Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 581

Chapter 581: Chapter 154, Now—Future
 

As Franz issued the order, the Austrian army on the front lines sprang into action, initiating the deportation without waiting for the Ottoman Empire’s consent.

In those days, the Ottomans had no human rights, so no lengthy explanations were necessary—forced expulsion was sufficient. No one perceived anything amiss, including the embedded journalists who pretended not to see.

As for what they might write upon returning, no one knew. After all, for the sake of newspaper sales, there would be a variety of colorful news, and the integrity of journalists was only slightly better than in future generations.

As long as most mainstream media didn’t speak for the Ottomans, that was enough; street tabloids were always about starting with a pen and a paper, with content completely fabricated.

Preparing public opinion manipulation in advance was not difficult—as long as there was money to be spent; trying to control public opinion completely was a pipe dream.

In those years, there was no great power immune to criticism. The more frequently a country appeared on the front pages, the more it indirectly reflected its might. Smaller nations hardly attracted reporting attention.

Following unsuccessful protests, the Sultan Government still chose to silently accept reality. Despite current European support, when one looks back at history, they were still adversaries.

Preserving the Ottoman Empire was a strategic necessity, but this did not mean they were now considered friends. Even France, with its traditional friendship with the Ottoman Empire, wouldn’t support them openly.

Inside Downing Street Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Gelson frowned and asked, “Are the greedy Russians still insisting?”

The London Government also deeply resented the Tsarist Government’s reluctance to sign the cease-fire treaty. Everyone was busy and had no time to linger on a single issue.

Foreign Minister McLean: “The Tsarist Government still clings to the fantasy of annihilating the Ottoman Empire, probably fearing that during the next Prusso-Russian War, the Ottomans would stab them in the back again.

However, the Vienna Government has already compromised. Relying solely on Russian strength to destroy the Ottoman Empire, they still fall short.

The Tsarist Government is penniless; their persistence will at most cause a few days of trouble for the Ottoman Empire. Austria has only promised to provide military supplies within the year, and by the end of the year at the latest, the Russians will compromise.

However, it is the Austrians’ actions in the Middle East Region that deserve our vigilance. The Vienna Government, under the guise of protecting the Holy Land, announced a twenty-year fallow period for the land there, followed by the expulsion of the local Ottomans.

The same approach was taken by the Austrians a decade ago. Sending the Ottomans back and then moving in settlers from within their nation, they could quickly establish rule.

While costly at first, the subsequent low governance expenses have proved quite effective. If nothing unexpected happens, it won’t be long before the Austrians secure their position in the Middle East.

Currently, we have no reach along the Eastern Mediterranean coast and can only watch as Austria continues to expand. Occupying Jerusalem is just the beginning; in the near future, Austria will gradually erode the Ottoman Empire.

If Austria’s ambitions are realized, it would mean the resurrection of half of the Roman Empire’s territory. We must remain vigilant; otherwise, the emergence of such a behemoth presents a great problem.”

Prime Minister Gelson’s face showed concern as the international situation increasingly slipped beyond their control. Having just been outplayed by the French, Austria was now becoming restless again.

European nations had united to pressure Austria into backing down this time, but what about the next? It’s unlikely that the countries of Europe will always stand together; if their positions diverge, Austria may become uncontrollable.

“You mean to support the Ottoman Empire, letting them have enough strength to defend themselves, in order to curb Austria’s ambition?”

Foreign Minister McLean nodded: “Correct. Given the current situation, if the Ottoman Empire does not increase its strength, it will sooner or later be divided by Austria and the Russians.

Under the joint pressure of France and Austria, our influence in the Mediterranean has been waning day by day; now is the time for a change.

As long as we have the Ottoman Empire in our grip, we’ll have more room to maneuver. However, this will require a partnership with the French. Alone, our strength is insufficient to revive the Ottomans.”

The Ottoman Empire was already rotten to the core. The limited reforms of the Sultan Government were akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul—merely treating the symptoms, not the cause—and the difficulty of regaining strength was immense.

