Chapter 467

"Killing the chicken to warn the monkey" is not so easy to operate, and the chicken to be killed first disagrees. If the butcher is not skilled enough, the chicken may fly.

When it comes to politics, no one is a fool. Everyone is in the same circle, who doesn't have a few secrets?

The news of the arrival of the Austrian delegation is not a secret at all. Since the Vienna government wants to annex the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, under normal circumstances, it is necessary to win over these powerful factions.

Don't think that they are politically anti-Austrian, that they really have a deep hatred with Austria and will fight to the end.

With the exception of a few middle-year-olds, the old fritters' anti-Austria is just a political need. Some people can benefit from joining Austrian Africa, while others will suffer losses, and it is impossible to satisfy everyone's interests.

Those who lose their interests will naturally oppose the merger. Children who can cry have milk to eat. Both Chinese and Western are common. How can they get benefits if they don't cry and don't make trouble?

In order to gain more benefits, the anti-Austrian faction was born. There is an inextricable link between pro-Austrian and anti-Austrian factions, and even betting on both sides.

Not everyone could have predicted that Austria could expand so fast. Before they could react, Austria had already arrived at the door to discuss the merger.

If you want to turn around immediately, it is definitely too late. The anti-Austrian faction also has a background, such as secretly hooking up with the British and Portuguese.

The tragic thing is that Austria is now a big power in the African continent, the Portuguese do not dare to make mistakes, and the British also do not have enough strength to suppress Austria.

The general trend cannot be reversed by individuals. Many people are ready to change jobs and wait for the Vienna government to make a bid.

The plan did not change quickly. Viscount Fickney, who led the operation, did not play cards according to the routine. After winning over the pro-Austrian faction, he stopped acting.

Even the ones who couldn't hold their breath were delivered to the door, and they were all turned away. Viscount Fickney had no intention of accepting them at all.

At this time, the situation in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State also changed, and the pro-Austrian faction suddenly launched a political attack on them.

Smart people know that a storm is coming, and as the existence of the wrong team this time, danger is approaching them. The pro-Austrian faction is not monolithic, and it is normal for a few anti-Austrian elements to lurk among them, and the news has leaked.

Looking at the information in his hands, William, one of the anti-Austrian political leaders, was angry. Isn't it just shouting a few slogans, as for shouting and killing?

Although they are "anti-Austria", they have always been propaganda, and no one dares to provoke Austria at work.

Weak countries have no diplomacy, and this general international law is also common in South Africa. "Anti-Austria" is almost the same thing. If it is true that they are the last unlucky people for Upper Austria.

This time is different. It is not that they are going to fight against Austria, but that Austria is going to take advantage of their leadership.

William is in a dilemma now, and it is too late to jump in the past. It also takes time to change his political stance. Obviously, the enemy will not give him this time.

The Austrians want to kill and stand out, and those who fall into the arms of Austria need to take their heads as their names. At a critical juncture, William had to think about the way back.

At this time, he thought of the British, who had contacted him not long ago, but the situation at that time was far from being as bad as it is now, and William was unwilling to take risks.

After hesitating for a while, William decided to try again: "Raul, immediately inform the old friends of Scoman, Field, Lanks, and Tyron that we will have a banquet tonight."

The Transvaal Republic is not big, and it is a new country. The circle at the top is even smaller, and the power struggle is far less intense than the outside world imagined.

Despite their different political stances, William and these pro-Austrian leaders had something to say. Now that he wants to get out of the way, he needs the help of these people.

If he can get out of the way, William doesn't mind giving up part of the benefits as the price of being on the wrong team.

The servant Raul replied: "Yes, Mr. William!"

At the same time as the temptation, William was also planning for the worst. After Raul left, he sent someone to make contact with the British in secret.

As a world power, the Vienna government is shameful, and even if it wants to kill people, it is impossible to do it directly.

A high-sounding crime is indispensable, and the anti-Austrian faction headed by William is not without strength. Even if there are high-level government officials who have taken refuge in Austria, it will take time to collect evidence.

This creates an opportunity for the anti-Austrian faction. In the face of a life-and-death crisis, people are often the ones who have the most potential to explode.

