Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 317:

Chapter 317: Chapter 4, The Butterfly Effect

If the French reaction could only be considered standard, the British were greatly stimulated.

On May 12, 1861, the British Parliament passed the Naval Act, and the controversial two-power standard was officially established.

The Royal Navy began cranking out ships like dumplings, planning to build 18 new ironclad ships within the next three years, exactly surpassing the total number of Ironclad ships owned by France and Austria.

Faced with the British demonstration, Franz acted as if he had seen nothing. Although the financial revenues of England, France, and Austria seemed similar, Austria was far from being able to utilize funds on par with the British.

The budget of the Royal Navy was not solely borne by the London Government, as the colonial governments overseas could also share some of the burden, an advantage Austria did not have.

Since they couldn’t compete financially, it was better to pretend not to see. After all, no one had burned bridges, and the Vienna Government had never said it wanted to surpass the British in naval power.

Silence was the best weapon, and for the London Government, it was also the best outcome. If an arms race really broke out, the two-power standard would be lethal.

Compared to the reaction of England and France, the performance of the Spaniards was disappointing. Isabella II was not a ruler of great vision or capability to restore Spain’s former glory.

In the face of the dawning ironclad ship era, Isabella II decisively chose to concede. The shipbuilding plan announced by the Spanish Government left spectators feeling utterly uninspired, akin to chewing wax.

As a traditional naval power, their shipbuilding plan included only six vessels, far behind England and France, and even trailing behind Austria.

What the outside world thought was beyond the concern of the Spaniards, who were compelled out of necessity. With the collapse of the colonial system, this colonial empire was already on the decline.

Despite the overseas colonial faction’s reluctance to accept defeat, they opened up new colonies on the African Continent. Due to constraints in power, their progress was still slow.

If these were the only issues, they could possibly be resolved. The biggest trouble came from domestic political struggles. Isabella II’s rule was not stable, plagued by constant rebellions.

For example: the rebellion that occurred on Sicily in 1860 required the Spanish Government to pay a hefty price to suppress.

This was also thanks to Franz’s butterfly effect. The International Peacekeeping Forces took control of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the famed Red Shirts Army did not organize, otherwise the outcome would not have been so pleasing.

Of course, Garibaldi’s leadership of the Red Shirts Army in history had been successful also due to British support.

Without the meddling of England, they wouldn’t have been able to stir an uprising. The Spaniards weren’t fools; without the cover of the British, the Red Shirts Army would have likely been fish food before they could even land on Sicily.

Now, with the Kingdom of Sardinia at a critical juncture of life and death, who had the luxury to spare efforts to liberate Sicily? It’s likely that as soon as the flag was raised, it would have been quashed by the French.

The French already saw the Kingdom of Sardinia as an easy catch, and many countries, under the diplomatic offensive of the Paris Government, defaulted to the actions of the French.

In a manor on the outskirts of Turin,

Garibaldi spoke indignantly, “We can’t go on like this, the International Allied Forces are simply unreliable. Before long, the Kingdom of Sardinia will become a colony of the French!”

Cavour hastily advised, “Calm down, the situation is not that bad. We must not resort to armed confrontation unless absolutely necessary. Right now, no country would support us if we chose to resist by force!”

As time went on, patriots within the Kingdom of Sardinia found it increasingly intolerable to have their sovereignty usurped.

The International Allied Forces, besides throwing their weight around, controlled only a limited area. The British, the sole deterrent to French expansion, were too weak to have a deciding influence.

Garibaldi mocked, “Cavour, all you know is endure, endure, endure. Don’t forget that half of the Kingdom of Sardinia has already been swallowed by the French!

The so-called international investigative teams are actually dominated by England, France, Russia, and Austria. The Russians are too far away to intervene, only possible with the consent of the Austrians.

Our relationship with Austria, need I say more? After this assassination case, that tyrant Franz would not hesitate to annihilate us. With the right price from the Paris Government, selling us out is just a matter of time.

The remaining British are merely putting on an appearance. If they were truly intent on intervening, their efforts would not be so meager.

Wake up, we can’t rely on anyone now; the only ones we have are ourselves!”

Cavour’s expression was extremely grim. Originally, in his analysis, France and Austria would check each other, supported by the British, leaving no one with the power to annex the Kingdom of Sardinia.

He even planned to stir up the France-Austria conflict, paying a price in exchange for French support of their annexation of Lombardy and Venice. But one assassination turned it all to ashes.

The infuriated French were already on the move; the Vienna Government was just hunting down the assassin, indifferent to the French expansion into the Italian Area.

In such circumstances, no matter his capabilities, there was no opportunity for him to act. The French appetite was too big, leaving no room for him to maneuver.

Cavour retorted, “Why has all this happened? Isn’t it because you acted recklessly? Following the assassination, you fools even regarded the assassin as a hero, holding celebrations.

