Chapter 425

The wheel of history rolled. After Alexander II Of Russia succeeded the throne, the Tsarist government once again opened the prelude to reform.

However, Alexander II Of Russia did not have the prestige of Nicholas the Great. He could not suppress the nobles in the country, and the situation was a bit awkward.

This was the aftermath of the failure of Nicholas I Of Russia's reform. Everyone was very wary of Tsar's new tricks. In the face of the united nobles, Alexander II Of Russia was really helpless.

Of course, the history books of Russia would certainly not say that Nicholas the Great's reform failed. They would only say that he died too early and could not complete the reform.

The capture of Constantinople had already sent Nicholas I Of Russia to the altar, and he became the greatest Tsar of the Russian Empire.

The winner would not be blamed, and people would find reasons to defend him. The pressure of reform fell on Alexander II Of Russia.

The Tsarist government's internal strife intensified, and the Russians did not have the energy to continue to find trouble with the British.

On March 26, 1860, the British and Russian signed the Memorandum of India. The British used a low-interest loan of 15 million pounds in exchange for Russia's recognition of their sovereignty in India.

In other words, the Indian Rebellion was sold by the Tsarist government. Although this was not a good price, Alexander II Of Russia did not care so much.

Reform also needed funds. Unless the reform was carried out by violent means, the compensation for the groups whose interests were damaged would be indispensable.

Looking at the bitter Alexander II Of Russia fighting with the domestic nobles, Franz could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The internal strife of the Russian Empire needed a stable international environment, and the Russo-Austrian Alliance became crucial.

This was exactly what Franz needed. At the final juncture of the industrial revolution, Austria needed a stable international situation.

The British were still busy suppressing the Indian Rebellion and had no time to do anything. The French also needed a stable international environment at the final juncture of the industrial revolution.

The four great powers all needed stability, and naturally, no one would cause trouble on the European continent. This was not necessarily the case in other regions. The second Opium War had already broken out, and the American Civil War had also appeared.

Overseas affairs had little to do with the Government of Vienna. So far, Austria's sphere of influence was the Mediterranean Sea and the African continent, and further areas were out of reach.

But it soon became relevant. looking at the "Austrian World Strategy Plan" submitted by the Department of Colonization, Franz could only sigh that ambition was a good thing.

Regardless of whether it could be realized or not, the plan must be done beautifully first. Almost every colonial empire had a global strategy. It was already too late for the Austrian Department of Colonial Affairs to come up with a plan.

After studying it carefully, Franz had to admit that the person who prepared the plan had a good strategic vision. In theory, all the strategies mentioned above could be realized.

In accordance with Franz's strategic thinking, before the colonies were divided up, they would try their best to avoid a fierce conflict with the major colonial empires.

"The plan to expand the African continent is not a problem. It is not difficult to connect our colonies together. The main difficulty is the harsh natural conditions.

It won't be difficult for us to infiltrate the Arabian Peninsula and gradually control this area. Once the Suez Canal is open to traffic, we will be able to control these areas.

However, the Asian and American strategies were a huge problem.

"Even if they are not valued by other countries, the surrounding areas are under the influence of the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

"It's not difficult for us to occupy these areas, but how about ruling them in the future? It's not difficult for us to occupy these regions, but how about ruling these regions in the future?

The problem in the Americas is even greater. Don't look at how weak these independent countries are. They don't even have the qualifications to survive on the European continent. However, we may not be a match for them in the Americas that is thousands of miles away.

Wars have costs, and we have to consider the balance of payments. "Building a colonial base in the Patagonia Plateau is not a big problem. There are only a few people there."

It's not a big problem to build a colony in the Patagonia Plateau. There are not many people there. "

He did not know where they were, and he did not know where to start. These small, unknown places could not be found on the globe in the future, so he naturally had no impression of them.

"Your Majesty," explained Josip Jelačić, "our plans have been thoroughly analyzed and studied, and they are all feasible.

Governor Josip Yelačić explained, "Your Majesty, our plans have been thoroughly analyzed and researched, and all of them have a certain degree of feasibility.

"Kalimantan Islands are the legacy of the Austrian East India Company and are now ruled by our private merchants.

"There is also Kalimantan Island, where we already have a colonial base. "In Malaysia, we have already obtained the most favored nation status.

"Most of these are the results of private colonial teams, not government organizations. "Not long ago, the United Kingdom occupied all of Australia, which caused them to worry and ask for help from the Department of Colonization.

"Considering that the United Kingdom is still busy suppressing the Indian Rebellion and does not have the energy to fight for territory with us, the Department of Colonization agreed to this plan.

"As for the American colonization plan, we are preparing for economic colonization. We will use economic means to penetrate Central America. Opening a canal in Panama was proposed by the capitalists.

"We are keeping this plan for the future. "If we can control the Central American countries, it will be necessary to open this canal.

"Your Majesty, the countries of Central America are very weak. They have almost no industry and rely on imports of weapons and ammunition.

"The total population is only about two million, and on average, there are about 300,000 people in each country. Three-fifths of them are Native Americans, one-fifth are mixed-race people, and less than one-fifth are white people."

Franz was speechless. No wonder the Department of Colonization had set their sights on Central America. They were so weak that it would be strange if they were not targeted.

"First, economic colonization, then immigration. When the number of immigrants is large enough, the local government will be overthrown."

It was not difficult at all. This was the side effect of a small population. As long as the Government of Vienna was willing to invest, it would not be difficult to colonize these areas.

Thinking of this, Franz could only complain about the Spanish squandering. It seemed that the House of Habsburg's division had left them too rich, and they did not know how to cherish it.

As long as the government had a bit of courage, they would not let these areas become independent. "If it did not work, they could still establish an autonomous territory and build an economic community. It would be better than not getting anything at all.

"Okay, you have convinced me. But the canal plan should be put on hold. Before the United States is divided, I do not want a canal to improve the transportation of America. "

…

Since reading the Austrian Global Strategic Plan, Franz began to pay attention to collecting information about various countries.

He would not know if he did not check, but when he did, he was shocked. If it were not for the geographical restrictions, he would not have bothered to develop the African continent. He would have just colonized South America.

Looking at the population of the South American countries, he knew:

Peru had a territory of 1.29 million square kilometers and a population of about 2 million;

Paraguay had a territory of 410,000 square kilometers and a population of about 500,000;

Bolivia had a territory of 1.1 million square kilometers and a population of about 1.25 million;

Ecuador had a territory of 280,000 square kilometers and a population of about 800,000;

Brazil had a territory of 8.51 million square kilometers and a population of about 7.3 million;

…

With such a small population, there were serious racial conflicts in the country. As the ruling class, the whites were only a minority. Most of them were Indians and black slaves.

Thinking about it, Portugal and Spain were not large countries with large populations, but they had so many colonies. Where could they get so many immigrants?

Without enough immigrants, the development of the local area would naturally not be successful. The low level of local development reduced people's desire to migrate.

After falling into a vicious cycle, the South American countries slowly missed the opportunity to develop. When the United States developed, they were suppressed again, and there was no chance for them to develop again.

This also had something to do with the South American government's lack of power. If the government did a good job, a cockroach would not be a problem.