Austria's colonization strategy had not just begun. As early as a few years ago, the Government of Vienna had already been funding expeditions to explore the African continent.
Not to mention the inland areas, at least the basic situation of the coastal areas was still known. Now, they would not be in the dark if they wanted to make a move.
Not only the African continent, but the Government of Austria had also collected intelligence on many parts of the world. This kind of intelligence was collected by their own people, and it was also bought from the hands of second-hand dealers.
In this era, exploration was also a business. Many civilian exploration teams would sell the intelligence they collected to the colonial government in exchange for high remuneration.
Selling once was selling, selling twice was naturally also selling. As long as the price was right, everything was negotiable. Risking their lives to explore, naturally, they had to get enough return.
To be on the safe side, this time Franz prepared three infantry divisions. They only took the coastal areas and did not go deep into the inland, so these troops were enough.
Guinea was not a big area, and it would not take long for Austria to swallow it up. However, the Congo region was not necessarily the same. The Congo of this era also included the Congo Gold and Congo Cloth in the future.
The area was not just big, it was several times the size of the Austrian mainland. Obviously, it was not possible to occupy it with such a small number of people.
Like all colonial countries, the priority was the coastal areas. The inland areas of Africa had not yet reached the time for development.
First, this group of refugees was sent over. With immigrants, they could build a port city and then slowly develop the land.
As for how to colonize and rule these areas, they would first take it over. Franz decided to give the bureaucrats the greatest autonomy and rule in whatever way the profit was.
In the evening, in a small tavern in Trieste, a group of drinkers were chatting. Occasionally, someone would whistle at a few gorgeously dressed women in front of the counter, and then they would roll their eyes.
Most of these people made a living on the sea, so it was inevitable that their behavior was somewhat indulgent. Everyone was used to it.
Naturally, the women who appeared here were not decent people. They were all veterans of the brothel, and their social experience was quite rich.
In short, as long as the money was enough, they could even bring them back to spend the night. Flirting did not scare them. Prostitutes were heartless, and actors were unjust. These people were still their benefactors yesterday, and today they had become passersby.
The teasing stopped at the tip of their tongue. This meant that they had no money in their pockets. Otherwise, they would have taken action long ago.
In any case, those who made a living on the sea were used to being straightforward. The women in this line of work naturally wouldn't mind. The rich were the masters, and it wasn't as if they hadn't met someone who was directly punished on the spot.
…
Alcohol is the courage of a hero. When drunk, all kinds of words will come out. It was not uncommon for fights to break out at the slightest disagreement.
The owner of the tavern was experienced and knowledgeable. In such a situation, he just watched quietly and waited for the fight to end before going up to ask for compensation.
As a local tyrant, it was not a problem for him to subdue a few sailors. Of course, if he met a ruthless character, he could only blame it on his bad luck.
A drunken middle-aged man blurted out, "Warren, so many troops have gathered here. Are we going to war?"
Warren, who was also dizzy, replied directly, "Nonsense, Tagore, when have you ever seen our navy fight? Who can they beat? No, it's the army and navy fighting together? "
The voices of the two people talking were somewhat incomparable. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't dare to be so indulgent. If they encountered a few navy soldiers who were drinking, they might get beaten up.
Although the Austrian navy was not valued and had no outstanding achievements, it was not something they could despise.
Geographical location and national policy determined that the Austrian navy could not do anything. They could only serve as the background of the army, but it didn't mean that the navy officers and soldiers had no temper.
Soldiers always wanted military exploits. The Austrian navy had been resting for many years. Anyway, most of the wars in Austria had nothing to do with them. The navy officers and soldiers could only sigh that they were born at the wrong time.
It wasn't until after Franz took over that the army and navy underwent a major training and forced a bunch of useless officers to retire. Everyone knew that the national policy of the Government of Vienna had changed.
Under normal circumstances, the Government of Vienna wouldn't operate on the navy. In the absence of war, it was very abnormal to strengthen the navy's training and increase the navy's military expenses.
The higher-ups also spread the news that they were going to open an overseas colony. Many people thought that the opportunity had come, but they didn't expect to wait for more than four years. Other than strengthening the training and increasing the number of warships, there was no news.
In this case, it was inevitable that the young people couldn't keep their cool. A little spark ignited, and fights happened from time to time.
Of course, it was fun to fight, but after the fight, it was a tragedy. It was fine if they weren't caught by the military law, but if they were, they wouldn't have a good life for a long time.
At this time, a few navy soldiers happened to be in the tavern, but they didn't have time to care about a few drunkards.
A joint naval and army exercise required more than half of the navy and three infantry divisions to exercise together?
As soon as this order came down, everyone was guessing who they would fight with this time. After thinking about it, everyone still couldn't think of an opponent.
They couldn't win against England and France at all. Even if the size of the navy doubled, they still wouldn't be an opponent. It could be directly ruled out. The Government of Vienna wouldn't give such an idiotic order.
Attack the Osman Empire? Don't think about it. Everyone knew that the army had finished the work, and Austria had gotten everything they wanted. The Government of Sudan had moved the capital to Ankara. If they went to find trouble with them, they also had to consider the reaction of England and France.
A young man whispered, "The onlookers see more clearly than the people involved. You don't have to guess. It's better to listen to the answers of those drunkards."
The few people who were arguing stopped.
"Warren, don't be silly! After all, you make a living on the sea. Don't you know that there are indigenous creatures in this world?
Our navy can't compare to England and France, and it's hard to deal with Spain, but it's not a problem to go out and bully the indigenous people.
The troops gathered here now can destroy several small countries overseas. "The man named Tagore said contemptuously.
