Chapter 525

With the commissioning of the "Romeo," the atmosphere in the world suddenly became intense. The relationship between the two giants, Shenluo and Great Britain, was tense, and all the other countries were terrified out of their wits. They were deeply afraid that they would accidentally be dragged into it and be crushed into pieces.

Then, an interesting scene appeared. After the Government of Vienna and the Government of London announced their plans to build ships, which opened the prelude to the naval arms race, the world turned a deaf ear.

Not to mention the construction of "super battleships," even conventional warships were rarely approved. It was as if everyone had made up their mind to ignore the "arms race."

It made sense. The advantages of Shinra and Britannia had long been established. The naval strength of any country was stronger than the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth ranked countries combined.

With such a huge gap, no matter how much they struggled, it was useless. So, they simply accepted their fate. In any case, he couldn't turn the tables, so why should he go up and find trouble for himself?

The most important thing was that everyone wanted to follow the trend, but they couldn't. Britannia and Shinra had strong industries. They could build super battleships, but it didn't mean other countries could.

Putting everything else aside, just the power system alone was something that no one could handle.

The power system of the "Romeo" had reached 23000 horsepower, which meant that the power technology was very advanced. In fact, the power system used by most warships couldn't reach 10000 horsepower.

The South Carolina-class battleships built by the Americans were equipped with compound steam engines with a power of only 16500 horsepower.

That was something that would happen ten years later. At this critical juncture, only Britain and Shenluo had achieved a breakthrough in steam turbine technology.

If the power couldn't keep up, it meant that the speed couldn't keep up. When they could win, they couldn't catch up with the enemy. When they couldn't win, they couldn't outrun the enemy. The Snail-class battleship was a waste of resources and had no purpose at all.

Not only did the power technology not meet the standards, but a series of technologies such as weapons, fire control, and armor were also problems that prevented people from entering the era of dreadnoughts.

Of course, if a country was rich and didn't care about losses and costs, it could also rely on money.

Unfortunately, this was the year 1900, which was not suitable for the rich to survive. If a country was rich and had backward technology, it would be food for the big powers. There was no opportunity to spend money to develop.

Without a follower, this arms race was overshadowed. Franz, who originally wanted to export dreadnought technology to make a fortune, was disappointed.

It couldn't be helped, the world was still too poor. They simply couldn't afford to play with such expensive toys, so they could only let the two nouveau riches play with them.

Even the ambitious Tsarist government was silent after learning the cost of the "Romeo", not to mention other countries.

The British and Austrian performers were disappointed by the lack of support. In the following competition, the governments of the two countries spent most of their time bickering with each other rather than taking action.

The kind of situation where you announce the construction of two ships today, I announce the construction of three ships tomorrow, and you announce the construction of four ships the day after didn't happen.

The Government of Vienna announced the "five ships in five years" plan, while the Government of London only announced the "seven ships in five years" plan. Including the "Romeo" that was already in service, the difference between the two countries was only one ship.

The British had the upper hand, but they didn't gain an absolute advantage. After all, the Shinra Navy was mainly based in the Mediterranean Sea and had a geographical advantage.

In the competition, the two governments maintained "restraint", which made the onlookers disappointed, but at the same time, they breathed a sigh of relief.

There were many people who wanted Britain and Austria to be unlucky, but not many wanted the two countries to go to war immediately. Especially the small European countries, they were more worried that the "fight between the two devils" would bring disaster to the mortals.

The scene wasn't intense enough. In the end, the competition between Britain and Austria wasn't white-hot. The conflict between the two countries mainly revolved around hegemony, and the core focus of interest was on the currency.

The battle between the Divine Shield and the British Pound Sterling had kicked off 20 years ago. Although there was no clear winner, the scope of each party's interests was basically defined.

Generally speaking, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia were the circulation areas of Aegis; while the Americas, South Asia, and the Far East were dominated by British Pound.

In addition to the competition for currency hegemony, there were many conflicts between Britain and Austria in overseas trade, but the competition wasn't as intense.

Because of the industrial structure, the current trade pattern was: British industrial and commercial products were dominant in traditional areas such as textiles, while Shinra had the upper hand in emerging industries such as agricultural processing.

As for the colonial disputes, it wasn't worth mentioning. Shinra didn't expand into India, and the British didn't expand their sphere of influence in Africa. They didn't cross each other's bottom line.

Conflicts could accumulate. The current conflict of interest wasn't big enough, but it didn't mean that the future conflict of interest wouldn't be big enough.

Time was on their side, and Franz had enough patience to wait. The ones who should be anxious were the British.

Of course, with the special system of Britannia, the Government of London probably wouldn't be too worried.

"Potential threat" was still "potential" after all. For politicians, as long as there was no explosion during their term of office, everything was negotiable.

It was the same no matter who was in power. Continuing the glory of the "Victorian Era" was far more important than piercing the window paper in advance and eliminating the "potential" threat.

More importantly, it was because of the Holy Roman Empire. This "potential threat" posed too great a threat to Britannia. It was like a person suffering from "terminal cancer".

