Chapter 660

Franz was very busy. After the African colony localization passed, more than a dozen colonial cities had applied.

There was no doubt that this was a roundabout route. Localize the eligible areas first, and wait for the remaining areas to meet the conditions.

Anyway, these cities were the core of the colony. The surrounding areas would still be handed over to them, and they would be split up when they developed in the future.

This was the consensus reached by the Government of Vienna and the colonial powers. Now that no one wanted independence, they naturally wouldn't care about the division of administrative regions.

In order to show his importance, Franz personally met with the colonial representatives. These nobles were his support and the cornerstone of his future domination of the African continent.

In terms of interests, everyone belonged to a large interest group. Franz was the major shareholder of this group, and they were the minor shareholders in it. They were bound together for good or bad.

Internationally, the United Kingdom was restless again. It seemed that the Fao's proximity had stimulated them.

On September 2, 1866, the British Foreign Minister visited St. Peter Castle. The public statement was to improve relations between the United Kingdom and Russia. On September 28, the Government of London issued a note to mediate the Prussian-Russian war.

If he hadn't received information that the Russian Revolutionary Party had been secretly sent back to their country by Prussia, Franz would have almost believed it.

The Fao Alliance versus the Anglo-Russian Alliance. Just thinking about it was exciting.

However, this could only be thought about. In addition to the deep conflict between Britain and Russia, it was impossible to truly form an alliance.

More importantly, the Russian Empire was too powerful. As long as they completed internal reform, they would be the overlord of Europe. As long as the Government of London wasn't crazy, they wouldn't support such a giant.

So this was aimed at the Russo-Austrian Alliance. In order to break up this alliance, the British went to great lengths.

This was an overt plot. St. Peter Castle accepted the goodwill of the British, which would inevitably arouse the suspicion of Vienna.

In normal times, this kind of suspicion didn't matter, but in the Prussian-Russian war, this kind of suspicion was very deceptive. If the Government of Vienna hesitated a little, the Russians would suffer a great loss.

Once this happened, it wouldn't be long before the Russo-Austrian Alliance would exist in name only.

Knowing was one thing, but would Franz stop this from happening?

The answer was: no!

The reason was very realistic. The strategic value of the Russo-Austrian Alliance had been achieved. In the next ten to twenty years, the Russians would have to deal with their internal conflicts, and the eastern front was safe.

This security was more reliable than the security brought by the alliance. Regardless, no matter what the Tsarist government thought, they didn't have the strength to threaten Austria.

If that's the case, is there a need to continue being tied to the Russians?

This was the reality of the world. The only thing Franz could do was not to tear up the alliance and continue to maintain a good relationship between the two countries.

He believed that Alexander II would make the same choice. The existence of the Russian-Austrian Alliance was still valuable to them, and it would allow them to safely get through this period of weakness.

For the sake of strategic security, the Tsarist government would not tear up the alliance. This time limit was only established when the Russian Empire was weak.

In the future, as long as the Tsarist government wanted to expand in the European continent, the Russian-Austrian alliance would almost come to an end. Similarly, when Austria unified the German region, it would also be the end of the alliance between the two countries.

"Was there a solution?" "Of course. For example, encourage the Tsarist government to fight India. That way, the alliance could continue for many years.

"It's hard, but it's also easy. It can be done as long as you are willing to spend money."

"If Russia wanted to invade British India, it wouldn't be easy. The cost of the war would be very high." "As long as there are investors willing to pay, the Tsarist government wouldn't have any objections."

"I don't know what will happen in the future, but Franz can't afford it now." "If I had this money, I would rather spend it on the industrial revolution."

"The second industrial revolution has begun. Austria was one of the birthplaces. The year 1866 was a sign."

"In May, the engineer of the new Holy Roman Empire, Siemens, invented the world's first high-power generator."

"It marked the beginning of the era of electricity. Before this, the generator's power was too small to be put into industrial production."

"Since the era of electricity has come, as the center of the empire, it was natural to enjoy the fruits of the labor." Franz decided to install street lights in Vienna.

"Electric light appeared in the last century. In 1854, a German watchmaker, Henry Goebel, invented the carbonized bamboo light bulb, which lasted for 400 hours."

"When it was reported in the newspaper, it attracted Franz's attention. He bought the patent even though he hadn't registered it yet."

"Franz still has moral integrity. He won't do something like snatching someone else's patent." "Then, he changed the carbon filament to tungsten filament and added a vacuum environment."

"Improvements are much faster than research and development. It only took about a year to complete." "Then, Franz took the lead in entering the era of electricity. The palace was the first to start a lighting revolution."

