Holy Roman Empire

The colonies that have been developed will not be sealed off, they can only be undeveloped unclaimed land.

If it is well developed, it is an uncle, marquis, or even a principality, or a kingdom. If it is not well developed, it needs to rely on the power of the state to rule, and in the end it is still just a fiefdom.

In this era, countries can be traded, titles can also be sold, or bought from the king.It's just that the price is very high, and those who sell are usually only life-long nobles.

For example, the life-long nobles conferred by Lanfang Autonomous Province this time were all gifted by others. Otherwise, the conferred honorary knights might not be barons or viscounts.

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

It's not that he's selling it alone. You can buy a knighthood from almost any European king, provided you are rich enough.

The price is also different. For example, the title of the New Holy Roman Empire is very difficult to buy.

In order to guarantee the honor of the nobility, Franz has a limit on the number of nobility that can be conferred by the kings of various states, and must be reported to the emperor for approval.

People who have not contributed to the country are usually not passed.Exceptions of good birth, such as the king's son, must pass.

People from the Lanfang Autonomous Province were able to obtain titles, because they promoted Lanfang to join the New Shenluo Empire, and they were also meritorious officials.

His Majesty the great Franz will not accept anyone who wants to spend enough money to buy a knighthood with less than a million Aegis.This is the price in his heart, and it is still increasing with the growth of his net worth.

The direct consequence is that Franz has not sold any titles since he took the throne.Many people think that the emperor attaches great importance to the honor of the nobility and disdains money, which increases his prestige among the nobility.

People tend to crave more for things that are harder to obtain.No meritorious service and no knighthood, not only did not stop everyone's enthusiasm for becoming nobles, but it made people more addicted to it.

In order to obtain the title of nobility, many noble children and capitalists in Austria organized manpower to expand the colony, and then converted the meritorious service to obtain the title.

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

Against this background, in 1861 alone, Franz conferred 286 nobles, including 61 landed nobles.

The fief is naturally an overseas colony, and the domestic fief emperor doesn't have many in his hands, but he can't stand such a division.

Colonial Secretary Josip Jeracic suggested: "Your Majesty, the Colonial Department has summarized the basic information of each colony, and through analysis found that the Nanyang region is the most suitable for colonization.

The local land is fertile and rich in products, and only a small amount of investment is needed to obtain rich returns. The Colonial Department suggested that the expansion in the Nanyang region should be increased next. "

Franz looked at the map and hesitated.In the short term, the Nanyang region is indeed the most suitable colony, with rich products, pleasant climate and easy rule.

The disadvantage is that it is too far away, and the forces of Britain, France, West Netherlands and the Netherlands are mixed. If you want to continue to expand, it will easily lead to diplomatic conflicts.

It's not that Franz is still afraid of conflict, what he is worried about is the issue of giving and rewarding.As long as Austria does not grab the colonies of other countries and targets the land of no man, the conflict will be within the controllable range.

Austria's strength is not unlimited, and now the spread is already very large, only second to the British, and comparable to the French.

In order to prevent the rise of the United States, the Central American regional strategy is an indispensable part; from the perspective of long-term development, the African continent, which is close at hand, must be controlled.

In fact, the Nanyang strategy has always been ranked last. Even if it has made efforts in the past one or two years, it has only limited investment.

Franz directly asked all the questions: "What is the Colonial Department looking for? Who is the competitor? How much investment is required? How much risk is it likely to face? How long will it take to get the expected return?"

Colonial Secretary Josip Jeracic replied: "There are many alternative targets, the Indochina Peninsula includes the Phnom Penh Dynasty, Thailand, Vietnam, as well as the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Sulawesi, and several small and medium-sized islands.

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

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

According to the preliminary judgment, the Dutch have already locked Sumatra Island, and they have already occupied many areas on the island.It's just that their strength is limited, and there is nothing they can do to take over the indigenous regime on the island for a while.

Because of the relationship of the Strait of Malacca, the tentacles of the British have penetrated into Malaysia, which may be the biggest opponent we will face.

The French seem to be interested in the Indochina Peninsula. If we choose the target to crash, there will be a fight.

The investment and risk depend on the chosen target.Basically, regions with more lucrative interests require greater investment and face more brutal competition.

The rate of return in these places is good. In theory, after the establishment of the colonial regime, balance of payments can be achieved within three years. "

No way, it is too difficult to calculate the cost without knowing how many competitors will join.

Colonization is inherently an uncertain investment, and many areas that look delicious may actually be tasteless.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz made a decision: "The established strategy remains the same, although the Nanyang region is delicious, in fact we can't eat much.

The Colonial Department can target unowned small and medium-sized islands, and other regions can try as much as they can, and they can exchange benefits with other countries.

It is impossible for us to have a foot in everything. Once the limit is exceeded, the colony is no longer a tonic, but a deadly poison.

