Holy Roman Empire

The British ate the most and offended the most in the colonial movement.Now not only Austria, but almost all major European colonial empires are secretly making small moves.

As long as there is no evidence for this kind of thing, apart from revenge in secret, the London government can't do anything on the surface.

Even if they want to find excuses and exert diplomatic pressure on small countries, France and Austria will jump out to smooth things out, leaving them nowhere to vent.

This is the disadvantage of the large population. The total population of the British colonies is as high as 5000 to 3000 million, the total population of the French colonies is only [-] to [-] million, and the total population of the Austrian colonies is less than [-] million, which is not at the same level at all.

In the colonial movement, the British received the greatest rewards, but also paid the highest cost of domination.

The phrase "population is wealth" is not always correct, and a process of transformation is needed.Wealth can be created only when the population is utilized.

There is no doubt that the British could not have taken advantage of so many people in the colony.Otherwise, let's not say the two countries, even the European countries together are not their opponents.

In the development of the colonies, the most fully utilized labor force was still in Austria.This is not a matter of Franz, nor how well the Vienna government manages it. It is entirely determined by the quality of the population.

The population of the Austrian colonies was small, but European immigrants and their descendants accounted for more than half of the total population.

This number is incomparable between Britain and France. The population base determines that they cannot take out so many immigrants.There are not enough immigrants, the local indigenous productivity is very backward, and the wealth created is naturally limited.

The French should feel this most deeply. From the perspective of colonial fiscal revenue, the French colonies have been losing money for many years.

It's not surprising that the colony lost money and it was not only the French family that experienced it, but almost all colonial empires.

However, it is usually at the beginning of the development of colonies, and after a certain level of development, it will turn losses into profits, and only a few colonies have been losing money.

Austria is one of the representatives. At its peak, it lost tens of millions of Aegis each year. Even now, there are still many places losing money. Overall, it has only achieved a balance of payments.

Of course, this is only a simple calculation of the direct fiscal revenue of the colonial government.If you calculate the bonus of the colony to the domestic economy, then the situation changes.

The British are hated because they occupy the most fertile land.Even the most backward form of domination can be directly profitable, and more than everyone else.

In contrast, the French are tragic. Compared with the same period in history, they carried out the "Desert Empire" more thoroughly.

Since it is a desert empire, naturally don't expect the land to be fertile.Before the natural resources underground were developed, French Africa was a concentration camp of rotten land.

If it wasn't for Napoleon III who immigrated from the Balkans and Italy to a certain extent and developed the North African region to a certain extent, I am afraid that the loss would be even worse now.

Of course, deserts are not without benefits.At least in terms of the cost of domination, the French don't have much to spend.

In other areas, the chaotic party can run around and drill into the valleys, and the desert areas will die as long as they stay away from the oases.Therefore, the French rule in North Africa is still quite stable.

After clearing his mind, Franz is very clear: mediating international disputes through negotiation and reducing international conflicts has become the general trend.

Driven by interests, almost all colonial empires have an appeal to reduce the cost of colonial rule.If you block in this context, you will stand on the opposite side of everyone.

Franz doesn't like mantis being used as a car. Since it is the common appeal of everyone, it's good to get involved.

Austria is also a member of the colonial empire, reducing some disputes is also a profit, but not as much as the British.

Franz: "Alleviating international conflicts and reducing the cost of maintaining colonies will benefit everyone, and we don't need to be this villain.

Now everyone still think about it, which areas we can get this time. "

Can Colony Maintenance Costs Really Be Reduced?

Franz couldn't believe it in his heart!

Maybe it can be reduced in the short term, but it is destined to increase in the long run.Especially in densely populated areas, the cost of domination in the future is bound to increase substantially.

All other things are easy to deal with, except for ideas and doctrines that are uncontrollable. Once they are passed on, they cannot be taken back.

The seed has been sown, and no one knows when it will take root and sprout, and then blossom and bear fruit.

Prime Minister Felix: "Your Majesty, in this partition meeting, we have actually become spectators. There are too few places that suit us and can be obtained.

Now the only areas available for colonization are the Ottoman Empire, Persia, the Far East, parts of Indochina, and parts of East Africa.

South America barely counts, but they are already independent, and because of the cost of domination, these regions are only suitable as economic colonies.

The most suitable for us is the Ottoman Empire. In other regions, either the competitors are too strong or the distance is too far.

Britain and France will not let us annex the Ottoman Empire, so it is difficult for us to gain anything from this division. "

"Economic colony" is a new concept put forward by European scholars after the rising cost of colonial rule.

Simply put, the cost of direct rule is too high, and instead it supports proxy rule and grabs wealth through unequal trade agreements.

There are many supporters of this concept. In everyone's perception, colonies are for making money. As long as you can make money, it doesn't matter how you govern.

What Prime Minister Felix proposed are all large colonies. In addition, there are many leftovers, but because the area is too small or the economic value is too low, it is not worthy of attention.

Among these areas that need to be divided, the most prosperous is undoubtedly the Far East, but the situation here is the most complicated, and the power of the ranks is gathered.

