Holy Roman Empire

Franz shook his head and said, "Prime Minister, you are worrying too much. There are only a few people in the colony, and even if a plague breaks out, it is very easy to disperse and isolate them.

Besides, winter is coming soon, and this plague should be coming to an end. Even if it is brought to the African continent, the situation will not be too serious.

Judging from the information we have collected, the death rate of Russian soldiers infected with the plague is only seven or eight points, which is not as high as the natural death rate of African colonies.

The war in the Balkans is about to end, and most of these refugees will choose to return to their hometowns by then. It will be difficult for us to immigrate in the future. "

This is not an exaggeration. The death rate of immigrants to the African continent in this era is so abnormal, and many people usually die on the road.

Does keeping refugees in the Balkans lower death rates?the answer is negative!

In fact, their death rate would have been higher in the Balkans.

Without sufficient benefits, it is impossible for the Austrian government to spend a large price to relieve refugees, and it is even more impossible for the Ottoman Empire to relieve refugees. Can the French be counted on as the Virgin Mary?

In this day and age, everyone is working hard to have enough food for themselves.Relief of millions of refugees in the Balkans will consume a lot of financial and material resources. Who would do it if there is not enough benefit?

Without adequate relief, these refugees will become rogues, and then go to plague more areas and turn more people into refugees.

Before the twentieth century, human productivity was limited, and there were only two ways to deal with the influx of refugees: relief or killing.

Most of the time, it is solved by killing, and the feudal dynasty can't help it at all.There is no good or evil, right or wrong, everyone is trying to survive, if there is not enough food, the weak and the strong will have to eat.

Austria's African colonization campaign was very cautious, and the number of immigrants transported each time was about 8000 to [-], and then scattered over a dozen settlements.It's not that I don't want more, but food restricts the number of immigrants.

If it is just to send people there, tens of thousands of people can be easily sent away by organizing [-] cargo ships at a time, then logistics will become a big problem.

The degree of development on the African continent is limited, and the local indigenous tribes are too lazy to farm the land and rely entirely on natural resources to survive.The colonists who first went to Africa also survived on the local natural resources.

Obviously, this is only suitable for a few people who are colonizing activities.There are thousands of people in a colonial stronghold, not because Franz has no population in his hands, but because he is worried about accidents, and the logistics of the colonial stronghold are cut off.

When the number of people is small, they can still take risks and obtain enough food from the local area to survive, but once the population is too large, it will not work.

Prime Minister Felix continued to explain: "Your Majesty, our immigration rate is already very fast. In terms of the number of immigrants, apart from the French, even the British do not have so many immigrants on the African continent.

There is not enough local output to support immigrants, and there is not enough return in the short term. If precious mineral resources cannot be found, these areas will bring heavy financial pressure in the future. "

If he didn't know the local resource situation, Franz would naturally be worried about this problem, but this reason obviously couldn't be used.

It is even more impossible to go one's own way. Without the cooperation of the high-level government, it will eventually become a colony by the emperor alone. The final result is obviously tragic.

Franz said calmly: "Then, let's find a way to solve this problem. Our colonial strongholds are all in the coastal areas, send them a batch of fishing boats, and teach the immigrants to fish.

There is so much fertile land around them, just planting a little bit of anything is enough to feed themselves.As long as the initial period of time has passed, the food problem can be gradually resolved.

The colony does not raise lazy people. If you don't want to do anything, you can organize it as cannon fodder, whether it is sent to fight the local indigenous tribes or to explore the inland.

Once the food problem is solved, the subsequent pressure will not be too great.After the colony is stabilized, we can explore the local mines. As long as one or two strongholds are harvested, we can recover the cost.

These colonial strongholds can also provide logistical supplies to overseas merchant ships and earn some fees to subsidize administrative expenses.

