Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 241:

Chapter 241: Chapter 128: The Path of Colonization
The refugee crisis in the Balkan Peninsula went unnoticed by the outside world, even though many media outlets reported on it, it was merely a brief mention.

People tend to ignore issues that do not concern them directly. This is universal, and in this era, the Ottomans did not have a good reputation among Europeans.

Ottomans were almost seen as synonymous with barbarism, and being non-Christians, they were regarded as having no human rights.

Of course, no one could pay much attention, as people were struggling to feed themselves; who would have the inclination to worry about the fate of the Ottomans?

Franz was happy with the lack of external interest. The sort of hypocritical leftists who preach without understanding, akin to those of later times, were still in their infancy and lacked influence.

Everyone’s eyes were on Constantinople and the Crimea Peninsula. The Near Eastern War had reached a stage where speed was of the essence for both sides.

If the Russians captured Constantinople first, they would gain a strategic advantage, enabling them to cut off the Bosphorus Strait. England and France would be left with no choice but to compromise or continue to grapple with them in the Balkans.

Conversely, if the British and French captured Crimea first, they would gain the strategic upper hand and could proceed to destroy the Russian shipbuilding industry in the Black Sea, making the battle for Constantinople unnecessary.

Do not assume that since the Black Sea Fleet was destroyed, the Russians had no countermeasures. In this era, the construction of sailing warships was not particularly challenging, and the Russians’ shipyards in the Sea of Azov were in full operation.

After suffering a setback, the Russians inspected and repaired their coastal artillery along the Black Sea coast. Even the incompetent bureaucrats of the Tsarist Government knew they could not stay passive and simply take hits.

The key military ports were re-armed with coastal artillery. Neither the English and French navies were foolish enough to exchange fire with those batteries.

According to St. Petersburg’s plans, should Constantinople fall, the British and French fleets entering the Black Sea would become vulnerable, and could slowly be worn down.

The fortress of Sevastopol began to totter, and half of Constantinople had already fallen. The decisive moment for both sides had arrived.

History had taken a different turn. With Austria’s support, the Russians demonstrated significantly greater combat power. Under the personal intervention of Nicholas I, following the execution of several logistics officers, the Russian Army in Crimea finally managed to re-equip.

However, logistics became more difficult. The more modern the weaponry, the greater the logistical burden, presenting a substantial challenge to the Russians, who relied on horse-drawn transport.

Vienna

Franz was studying a map of Africa. Colonies could not be established haphazardly. Lands with clear ownership must not be touched, especially now when Austria was not in a position to provoke major conflicts with established colonial empires.

Secondly, Franz had no intention of touching impoverished areas devoid of resources with no potential for development. Colonization also came at a cost; ventures that continually operate at a loss are doomed to fail.

Last, powerful indigenes must not be provoked. Any failure could lead to an embarrassing defeat.

After ruling out these three concerns, the remaining options were few.

The closest targets were the Ottoman territories; Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt were the nearest choices. After some thought, Franz decisively marked these three options off the list.

The timing was wrong. Taking action against the Ottomans, who were still allies of England and France, could provoke intervention from the latter. Austria would then end up doing the hard work for them and gain nothing in the end.

The most valuable region, South Africa, had its coastal areas already in British hands, Algeria was French territory, and Morocco was under the scrutiny of England, France, and Spain.

Franz found, to his dismay, that all the desirable locations were owned by others. Though Morocco had not yet been partitioned, it held potential, assuming an appropriate entry point was found.

In this era, a land not eyed by the powers hardly existed anymore. Being eyed was not the issue; as long as the land wasn’t already claimed, each power could vie for it by their means.

The list of alternatives appeared at once: Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Gabon, Congo, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Zanzibar, Madagascar…

Inland territories were not within consideration, nor were regions beyond Africa, as Franz seriously doubted the Austrian Navy’s ocean-going capabilities.

Franz asked, “Plans cannot keep up with rapid changes. The refugee crisis in the Balkans is a problem, but also an opportunity that we cannot afford to waste.

It’s extremely difficult to relocate people from our own country to the African Continent, as witnessed by England and France. Citizens prefer to go to America on the far side of the Atlantic rather than the nearby African Continent.

The quality of the refugees from the Balkans may be subpar, but they are still better than the indigenes. If we have the initial population for developing a colony, then we must start our colonization plan earlier.

This is a map of the African Continent, and the unmarked areas are ownerless. Let us all think, where is the best place to start?”

Mineral resources and such were unknown factors in this era, and European colonists did not have the capability for exploration, thus their judgment methods were primitive.

They simply looked at the level of development, whether the region was affluent enough, and if colonizing could be profitable. The Austrian Government also had an additional concern to consider: suitability for agriculture and the ability to sustain the settlers.

