The addition of an autonomous province did not cause the slightest wave in the new Holy Roman Empire, except for the news in the newspapers of Vienna.

There was no reaction from the people, and the Vienna government was different. Although the income of hundreds of thousands of Aegis every year is not much, their contribution is also small!

Don't look at the fact that Austria has a lot of colonies, and in fact it doesn't make much money at all.

By the end of 1861, except for the earliest developed West Africa, which had a profit of 126,000 Aegis because of its gold mines and plantations, all other regions were in a state of loss, and it was nothing more than a question of how much they lost.

The colonies in Central America lost 2,164,000 Aegis;

Nigeria's colonial government lost 1.448 million Aegis;

The Congolese colony lost 684,000 Aegis;

The colonies in the South Seas lost 682,000 Aegis;

The colony of Cameroon lost 342,000 Aegis;

The Libyan colony lost 216,000 Aegis;

Sinai lost 205,000 Aegis;

Cyprus, Crete and other Mediterranean islands lost 186,000 Aegis;

The stronghold of the Patagonia plateau lost 28,000 Aegis;

A total of 128,000 Aegis losses were incurred in several colonial strongholds in other regions.

All things combined, in 1861 all the Austrian colonies combined for a total loss of 5,957,000 Aegis.

This is still the case of the establishment of no large-scale use of foreign troops, and if a war breaks out, this number will increase several times, or even more than ten times.

The huge losses were the core factor restricting Austria's colonial expansion, especially in the early days of colonial development, which was completely purely invested.

Although the newly added province of Lan Phuong is not worth mentioning, in the annual accounting at the end of 1861, they shared the military expenditure of 580,000 Aegis.

Nominally, it is to share military expenses and protect the security of the state, but in reality this is no different from paying directly to the central government.

This is just the beginning, as time goes on, the circulation of the Aegis, there is still a seigniorage to collect.

Together, these revenues will change from the investment stage to the return stage in the Nanyang region from 1862.

If we take into account the increased industrial and commercial market, the value of industrial raw materials supplied to the country is even higher.

The Vienna government only needs to pay for security, and it is needless to say that the financial resources must be protected.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karchen made a bold suggestion: "Your Majesty, should we change our colonial methods, the benefits of this indirect rule are no less than the benefits of our direct control."

If we occupy Kalimantan by force, we will not be able to make a profit for at least five years, and the profits that can be brought in the future may not be much more. ”

Austria's colonization of overseas countries is only a superficial beauty, but in fact there are words of suffering.

As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Karl can responsibly say that even if the tax increases are calculated from all sides, the Vienna government is still in a state of loss.

Of course, the aristocracy and capitalists who were engaged in colonial activities made money, and the domestic economy of Austria also benefited from it.

Suddenly, there was a model that did not require investment, but simply provided security and could make a profit, and Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl was naturally interested.

Franz shook his head and said, "Don't dream, how can such a good thing happen in Lanfang Autonomous Province every day."

There are many indigenous kingdoms overseas, but these countries are going bankrupt on their own business, can we still count on them to help us?

Lan Phong Autonomous Province is a company in its own right, but it is mistaken for a republic by the outside world, and Kalimantan is rich in gold, so it can help us.

Besides, if you really get a few indigenous kingdoms into the empire, are you sure that the following states and domestic nobles will not make trouble? ”

The people who were full of expectations instantly dispelled this unrealistic idea. If a few indigenous princes entered the empire, they would not agree.

Lanfang Autonomous Province was originally a bunch of civilians, and Franz only sent a few low-level sentient nobles, with limited political status and financial resources for the government, so everyone would not mind.

If a few kings come in, and each of them has a higher status than their gang, it is estimated that everyone will be unbalanced.

This is different from the European state, where people are recognized as old aristocrats, and everyone has long accepted it.

Of course, it is not without chance that these high-ranking people in the government want to become kings. As long as the credit is big enough, Franz doesn't mind crowning a few colonial kings.

This kind of king is at most nominal, and theoretically every fiefdom nobleman can establish a state, but in practice most nobles cannot establish a state.

Colonies that have already been developed will not be sealed, they will only be undeveloped borderlands.

If the development is good, it is a county, a prince, or even a principality or a kingdom, and if it is not well developed, it must be ruled with the help of the power of the state, and in the end it is still just a fiefdom noble.

In those days, the state could be traded, and titles could be sold or bought from the king. It's just that the price is very high, and it is usually only sold for life aristocrats.

For example, the several lifelong nobles canonized by Lanfang Autonomous Province this time were all gifted by others, otherwise it might not be a baron or viscount, but an honorary knight.

This is also because there are not enough gifts, and if someone bids high enough, the hereditary nobility is not impossible to seal. Anyway, as long as Franz is not allowed to leave the fiefdom, then everything is negotiable.

He's not alone, you can buy a knighthood in almost any European king, if you're rich enough.

The price is also different, for example, the new Holy Roman Empire title is very difficult to obtain.

In order to ensure the honor of the nobility, Franz had a limit on the number of nobles canonized by the kings of various states, and it had to be submitted to the emperor for approval.

People who have not contributed to the country, usually do not pass. Exceptions from good births, such as the king's son, must pass.

