Chapter 723

During the London Peace Conference, the British did not stop their global strategy. In order to strengthen their control over North America, the British Parliament approved the establishment of the Dominion of Canada in May.

This provoked a protest from the American federal government, which was naturally ignored. This was originally a measure against them.

After the end of the American Civil War, the capitalists' demand for the market expanded further. Because of the confrontation between the North and the South, the southern market bid farewell to them.

Mexico became the sphere of influence of Britain, France, and Spain, and there was no room for them to intervene. Central America was regarded as a private territory by Austria, and the Caribbean islands were also the gathering place of the great powers.

The Americans' America became a joke. The European great powers made a comeback, and the divided northern government could not fight against them.

In order to change this situation, the two American governments were restless. The Southern Confederation government was fine. They exported industrial raw materials and could not compete with the great powers.

The northern federal government could not. In order to break the situation, they supported the revolutionary party in Mexico and supported the Indian tribes in Central America.

This was not the end. With the increase in the number of Irish immigrants, anti-British became an important political force in the federal government. In 1866, the Irish Parliament proposed the annexation of Canada.

There was no doubt that this suicidal bill was not passed. However, this situation still provoked the British, and the Government of London decided to strengthen their power in the American region.

The establishment of the Dominion of Canada was one of the means. The Government of London was prepared to relax the suppression of the Canadian region and let them develop in order to increase their voice in North America.

It was not only the British who took action. In fact, the French had increased their troops in Mexico before this. Massimiliano listened to Franz's suggestion. Mexico's debt increased by one-third compared to the same period in history.

As the biggest creditor, France was naturally kidnapped. The more they invested, the more reluctant the Government of Paris was to let go.

It was not that Mexico could not repay the debt. As long as the rebellion was suppressed, the Silver Empire would soon be able to get out of the crisis.

The actions of Britain and France also affected Austria, and the Government of Vienna was also very angry with the Americans who were eager to make trouble.

Looking at the information provided by Count Hummerauer, the governor of Central America, Franz felt that it was necessary to teach the Americans a lesson and let them know the immensity of heaven and earth.

Franz asked, "How much investment does the Americans have in Central America?"

The Colonial Minister, Josip Jelačić, replied, "About three million BD."

Josip Jelačić knew this basic information. If it weren't for the civil war, Central America would have been the Americans' private land.

As early as a decade ago, the Americans had been infiltrating the Central American region. It was not until the civil war broke out and Austria occupied the area that the Americans' actions quietened down.

Franz said casually, "Then keep an eye on them. If you find any problems, confiscate them."

The Austrian colonies did not welcome foreign investment, and it was a pity that the Vienna government did not want to promote the economic development of the colonies.

Empire was Promotion. to be Empire to everything. American to Was to Empire. Empire was to America.. to be. Was to be.

On the surface, it seemed that foreign capital promoted the economic development of the colony, but in this era, overseas investment was the vanguard of colonial expansion.

Importing all kinds of messy ideas was also one of the ways countries stabbed each other in the back. If they were not vigilant, the colonial rebellions would break out before the economy could develop.

In the late 19th century, all the large-scale colonial rebellions were manipulated by international powers. This was the main reason why countries closed their colonial markets.

The American region was too far away from Vienna. Their control over the colonies was inevitably reduced. The Americans saw an opportunity and came over to stir up trouble.

Finding an excuse to confiscate these American investments was a warning to the federal government. Of course, it would not be that simple. Austria was just a leader. Other countries needed to follow suit.

Before the Civil War, their capital had penetrated many parts of North America. For example, Mexico, Cuba, and so on.

When the United States was strong, other countries were afraid of their strength. Naturally, no one dared to touch these investments. Now the situation had changed. The divided federal government did not have the power to protect these overseas investments.

If they knew their place, no one would take any drastic action. But how could the capital stay put?

There was not enough market, and the internal economic cycle market was not big enough. If the capitalists wanted to survive, they would have to stir up trouble.

According to the information in his hands, Franz was sure that the internal strife of the American Federation was fierce. They had no choice but to expand their power.

Unless there was a major change in Europe, they would not be able to develop under the suppression of other countries.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Colonial Minister Josip Jelačić replied.

This was just a small interlude. Franz's focus was still on the African continent. Since the Government of Vienna passed the Colonial Localization Act, European countries paid more attention to the African continent.

Among them, England and France had the most intense reaction. The French responded immediately. Napoleon Iii was ready to follow suit. The Government of Paris formulated a plan for the North African province and was ready to incorporate this area into their territory.

However, Europe's strategy was prioritized. Coupled with the impact of insufficient immigration, this plan remained on paper and could not be fully implemented.