At the beginning, didn’t any of you think? Everyone was afraid of being associated with the assassin; we did everything we could to clear our suspicions, and you just had to bring trouble upon yourselves.”

The deteriorating situation has reached this point because of you. Now you still want to add to the chaos? Are you hoping to give France yet another reason to annex us?

Don’t try to act the hero in front of me, I know full well the true strength of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Back then, just one Austrian subsidiary force nearly obliterated our nation, do you think the French can’t do the same?

They are all among the three great men of Italy, yet the conflict between Cavour and Garibaldi has a long history, each representing different political ideals.

It has always been Cavour who held the advantage, that is until foreign armies took over Sardinia, and radical ideas gradually began to emerge, with Garibaldi rising to prominence in this period.

However, the radicals were so severely suppressed that many were caught by the international investigation team. Virtually all those who were overly enthusiastic were implicated in the assassination plot.

To use force to expel the French was, after all, a last resort for the radicals; had they continued to wait, they would have lost even the chance to fight.

The investigation has identified numerous participants and informants at this stage, but these people are merely mid-level members of the Carbonari. To say they are the masterminds behind the scenes, neither France nor Austria will believe it.

The high-ranks don’t want to die; no one is willing to come forward and take the blame. There are those willing to be the hero and take the fall below, but sadly they don’t qualify.

Reality is ridiculous like that. Even when the real culprits are found, nobody believes it. Or rather, in the face of interests, they choose not to believe.

…

Kentucky, as the birthplace of President Lincoln, is still a land of slave owners. With a total population exceeding one million, wherein more than a quarter are slaves, one can imagine the power of the plantation owners.

However, the power of the capitalists is also not to be underestimated. After the southern states declared their secession, Kentucky experienced an internal split.

Some advocate joining the Southern Alliance and becoming independent, while others advocate staying in the Northern Federation. The strength of both sides is close, making it hard to overwhelm the other.

What affects the final outcome turns out to be the diplomatic game between the North and the South, whoever can garner more supporters, that’s the side Kentucky will lean towards.

Originally, in history, the Northern government successfully wooed Kentucky. But now, the situation has changed with international powers intervening, affecting many people’s stance.

Luckily Kentucky is an inland state, so the influence of European powers here isn’t significant. Otherwise, under the lobbying of the four countries including the UK, France, Austria, and Spain, they would have switched sides long ago. Now the result is starting to become unpredictable.

In order to persuade Kentucky to support the Federal government, Lincoln not only sent representatives but also personally wrote letters to Kentucky’s influential figures, promising many benefits.

Of course, how he could find the time to write so many letters need not be delved into. This is the norm; what leader doesn’t have a few secretaries? Besides, being the president, as long as his name is signed, it represents his position.

By comparison, the Southern Government’s performance was much poorer. Its activities were limited to plantation owners, rarely soliciting capitalists.

If it weren’t for Austria’s intervention, they would have continued to be neglectful.

Representative Connell from the Northern government persuaded Sebast, “What are you hesitating for, Sebast? It’s clear the Southern Government is colluding with the four countries including the UK, France, Austria, and Spain, intending to split the great America.”

As a capitalist, Sebast had no tie to patriotism. The split of the United States mattered less to him than tangible interests.

Initially, he was in support of the Northern government, but the promises from the Southern Government also tempted him. After all, capitalists are powerful within the federal government, facing many competitors, offering him no advantage.

The Southern Government might be dominated by plantation owners, but here, the power of capitalists is weak, with less competition, plus access to cheap industrial raw materials. Joining the Southern Government seemed to offer him greater benefits.

If not for the low-tariff policy of the Southern Government which would mean facing competition from foreign industrial and commercial products, he would have made up his mind long ago.

Clearly, the intervention of European countries had influenced his decision, with Sebast believing from the start that the Southern Government could be independent.

It wasn’t just him; many Americans thought that the Northern government would compromise. In this era, Americans did not have the confidence to say no to united powers.

Sebast thought for a moment and said, “Mr. Connell, I am certainly in support of the Federal government.

But with the plantation owners in Kentucky being so powerful if I make a hasty decision, I fear they might take drastic actions. Let’s wait and see for now.”

When undecided, naturally, the best strategy is to stall. With personal interests at stake, should one make the wrong judgment, regret would be too late.

It’s actually quite funny, the Southern Government using the market to cheat capitalists, but reality is just that comedic.

Isn’t the Northern Government still cheating plantation owners? President Lincoln has repeatedly promised not to abolish slavery, and the government will guarantee everyone’s legal rights.

Whether these can be fulfilled, just think about the politicians’ integrity, and you’ll know. Both sides are issuing checks without funds; it’s just a matter of whose pie in the sky is more attractive.