The refugee crisis in the Balkans has not been paid much attention to, although it has been reported in many media outlets.

It's none of your business, hang high. It is universal in any world, and the Ottomans did not have a good impression in the minds of Europeans at this time.

It can almost be seen as a barbaric synonym, and with the addition of a heretic, it belongs to the kind that has no human rights.

Of course, everyone can't pay attention to it, their own stomachs are still not full, who is in the mood to care about the life and death of the Ottomans?

The outside world didn't pay attention, and Franz was happy to do so. In later generations, Bai Zuo, who stood and spoke without backache, is still in the initial stage and has no right to speak.

All eyes are on Constantinople and the Crimean Peninsula, and the war in the Near East has now begun, and the warring sides have begun to compete with each other.

If the Russians had conquered Constantinople first, then they would have gained a strategic advantage and could cut off the Bosphorus, and Britain and France would have no choice but to compromise with them in the Balkans.

On the contrary, if Britain and France conquered the Crimean peninsula first, then they would have a strategic advantage and could take advantage of the situation to destroy the Russian shipbuilding industry in the Black Sea, and there was no need for the Battle of Constantinople to continue.

Don't look at the end of the Black Sea Fleet, the Russians are not ready to fight back. The construction of sail warships in this era was not very difficult, and the Russians did not stop work at their shipyards on the Sea of Azov.

After suffering a loss, the Russians' shore artillery on the Black Sea coast was overhauled, and the bureaucrats of the tsarist government, even if they were incompetent, knew that they could not continue to be beaten passively.

In important military ports, shore artillery has been redeployed. The British and French navies are not stupid, so naturally they will not bombard warships and shore artillery.

According to the plan of St. Petersburg, as long as Constantinople was conquered, then the British and French fleets entering the Black Sea would become rootless, and slow grinding could grind the enemy to death.

The fortress of Sevastopol began to crumble, Constantinople also fell for the most part, and the moment had come to decide the fate of both sides.

History changed, and the Russians, with Austrian support, burst out even more powerful. With the personal intervention of Nicholas I and the click of several logistics officers, the Russian army on the Crimean peninsula finally succeeded in changing its outfit.

However, logistical supplies have also become more difficult, and the more advanced modern weapons are, the greater the logistical pressure, and a major challenge for the Russians, who rely on ox carts for transportation.

Vienna

Franz was looking at a map of Africa, and colonies were not something to be carved out haphazardly. The land of the Lords cannot be touched, and the current Austria is not suitable for a major conflict with the old colonial empires.

Secondly, Franz is not ready to touch areas that are poor and have no resources and no development potential. Colonization also depends on the cost, and the transaction that will always lose money is destined to not last long.

In the end, the powerful natives can't be provoked, and if the teacher is not good and doesn't take it down, it will be a shame and a big loss.

After these three factors are eliminated, there are not many options left.

The most recent is of course the attack on the Ottoman Empire, with Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt all being the most recent options. After thinking about it, Franz did not hesitate to put a cross on these three options.

The timing was not right, now the Ottomans and Britain and France still did not, and they took the liberty of causing British and French interference, and Austria made wedding dresses for them, and in the end they couldn't get any hair.

The most valuable South Africa, the coastal areas have already fallen into the hands of the British, Algeria is already meat in the bowl of the French, and Morocco is being watched by Britain, France and Spain at the same time.

Franz reluctantly discovered that the good places were someone else's. Morocco has not yet been carved up, and it is okay to intervene in it and get a piece of the pie, of course, this must be a good entry point.

The land that was not targeted by the great powers in this era is almost non-existent. It doesn't matter if you're staring, as long as you don't get eaten, everyone can rely on their own means.

The list of candidates came out at once: Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Gabon, Congo, Namibia, Kenya, Tassania, Somalia, Zanzibar, Madagascar......

The inland was not in the picture, and beyond Africa was not in the plans, and Franz was very skeptical of the Austrian Navy's ocean-going capabilities.

Franz asked: "The plan cannot keep up with the rapid changes, and the flow of refugees in the Balkans is a trouble and an opportunity, and since it has been encountered, it cannot be wasted."

It is very difficult to emigrate from the country to the African continent, as you can see in the British and French countries, and the people would rather go to the American continent on the side of Oceania than to the African continent close at hand.

The quality of the refugees in the Balkans is not very good, but no matter how bad it is, it is better than the natives, and the population in the early stage of the development of the colony is there, so our colonization plan will start in advance.

This is a map of the African continent, and these unmarked are borderlands, and everyone thinks about it, where is the best place for us to start? ”

The age of mineral resources is unknown, and the European colonists have not yet been able to complete the exploration, so everyone's judgment is very primitive.