Isn't the Kingdom of Prussia going to join the colonial team?Give them a hand, lead the Prussians into the Nanyang region, and give them a chance to get off to a good start. "

Overseas colonization depends not only on national strength, but also on investment.After Austria has invested heavily in Central America and the African continent, its strength to invest in the Southeast Asia region is already very small.

If you are not strong enough, you will suffer if you blindly force yourself.Rather than being driven away in a desperate manner, it is better to be conservative from the beginning, so as to save people and money, and be ashamed.

As for helping the Kingdom of Prussia, it was just a matter of convenience, allowing the Prussians to go further on the road to the colonial empire.

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

If the benefits are not seen, how can the Prussians be willing to invest heavily?

Prussia's national strength is limited, the navy has invested heavily, and the army's investment will naturally decrease, and the difficulty of Austria's unification of the German region in the future will also decrease.

Based on this, it is worthwhile for Austria to pay the interests of the Nanyang region.Anyway, after the unification of Germany, the meat is still in the pot, and there will be no loss.

Chapter 21 The American Anti-War Movement

In Washington, the federal government is organizing the evacuation.With the continuous defeat on the front line, the flames of war have reached the federal capital.

In the end, Maryland was still unable to stop the Confederates. There were too many people who could not hold back. Under the circumstances of internal and external troubles, no matter how hard the federal army worked, it would be futile.

Moreover, the federal government has too many places to defend.In contrast, Washington's greatest value is politically, and the Great Lakes region is the core of the federal government.

It can be said that as long as the Great Lakes industrial area is not lost, the federal government has the confidence to suppress the rebellion.On the contrary, this war cannot be fought at all.

President Lincoln asked cautiously: "General Grant, I want a definite answer, can Washington hold it?"

Grant, a federal general who quickly became popular because of the war, commanded the federal army to achieve its first major victory and became the protagonist of this Washington defense battle.

This is not a good job. With the federal army at a disadvantage, it is too difficult to hold the capital.

If it is lost in other places, it is lost. Anyway, the federal army is defeated all the way in the overall battle situation, and the federal government cannot hold it accountable.

The so-called famous historical generals still have to admit defeat in the face of strength. The famous generals who are promoted by the future generations of the federal government are beaten in a daze on the battlefield, and occasionally winning depends on luck.

This is not a problem of their command ability, but mainly the lack of executive ability of the federal army.

A group of farmers and workers who just let go of their work, many of them were sent to the battlefield after less than a month of training, and the combat effectiveness can be imagined.

He can be regarded as a famous general if he didn't let the troops collapse halfway.With such troops, it is only natural to lose battles.

Of course, if you fight a few more times, the rookie will become a veteran after surviving, and the combat effectiveness will also increase.Historically, the northern government trained troops in wars, and then piled up the southern ones.

Under this background, if the responsibility for the defeat of the army is investigated, there will be no one to command the troops.

Only Washington is different. The political significance here is too great, and someone will definitely be unlucky if they lose the capital.

Grant replied: "Your Excellency, I can't give you an answer to this question. I can only say that whether Washington can keep it depends on the determination of the enemy."

Not having a clear strategy was the biggest problem for the Confederate government.Because the interests of each franchise state are different, everyone's strategic goals are also different.

In order to balance internal forces, the strategy given by the southern government seems to be blooming in all directions. Without concentrating superior forces, they often fight at one place, wasting opportunities in vain.

Lincoln thought for a while and said, "Well, if you need anything, you can mention it, and I will solve it for you.

In short, you must defend Washington as much as possible, even if you hide in a corner and fight in the street, as long as Washington is not lost, I can accept it. "

Use Washington as a bait to attract the main force of the southern army and buy time for the federal government to win the war.

These are all political propaganda slogans, if given the choice, Lincoln would never have done so.The capital is lost, how much prestige does his president have in the federal state?

Grant thought for a while and said: "The 5 reinforcements from California, Oregon, and New Mexico on the west coast have not yet set off.

I sent a telegram to ask the state government, and it is said that they have not yet completed the task of conscription.If this part of the new force is missing, Washington will have no way to defend. "

Not every federal state is actively participating in this war, and the states on the west coast are far away from the battlefield and do not feel the pressure themselves.There are also European countries that are holding back their influence by mobilizing their influence. Naturally, their enthusiasm for participating in the war is not high.

President Lincoln asked, "Mr. Safar, what's the matter?"

Secretary of State Safar frowned and replied: "The states on the west coast have a small population, and they have provided 15 soldiers for the federal government, and almost all the boys who are willing to serve have come.

Not long ago, the Austrian ocean-going fleet visited the states on the west coast. Earl Hummel received many Germans and encouraged them to leave the United States.

Quite a few had left, and now they were resisting service in the Union Army under the pretext of being anti-Civil War.In order not to give the Austrians an excuse to intervene, we cannot compel them to serve.

Then, a chain reaction was triggered. Many people in the West Coast area joined the anti-war movement, and the state governments could not complete the task of conscription.

Behind this lies the shadow of other European countries.The base camp of the anti-war movement is around the embassies of various countries, and these people will enter the embassies whenever there is trouble.

