Holy Roman Empire

Even nine years ago, the Vienna government started preparations to help the Russians build the Central Asian Railway, but that only worsened Anglo-Russian relations and slightly increased the success rate.

Even in order not to expose his intentions too clearly, the technicians of the Austrian Railway Company were evacuated as soon as the main line was opened to traffic.

However, this still didn't work.It is a conspiracy in itself, and no matter how much it is concealed, it will not change the fact that the Vienna government wants to provoke a war between Britain and Russia.

In this context, failure is normal.Right now is just the beginning, at most it can only be regarded as a trial.

The fact that the Anglo-Russian War does not break out now does not mean that it will not break out in the future.The seeds of war have been planted and are now waiting to take root.

……

In July, through the blue sky, the sun scorched the earth like a big fireball, evaporated the clouds, and the sky looked extraordinarily high.

The "Port of Trieste" under the scorching sun is extraordinarily lively today.The guards who came from nowhere surrounded the pier tightly.

None of these affected the local people's heart to watch the excitement, as if it was commonplace, but they were stunned by the merchants who came for the first time.

Seeing the increasing number of soldiers on the street, Du Chengen, who was afraid of trouble, decisively led them back to the hotel, for fear of causing a catastrophe.

There is no way, the international environment these days is quite unfriendly to Chinese businessmen, so we have to be cautious.

There is no country behind it, and it has caught up with the most serious era of racial discrimination.To engage in overseas trade is to risk your life.

The emergence of the Lanfang Autonomous Province only changed the situation slightly, but did not really reverse the situation.

There is no way, rights have always been won by themselves.As a country with the rule of law, since Lanfang Autonomous Province has been accepted, it is natural to recognize Lanfang household registration.

But this recognition is limited to the Holy Roman Empire itself.Internationally, the recognition is still not high.

In other words, even if it is recognized, it is difficult to get the tiger's skin of the Holy Roman Empire. In the final analysis, Chinese businessmen have encountered problems, and the first choice is to calm things down.

On the one hand, it is very difficult to prove one's nationality due to the inconvenience of information transmission these days; on the other hand, Chinese businessmen do not want to deal with government officials because they have been bullied for many years.

When something goes wrong, instead of seeking help from the embassy at the first moment, they try to solve it by themselves, which naturally cannot deter wolves.

In this context, more and more Chinese businessmen engaged in overseas trade choose to do business within the Holy Roman Empire or with Asian countries.

Anyway, the internal market of the Holy Roman Empire is large enough, and everyone is familiar with the Asian region, which is enough for themselves.

Du Chengen was one of them. Originally, he was only active in Southeast Asia and East Asia, and it was the first time he had directly transported tea to Europe.

Despite the opening of a new trade line, Du Chengen's cautious nature has not been changed.I would rather earn a little less than cause trouble for myself.

After transporting the goods to the port of Trieste, they trade directly with local tea merchants, and have no intention of deeply operating the European market.

Seeing the increase in the number of soldiers outside, the cautious Du Chengen naturally didn't want to stay.

"Boss, there are so many people watching the fun outside, why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

Glancing at the young sailor, Du Chengen scolded: "Ah Fu, how many times have I told you that the most taboo thing to do when you are away from home is to be curious.

With so many soldiers on the street now, who knows what will happen next.If you get involved and get shot and collapsed, you won't even have time to cry. "

After hearing Du Chengen's words, the guide on the side was not happy, and his country was described as a land of chaos.

But for the sake of the employer, Lauker restrained his emotions and reminded slightly: "Du, you are worrying too much.

This is the Holy Roman Empire. As a country ruled by law, our army will not shoot at civilians casually.

Unless you attack the military blockade or approach with weapons, at best you will be warned to leave.

Just watching the fun, it doesn't matter.If I guessed correctly, the port was closed because another large warship was launched today.

This is also a major feature of Trieste. If you want to see it, I can take you to the viewing platform, and you can clearly see the launch of the warship with binoculars. "

As one of the shipbuilding centers of the Holy Roman Empire, Trieste will launch warships almost every once in a while, but the docks are not closed every time.

Generally speaking, such a big movement will only happen when a large warship is launched, or when there are big figures in the country in person.

Of course, the face-saving Laucor would not talk about the details.Right now, he just wants to take the employers there and pretend to be aggressive.

Realizing his slip of the tongue, the seasoned Du Chengen immediately made amends: "Sorry, Mr. Lauker. But we are really tired today, and now we just want to go back and rest.

Today's work is over, and you are free to move about in the rest of the time, as long as you come here before 09:30 tomorrow.

