Chapter 336 If You Want to Take It, You Must First

The addition of an autonomous province did not make a splash in the New Holy Roman Empire, except for the fact that it was published in the Vienna newspapers.

There was no response from the people, and the Vienna government was different. Although the income of hundreds of thousands of Aegis is not much every year, their contribution is also small!

Don't look at the number of colonies in Austria, in fact, they don't make any money at all.

As of the end of 1861, except for the earliest developed West Africa region, which achieved a profit of 126,000 Aegis due to its gold mines and plantations, other regions were in a state of loss, and it was nothing more than a problem of how much they lost.

Colonies in Central America lost 2.164 million Aegis;

The Nigerian colonial government lost 1.448 million Aegis;

The colony in the Congo region lost 684,000 Aegis;

Colonies in the Southeast Asia region lost 682,000 Aegis;

Cameroon colony lost 342,000 Aegis;

The Libyan colony lost 216,000 Aegis;

Sinai lost 205,000 Aegis;

Mediterranean islands such as Cyprus and Crete lost 186,000 Aegis;

The Patagonian plateau stronghold lost 28,000 Aegis;

Several colonial strongholds in other areas lost a total of 128,000 Aegis.

All in all, in 1861 all Austrian colonies combined lost 5.957 million Aegis.

This is still based on the fact that there is no large-scale use of foreign troops. If a war breaks out, this number will increase several times, or even ten times.

Huge losses were the core factor restricting Austrian colonial expansion, especially at the beginning of the colony, which was purely a state of investment.

Although the newly added Lanfang Autonomous Province is not worth mentioning, in the annual accounting at the end of 1861, they shared the military expenditure of 580,000 Aegis.

Nominally, it is to apportion military expenses and protect the security of the country. In fact, it is no different from directly turning it over to the central government.

This is just the beginning. As time goes by, there will be a seigniorage that can be collected for the circulation of Aegis.

The sum of these incomes, from 1862 onwards in the Southeast Asia region, will shift from an investment phase to a return phase.

The value is even higher if one takes into account the increased industrial and commercial market, the domestic supply of industrial raw materials.

All the Vienna government needs to pay is security protection, which does not need to be said at all, the source of wealth must naturally be protected.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Carl excitedly proposed: "Your Majesty, should we change the way we colonize, the benefits of this indirect rule are no less than our direct control.

If Kalimantan is occupied by force, we will not be able to make a profit for at least five years, and the profits that will be brought in later will not necessarily increase much. "

Austria's colonization overseas is only a superficial beauty, but in fact there are difficulties.

As Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl can say responsibly: Even if the tax increases in all aspects are combined, the Vienna government is still at a loss.

Of course, the nobles and capitalists engaged in colonial activities made money, and the domestic economy of Austria also benefited.

Suddenly there is a model that does not require investment, just provides security protection, and can make profits, and Chancellor Carr is naturally interested.

Franz shook his head and said, "Stop dreaming, how could such a good thing happen in Lanfang Autonomous Province every day.

There are many aboriginal kingdoms overseas, but these countries are going to go bankrupt in their own business. Can we still count on them to help us?

Lanfang Autonomous Province itself is a company, but it is misunderstood as a republic by the outside world, and Kalimantan is rich in gold, so it can help us improve.

Besides, if a few indigenous kingdoms were to enter the empire, are you sure that the following states and domestic nobles would not make a fuss? "

The people who were full of expectations instantly dispelled this unrealistic idea. If a few native princes entered the empire, they would not agree.

Lanfang Autonomous Province was originally a bunch of civilians, and Franz only sent a few low-level sentient nobles, with limited political status and financial resources for the government, no one would mind.

If several kings come in, each with a higher status than their group, it is estimated that everyone will be unbalanced.

This is different from this country in Europe. People are recognized as old-fashioned nobles, and everyone has long accepted it.

Of course, it is not without chance that these high-level officials in the government want to become kings. As long as the credit is big enough, Franz doesn't mind sealing a few colonial kings.

At most, this kind of king is only nominal. In theory, every fief can establish a country, but in fact, most nobles cannot establish a country.

Colonies that have been developed will not be closed down, they can only be undeveloped land without lords.

If it is developed well, it will be a country, a princely state, or even a principality or kingdom. If it is not well developed, it will be ruled by the power of the state, and in the end it will still be just a fiefdom.

In this era, countries can be traded, titles can also be sold, and they can also be bought from the king. It's just that the price is very high, and usually only life-long nobles are sold.

For example, the several lifetime aristocrats conferred by Lanfang Autonomous Province this time were all gifts from others. Otherwise, they might not be barons or viscounts, but honorary knights.

This is also not enough gifts, if someone bids high enough, it is not impossible for hereditary nobles to seal. Anyway, as long as Franz is not allowed to leave the fief, then

Well everything is negotiable.

It's not that he is selling it alone. Almost any European king can buy a title, provided you are rich enough.

This price is also different. For example, the title of the New Holy Roman Empire is very difficult to buy.

In order to ensure the honor of the nobility, Franz had a limit on the number of nobility canonized by the kings of various states, and it had to be reported to the emperor for approval.

