Chapter 280 Reflection
After the outbreak of the Central Asian War, the Persian government found out that it had been tricked by the Russians, or rather, by the bureaucrats in the tsarist government.
The so-called assistance was indeed given, but it was a little slower in action and a discount was given in terms of volume.
A small problem that was inconspicuous in normal times turned into a big problem during the war. Due to the lack of support, the Persian army on the battlefield was suppressed and beaten by the British from the very beginning.
For its own safety, the Persian government decided to introduce a third country to balance the power of Britain and Russia, and to end the war as soon as possible.
It is a pity that the Persian government officials were not very smart, and they found the Americans for the first time, trying to use the power of the Americans to balance Britain and Russia.
It's a pity that the United States in this era is not the arrogant United States of later generations. It may still have a little right to speak on the American issue. Who knows them in Central Asia?
Seeing that the British and Russian attitudes are forcible, Americans who just want to share their privileges will naturally be counseled at the first time. Of course, no one would listen to them.
Out of desperation, the Persian government once again turned its attention to the European continent and sought help from France and Austria.
Vienna
Metternich handed a document to Franz and said, "Your Majesty, this is a diplomatic note from the Persian government, I hope we can mediate this Central Asian war."
After going over it again, Franz shook his head and said, "Reject the Persian government. We have no need to participate in the affairs of the Persian region for the time being."
The Vienna government also wants to make Britain and Russia fight to the death in Central Asia. At this time, they ran over to mediate, aren't they fed up?
As for the economic benefits promised by the Persian government, in fact, for Austria, it is also very tasteless. At present, Austria's leading products in international trade are refined agricultural products, and a small amount of industrial products and machinery and equipment are also exported.
The Persians were self-sufficient in food and could not afford refined Austrian agricultural products. The Persians were still traditional feudal dynasties, with little demand for industrial products and mechanical equipment, and faced with competition from the British, so there was no profit at all.
Before the Suez Canal was dug, Franz was not prepared to participate in the affairs of the Persian region. If he had that skill, he might as well infiltrate the Arabian Peninsula, at least the Sinai Peninsula as a stronghold.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Metternich replied
Apparently he had no interest in interfering in Persian affairs either. Maybe it's getting older and becoming conservative, or maybe it's purely from the point of view of interests.
None of these matters. In the context of continuous reform, Franz still needs conservatives to pull the brakes, otherwise it will be miserable if he jumps out of the line all of a sudden.
The more reformed many old-fashioned empires are, the faster they die. The main reason is that they have not grasped that degree. Those who need a strong medicine are already half-dead, and they are fighting the last battle.
Obviously, the New Holy Roman Empire has not yet reached that level, and the Ottoman Empire next door really needs a strong medicine, and it has been dying since it lost the Balkan Peninsula.
Admiral Philcos suggested: "Your Majesty, Kofu Island has always been known as the gateway to Venice, and it cannot be considered real security unless the Adriatic Sea is captured here.
Although the British only included the Ionian Islands into a protected area and did not station heavy troops, the potential threat still exists, and we must wait for the opportunity to win here. "
Strength is always the best confidence. With the commissioning of Frederick, the Austrian Navy has begun to be unable to hold back and wants to win the portal.
Franz nodded and said, "It's still a little troublesome to deal with this issue now, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can contact the British first to see if it can be sold to us.
As far as I know, it seems that the local residents are not very fond of the British. The puppet government they support locally is not popular with the people, and they can plan local riots when necessary. "
Franz is not worried about whether the British will let go. Once the Indian rebellion broke out, the British government could not do anything without compromise.
It's just that you can't have both. Once you get here, there is no way to exchange interests with the British in other areas.
Metternich replied: "Your Majesty, if it was just a Kofu Island, the British would probably let it go, and they were also worried that we would take advantage of the Ottoman Empire.
Recently, the British Foreign Office has been in frequent contact with the French, and they are very likely to win over the French and prevent us from expanding our influence in the Mediterranean. "
Cove Island is just one of the Ionian Islands, very important to Austria, but also to the British.
The London government has not had a heavy presence on the island since it was granted local protection in 1815. On the one hand, it is to not irritate Austria, and on the other hand, it is really unnecessary.
As for the containment of Austria? Whether it's in Malta or the Strait of Gibraltar, why run to the door?
Every additional military base is accompanied by huge military expenditures. The London government has deep pockets, but they are not stupid.
Prime Minister Felix said: "There is not much room for expansion in the Mediterranean, and the remaining areas are either British and French territory, or the sphere of influence of the Ottoman Empire.
The Vienna system has just been established and is still very fragile. At this time, we must be cautious in any actions we take. "
Naval Secretary Philkes analyzed: "The Egyptian region cannot be touched. This is an agreement we have reached with Britain and France, which cannot be violated.
Morocco we have given up, Algeria is in the pocket of the French, Tunisia is also regarded as meat on the chopping board by Napoleon III, if you don't want to clash with the French
Suddenly, none of these areas can be moved.
