Chapter 220 Some Are Happy, some Are Sad (Part 1)

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

Franz has been following the dynamics of the Five Nations Conference, but when he learned that Britain was going to lease Crete and build a naval base on it, he couldn't help but sweat.

What the hell is the Mediterranean Fleet? Is it because of me again? The world line changed again?

But in history, Britain did establish a Mediterranean Fleet, but it was delayed for a few years, and the naval base was not Crete, but Gibraltar and Malta.

Although Metternich saved the Adriatic Fleet, Crete and the Mediterranean Fleet were embedded in the map of the Near East like a nail.

This Five Nations Conference allowed Austria to gain recognition from the powers for the territories it obtained from the Ottoman Empire and Serbia. However, this did not help Austria's economic situation. Instead, it required a lot of resources and funds to develop and protect them.

Although it seems that the gains do not outweigh the losses for the time being, the impact of this move will continue to affect the stability of the entire empire in the next hundred years.

At this time, the most important thing for Austria should be the Adriatic Fleet, which can save Austria at least five to six years.

After the Turkish-Egyptian War, Friedrich also successfully became the first minister of the newly established Navy and Colonial Department. Of course, he felt mixed emotions. He was happy that this new appointment allowed him to pay more attention to the development of the navy, but he was worried that colonization was not his forte, and he would obviously have to rely on Franz's help in the future.

Franz's first task for him was to have a friendly gunboat diplomacy with the natives of Ivory Coast after the Adriatic Fleet was refitted.

I believe that those natives would be very willing to do business with Austria, and then make some exclusive treaties to exclude other forces from Ivory Coast as soon as possible.

Historically, the French began to show interest in this place in April 1840, and in the following months, they induced local chiefs to sign monopoly agreements and then designated it as their own colony.

But now Franz will take the first step, and Ivory Coast is also a rotten land at this time. The French will not confront Austria for this rotten land.

Ivory Coast can be used as a supply point for Austria in West Africa. When this land develops, Austria's navy will definitely be different from the past. The French will have to weigh their own weight if they want to get involved in this land.

As for Tripoli, which was promised to the Karamanli family, Franz felt that the rescued Egyptian craftsmen and civilians could be trained into soldiers.

The British did not fulfill their promise, which was completely within Franz's expectations, so he sent people to train those Egyptians and armed them from the beginning.

Of course, they will not do it now, after all, the British are still watching, but those Egyptians can be sent to Tripoli in batches.

The language and culture of Egyptians and Tripoli are similar, so it is not difficult to blend in. In view of Ali's brutality, those Egyptians will not want to return to their hometown, and going to Tripoli to win a living space for themselves may be their best choice.

As for when the Karamanli family can take back their homeland, it depends on them.

The British Mediterranean Fleet is very scary, but it is not a good idea to choose Crete as a naval base. Crete is strategically important, but it also means that it will attract more enemies and competitors. Being surrounded by the sea means facing threats from all sides.

For example, France, which has always regarded the Mediterranean as an inland sea, and Russia, which wants to break out of the Black Sea, now face the biggest enemy of Britain.

It is conceivable that the three countries will definitely launch a naval competition in the near future, and Britain's energy will be greatly involved, weakening its power in the East.

And the naval equipment competition is endless. With the speed of naval succession in the 19th century, if the British want to continue to maintain their advantage at sea, the money they need to invest will be astronomical.

At this five-nation conference, Britain did not succeed in disintegrating Russia's hegemony over the Straits, which neither Britain nor the Ottomans wanted to see.

The next time to solve the Strait issue is in 1841. If Russia seeks to extend the "Special Agreement of the Russo-Turkish Alliance", then in order to fight against Britain, they must seek allies.

Similarly, the British also need allies to curb Russia's development in the Near East. In order to deal with new crises, the Ottomans also need new allies.

Austria, a powerful country with a special geographical location, will become the target of the Near East countries. If a country wants to develop, a good external environment is essential.

As an object that all three parties need to win over, Austria can naturally enjoy a good time.

At this time, France has given up the burden of Egypt, and it will turn its attention to North America, Central America, Africa, Asia, and Spain.

The endless civil war in Spain has exhausted Britain, France, and Spain. Especially the mountain guerrilla warfare is a torture for both the attackers and the defenders.

At first, the Carlos faction fought a few beautiful battles with the help of the British, and the Spanish government and French troops were caught off guard and were confused, and once recovered most of the northern regions.

Even Bilbao, the end of the first Carlos War in history, was captured by the rebels.

However, the good times did not last long. The regent Queen Christina won over the liberals and enlightened nobles, and hired troops from abroad to help the government army fight. At the same time, France changed its generals again and strengthened its support for Spain.

The Carlos faction was driven back to the Pyrenees again, but it was obviously wishful thinking to want to eliminate the rebels who were supported by the British.

The French and Spanish government forces encountered unprecedented fierce resistance in the mountains, and they were surprised to find that the troops fighting them seemed to have changed a group of people.

Their feeling was right. These people were trained by the British from Portugal. They were originally intended to be sent to the west to revolt, but they were transported to northern Spain because the war in the north was tight.

The endless tug-of-war between the two sides completely destroyed the Spanish economy. Regent Queen Christiana had no choice but to borrow money from France.

At first, the French thought this was a good opportunity to control Spain, but as the debts increased and the war went badly, France's sunk costs increased.

Now France has no way to accept the defeat in Spain. The defeat in Egypt has already caused them heavy losses. If it happens again, it is very likely to lead to a huge crisis of trust.

The jungles of Central America also made it difficult for the French army to move forward. The indigenous guerrillas did not cause much casualties to the French army, but some soldiers were not used to the climate and water, which led to cholera and dysentery in the barracks.

In addition, some soldiers' bad behavior also caused syphilis. Mosquitoes and poisonous snakes are more deadly than bullets here, and the Central American Federation actually can't come up with anything decent to pay the commission. Many of their so-called lands are harassed by guerrillas.

France has invested 30,000 troops in Central America, but it has been unable to recover the cost, which has made some financiers and politicians restless.

And Louis Philippe is a soft-hearted person. He ordered the French government to colonize while fighting, just like it did with Algeria.