Chapter 471: Chapter 44, Strategic Contraction
 

Watching the bustling diplomatic activities of the French, Franz merely smiled. Clearly, Napoleon III had acted suddenly this time without sufficient preparation in advance.

Otherwise, several years earlier, he would have prepared the bargaining chips in advance, ready to use them for an exchange of interests by now.

In international politics, there are no issues that cannot be solved with interests, unless the interests offered are not big enough.

The benefits the French brought to the table this time were really insignificant, like promising Austria the annexation of the Ottoman Empire; it was hardly enough to tempt Franz.

It’s not that the offer wasn’t tempting, but that it would be hard to digest once consumed. The Ottoman Empire, after all, had over ten million people; it was not something that could be easily dealt with.

Even if they could expel them to Central Asia, the political impact of the destruction of the Ottoman Empire would once again thrust Austria into the limelight.

Even the nearby German Federation Empire could be set aside by Franz, let alone the Ottoman Empire.

After all the trouble to let the French take the heat, why should he jump out to share the burden now, engaging in such a loss-making deal?

As long as the flag of the Greater French Empire flew over the European Continent, Austria could comfortably develop without fear of becoming a target for all.

Unless the French could truly assimilate Italy, the Empire would pose no threat. Regardless of how much they tried to win hearts, it was useless; the Italians were too numerous, outnumbering any single ethnic group within France itself.

They also had a long cultural heritage, not inferior to the French. Aside from Greece, no other European country could compare with the Italians in terms of historical depth.

As the birthplace of the Renaissance and a beacon for modern thought, Italians had their own pride that was not so easily shattered.

Colonial Minister Stephen analyzed, “Your Majesty, the French are strategically retreating overseas, and I’m afraid our pressure will increase.

Especially in the American-Asian region, our forces are weak there, making it difficult to compete with the British. We will need to retreat in these areas as well.”

This was one of the downsides. Without the French to share the pressure, facing the British in the American-Asian region, Austria did not have enough confidence.

Asia was relatively better; the good neighbor of the Austrian colonies was the Dutch, posing a smaller threat. Even if conflicts occurred, Austria could threaten their European homeland.

The situation was different in the American region. The Alaska area was the worst, utterly lacking any capacity to resist risks. If the British gave up all pretense, they could even pose as pirates and take it over.

The risk resistance of Austrian Patagonia in South America was also very low, with both Argentina and Chile posing threats.

A few years ago, both countries proposed to Austria to buy this colony, and the Vienna Government, by quoting a ridiculously high price of one billion Divine Shields, scared them off.

Intimidated by Austrian power, under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t dare act rashly. But if John Bull got involved, the situation could change.

The Central American Colony might appear strong, but it faced the greatest challenges. The United States of America were covetously eyeing the region and had made several probes to Austria about buying it.

These plantation owners had an unimaginable interest in land. Most of the United States’ territory was conquered during the Democratic Party’s rule, with plantation owners as their main force.

It’s not that they have settled down now, but rather their losses in the American Civil War were too great, and the European countries opposed their expansion.

The population of whites in the Austria Central America region exceeded one million through initial migration and the original residents.

Along with the Indians and a large number of mixed-race individuals, the total population had reached over three and a half million, which was not weaker than a country in Central and South America.

However, that’s where it ended. The potential for development in Central and South America was slim; without Austrian support, it wouldn’t have come this far.

Advancing further would require either the annexation of Colombia in South America or Mexico in North America, which was not easy to accomplish. Both the United States of America and the Confederate States were obstacles.

Unless Austria shifted its strategic focus to America and committed a nation’s worth of resources, it was almost impossible to achieve.

In fact, in the past few years, the Austria Central America region hadn’t expanded externally. Even towards the Panama area, the efforts were mainly in infiltration.

Franz smiled faintly and spoke calmly, “No matter, having more colonies isn’t always better. By today, almost all colonizable areas have been divided up; it’s time to halt our expansion.

Not just us, but in fact, the English have reached the limits of their expansion, they just haven’t realized it yet.

Now that the good places are all taken, what’s left are either hard nuts to crack or worthless lands that are tasteless to consume yet pitiful to discard.

Next, the Colonial Department should start building. As long as we can domesticate the African Continent, we will be able to face any challenge.”

With a significant advantage, Franz could easily hold his ground. He wasn’t even interested in the ongoing Boer War in South Africa.

Strength was the foundation of confidence. In the original timeline, even the Boer people could wear the British down. With Austria’s current power in the African Continent, which could well be equated to a hundred and eighty Boer Republics, there was nothing to worry about.

Nobles who had made a stand in Africa were not inept drunkards. The real waste had already died en route; any one of them was a fighter who had emerged from the flames of war.

Moreover, Franz even suspected their military competence surpassed regulars; at least the official army had morals, while these people would do anything for victory.

Human nature and bottom lines did not exist for them; colonists were akin to executioners. Not a joke. If one were to investigate, every colonizer in the world could be lined up and used for target practice.

