Holy Roman Empire

Prime Minister Benjamin also has a headache. It is too difficult to cut off the source of arms for Ethiopia. They can block the coastal line of communication, but they cannot block the inland areas.

Both the French and Austrian colonies bordered Ethiopia, and they would not follow their orders.This trade will not stop as long as the Ethiopians pay back the money.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicated with France and Austria, and we must find a way to cut off the Ethiopian trade line, and if necessary, we can exchange interests."

……

Chapter 2 Abandoned Son

In the Vienna Palace, Franz looked at his high-spirited son and asked with a smile, "Frederick, are you ready to represent Austria on a trip to European countries this time?"

"Don't worry, father. I have memorized all the information, and I can guarantee to complete the task." Frederick replied confidently.

The Habsburg family has been passed down for so many years, and there are not many other relatives.

In this era, transportation is inconvenient, there is nothing to do in normal times, and people generally do not communicate much.But once you get to the other side, interpersonal communication is still indispensable.

It's okay to have many relatives, the trouble is that they also like to have the same name, plus a long list of titles.If you are not familiar enough, it is easy to confuse your identities.

This is not just a rude joke, it will also be regarded as insufficient attention by others, and the relatives will become enemies.

Franz doesn't like to run around, and one of the most important reasons is to have trouble.As an emperor, he is lucky enough to have a high enough status. That's why people come to visit him. Those who come here are all self-reported, so don't worry about making mistakes.

Even if it is to attend a banquet, it is the most noble existence. There are very few people who are qualified to talk to him on an equal basis. Most of the time, it is enough to smile.

Frederick can't do it. Although he is the noble crown prince of Austria, there are still many people with the same status. There are hundreds of people on this list alone.

From this aspect, the nobles are not easy to be, at least the memory is better.Especially the small and medium aristocrats, the titles of the big people are not easy to remember.

Franz is one of the best. Affected by the butterfly effect, his current title is much longer than in history. Anyway, Franz himself is not sure whether he can memorize it accurately.

However, the following people must memorize it accurately. This is determined by the political system. Austria is an empire because of the emperor, not because of the empire. There is an emperor.

Whether it is mechanical or rigid, this is the legal basis of the empire anyway.

Except for a few false titles, if any title is missing, there will be protests by the local people.In European society, this would be considered discriminatory.

So the Austrian pupils are tragic, they must memorize Franz's title accurately, or they will not graduate.

"Not only memorize it, but also exchange feelings with everyone. This is an opportunity for you to accumulate contacts. It's always good to make a few more friends, even if it's wine and meat friends.

I have given you the information on Princess Sophie Mary Victoria, what to do with it is up to you, I don't want to make a joke. "

Speaking of friends, Frederick's expression darkened. In the royal family, it is too difficult to have real friends.

It is difficult for people with a large identity gap to communicate equally, so how can they become friends?

As emperor, Franz had no friends.If Frederick does not have friends of equal status now, then I am afraid that there will be no friends in the future.

The emperor is lonely, and he doesn't think of friends at all in the country.The monarchs and ministers recorded in the history books are friends, Franz can only say hehe!

Frederick blushed: "Don't worry, father. I know how to deal with it, and I won't embarrass you."

Franz nodded, this was not a question of shame, but more of a test for Frederick.

After passing, he is the heir to the throne of Austria, but it is difficult to say.Replacing the heir to the throne in Europe is troublesome, but not impossible.

Of course, this is the worst-case scenario, which is unlikely to happen under normal circumstances.Franz still knew what kind of person his son was.

……

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, the British Minister has sent a diplomatic note that we hope we can put a full blockade on Ethiopia.

According to the information we have collected, this is the end of the Ethiopian war, and the London government cannot withstand the pressure of domestic public opinion.

If nothing else, the French should have received a similar note.

No breakthrough can be achieved on the battlefield, they can only pin their hopes outside the battlefield.

In theory, as long as we and the French cut off trade with Ethiopia, it won't be long before the weapons in the hands of the Ethiopian army will become flaming sticks. "

Modern warfare is about logistics. For an agricultural country, once the source of strategic materials is cut off, it is not far from failure.

Franz: "With the current intensity of the war, how long can the Ethiopian army's reserves of strategic materials last?"

War Minister Albrecht: "It will not be more than a year at the most, and this is based on the absence of a major war.

If the British strengthen their offensive and exhaust the Egyptian army's ammunition within two or three months, it is not impossible.

Unless the Egyptian army suddenly broke out and defeated the British army before the strategic materials were exhausted.Otherwise, the outcome of the war is already doomed, and it is nothing more than a matter of the size of the British losses. "

The Ethiopian army suddenly broke out, and Franz didn't count on it.This is simply impossible. At present, the total strength of the British army has exceeded [-]. Even if the Indian colonial army occupies most of them, the regular army still has three infantry divisions.

