Since entering the era of ironclads, the Austrian Navy had been very prominent. The continuous expansion of the Austrian Navy forced the European countries to follow suit.
If it wasn't for the outbreak of the Indian Rebellion that distracted the British, the Government of Vienna would have felt the pressure.
Some people in the Government of London were clamoring for a tripartite standard. (Surpassing the naval tonnage of the second, third, and fourth naval powers)
Of course, these people were just talking about it. In fact, the British had never achieved it.
Not to mention the tripartite standard, Franz doubted that the British could even achieve the tripartite standard.
The total tonnage of the Royal Navy was close to that of the Royal Navy. Considering the ironclads, the strength of the Royal Navy could no longer suppress the Royal Navy.
However, after the Indian Rebellion was suppressed, the British should be able to achieve the tripartite standard for a long time to come. In the short term, Franz was not ready to blow up the navy, lest it irritate the sensitive nerves of the British.
No, it was already irritated, but there was no time to deal with it.
If it wasn't for the lack of financial resources of the Tsarist government, Franz was ready to help the Russians blow up the navy to provoke the Government of London.
This was not contradictory. As long as the British were provoked, they would invest more money in ironclads. But in fact, these warships were only transitional products. The more built, the greater the loss during the replacement.
If it wasn't for intervening in the war between the North and the South, Franz would not have built so many ironclads. In terms of warship performance, it wouldn't take long for these warships to be eliminated.
Considering that the arms race could lead to war, Franz was not ready to stand out now. Since it was a struggle between Britain and Russia, of course, the Russians had to fight.
Before the unification of the German Region, Franz was not ready to confront the British directly, which would not be worth the loss.
…
In Washington, the election that decided the fate of the United States was over. Franz's butterfly effect did not affect the election. Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party was elected as the 16th president of the United States with an absolute majority.
The election of a president who represented the interests of the northern capitalists caused panic and hatred among the southern plantation owners. In order to protect their own interests, they began to contact each other.
On December 20, 1860, representatives of the southern planters met in South Carolina and decided to withdraw from the Union.
They also issued a declaration against slavery, welcoming the states to withdraw from the Union and join the newly formed country, the American Confederacy.
When the news reached Europe, it immediately caused a sensation. Franz immediately convened a cabinet meeting to discuss countermeasures.
Foreign Secretary Wesenberg analyzed, "The conflict between the North and the South in the United States has been going on for a long time. The results of this election have already shown that the southern plantation owners have completely lost the political struggle.
In order to protect their interests, they had no choice but to withdraw from the Federation and form a new country.
According to US law, these states had the right to withdraw.
However, the capitalists in the north would definitely not agree. They still wanted cheap industrial raw materials and markets. If they let these states escape, all their previous efforts would be for naught.
Unless the northern government made a compromise, the southern plantation owners would never return. Lincoln's appeal was actually just a show.
The split between the North and the South this time was not only because of the abolition of slavery, but also because of the tariff issue, which he had never mentioned.
If Lincoln promised to reduce the tariff on farm products, then the southern plantation owners' determination to be independent might be shaken. Now, the two sides could only use war to speak.
When the American Civil War broke out, half of our American colonization strategy was achieved. A divided America is more in our interest.
However, the overall strength gap between the North and the South is somewhat large. Only seven states have joined the southern government. I'm afraid they are no match for the northern government. "
There was no need to say anything about the division of the United States. The Government of Vienna would definitely support it. Especially after the American strategy was launched, this was even more necessary.
Home Secretary Wendy Grätz said calmly, "On the surface, the northern government is indeed stronger.
But in fact, not all the northern states are willing to participate in this war. Most of the American people do not want war to break out. They can only rely on the capitalists to control public opinion and trick the people into fighting.
The southern states are different. They are forced to a dead end. It is related to their vital interests, so the southern people are much more enthusiastic about joining the army.
In the short term, the southern government is more likely to have the upper hand in military affairs. If the war drags on, then the manpower advantage of the north will gradually transform into military strength.
I think as long as the southern commander is smarter, he will take Washington as soon as the war breaks out and then negotiate with the northern government.
Anyway, everyone likes to see the nouveau riche suffer. The European countries will definitely support the division of the United States. "
Prime Minister Felix questioned, "This is very difficult to do. From a military point of view, it is indeed possible for the southern government to take Washington at the first instance.
However, they have no way to stop the US government from withdrawing. There are obviously more states on the northern side. The military action of the south will instead stimulate everyone's nerves and make the originally neutral states join in.
