Chapter 267 Everyone Is Responsible for Protecting the Environment

Vienna Palace

Prime Minister Felix proposed: "Your Majesty, the number of our colonies is increasing, and it is necessary to set up a colonial ministry to manage colonial affairs."

After thinking about it, Franz suddenly realized that Austria had also become a colonial power, at least in terms of the colonial area.

From 1854 to the present, in more than a year, more than 30 colonial strongholds have been established on the African continent and more than 200,000 immigrants have been transported.

Among European countries, Austria is the most active in developing the African continent. At this time, if there is no special department to manage, it is easy to cause confusion.

After thinking about it, Franz asked: "Now we really need to set up a colonial ministry. Who does the Prime Minister think is qualified for this position?"

Prime Minister Felix proposed: "Your Majesty, how about Count Josip Jelacic as Colonial Minister?"

Count Josip Jelacic, a Croat, one of the three fathers in history to save the Austrian Empire, led the Croatian militia to suppress the Hungarian rebellion.

With the passage of time and the advancement of the great integration of ethnic groups, the Vienna government will inevitably use senior officials of ethnic minorities to show the equality of all ethnic groups.

Against this background, Josip Jelacic stands out as a loyalist of the Empire.

Franz thought for a while and said, "Then Josip Jelacic will be the Minister of Colonial Affairs. I remember that in the 1848 war against rebellion, he also made great contributions to the Empire.

In recent years, he has also done well in senior Croatian officials. Both road construction and economic development have achieved considerable results. "

The cabinet cannot always be held by Germans, which is not conducive to national unity. In Franz's view, as long as they pass the test of loyalty and pass the ability, no matter what their background, they can be promoted and reused.

Josip Jelacic can be a typical existence. Franz had just ascended the throne a few years ago, and he still needs the support of the nobles in the German region, and it is inevitable to compromise with them.

Now that his position has stabilized, it is naturally not a problem to promote some people according to his own will.

What surprised Franz was that Prime Minister Felix actually proposed it without waiting for him to act. In this way, the prime minister will bear the pressure from the Vienna nobility.

After thinking about it, Franz gave up this worry. Prime Minister Felix is ​​now a national hero in the eyes of the Germans, and he is no longer the prime minister of the butcher.

With this aura, no matter how dissatisfied the conservative nobles are, they can't shake his status.

The better the development of the New Holy Roman Empire, the more dazzling the halo on Prime Minister Felix's head, and it is enough to suppress a little opposition.

Archduke Louis hesitated, now that the reformists were in power, and as the leader of the conservatives, his presence in the cabinet was becoming less and less.

Going against the emperor at this time will not do him any good, and if he fails, his political life will end prematurely.

Prince Wendischgritz, Minister of War, said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, the Sinai Peninsula is a big desert, and there are only a few oases on the island where nomadic tribes exist.

We won't get anything here at all, and if we set up an administration here, we probably won't get enough tax revenue to pay the tax collector.

We garrisoned two infantry regiments on the island, which is really wasteful. The local area cannot even provide food, and water is a problem during the dry season. "

This is a troubling problem. In this era, it is impossible for Franz to have the luxury of artificial fresh water to supply the garrison.

However, to ensure local influence, it is impossible without a garrison. The strength of the two infantry regiments has already been reduced and then reduced.

If the troops are not stationed now, once the Suez Canal is excavated, it will not be so easy to think about garrisoning at that time.

Franz asked: "The issue of cost is the government's own consideration. Food can be transported from the country. I never thought of being self-sufficient in the Sinai Peninsula, so the only problem is the water source?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" replied Prince Wendischgritz

The garrison of thousands of people consumes a lot of water resources every day to eat and drink. The population on the Sinai Peninsula cannot grow, and the most critical problem is the lack of water.

Can't solve this problem, even if you want to deploy heavy troops, there is no way to do it.

Looking at the map, Franz continued to ask, "Prime Minister, how many natives are there on the Sinai Peninsula?"

After thinking about it, Prime Minister Felix couldn't find an accurate number, so he replied helplessly: "Your Majesty, the Egyptians have not conducted a population count of the nomadic tribes on the island, and we can only initially estimate that there are about 30,000 to 50,000. population."

Hearing the number, Franz smiled.

"The problem of water sources is easy to deal with. As far as I know, the local people live by raising camels and sheep, and they rarely grow food.

