Under Franz's intervention, the Admiralty's full-heavy artillery battleship plan was passed.
There was no fanfare and no deliberate secrecy.
After all, it is only a test ship, and no one can guarantee success. In the exploration of naval technology, the Vienna government has stepped on too many pits.
There is no accident. After each failure, it will attract a bunch of "post-mortem" attacks. Making the Admiralty look like rubbish is just a waste of taxpayer money.
In fact, the failure of new technology attempts is nothing, the key is the lack of a convincing record of the Navy. If the army with a sturdy record was replaced, there would never be such criticism.
"learn from mistakes".
With the previous experience and lessons, when exploring new technologies and new ideas, the Admiralty always adopts cold treatment.
If it is successfully announced to the public, it is enough to enjoy the applause. If you fail, you will naturally swallow the bitter fruit silently.
This is the price that must be paid for being at the forefront of the times. In the field of scientific research, there has never been a so-called undefeated victory. Behind every success is the accumulation of countless failures.
Of course, there is also a gap between failure and failure. It is forgivable that the performance of the test ship does not meet the design requirements, or the lack of actual combat capability, but the basic mechanical principles still have to be followed.
If the built ship sank before leaving the port, it would be held accountable.
It's okay not to advertise, but "secret" is not necessary. In fact, such a big thing as a warship cannot be kept secret once it is on the slipway.
The battleships of the 19th century are the embodiment of a country's highest industrial level. To build a qualified battleship, at least hundreds of related companies must cooperate.
Such a big movement can't be concealed at all. What can be hidden is nothing more than the performance parameters of warships, and the construction of warships is not a secret at all.
Even in the Holy Roman Empire, there are only a few shipyards that can build battleships. It was targeted by international spies early on, and when the materials were transported in, it was known that the ship was being built.
Of course, strategic deception could also be played if the Vienna government wanted to. Placing merchant ships in the docks of battleships can also fool people.
It's just not necessary. If it wasn't for the fear of being too deliberate and causing suspicions from the British, Franz would have stabbed out the parameters of the full-heavy artillery battleship.
The arms race, of course, requires people to participate. What if the British don't know
"Secrecy", using the advantages of new technology to hit the enemy with a surprise attack, that only exists in theory.
The most important thing is that the "dreadnought" is full of uncertainty. Before the warship is launched, no one can guarantee that it will be successful.
If there is a 100% certainty of success, Franz would not mind starting a dozen ships in one go, and immediately caught the British by surprise after the service.
In fact, the birth of the original space-time dreadnought was full of twists and turns. Everyone only saw the success of the British, and no one paid attention to the setbacks experienced behind it.
Ten years ahead of schedule, Franz couldn't guarantee that the Admiralty's "dreadnought" plan would be perfect.
In case there is a problem with the design, it will be embarrassing to create a bunch of big toys that have no practical value. The emperor also could not afford such a political risk.
Gambling is a taboo for the monarch. What the people need is a stable emperor.
Small countries do not have more choices, so they need to take risks; big countries have more choices and higher fault tolerance, and conservatism is king.
The parameters of the warship have not been leaked, and the outside world is just an ordinary battleship. Shinra is built almost every year, and naturally there is no disturbance.
For all this, Franz was in no hurry. Anyway, when the warship is launched, the British will know. At that time, the stimulus to the London government will be even greater.
According to plan, Shinra's first "full heavy artillery battleship" will start in early February 1898. If there is no accident, it will be able to launch in 1899.
The timing was very good, and the Central Asian Railway opened to traffic at about the same time. The maritime hegemony and India are threatened at the same time. It is estimated that the British government will not be driven crazy, but will jump in a hurry.
…
In the evening, the Spanish embassy in Vienna was brightly lit, accompanied by bursts of music, a diplomatic dance began.
"Your Excellency Minister, we really don't have the heart to spy on your country's colonies. Isn't it tiring for you to be tempted every three days?"
Shinra Foreign Minister Weisenberg, who was invited to the banquet, is now very headache. I don't know where the Spaniards got the news of Shinra's plans for Morocco. Recently, Minister Brad has been pestering him every day.
In order to verify the authenticity of the news, Wesenberg not only contacted the military and the Colonial Ministry, but even sent a telegram to inquire about the province of Algeria, saying that there were no similar plans "recently".