The southern government's strength is limited. They will become exhausted after taking a few states. The northern government will react and rely on their strong strength to overwhelm the south.
In fact, the crux of the problem now is not how the north and the south will fight, but who can get more allies.
There are a total of 35 states in the United States. There are 16 slave states, and only seven have declared independence. The next political activities of both sides will be the key to determining the outcome of this war.
If the southern government can rope in 16 slave states to become independent, and then persuade a few states to be neutral, then the strength of both sides will be closer.
If the strength of both sides is equal, with the intervention of the European countries, there is a chance to solve the problem peacefully. "
Foreign Minister Wesenberg explained, "Your Excellency, I'm afraid this ideal situation will not happen.
The southern government's diplomatic work is simply not up to standard. I don't know where they get their confidence from, but they still haven't asked us for help.
I have no illusions about how many states they can persuade to join. In public opinion, the northern capitalists have a dominant position. If they don't work hard enough, I'm afraid that many slave states will fall to the northern government.
After all, the capitalists in some slave states are also quite powerful. If we react slowly, I'm afraid that the federal states that are originally inclined to them will also be pulled over by the northern government. "
What is the southern government's confidence? Of course it's cotton!
In this era, about one-fifth of the British population directly or indirectly relied on cotton for survival, of which 80% was provided by the southern states.
The government of London absolutely could not tolerate problems in the cotton supply chain. Unfortunately, they neglected the cotton harvest of 1860, and the backlog of cotton in the London market was 50%.
This negligence was very fatal. Many capitalists used the blockade of the north as a good opportunity to deal with the backlog and make huge profits.
With these people holding them back, and the impact on the cotton industry was not fatal, the government of London fell into controversy and did not fully intervene in the American Civil War.
Then, with great difficulty, they reached an agreement with France and Spain to intervene, but they were played by the French again. Coupled with the public relations of the northern government, the government of London fell into hesitation again.
After a few hesitations, cotton was planted in India and Egypt. The British capitalists' interest in the southern government's cotton was greatly reduced, and the international intervention was delayed.
By the time the government of London made a decision, the southern government was powerless to reverse the situation.
Faced with the southern government's diplomatic failure, Franz also had a headache. They already had an advantage, but they did not know how to use it and wasted the opportunity.
If the southern government was more active, whether it was for strategic needs or for interests, everyone would support them.
In any case, in order to deal a blow to the Americans, Franz could only pinch his nose and accept it. He was still obligated to help the southern government.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should communicate with England and France. We will work together to persuade more livestock states to join the southern government. I'm sure they won't mind tricking the Americans.
Find a few newspapers to expose the news of a bumper harvest and unsalable cotton. At the same time, emphasize the news of the sharp increase in cotton production in India, Egypt, West Africa, and other areas.
Find a few experts to analyze the seriousness of the problem, and let the people in power in the southern government wake up and know that their cotton weapons are not reliable. "
In addition to cotton, there were many agricultural products that were the Americans' top products, but these things could also be produced in other places.
Even Franz wondered if he should send people to burn the British's cotton stocks. This idea only flashed by, mainly because there were too many cotton stocks, and it was impossible to burn them all with a few people.
However, most of the southern cotton had not been shipped out. As long as the southern government was vigilant and suspended the cotton shipments, then the government of the United Kingdom would still be tied to the southern government's ship.
After all, whether it was India or Egypt, growing cotton also required time, and the domestic factories could not afford to wait.
Historically, before the outbreak of the war, the northern government proposed to intercept this part of the cotton shipping fleet and cut off the southern government's trade.
However, in order not to offend the British, the Lincoln government chose to let it go. Even during the outbreak of the Civil War, the northern blockade of the cotton shipments was not tight.
Otherwise, if the John cattle's cotton supply was really cut off, the British would have attacked.
Without a doubt, although the British army was not very good, it was still enough to deal with the Americans.
As long as the Royal Navy blockaded the coast of the United States, a bunch of Indian soldiers could be sent up, and the northern government would be defeated.
As for the logistics, it was not as scary as imagined. The most important food could be provided by the southern government, and there was no shortage of these things.
The only things that needed to be shipped from the mainland were weapons and ammunition. In this era, the consumption of ammunition for war was not high, and as the world's largest industrial country, the British could afford it.
To put it bluntly, the northern government only had about 20 million people. Once the war broke out, the South even destroyed a few states. The war potential that the northern government could unleash was also limited.
Just this time, the power of the British to suppress the Indian rebellion was enough to change the outcome of the Civil War. The American soldiers who just picked up a gun and were sent to the battlefield did not have much combat power at all.
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