With the service of the "Roma", the smell of gunpowder in the world suddenly became stronger. The relationship between the two giants of Shinra and Britain was tense, and all countries were timid, for fear that they would accidentally get involved and be smashed to pieces.
Then, an interesting scene appeared. After the Vienna government and the London government announced the shipbuilding plan, which opened the prelude to the naval arms race, all countries in the world turned a deaf ear.
Not to mention the construction of "super battleships", even conventional warships rarely have national projects. It seems that everyone has made up their minds to fight this "arms competition" with ignorance.
Thinking about it, the advantages of Shinra and Britain have long been established. The naval strength of any one is stronger than that of the next two, three, four, five and six countries combined.
The gap is so huge that it is useless to struggle no matter how hard it is, so just accept your fate. Anyway, I can't turn it over, why bother to find it for myself
The most important thing is that everyone wants to follow the trend, but there is no way to follow. The industries of Britain and Shinra are strong, and they can build super battleships, which does not mean that other countries can also.
Let’s not talk about other issues first, the optodynamic system is something that everyone can’t figure out.
Don't look at the power system of the "Roma", which has reached 23,000 horsepower, and think that the power technology has been very developed. In fact, most of the power systems used by warships have less than 10,000 horsepower.
The South Carolina-class battleships built by the Americans in the original time and space are equipped with a duplex steam engine with a power of only 16,500 horsepower.
It was already ten years later. At this juncture, only Britain and Shinra have made breakthroughs in steam turbine technology.
If the power can't keep up, it means that the speed can't keep up. When you can win, you can't catch up with the enemy, and when you can't win, you can't run away from the enemy. Snail-class battleships have no meaning at all other than wasting resources.
Not only the power technology is not up to standard, but also a series of technologies such as armament, fire control, armor, etc. are all problems that hinder everyone from entering the era of dreadnoughts.
Of course, if a country has deep pockets and doesn't care about losses and costs at all, it can be done with money.
It is a pity that it is 1900, and it is not suitable for local tyrants to survive. The wealthy and the backward technology are the meals of the foreign powers, and there is no opportunity to spend money on development.
The absence of followers has overshadowed the arms race. Franz, who originally wanted to make a fortune by exporting dreadnought technology, was greatly disappointed.
There is no way, all countries in the world are still too poor these days. I can't afford such an expensive toy at all, so I can only let the two local tyrants in Yingao play.
Even the ambitious tsarist government fell silent after learning about the construction cost of the "Rome", let alone other countries.
I don't know if it was because no one was there to show up. The two performers were disappointed. In the ensuing competition, the governments of the two countries spent more time arguing and took less practical action.
The scene where you announce the construction of two ships today, I announce the construction of three ships tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow you announce the construction of four ships, did not happen.
The Vienna government announced a "five-year, five-ship" shipbuilding plan, and the London government just came with a "five-year, seven-ship" plan. Counting the "Roma" already in service, the gap between the two countries is only one.
The British pressed their head, but did not gain an absolute advantage. After all, the Shinra Navy is mainly based in the Mediterranean Sea and has a geographical advantage.
The governments of the two countries have maintained "restraint" in the competition, which greatly disappointed the melon eaters, and at the same time heaved a sigh of relief.
There are many people who want Britain and Austria to be unlucky, but there are very few people who hope that the two countries will go to war immediately. Especially the small countries in Europe are even more worried that the two "devil fights" will affect mortals like them.
The scene is not intense enough, in the final analysis, the competition between Britain and Austria has not heated up. The contradiction between the two countries is mainly based on hegemony, and the core interests focus on the currency.
The world currency battle between SHIELD and the British pound began twenty years ago. Although there was no winner, the scope of their respective interests was basically delineated.
Generally speaking, the European continent, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and other regions are the circulation areas of Aegis; while the Americas, South Asia, the Far East and other regions are dominated by the British pound.
In addition to the competition for currency hegemony, there are also conflicts between Britain and Austria in overseas trade, but the competition is not so fierce.
Because of the industrial structure, the current trade pattern is: British industrial and commercial products dominate traditional fields such as the textile industry, while Shinra has the upper hand in emerging industries, agricultural product processing and other fields.
As for the colonial disputes, it is not worth mentioning. Shinra did not expand to India, nor did the British expand their sphere of influence in Africa, nor did they break through each other's bottom line.
Conflicts can be accumulated, and the current conflict of interest is not big enough, which does not mean that the future conflict of interest is not big enough.
Time is on his side, Franz has enough patience to wait, and it is the British who should be anxious.
Of course, given the special system of Britain, it is estimated that the senior officials of the London government will not be too worried.
"Potential threat" is still "potential" after all. For politicians, everything is negotiable as long as they don't explode during their term.
It is the same regardless of who is in power. It is far more important to continue the glory of the "Victorian era" than to pierce the window in advance and eliminate "potential" threats.
