Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 442

Chapter 442: Chapter 15, The Dream of a Powerful Nation
 

Unable to obtain everything they wanted in Austria, the Japanese delegation conducted a survey and then left, and Vienna gained a new Japanese Embassy.

One can’t help but admire the foresight of the Japanese, who, despite their financial difficulties, gritted their teeth and established embassies in several major European countries.

The cost of living in Vienna is not low, especially in comparison to Japan; the real estate prices here are sky-high. It’s not that there are people speculating on property, it is purely the result of market self-regulation.

As the largest—and effectively only—land supplier in Vienna, Franz could responsibly say that property speculation in Austria had no financial future.

Vienna’s housing prices have soared, and the moniker “City that Never Sleeps” has played a significant role. Just for that name alone, people are constantly delighted to buy houses in Vienna.

With more people buying homes, supply failed to meet demand, and naturally, prices rose. Now in Vienna, there is nothing for less than eight hundred Divine Shields, doubling the price from the same period last year.

Ordinary residences are still somewhat reasonable, but in reality, it’s the luxury homes that have seen the most substantial increase—the higher the class of residence, the steeper the price increase.

Especially in the Nobility district, most courtyard homes have seen their prices increase seven or eightfold, with the cheapest also demanding tens of thousands of Divine Shields. Don’t complain about the cost; without noble status, no amount of money could secure such a property.

In order to save on expenses, the Japanese did not move into the Vienna embassy area but instead chose a location two kilometers away to purchase several residential houses for renovation.

This was a wise move, switching to another location saved them at least fifty to sixty thousand taels of silver.

Moreover, there are advantages to appearing poor as it can reduce the covetous eyes of the great powers. Showing off when you don’t have the strength is just an invitation for others to come and plunder, isn’t it?

As for face, Japan never had such a thing in the first place. In this era, which European country would respect them?

Given this, why pretend? From the beginning, the Japanese had prepared to keep a low profile, and this approach lasted for decades.

This is also why Japan was able to complete the Meiji Restoration without foreign intervention. They behaved so well that nobody saw them as a threat.

When Franz returned to Vienna, the Japanese delegation had already left. Such trivial matters were not worth his attention, and the officers left in charge only mentioned it in passing during their reports.

Otherwise, knowing that people like Ito Hirobumi had come, Franz would have agonized over whether or not to have them eliminated. This had nothing to do with interests; the memories left from a past life were enough to make him make that decision.

Since he was unaware, there was no need to fret. Ito Hirobumi and others were in the Kingdom of Prussia on an inspection tour, and in their wildest dreams they could not imagine that they had nearly lost their lives.

Even though they were a diplomatic mission and would be protected by various countries, the sea has large waves, many pirates, and too many scenarios for accidents.

They were not yet allies with the British, and before the Meiji Restoration, they didn’t even qualify to be pawns; if an accident were to happen, nobody would care.

Without Franz’s intervention, history once again returned to its original course. The Japanese Government learned naval tactics from the British and army tactics from Prussia, and “Statism” was also brought back home.

As for France and Austria, there was nothing to learn, as maritime nations naturally couldn’t adopt the strategies of continental countries. France and Austria were already powerhouses in Europe; they simply had a bad cold, and now that they’ve recovered, it’s just that simple.

As an underdog, the Kingdom of Prussia’s counterattack against the Russian Empire is nothing less than an idol for the Japanese, incredibly motivational—an example one simply cannot ignore.

Studying the United Kingdom was compelled by necessity; how could a maritime nation get by without a navy? The 19th century is the age of maritime supremacy, with all the great powers charging towards the sea.

Franz knew nothing of these little side stories. Now, he was still dealing with the headache just recovered Prussian Saxon area and Silesia area had given him — outsmarted by the Prussians this time.

The land was handed over smoothly, but the population on it had vanished. Initially hoping to use the reduction of the primary ethnic group to limit the development of the Kingdom of Prussia, the plan had only succeeded halfway.

The total population of the Kingdom of Prussia had already surpassed twenty million, with the primary ethnic group and those who had been Germanized roughly totaling thirteen and a half million, a proportion sufficient to ensure national stability.

No matter what, at least they had managed to drain the East Prussia area, so it wasn’t all in vain. The Silesia area wasn’t completely depopulated either, with about sixty to seventy thousand people choosing to stay.