Logging if you can’t find minerals, I don’t think there are even timber resources in the local area; whether it is growing food, cash crops, or raising livestock in the plains, it is still possible to maintain the operation of the colony. "

This is not Franz bragging. It is impossible to make a fortune by farming and animal husbandry, but it is still possible to be self-sufficient.

This kind of industrial operation can't make much money, but it can't lose money.One of the main reasons why the colonies lost money in history was that there were not enough immigrants.

The number of immigrants is insufficient, the local natural resources cannot be effectively developed, basic industries cannot be developed, and the colonial government cannot obtain sufficient tax revenue. It is normal to lose money.

Prime Minister Felix reminded: "Your Majesty, all of these require a lot of investment. Now we have invested millions of dong in the colonial cause. To achieve a balance of payments in these areas, this investment will exceed tens of millions of dong."

Franz replied with a smile: "Of course, I know very well what this is doing. With the investment of tens of millions of dong, the Guinea and Congo regions will be completely controlled by us.

On such a large piece of land, I can grow coffee, palm, cotton, cocoa, rubber, tobacco, and tea on it, and I can earn several million dong in profit every year.

This hasn't counted the mineral resources, so we can't be so unlucky and have nothing to gain, right?

This account is easy to calculate. Colonial powers such as Britain and France did not do this, not because they did not want to do it, but because they did not have enough immigrants in their hands.

There are still 50 million refugees in Dalmatia, waiting to be resettled there.

We can start with work-for-work, keep them in the local area to improve local transportation, and then slowly immigrate them to the African colonies.

Everything is difficult at the beginning, as long as the first stage of investment is completed, the harvest period will follow.If the government has insufficient financial resources, it can raise funds from the private sector.

Colonies are different from native lands, and do not require the government to directly participate in management, and it is the same to entrust these businesses to private companies.

I'm even thinking about whether to allow individuals to participate in the colonial cause and encourage nobles to go overseas to open up colonies. "

Prime Minister Felix was persuaded that the colonial enterprise was different from others, and that as long as it could guarantee cost recovery, the government had already made money.

In the management of the colonies, they may not have made a lot of profits, but they can provide enough industrial raw materials for domestic industries, and the newly opened markets have promoted the development of domestic industries and commerce.

Another advantage of the colony is that it reduces the outflow of native population.This situation is not obvious now, and it will become more serious after the completion of industrialization in the future.

Especially after the outbreak of the economic crisis, jobs could not be found in the country, and people had to immigrate overseas due to their livelihood. At this time, the role of colonies came out.

As long as the development is okay, and the government guides it, it can attract a large number of immigrants and avoid population outflow.

Now there are quite a few immigrants from the German region. As long as one-third or even one-fifth of them are fooled into Austrian colonies, they are not afraid of any enemy challenges on the African continent.

To retain these immigrants, the development of the local economy is also inevitable.Without a sustainable basic industry, it is obviously impossible to attract people to settle down.

There are many people, and as long as the population of the Austrian African colonies is large enough, Austria will have an advantage in the new round of African colonial carve-up.

This advantage will be directly reflected in the domestic economic development in the future and promote the development of domestic industry and commerce.

Chapter 136 The Vienna Peace Conference

Time flies, and the much-anticipated Vienna peace talks began.The protagonists are of course Britain, France and Russia, and there are more supporting roles. All European countries have sent representatives.

I don't know when it started, as long as there is a big incident in the European continent, no matter whether it has anything to do with me or not, everyone likes to run over to join in the fun.

The euphemistic name is: care about international politics.In Franz's view, this is to increase the sense of presence and attract the attention of big countries.

Don't think that the attitude of these small countries is not important because they don't have much say.In fact, on the contrary, when the big countries are deadlocked, the positions of these small countries determine the final result.

Now there is no superpower in the European continent, and the power gap between the major powers is not too great. No country can really fight against two, let alone overwhelm all countries.

It doesn't mean that whoever is stronger must do something to the opponent. If a war breaks out, it is more likely that both sides will suffer.