In order to avoid causing diplomatic conflicts and causing countries to intervene in this war, the state governments did not dare to act rashly. "

The federal government advocated national unity, and European countries launched anti-civil war movements.This is a flaw of the American system. Regardless of whether it can be done or not, I will use righteousness to suppress you.

If the government fails to resolve disputes through peaceful means, then the government is incompetent, and it is absolutely correct to oppose civil war.

Many newspapers that support anti-war directly attribute the Lincoln administration to the worst in American history, surpassing James Buchanan.

The talkative party doesn't need to be responsible, so it's natural to talk nonsense.

The anti-war faction has come up with a bunch of solutions that seem to be able to resolve conflicts peacefully, but are actually unfeasible, criticizing the inaction of the federal government, accusing the federal government of being manipulated by arms dealers and provoking civil war for profit.

Believe it or not, the anti-war faction does.People who don't want to go to the battlefield and want to avoid military service also believe it.

Being a deserter is frowned upon, and anti-civil war has no moral risk.Even because of political correctness and support of public opinion, the state government cannot pursue their legal responsibilities.

In the final analysis, these problems are still due to the low degree of public recognition of the country, limited patriotic enthusiasm, and many people do not even regard themselves as Americans.

In this era, Germans, Irish, Italians, etc., are at the bottom of society and are often discriminated against politically.

The vested interests who control the upper class do not leave room for them to rise at all.These immigrants often have to pay several times their efforts to achieve the same gains.

That being the case, why do you still have to work for the federal government?It has nothing to do with him if he wins, but his fate is his own.

Hummel was able to fool people away because he promised real money: Every immigrant to Central America can get 300 hectares of land for free, and they can have full property rights after five years of continuous cultivation, and they can also get the colonial government A two-year interest-free loan of [-] Aegis is provided.

This is why, after only a few months of opening up the Central American colony, it lost more than 200 million Aegis.

President Lincoln frowned and asked, "We didn't order any anti-war activities to be banned. Why did the anti-war movement develop?"

Secretary of State Safar explained: "This ban is only being implemented by half of the federal states. The western states believe that this is not in line with the Constitution and violates the spirit of liberalism, and refuses to implement this decree."

Lincoln had a headache. In this era, every federal state in the United States is an independent small court, and it is common to fight against the federal government.

Even though he has the support of capitalists behind him, because everyone has different interests, the capitalists in the United States are also divided into different interest groups.

Generally speaking, the east is strong and the west is weak. The big conglomerates are gathered in the states on the east coast, controlling most of the wealth in the United States, and most of the capitalists in the west are attached to them.

The civil war broke out. For their own benefit, the capitalists in the west wished to smash the east coast, get rid of the shackles, and obtain greater benefits.

They don't dare to confront directly, but they are not afraid to hold back secretly.If something goes wrong, use the big powers to cover the tank. Anyway, the positions of the four countries of Britain, France, Occidental and West are well known, and they don't care about taking the blame.

Internal troubles are far more troublesome than external troubles. The political intervention of various countries is actually based on the cooperation of internal people.

If there is no one in the United States to help wave the flag, unless Britain, France and Osi directly send troops to intervene, it will not even be considered trouble.

Lincoln pointedly said: "Send people to communicate with the governments of the western states, and the soldiers must be guaranteed no matter what.

The federal government has reached the most critical time. If the federation is defeated due to insufficient troops, no one will have a good life. "

Obviously, this is for people who are holding back.It implies that they should not have too much fun, and that they should also consider the overall situation while attacking their competitors.

Raising tariffs to protect the domestic market and abolishing slavery to obtain cheap labor are the common interests of most capitalists.

If the federal government loses the war, all the cheap raw materials and markets in the south will be gone.Without these, no one will have a good life in the end.

This is the aftermath of the butterfly effect. The southern government added three states, while the northern government lost three states. With each increase and decrease, the balance of power between the two sides changed.

The first thing to face is the manpower problem. Faced with a more severe situation than in history, the shortage of troops has become a problem for the federal government.

The reinforcements from the western states are particularly important. Without the support of these states, the northern government's manpower advantage will no longer exist.

With the same number of troops, the northern army cannot defeat the south.The quality gap, now the federal government can only rely on quantity to make up.

Chapter 22 Turning Point

The civil war lasted for a year, and the federal government paid more than 20 casualties. The brutal casualties made the soldiers war-weary.

This is just a civil war, not a foreign invasion.The patriotism that was aroused has long been exhausted in the blood and fire.

It is not only the western states that have not completed the conscription task, even the core states of the federal government are also facing the problem of difficult conscription.

As of now, the total strength of the federal government has exceeded 110 million, but it is still not enough.

The states at war, or the federal states that are close to the battlefield, give priority to ensuring their own security. Coordination and cooperation on the battlefield are difficult, and it is difficult to play the role of military superiority.

These are unsolvable problems. State officials are elected. If the state cannot be kept safe, the voters can let them go.