However, no matter how Wesenberg explained it, Brad, the Spanish minister in front of him, didn't believe it.
Well, that's not surprising. There is no recent plan to contemplate Morocco, which does not mean that there has been no in the past, and it does not mean that there will be no future.
On the issue of overseas colonization, the Vienna government is fully decentralized.
Not only the military and the colonial ministry can lead the development of colonies, but overseas colonial governments, nobles, and civil organizations can also develop colonies.
Generally speaking, it is enough to report to the nearest government before the start of colonization activities, and there is no mandatory requirement.
Whoever is in charge is in charge anyway, the colony was established successfully, and the Vienna government ratified it. Non-government planning, colonial activities failed, all at your own risk.
In recent decades, the number of colonial licenses issued by the Vienna government was not 100,000 or 80,000. The number of groups and individuals with colonial qualifications is overwhelming.
The forest is big and there are all kinds of birds. With so many colonial groups, there are definitely not a few who have their eyes on Morocco.
Some of them, Tie Hanhan, leaked their colonial plans to the Spanish government, which is normal.
Similar protests have been encountered by Wesenberg many times. Not to mention the Spanish colonies, even the British colonies, there are people who dare to peep.
Generally, these are stuck in the planning stage. Without the support of the Vienna government, few dared to take practical actions.
Wesenberg can only guarantee that Shinra has no plans to attack Morocco.
In any case, Spain is also a medium-sized country, which cannot be provoked by a few civil colonial groups.
In Weisenberg's view, Minister Brad's current nervousness is completely overblown.
As if his tail was being stepped on, Brad flatly denied: "Your Excellency Minister, I really have no temptation.
You know, we have been suffering from war in recent years and the financial pressure on the government is very high.
Although the colonial rebellion was suppressed not long ago, it will still take a long time for the local economy to return to normal.
In the next few years, our colonies will not only be unable to create wealth, but will need the government to subsidize it.
In order to reduce expenses, after careful research in China, it is ready to sell the Morocco area. Considering our traditional friendship with your country, I have given priority to engaging with Your Excellency. "
Obviously, Wesenberg's denial not only failed to clear the suspicion, but made Minister Brad firm his domestic judgment.
Now that it is determined that Shinra is plotting the Moroccan region and the Spanish government, which is unable to resist, naturally finds a way to stop the loss.
Anyway, if you can't keep it, then you need to find a way to sell it at a good price. It is a pity that buyers are hard to find these days. There are many countries that are eyeing the Moroccan region, but there are no countries that dare to grab food.
Even the British are not willing to go to be neighbors with Shinra for the sake of a Morocco.
For the British government, the longer the land border with Shinra, the greater the pressure.
Buying Morocco is easy, the question is what to do after the occupation? Can't deploy hundreds of thousands of troops to confront Shinra just for one Morocco
The sea power country went to the mainland to play against the land power country, which is definitely a manifestation of the water in the brain.
To put it bluntly, the Spanish government only has a nominal suzerainty. It was obtained by illegal means, and the Moroccans simply do not recognize it.
If Spain completely occupied the Moroccan region and established a complete order, maybe someone would dare to take food.
After all, at this stage, the Vienna government has already begun to be embarrassed, and it is impossible to snatch everyone's colonies for no reason.
Unfortunately, the Spanish government can only sell it in one name. At most, the control of the northern region is added, but this control area is not only limited in size, but also very lacking in control, and often faces the threat of indigenous tribes.
In this context, buying Morocco at a high price may not only offend the Vienna government, but also send troops to war with Morocco, which is obviously a loss-making business.
No one was willing to pay a lot of money, and the Spanish government had no choice but to hit the Vienna government.
After a long period of contact and understanding, the Spanish government found that the Holy Roman Empire was different from the previous hegemons of the European continent.
For the Spanish government, the face of the Vienna government is the biggest "good". Since the boss pays attention to his own image, he can't take advantage of the situation.
Even for the purpose of "purchasing bones with thousands of gold", and not wanting to bear the notoriety of bullying the younger brother, the Vienna government had to give a high price.
Colonies, as a form of wealth, are inherently tradable. The Spanish government of the original time and space almost sold Cuba, but the American hands were a little hacked.
Although it was proposed to buy, the conditions offered were empty promises full of traps. You must know that the US dollar was not an international currency at that time. The US government was only willing to pay US dollars, and it was not a one-time payment.