The facts of the Near East War have told everyone that modern warfare requires high costs, and the final benefits are often not directly proportional to the effort.

Facing the cruel reality, everyone's ideas have changed, and governments of all countries are trying their best to avoid wars with major powers.

Against this backdrop, all parties came to the Vienna Conference with sincerity.

The British wanted to withdraw from the Near East war as soon as possible and join the colonial expansion movement, because their colonization speed was delayed because of the war.

The French were no exception. Under the influence of the British colonial movement, Napoleon III was very interested in opening up overseas colonies.

Apart from curbing the expansion of the Russians, the Near East War will not bring any benefits to France in essence. Now it is Britain and Russia who are fighting for world hegemony, and there is no need for them to continue to fight.

The Russians wanted to end the war the most, and they got Constantinople, even though it was obtained through a secret transaction, Nicholas I didn't care.

With political and religious interests in hand, if the war continues, there will be no benefit except to make the Russian Empire's finances worse.

The current Russian Empire is already strong on the outside and strong on the inside. Apart from being superficially strong, there have long been many internal contradictions. The Tsarist government urgently needs to cultivate and thrive.

Not to mention the Ottoman Empire, the rule of the Sudanese government is already crumbling, and the national uprising in the country will be enough for them to endure.

The Principality of Montenegro has no right to speak. Even if they fought very bravely and caused a lot of casualties to the British, they still cannot give them the right to speak.

……

Inside Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral, the host of the meeting Metternich said solemnly: "Welcome to Vienna, today's meeting is held for world peace.

Throughout human history, too many wars have broken out, and these wars often bring disasters. In fact, many of these wars can be avoided. As long as everyone strengthens exchanges and communication, many misunderstandings will disappear.

......"

Metternich was a pacifist, which is recognized throughout Europe. Holding high the banner of peace is also the habit of this "European prime minister".

Politicians know how to frame, and representatives from various countries have started to put on a show. At this moment, it seems that everyone is a pacifist.

After everyone finished pretending to be coercive, the reporters were invited out, the negotiation officially started, and the harmonious atmosphere disappeared.

As the younger brother of the Ottoman Empire, Ade took the lead in accusing the Russians of atrocities:

"This war was completely instigated by the Russian Empire, and they should take full responsibility for this war..."

Before Ade had finished speaking, Russian Foreign Minister Karl Vosser said tit for tat: "Your Excellency, please be careful with your words, we are only regaining lost ground.

Constantinople is the holy land of the Christian world, and you cannot be allowed to become the masters of it just because it has been invaded by you for hundreds of years.

From beginning to end, you are the aggressors.We have only completed the tasks that the Crusades did not complete, please do not slander this holy and just war. "

When religion is involved, the Ottoman Empire suffers.On this issue, Britain and France dare not deny that Constantinople is the holy land of the Christian world, let alone admit that it is the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

Even if, this place has been recognized by everyone long ago, but in the negotiation meeting with written records, no one dared to say it.

Seeing that the Ottoman representative was led into the pit from the very beginning, Thomas immediately changed the subject and said, "Duke Karl, these historical issues cannot be explained clearly in a few words.

Now that the war is going on, there is no need to blame anyone. Now let's discuss how to end this war! "

"No problem." Russian Foreign Minister Karl Vosser replied coldly

Thomas said solemnly: "For the sake of world peace and the stability of the European continent, I propose that the warring parties return to the pre-war state and end this unnecessary war!"

When it comes to self-interest, Russian Foreign Minister Karl Vosser immediately objected: "Impossible, we absolutely cannot tolerate Constantinople falling into the hands of heretics."

Thomas said without changing his face: "Karl please rest assured, the Duke, we will not let Constantinople fall into the hands of heretics.

As the holy land of the Christian world, Constantinople should be shared by all Christians. I suggest that Constantinople be managed internationally. "

……

Obviously, this is unacceptable to the Russians. How could Constantinople, which was captured at such a high cost, give up so easily?