Perhaps occasionally there might be innocent ones, but that was only because they hadn’t yet had the chance to commit any crimes.

Every raven under the sky is as black as another, and such was the case with every major colonial empire in Europe. Naturally, nobody would lift the cover off this reality.

Not moving against the Ottoman Empire now does not mean that there will never be a move against it; fulfilling the deceased monarchs’ wishes of the Habsburg dynasty is still a mission to be completed.

Moreover, Franz was extremely enthusiastic about reclaiming the Holy Land to garner political prestige.

Franz accepted the olive branch thrown by the French, and that was the end of it. With the Paris Government’s commitment, Austria would have the advantage when the time came to squabble over the Middle East issues.

As for the British, they could be disregarded. With the establishment of the Greater French Empire, the Mediterranean had been split in two. It was only a matter of time before John Bull’s influence was squeezed out of the Mediterranean.

Even if they occupied the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta, what of it?

Surrounded by the dominions of France and Austria, for the British to maintain their influence, the required investment would be enormous.

Should relations sour one day, these isolated islands hanging over the sea would be impossible to defend. The more resources invested, the greater the future losses would be.

Being the world’s leading Royal Navy did not equate to being number one in every region. It was normal for other countries to have regional naval hegemony.

While Austria was not tempted by the French, they did play a part in restraining the British, as France and Austria very tacitly squeezed out the British in the Mediterranean.

This type of conflict occurred almost daily around the world. For example, Austria was pushed out of the Far East by England and France, even failing to preserve their interests in Japan.

Or consider: the French were squeezed out of the Southeast Asia region by the British, Austrian, and Dutch tripartite, left with only a few isolated islands struggling to hang on.

There’s also the Australian Region, where Austria had just reached out only to be blocked by the British.

…

Incidents like these happened far too often. Here, they may be allies, but change the location, and they become enemies.

This era was one of cooperation existing alongside confrontation. As long as there was no outright betrayal and open warfare, alliances could be formed.

True allies whose interests completely aligned existed only in theory. In reality, as long as one could fulfill alliance obligations, they were considered a good ally.

The Vienna Government’s approach did not surprise Napoleon III. Everyone was acting out of self-interest.

Austria’s annexation of the German Federation Empire was different from their annexation of the Italian Area. The former had a foundation in the population and didn’t require any risk-taking.

For the Vienna Government to move step by step was in fact the best choice. Joining voluntarily and being forcefully united had completely different consequences.

If possible, Napoleon III also wanted Italians to join France willingly, but clearly, this was impossible.

Therefore, he had to resort to the oldest method: the first generation monarch used force to unite, while the second generation monarch used conciliatory measures to win over hearts. These were the most effective methods of rule during the feudal monarchical era.

With accomplishments in governing, the throne would be secure. By the third generation, the foundation would be solid, establishing legitimate status, as long as one didn’t court disaster.

To pave the way for his son, Napoleon III was doing his utmost.

France’s strategic retreat overseas had Maximilian I as its greatest victim. With reforms underway, rebel armies in Mexico were emerging endlessly.

Had it not been for the task of eradicating these rebels outsourced to the French Army, Maximilian I would have been overthrown by the rebels long ago.

One should know this contract had trapped the French badly. In the years spent quelling the Mexican rebels, the French Army had suffered at least eight thousand casualties.

In return, the majority of Mexico’s mines and tariffs were under French control, but unfortunately, due to the civil wars, the costs still outweighed the gains in the end.

Unbeknownst to it, the Mexican Government had accumulated a debt of over one billion Francs to the French, as well as owing the British 8.6 million British Pounds and the Spanish more than thirty million Pesos.

To be fair, the reforms of Maximilian I held some positive significance for the nation, striking against the Conservative forces and driving Mexico’s modernization process.

The price paid was also evident: the Emperor became an isolated figure, backed only by a band of idealists sharing his vision; the previous monarchists had nearly all turned into members of the Revolutionary Party.

Now, with the French engaged in a strategic retreat overseas in order to concentrate on potential upheavals on the European Continent, this meant that Mexico was about to lose its greatest support.

Even as Napoleon III cared about his image and did not want to give up on Mexico, the mere forces of France in Mexico could not deter the restless United States.

No one liked an emperor clamoring to reclaim lost lands, whether it be the United States of America or the Confederate States; both wanted to overthrow the reign of Maximilian I.

Previously, with the French supporting them and the principle of great powers’ unity in American issues maintained by England, France, Austria, and Spain, the United States naturally did not dare to act rashly.

Now it was different. The French could hardly fend for themselves, and Maximilian I’s declared Crown Prince had fallen out with the Habsburg dynasty, significantly reducing the likelihood of Austrian intervention.

Such a prime opportunity at hand, if the Americans failed to use it, they wouldn’t have their current wealth. Following the spread of the news about France’s strategic retreat, both the United States and the Confederate States began making moves.

With external support, the Mexican rebel army became active once again. Frequent uprisings in Mexico put the rule of Maximilian I once more at severe risk.