The bastards from Greece were talking about dividing up Albania with us before, but they didn't expect to be so vulnerable, they didn't even have the ability to consume the enemy's troops.
Immediately we will face the attack of 65,000 British-Saharan coalition forces. The strength gap between the enemy and us is too great, and this war has to be fought. "
Although there is a sense of grievance, when he said this, Mirkov was still a little eager to try. I am afraid of the British, but I am not intimidated by the British.
In order to gain access to the sea and change the impoverished situation of the Principality of Montenegro, they have struggled for several generations. Naturally, it is impossible for them to give up the interests they have obtained because they are afraid of the strength of the enemy.
Danilo I asked: "Is it possible to solve the problem by diplomatic means?"
As a pacifist, he really didn't want to fight. The Principality of Montenegro can't go on anymore. As a small country, they can only recklessly. Now that this wave is over, they will naturally have to rest.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this will not work. Although Britain and France have sent people to contact us, they do not have much sincerity.
Not only were we required to join the coalition and declare war on the Russians, but after the war we were also required to spit out most of the gains we have now earned. ' replied the Prime Minister's part-time Foreign Secretary Claude Dreridge
Talking about conditions also depends on strength. No matter how dazzling the Montenegrin army is on the battlefield, it cannot hide the fact that their strength is insufficient. Without strength, it is naturally impossible for Britain and France to make big money.
Moreover, there is a price to be paid for jumping back. The Russians are not soft persimmons. The situation on the battlefield is just a stalemate, and the winner has not yet been determined. If they stand on the wrong team, it will really be over.