It was easy to get on the operating table, but difficult to get off the operating table. If the gamble was won, one could live a few more years, but it was more likely that one would be paralyzed in the hospital bed for the rest of his life.

On the other hand, conservative treatment would be able to drag on for a period of time. Although it would definitely be over in the end, that was a matter for the future.

Times were developing so fast. Maybe in the last few months, there would suddenly be a breakthrough in medical technology.

The current Government of the United Kingdom probably thought so. On the one hand, they were thinking of ways to suppress Shinra, but on the other hand, they didn't want to directly fall out with them. They were waiting for the international situation to change.

…

No matter how many calculations there were, life had to go on. The cabinet government that had been in charge of the Government of Vienna for more than 20 years finally ushered in the curtain call this year.

This time, there was no need for Franz to persuade them to stay. Their old bodies no longer allowed these old ministers to continue fighting for the Empire. A change of government was necessary.

"A change of government" was a major event in any country, and Shinra was no exception.

In a sense, the lack of expansion of the arms competition had something to do with this change of government.

Before the new leadership came out, the first task of the Government of Vienna was to sort out the internal affairs. They had no time to cause trouble everywhere.

This also applied to the United Kingdom. A few months ago, the Government of London had just completed a general election. But this time, the United Kingdom didn't cause any trouble. The Government of London won re-election.

…

In the Palace of Vienna, Franz was enjoying art in the Hall of Relics. Of course, this was the opinion of outsiders. For Franz, he felt that it was more appropriate to describe it as "subservient to the arts."

"Art," this kind of lofty thing, was simply not something that ordinary people could appreciate. Franz even suspected that this thing was deliberately created by the elite class to harvest the leeks of the nouveau riche.

Although he was suspicious, Franz didn't intend to delve into it. As the top of the ruling class, he had a great tolerance for anything that was conducive to his rule.

Although he lacked artistic cells and his creative talent was average, this didn't prevent Franz from becoming a great artist.

Thanks to the special identity of the emperor, as long as his name was on it, whether it was calligraphy, painting, or other handicrafts, it would become a work of art.

Franz had no doubt that his graffiti could be sold at a sky-high price.

As a wealthy emperor, Franz hadn't fallen to the point of selling his works to make a living. Even if there were occasional works of art, they would be given away.

The rarer something was, the more valuable it was. Once there were a lot of works of art, it wouldn't be valuable. Not being valuable was a small matter, the key was that it wouldn't be cool anymore.

As an emperor, Franz didn't care about the price of his works, but he definitely couldn't lose his cool.

Looking at Franz leisurely waving his brush and practicing calligraphy on the paper, Frederick The Great, who had rushed over, instantly felt bad.

For the change of government, he, the crown prince, was almost dead busy, but the person in question seemed to have nothing to do with it. Anyone would feel unbalanced.

There was nothing he could do even if he felt unbalanced. The words "practice your ability" were enough to block all his words.

Without time to rest, Frederick The Great said while panting, "Father, this is the final list of candidates. There are a total of 46 people, and there are three to five candidates for each position in the cabinet. "

"Okay!"

"Put it down first and find a place to rest. We'll talk about it when I'm done."

Franz replied casually.

"Okay."

What happened in front of him made Frederick The Great have no choice but to accept a reality: the diligent emperor in the past no longer existed.

Recalling his past memories, Frederick The Great suddenly realized that in the depths of his memory, he seemed to have never seen his father busy.

Even if he had to work overtime occasionally, it was only during special times. During normal times, Franz was a stickler for the four-hour working system, and he even had irregular vacations.

However, Frederick The Great couldn't figure out why his father, who was so free, would actually become the representative of "diligent administration".

After a while, the masterpiece was finally completed. Franz put down his brush, stretched his shins, and then opened the document to browse.

"Not bad. The information of the candidates is complete enough, and the evaluation given is also very pertinent. There are no unqualified people mixed in.

It seems that you've done your homework well. These candidates are the best in terms of political achievements and political skills.

If you like someone more, put their name at the front and nominate them for election at the next imperial conference. "

Different from the government leadership election of other countries at the same time, the popular system in Shinra was the nomination of the emperor and the election of the imperial parliament.

There were a total of two qualifications for the candidates. First, they had to have enough political achievements and outstanding political skills. Second, they had to be a staunch royalist in politics.

In particular, the second requirement was particularly important. It was acceptable if they lacked a little ability, but any flaws in politics could not be tolerated.

The Holy Roman Empire was so big, and it had no shortage of capable officials. According to the Shinra Constitution, the cabinet candidates nominated by the emperor could be officials of high rank and above.

Choosing a cabinet government out of hundreds of people was almost one in a hundred, and the choice was completely big enough.

Those who could climb to this position were not idiots. Those who were not capable enough would have been pulled down in the previous competition.

No matter who was placed in the cabinet, they would be able to ensure the normal operation of the government.

Otherwise, Franz would not have been indifferent to such an important job and handed it all to Frederick The Great.