Not to mention the homeland of the Ottoman Empire, if we really defeat them, it will only cheapen the Russians, and it will not be worth the loss for us.
The most strategic remaining place is Crete. Occupied here, our sphere of influence extended to the Aegean Sea, and also increased the right to speak in the Mediterranean. "
As for Cyprus now only has strategic value for the Ottoman Empire, it may not be able to see strategic value for Austria until the middle and late next century.
Not to mention Libya, the desert country is not a vain name, and the total population is only 500,000 to 600,000 nomads. Neither Britain nor France has expanded here, not because of lack of strength, but mainly because of lack of value.
The elites of the same era have similar visions, and the Vienna government naturally has no interest in the places that Britain and France dislike.
Franz said nonchalantly: "The finances of the Ottoman Empire are very bad, and if they hadn't sold the rest of the Balkans to the French, they probably wouldn't even pay the interest.
Now that the Sudanese government is reforming, it must be very short of money. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can contact them to buy or lease Crete and Cyprus.
If they are willing to sell the suzerainty of the Libyan region, they can also take it down. In the future, maybe we can build a railway from Libya to the Gulf of Guinea, which will be very helpful for us to consolidate local rule. "
It's useless to say anything else, such as predicting the future and strategic vision, those are things that only a brainless person can do. Without the aura of the protagonist, they are the kind that can't survive three episodes.
It's okay to fool ordinary people, but to fool the elites of this era, don't dream. People can only come to one conclusion - the emperor is crazy!
Speaking directly with the interests that everyone can see is the most effective. If you can't convince everyone, just try to be reckless, then prepare to be a loner, or the kind of person who may betray and leave at any time.
As now, Franz believes that the Congo Basin is Austria's most valuable colony, while the Vienna government believes that the Gulf of Guinea is Austria's most valuable colony.
Knowing is knowing, but Franz is not ready to convince everyone.
The interests of the Gulf of Guinea can be seen, and it will be profitable in another year or two, while the Congo Basin will not see returns without continuous investment in the Congo Basin for three to five years.
To say that the future is the most nonsense, the international situation is ever-changing, and the ownership of the future colonies is unknown. What is the development prospect?
European countries have similar attitudes towards colonies. A colony that can make a profit in the short term is a good land, and an area that cannot make a profit is a bad land.
Grand Duke Louis objected: "Your Majesty, there is no need for us to invest too much energy in the Mediterranean region, except for Kofu Island, other regions are very tasteless.
There is neither much strategic value nor economic value in sight. It is better to take the opportunity to develop forces in the Pacific region. Not long ago, there was news from the Far East that Britain and France are planning to launch a major operation, and we can also participate in it. "
Franz shook his head and said, "How much benefit can we gain by following Britain and France?
The navy will go back and forth to the Far East, and it will take a year to pass, plus the time of the war, it may take two years.
If we have this ability, it is better that we continue to establish colonies on the African continent. It is not good for us to stretch the front line too long, and the interests that can be defended are the real interests. "
This reason is not sufficient, but it is very appealing to everyone. There were no radicals in the Vienna cabinet, and Franz thought he was radical enough. If there were more radicals in the Vienna government, something would happen.
Throughout the history of the world, all countries ruled by radicals have ended in tragedy. Even if it is successful, it is only a temporary success, and in the end it is inevitable to lose out even the principal and profit.
It's like now, if radicals are in power, who would use diplomatic means, and they would have been reckless long ago.
In the eyes of many people, bullying the Ottoman Empire is nothing more than nothing to worry about.
Actually? While expanding and grabbing land, the number of enemies is also increasing, and behind every success, it is one point closer to failure.
The tolerance of all countries has a bottom line. The first world war in history was definitely not just because countries saw the threat of Germany and launched a war.
What's more, Germany's continuous expansion has stirred up the nerves of various countries. Once or twice, the interests involved are not large, so everyone will endure it. After ten times and eight times, there is nothing to say, of course, beating him.
If the government of Wilhelm II could hold back, stop provoking the British, and pretend to be grandchildren for a few more years, would the situation be so bad?
The answer is: no!
As long as the Germans do not blindly expand their navy, they are not in a hurry to pull Italy on board. From the outside world, the German-Austrian Alliance and the Franco-Russian Entente are evenly matched, and it is impossible for John Bull to end the game in person due to the strategy of balancing the European continent.
In other cases, there is no guarantee, and it can still be done after 10 years.
What does ten years mean? This means that Germany's national strength can be further improved, its population can be increased by 10 million, and its advantage over salted fish France will be even more obvious.
It also means that the Russian Empire is more declining, internal contradictions are more intense, and the pressure on the Eastern Front has become less.
With one increase and one decrease, even if a complete victory cannot be achieved, France and Russia can be overwhelmed, the British can be forced to compromise, and they can share world hegemony.
History has no ifs. The radical Junkers aristocrats single-handedly created the glory of the Second German Empire.
It also single-handedly buried the empire.