If 100 million dollars were exchanged for 100 million pounds and paid in cash, it is estimated that there would be no subsequent Spanish-American War.
At this point, Wesenberg didn't bother to explain any further. Misunderstandings are misunderstandings. If you want to be a hegemon, you are afraid that people will misunderstand you.
Since the Spanish government dared to sell it, the Vienna government dared to buy it. Anyway, Morocco is also a rare good place in Africa.
It not only has a fertile soil, but also has the reputation of "cool land under the scorching sun" and "North African garden". More importantly, it can guard the gateway from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
In the hands of the Spanish government, Morocco's strategic value is infinitely close to zero. Once in the hands of Shinra, it can lock the western gate of the Mediterranean Sea.
When domestic media boast, they can add another sentence: "The Mediterranean Sea is our inland sea".
Although such boasting is a bit arrogant, but if you compare it with Spain, France, Greece, Montenegro, Sardinia and other countries that are also Mediterranean countries, there will not be much opinion.
With military and political benefit bonuses, even if it is just a nominal suzerainty, it is also impossible to be cheap.
After a pause, Wesenberg said slowly: "Well, since your country is in financial difficulties, we can understand the sale of Morocco.
It's just that your country does not fully control the Moroccan region, and the Kingdom of Morocco still retains a certain strength, so it is necessary to discount the price.
If your government really wants to sell at a good price, I suggest that your country still sends troops to occupy Morocco and is talking to us.
In that case, we will definitely give you a price that will satisfy your country, and you will never suffer a loss. "
Knowing that it was unrealistic to "encourage Spain to send troops to Morocco", Wesenberg still didn't mind throwing it out.
It's not to lower the price, but mainly to make Minister Brad recognize the reality, and don't think that the Vienna government needs to pay attention to the appearance, and they can take Shinra as a big head.
As soon as the words fell, Minister Brad's face brightened. If Spain had the strength to kill the Kingdom of Morocco, it would not have to wait until now.
As the closest country to the European powers, Morocco has been able to maintain its independence for so many years. In addition to the mutual restraint between the powers, their own strength is also an important factor.
You know, in order to deal with several indigenous tribes in the north, the Spanish government has tossed back and forth several times, but the problem has not been completely solved.
Sending troops to destroy the Kingdom of Morocco is as simple as that. If it is really implemented, I don't know how much military spending it will cost.
Brad directly chose to ignore the "satisfying price" in Wesenberg's mouth. Just listen to this kind of words, if you take it seriously, you will be an idiot.
"Your Excellency, in our current situation, it is no longer suitable to continue the war. For Spain, the most important thing now is to recuperate.
As for the Kingdom of Morocco you mentioned, there is no need to care at all. Just a native kingdom, it's easy for your country to wipe them out.
Even the army does not need to be mobilized. As long as your government signals it, the civilian armed forces can destroy Morocco ten times.
Such a little dust will not affect this transaction at all. "
Flattery, shameless flattery. In order to sell Morocco at a good price, Minister Brad obviously gave up his integrity.
Knowing that Brad was touting, Wesenberg still accepted it rudely. The overlord needs the momentum of the overlord. If you don't have confidence in your own strength, how can you mess up
What's more, Brad's touting is not too much. The Kingdom of Morocco is indeed not troublesome for Shinra. When it comes to expanding the colony, Shinra's civilian armed forces are highly motivated.
If Shinra really gathered all the civilian armed forces, not to mention destroying the Kingdom of Morocco, even killing Spain would not be a problem.
If there is a world army ranking, then it is:
First, the Holy Roman Empire;
Second, the Russian Empire;
Third, the private army of the nobles of the Holy Roman Empire;
…
There is no way, the status of these guys is all shot from the battlefield. It may not be possible to do anything else, but it is absolutely not cowardly to fight.
Before these military strongmen went to see God, Shinra's aristocratic private army was an important armed force.
"Your Excellency, it's pointless to talk about this. Since your country really wants to sell Morocco, why don't you make a price first?"
It can be seen that Wesenberg is in a good mood. It seems that Brad's touts are working, and they seem to be happy with the deal.
Minister Bullard: "Okay, Your Excellency. The Moroccan region has very great economic value, military value, and political value. I think 300 million Aegis is a reasonable number."