If possible, it is best to take a few photos of the launching of the warship, so that we can also see it. "

Hearing today's "work is over", Lauker's dissatisfaction was swept away, and he immediately assured: "Don't worry, I know Trieste best, and I can definitely take the best photos."

After speaking, without waiting for Du Chengen and others to say goodbye, Lauker disappeared in a flash.Obviously, watching the action is far more interesting than working.

Back at the hotel, Du Chengen and the others happened to run into the boss, James, who was about to go out with a camera.

The old man warmly invited: "Du, you came back just in time. Do you know that a super battleship is going to be launched today, it is said to be an epoch-making warship.

I have to admit that you are so lucky to have caught up with this historical moment.Now follow me and witness history in the past! "

If it is an ordinary person, it is very likely that they will be fooled.But Du Chengen knew that this innkeeper, who was similar to Grandet, would only be so enthusiastic when facing Aegis.

Immediately refused: "Sorry, Mr. James. We have been busy all morning and are already very tired. It is not an honor to witness history with you."

After being rejected, James did not continue to entangle, but just sighed: "That is really a pity. With only 5 Aegis, we can buy a good position and witness a scene of history."

After hearing James' exclamation, Du Chengen finally understood why the previous guide and the innkeeper in front of him invited him.

Regardless of what James said so easily, only "5 Aegis" is needed. In fact, this figure is already a month's income of low-level workers.

Even if it is for international trade, it is difficult for Du Chengen to make a profit of more than [-] Aegis after deducting all costs once he runs a ship.

There is no way, with the development of the times, the era of huge profits in ocean trade is slowly disappearing.In particular, the emergence of large cargo ships has greatly squeezed the industry's profits.

Du Chengen gave up the familiar Asian route and ventured to Europe for trade, but he was actually forced out by the cruel market competition.

In Trieste this time, in addition to doing trade, Du Chengen's more important purpose was to purchase a [-]-ton cargo ship.

As a businessman, Du Chengen has never lacked foresight.With the continuous development of the economy, the demand for freight capacity in maritime trade is also increasing.

However, this demand is for large freighters with large volume and low unit operating cost, rather than the few small and medium-sized merchant ships that are about to be eliminated by the times.

If you don't want to be squeezed to death by your peers, you can only keep up with the trend of the times and purchase more advanced merchant ships in order to occupy a favorable position in the market competition.

As for witnessing history, let others do it, and he, a little man, should not join in the fun.

Deep down, Du Chengen was actually a little surprised.He never dreamed that the Holy Roman Empire actually made the launching of warships a business.

It can only be said that there are more solutions than difficulties. Although it is the world's largest economy, the budget of the Shinra Navy is still insufficient.

In order to raise military expenses, the Ministry of the Navy also took great pains.Selling viewing tickets is just one of them.

A position is 5 Aegis, if 1 positions are sold, that is 5 Aegis.Over time, even for the navy, it is not a small number.

There are too many guarantees. It is not a big problem to build another warship for the annual ticket income.

As for the issue of confidentiality, if you hold a telescope a few miles away, people can discover the secrets contained in the warship, and the Shinra Navy doesn't have to mess around.

……

With the sound of salutes, Franz, who rarely appeared in public, appeared on the slipway.

After all, the world's first dreadnought ship was launched.It is quite a temptation for any military enthusiast, and Franz is no exception.

How can the history created by oneself be absent?

What's more, if you don't make the momentum a little bigger, how can you put enough pressure on the British.

The emperor's presence in person was a political statement in itself.Anyone with a discerning eye can tell at a glance that the Vienna government will vigorously develop the navy in the coming days.

Secretary of the Navy Castagni: "Your Majesty, everything is ready, do you think it will start?"

Franz smiled slightly and said, "You go host, I won't go up."

Witnessing history belongs to witnessing history, and personally boarding a boat to experience the launching ceremony is still too harsh for an emperor who is seasick.

Even if you want to satisfy your curiosity, you can wait for the supporting facilities to be completed and then go up to experience it.

Hearing that the emperor was not on board, Castagni breathed a sigh of relief.It is not a comfortable experience to ride on a warship that has just completed its main body construction and has not undergone interior decoration.

In case the old emperor goes up and has something to do, it will be over.No matter how fit Franz was, that was in his late 70s.

In this era when colds can kill people, no one dared to let the emperor experience the shock during the launch of a warship.

With the emperor's order, the launching ceremony began.As the valve was opened, the sea continuously poured into the dock and hit the hull, making a sound like rough waves.

The hearts of all the staff were raised, for fear that an accident would happen to the hull at the last moment, and an international joke would be caused.

Emperor Franz, who seemed to know nothing, asked with great interest: "Frederick, what name do you decide to call this warship?"