People who don't contribute to the country, usually don't get passed. The exception of good birth, such as the son of the king, must pass.

People from Lanfang Autonomous Province were able to obtain titles. That was because they prompted Lanfang to join the Shinra Empire, and they were also meritorious officials.

If you want to buy a title with enough money, His Majesty Franz, who is less than one million Aegis, will not be accepted. This is his heart price, and it is still growing as his net worth grows.

The direct consequence is that Franz has not sold any titles since he ascended the throne. Many people think that the emperor attaches great importance to the honor of the nobility and disdains money, which increases his prestige among the nobility.

People tend to gravitate towards things that are more difficult to obtain. No merit but no title, not only did not block everyone's enthusiasm for becoming a noble, but made people more addicted to it.

In order to obtain the title of aristocrat, many children of the nobles and capitalists in Austria organized manpower to expand the colony, and then converted the merits to obtain the title.

Ordinary people do not have the financial resources, so they can only join the army and get merits on the battlefield.

In this context, in 1861, Franz created 286 nobles, including 61 fief aristocrats.

The fief is naturally an overseas colony, and the emperor of the domestic fief does not have much in his hands, but he can't stand such a division.

Colonial Minister Josip Jelacic suggested: "Your Majesty, the Colonial Department has summarized the basic information of each colony and found that the Southeast Asia region is the most suitable for colonization.

The local land is fertile and the products are rich, and it can get rich returns with only a small investment. "

Franz looked at the map and hesitated. In the short term, the Nanyang region is indeed the most suitable colony, rich in products, pleasant climate and easy to govern.

The disadvantage is that it is too far away, and the four countries of Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands are mixed, and it is easy to cause diplomatic conflicts if they want to continue to expand.

It is not that Franz is afraid of conflict, he is worried about the issue of pay and return. As long as Austria does not rob the colonies of other countries and aims to target unclaimed land, the conflict will be within control.

Austria's strength is not unlimited, and now the spread is very large, only for the British, and on a par with the French.

In order to prevent the rise of the United States, the Central American regional strategy is an indispensable part; from the perspective of long-term development, the African continent, which is close at hand, must be controlled.

In fact, the Nanyang strategy has always been ranked last. Even if it has made efforts in the past year or two, it has only limited investment.

Franz threw out all the questions: "What does the Colonial Ministry see? Who are the competitors? How much investment is required? How much risk is there?

Colonial Minister Josip Jelacic replied: "There are many alternative targets, the Indochina Peninsula includes the Phnom Penh Dynasty, Thailand, Vietnam, as well as the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Sulawesi, and several small and medium islands.

These places are very good. Although countries have begun to infiltrate, they have not yet established colonial regimes. According to international practice, they are still in the stage of free competition.

The five countries of England, France, and Josep are likely to become our competitors. Including us, all countries in these regions have colonial strongholds.

Preliminary judgment, the Dutch have locked Sumatra, they have occupied many areas on the island. It's just that their strength is limited, and there is no way to take the indigenous regime on the island for a while.

Because of the relationship between the Straits of Malacca, the tentacles of the British have penetrated deep into Malaysia, and they may be our biggest opponents.

The French seem to be interested in the Indochina Peninsula. If we choose the target to crash, there will be a fight.

The investment and risk depends on the target chosen. Basically, regions with richer interests require greater investment and face more brutal competition.

The rate of return in these places is good, and in theory, after the establishment of the colonial regime, the balance of payments can be achieved within three years. "

No way, it's just too hard to calculate the cost when you're not sure how many competitors will join.

Colonization is inherently an uncertain investment, and many areas that look delicious may actually be a chicken rib.

After hesitating for a while, Franz made a decision: "The established strategy remains unchanged, although the Nanyang region is delicious, in fact, we can not eat much.

The Colonial Department can target small and medium-sized islands without owners, other regions can try it if they can, and they can exchange interests with other countries.

We can't get our foot in the door everywhere, and once the limit is exceeded, the colony is no longer a tonic, but a deadly poison.

Didn't the Kingdom of Prussia want to join the colonial team? Give them a hand, lead the Prussians into the Southeast Asia, and give them a chance to get off to a good start. "

Overseas colonization depends not only on national strength, but also on investment. After Austria has invested heavily in Central America and the African continent, its ability to invest in the Southeast Asian region is already very small.

Insufficient strength, blindness and hard work will suffer. Instead of being driven away by people, it's better to be conservative from the beginning,

The province's labor, people, and wealth are also embarrassing.

As for helping the Kingdom of Prussia, it was just a matter of convenience, allowing the Prussians to go further on the road of colonial empire.

If you want to take it, you must first take it.

How can the Prussians be willing to invest heavily if they can't see the benefits?

Prussia's national strength is limited, the navy has invested a lot, and the army's investment will naturally be less, and it will be less difficult for Austria to unify the German region in the future.

Based on this, it is worthy of Austria to pay the interests of the Southeast Asia region. Anyway, after the reunification of Germany, the meat is still in the pot, and it will not be a loss.