These livestock are big consumers of water resources. If the hundreds of thousands of livestock on the island are gone, then the water source that everyone is worried about will not be a problem. "

Prime Minister Felix reminded: "Your Majesty, these livestock are the livelihood of the local people. If they are not allowed to raise livestock, I am afraid that the local people will not be able to make a living."

Franz said with a holy face: "This is a small problem, only tens of thousands of people. Ask the Egyptian government if they are willing to accept it. If they are unwilling, they will move the West African colony to resettle.

The local people have all left. The water resources used by these tens of thousands of people should be enough for the soldiers of our two regiments.

?

The natural environment of the Sinai Peninsula has been destroyed by the locals. In history, it was once a fertile soil with green trees and cattle and sheep.

If we don't protect it and let them destroy it, it won't be long before the local natural ecology is completely destroyed, and the once beautiful Sinai Peninsula will become a dead island.

Now that the people above have been relocated, agricultural production and livestock raising are prohibited, and the precious local water resources can be saved.

Our garrison can plant trees or grass on the island in their spare time after training, and continuously expand the area of ​​the oasis to contribute to beautifying the earth. "

At this moment, Franz seems to have become an environmentalist. It is definitely not to solve the water source problem for the garrison, he has to emigrate!

Hundreds of thousands of livestock are big water users and consume a lot of water every year.

If these precious freshwater resources are used for afforestation, dozens of square kilometers of mountain forests can be easily added every year, and if they are used to grow grass, it will increase even more.

Although it may seem so trivial now, it is a virtuous circle! In theory, after working so hard for hundreds of years, the desert oasis plan on the Sinai Peninsula has been completed.

Grand Duke Louis, who saw the opportunity, flattered: "Your Majesty, it makes sense. For the natural environment of the Sinai Peninsula, we must take immediate action."

Of course, everyone will not object to Franz's proposal. The development of the African continent requires a large number of people, and moving the people on the Sinai Peninsula to disperse and resettle them is completely killing two birds with one stone.

Of course, if the Egyptian government is willing to accept this group of people, it will be even better, and the Vienna government can save a lot of money.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Carl said with a painful expression: "Your Majesty, the issue of immigration from the Sinai Peninsula will be put on hold for now!

All the refugees we accepted in Dalmatia have not been transported yet. If we blindly increase immigration now, the logistical pressure on the colony will be too great.

Last year, the net loss of our colony was 588,000 Aegis. This year, the net loss of our colony is expected to exceed 1.2 million Aegis. It is imperative to turn losses into profits as soon as possible. "

There is no way, the colonization of Austria is in the stage of net investment, if you want to get a return, at least you have to wait for the colony to enter the production state.

In the current African colonial stronghold, in addition to opening up local farms, they can only go to the sea to fish, or go hunting to make up for the lack of food.

The logging farm is already under preparation, but due to the attack of the local indigenous tribes, it is still being cleared and cannot be put into production in a short period of time.

As for the so-called cotton plantations, rubber plantations, coffee plantations... all are under planning, not the capitalists and nobles have sent people to investigate.

In the short term, none of these industries will see benefits. If there is no mining, it will be difficult to achieve a balance of payments within three to five years.

This is also the reason why countries are reluctant to invest in colonies. The return on investment cycle is too long. It is better to find colonies with gold and silver mines for development, or directly squeeze the local indigenous people.

This is a difference in business philosophy. Franz's main purpose of developing the African continent is to solve the shortage of domestic resources and reduce the outflow of domestic migrants.

Although the African colonies were established during the time period, under the advocacy of the Vienna government, more than 30,000 people spontaneously joined the immigrant army in China.

These talents are the main force for the development of the African continent. Now, as long as they sign up, they can be hired by the government. They can earn more than double the salary of the native country, and they can also serve as low-level officials of the colonial government.

If you want to make a fortune, join the expansion team. All the spoils of the indigenous tribes are owned by the individual, and a bounty can be received after completing the task.

Franz said confidently: "Don't worry, our colony on the African continent is still in a primitive state and has never been developed.

According to geologists, alluvial gold deposits are likely to occur along river banks. There are also trace elements of gold in the currently collected river sand, and there is a high probability of having gold mines.

As long as a big gold mine is discovered, all our investment will be recovered, and there are still large fertile land, so it is also a big profit.

We are not in a hurry about immigration to the Sinai Peninsula. We have time. We can move on after two or three years, and the garrison can also be gradually increased. "

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