After so many years of hard work, the small countries in Shinra had been almost roped in by Franz. There were a few who were dissatisfied, but they did not dare to do anything because of the general trend.

Just look at the imperial parliament. Any proposal that Franz personally put forward had never been rejected.

Hearing that he was in charge of everything, Frederick The Great asked in disbelief, "Letting me decide all the candidates, isn't it a bit too …"

Before Frederick The Great finished speaking, Franz waved his hand and interrupted, "There's not that much. These jobs will be your responsibility sooner or later, and now it's just a little earlier.

What you need to do now is to choose the best government team as much as possible and smoothly achieve the transition of power.

In addition, you have to pay attention to the changes in the international situation. Recently, the number of workers from France to Russia had decreased significantly.

It seems that the Trans-Siberian Railway has enough workers. If I'm not wrong, it won't be long before the Russians withdraw from France.

At this point, I guess the Tsarist government has also understood. The French reparations were like the moon in the water.

It could be seen, but not touched.

France had been tossed around. Without enough benefits, the Tsarist government would not fight to the death in France.

Whether the Tsarist government wanted to move south or east, there was no point in continuing to station troops in France.

If it wasn't for the Trans-Siberian Railway, they would have probably retreated two years ago. It was not easy for them to drag it out until now.

The Russian Army could withdraw, but the gap left by the Russian Army must be filled.

France was a big country with a long history. Even though they had suffered heavy blows in the past few years, their arrogance had not dissipated.

In the past, the French had been entangled with us for hundreds of years, and it was not easy to suppress them. We must not let them rise again.

The Russians have done all the bad things for us. What we need to do next is to spread anti-war ideas in France. After we wear down their fighting spirit, we can return to normal. "

It was easy to defeat a big country, but difficult to defeat a big country. The more traditional a country was, the more difficult it was to defeat it.

After so many years, the French still did not give up resistance. The Russians were about to collapse. If it wasn't for the Government of Vienna bearing the military expenses, the Tsarist government would have been defeated a long time ago.

However, the reality was cruel. The stronger the French showed their will to resist, the more the anti-French alliance could not let them succeed.

At this time, the benefits of having more allies were reflected. No matter what they did to France, there was no need for the international community to intervene.

The Russian Army had already done what they should and shouldn't do. Violent means had been used, now it was time to use political means.

It didn't matter if the elites of France were willing to accept it or not, as long as they did not accept the decontamination, France would not be able to return to normal.

Only when anti-war ideas became the mainstream of society and people realized the mistake of waging a war of aggression, could France become a normal country.

Of course, garrisons and restrictions on military equipment were still indispensable. Franz did not want the French to arm themselves again and cause trouble for him.

In fact, the Russian Army did a good job on this point. They sent all the opponents to God and sent all the young laborers of the affected families to Siberia to build the railway.

Although the French hated the Russian Army, under the bloody suppression of the Russian Army, they were not able to make a big wave.

There was no other way, the mountainous area of France was too small. They encountered a general of the Russian Army who liked to burn the mountains. The survival space of the guerrillas was really not big.

In the past few years, because of the burning of the mountains, the Russian Army had to consume hundreds of thousands of tons of fuel every year. If it weren't for the fact that Shinra was the world's largest oil producer, this kind of consumption would really be unbearable.

Based on the current situation, the Russian Army would be able to burn all the forests sooner or later.

With a successful case, they could follow suit and learn from it. Anyway, Shinra might not have a lot of other things, but it definitely had a lot of oil.

They didn't really need to burn all the mountains. They just needed to make a gesture to scare the intellectuals and stop them from thinking about it.

Frederick The Great finally reacted and asked with uncertainty, "Are we going to divide France again?"

It wasn't that Frederick The Great was overthinking, but the main thing was that France had been severely weakened in recent years. Not only was the economy in a mess, but the domestic population was also declining rapidly.

If the Government of Vienna wanted to continue to divide France, as long as they had a few allies, the success rate would be quite high.

Franz replied sternly, "Don't let your imagination run wild. After the European War, France was settled once. Now we're doing it again. How can we convince them?

Unless you want to go out in the future and be assassinated every day. Otherwise, when doing this kind of thing, there must be a reasonable reason that can convince the majority of the people.

What's more, without France. Do you think Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Sardinia, and other countries will still rely on us? "

It was a common rule in European society to cede territory and pay reparations after losing a war. What's more, it was the homeland of Shinra, so it was completely justifiable.

Even if the French held a grudge, they could slowly digest and accept it. Coupled with the big boss of hatred, the Russians, there weren't many people who blamed the House of Habsburg.

If there was another wave of division now, there would be nothing to say. It was estimated that every French person would hate the Holy Roman Empire to the core, and there would definitely be many warriors who would assassinate the emperor.

Unless they could all be killed, Franz really didn't dare to go out. Although he had a lot of guards, who could guarantee that his shoes wouldn't get wet if he often walked by the river?

It wasn't easy to be the leader of the alliance. The core of the existence of the anti-French alliance was the "threat of France." Without the common enemy of France, the people's hearts would quickly disperse.