Vienna Palace

Prime Minister Felix proposed: "Your Majesty, the number of our colonies is constantly increasing, and it is necessary to set up a colonial ministry to manage the affairs of the colonies. ”

After thinking about it, Franz suddenly realized that Austria had also become a colonial power, at least in terms of colonial size.

From 1854 to the present, in more than a year, more than 30 colonial bases have been opened on the African continent, transporting more than 200,000 immigrants.

Among European countries, Austria is the most active in the development of the African continent. At this time, if there is no special department to manage, it is easy to cause chaos.

Franz thought for a moment and asked, "Now that we really need to set up a colonial department, who does the Prime Minister think will be able to do this?" ”

Prime Minister Felix proposed: "Your Majesty, how about Count Josip Jelačić as Colonial Minister?" ”

Count Josip Jelačić, a Croat, one of the three fathers who saved the Austrian Empire in history, led the Croatian militia to suppress the Hungarian rebellion.

With the passage of time and the advancement of ethnic integration, it was inevitable that the Vienna government would also appoint senior officials from ethnic minorities to show the equality of all ethnic groups.

Against this background, Josip Jelačić, a loyal fan of the empire, stands out.

Franz thought for a moment and said, "Then Josip Jelačić will be the colonial minister." I remember that in the counterinsurgency war of 1848, he also made great contributions to the empire.

In recent years, he has also done a good job as a senior Croatian official. Considerable achievements have been made in both road construction and economic development. ”

It is not possible for the cabinet to be controlled by Germans all the time, which is not conducive to national unity. In Franz's view, as long as they are loyal and competent, no matter what their background, they can be promoted and reused.

Josipp Jelačić can be regarded as a typical existence, Franz has only just ascended to the throne a few years ago, and he still needs the support of the German nobility, and it is inevitable to compromise with them.

Now that his position has been stabilized, it is naturally not a problem to promote some people according to his own will.

It's just that to Franz's surprise, without waiting for him to act, Prime Minister Felix actually took the initiative to bring it up. In this way, the prime minister had to bear the pressure from the Viennese aristocracy.

After thinking about it, Franz gave up this fear. Chancellor Felix is now a national hero in the eyes of the Germans, and he is no longer the butcher Chancellor he used to be.

With this layer of aura, no matter how dissatisfied the conservative aristocrats are, they can't shake his position.

The better the new Holy Roman Empire developed, the more dazzling the halo on Prime Minister Felix's head became, and a little opposition was enough to suppress it.

Archduke Louis was on his toes, now that the reformers were in power, and as the leader of the conservatives, his presence in the cabinet was getting less and less.

At this time, it will not do him any good to work against the emperor, and if he does not do it well, his political life will end early.

Prince Wendy Schretz, Minister of War, said with some hesitation: "Your Majesty, the Sinai Peninsula is a large desert, and there are only a few oases on the island where nomadic tribes exist.

We don't get anything out of it here, and with an administrative body here, we probably won't have enough tax revenues to pay the tax collectors.

We have two infantry regiments on the island, which is so wasteful, the local people can't even feed themselves, and the water source is a problem during the dry season. ”

This was a headache, and Franz could not have had the luxury of artificial fresh water for the garrison at this time.

But to guarantee influence on the ground, it is impossible to do without garrisons. The strength of the two infantry regiments has already been reduced and reduced.

If you don't garrison troops now, once the Suez Canal is excavated, it will not be so easy to want to garrison troops again at that time.

Franz asked: "The government has its own consideration on the cost issue, the grain can be transported from the country, I have never thought of self-sufficiency in the Sinai Peninsula, so the only problem is the water source, right?" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Prince Wendy Schretz replied

The garrison of several thousand people consumes a lot of water resources every day to eat, drink, and lazar. The population of the Sinai Peninsula is not growing, and the most critical problem is water shortage.

If you can't solve this problem, even if you want to deploy heavy troops, you can't do it.

Looking at the map, Franz continued to ask: "Prime Minister, how many indigenous people are there in the Sinai Peninsula?" ”

After thinking about it, Prime Minister Felix really couldn't find an accurate number, so he replied helplessly: "Your Majesty, the Egyptians have not conducted a population count on the nomadic tribes on the island, and we can only preliminarily estimate that there are about thirty or fifty thousand people. ”

Hearing this number, Franz smiled.

