Holy Roman Empire

In order to ensure the independence of the military industry, it is impossible to let the soldiers give the enemy heads with outdated front-loading equipment regardless of the needs of the front-line war, right?

This is really giving away people's heads. The breech-loading rifle can be used lying down, while the front-loading rifle can only play volley tactics.

Just think about it, and you will know how miserable you will be abused if you meet them on the battlefield.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg explained: "Your Majesty, in fact, we don't need to sell, just delay the speed of modification.

The Prussians have performed very well recently, taking advantage of their weapons and equipment to severely injure the Russian army many times in field battles.

Although the Russians have an advantage in sea power and are constantly attacking the coastal areas of the Kingdom of Prussia, they are not prepared enough to expand the results of the war. "

This is the heart of the matter.In theory, as long as the Russian navy covers the landing of the army and blossoms in all directions within the Kingdom of Prussia, the Kingdom of Prussia will collapse within a few months.

However, the Tsarist government was not ready. The navy did a good job of attacking the coast of the Kingdom of Prussia. Unfortunately, the army did not follow up and expand the results.

Prussia and Russia are not far apart, so cross-sea expeditions cannot be called it, but the necessary logistical supplies are still indispensable.

There is no doubt that the Tsarist government does not have so many strategic materials now, or there is no way to transport so many strategic materials.

In order to supply the troops on the front line, the tsarist government had to buy and buy.This is not only the insufficient production capacity of the Russian Empire, but the most important thing is that the transportation is too bad.

The Russian Poland region is one of their granaries. Most of the food supply in the St. Petersburg region comes from here. Now that this land is lost, the tsarist government will naturally have to allocate food from other regions.

The railway is not smooth, and it will take at least a month to transport materials from Ukraine and Moscow to the front line by horse-drawn carts and ox carts.

It still needs God to save face. If it is winter, it will be even worse, and it is possible to walk for two or three months.Such bad traffic not only increases the cost, but also limits the amount of material transportation.

The troops on the front line can also import strategic materials from Austria next door.But fighting across the sea is not enough. Even if materials are imported from Austria, they must be transported around a large circle.

This is the fault of the Russians themselves. If the navy is sent to attack the coastal areas of Prussia at the beginning of the war, then the rivers in Poland can be used to transport materials imported from Austria.

Forget it now, most of Russian Poland is in enemy hands.At this time, it is necessary to transport materials, either by land through the Belarus region, or by sea along a large circle around the European continent.

No matter which road, the amount of material transportation is limited.

Originally, the Russians could also purchase strategic materials from European countries, but unfortunately everyone did not buy the Russians.No one does their business unless they offer real money.

Because of financial problems, the tsarist government had no way to purchase materials from various countries, which is why Alexander II was so eager to borrow money.

Only when the financial problem is solved, can they raise enough strategic materials and give full play to their naval advantages.

Chapter 74 A Whimsical Plan

Putting down the "African Strategy" in his hand, Franz can only lament that everyone's goals are lofty, and he has circled more than half of the African continent in one breath.

That's right, it's under the circle, not occupied.At present, Austria has not completed one-third of the above-mentioned plan, and the actual control area may be less than one-fifth.

Even though Franz has worked hard to immigrate, the current population of Austrian Africa is still less than 500 million.

With such a small population controlling 800 million square kilometers of land, it is conceivable how sparsely populated the land is.

Of course, this does not count the local aborigines, otherwise the number would have exceeded tens of millions.

If the next strategy is to be completed, it will not be possible without a population of tens of millions.However, the population of the entire new Holy Roman Empire has just crossed the threshold of 6000 million.

Now that the world is almost finished, the last piece of unclaimed land must be a battle between dragons and tigers.

At present, France and Austria have come to the forefront of colonial Africa, followed by the British, the Portuguese, and the Dutch also have a small colony.

The macro strategy of the Colonial Department should be better described as an "ideal strategy".

As long as countries are not stupid, they will not make this plan a reality.

After a brief look at the map, it is roughly: from Guinea and Mali in the west, to Libya in the north, to the Boer Republic in the south, and to Somalia in the east.

Although there is no satellite positioning in this era, Franz initially estimated that the total area of ​​these areas added up to 2000 million square kilometers.

After thinking about it, Franz picked up a pen and marked it with a cross, intending to type it back and let the Colonial Department redo it.

This unrealistic strategy is simply not feasible.Unless a world war is provoked and Austria becomes a big winner, there is no capital to realize it.

However, Franz is not a war fanatic, nor is Austria the Second German Empire that had to challenge the world in history.

Although many people think that the Second German Empire provoked the war because of the economic development and the need for resources and markets, Franz believes that the main reason is resources, because the problems of the market can be solved.

The world economy is a big cycle, while the national economy is a small cycle.Theoretically, as long as this cycle continues to operate normally, the economy can continue to develop.

