Chapter 541

On November 14, 1873, the South West African Railway was completed. This large artery from Guinea in the west to Pretoria in the south was built, and Austrian rule in South Africa was completely consolidated.

From exploration to completion, this strategic railway has taken more than ten years of work. It is the railway with the longest time, the most difficult construction and the highest investment in Austria so far.

Of course, only the main road has been completed, and the branch lines along the way may not be completed for another twenty years. The main reason was not that the construction was difficult or that the labor force was insufficient, but that the colonial government had no money.

The development of the African continent is relatively lagging behind, the government tax revenue is limited, and it is unable to support the construction of railways. The construction of the main road is a strategic need and is allocated by the central finance.

The total cost of this 7,476-kilometer-long railway is as high as 74.286 million Aegis. On average, the construction cost per kilometer is nearly 10,000 Aegis, which is far more expensive than the mainland.

This is still based on the premise of free labor. In order to build this railway, the colonial government recruited millions of workers successively, and maintained a huge construction team of more than 200,000 people all year round.

After the construction of the main road is completed, the subsequent branch railways can only come slowly. Railways with high economic and strategic value will be given priority to construction, and railways with low value should be placed first as plans.

This Southwest African railway has created many records, such as: the largest investment, the most labor force, the longest distance, the most new technology development and application...

If you convert labor into money, you can add one more: the most expensive long-distance railway.

It may be easy to build such a railway in the 21st century, but in this era, it is a well-deserved world record and a manifestation of Austria's comprehensive national strength.

Although the Southwest African Railway is of great significance, Franz still did not go to the opening ceremony, and there is no way to get seasick.

In order to show their importance, both Crown Prince Frederick and Prime Minister Felix attended the opening ceremony in person. Frankly, Franz was against it.

Prime Minister Felix is ​​73 years old. Although he is in good health, medical technology is limited in this era.

There is no way, the old guy has the stubbornness of the Germans, and he has to go to the African continent to investigate in person, and Franz can't stop it.

This has something to do with the "African localization strategy" proposed by Franz. Many people in the Vienna government are skeptical. In recent years, the government has been sending people over to conduct field inspections just to reassure them.

No matter how good the information is, it is better to take a look at it. With a responsible attitude, Prime Minister Felix has always wanted to go to the field in person, but things have been delayed.

Frederick can only be regarded as an accident. It was not his turn. After all, he was only 17 years old, and he was only playing soy sauce when he went, so he could not make a decision on behalf of the emperor.

It just happened that the grand dukes of the Habsburg family were very busy, the two younger brothers were not in the country, and the railway could not wait for traffic.

The only one who is more free is Massimiliano, but after thinking about it, Franz feels that sending his son over is more reliable than him.

Besides, Massimiliano is now also the Emperor of Mexico, and no longer the Archduke of Austria, so it is very rude to call him.

It's as small as it is, because Prime Minister Felix is ​​still here anyway, and he can make decisions on his behalf in case of major emergencies.

In fact, after so many years of Franz's teaching, Frederick's ability is not bad, but he lacks experience.

Franz is in good health, and he has time to cultivate the next generation, so naturally he will not be in a hurry to unplug the seedlings.

That's how he walked by himself, and as a transmigrator, he felt a little difficult. Franz would not have been able to take power so easily if not for the help of old officials.

There has been no exchange for so many years. In addition to the continuity of politics, the friendship established at the time of crisis is also an important factor.

That group of heroes back then, even if they were incompetent, were highly confessed by Franz. In addition to affection, there is actually too much helplessness mixed in.

The emperor also needs to buy people's hearts. It’s true that the bird can hide the bow, but it is necessary to show it from time to time, and show its glory to the latecomers.

Franz can proudly say that he has never done anything about "cooking a rabbit and a dog", and he still has a dog to look after the house. In this world of great competition, there is no such thing as Ma Fang Nanshan.

...

In Paris, compared to Franz's calmness, Napoleon III is a hero. Although there was no defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, he did not die of depression, but his body could not deceive people.

The indulgence of the youth, the after-effects left behind, is now showing. If it wasn't for luck, with Ou Ren as the crown prince, he was fortunately working hard all his life, and he would make wedding dresses for others.

European illegitimate children cannot inherit the throne. Napoleon III lived a disorderly life in his youth. When he was in his forties, he began to suffer from various diseases, including kidney disease, bladder stones, chronic bladder disease, prostatitis, arthritis, gout and obesity.

In the face of disease, there is no distinction between high and low. I was a hero, Napoleon III was still knocked down by the disease, and now he is trying to instill his experience in his son.

This is not a brain-dead drama, I want my son to grow up happily. As the heir to the French Empire, Louis XVI is a ready-made example if he has no means.

Napoleon III is proud of this aspect. He can go from exiled royal children all the way to the top. His life is a legend.

Behind the original time and space there is

One, just so close to accomplishing this great thing again. It's just that under the intervention of foreign forces, at the last moment, he chose to retreat and did not force a restoration.

Napoleon III put down the newspaper in his hand and asked, "What do you think of the disturbance in the Balkans?"