More importantly, because of the Holy Roman Empire, this "potential threat" is too great a threat to Britain, just like a person suffering from "terminal cancer".
It is easy to get on the operating table, but difficult to get off the operating table. If you win the bet, you can live a few more years, but it is more likely that you will be directly paralyzed in the hospital bed for the rest of your life.
On the contrary, conservative treatment can drag on for a while. Although it will definitely be finished later, but that is also the latter.
Times are developing so fast, maybe in the last few months, medical technology suddenly broke through.
Most of the current British government thinks so. On the one hand, he is trying to contain and suppress Shinra, on the other hand, he does not want to tear his face directly, and he is waiting for the international situation to change.
…
No matter how many calculations there are, the days will always pass. The cabinet government that has been in charge of the Vienna government for more than 20 years finally ushered in the curtain call this year.
This time there is no need for Franz to stay. The old body has not allowed these old ministers to continue to fight for the empire, and a change of office is necessary.
"Government change" is a major event in any country, and Shinra is no exception.
In a sense, the arms competition has not expanded, and it has nothing to do with this change of office.
Before the new leadership came out, the first task of the Vienna government was to sort out the internal affairs, and there was simply no time to go around.
The same applies to the UK, which had just completed a general election a few months ago. It's just that this time the British didn't mess around, and the guys from the London government won re-election.
…
In Vienna Palace, Franz is savoring art in the cultural relics exhibition hall. Of course, this is an outsider's opinion. As far as Franz is concerned, he feels that "arty" is more appropriate to describe it.
"Art", such a noble thing, is simply not something ordinary people can taste. Even Franz once suspected that this thing was a way for the elites to deliberately tinker with the upstart leeks.
Doubt is doubt, but Franz has no intention of looking into it. As the top of the ruling class, he is very tolerant of anything that is conducive to rule.
Despite the lack of artistic cells and the average creative talent, this does not prevent Franz from becoming a great artist.
Thanks to the special status of the emperor, as long as his name is hung, whether it is calligraphy, painting, or other handicrafts, it will become a work of art.
Franz has no doubt that his graffiti works can be sold at sky-high prices.
Just think about it, as a wealthy emperor, Franz has not been reduced to the point of selling his works. Even if there are occasional works that go out, they are sent out.
Rare is precious, and once any artwork is in large quantities, it is worthless. Worthless is a trivial matter, the key is to force it down.
As the emperor, Franz can ignore the price of the work, but he must not lose it.
Seeing Franz waving pen and ink leisurely and practicing calligraphy on paper, Frederick, who came in a hurry, felt bad in an instant.
For the change of the government, he, the crown prince, is about to die, but the master is like no one, and anyone who changes will feel unbalanced.
There is no way to be unbalanced. A sentence of "exercise your ability" is enough to block all his words.
Before he could rest, Frederick panted and said, "Father, this is the final candidate list. There are forty-six people in total, and there are three to five candidates for each position in the cabinet."
"Um!"
"Let's put it down first, find a place to rest by yourself, and talk about it when I'm done."
Franz replied casually.
"OK."
The scene in front of him made Frederick have to accept a reality: the diligent emperor in the past no longer exists.
Recalling his previous memories, Frederick suddenly found that in the depths of his memory, it seemed that he had never seen his father busy.
Even if you need to work overtime occasionally, it is a special period. In normal times, Franz is a adherent to the four-hour work system, or the kind of irregular vacation.
It's just that Frederick couldn't figure out why, such an idle father would actually become a representative of "hard-working".
After a while, the masterpiece was finally completed. I saw Franz put away the pen and moved his tibia before opening the file and browsing.
"It's okay, the candidate's information is complete enough, and the evaluation given is also very pertinent, and there are no people who make up for it.
It seems that you have done a good job in your usual homework. These candidates are the best candidates for both political achievements and political skills.
Whoever you prefer, put their name first, and at the next imperial meeting, simply nominate and elect. "
Different from the election of government leaders in other countries at the same time, Shinra is still popular with emperor nominations, and the imperial parliament votes for elections.
There are two eligibility criteria for candidates. First, they have sufficient political achievements and extraordinary political skills; second, they must be staunch members of the Royalist Party in politics.
In particular, the second point is particularly important. A little lack of ability is acceptable, but any flaws in politics will not be tolerated.
The Holy Roman Empire is so big, and the most important thing is capable officials. According to the constitution of Shinra, the cabinet candidates nominated by the emperor can be senior officials or above.
Choosing a cabinet government from hundreds of people is almost one in a hundred, and there is enough room for choice.
There are no fools who can climb to this position. The lack of ability has long been pulled down in the previous competition.
They are all masters who have ruled over one side. No matter who is in the cabinet government, they can ensure the normal operation of the government.
Otherwise, Franz would not have been left unattended for such an important work and handed over to Frederick.
After so many years of hard work, the small kingdoms within the territory of Shinra were almost drawn by Franz. Individuals who are dissatisfied, do not dare to act as a demon due to the general trend.