The representatives of Britain and Russia began to fight with each other. They argued for more than an hour, but there was still no result. What was surprising was that the French paddled beside them.

Thomas, who had already noticed something was wrong, pretended to be nonchalant. It was not that he was thick-skinned and pretended to be confused. In fact, he was testing the relationship between France and Russia to that point.

Metternich said with a smile: "It's time for lunch, why don't you continue in the afternoon!"

It is impossible for the negotiations to end so easily. Now it is only a dispute between Britain and Russia, followed by conflicts between France and Russia, conflicts between Britain and France, and conflicts between Austria and the Ottoman Empire...

In addition to mediating the war in the Near East, the Vienna Conference also had the purpose of building a new international order, and there were many issues involved.

Since the collapse of the Vienna system, in just a few years, continental Europe has broken out: the Ossa War, the Pudan War, the German Unification War, and the Near East War.

The five countries of Britain, France, Russia, and Opus were all involved, plus the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Principality of Montenegro, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Greece, and most countries in Europe participated in the war.

If this continues, it won't be long before a new continental war breaks out in Europe, which is not what everyone wants.

Fighting life and death on the European continent, in fact, the benefits that everyone can obtain are very limited.Under the restraint of each other, no one wants to eat the fat.

Only at this moment did everyone realize the importance of the Vienna system, and the calls for rebuilding the Vienna system naturally became louder.

Especially the many small countries in Europe are even more insecure. They urgently need a stable order to protect their own interests.

Under the demand of common interests, Metternich, who led the establishment of the first Vienna system, was once again pushed out by everyone.

Can the Vienna system be rebuilt?No one can answer this question. In short, everyone needs a stable international system now.

The Russians need to carry out internal social reforms, Britain, France and Austria need to carry out overseas colonial expansion, and many small European countries need an international order to protect their own security, all of which require a stable European continent.

In the evening, the results of the first day's peace talks were delivered to Franz. Without any surprises, the British were at a disadvantage in this negotiation.

How can it be easy to get something back on the negotiating table that cannot be obtained on the battlefield?

Mao Xiong is not easy to bully. The French started paddling, which prevented the British from using many threats.

The biggest bargaining chip in their hands now is their maritime advantage.Once the negotiations fail, the Russian foreign trade cannot be carried out normally, mainly because the grain export cannot be carried out smoothly.

Grain export is the largest source of foreign exchange for the Russians. Because of the Near East War, the grain export trade was cut off.

In order to purchase strategic materials, the tsarist government had to take out a large amount of gold and silver for transactions. The outflow of gold and silver increased greatly, which brought serious pressure on the tsarist government's finances.

Although the Russian Empire has been in a state of trade deficit for a long time, a trade deficit of several million rubles per year is completely different from a trade deficit of hundreds of millions of rubles per year.

There is really no shortage of gold and silver in the minerals in the Russian Empire. The mere few million rubles are not as much gold and silver as they excavate in a year.

But hundreds of millions of rubles are different. This level of outflow of gold and silver has already affected the Russian financial market. Mining gold and silver also takes time, and it is impossible to make up for this loss in the short term.

But now that the war is over, there is no need to import weapons and ammunition from the outside world, and this trade deficit will soon drop. This threat from the British is not enough to make the Russians make concessions.

Chapter 137 The New Vienna System

The Vienna Conference kicked off, and delegations from all countries were working together and showing their talents.

Russia and France attempted to carve up the remaining land in the Balkan Peninsula. John Bull, who was left behind, was naturally unwilling, and pulled the Ottoman Empire to put on a posture of fighting at all costs.

The threat of the British, the Russians are fearless.Anyway, they have Constantinople in their hands and can block the Bosporus Strait. Once the two sides turn their faces, the British naval fleet in the Black Sea will be shut down and beaten.