Chapter 505

In order not to be taken advantage of, the Tsarist government didn't want to provoke a war with Britain at this time. As the center of the storm, Britannia didn't need to be mentioned.

They had nothing better to do than to go to war with a superpower on land. When had Britain ever been so brave?

Even if they really wanted to fight, they would bring a group of cannon fodder allies. It was impossible to fight alone.

The Tsarist government was afraid of the strength of Britannia, and the Government of London was even more afraid of the strength of the Hairy Bear. The most important thing was to go to war with Russia. There was not much benefit if they won, but if they lost, they might lose to India.

After personally experiencing the power of the Afghan guerrillas, the Government of the United Kingdom no longer had any nostalgia for the Regions of Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, these guys also bullied the weak and feared the strong. When dealing with the British and Indian colonial forces, one of them was equivalent to two. When facing the unreasonable Hairy Bear, the Afghan guerrillas didn't have an amazing record.

This was not surprising. Although Afghanistan was tough, the local resources were poor. The land suitable for agricultural production was limited, and the population that could support was limited.

Because of the war, the local population was even smaller. The Tsarist government also deployed more than 200,000 Russian Army in the Regions of Afghanistan, and the ratio of local military and civilians had reached 1: 10.

A Russian Army soldier looked at ten Afghan people. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't do anything! In any case, the combat effectiveness of the gray animals was still much stronger than the Indian colonial forces.

If Britannia's army stationed in the Regions of Afghanistan was the main force, instead of the British and Indian Army, they wouldn't have been bullied by the guerrillas.

After all, international public opinion only paid attention to Europe these days. For what happened in the overseas colonies, countries tacitly pretended not to see it.

Of course, this was just a thought. The total strength of Britannia's army was less than 200,000. How could they send more than 200,000 to be stationed in the Regions of Afghanistan?

Although the army was a little cheaper than the navy, it still couldn't change the fact that the army was a gold-swallowing monster.

Except for the exception of Russia, in peacetime, even the major European land forces only maintained a standing army of 500,000 to 600,000.

Sending more than 200,000 troops to be stationed in a region at once, even the Government of Vienna would feel the pressure, let alone the Government of the United Kingdom.

It was because they couldn't do it that after the situation in Europe changed, the Government of the United Kingdom gave up most of Afghanistan and temporarily compromised with Russia.

If there were no these problems, the Government of the United Kingdom would have gritted their teeth and endured. With the financial resources of Britannia and the manpower of India, the Russia would have to survive.

To war, it to be a continuation of politics, and politics to be it to be to be the continuation of interests. To be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be. to be to be to be.

To be. to to be to. to be to be. to be. to be to be to be to to be to be. to. Even though Shinro was very influential in the Tsarist government, it wasn't to the point of making decisions for them.

Even though Shinra had a great influence in the Tsarist government, it wasn't to the point of making decisions for them.

The first wave of the international strategic plan that he personally organized and implemented failed. Other than feeling a little disappointed, Frederick The Great wasn't depressed.

Provoking a war between Britain and Russia was a small probability event.

Even as early as nine years ago, the Government of Vienna began to make preparations and helped Russia build the Central Asia Railway. It only worsened the relationship between Britain and Russia and slightly increased the success rate.

In order not to expose their intentions too obviously, they evacuated the technicians of the Austrian Railway Company as soon as the main line was opened.

However, it was still useless. It was an overt plot. No matter how they tried to cover it up, it couldn't change the fact that the Government of Vienna wanted to provoke a war between Britain and Russia.

In this context, failure was normal. This was just the beginning. At most, it could only be regarded as a test.

The war between Britain and Russia didn't break out now, but it didn't mean that it wouldn't break out in the future. The seeds of war had been sown, and now they were waiting to take root and sprout.

.

July. Through the blue sky, the sun was like a big fireball that roasted the earth, evaporating the clouds, and the sky seemed particularly high.

Under the scorching sun, the "Port of Trieste" was particularly lively today. No one knew where the guards came from, but they surrounded the pier so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.

This didn't affect the local people's desire to watch the fun, as if it was already a common sight. It only shocked the businessmen who came for the first time.