Austria has no local roots and has missed the opportunity to get involved.Moreover, the distance is too far, which exceeds the limit of Austria's strength.

Persia was regarded by the British as something in the bag, and in the area near India, it was regarded by John Bull to death, and whoever touched it would turn his face.

The Prussian Kingdom of the Indo-China Peninsula occupies a corner, the British ginseng has one hand, and the French are fighting desperately. At this time, Austria will join in and will definitely be squeezed out.

East Africa is already a dispensable "chicken rib" for Austria.The economic value is limited, it will lose money for a long time, and the strategically important places have been preempted by the British, and it is almost impossible to get them.

Although South American countries are suitable as economic colonies, because of the distance, Britain and France have greater local influence, and Austria's influence is also close to Colombia, a Central American colony.

Franz nodded helplessly. In the last colonial feast, Austria was no longer the protagonist.If you join the alliance rashly, you will be excluded by the alliance.

"I'm too greedy, Austria has enough benefits, it's already very hateful, and now it's time to digest it.

This time, it is enough for us to keep our existing interests.It is a pleasant surprise to have a harvest, and don't be sad if you don't have a harvest.For some leftovers, it's not worth moving. "

After adjusting his mentality in time, Franz felt much more relaxed.Greed is the original sin of human beings. If greed cannot be controlled, sooner or later, there will be no return.

There are many countries participating in this feast of sharing the spoils.It seems that the remaining interests are not small, but in fact, there are not many in the hands of a specific country.

Chapter 172 Constitutional Monarchy

Not fighting, does not mean not participating in the competition, even if you are not interested, you can join in the fun.

With Austria's current strength, no one can ignore it, and it is indispensable to have that share.

Even not fighting for colonies can be rewarded.Concessions are made here, and losses can be made up elsewhere.

The exchange of interests is the essence of international diplomacy.I just want to take advantage and don’t want to pay the price, how is that possible?

All the benefits are taken by your family, how can other countries mix?Can't afford it, can't hide it, just don't play with you.

It is not yet an era when one family dominates, and no country can cover the sky with one hand.If you don't want to be lonely, it's better to follow the rules of the game.

Once the rules of the game are broken, the biggest loss must be the rule maker.Because the rules themselves are set by the framers in order to safeguard their own interests, no one can guarantee that they will be able to dominate if they reshuffle the cards.

Unfortunately, the three kingdoms of Britain, France and Austria are all established empires, and they personally participated in and led the formulation of the rules of the game. The current rules of the game themselves represent the interests of Austria.

Once the general policy has been determined and the specific negotiation work, Franz does not need to worry about it.What you can get will only be known after negotiation.

It is impossible for Franz to determine the strategic goals of each country. The so-called pre-targeting is complete nonsense.

Just like the British diplomacy, people who don't know all think that the British have formulated a series of plans, and the Foreign Office will carry out diplomatic work according to the pre-established plan.

However, as far as Franz knows, British diplomacy has no so-called long-term diplomatic plan at all, and the core of diplomatic work is only one - national interest.

The specific plans are based on the actual situation and are formulated on an ad hoc basis.Making detailed plans ahead of time does not apply to diplomacy.

The situation of international diplomacy is changing. If you are an enemy today, you may become a friend tomorrow. You can’t even be sure whether you are an enemy or a friend. How can you ensure that other countries will follow your plan?

Any successful diplomatic power will flexibly adjust its foreign policy plans around international interests, rather than mechanically following the plan.

Franz sees this very accurately. Twenty years ago, Austria's most important foreign policy was the Russia-Austria alliance, but now it has become the Anglo-French-Austrian alliance.

……

Coordinating international relations, easing conflicts among the major colonial empires, and the distribution of the remaining colonies are obviously not something that can be completed overnight, and this negotiation is destined to be protracted.

In Jerusalem, a meeting of European countries to mediate the Turkish-Polish conflict has begun.Before the meeting, the Ottomans and Persians had exchanged fire on the border several times.

It's just that there are scruples about each other, and they are all trying to exercise restraint as much as possible. The conflict was suppressed by the high-level officials of the two countries.

In general, the two sides have each other's wins and losses, and Persia still suffers a little.Franz was very disappointed by this result. He had planned to support Persia to cause trouble for the British, but now he had to regret it.

Even fighting against the weakened Ottoman army was unable to gain an overwhelming advantage. Such pieces have no investment value.

It's better to support Afghanistan. Although this chess piece can only be used as a small soldier, it is also a small soldier crossing the river.Although its size is small, its combat power is still reliable.

With the support of Russia and Austria, Afghanistan has also trained a new army over the years.It is a pity that Afghanistan is too poor, limited by financial resources, and only three infantry divisions that are dissatisfied have been trained.

This is already the result of the Afghan government's militarism, joined by Austrian funding.Otherwise, they would not even be able to support a modern infantry division.

In contrast, the situation in Persia is much better. Even if it has fallen, its wealth is not comparable to Afghanistan.

If the government is capable enough, it is not difficult to train a modern army of more than 20 to [-].With so many troops, it is enough to dispel the ambitions of the British.