The core of this economic cycle lies in population and resources. Now the world's population is only about one billion.

Among them: about 2.75 million in Europe, mainly Russia, Austria, France, and Britain combined to exceed 2 million.

There are about 8.2 million people in Asia, and the two populous countries in the east have a combined total of 7 million people. The remaining regions are also sparsely populated.

There are about 0.6 million people on the African continent. The impact of colonial activities has led to local population growth. Because more immigrants have left in recent years, many areas have experienced negative growth.

There are more than 6000 million people in the Americas. This is the real vastness and sparse population. North and South America add up to only such a small population, and the two United States account for half of it.

The current international trade volume is actually not large, and the economy of each country is mainly based on the domestic economy. Taking Austria as an example, the proportion of international trade in the economy is less than 5% of the total.

If the colonial trade volume is included in the local economy, then international trade is even less worth mentioning in the total Austrian economy.

This is determined by productivity, the total wealth of the society is limited, and the commodities that can be exported are too single, so the trade volume cannot be increased at all.

Now in the international market, the largest export commodity is textiles, followed by food.There is no big market for industrial and commercial products, machinery and equipment at all.

In the entire international market, the sum of all export commodities is less than one billion pounds, or even less than [-] million pounds.

The market is so big in total, and the main force of the economies of all countries is the local market.For any one of the British, French and Austrian companies, the total economic output of the country cannot be measured in one billion, at least two or three.

In an era dominated by the domestic economy, the most important thing is internal circulation.As long as there are enough resources, the economy can theoretically develop normally.

For details, you can refer to the United States. Many people think that Latin America is the backyard of Americans and a dumping ground for American industrial and commercial products.

The reality is that there are a total of more than 200 million people in Latin America, and [-] to [-]% are Indian tribes, with gross purchasing power.

South American countries do not buy into the American account. They would rather import European goods than American junk products.

However, the U.S. economy continued to grow by leaps and bounds from the late 19th century, growing ninefold in 40 years.

This is the power of resources.The same lack of sufficient commodity export markets, the Germans were forced to go to the battlefield by capital, while American capital can be stabilized by relying on its own rich resources.

In Franz's view, "resources" are the core of colonization.Under this concept, there is the colonial localization movement.

After much hesitation, Franz did not directly dismiss this "whimsical plan".He is very disgusted with painting big cakes, but he has to draw big cakes to be very effective.

Otherwise, there would not be so many whimsical plans in history, for example: the British 2C plan, from Cairo to South Africa directly from south to north.

Including: Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania.

Although the plan was huge, John Bull finally realized it.It didn't last long, however, before the colonial empire collapsed.

As a latecomer, the Germans also came up with the "Teutonic Africa Plan". This plan is not very ambitious and only includes: Namibia, Angola, Congo, and Tanzania.

The success of a strategy depends on strength and has nothing to do with ambition, so this strategy died.

The French's "2S plan" is a bit perverted. After occupying North Africa, the French are planning to go from Senegal to Somalia.

This plan is similar to Austria's strategic plan. There is not much difference between "Guinea to Somalia" and "Senegal to Somalia".

As for the Boer Republic in the south of Austria, it has been barely realized, and a thousand-person colonial stronghold has appeared in Zimbabwe.

It is not difficult to go north to Libya. After all, it is an inland area of ​​Africa, and competitors cannot reach this area.

Only the east to Somalia is still far away, separated by Sudan and Ethiopia.Of course, it is also possible to go around from Uganda and Kenya.

In practice, it is definitely not that simple.Because of Austria's colonial strategy, these areas were included together.

In any case, it is worthy of affirmation in spirit.Now that this plan was sent up, it meant that the Colonial Department believed that there was a possibility of success.

Of course, this success does not mean that all the goals have been achieved. It just means that the plan is completed strategically, and a few colonies are missing in the middle, which is inevitable.

Considering that now is a critical moment for the localization of the colony, Franz acquiesced in the existence of this plan. Of course, when it is implemented, it must not be so rote.

For example: areas connected by rivers are prioritized, desert areas are placed later, areas with strong indigenous powers are put aside first, and areas that may cause conflicts must be restrained from expanding...

In this era, the African continent has no national boundaries, and most of them are a bunch of indigenous tribes. Talking about the concept of a country is still too nonsense.

This colonial strategy will naturally not follow the national boundaries of later generations. In fact, Franz has no way to find the national boundaries of later generations on the map.

After a while of revisions, Franz successfully compressed the strategic plan.

For example: the deserts in North Africa will not compete with the French, and they cannot be controlled in this era anyway.

Specifically: more than half of Mali is gone, and the Niger region is basically gone.If it weren't for the connection to Libya, Chad Franz was ready to give up, and now he is reluctant to stay.

Ethiopia and Somalia in the east are also ranked last by Franz. Before other regions are occupied, they will not pay attention to these regions.