Fickney watched from the sidelines the infighting between the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.

As the earliest colonizer of Austria, Viscount Fickney was not afraid of war. Even if the anti-Austrian faction and the British colluded together and subverted the rule of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, he was not afraid.

The African continent is not very peaceful these days, and Fickney is not unprepared as the representative of Austria.

Recently, a large number of Austrian caravans have entered the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, but not all of them come to do business.

If you pay attention, you will find that the members of the caravan are murderous, and the goods they escort are not ordinary goods. Some sealed boxes are filled with artillery.

Some of these people are troops stationed in Austrian Central South Africa, and more are private armies of nobles. A mine owner like Viscount Fickney started out, if he didn't have a few hundred private troops, would he be embarrassed to go out and meet people?

Everyone is eliminated

The nobles who are far away are far behind, but the nobles nearby are different. How can such a rare opportunity not come to join in the fun?

If it is resolved peacefully, it will be regarded as an armed drill. If the situation gets out of control, we need to use force to solve it, that is the military merit delivered to the door.

Many people are looking forward to the British to come over and give them a record. This is not that they are arrogant, but that they are really powerful.

Most of Austria's African colonies were created by the private armies of these nobles. In the African jungle, the combat effectiveness of these armies is definitely the top of this era.

If the government army alone, even if all Austrian troops are sent over, there is no way to control the small half of the African continent.

On the sparsely populated African continent, Austria has no way to set up administrative agencies everywhere, and enfeoffing nobles is the cheapest way to rule.

Anyway, as long as you suppress the big nobles, there is no need to be afraid of such small and medium-sized nobles with hundreds of private armies.

In addition to these armies, there are also a large number of German immigrants in the local area. Once the war breaks out, the nobles can also recruit young people on the spot.

With a few thousand veterans as the backbone and a group of young soldiers, an army of tens of thousands can be quickly organized. It's not certain who will hit whom.

Franz's abandonment of the plan to occupy British South Africa did not mean that the colonial aristocracy also gave up, and many people coveted Cape Town.

The emperor did not allow war, and everyone could not bear the responsibility of provoking a war. Naturally, they could not take the initiative to attack, but this did not mean that they could not induce the British to attack.

If the British invaded on their own initiative, then the responsibility for the war would not be on them. Fighting for the interests of the Empire, Franz will only reward them.

Viscount Fickney was one of the hawks aristocrats, who advocated expelling all European countries and letting Austria dominate the entire African continent.

Not to mention whether it can be achieved or not, it is always good to have a goal to strive for. Austria's strength on the African continent gave them ambition.

Simply calculating the military power on the African continent, Austria has exceeded the sum of all countries. Of course, this does not mean that Austria has an absolute advantage over other countries, and Austria is also at a disadvantage in some areas.

For example, in South Africa, Austria is not afraid of any of the British and Portuguese. If the British and Portugal join forces, the situation changes.

Many people have the sadness of the rabbit dead and the fox. Once Austria launches an attack on the owned colony, the countries are likely to put aside their conflicts and unite.

The First World War in the original time and space is a classic case. After the rise of the Second German Empire, they failed to do a good job of diplomacy and acted aggressively, which made Britain, France and Russia, which were full of contradictions, allies.

Although Franz suppressed domestic expansionism, there was no way to prevent his subordinates from deliberately digging holes to induce the British to attack.

This can also be regarded as a replica of fishing law enforcement. If the power is exposed in a fair and open manner, the British will definitely not dare to send it to the door.

It's different now, whether it's the Austrian aristocracy, or the little Pretorius, or the anti-Austrian people, they all need the British to attack.

These people are deliberately covering up, and it is even more unlikely that the pro-Austrian people will go to report to the British. Besides, a lot of people just sensed something was wrong, but didn't know it was a trap for the British.

The idea of ​​"Going to war between Britain and Austria", many people dare not even think about it. Viscount Fickney is not ready to provoke a full-scale war between the two countries. They still have self-knowledge and know very well that their navy is really not an opponent of the Royal Navy.