In general, feudal agricultural countries are not suitable for the era of hot weapons, and their meager fiscal revenue determines their upper limit of strength.

The Jerusalem Conference was in trouble right from the start, and it was clear to everyone that there was no outcome here.

Whether it is Ottoman or Persia, there are foreign powers behind them. As long as the boss behind the scenes is still wrangling, they can only hold on.

It is a pity that the three countries of Britain, France and Austria are still in constant wrangling, and it is naturally impossible to reach a result at the negotiating table.

Persia asked the Ottoman Empire for damages, and the Ottomans asked Persia for compensation. The atmosphere was very tense, and the representatives of the two countries almost had a direct duel.

……

While the Jerusalem Conference was deadlocked, the British also fulfilled their promise to the Ottoman Empire, and the first batch of 300 million pounds of war loans had already been put in place.

For Prime Minister Midhart, this is the first good news he has received since he took charge of the Ottoman Empire.

With this money, domestic rebellion can be suppressed and domestic order restored.Then carry out social reforms to re-emerge the Ottoman Empire, and then avenge the shame of Austria and Russia.

Well, this seems like overthinking.But idealists are still understandable, their ideas are always beyond the scope of their abilities.

Al-Shabab official Mehdra reported in a low voice: "Prime Minister, His Majesty has frequently summoned conservatives and religious leaders in recent days.

All the conversations were conducted in secret, but judging from the expressions on the faces of these people leaving, it should be a pleasant conversation.

After coming down, these people are unusually low-key, and even the daily interpersonal communication has been reduced.

At the same time, they secretly have more secret letters, including many military generals who have had contact with them.Preliminary judgment, their conspiracy is against us. "

Al-Shabaab came to power through a coup d'état, and they also single-handedly supported Abdul Hamid II.

However, the sultan was restless.Before he succeeded to the throne, he supported the Ottoman al-Shabab, otherwise he would not have succeeded, but after he succeeded to the throne, the situation changed.

Abdul Hamid II was unwilling to be a puppet sultan. He was originally close to the Al-Shabaab, but he naturally turned to the conservatives under the drive of power.

Now that the Ottoman Al Shabaab is in power, even if Abdul Hamid II wins over the conservatives, he is still somewhat powerless.

However, with the settlement of the refugee crisis, the situation has changed. The conservatives have shifted all the responsibility to the government, and the popularity of the Ottoman al-Shabaab has plummeted.

This allowed Abdul Hamid II to see the opportunity and made small moves, which often prevented the Shabaab government from stepping down.

This naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of the Youth Party, and the relationship between the two parties became very tense.As the leader of the Youth Party, Prime Minister Midhart will naturally not sit still.

The Ottoman Empire was different from European countries, and every transfer of power was accompanied by bloody killings.The current situation is that taking a step back is not a vast ocean, but an abyss. It is not surprising that Midhart sent people to monitor the Sudan.

If it wasn't to avoid domestic unrest, perhaps Midhat had sent someone to kill Abdul Hamid II, and he had abolished a sultan, and he wouldn't mind doing it again.

Midhart said fiercely: "Notify the cabinet and ministers to meet here tomorrow afternoon to discuss the reform of the constitutional monarchy."

The fact that Abdul Hamid II cannot be abolished does not mean that Midhart cannot fight back.Constitutional monarchy reform is the best option.

Most countries in Europe currently have a constitutional monarchy.However, there are many types of constitutional monarchies. Some countries have more restrictions on the monarch's rights, while others are just a name and have no restrictions at all.

Of course, generally speaking, the monarchs of this era have real power, and no one has fallen so low as to be reduced to a rubber stamp.The monarchy is still at its peak in power and is the most powerful man in a country.

This does not prevent Midhart from using the reform of the constitutional monarchy to evade Abdul Hamid II, because the constitutional monarchy itself does not have a unified standard.

For example: Austria's constitutional monarchy, the real effect is that the emperor's annuity is clearly stipulated, and the emperor cannot take extra money from the treasury for enjoyment.

In other respects, there are almost no restrictions, and even some enhancements.The so-called constitutional monarchy laws are drafted by Franz himself, and the emperor has the right to amend it at any time.

Another example: the British constitutional monarchy, the king's rights are more restricted, but in general the king is still the supreme leader and holds the power of the country.

The most prominent is the Russian constitutional monarchy, which does not even have specific legal provisions. God knows how to limit the power of the tsar.

Many people in later generations believed that Tsarist Russia was a monarchy, not the main basis for a constitutional monarchy, that is, the tsarist government had almost no legal restrictions on the tsarist rights.

These are minor issues, as long as it is under the banner of a constitutional monarchy.Although Midhat is an idealist, he is not that radical. He does not have the arrogance to abolish the Sudan and directly transition to the republic era.

Playing a republic in a country with strong religious beliefs like the Ottoman Empire is very nonsense in itself. Maybe all the people elected to power are religious leaders.

So under the banner of constitutional monarchy reform, it is enough to turn Abdul Hamid II into a rubber stamp.

Chapter 173 The Speculator

A wave of unrest, a wave of up again.