Namibia and Tanzania are ranked second to last, basically belonging to abandoned areas.The rest of the area depends on the ability of the subordinates, as much as they can win.

In this way, the plan has shrunk by almost one-third, and the feasibility has been greatly improved.

Occupying more than half of the African continent is too much hatred, but accounting for one-third, or about 40.00%, of the African continent, Franz believes that it is possible to succeed.

This is determined by strength + first-mover advantage.Once the localization strategy is successful, it will be another peak period of immigration.As long as there is enough population, Franz is not afraid of any challenge on the African continent.

For example, the current West African region and the Congo region have millions of people. Who has the ability to take these places away?

War also requires costs. Without enough benefits, it is simply not enough to make the colonial empire launch a war.

On the African continent, except for the gold mines in South Africa, other areas that can trigger wars among the great powers are not enough to cause the great powers to fight each other.

In fact, South Africa's gold mines are not worth a fight between two big countries.Although the reserves of gold are high, that's all there is to it before it is mined.

Regardless of the annual output of hundreds of tons, in fact, gold mining also requires costs, and Franz does not think that it will be possible to achieve it in his lifetime to rely on gold to recover the cost of the war.

Chapter 75 Justice Is Not Handled

In Ottawa, after several months of negotiations, in September 1865, the multi-party talks finally had preliminary results.

Under the interference of the four countries of Britain, France, Occidental, the US federal government recognized the independence of the Confederate States and the Indians, and the United States was officially divided.

In the contested states of Maryland and West Virginia, areas that supported the Northern government joined the Union, and areas that supported the Southern government joined the Confederacy.

Don't be surprised if you find that the land areas of the two governments in the North and the South are intertwined.This time the people are free to choose which government to join, and finally the town is the unit.

There is no doubt that this is the handiwork of the British, they are professional.Now that the conflicts between the North and the South are buried, it is conceivable that the Americas in the future will be very lively.

Confederate governments include: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and parts of Maryland and West Virginia .

The territories of Arizona and New Mexico were also brought under the southern government. (roughly present-day Arizona and New Mexico)

The Indian Emirates is a bit pitiful, being caught in the middle of the North and South governments, and the territory is only poor Indian settlements. (roughly present-day Oklahoma)

After the division of the United States, the overall national strength was still dominated by the northern government, with a population of 1764.5 million, inherited nearly two-thirds of the US industry, and 63.2% of the territory.

The Confederate government followed closely, with a population of 1198.4 million, inherited nearly one-third of the US industry, and 34.1% of the territory.

The Indian Emirates can be ignored, the population has not been counted, anyway, it does not exceed 100 million, the territorial area is less than 20 square kilometers, and the industry is almost zero.

(Note: Alaska and Hawaii were not included in the United States in 1865, and most of the overseas islands of later generations were not included)

Of course, this is only a preliminary agreement reached by everyone, and the specific details will continue to be discussed.Especially the issue of national boundaries, which still needs time to be determined.

However, this did not affect everyone's signing of the treaty. Under the urging of the four countries of Britain, France, Occidental and West, on September 1865, 9, the Lincoln government reluctantly signed the armistice treaty.

The signing of the treaty also meant the end of the Lincoln government's time in power. Without the urging of others, Lincoln submitted his resignation to Congress the next day.

This will be very smooth, without any twists and turns.The biggest scapegoat has been carried away, so someone will naturally come up to take over.As long as the election is over, the Lincoln government can leave.

The Civil War ended, and the federal government once again returned to Washington.In any case, this is still the capital of the Federation.

Even if they are beaten into ruins, they must come back.This is political correctness and marks the legitimacy of the federal government.

Stepping into the White House again, Lincoln seemed to have aged 20 years.There are remnants of broken walls everywhere, and the former political center has become a ruin.

"Hey!"

With a sigh, he expressed the helplessness of life.

The Civil War was not Lincoln's responsibility, and the countdown to the war began when the capitalists in the North took a dominant position in the government.

It's just that he was unlucky, he just caught up with this critical moment, and he was blamed for this.

Historically, the northern government won the war, and Lincoln was assassinated just after the war ended. He won the sympathy of the people and became the greatest president of the United States.

This scapegoat naturally fell on the previous president.The situation has changed now, and the previous president certainly cannot escape, but the current president is even more guilty.

Political opponents will not miss this opportunity to step on the loser, which is perfectly normal.

Some who were unhappy with the Lincoln administration were preparing to sue them for violating the Constitution and instigating a civil war that killed millions.

This civil war was so miserable that the northern government lost: 57.2 soldiers were killed or seriously injured, 26.7 soldiers were disabled due to injuries, 2.3 soldiers died of diseases, and 1.2 people died of various accidents, such as: assassination, falling into the water , was executed for violating military discipline...

This is only military losses and does not include civilian casualties.Although it has not yet reached the point where every family wears mourning and everyone is crying, it is not far away from this.