That was the result of active intervention by the Vienna Government, which managed to retain this portion of the population. It wasn’t that the Berlin Government was willing to give them up; rather, these people simply did not want to move.

The sentimental attachment to one’s homeland always exists, regardless of how tempting the Prussian Government’s promises were, these people just wouldn’t move.

Everyone had no psychological barrier to mixing it up with the Habsburg dynasty. If they didn’t want to move, they wouldn’t. With Austrian intervention, the Berlin Government couldn’t possibly be forceful and could only leave them be.

Although the land was transferred to Austria, the property on it still had owners. None of this was of any concern to Franz; it was the owners who should be anxious.

Silesia, left undeveloped, would still be Austria. But it was different for the property owners; if the Silesia area went undeveloped, much of their wealth would become worthless.

For example: if the land was left unfarmed, it would soon be overrun by wilderness, yet taxes would still need to be paid.

Another example: if the immovable property inside shops and factories could not be operated normally, then the landlords would obviously not receive any income.

Now, they needed to cool down a bit to understand how to collaborate in the future. Unless the Berlin Government bought these industries and orchestrated things from behind the scenes, these people wouldn’t last long.

What gave Franz the most headaches was the Saxon government constantly submitting proposals to the Central Government, requesting the New Holy Roman Empire to sanction the Kingdom of Prussia.

Keep in mind, they had paid a hefty price to recover the Prussian Saxon area; now with just a few tens of thousands of residents, developing this area would still require significant investment and immigration.

Bamboozled, the Kingdom of Saxon naturally couldn’t bear it. If it were not for the drastic difference in military strength, Franz suspected they might have charged in directly.

Without resorting to violence, the Kingdom of Saxon nevertheless retaliated in its way, such as: closing the trade channels between the two countries, prohibiting any Prussian goods from being sold in the Saxon region.

That still wasn’t enough; they wanted the entire Holy Roman Empire to join them in sanctioning Prussia. Fully aware that this was a self-destructive tactic, the Saxon People feared nothing and were willing to bet on this defiance.

Naturally, Franz was troubled by this, as such sanctions had no meaning. Even if the New Holy Roman Empire blocked Prussia, they could still obtain what they needed from England and France.

Moreover, after the outbreak of the economic crisis, tariffs between countries were almost severing import and export trade; the total foreign trade between Prussia-Austria was less than ten million Divine Shields, not even a third of what it was before the crisis.

Policy-making cannot be capricious, rashly throwing caution to the wind out of spite. What about the companies whose interests are compromised? If this leads to an increase in unemployment and exacerbates social conflicts, the loss is not worth the gain.

What’s the rush to retaliate against Prussia? There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Blind aggression can lead to strained civil relations, which would be a pyrrhic victory.

There was no recourse; if the Kingdom of Saxon wished to proceed on their own accord, let them be. It was their right, and Franz didn’t bother to interfere.

Every family has its own set of difficulties. As long as Franz made comparisons, he would find equilibrium. The British were still troubled with Ireland and Scotland, the French were creating trouble for themselves; compared to them, Austria was faring well.

The sub-states below were relatively compliant, with none clamoring for independence. It was understandable that the Kingdom of Saxon was now erupting.

The recently reclaimed Prussian Saxon area accounted for more than a quarter of their total territory, with a population of one million people, now reduced to mere tens of thousands.

Any nation that suddenly lost thirty to forty percent of its population would be driven to frenzy. Saxon was, after all, restrained, merely clamoring for economic sanctions against Prussia.

…

After pacifying his younger allies, Franz turned his attention to the Balkan Peninsula. Industrialization need not be considered; to the French, this was merely a colony to exploit, so naturally, such grandiose endeavors did not exist here.

The industry inherited from the Ottoman Empire was ruined first by the Near Eastern War, then by French colonial rule.

In a way, this was a blessing in disguise. Simply put, a purely agricultural society is far easier to govern, and radical ideas would find it hard to spread in conservative rural communities.

Thanks to the efforts of the French, many hardliners had been exiled thoroughly. Despite the many hidden dangers the French left when they departed, these never got the chance to erupt.

Franz didn’t visit the Balkan Peninsula just to sightsee; it was to create a pretext for a major operation in the region.