Directly depending on the degree of development, whether the local area is rich enough or not, and whether the colonization can be profitable. The Austrian government also needs to consider whether it is suitable for agriculture and whether it can support these immigrants.

Prime Minister Felix analyzed: "Your Majesty, Guinea can be considered, the coastal plain area is easy to control, the local water source is sufficient, suitable for the development of agriculture, and the establishment of a colonial base is very good.

In terms of distance, it is also the closest. At present, there are not many competitors here, that is, the French fooled a few chiefs into signing treaties, and their influence in the area is not great.

Nigeria is also good, with superior natural conditions and relatively high economic value. However, the local indigenous strength is relatively strong, and the British power has also penetrated.

Then there's the Congo region, which has water access deep into the interior and is easier to control. The property inside is also good, and colonizing here shouldn't be a loss.

At this stage, these three places are more suitable. There is no guarantee that much will be gained, and at least for five years, all three places will be able to break even.

In addition, my immigrants sent from the Balkans, after more than ten years of operation, can also form a small market in the local area, which is also a small supplement to the domestic industry. ”

Other regions are naturally postponed for the time being, and colonization also has to consider the cost, of course, to choose the area with the most suitable benefits.

Strategic location, future development, these are not in everyone's consideration. A colony that can make money now is a good colony.

The question of the future will be discussed later. Everyone is a realist, and the colony is not native, so don't expect everyone to think far ahead.

Colonization is a long-term investment, and it is the pursuit of colonists to recover their costs as soon as possible and achieve profits.

Of course, there are colonies that do not make money, and for a country, it is not possible to simply calculate the profit and loss of administrative costs.

It is also acceptable if the colonial market can promote the development of domestic industry and commerce, or make up for the lack of some resources in the country, and bear a certain loss.

In this regard, the Germans in history are the negative textbook, occupying a large number of colonies, but unfortunately the development is limited, as of 1914 the German immigrants on the African continent are only more than 20,000.

The Germans had been operating at a loss in the colonies, and the vast colonies did not contribute much to the development of domestic industry and commerce, and the colonial market contributed only 0.5% of foreign trade.

Franz naturally had to learn a lesson, first of all, to control the cost of colonization, and the domestic management model was obviously not usable.

Metternich proposed: "Your Majesty, we have just begun to colonize overseas, and we can only succeed and not fail, and it is not appropriate to take risks now.

Let's start with Guinea and Congo, where the competitors are not strong, as long as we are fast enough to create a given. ”

The colonies were different from the mainland, and the targets that Austria was eyeing now seemed to be only areas of some value, but not very much.

Now that the war in the Near East is at a critical juncture, everyone's attention has been drawn and it is a good opportunity to act.

The opening up of African colonies in this era was a combination of risks and opportunities, and Britain and France would not fight for the sake of two chicken colonies.

That's right, it was the chicken rib colony, and there were so many areas in the hands of Britain and France that there was nothing special about Austria's goals at the moment.

What's more important is that in these two places, there is no unified power in the local area, and the former Congo kingdom has long since declined, and there is no strength to stop Austria.

Nigeria, by contrast, is not a soft persimmon, at least it looks a little strong. It can be seen that the Fulani Empire, which rules here, still has the strength to wage a holy war.

Of course, this is not to say that Austria cannot take this place, but it is mainly a matter of pay and benefit. No matter what happens to the Fulani Empire, it can't change that they are just an agricultural country with a population of several million.

In the future, Africa's most populous country has not even had a shadow. The entire African continent is home to more than 20 million people, spread over more than 30 million square kilometres.

This is also the reason why Metternich is against rash action, and religious beliefs are also very crazy, and once they are mobilized, they are enough for Austria.

Coupled with the vast size of the land and the sparse population, it would be a headache for these religious fanatics to wreak havoc. Although the human bomb has not yet been born, suicide attacks have already appeared.

In order to maintain the rule of the colonies, Austria can't send hundreds of thousands of troops to exterminate these miscellaneous fish, right? Cost is the core of the establishment of the colonial empire, and if the cost cannot be controlled, then the colonial empire will not be far from collapse.

Without long hesitation, Franz made a decision: "Let's take these two places first as the first step of our overseas colonization!"

The General Staff Headquarters immediately began military deployment, and this time the army and navy should conduct joint operations and not make any jokes, because then everyone's face will not look good. ”

Marshal Radesky replied: "Yes, Your Majesty! ”

Obviously, Franz's words also have the meaning of hammering, the matter of the Balkan refugee flow has not passed, and the General Staff has not been held responsible, it is only for the sake of government stability, it does not mean that it will not be investigated.

If this time the matter is done, then the atonement will be revealed; If something goes wrong, even Marshal Radetzky will inevitably be disgraced.

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