At the time of the outbreak of the war in the Near East, the rest of the world was also not at peace, and Britain, France and Russia were fighting, which made the Americans on the other side of the ocean feel that the opportunity had come.

First, Cuba did something, and the Spaniards cut off their tentacles, touched their noses, and were warned by Britain and France, so they had to continue to retract and pretend to be their grandson.

In July 1853, the Americans caused the Black Ship Incident in Japan, and forced the shogunate government to accept their terms and sign the Japan-U.S. Kanagawa Treaty.

According to the-urine nature of the great powers, it was naturally impossible to watch the Americans monopolize Japan's interests, so everyone joined in one after another, and Britain, France, the Netherlands, and other countries took the lead in entering the camp and forced the shogunate government to sign a similar treaty.

When the news reached Vienna, the Austrian colonists saw an opportunity to join in. The Vienna government is debating whether to follow the fire and take advantage of the robbery.

Prime Minister Felix spoke: "Your Majesty, Japan is too far away from us to reach us, and besides, we have little interest there, so there is no need to spend too much energy.

Now our focus is still on developing the domestic region, especially in the southern German region, and it is more in our interest to infiltrate the Federal Reich of Germany than to act in East Asia. ”

Admiral Philcos objected: "Your Excellency, it will not cost us much to take action in the Near East, and the Dutch can force the Japanese government to compromise, and it will not be difficult for us to obtain equal benefits."

Now that the Japanese government is already a frightened bird, it does not dare to refuse our proposal at all.

Even if diplomacy fails, we have an agreement with the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal that we can get supplies from their colonies, and it will not be difficult to send a fleet to Asia to deter Japan. ”

Austria did not fail to open up overseas colonies. The signing of overseas port supply treaties with the declining colonial empires was one of the measures, at the cost of which Austria would not be able to exploit the overseas colonies of other countries.

In the short term, it was a blank check, Austria had no overseas colonies, but no one doubted that Austria had the strength to open up overseas colonies.

As is customary, the entry of the new empire is bound to seize the sphere of influence of the old empire. The Vienna government has shown goodwill and willingness to coexist peacefully, and naturally everyone will not object.

Metternich analyzed: "There are many countries that are eyeing Japan, and now that they have opened their doors, I am afraid that everyone will flock to it.

In fact, the Russians had long had plans to colonize Japan, and if the war had not broken out in the Near East, I am afraid that it would not have been the turn of the Americans to take the lead.

In the current international situation, it is not a big problem for us to join in the pie, but if we want to obtain greater benefits, we must send a naval fleet. ”

Austria's navy was not very good, even after Franz came to power, it was expanded to a certain extent.

However, the strength and weakness are compared, and it is not worth mentioning compared to the two naval powers of Britain and France, and there is naturally no pressure to bully Japan in this era.

However, this does not justify Austria sending a naval fleet to the Far East, and the key is to look at interests.

After a moment of hesitation, Franz decided: "The Far East is not the focus of our expansion, and even if we colonize overseas, we must avoid conflicts with European countries as much as possible."

For now, let's focus on the Borderlands, even if it's desolate, it's okay to start accumulating experience.

What we should do now is to send more expeditions to explore the land that has not yet been occupied by various countries, as long as it is convenient to rule, we can take it down and practice, there is no need to chase too much immediate interests.

On the Japanese issue, we can follow in the footsteps of other countries, and we can just get a part of our benefits, and we don't need to continue to expand. ”

Franz said this lightly on the surface, but in fact he was dripping blood deep down. finally caught the last train of the colonial empire, but because of the strength of the navy, he could only pick up some British and French scraps.

If you don't know how to snatch the fat, let alone Britain and France, it is estimated that the old colonial empires such as Spain and the Netherlands can make Austria unable to eat and walk around.

Overseas colonization is not only based on strength, but also on the ways and means of rule. As a newcomer, these old empires don't need to interfere by force, just dig a pit, and you can lose the bottom of the sky.

Including the fact that the Americans seized the Philippine Islands in history, and it seemed that they had won the victory, but in fact they knew that they were bitter. The land that was rich in the hands of the Spaniards became a loser in their hands.

This is still a rich Philippine archipelago, and if it were replaced by a poor and remote country, it is estimated that it will lose even worse.

Colonial rule also depends on the cost, no experience in colonial management, blindly join the colonial army, just be ready to die!