As you can see from the Imperial Parliament, any proposal proposed by Franz himself has never been rejected.
Hearing that he was in charge of everything, Frederick asked incredulously, "I will confirm all the candidates, is it a bit too..."
Before Frederick could finish speaking, Franz waved and interrupted: "Not so much. Sooner or later, you will be responsible for all these tasks, but now it's just a little bit earlier.
What you need to do now is to select the best government team as possible and achieve a smooth transition of power.
In addition, you must also be concerned about the changing international situation. In recent times, the number of laborers shipped from France to Russia has dropped significantly.
It seems that there are enough laborers for the Trans-Siberian Railway. If my expectations are correct, it will not be long before the Russians withdraw their troops from France.
At this point, it is estimated that the tsarist government has also understood. The indemnity of the French is the moon in the water.
You can see it, you can't touch it.
France has been tossed and broken, and without sufficient interests, the tsarist government will not die in France.
Whether the tsarist government wanted to go south or east, there was no point in continuing to garrison France.
If it wasn't for the Trans-Siberian Railway, they would have backed off two years earlier. It has been very difficult to delay until now.
The Russian army can withdraw, but the gap left after the withdrawal of the Russian army must find a way to fill it.
France is a big country with a long history. Although they have suffered heavy blows in recent years, their arrogance has not dissipated.
In the past years, the French and us have been entangled with us for hundreds of years, and we finally pressed them down, and we must not let them rise up.
The Russians helped to do the bad things, and the next thing we have to do is to spread anti-war ideas in France. After killing their fighting spirit, we can return to normal. "
It is easy to defeat a big country, but it is difficult to defeat a big country. The more traditional a country is, the harder it is to be defeated.
After so many years of tossing, the French still haven't given up their resistance. The Russians were about to collapse. If the Vienna government hadn't paid for the military, the tsarist government would have been dragged down long ago.
However, the reality is cruel. The stronger the will of resistance the French show, the less the anti-French alliance will be able to let them succeed.
At this time, the benefits of having more allies are reflected. No matter how frustrating France is, there is no need to trigger international intervention.
What should be done and what should not be done, the Russian army has already done it. Violence has been used, and now it is time for politics.
Regardless of whether the French elites are willing to accept it or not, France will not be able to return to normal one day if it does not accept harmless treatment.
France can become a normal country only when anti-war ideology becomes the mainstream of society and the mistake of launching a war of aggression is recognized.
Of course, garrisons and restrictions on armament are still indispensable. Franz didn't want to trouble himself by arming the French again.
In this regard, the Russian army has done a good job. Send all the opponents to see God, and get all the young and strong laborers of the affected families to Siberia to build the railway.
Although the French gritted their teeth with hatred, under the bloody suppression of the Russian army, they were still unable to turn the tide.
There is no way, the mountain area of France is too small. When I ran into a Russian general who liked fire and burning mountains, the guerrillas really didn't have much room for survival.
In the past few years, the Russian army has consumed hundreds of thousands of tons of fuel every year because of the burning of mountains. If it weren't for Shinra or the world's largest oil producer, such consumption would really be unbearable.
According to the current situation, the Russian army will burn all the way, and sooner or later will be able to finish the forest disaster.
With successful cases, it is enough to follow the example and learn. In any case, Shinra may not have many other things, but there must be more oil.
You don't need to really burn the mountain, just make a gesture to scare the intellectuals and cut off their thoughts.
Frederick, who had reacted, asked uncertainly, "Do you want to divide up France again?"
It's not that Frederick thought too much, the main reason is that France has been weakened greatly in recent years. Not only is the economy messed up, but the domestic population has also declined sharply.
If the Vienna government wants to continue to carve up France, as long as it has a few allies, the success rate is quite high.
Franz replied sternly: "Don't think nonsense. After the European War, France was liquidated once. Now let's do it again, why should people be convinced
Unless you want to go out in the future and be assassinated every day. Otherwise, when doing this kind of thing, there must be a reasonable reason that can convince most people.
Besides, there is no France. Do you think Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Sardinia and other countries still rely on us so much? "
It is a common rule in European society to cede land and pay indemnity after a defeat. What's more, what was taken was the homeland of Shinra, which was completely justified in legal terms.
Even if the French hold grudges in their hearts, they can slowly digest and accept them. Coupled with the Russians, the big boss who pulls hatred, there are not many people who put the account on the Habsburg dynasty.
If there is another wave of divisions now, there is nothing to say. It is estimated that the French have one and one, and they will hate the Holy Roman Empire to death, and the warriors who assassinate the emperor must be indispensable.
Unless you can kill all these guys, Franz really doesn't dare to go out. Although he has many guards, he often walks by the river, who can guarantee not to wet his shoes
The leader of the alliance is not easy. The core of the anti-French alliance is the "France threat theory". If there is no common enemy of France, people's hearts will soon be scattered.