Worse still, the Ottoman Empire was a multi-ethnic state; once fallen, it would disintegrate, making reconstruction impossible.

Finance Minister Laruoke Lloyd: “Supporting the Ottoman Empire is fine, but the key is how to ensure that our investment yields returns.

Even if we share the risk with the French, this is still a high-risk investment. If the Ottoman Empire collapses, our investment will go down the drain.

The financial situation of the Ottoman Government has already gone bankrupt. To save them, the cost is not a small number.”

Does the Great Britain Empire have money? Of course, they do! In this era, they are still the most generous government in the world, even France and Austria can’t compare.

But having money doesn’t mean it should be wasted. The Ottoman Empire is a mess, and Laluque Lloyd isn’t optimistic about the Sultan Government’s ability to rise from the ashes.

Foreign Minister McLean waved his hand: “We have no better choice now. In the Near East, only the Ottomans have the potential to become a strong nation. We certainly can’t support the Greek people to counterbalance Austria, can we?”

Supporting the Greek people is a joke. A country with barely a million people, no matter how much Britannia invests, it cannot turn them into a strong nation.

Prime Minister Gelson: “Supporting the Ottoman Empire is possible, but we must grasp the degree of it. Once we discover it is not feasible, we must cut our losses in time.

But what about the French? Now with the Spanish Government being pro-French, the French’s western front is stable. Once they finish their internal struggles, they will likely fight for dominion over Europe again.

Given the style of the Vienna Government, they may not face off with the French. By then, a new round of annexation activities is very likely to erupt.”

This is the worst outcome. If we allow the big countries to annex the small ones, Britannia’s superior position will be hard to guarantee.

Foreign Minister McLean shook his head: “Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, you worry too much. Neither France nor Austria will expand abroad in the near term.

With the rise of nationalism, the risks of expansion are increasing. The French are an example, having annexed the Italian Area, they have not digested it even after many years.

Austria has been loudly proclaiming the unification of the Germany Region, but their actual actions are very conservative. If they hadn’t continuously infiltrated the German Federation, I’d even think they had given up.

Even if they haven’t given up, the Vienna Government’s enthusiasm for unifying the Germany Region is not high.

The political system of the New Holy Roman Empire, although more rigorous than the previous Holy Roman Empire, still grants significant rights to the Sub-State.

The Germany Region is accustomed to Sub-State politics, and forcibly breaking this pattern is likely to cause trouble.

The Austrians have realized this point. The New Holy Roman Empire has taken away some of the core rights, even altering the voting rules of the Imperial Parliament.

With its sizeable advantage, Austria firmly suppresses several Sub-States. However, if the remaining Sub-States of Germany enter the Imperial Parliament, the situation will change.

Calculated at a minimum of one vote per Sub-State, Austria would not be able to achieve an absolute majority of votes in the Imperial Parliament. Then there would be a situation like the German Federation Empire, where a bunch of small Sub-States band together in parliament to limit the power of the Central Government.

If they change the rules of the game, it would affect the monarchy. For an Emperor, the seat under their rear is far more important than occupying a bit more territory.”

These judgments are not wrong. Based on the current international situation, this is indeed the case. Wait a few more years until the gap in strength between countries further widens, the situation will be different again.

Not to mention, in the recent century, the number of Sub-States in Germany has been decreasing, which is a practical issue.

Some Sub-States’ Monarchs die without heirs, and the crowns fall into the hands of relatives, achieving Sub-State mergers through marriage alliances. The Habsburg Family is a major representative of this, with the Austrian Empire having come into being this way.

Besides one vote per Sub-State, the parliament of the New Holy Roman Empire has a rule that for every three million people, one vote is generated, which in effect is a measure Franz had pre-embedded.

The population of Austria is growing rapidly, and after the colonies are localized, they follow direct governance from the Central Government. Even if a bunch of Sub-States are included, it is not difficult for the Central Government to secure a majority of votes.

However, foreign policy must look to the future and also focus on the present. If we don’t handle the current issues properly, what future can we talk about?

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co