In contrast, Franz is more willing to go to an uninhabited island to plant a national flag, and just send a few soldiers to garrison it to swear sovereignty, and don't worry about someone snatching it.

Of course, this kind of island is either in poor geological conditions, or it is too small, and it is not expected to have much benefit, at most it can only be used as a resource reserve area.

"Your Majesty, we have been developing on the European continent and have not made a voice in the world, which is very detrimental to our future overseas colonies," proposed the Admiralty Philcos.

It would be better to organize a naval cruise around the world, visit countries around the world, and find an opportunity to take some borderlands by the way, as our first step out of Europe. ”

The rise of almost every maritime power is inseparable from a large-scale naval battle. It is clear that Austria does not have such an opportunity and cannot find such a stepping stone.

Britain and France could not win at all, and after 20 years of development, they still could not win, and Franz did not want to die, and he had no intention of challenging the hegemony of the sea.

Unfortunately, none of the remaining countries are worthy of Austria's challenge. Just look at the map, you can't reach it at all, and there is not enough conflict of interest.

Unless you go to beat the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Navy once ranked fifth in the world in history, which is barely qualified.

However, according to the current situation, Franz was very suspicious that the Ottoman government would have the money to build such a fleet.

If there is no suitable opponent, you can only take another path, anyway, Austria is an old empire, and there is no need to determine the status of a great power through war, so it is already on the field, so why bother to grab the ticket again?

As a civilized man, Franz hated war. In his view, war means risk, and the madman who ventures to provoke a war without sufficient benefits is absolutely impossible to mix in this era.

The present proposal of the Minister of the Navy is actually based on the international political environment. Since Austria adopted a conservative colonial strategy, it was important to deter by force.

Even if you can't scare Britain and France, you must show your strength to deter other countries, so as not to encounter unnecessary troubles when you colonize overseas.

Historically, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Americans established themselves as maritime powers through a round-the-world voyage that flaunted their might.

If it is feasible, it is feasible, and the premise is that the Austrian Navy has that strength. Franz was very skeptical of this, and it was not so easy to cross the ocean, and it was still challenging to travel around the world in this era.

In case of an accident in the middle of the way, you will become a fool if you can't change it, and then the fun will be great. The Austrian Navy has no experience in the global industry, and whether the warship can withstand it is a question.

If a warship breaks down in the middle of the war, where will it be repaired? How to get logistical supplies for the ocean-going industry? How do Navy officers and sailors endure a long life at sea? These aspects need to be taken into account.

Franz asked directly: "Filcos, are you sure that our navy will be able to do this without making international jokes?" ”

The stakes are so high that Filcos naturally does not dare to guarantee it. Not to mention that the Austrian Navy, even the British and French navies, could not guarantee that there would be no problems in making a round-the-world voyage.

Filcos agitated: "Your Majesty, this is a medium-term strategic concept, and it will definitely not be possible to do it at the beginning. We can start by taking an ocean-going route to gain experience, and then when the time is right, we can circumnavigate the world.

Moreover, our Admiralty is not unprepared, in order to narrow the gap in strength with the British and French naval powers, our self-developed ironclad ship technology has matured.

We have already placed an order, and it is expected that within two years, the first ironclad ship will be ready for service in the Navy.

This epoch-making warship will certainly rewrite the history of naval warships and eliminate the current naval warships of all countries. ”

The best way to catch up and gain an advantage in the navy is to promote technological innovation, eliminate the old warships, and put everyone back on the same page.

Historically, the German Navy broke out because the age of dreadnoughts had come and they saw an opportunity to catch up with the British.

The Austrian Navy was no exception, and if the development of sail warships to catch up with Britain and France, everyone would not have this confidence, and the gap between them would be too great.

Since Franz proposed the concept of ironclad three years ago, it has attracted the attention of the Austrian Navy, and through careful study by shipyard engineers, it has been found that ironclad ships are theoretically feasible.

Since it is feasible, it is natural to carry out research and development, and most of the military spending increased by the Austrian Navy in recent years has been invested in the research and development of warships, and now it is finally about to bear fruit.

No matter how many sail warships the British and French had, once the ironclads came out, these warships would be eliminated.

Blockade technology is impossible, and in this era, the navies of various countries are only short of a conceptual breakthrough in ironclad ships, and there is no big problem in technology.