Looking at the increasing number of soldiers on the street, Du Chengen, who was afraid of trouble, decisively took his people back to the hotel, for fear of causing a terrible disaster.

There was no other way. The international environment these days was quite unfriendly to Chinese businessmen. They had to be cautious.

Without the support of the country, they were caught up in the era of the most serious racial discrimination. Engaging in overseas trade was akin to risking one's life.

The emergence of the Lanfang Autonomous Province only slightly changed the situation, but it didn't really reverse the situation.

There was no other way. Power had always been fought for. As a legal country, since they accepted the Lanfang Autonomous Province, they naturally had to recognize the Lanfang household.

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

In other words, even if it was recognized, it was difficult to use the tiger skin of the Holy Roman Empire. In the end, it was because the Chinese businessmen encountered a problem, and the first choice was to keep the peace.

On the one hand, information transmission was inconvenient these days, and it was very difficult to prove one's nationality. On the other hand, the Chinese businessmen were bullied for years, so they didn't want to deal with government officials.

When there was a problem, the first thing they did was not to ask for help from the embassy, but to find a way to solve it themselves. Naturally, they couldn't scare the jackals.

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

Anyway, the internal market of the Holy Roman Empire was large enough. Plus, everyone was familiar with the Asian region, so it was enough for them to eat.

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

Despite opening new trade routes, it still didn't change Du Chengen's cautious nature. He would rather earn less than cause trouble for himself.

After transporting the goods to the Port of Trieste, he directly traded with the local tea merchants. He had no plans to go deep into the European market.

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

"Boss, there are so many people watching the show outside. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Du Chengen glared at the young sailor and reprimanded, "Fu, how many times have I told you that curiosity is the biggest taboo when you're outside.

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

After listening to Du Chengen's words, the guide next to him was unhappy. His country was described as a land of chaos.

But for the sake of his employer, Raucor still restrained his emotions and slightly reminded, "Du, you're overthinking it.

This is the Holy Roman Empire. As a country with laws, our army will not casually shoot at civilians.

Unless you attack the military blockade or approach with weapons, the most we can do is to warn you to leave.

It's fine if you're just watching the show. If I'm not wrong, there's a large warship launching today, which is why the port is closed.

This is also a major feature of Trieste. If you want to see it, I can take you to the observation deck. You can clearly see the warship launching with binoculars. "

As one of the shipbuilding centers of the Holy Roman Empire, Trieste would launch a warship every once in a while, but it wasn't every time that the port would be closed.

Generally speaking, such a big movement would only happen when a large warship was launched, or when there were important people in the country.

The prideful Raucor naturally wouldn't talk about the details. Right now, he just wanted to take his employer there and show off.

Realizing his slip of the tongue, the shrewd Du Chengen immediately remedied, "I'm sorry, Mr. Raucor. But we're really tired today, and now we just want to go back and rest.

Today's work is over, and you're free to do whatever you want as long as you come back before 9: 30 tomorrow.

If possible, it's best to take a few pictures of the warship launching so we can see it. "

Hearing that today's work was over, Raucor's dissatisfaction was swept away, and he immediately promised, "Don't worry, I'm the most familiar with Trieste. I'll definitely take the best pictures."

After that, Raucor disappeared without waiting for Du Chengen and the others to say goodbye. Obviously, watching the show was far more interesting than working.

Back at the hotel, Du Chengen and the others coincidentally bumped into the owner, James, who was about to go out with his camera.

The old man enthusiastically invited, "Du, you came back at the right time. Did you know that there's a super warship launching today? It's said to be an epoch-making warship.

I have to admit, you guys are really lucky to be able to make it in time for this historical moment. Now, come with me and witness history! "

If it was an ordinary person, it was very likely that they would be fooled. But Du Chengen knew that this hotel owner, who was similar to Grandet, would only be this enthusiastic in front of the Divine Shield.

He immediately refused, "I'm sorry, Mr. James. We've been busy all morning and we're very tired now. We don't have the honor of witnessing history with you. "

James did not continue to pester Du Chengen after being rejected. He only sighed, "That's really regrettable. Just five Divine Shields and we can buy a good spot to witness history."

Listening to James's sigh, Du Chengen finally understood why the guide and the hotel owner before him had invited him.