The British's reaction was much more intense. It was impossible to follow suit. Colonial localization was not suitable for maritime countries. Even if they were forced to implement it, they would not choose Africa!

Opening the map, one could see that the Fao and France were already very powerful on the African continent. In order to curb the expansion of the two countries, the Government of London was ready to preemptively control Ethiopia and Somalia, connecting East and South Africa.

Compared to the original time and space, the British's African plan was much more restrained. It only occupied the eastern and southern corners and did not cross Egypt.

Ethiopia and Somalia were the last link of Austria's African strategy. Once the plan was completed, half of the African continent would be Austria's territory.

The British naturally could not sit back and do nothing. Moreover, they had already set their eyes on Ethiopia. As early as 1839, when they occupied Aden, they had been infiltrating here.

Now, there were already many feudal lords who had colluded with the British. Not long ago, the British Consul, Verne Cameron, visited the Turkish Sultan and cancelled the arms supply to Ethiopia.

At this time, the Ethiopian monarch, Theodore II, did a stupid thing and directly detained the British Consul.

Without a doubt, Ethiopia handed the excuse to the British. If they did not experience the iron fist of the Empire, how could John have the face to live in the world?

Originally, Franz was ready to intervene, but these years, Austria's reputation on the African continent was not good. They did not have any table manners. They could not wait to avoid it. How could they come forward?

This was something that could not be helped. Naturally, Austria did not have so many colonies. They had been created by killing with a knife and a gun.

When encountering a problem on the European continent, Franz would think twice before acting. On the African continent, it was the other extreme. Usually, he would not care about anything and just rush to get it done.

Diplomacy? Unfortunately, the colonial government did not have such a department. If they could solve a problem with bayonets and cannons, they would definitely not use other means.

There were very few problems on the African continent that could not be solved with bayonets and cannons. As a result, Austria had no friends. If they took the initiative to offer weapons, they might not even dare to accept it.

Naturally, there was no need to change their way of doing things. It was like this in Europe these days. The colonies played around and no one cared. The shameless colonists even called themselves the propagators of human civilization.

Franz asked, "It is only a matter of time before the British invade Ethiopia. What is the plan of the Colonial Department?"

The Colonial Minister, Josip Jelačić, replied, "Your Majesty, the difference in strength between the two sides is huge. There is no suspense in this war.

Our sphere of influence already borders Ethiopia. The territory of this African country is very large. The British will not be able to swallow it in one bite. The Colonial Department plans to take a slice of the pie. "

This slice of the pie was probably more than just a slice of the pie. Even if they swallowed half of Ethiopia in one bite, Franz would not be the slightest bit surprised.

The British wanted to curb Austria's expansion on the African continent because Austria's local strength was too strong.

If there were no restrictions, they would be driven out sooner or later. Anyone who understood the situation would know that the British colonial companies on the African continent had not been doing well recently.

It was not that they did not work hard, but that their lives were really unbearable. The colonial stronghold that they had painstakingly built was about to be attacked by the modern African army.

The attackers were all African natives, so naturally, they had nothing to do with Austria. Without evidence, the Government of London could not do anything.

Sending troops to encircle and suppress them was nonsense. How were they going to find the attacker in the vast African continent?

In order to retaliate, the British also organized black troops, and both sides killed each other.

In the end, it was the British who could not hold on. It was not that they were not good at fighting, but the British had fewer people.

At their peak, there were thousands of casualties every year, and many British colonial companies went bankrupt because they could not afford the compensation.

Under such circumstances, the British colonies on the African continent inevitably shrank. It was not until the two countries reached an agreement that the situation improved.

The British were good at summarizing their experience, and they soon discovered that they would only suffer when they went deep into the jungle. It was still very safe to establish a stronghold in the coastal area and rely on fortifications to guard it.

Now the British expansion was to build fortifications along the way. With fortifications, they were not afraid of the black troops' sneak attacks.

This was all a secret struggle, and the Austrian army could not personally intervene. The two sides were in a stalemate.

Because of the cost, the British expansion speed on the African continent was curbed, and many times they were forced to give up their sphere of influence. After all, it was not only the Austrians who did this. The French also did this many times.

There were many enemies, and many times after a sneak attack, the British could not even figure out who did it. Framing and shifting the blame were common methods, and no one had integrity in the fight for colonies.

This was also the reason why the British were anxious to occupy Ethiopia. As long as they controlled this place, they would have a large number of cannon fodder troops to fight the underground war with Austria.

Franz said without changing his expression, "Secretly send people to sell arms to Ethiopia, so that they will resist more fiercely."