After a little thought, Crown Prince Eugene said: "It is too coincidental that the Greek coup and the Bulgarian uprising happened almost at the same time.

According to the intelligence we gathered, just a few days before the incident, the Austrian police had also killed a Balkan independent group in the Macedonia region.

Taken separately, there is no connection between these things, but together there is a big problem. Preliminary judgment, there should be someone behind this.

It's just that the people behind the scenes miscalculated, overestimated the Balkan independence organization, and failed to start a rebellion in Austria. "

Napoleon III nodded and shook his head again: "The analysis is good, so who do you think did this? Or who is most suspicious, and what is the ultimate goal?"

Without any hesitation, Crown Prince Eugene made a judgment: "I guess it is the Ottoman Empire. Affected by the agricultural crisis, both Russia and Austria have suffered heavy losses, and they need to transfer the crisis to the outside world.

The Ottoman Empire happens to be their common enemy. The hatred between the two sides has lasted for hundreds of years. Now the Ottoman Empire has declined and has become the meat of the two countries.

Some time ago, there was also news that the two countries would join forces to avenge the Ottoman Empire. There was not much movement in Austria, but the Russians were already preparing for war.

The accuracy of this news is as high as 80%. The Sudanese government felt the crisis and took early action to trouble them and buy time for itself.

However, something feels wrong. The Bulgarians and the Ottoman Empire have a deep hatred for each other. Even if they want independence, they will look for us or the British to support them. "

Napoleon III smiled slightly: "Yes, on the surface, the Ottoman Empire is the most suspicious, but in fact the most unlikely is the Sudanese government.

If they had this kind of strength, they wouldn't fall into this field. It is not so easy to manipulate the Greek coup, the Bulgarian uprising, and the Balkan Independence Organization at the same time without revealing the slightest clue.

It is simply impossible to do without long-term preparation. There are not many countries in the world that can do this. We count as one, but it is certainly not ours.

There is also the UK and Austria, they are the experts. Remember, the child, if there are riots and revolutions that can't be found in the future, more than 90% of them will be done by Britain and Austria, so it's right to stare at London and Vienna. "

When speaking, Napoleon III also showed deep fear. If possible, he also wanted to kill these two greatest enemies, leaving behind a solid empire.

It is a pity that these two enemies are not slippery, and there is no chance for Napoleon III to take action. After twenty years as emperor, more than half of that time, France was ostracized by European countries.

The British and Austrians were the leaders in charge. Napoleon III was sure that as long as he made a careless move, the anti-French war would start.

Fighting alone, France is not afraid of any enemy, but the enemy wants to play in groups! This made Napoleon III have to be cautious, for fear of another anti-French war.

As an emperor who loves military affairs, it is a pity that he has not been able to live a war in his life.

Ou Ren asked suspiciously: "Why are there Austria? They are also victims of this Balkan turmoil. There is no reason to do this?"

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Napoleon III coughed for a while, and Eugene quickly slapped his backup. Then he poured a glass of water and handed it to Napoleon III.

After taking a sip, he paused for a while, and Napoleon III said, "Think about it carefully, what did Austria lose and what did it gain?

If you want to deal with Franz in the future, you must have a few more hearts. Especially when it comes to interests, the benefits that come to the door should be weighed first and then decided. "

This is Napoleon III's personal experience and lessons. Since the annexation of the Kingdom of Sardinia, France has been broken and embarked on the road of annexing Italy.

At first Napoleon III did not find the problem, but over time, he has gradually come to understand.

Everything is good in Italy, but there are no resources. It looks fat, but it's actually not worth as much as the land west of the Rhine.

A conspiracy brought France into an embarrassing situation. Now France needs to import many resources, especially coke for steelmaking. The output of French African colonies cannot meet domestic demand, and can only be imported from Britain or Prussia.

However, there is still bitterness. In everyone's eyes, the annexation of Italy is a great victory for France. Now I can't let go, I can only bite the bullet and digest it.

Before digesting the Italian region, France needs to shrink strategically. The pace of overseas expansion has slowed down, not to mention the European continent, which is affecting the whole body?

Seeing Eugene's thoughtful look, Napoleon III added: "It's the same with the British, and you can't take it lightly when dealing with them.

Don't think that the three countries of Britain, France and Austria are allies now. In fact, everyone can't wait to stab them in the back and kill each other.

Franz is not a person who seeks fame and reputation. He has never breached a contract for so many years. It is not because of his good reputation, but the main reason is that the interests are not large enough to cause him to default.

Not to mention, the British are more vigilant to be their allies than their enemies. The war in the Near East is an example, if they hadn't stabbed in the back,

Nor will we lose. "

Even now, Napoleon III is still haunted by the defeat of the Near Eastern War, and the account is recorded on the British.

There is no way, who let the French military chess make a bad move and be sold by the British and Sardinians? Not to mention Sardinia, they have paid the price and become part of France.

The seemingly defeated British became a winner after the war. Napoleon III, who was pitted, naturally couldn't swallow this sigh.

...

(Note: Eugene's full name is Napoleon Eugene Louis Jean-Joseph Bonaparte, the first illegitimate son of Napoleon III is also called Eugene, not a person)