During this period, the French Navy also started the road of research and development of ironclad ships. The British had a similar plan in 1856 after obtaining information on the French ironclads.

Of course, it will take time from R&D to final service, and the adoption of new technologies will not be smooth sailing, even if the development starts years in advance, Franz is not sure who will build the ironclad ship first.

What he asked for was the construction of ironclad ships, not ironclad ships with a layer of iron covering the outside of the warship. If you just add a layer of iron sheet, it came out hundreds of years ago, and there is no need for research and development at all.

Prince Wendy Schretz asked, "Ironclad?" Mr. Filcos, are you sure that the all-iron battleship will not sink after being loaded with cannons, and will still be able to run? ”

This is the opinion of most people, and many people's first impression is to sink. Ironclad ships are definitely much heavier than wooden warships, plus artillery, ammunition, personnel, etc., and it is a question of whether they can run.

Filcos said dissatisfiedly: "Your Royal Highness, please don't question my professionalism. If it is of the same tonnage, the ironclad ship will definitely not be able to compare the load with the wooden warship because of its own weight.

However, wooden warships are limited by raw materials, and now the technology of various countries is to build warships with a displacement of more than 4,000 tons at most, but ironclad ships do not have this limitation.

We can compensate for this small problem by increasing the tonnage of warships.

The armor of the ironclad can block enemy artillery fire, and even if it is a 48-pounder gun, it will cause a little trouble at best.

And because the hull of the ironclad ship is more stable, we can also equip it with explosive cannons, and as long as it hits the vital point of the sail battleship, one shot can solve the enemy.

The ironclad ship is powered by a steam engine, so you don't have to worry about the speed at all, you can refer to the steamship.

On the battlefield, an ironclad ship can easily take out more than a dozen sail warships. ”

These are the advantages of ironclads, and the disadvantage is naturally the skyrocketing cost, and these problems will naturally not be said by Philkos.

Anyway, as long as Austria wants to carry out colonial expansion, after seeing the power of ironclads, it is impossible for the cabinet to give up.

Prince Wendy Schretz continued: "I'm sorry, Filcos, I'm not questioning your professionalism. It's just a little puzzled, ironclad ships have so many advantages, so why don't other countries build them? Could it be that our shipbuilding technology has become the first in the world? ”

Filcos said confidently: "Your Royal Highness, this statement is not accurate, we are not the only ones who are interested in ironclads.

As far as I know, the French have a similar design, only they have not yet begun to implement it.

Britain and France both had a large number of sail warships, and once the era of ironclads arrived, all of their warships would be eliminated.

This is not only an economic loss, but more importantly, most of their naval superiority has been lost, and everyone has to work hard again on the same starting line.

So, even if they have plans to do so, they have to weigh the pros and cons. Recklessly pushing for technological innovation in shipbuilding can bring not only benefits, but also disasters.

As latecomers, we don't have the pressure to do that. Because of the lack of overseas colonies, our navy is far from being comparable in size.

Even if we were to tear it all down and start over, we would have taken advantage of it. In fact, now only two ironclad ships are needed to match the total tonnage of the Austrian Navy. ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl exclaimed: "What, the displacement of an ironclad ship is actually more than 10,000 tons, how much does it cost?" ”

There is nothing surprising that the warships of the Navy in this era were not large, and the total tonnage of the Austrian Navy was only a little.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer was surprised not by the size of the warship, but by the professional reaction, how much would it cost to build such a warship.

Filcos said calmly: "Not so much, I'm just exaggerating a little, and the displacement of the ironclad ship is only eight or nine thousand tons."

You all know that the role of the new technology is full of uncertainties, and it is acceptable to have a little error in the final displacement.

The cost is indeed a little higher than that of ordinary warships, but the excellent performance of ironclad ships is still worth the price, and if you add weapons and equipment, it will probably be more than three or four million dong, and it will not exceed five million.

This is the first ironclad ship, and a lot of technology needs to be experimented, and the cost will be reduced when the number of buildings is more later. ”

A warship, together with weapons and equipment, occupies one-third of the Navy's annual budget, and Franz knew that the era of the Navy was burning.

If you use this money to build sail warships, you can build five or six first-class capital ships, which will inevitably bring more financial pressure to the colonial empire.

Everyone fell into deep thought, and they all began to weigh the pros and cons of whether to provoke a new round of naval arms race.