Although James made it sound easy, saying that it only required five Divine Shields, in fact, this number was already a month's income for a low-level worker.

Even if it was an international trade, Du Chengen could hardly earn more than a thousand Divine Shields after deducting all the costs from a single trip.

It couldn't be helped. With the development of the times, the era of huge profits in maritime trade was slowly disappearing. Especially the emergence of large cargo ships, it had greatly squeezed the industry's profits.

Du Chengen had given up the Asian route he was familiar with and risked coming to Europe for trade. In fact, he was forced to do so by the cruel market competition.

Other than trading, Du Chengen's more important purpose in coming to Trieste this time was to purchase a 10,000-ton cargo ship.

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

However, this demand was for large cargo ships with large capacity and low operating costs, not the small and medium-sized merchant ships that were about to be eliminated by the times.

If he did not want to be squeezed to death by his peers, he could only keep up with the trend of the times and purchase more advanced merchant ships in order to occupy an advantageous position in the market competition.

As for witnessing history, it was better for someone else to do it. A small character like him should not join in the fun.

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

It could only be said that there were always more solutions than problems. Even though it was the world's largest economy, the Shinra Navy's budget was still insufficient.

In order to raise military funds, the Ministry of the Navy had also put in a lot of effort. Selling sightseeing tickets was only one of them.

A spot cost five Divine Shields. If ten thousand spots were sold, that would be fifty thousand Divine Shields. After accumulating for a long time, even for the navy, it was not a small number.

There was no guarantee that it would be a lot, but with the annual ticket income, it would not be a problem to build another warship.

As for the issue of confidentiality, if the secrets contained in the warship could be discovered from miles away with binoculars, the Shinra Navy would not be able to survive.

…

Accompanied by a series of salutes, Franz, who rarely appeared in public, appeared on the dock.

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

How could he be absent from the history he created?

Moreover, if he did not make a big fuss, how could he put enough pressure on the British?

The emperor's presence was a political statement in itself. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that in the coming days, the Government of Vienna would vigorously develop the navy.

Minister of the Navy Stagni: "Your Majesty, everything is ready. Do you want to start?"

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

Witnessing history was one thing, but personally going up to the ship launching ceremony was too harsh for an emperor who was seasick.

Even if he wanted to satisfy his curiosity, he could wait until the facilities were completed before going up to experience it.

Hearing that the emperor was not going to board the ship, Stagni sighed in relief. It was not a comfortable experience to board a warship that had just been completed and had no interior decorations.

If something were to happen to the aged Emperor, it would be the end of the world. No matter how healthy Franz was, he was almost 70 years old.

In this era where a cold could kill a person, no one dared to let the emperor experience the vibration of the warship launching process.

Following 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 turbulent sound.

All the staff members were nervous, afraid that an accident would happen at the last moment, which would make them an international joke.

Emperor Franz, who seemed to know nothing, asked with great interest: "Frederick The Great, what do you think the name of this warship should be?"

The Government of Vienna was also debating about the name of the first dreadnought. The original plan was to name it after the emperor, but Franz decisively rejected it.

There was no other reason than to worry that the warship would be sunk in a naval battle one day, which would be unlucky. As the saying went, the older one was, the more afraid they were of death, and Franz was no exception.

In addition to this name, the rest of the list of candidates was varied, and there were no less than 50 that were submitted to Franz alone.

If there were too many choices, it would be easy to be dazzled. At this moment, Franz was also faced with a difficult choice, not knowing which one was the most suitable.

No matter what, the warship had already been launched, and they had to choose a name today and announce it to the world.

Franz was bad at naming, and Frederick The Great was not much better. He blurted out, "How about the Holy Roman Empire?"

Hearing this result, Franz rolled his eyes and said, "It's better to call it Romeo than the name of the Holy Roman Empire! At least it's shorter, and it's more convenient for people to call it. "

"Short" and "convenient name" became the final criteria for naming, rather than considering the political significance of the name. No one would believe it if it was spread out.

But since the emperor had spoken, everyone was too lazy to object. "Romeo" was actually not bad. Although it was not from a political point of view, the outside world did not know!

As long as the publicity department read a little deeper, they would be able to imagine a lot of reasons and implications, and it would certainly not fall into the stereotype.

…