The people of Lan Fang Autonomous Province were able to obtain the title, because they prompted Lan Fang to join the New HRE Empire, and they were also meritorious ministers.

If you want to buy a knighthood with enough money, His Majesty the Great Franz will not accept less than one million Aegis. This is the price of his heart, and it is still growing as his net worth grows.

As a direct consequence, Franz has not sold any titles since he ascended the throne. Many people thought that the emperor attached great importance to the honor of the nobility and disdained money, which increased his prestige among the nobility.

People tend to gravitate towards things that are harder to obtain. The lack of merit and knighthood not only did not stop everyone's enthusiasm for becoming a nobleman, but made people more addicted to it.

In order to obtain a noble title, many children of nobles and capitalists in Austria organized people to expand their colonies, and then converted them into meritorious deeds to obtain titles.

Ordinary people do not have the financial resources, so they can only join the army and obtain meritorious services on the battlefield.

Against this backdrop, in 1861 alone, Franz canonized 286 nobles, including 61 fiefdom nobles.

The fiefs are naturally overseas colonies, and there are not many fiefs in the hands of His Majesty the Emperor in China, but they can't afford to be divided into feuds.

The Minister of Colony, Josip Jelačić, proposed: "Your Majesty, the Colonial Department has summarized the basic information of each colony, and through analysis it has found that the South Seas region is the most suitable for colonization.

The land is fertile and abundant, and only a small investment is required to reap the rewards handsomely, and the Colonial Department suggested that the expansion in the South Seas should be increased in the future. ”

Franz looked at the map and hesitated. In the short term, the South Seas are indeed the most suitable colonies, with abundant products, a pleasant climate, and easy to rule.

The disadvantage is that it is too far away, and the British, French, Spanish and Dutch countries have mixed forces, and it is easy to cause diplomatic conflicts if they want to continue to expand.

It's not that Franz is afraid of conflict, he is worried about the issue of giving and returning. As long as Austria did not grab colonies and aimed at the borderlands, the conflict was under control.

Austria's strength is not unlimited, and now it is spread out so much that it is only comparable to the British, and comparable to the French.

In order to guard against the rise of the United States, the Central American regional strategy is an indispensable part; From a long-term perspective, the African continent, which is close at hand, needs to be controlled.

In fact, the Nanyang strategy has always been ranked last, and even if it has made efforts in the last year or two, it has only limited investment.

Franz directly threw out all the questions: "What did the colonial department look at?" Who are the competitors? How much investment is required? How big is the risk? How long will it take to get the expected return? ”

Colonial Minister Josip Jelačić replied: "There are many alternatives, Indochina includes the Phnom Penh dynasty, Thailand, Vietnam, but also the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Sulawesi, and a number of small and medium-sized islands.

These places are very good, and although the countries have begun to infiltrate, they have not yet established colonial regimes, and according to international practice, they are still in the stage of free competition.

The five countries of Britain, France, and Josep are all likely to become our competitors, including us, and all countries in these regions have colonial strongholds.

Preliminary judgment, the Dutch have locked on Sumatra, and they have already occupied quite a few parts of the island. It's just that their strength is limited, and there is no way to take the indigenous power on the island for a while.

Because of the Strait of Malacca, the British tentacles have penetrated deep into Malaysia and may be the biggest adversary we will face.

The French seem to be interested in Indochina, and if we choose our target to crash, there will be a fight.

The investment and risk depend on the chosen target. Basically, the more lucrative the region, the greater the investment required, and the more fierce the competition will be.

These places had good rates of return, and theoretically could break even within three years after the establishment of a colonial regime. ”

No way, it's too hard to calculate the cost when you're not sure how many competitors are on board.

Colonization is an inherently uncertain investment, and many areas that appear to be delicious may actually be a piece of chicken ribs.

After a moment of hesitation, Franz made a decision: "The established strategy remains the same, although the Nanyang region is delicious, in fact we can not eat much.

The Colonial Department can target small and medium-sized islands that are unowned, and other regions can try it if they can, and they can exchange benefits if they collide with other countries.

We can't get a foot in everything, and once we get past the limit, the colony is no longer a tonic, but a deadly poison.

Wasn't the Kingdom of Prussia going to join the colonial ranks? Give them a hand, lure the Prussians into the South Seas, and give them a chance to get off to a good start. ”

Overseas colonization is not only based on national strength, but also on investment. After investing heavily in Central America and the African continent, Austria has very little strength to invest in the South Seas.

If the strength is insufficient, blindly hardening will suffer losses. Rather than being driven away by people in disgrace, it is better to be conservative from the beginning, and the labor and money of the province will be humiliated.

As for helping the Kingdom of Prussia, it was just a matter of getting along and allowing the Prussians to go a little further on the path of the colonial empire.

If you want to take it, you must first take it.

If they don't see any benefit, how can the Prussians be willing to invest so much?

Prussia's national strength was limited, and the investment in the navy was large, and the investment in the army was naturally less, and the difficulty of Austria's unification of the German region in the future was reduced.

With this, it is worth Austria's contribution to the benefits of the South Seas. Anyway, after the reunification of Germany, this meat is still in the pot, and there will be no loss.