"Because the generator's power is too low, the cost of generating electricity is too high. Electricity has become a luxury in this era, only for the rich."

"Now that high-power generators have appeared, not only the cost of generating electricity has been lowered, but it also has the possibility of being industrialized." "Of course, Franz wants to promote it." "What's more useful than lighting up Vienna?"

"There's no need to pay advertising fees, and the newspaper will spread the news to the world." "Then, London and Paris will surely follow. If the Tsarist government still has money, they will probably follow suit."

"Making money is a small matter. The most important thing is to make a name for themselves." "Attract more people to invest in the electricity industry. Otherwise, it will take forever for Franz to popularize electricity in the industry."

"In August, the transatlantic telegraph was completed. For the first time, electricity was directly connected between Europe and the US."

"This is different from the previous telegraph. Before this, the telegraph line between Europe and the US is not directly connected. It is transmitted on the islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and the message needs to be delivered by ship."

"This is a technical problem. Limited by the era, everyone knows nothing about the situation under the sea. The laying of the cable depends on luck."

"If unlucky, it will be directly destroyed by underwater creatures, and it needs to be relaid." "If it encounters special terrain, it may also affect the laying of the cable."

"One of the submarine cables has always had problems, and it was only now that the problem has been completely solved." "Before this, this distance can only be transferred by ship." "Not to mention the lag in information, the operating cost is still high, and it can't be commercialized."

"Now, it is different. It can directly connect two continents, and the commercial value has greatly increased."

"Affected by this, the British have announced the laying of submarine cables from London to Canada, London to South Africa to India."

"The French are also preparing to lay submarine cables from Paris to French America, Paris to France to Asia."

"Franz also ordered the laying of two submarine cables from Africa to Central America, Africa to New Bavaria (New Guinea)."

"The Fao and the two countries to Africa have long been connected, so there is naturally no need to do it again." "There is no solution to the problem of duplicate telegraph lines in various countries, and no one wants to be controlled by others."

"Moreover, this is not a loss-making business. The telegraph lines in most areas can make money." "No one will lay the loss-making lines at all."

"For example, Franz is not prepared to lay the submarine cable to Alaska."

"From the time the Russians took over this land, except for the establishment of a fur company, no development has been carried out."

"If it is not to declare sovereignty, the Government of Vienna will not even bother to send tax collectors." "This is a land that cannot make up for its expenses, and it loses tens of thousands of DL every year."

"Naturally, there is no need to build a telegraph line." "Anyway, they are not afraid of being robbed. No country will fight a bloody war with Austria for a land of ice and snow."

"This is just the beginning," the major colonial empires are taking action, and everyone knows the strategic role of the telegraph. " "In order to strengthen the control of the colonies, this is an essential link."

"In September, Alfred Nobel invented nitroglycerin explosives." "Of course, this is still highly confidential, and it will only be announced after the Prussian war."

"After all, this is also a weapon that can change the war." "If it is announced in advance and the Russians want to buy it, it will also be a headache whether to sell it or not."

If he didn't sell it, it would affect their relationship. If he did, it might affect the outcome of the war. "Explosives are a weapon against the blockhouses and fortresses of this era, and many of the originally impregnable lines of defense are now not enough."

"On the surface, Austria did not sell arms to Prussia, and this new proprietary invention is destined to be unable to be sold to both countries."

"The Russians winning the war is not what Franz wants to see." "If the Tsarist government loses the war, they may need to recuperate for 20 years; if they win the war, they may cause trouble again in eight to ten years."

"There is no doubt about the Hairy Bear's tenacity, not to mention his ability to seek death." "In order to avoid this kind of trouble, Franz decisively chose to postpone."

"Alfred Nobel is also full of legends. In 1860, he began to work on nitroglycerin explosives."

"In 1863, Nobel returned to Sweden and worked with his father and brother to develop explosives. Because of an accidental explosion that destroyed the factory and killed his brother, the government forbade them to continue experimenting."

"Because of the explosion of the nitroglycerin factory and the tragic death of his brother, the Swedish factory was forced to close."

"At this time, the Austrian arsenal extended an olive branch." The two sides hit it off and decided to jointly develop explosives.

In fact, most of the arsenal factories are in cooperation with the government, otherwise, who would sell the produced weapons to?

"The butterfly effect played a role," this time, Nobel did not cut off his means of retreat, but chose a more secure cooperation.

"This is not surprising," Nobel is a scientist, but also a businessman.

"Avoiding risks is an instinct, and he is not the only person who is working on explosives at the same time." "Before the results come out, no one knows if the product will have a market."

…

"These are only the more influential technological advances, there are even more small inventions." "The second industrial revolution has broken out, and 1866 is only the prelude to a new era."