From the very beginning, they did not hang the flag of Austria. The main force of the battle was the private army of the nobles. It was enough to wear the vest of the Boer Republic and the British pk.

Even if the matter is exposed, it is the noble lord and the British going to war. It does not mean that the country you belong to must also go to war with the British. This is very Shinra.

When the emperor and the French went to war, the nobles of the Shinra Empire could make the government neutral. Now that the noble lords and the British are at war, the imperial government can naturally be neutral.

The war was won, the Boer Republic occupied British South Africa, and then created a reason for the Empire to annex the Boer Republic and inherit this part of the legacy.

Without tearing their faces, the British at best protested, or waited for an opportunity to retaliate, and the situation was still under control.

It doesn't matter if the war is lost. It was lost by the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. What does it have to do with Austria?

The big deal was that the Vienna government came forward to mediate the conflict, and the British would just accept it. If they refused, it would be a big deal that a large group of sub-aristocratic private armies brought their own rations and continued to fight with the British.

Of course, Franz had to be ratified for these military exploits, and the awards should not be less, and the Vienna government had to make up for the loss of the nobles in the end.

...

Cape Town, the Governor of Delphi is very depressed now. The London government has just announced the cancellation of the operation, and the Boers have sent to the door to cooperate.

As an ideal governor, Delphi didn't want to be a salted fish, he also wanted to make a dazzling achievement and enter the center of power in London.

"What do the Portuguese say, are they interested in the Transvaal?"

Governor Delphi asked with concern. Now Austria has not completed the annexation of the Boer Republic, and everyone still uses their own means.

In order to ensure that nothing goes wrong, he is also preparing to join the Portuguese to take the lead and take the Republic of Guafri one step ahead, resulting in an established fact.

Marko, who was in charge of foreign affairs, waved his hand and said in a helpless tone, "It's a pity,

Your Excellency the Governor.

The Portuguese have clearly rejected us, which may be related to their recent domestic situation. The Portuguese government ordered the colonies not to provoke trouble without authorization. "

During this period, the situation in Portugal has begun to be unstable. The liberals and republics are growing in strength, and King Louis is about to lose his grip.

If there is trouble inside, naturally I don't dare to make trouble. In case of failure, it will be another political storm.

The Boer Republic looked easy to deal with, but just thinking about the Austrians behind the scenes, the Portuguese colonial government in Mozambique lost interest.

This answer made the Governor of Delphi very dissatisfied. Originally, he also wanted to share the benefits of the Portuguese and win them over to curb the expansion of the Austrians.

No need for it now, since the Portuguese didn't dare to go, he did it himself. The London government just canceled the operation against Austria, but did not say that the Boer Republic could not fight either.

These two small beans were not in his heart at all. In the past two years, the Boers have come to Austria, and their armaments have been abandoned.

"Knives and guns are put into storage, horses are released to Nanshan" is not enough, but it is true that the national military training has not been carried out very much. The largest armed force of the Boer Republic is a group of police.

The standing army thing is not a small country with a population of more than 100,000 to 200,000 people. It can afford to support it. During the war, it will temporarily recruit young people.

Governor Delphi frowned and said dissatisfiedly: "Forget it, since the Portuguese don't know how to lift up, let them regret it in the future!

Now we can do it ourselves. Austria's garrison in Central South Africa is only more than 1,000 people. Even if it is temporarily recruited, it will only be 3,000 to 5,000 people at most.

Even if the Austrians want to intervene, they will have to wait for reinforcements from their Congolese area to arrive. At present, there is no sign of the mobilization of Austrian troops in various places.

It will take at least two months for the Austrians to gather enough troops to intervene from the time we take action.

Two months is enough for us to defeat the Boers. In the event of an accident, most of us will stop immediately and go to the Republic of Ireland with the Austrians. "

It looks imposing, but in fact, Governor Delphi is still a little uneasy. The failed expedition a few years ago was still deep in his mind.

Colonial Garrison Major General Friedman immediately assured: "Your Excellency, please rest assured, we are 100% sure that we can defeat this group of bereaved dogs."

The Boers were originally expelled from the Cape Town area by the British to the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, and they were naturally confident in the defeat of Major General Friedman.

...