For the name of the first dreadnought, the Vienna government is also arguing endlessly.At first, the plan drawn up by everyone was named after the emperor, but Franz resolutely rejected it.

There is no other reason, but I am worried that it will be unlucky for the warship to be sunk in a naval battle.As the saying goes, the older you are, the more you fear death, and Franz is no exception.

Apart from this well-received name, the rest of the candidate list is varied, and there are no fewer than fifty in the hands of Franz alone.

If you choose too much, it will inevitably be easy to get distracted.At this moment, Franz is also facing difficulty in choosing, not knowing which one is the most suitable one.

No matter how dragged it is, the warship is now launching, and today a name must be chosen and announced to the outside world.

Franz was named useless, and Frederick was not much better, so he blurted out: "Should I call it the Holy Roman Empire?"

Hearing this result, Franz rolled his eyes and said, "It's better to name it after the empire, so it's better to call it Roman! At least it's shorter, so it's convenient for everyone to call it everyday."

"Short" and "convenient name" have become the ultimate criteria for naming, rather than more consideration of political significance.It is estimated that no one would dare to believe it.

But since the emperor had spoken, everyone didn't bother to object. The "Roman" is actually not bad. Although it is not from a political point of view, the outside world does not know it!

As long as the propaganda department has a little in-depth interpretation, they can come up with a lot of reasons and meanings, and they will definitely not fall into clichés.

……

Chapter 75 Aftermath

The specific parameters of the "Roma" have not been announced to the outside world, but just looking at the size of the giant, everyone knows that it is a big killer.

Although a big body does not mean that the combat effectiveness must be strong, but it is still applicable most of the time.

Generally speaking, a large tonnage of a warship means that it can install more artillery and thicker armor, and the greater the advantage in naval battles.

According to the displacement of 2.01 tons announced by the Vienna government, compared with all previous battleships, it is a qualitative transcendence.

If these new tonnages are allocated to artillery and armor, it is entirely possible to kill traditional battleships.

Those who pay the most attention to a person are not necessarily their own friends, but they must have their own enemies.

As each other's biggest competitors, the "Roman" has just been launched, and it has attracted great attention from the British government.

In particular, Emperor Franz the Great personally participated in the launching ceremony, which drew the attention of the London government to the full.

Countless experiences have told the British that wherever Franz the Great himself haunts, there must be stories.

In the past 40 years, this is the second time that Franz personally participated in the launching ceremony of a warship. The last time was the launch of a steam ironclad ship.

……

Downing street

Prime Minister Robert Cecil: "Have you figured out the parameters of the Roma? Is it as powerful as the Austrians boasted?"

Since the launch of the Roman, Shinra's media has brought the rhythm.

The "Navy Industrial Technology Revolution", "A New Era of Battleships", "The World's No. [-] Battleship"...and a series of compliments, don't waste money.

Such excitement, the British media naturally unwilling to be lonely.Coupled with the Royal Navy's support behind the scenes, the theory of the Holy Roman Empire's naval threat once again resounded in the British Isles, and it has become the mainstream trend of society.

During the recent period, Prime Minister Robert Cecil was about to vomit after seeing the news about the threat theory of the Shinra Navy.

Although I don't really believe that a battleship can change the times; but the navy is the lifeblood of Britain. Before determining the specific parameters of the "Rome", Prime Minister Robert Cecil can only overestimate it as much as possible.

Secretary of the Navy Flora: "It's not sure yet, the Vienna government monitors the shipyard very strictly, and our people can't get in touch with the core.

What is certain at present is that the Roma has abandoned the previous design concept and adopted the most radical design concept of the full-heavy artillery.

Judging from the information we have collected, the Roma will be equipped with 12 main guns, and the caliber of the guns should not be lower than 12 inches. (about 305mm)

In addition to heavy firepower, the Roma also increased the thickness of its armor.Small-caliber artillery, it is difficult to pose a threat to it.

The Austrians have always been world leaders in the field of power, and now they may have made a breakthrough again.

Although the displacement of the Roman has increased, its sailing speed may not be much slower than the previous battleships. "

It can be seen that Flora does not have much confidence in the accuracy of the information.

In the context of not being able to check on the spot close to the berth, intelligence personnel can only observe from a distance, and with some gossip, they have to make inferences, and the accuracy of the intelligence obtained in this way cannot be guaranteed at all.

No matter how watery the intelligence is, it is better to have intelligence than to have nothing.If the accuracy is not high enough, it also has a high reference value.

For the Royal Navy, it is not afraid that the Shinra Navy will make trouble, but they are afraid that they will not move.