The wheels of history rolled on, and after the succession of Alexander II, the tsarist government once again kicked off the prelude to reforms.

However, Alexander II did not have the prestige of Nicholas the Great and could not suppress the domestic aristocracy, and the scene was somewhat embarrassing.

This is the sequelae of the failure of Nicholas I's reforms, and everyone is very wary of the tsar playing new tricks, and there is really nothing to be done in the face of the nobleman Alexander II.

Of course, the history books of the Russians will certainly not say that Nicholas the Great failed to carry out reforms, only that he died too early and was not able to complete them.

The seizure of Constantinople had already put Nicholas I on the altar and became the greatest tsar of the Russian Empire.

The successful one is not to blame, everyone will find reasons to defend him, and the pressure for reform falls on the shoulders of Alexander II.

The internal strife in the tsarist government intensified, and the Russians had no energy to continue looking for the bad luck of the British.

On March 26, 1860, Britain and Russia signed the Memorandum of India. The British paid for a low-interest loan of £15 million in exchange for the Russians' recognition of their sovereignty over the Indian region.

In other words, the Indian rebels were sold by the tsarist government. Although this was not a good price, Alexander II did not care so much.

Reforms also need money, and unless they are reformed by violent means, compensation for groups whose interests have been damaged is indispensable.

Seeing the bitter Alexander II fighting with the domestic aristocratic group, Franz couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The infighting Russian Empire needed a stable international environment, and the Russo-Austrian alliance became crucial.

This is exactly what Franz needs, and Austria needs a stable international situation at the last moment of the industrial revolution.

The British were still busy suppressing the Indian rebellion and had no time to do anything; The French were also at the end of the Industrial Revolution and needed a stable international environment.

The four great powers all need stability, and naturally no one will do anything on the European continent. This is not necessarily the case in other regions, where the Second Opium War has broken out and the American Civil War has also emerged.

Overseas affairs had little to do with the Vienna government, and so far Austria's sphere of influence, namely the Mediterranean and the African continent, was far out of reach.

But soon it was related, looking at the "Austrian World Strategic Plan" submitted by the Colonial Ministry, Franz could only sigh that ambition was a good thing.

Regardless of whether it can be realized in the end, the proposal must be beautiful first. Almost every colonial empire had a world strategy, and the Austrian Colonial Ministry was only now coming up with a plan, which was too late.

After careful study, Franz had to admit that the person who prepared the plan had a good strategic vision, and theoretically the above strategies could be realized.

In full accordance with Franz's strategic thinking, before the partition of the colonies, try to avoid violent conflicts with the major colonial empires.

"The expansion plan of the African continent, there is no problem, it is not very difficult to connect our colonies together, the main difficulty is the harsh natural conditions.

It will not be difficult to penetrate into the Arabian Peninsula and gradually control this area, which we will be able to control as soon as the Suez Canal is opened.

However, the Asian strategy and the Americas strategy are more problematic.

Malaysia, New Guinea and Kalimantan in Asia are too far away from us, how much power can we put into it?

Even if it is not taken seriously by other countries, the surrounding areas are the sphere of influence of the Dutch, Spanish and British. It will not be difficult for us to occupy these regions, but what about ruling them in the future?

The problem in the Americas is even greater, don't look at the weakness of these independent countries, and they don't even have the qualifications to survive on the European continent, but in the Americas, thousands of miles away, we may not be able to be their opponents.

War has a cost, and we have to think about revenue and expenditure. As for the plan to dig a canal in Central America, it was immediately stopped, and there was no need to make a wedding dress for someone else if it could not be kept.

It was not a big problem to establish a colonial stronghold on the Patagonian plateau, where there were not many people. ”

There are also a number of islands that Franz has not reviewed. He didn't know what it was, and he couldn't say anything about it.

These small places that are not famous cannot be found on the globe in later generations, so he naturally has no impression.

Governor Josip Jelačić explained: "Your Majesty, these plans of ours have been thoroughly analysed and studied, and they are all feasible.

For example, the Nicobar Islands are a legacy of the Austrian East India Company and are now ruled by our private merchants.

And Kalimantan, where there is already our colonial stronghold. In Malaysia, we have achieved MFN status.

Most of these are the results of civilian colonial teams and non-governmental organizations. The recent occupation of all of Australia by the British caused them to turn to the Colonial Office for help.

Considering that the British were still busy suppressing the Indian rebellion and did not have the energy to compete with us for territory in a short time, the Colonial Department agreed to this plan.

As for the colonization plan for the Americas, what we are preparing is economic colonization, infiltration in Central America by economic means, and the opening of canals in the Panama region, which was proposed by the capitalists.

This plan was retained primarily for the future. If we can control the countries of Central America, then it will be necessary to open this canal.

Your Majesty, the countries of Central America are very weak, there is hardly any industry, and all weapons and ammunition are imported.

The total population is just over 2 million, and on average there are more than 300,000 people in each country, of which three-fifths are Indians, one-fifth are mestizos, and less than one-fifth are white. ”

Franz had nothing to say, no wonder the colonial ministry would hit the attention of Central America, so weak that it would not be spied on.

First economic colonization, then slow migration, and when the number of immigrants is large enough, overthrow the local government.

It's just that there is no difficulty, which is the sequelae of a small population. As long as the Viennese government is willing to invest, it is really not difficult to colonize these areas.

Thinking of this, Franz could only complain about the Spaniards' defeat. It seems that the legacy left to them by the Habsburg division was too rich to be cherished.

But even if the government had a bit of boldness, it would not allow these areas to become independent. It's really not good, you can still engage in a dominion and build an economic community, which is better than not being able to get a single hair now.

"Well, you convinced me. However, the canal project was put on hold, and I did not want a canal to improve transportation in the Americas until the United States was divided. ”

……

Ever since reading the Austrian Global Strategic Plan, Franz has begun to focus on collecting information from various countries.

I don't know if I don't check, and I'm shocked when I check it. If it weren't for the geographical restrictions, he wouldn't have bothered to develop the African continent and directly colonize South America.

Just look at the populations of South American countries:

Peru has a territory of 1.29 million square kilometers and a population of about 2 million;

Paraguay has an area of 410,000 square kilometers and a population of about 500,000;

Bolivia has a territory of 1.1 million square kilometers and a population of about 1.25 million;

Ecuador has a territory of 280,000 square kilometers and a population of about 800,000;

Brazil has a territory of 8.51 million square kilometers and a population of about 7.3 million;

……

With such a small population, there are still serious racial contradictions in the country, and the white people as the ruling class are only a minority, and there are more Indians and black slaves.

Think about it, Portugal and Spain are not populous countries, but there are so many colonies, where do they get so many immigrants?

Without enough immigrants, the development of the area will not be successful. The low level of local development has reduced everyone's desire to emigrate.

After falling into a vicious circle, South American countries are slowly missing the opportunity for development. After the United States developed, they were suppressed again, and they had no chance to develop again.

This also has something to do with the lack of strength of the governments of South America, but as long as the government does a little better, a small strength is not a problem at all.