On the battlefield, the Egyptian army was also beaten by the British.If it wasn't for the advantage of the local snakes, it is estimated that they would have been defeated long ago.

If it suddenly broke out and ran out to fight the British army, it is estimated that the British would die of laughter.

In the jungle, they could not help the Ethiopian army.In the frontal field battle, the two sides are not at the same level at all. The combat effectiveness of the Egyptian army and the Indian colonial army is actually almost the same, except that the Egyptian army has a stronger desire to fight.

Prime Minister Felix: "Don't have this illusion, before the main British army arrives, if the Egyptian army is willing to work hard, there is still a chance of victory.

Since the arrival of British reinforcements, the situation on both sides has reversed.If it hadn't taken a geographical advantage, Ethiopia would have died long ago.

Now their only chance is to drag the war on.Until the loss of the British exceeded the limit, the London government dared not continue to invest. "

Foreign Secretary Weisenberg: "Difficult! The situation is different from the war in Afghanistan. The war in Ethiopia not only affects the face of the London government, but also affects their status.

The British, French, and Austrian three-power system is still recognized by the outside world as the most powerful country in the world.But the number one in the world also needs strength to support. Now the strength shown by the British in the Ethiopian War is obviously not worthy of the name.

The world's most powerful country is not only a false name, but also involves the right to speak in international politics, and it also involves the distribution of interests behind it.

The political harm caused by any concessions made by the London government is immeasurable.

In contrast, it is more cost-effective to continue the war.As long as the London government is willing to throw money at it, it is only a matter of time before the war is won. "

Political problems are often more serious than military ones.

Although war costs money, it is all the country's money, and cabinet officials do not need to pay for it themselves; but the political harm caused by stopping the war needs to be borne by them.

Franz: "With our support, is it possible for Ethiopia to win?"

To stab the British is a basic operation, and Franz learned from the British.He didn't mind continuing to drain the British, if possible.

War Minister Albrecht: "Militarily, the probability of Ethiopia winning is virtually nil, even with our support.

It is not that the Egyptian army has no strength to fight the British, but the key point is that the fragile financial system of the Ethiopian government cannot support the subsequent war at all. "

The reason for "no money" is very powerful. As an agricultural country, the Ethiopian government has been able to insist that its finances have not gone bankrupt until now, which is already impressive.

Austria's support for Ethiopia is limited, mainly selling arms and helping to train the army.It is impossible for Austria to spend money to help them win.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz made a decision: "Negotiate with the British first, and if the conditions are right, we can also give up our support for Ethiopia.

But this is after the agreement is reached, so what should we do now.It would be appropriate to remind the Ethiopian government that the British want to cut off their international trade routes. "

"Selling teammates" is the basic operation of the big hooligan, and it is nothing more than a matter of interest.

Ethiopia has never been an ally of Austria, and the Vienna government's support for them is just to block the British, and naturally there is no so-called betrayal.

……

Chapter 2 and Three

Kenya is located in the tropical monsoon region, with plains along the coast, abundant rainfall, highlands in the middle and deserts in the north.

Because of its rich mineral resources, it was brought under the control of the Austrian colonial government a few years ago, but only the coastal plain is really developed, and other areas are only ruled in name.

Kenya borders Somalia to the east, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, Ethiopia and South Sudan to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the southeast.

Because of its unique geographical location, after the outbreak of the Second Ethiopian War, the local commercial trade in Kenya suddenly prospered.

A large amount of materials flow into the Ethiopian region from here every day.The Egyptian army has been able to persist until now, and this trade line has also made great contributions.

New Sartu itself is just a colonial stronghold on the border of Kenai. Thanks to the trade prosperity brought about by the war, it already has the style of a small town.

An ordinary manor in the east of the city is the stronghold of the Austrian arms dealer Sanders.

At this time, a young man rushed in panting: "Mr. Sundarth, something is bad! News just came from China that the British tried to use diplomatic means to cut off our trade with Ethiopia."

The face of the middle-aged man in Chinese clothes sank, and then he reacted: "Maos, speak slowly, the sky hasn't fallen yet."

After calming down, Maos said, "It is said that because the front line was blocked, the British army was unable to make breakthroughs for a long time, and the pressure of domestic public opinion was too great.

A week ago, the vile British sent a diplomatic note to the Vienna government asking us to cooperate in cutting Ethiopia's trade lines.

Fortunately, they still claim to be the guardians of free trade, and if they encounter a little trouble, they have to break the freedom of trade, which is simply..."

