Chapter 960 Tiankeng

Interests are moving. While the British are eyeing French warships, the Austrian Admiralty is also fighting the idea of ​​French warships.

The seemingly ordinary battle for warships has actually turned into a battle for maritime hegemony. The final ownership of the warships in the hands of the French will directly affect the next world pattern.

In the Vienna Palace, in the face of the eager crowd, Franz asked calmly: "Do you think the French will obediently hand over the warship to us?"

Frankly speaking, Franz also hit the idea of ​​the French warships. The direct inheritance of the French naval heritage and the combined strength of the navies of the two countries surpasses that of the British. This picture is really wonderful.

However, the harsh reality told him that was impossible. The Fao navy is a self-contained system, and the integration cannot be completed in a short time.

If it's just a matter of time, it's not insurmountable. The trouble is that under the butterfly effect of Franz, the development of naval technology has greatly exceeded the original time and space, and it is only one concept away from the birth of the dreadnought.

If Austria gets the French warships, the British will definitely increase their investment in the navy in order to maintain their maritime hegemony.

Once the dreadnought ships came out, these ironclad ships, which were acquired at a great price, would immediately be swept into the garbage heap of history.

There is no doubt that the birth of the dreadnought Austria will definitely follow. When the time comes, what should we do with these tasteless ironclad ships?

Selling is definitely not going to sell, even if it is free, no one can afford it. The world's second navy's plate, even if it is Britain and Austria is difficult to connect, the rest of the countries together are enough.

In addition to looking good on the face, the actual value is about zero. Can't kill them in a naval battle before the British come up with dreadnoughts?

It's not that Franz is cowardly, but that he is really unsure. The combined tonnage of the Fao navy surpassed that of the British, and 1.5:1 seemed to have an advantage. In fact, if there was a fight, it was unknown who would win and who would lose.

The Royal Navy this year is really awesome. Franz is not very clear about the interior of the French Navy. Anyway, the Austrian Navy has a lot of water.

As one of the first countries to enter the era of ironclad ships, the Austrian Navy is now in a special period of ageing ships and requiring large-scale replacement.

In addition to the main ships advancing with the times, most of the auxiliary warships have fallen behind, and there are even many sailing warships.

For no other reason than to save money. The suffering of developing sea power and land power at the same time can only be known by those who have experienced it personally.

To save others by himself, Franz has reason to believe that the French Navy also has serious water injection. The world's three major naval powers are nominally on the same level, but in fact it is for other naval powers.

In essence, the Royal Navy is one level higher, and the navies of the three countries were forcibly pulled together for comparison, just because of interests.

Without competitors, how can there be military spending? The slogan of the three major naval powers was originally uttered by the British Navy in order to put pressure on Congress.

Compared with the French and Austrian navies with a large number of old warships, the Royal Navy is much better. As the king of the international warship trade market, the British can export a batch of second-hand warships every few years.

The funds returned from the arms trade, coupled with the highest military expenditure itself, made the Royal Navy far surpass France and Austria in the replacement of warships.

Admiral Castagni explained: "Your Majesty, the civil strife broke out in France, and the Bonaparte dynasty is at stake. As long as we are willing to help them keep their power, Napoleon IV will compromise."

After some thought, Franz vetoed: "No!"

"Intervention in the French regime change may seem like a good move, but in fact the gains outweigh the losses. It is no longer the Middle Ages, and the French people, who are full of nationalism, simply cannot accept the regime supported by foreign forces.

The war has destroyed the foundation of the Bonaparte dynasty. Unless we show mercy, or else the mess after the war will not be able to be cleaned up by anyone else.

This is impossible, even if we are willing to give up suppressing France, our allies will not give up. How can you let everyone sleep peacefully without making a mess of France?

Napoleon IV is not a fool, even if he is a fan of the authorities, someone will remind him. The most suitable thing for the Bonaparte dynasty at the moment is to retreat quickly and find a scapegoat to bear the anger of the people. "

This time is different from the past, and now is the time when Pho's hatred is at its deepest. To support the pro-Austrian regime in France is obviously a thankless effort.

If it really supports the Bonaparte dynasty, then Austria's best bet is to openly support their rivals and the angry French populace will take care of everything.

"But this opportunity is too rare. Once it is missed, it will not happen overnight that we want to surpass the Royal Navy."

Admiral Castagni fought for the road.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg: "Calm down, Your Excellency, it is not impossible to get the warship from the French, the key is to see whether the price paid matches the benefits gained.

The price we paid for this war is also very high. In the short term, we simply do not have the financial resources to compete with the British for maritime supremacy.

After the war, we prioritized economic recovery, and we could not afford to get French warships. Besides, there are a lot of people who are eyeing the French warships, and it is too ugly for our family to eat alone.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested that a few capital ships should be selected and brought back, and the rest should be allocated to allies to avoid unnecessary trouble. "

In theory, this is the most sensible thing to do. If Austria eats the French warships, it will be choked up enough. If the entire anti-French alliance eats the French warships together, there will be no problem.

pull big

If the family divides the spoils together, the international pressure will be dissipated.