Warren didn't want to be outdone and retorted, "Bullshit, Tagore, you idiot. Don't you know that the officials of Vienna have always been dismissive of overseas? Do you think you can change their minds? "
"Can't they suddenly think it through? We, Austria, no, we, the new Holy Roman Empire, are one of the strongest countries in Europe. What's wrong with snatching a few colonies?
In this day and age, without a few colonies, it's embarrassing to go out. Maybe the officials of Vienna were provoked and suddenly thought it through, "Tagore argued.
Not long after, the two drunkards quarreled. They wanted to solve the problem by force, but they were dizzy. Without giving them a chance to fight, two men appeared in the tavern and dragged them out.
…
A young man asked uncertainly, "What they said is impossible, right?"
The young man in the lead said, "That's still more reliable than what we guessed. I haven't heard of any conflicts between us and anyone. We can't just catch them and beat them up for no reason, right?"
A man in gray who couldn't keep his cool said excitedly, "We are really going to open up a colony. Doesn't that mean that our chance to get rich is here?"
In the eyes of many people, in this era, colonies meant wealth. For those who were eager to get rich, this was undoubtedly an opportunity.
The young man in the lead scolded, "Shut up, Sorin! What nonsense are you talking about? This is obviously a chance to make a name for yourself. Don't talk about getting rich all the time! "
Sorin hurriedly replied, "Yes, Captain!"
It was obvious that this captain did not like people who talked about getting rich all the time. As a noble, he was supposed to enter the army, but unexpectedly, he was sent to the Navy's basic officer academy.
When he heard the news, he almost broke down. In this era, the Austrian Navy had no chance to make any contributions. It was almost a place for ignorant and incompetent people to pass their days.
Fortunately, he was lucky and caught up with the change in Austria's national policy. Now, his only thought was to get military merits as soon as possible and get a noble title.
After all, his family's title was not hereditary. He could still say that he was the son of a noble, but the next generation could not continue to call themselves a noble.
It was not easy to get a noble title in Austria, especially a hereditary one. After Franz succeeded the throne, he had conferred more than a hundred nobles, most of them because of their military merits.
There were also a few scientists, a dozen engineers, and a few government officials. Other than the hereditary title of military merits, the rest were all lifelong nobles.
This was not Franz messing around, but it was a rule that had been in place. Lifelong nobles could be conferred by the emperor at will, but the nobles with military merits had to have meritorious deeds.
This rule was set by Franz two years ago. It was agreed by the Austrian Parliament of Nobles and widely recognized by the military.
The difference in treatment could reflect their status. Most of the nobles in the German Region were nobles with military merits, so they were very careful to maintain their status.
As the price of the deal, Franz took back the rights of the nobles in the country. It was the same for the states. The nobles conferred by the king had to be reported to the emperor for approval before they could obtain legal status.
The number of nobles was controlled by Franz. It did not matter if the eldest son of the nobles could inherit the title, but the second son had to work hard again, or else the next generation would be a commoner.
This was only hereditary nobles, not to mention lifelong nobles. If the next generation did not work hard, they would not be able to inherit the title.
Anyone with ambition would not be willing to be lonely. When the opportunity came, they would naturally take it.
Although Franz's aristocratic law was not implemented, it was not kept secret, and the content had long been spread.
After all, the colony was different from the mainland. If the central government directly ruled, the cost would be a big problem. If it was given to meritorious ministers to rule, the central government would only control a few core areas, and the rest would be governed by the vassals. The administrative pressure would be much less.
The main reason why it was not implemented now was that the colonization was not certain. If the colonization was successful, ruling the place would be profitable, and naturally, there would be nobles willing to go.
In any case, if the colonization could not be profitable, even if the land was given away, the nobles would not care.
The special national conditions of this new Holy Roman Empire determined that there were already three kings in the country. Franz did not mind adding a few more overseas.
At least the problem of corruption could be effectively curbed. Franz did not intend to impose heavy taxes in the colony. A small symbolic tax would be enough. The main purpose was to increase the market for Austrian industry and commerce. These people could not swallow their own money, right?
The collapse of the colonial system of the British Empire in the later years, in addition to the attacks of the United States and the Soviet Union, the high cost of the bureaucratic system was also an important factor.
In order to reduce the cost of ruling, they also created autonomous territories. This measure was successful and also failed.
The success was that it did reduce the administrative cost and increased the market for domestic industry and commerce. However, the power that was given out could not be taken back, and it buried the hidden danger of the colonial empire's collapse.
The autonomous government was controlled by the local capitalists, and capital had no borders. It was not surprising that this happened.
Franz could not guarantee that he could prevent this from happening, but it was still possible to increase the recognition and delay the time of the collapse.
Relying on the government's bureaucrats to organize immigration. Just look at the Germans. The people ran to the United States. Franz did not think that the Austrian bureaucrats could do a good job.
It was better to let the nobles organize themselves. If they succeeded, they would share the results. If they failed, it did not matter. There would always be success if they sealed a few more.
It was not that Franz looked down on African countries. Any vassal that he supported would be one of the strongest countries on the African continent, provided that they were not corrupted.
In the future, the nail on the African continent was buried. Cultural traditions and economic interests were natural bonds that united the colony and the country together.
The people's loyalty to the motherland did not dissipate. If they wanted independence, they had to abandon their own legal system.
As long as the ruling class was not crazy, they would not do such a stupid thing that destroyed their own foundation.
Attached to the Holy Roman Empire and became a highly autonomous state, their interests were not small. The imperial government was also a source of power to maintain their status.
Conversely, the kings of these states would also become the pillars to strengthen the emperor's power. Even if the monarch's power declined in the future, in order to keep this huge empire from splitting, no one dared to abolish the emperor.
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