Sanders interrupted: "Okay, I know what's going on. Sit down and have a cup of coffee first, it's not that serious."

Maos said anxiously: "Mr. Sanders, if the Vienna government agrees to the British's request, our trade will not go on!"

Cutting off people's fortunes is like killing one's parents. The British cut off trade lines and cut off their fortunes.

Now that the world has been completely divided up by colonial empires, and the life of arms dealers is not easy, Maos has enough reasons to be angry if they finally encountered a major war and did not let them send a sum.

Sundels patted Mauss on the shoulder: "Calm down, Mauss. Remember that as a qualified arms dealer, you must remain calm at all times.

Things are not as bad as you think. Even if the Vienna government agrees to cut off trade with Ethiopia, is our business really cut off? "

Maus asked uncertainly: "You mean—smuggling?"

Compared with normal trade, smuggling undoubtedly greatly increases the risk, and getting caught usually leads to bankruptcy.

Sanders said coldly: "It's enough if you know it, why do you need to say it? From Kenya to Somalia, our border with Ethiopia is so long, how should we block it?

Even if the government can do it, why should they help the British?

I guess the Vienna government can't wait to let this Ethiopia play for ten or eight years.As long as the colonial government is willing to release water, can the British still come to our territory to fight smuggling?

In contrast, I am more worried that the Ethiopian government has no money in its pocket.In the first two trades, they took out a large amount of physical assets as collateral, which has explained a lot of problems. "

Smuggling is only the basic operation of arms dealers, but there are very few real legitimate arms dealers, usually with government background.

If ordinary arms dealers do not smuggle, they will not be able to survive in the cruel international competition.

As a leader in arms dealers, Sundells naturally knows when to trade legally and when to smuggle.

Mauss asked uncertainly, "Mr. Sanders, do you mean that our trade with the Ethiopians is about to end?"

As a partner, Maos knows very well how hard it is to find a partner with purchasing power.

If the Ethiopians run out of money, the business will end naturally.Arms dealers will not do charity, everything starts from interests.

Sundels nodded: "Judging from the current situation, it should be possible to do it for a few months. In theory, we can still accept land mortgages from Ethiopians, but the risk is a bit high."

The use of territory as payment for goods is a common method used by European colonists when they were insufficient in their own strength at the beginning of their colonization.

Maos woke up in an instant. He was naturally not a fool to be sent by his family to engage in the arms trade, otherwise he would not be qualified to become a partner with the cunning and cunning Sanders.

After hesitating for a while, he asked, "Mr. Sanders, do you want to transform into a colonial merchant?"

The arms trade in these years is not as lucrative as later generations, and arms dealers are naturally not so dedicated. Usually, they do whatever business makes money.

In addition to the arms trade, Sundales also engages in overseas trade. For example, it sells local products from the African continent for the Games, or sells industrial and commercial products from the local area.

There are many competitors in these businesses, and the profits are far from that of the arms trade. They can only be regarded as part-time jobs.

Sundels smiled and said, "Isn't it possible?"

"Of course not, it's just a little sudden. It's not easy for the colonial merchants to do it now, especially the inland colonies, many of them are losing money." Mauss explained

Sundels shook his head: "It is precisely because of the loss that there is an opportunity. If it were really profitable, it would have been robbed by the bigwigs long ago, and we can't even drink soup.

Originally, I was going to pay for a piece of colony, but unfortunately those colonial companies were too cunning, and they had to pay a sky-high price for a piece of rotten land.

I can only risk the idea of ​​​​playing the Ethiopian region. My appetite is not large, and a few thousand square kilometers of land is enough.

With such a small amount of land, presumably the British have no heart to care about us.Local indigenous people are not a problem, the biggest trouble is that it is difficult to make a profit.

However, this is only temporary. Land resources are non-renewable, but the population is constantly growing, which will reflect its value sooner or later.

Ten years ago, Kenya was still a barren land, but now it has 80 immigrants, and this number is still growing at a rate of 13% every year.

Of course, this is caused by the big immigration policy. This growth rate can only be maintained for four or five years, and it will slowly decrease later.

But this is enough. It is still very possible that the population of Kenya will exceed 200 million in ten years.

At that time, the areas close to Kenya will also benefit from it.As the meeting point of the British and Austrian colonies, as long as a little commodity is smuggled into the British colony, it is enough to recover the operating costs of the colony.

How, is Maus interested in taking a share?If the Anglo-Austrian conflict breaks out in the future, we may still become nobles. "

Mauss frowned, deep in his heart he had complained countless times.Located at the junction of the colonies of the two countries, once a conflict broke out between the two countries, it would immediately become a battlefield.

Want to make money?Let's survive first!The vast majority of such adventurers end up losing everything in the end.