Anyway, the most important part of the French Navy is those main ships, and Austria is not short of auxiliary warships.

Admiral Castagni hurriedly objected: "Don't do this, Your Excellency, the technical standards adopted by the French Navy are different from ours. If you can't get all of them back, then don't even get one.

For several French warships, it is completely worth the loss to provide special supporting facilities. "

Since Austria completed the military reform, standardization has been branded in everyone's mind. As large as a warship, a port, or as small as a screw, there are specific standards.

If you can't get all the French capital ships, then after losing the strategic significance of surpassing the Royal Navy, a few warships will become meaningless to the Austrian Navy.

"Since the navy doesn't want it, then just give it up. After the war, a warship auction will be held, and all countries in the world will be invited to participate together, and the funds raised will be used as part of the war reparations."

Franz's immediate decision made Castagni cry without tears.

To increase the logistical pressure for a few French warships is indeed worth the loss. It would be different if it became dozens of ships.

As the second naval power in the world, there are hundreds of light ironclads in France. Even if Austria takes dozens of ships, the rest is enough for everyone to share, and there is no distribution problem at all.

Originally, I just wanted to bargain, but it was all tossed all of a sudden, and Castagni's mood naturally couldn't be better.

Obviously, Franz is not a good leader who cares about the mood of his subordinates. After making a decision, he immediately moved to the next topic, and did not give Castagni any buffer time at all.

...

As the Vienna government considered the aftermath, the battlefield changed again.

First, the French army on the southern front could not stand the pressure and voluntarily gave up the Italian region; then the French army in Central Europe once again lost their armor and armor on the battlefield and was forced to return to the mainland; even the Franche-Comté area in the east was lost. most of them.

The only one that was still strong was the western battlefield. A group of second-rate French troops withstood the Spanish attack with their blood and courage.

Of course, this does not prove that their combat effectiveness is strong. More because the Spaniards are unreliable, they all jumped out and fell to the ground, and they are still looking ahead.

Now there are only two paths before Napoleon IV: either run into exile by himself, or be exiled by the anti-French alliance.

No matter what you choose, your own safety is guaranteed. Compared with Napoleon the Great, who was chasing hatred everywhere, Napoleon IV offended not many people.

Except for the domestic capitalists, there are basically no enemies of life and death. If the Bonaparte family was good at public relations, even exile would not be needed.

Whether to continue raising the banner of resistance in exile, or to concede defeat and quit the political arena, has become the most tangled issue for Napoleon IV.

At the Palace of Versailles, the fading Napoleon IV asked: "The war is doomed, what do you think we should do now?"

All the people present were die-hard supporters of the Bonaparte dynasty, and Napoleon IV did not do anything wrong, so naturally there was no such thing as betrayal.

What's more, the anti-French alliance is calling now. Even if someone wants to change jobs, no one will accept it!

Prime Minister Terence Bulkin was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, the situation is irreversible, and now we can only retreat temporarily and come back at a suitable time.

However, we cannot bear the responsibility for defeat, let alone sign the harsh armistice treaty. This war was originally provoked by the consortium, and it failed because of them, so they must be held responsible.

According to the latest investigation results, 485 of the suspects we arrested have admitted to collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, but unfortunately they have escaped the leader who planned the operation.

According to their account, a series of problems, including provoking conspiracy to fight this war, driving up prices during the war, and deliberately creating social conflicts, were all done under the instigation of international forces. "

It is obvious that Terence Bourgin is ready to throw the pot out before running away, to preserve the Bonaparte dynasty's reputation as much as possible, and to prepare for a future restoration.

Whether the capitalists collude with international forces or not is irrelevant. Anyway, the charges on their heads are real, and it's just right to push them out to draw hatred.

It doesn't matter even if it is worn out, just because of what these guys have done, the reputation has long been bad, and some enthusiastic people are willing to testify.

The competition within the bourgeoisie is equally cruel, and it can kill competitors without any mercy. Even if you want to rehabilitate them, it will be after these guys die.

Napoleon IV asked uncertainly: "You mean to leave Paris to the revolutionaries and let them deal with the anti-French alliance?"

Now Paris is a hot potato, and whoever takes it will face a crushing problem: how to get rid of the anti-French alliance.

As a loser in this war, without paying a heavy price, you simply don't even think about passing the test. Land reparations are inevitable.

However, no matter whether it is ceding land or paying indemnities, the French people cannot accept it. It can be said that whoever signs such a treaty is finished. Even if you don't sign, the millions of anti-French coalition troops are not vegetarians.

France can expel the people of the occupied territories, as can the anti-French alliance. The lessons of the Ottoman Empire have already appeared, and no one can guarantee that France will become the second Ottoman.

International pressure does not exist. In this era of the weak, the biggest anti-French alliance of the fists represents the international order.

Terrence Bulkin nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty. Since the revolutionaries choose to rebel at this time, they must have the ability to bear the consequences."

...