Prime Minister Felix analyzed, “Your Majesty, Guinea is worth considering. The coastal plains are easy to control, with abundant water resources suitable for developing agriculture, making it an excellent spot to establish an initial colonial foothold.

From a distance perspective, it’s also the closest. Currently, there aren’t many competitors here, just the French who have cheated a few chieftains into signing treaties, and their influence in the area is not significant.

Nigeria is also a good choice, with superior natural conditions and relatively high economic value. However, the local indigenous power is strong, and the British have also deeply penetrated the area.

Then there’s the Congo region, with waterways that penetrate deep inland, making it easier to control. The resources inside are not bad either; colonizing here is unlikely to incur losses.

At the moment, these three locations are the most suitable. We can’t guarantee how much profit we will make, but at the very least, within five years, all three places can achieve a balanced budget.

With the addition of the migrants I will send from the Balkans, after about a decade of management, we could form a small market there, which would also benefit our domestic industry.”

Other regions are naturally put off for now, as colonization must consider costs; naturally, we must choose areas with the most suitable benefits.

Strategic position and future development are not within everyone’s consideration for now. Any colony that can make money now is considered a good colony.

As for the future issues, we can talk about those when the time comes. Everyone is a pragmatist; colonies are not homeland, so do not expect everyone to have far-reaching considerations.

Colonial activity is also a long-term investment; being able to quickly recoup costs and realize profits is what colonists strive for.

Of course, there are unprofitable colonies, but for a country, you cannot simply calculate administrative cost-profit margins.

If the colonial market can promote the development of domestic industry and commerce or compensate for some of the resources missing domestically, it is acceptable to sustain certain losses.

In this regard, the German people in history are a negative example. They occupied no small area of colonies, but unfortunately, the development was limited. By the year 1914, Germany had only just over 20,000 immigrants in Africa.

The German colonial operations were consistently in a state of loss; the vast colonies did not contribute much to the development of domestic industry and commerce, with the colonial market contributing only 0.5% to foreign trade.

Franz naturally had to learn from these lessons, starting with controlling the costs of colonization; the domestic management model was clearly not applicable.

Metternich suggested, “Your Majesty, as we’re just starting overseas colonization, we can only afford success; we cannot take risks at this moment.

Let us start in Guinea and the Congo region, where the competitors are not strong. As long as we move quickly and establish a fait accompli, that should suffice.”

Colonies are different from the mainland; the targets Austria is eyeing are those with some value, but not highly valued.

The Near East war is at a critical moment, and everyone’s attention is drawn there—this is an excellent opportunity to act.

Colonizing Africa in this era is a mixture of risks and opportunities; England and France will not make a big fuss over two small and insignificant colonies.

Indeed, they are insignificant colonies. England and France have too many areas suitable for agricultural production. Austria’s targets currently do not have any particular distinction.

What’s more important is that these two places lack a unified major power; the once powerful Congo Kingdom has long declined, without the strength to block Austria.

Compared to this, Nigeria is not easy prey—it has some apparent strength. The fact that the Fulani Empire, ruling there, can still afford to wage a holy war shows as much.

That’s not to say Austria couldn’t take it, but it’s a matter of cost versus benefit. However strong the Fulani Empire might be, it cannot change the fact that they are just an agrarian nation with a few million people.

The future most populous country in Africa is currently not even casting a shadow. The whole African continent only has a population of about twenty million scattered over thirty million square kilometers of land, so sparsely populated it’s despairing.

This is another reason why Metternich is against acting rashly; religious beliefs are fanatical, and once riled up, they could prove to be quite a handful for Austria.

Not to mention the sparseness of the population; if these religious zealots were to start wreaking havoc, it would indeed be a headache. Though suicide bombers don’t yet exist, suicide attacks have already occurred.

It’s not viable for Austria to send out hundreds of thousands of troops to exterminate these small fry just to maintain colonial rule, right? Controlling costs is the core of establishing a colonial empire; without it, collapse isn’t far off.

Without much hesitation, Franz made his decision, “Let’s take these two, as the first step of our overseas colonization!

Have the General Staff start military deployments immediately; this time, both the army and navy must act in collaboration, to avoid any embarrassments that would make us look bad later on.”

Marshal Radetzky responded, “Yes, Your Majesty!”

Clearly, Franz’s words also carried a warning; the Balkan refugee crisis hadn’t passed, and the General Staff’s responsibility had not been pursued, but that was for the sake of government stability and did not mean it would be overlooked.

If this operation goes well, the past could be forgiven and glossed over; if problems arise, even Marshal Radetzky would not escape looking disheveled.