"The problem of water has been solved, as far as I know, the locals live by raising camels and sheep, and very little food is grown.

These animals are big consumers of water, and if the hundreds of thousands of animals on the island are gone, then the water source that everyone is worried about is not a problem. ”

Prime Minister Felix reminded: "Your Majesty, these animals are the livelihood of the local people, and if they are not allowed to raise livestock, I am afraid that the local people will not be able to make a living." ”

Franz said with a holy face: "This is a small problem, just tens of thousands of people." Ask the Egyptian government if it would accept it, and if they wouldn't, move for colonial resettlement in West Africa.

The local people have left, and the water resources used by these tens of thousands of people should be enough for the soldiers of our two regiments, right?

The Sinai Peninsula's natural environment has been destroyed by the locals, and it was once a fertile land of greenery and cattle and sheep.

If we don't protect it and let them destroy it, it won't be long before the local natural ecology is completely destroyed, and the once beautiful Sinai Peninsula will become a dead island.

Now that the people above have been resettled, agricultural production is banned, and livestock is forbidden, the precious water resources of the local area can be saved.

In their spare time after training, our garrison can plant trees or grass on the island, constantly expand the area of the oasis, and do their part to beautify the earth. ”

At this moment, Franz seemed to have become an environmentalist. It was definitely not to solve the water problem for the garrison that he had to emigrate!

Hundreds of thousands of animals are large water users and consume large amounts of water every year.

If these precious freshwater resources are used for afforestation, dozens of square kilometers of mountain forests can be easily added every year, and if they are used for grass planting, it will increase even more.

As small as it may seem now, it's a virtuous circle! Theoretically, after hundreds of years of hard work, the project for a desert oasis on the Sinai Peninsula was completed.

Archduke Louis, who saw the opportunity, slapped him on the back: "Your Majesty, it makes sense." For the sake of the Sinai Peninsula's natural environment, we must act now. ”

Of course, everyone will not object to Franz's proposal. Developing the African continent requires a large population, and relocating people from the Sinai Peninsula is a win-win solution.

Of course, it would be better if the Egyptian government were willing to accept this group of people, and the Vienna government would save a fortune.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl said with a painful face: "Your Majesty, the issue of immigration from the Sinai Peninsula should be put on hold for the time being!"

None of the refugees we have received in Dalmatia have yet to be brought in, and now if we blindly increase the number of immigrants, the logistical pressure on the colonies will be too great.

Last year, the net loss of our colony was 588,000 Aegis, and this year, the net loss of our colony is expected to exceed 1.2 million Aegis, and it is imperative to turn losses into profits as soon as possible. ”

There was no way, Austria's colonization was in the net input phase, and if it wanted to be rewarded, it would have to wait at least until the colonies were in production.

At present, in addition to opening up farms in the local African colonial strongholds, they can only go to the sea to fish, or go hunting to make up for the lack of food.

The lumber yard is already under construction, but due to the attack of the local indigenous tribes, it is still in the process of being cleared and cannot be put into production in a short time.

As for the so-called cotton plantations, rubber plantations, coffee plantations...... They are all in the plan, and not the capitalists and aristocrats have sent people to investigate.

In the short term, these industries will not see profits. Without the emergence of minerals, it will be difficult to break even in three to five years.

This is also the reason why countries are reluctant to invest in colonies, this return on investment cycle is too long, and it is better to find colonies with gold and silver minerals to develop, or directly squeeze the local natives.

This is a difference in business philosophy, Franz developed the African continent mainly to solve the lack of domestic resources and reduce the outflow of migrants from the country.

Although the African colonies were opened up for a long time, under the encouragement of the Vienna government, more than 30,000 people spontaneously joined the army of immigrants in the country.

These people are the main force in the development of the African continent, and now they can be hired by the government as long as they sign up, receive more than double the salary of the mainland, and can also serve as grassroots officials in the colonial government.

If you want to make a fortune, it's good to join the expansion team. All the loot of the indigenous tribes is owned by the individual, and a bounty can be received after completing the mission.

Franz confidently said: "Don't worry, our colonies on the African continent are still in a primitive state and have never been developed.

According to geologists, alluvial gold deposits are likely to occur along the river. Trace amounts of gold are also present in the river sand collected at present, and there is a high probability of gold mining.

As long as we find a big gold mine, we will recover all our investment, and there will be a large area of fertile land, so we can make a lot of money. ”