When the Emperor himself inspects the localities, it is natural to enhance security measures. It’s only logical for local governments to investigate security risks, and in doing so, issues came to light.

According to Austrian law, there were simply too many criminal offenders. Regardless of the severity of the crime, if a crime was committed, responsibility must be pursued.

Why wait so long to take action after obtaining the French-Balkan Peninsula, if not to allow them to commit crimes?

The gap between French colonial rule and direct Austrian administration in legal terms was astronomical. Many acts permissible in a French colony would be illegal in Austria.

Lawbreakers would inevitably be prosecuted, so everyone caught faced severe legal punishment. The principle of sparing the masses does not apply; if a village commits a crime, the entire village is held accountable; if a town, then the entire town.

The thorns left by the French were undoubtedly removed. The local ruling class had almost entirely been replaced.

Abiding by the law cannot be contested. No matter how many are involved, the dignity of the law must be upheld. It is never about suppressing dissent.

Aside from political prisoners spreading illegal ideologies, who are sentenced to lifelong hard labor, the rest are dealt with according to the severity of their crimes. Instead of being exiled this time, they were kept to strive in improving the transportation of the Balkan Peninsula.

Franz was still very hesitant about whether to develop the newly acquired French territory in the Balkan Peninsula. Austria’s resources were limited, and investing them in the Balkans always felt somewhat of a loss.

The newly acquired territory on the French-Balkan Peninsula wasn’t small, including what would later be known as Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, half of Greece, and half of Istanbul.

However, the population was less than three million, with even fewer able-bodied workers. This was France’s fault; the Paris Government had long realized that the French-Balkans and the Russian-Austrian homeland were connected, militarily untenable, and thus didn’t develop it with care.

As a colony, one shouldn’t expect much in the way of good treatment. To develop the African Continent, the French had relocated many from the Balkan Peninsula. Compared to the African natives, the Balkan people were still considered superior laborers.

The Suez Canal’s successful completion also benefited from the contribution of the Balkan people, which was a major reason behind the labor shortages on the peninsula.

Because of Franz’s butterfly effect, the increase in the workload naturally demanded more labor. Egypt, being just a small nation of three and a half million people, simply could not provide enough workforce.

In the later stages, the enormous casualties exceeded Egypt’s limits, forcing France and Austria to look to their colonies for solutions.

Austria’s African colonies provided four hundred thousand workers, and the Balkan Peninsula contributed another two hundred thousand laborers—massive casualties in such grand projects were inevitable.

Moreover, just because the project was completed did not mean they could return home. Especially after the French sold the Balkans to Austria, they certainly would not arrange for ships to bring people back, and Austria did not promptly send vessels for pick-up either.

Then the Franco-Egyptian war broke out, and the surviving laborers were stranded in Egypt. Having lost their support, the whereabouts of these workers now are unknown, and no one is clear how many remain.

The Austrian military forces on the Sinai Peninsula are now only protecting the security of the Suez Canal. If someone reaches the canal seeking help, they will still arrange for passing ships to bring them back.

Gradually, about ten thousand people were sent back. Perhaps it was the brutality of war that intimidated them or the hard edges worn down by working on the site, but these people were quite content.

Of course, the debt of saving their lives also played a role, making them acknowledge Austria’s rule. After all, only those who have endured the world’s cruelty can understand the importance of a strong homeland.

Insufficient labor made the cost of developing the Balkans soar. For long-term peace and order, Franz dared not introduce a foreign population.

Additionally, there was the potential rise of the Russian Empire, which would want to enter the Mediterranean and inevitably seize the Dardanelles Strait.

Should they encounter a Tsar who is easy to cheat, trading the Balkan Peninsula for territories in Ukraine would be a huge profit.

After all, the Ukrainian region along the Russian-Austrian border was rich with chernozem—taking any piece of it would be highly profitable. The Russians did not value these regions much, so the chance of deceiving them was very high.

Since the peninsula was intended for trade, investing in development would be wasteful; maintaining local stability was already sufficient.

Of course, this relied on one precondition: in the next Eastern European war, Russia had to beat the Prussian and Polish, reclaiming the Ukraine region occupied by Poland.

Otherwise, the Tsarist Government would hardly entertain ambitions to enter the Mediterranean. Having been once battered by society, the Russians would not fail to learn from their experience.