Chapter 271 West African Conflict

As soon as 1856 entered, Franz received good news that the queen was pregnant. Now the entire Vienna court revolves around Princess Helen's turn, and everyone attaches great importance to the new heir of the Habsburg dynasty.

Franz sometimes couldn't help thinking, what if he was a princess? Of course, it's not that he doesn't like his daughter, but that he needs an heir politically.

Although the Habsburg dynasty has a precedent for empresses, it does not mean that conservative Austria is willing to accept another empress.

Since Princess Helen became pregnant, the Queen Mother Sophie became nervous. In this era, a woman's pregnancy is just a pass in the gate of hell, and she can't be careful.

"Franz, now that Helen is pregnant, you must keep a certain distance from her. Being too close will affect the safety of the fetus. You know what I'm talking about?"

The embarrassed Franz could only passively nod his head. He really wanted to reply: Am I someone who doesn't know how to behave?

There is no way that in the eyes of his mother, he is just a child who has not grown up, and the result of the argument is criticism.

Franz changed the subject and said, "By the way, mother, how are the preparations for Massimiliano's marriage?"

The object of Massimiliano's marriage was Princess Charlotte, the daughter of King Leopold I of Belgium. It was a purely political marriage without any impurities.

Franz attaches great importance to the few followers of his younger brother, and strictly manages it by militarization. Any ideological breakdown occurs, it will be suppressed immediately.

Empress Dowager Sophie said confidently: "Don't worry, I will handle it. It's just that after Massimiliano's wedding, how will you arrange for him?"

The children of the royal family in Europe also need to do things. Simply being a rice borer is an unpromising performance.

Franz replied: "It depends on what he likes to do, and how far his personal ability has reached?"

Franz had no idea how to place this younger brother. Historically, Massimiliano just went out to work, and it didn't take long for him to be fooled by liberalism.

When he served as the governor of the Italian region, he directly shook the local ruling foundation of the Habsburg dynasty.

From a historical perspective, Franz believed that the best fit for Massimiliano was to be an artist, or to be a botanist.

This is completely determined according to his personal ability and hobbies, but Franz dare not say this proposal. In the eyes of the Queen Mother Sophie, Massimiliano is still very good.

If you don't let this younger brother run into a few walls and let him be a rice borer at home, it is estimated that the outside world will think that Franz is suppressing his younger brother.

Besides, is Massimiliano really willing to accept his arrangement? You must know that in history, he went to Mexico to be the emperor.

If he had no ambition, how could he have run into that murky water? The situation in Mexico, Franz knew very well, was a country that had been fooled by liberalism.

Being an emperor is not afraid of the country's conservativeness. What he is most afraid of is that his freedom is too much and he loses the most basic binding force.

Franz is not going to go there in this murky water. If Massimiliano has the talent of the sky and the sky and the sky, then he will pay back the cost of investing in one, obviously he is not.

Not to mention Massimiliano, even Franz himself does not think that he can settle the internal contradictions in Mexico, otherwise this crown will not easily fall on Massimiliano's head.

...

Vienna Palace

Metternich said worriedly: "Your Majesty, the situation in the Gulf of Guinea is becoming more and more complicated, with forces from various countries gathering, and armed conflicts may break out at any time.

Two months ago, an infantry battalion of the Portuguese went out to determine the gold mining rights. There were more than 500 people including civilian armed forces. All of them disappeared. So far, there is no result.

Now there are different opinions, some people say that they discovered a super gold mine, and they were killed; some people say that they encountered the devil, and they were all killed..."

The situation in the Gulf of Guinea was created by Franz, and if it weren't for the hype of the Vienna government, there would not be so many gold diggers pouring in.

Order on the African continent has not yet been established. In the colonial strongholds of various countries, order is still barely visible. Once the strongholds are out, control is completely lost.

Even if no gold mine is found, even if it is a firefight, it will not be too much. After the discovery of the gold mine, it is time for a firefight.

When a small colonial armed team discovered a gold mine, it was kept secret for the first time, and then sold to the colonial government. There is no such thing as free mining.

Without enough strength, he was slaughtered outside, and he did not know who the murderer was.

At the beginning, the gold mineral rights were determined, and the colonial government sent a few people to conduct on-site exploration. Now there is no army accompanying, and everyone dares not go.

This is the first time that the government army has attacked. Usually no one would do this, and if they couldn't keep their mouths shut and leaked the slightest bit of rumors, it would lead to disaster.

Franz asked: "Could it be a black hand under the army of a certain country?"

The Portuguese army's combat effectiveness is not very good, it is easy to defeat a Portuguese infantry battalion, but it is not easy to kill them all.

Franz is even more dismissive of the devil's theory. Austria has colonized Africa for so long, and has not discovered these extraordinary creatures. How could they have been born all of a sudden?

Metternich replied: "I don't know, but it is certain that there are traitors in the Portuguese team. If there is no cooperation between the inside and the outside, it is impossible for them to be wiped out.

now this

Many people live without seeing people, die without seeing corpses, obviously there are serious problems, and some people are covering up the truth. "

The truth is what Franz doesn't care about, the problem is that it is Austria that is most doubted right now. There are not many armed forces that can do this in the Gulf of Guinea, but the Austrian colonial forces in the local area have this strength.

Among the armed teams registered in the Austrian colonial stronghold, there are twelve teams with more than 500 people, all of which were formed by states in the German region or by several noble families.

These people have the strength to do this. With so many suspects under them, it is inevitable that they will be suspected.

Franz isn't worried about this suspicion, the Portuguese can't do anything without proof.

Moreover, if the troops are missing, it is not necessarily that the entire army has been wiped out. It is also possible that they have lost their way and become savages in the jungle.

Although the odds are small, there are precedents. Some colonists lost their way and suffered heavy losses in the jungle.

"The truth is not important to us, the place where the Portuguese disappeared is not under our control, and we have no obligation to investigate for them.

The problem now is that we must stabilize the situation in West Africa as soon as possible, otherwise countries will continue to conflict, which is likely to lead to even greater conflicts.

In the unlikely event of a local fire and the situation getting out of control, many people who originally wanted immigrants from the Gulf of Guinea would give up and move to the Americas instead.

Without a sufficient population, it is very difficult for us to control the West African region. In order to stabilize the situation on the ground as soon as possible, we must cooperate with the governments of various countries to establish the most basic order on the ground. "

It's not that I don't want to find out the real murderer, but I don't dare to continue the investigation. Franz can only be sure that the Austrian government troops did not attack the Portuguese. As for whether the civilian armed groups did it, it is difficult to say.

If there is a conflict over a giant gold mine, and they kill people, Franz will not be surprised at all. In the face of interests, everyone's moral integrity is often offline.

If it is found on one's own head, it will be a big trouble. If a bad one is bad, a bigger political crisis will break out. Franz is not interested in doing this kind of self-inflicted trouble.

Except for the Portuguese themselves, it is estimated that governments of all countries have the same attitude. If you investigate carefully, everyone is worried about getting burned, so it is better to pretend to be confused.

Metternich replied: "Your Majesty, the situation in the Gulf of Guinea is very complicated, and the forces of various countries are crisscrossed, and it is very difficult to divide the territory at the negotiating table.

The best way is international co-management, where everyone forms a colonial government together. As for the gold mines, let the civilian armed forces compete freely, and everyone uses their own means. "

Whether this is the best option, Franz is not sure, the only certainty is that it is the best option for Austria.

Free competition, more people will definitely have the advantage. And this kind of order only exists in the area controlled by the colonial government. Once in the wild, who can control it?

Franz smiled and said, "Yes, no matter what kind of order, order is better than no order."

...