Chapter 165: An Ambitious Admiralty

  Chapter 162 – An Ambitious Admiralty

Franz had to marvel at the fact that European politics was just that – chaotic, and in his two years as Emperor, Austria had actually signed secret pacts with all the European powers.

It is estimated that people who study international history in the future will see this pile of secret treaties, and will marvel at the Austrian Foreign Ministry’s work is really awesome, and then left a pile of political world unsolved mysteries.

First, the Franco-Austrian Secret Treaty, originally agreed, we happily divide the Kingdom of Sardinia together, because the French June Revolution broke out aborted.

Then came the Anglo-Austrian Memorandum on the Balkans, and the Anglo-Austrian Understanding on Italy, the latter of which was completed, and the former of which depended on the modesty of the British as to whether it could be honored.

The Russo-Austrian Secret Treaty goes without saying and is nothing more than a continuation of the expansion of the alliance between the two countries, which have been allied for decades, with both sides being each other’s most important allies.

Not long ago and the Kingdom of Prussia signed a secret treaty, the two countries together against foreign forces to intervene in the affairs of Germany, this treaty will be published when the time is ripe, essentially used to deter the British, naturally will not be secret.

And that was the end of it? Facts proved that the Austrian government really love to toss, Austria and Spain’s secret negotiations ended, the two countries reached a consensus on the opening of overseas colonization – “Austro-Spanish Colonial Treaty” came out.

According to the treaty: the two countries recognized each other’s sovereignty over their respective overseas colonies, and were to provide each other with what help they could in their colonization activities, such as getting logistical supplies in each other’s colonies ……

Now that Austria didn’t have colonies yet, it looked like the Spaniards were losing out, but actually the Spanish government took this treaty more seriously than Austria.

There is no way, this era of Spain’s decline, the Sunset Empire has been far away from them, Britain and France, the two colonial empires in the beginning is to step on their bones on the throne.

Now the Austrian Empire is ready to join the overseas colonization activities, they are the soft persimmon and dangerous, or to be stepped on again.

In that case, why not choose to cooperate? Austria’s conditions are not excessive, just to get supplies from their ports when colonizing overseas, it’s not like they won’t pay.

This unremarkable treaty was done at the urging of the Admiralty. It’s true to say that you have to look for the soft one, but Franz wasn’t prepared to lift the table right off the bat, was he?

If Spain is not all the way downhill, Franz would like to ally with them, directly stabbed back France, let them feel what is a sandwich.

In any case, the frame of the Spanish powers is still in, the Spanish navy is stronger than the Austrian navy a little bit.

Not only Spain, even the Netherlands, Portugal, the two small countries Ministry of Navy are very important, is still in the negotiations.

This is the price of admission, borrowing the ports of these small countries as a springboard, always more reassuring than with the British and French.

Expanding the colony is not easy, the first problem is the logistical supply, the first stage of the supplies have to be transported from outside.

A look at the map will show that Austria’s geographical location to open up overseas colonies, the distance is that far ah! In this context, it is important to be able to purchase supplies nearby.

Historically, the Russians’ Pacific Fleet expedition was a negative example; under the British blockade, they lacked effective supplies along the way and were ambushed by the Japanese just as they arrived.

Franz naturally had to learn a lesson, in any case, try to make good relations with the colonial powers first is not wrong, even if you want to grab the territory, that’s something to do after you’ve gained a firm foothold.

In addition, overseas colonization is also to learn from experience, now Austria sends people deep into each country’s colonies to collect intelligence, learn their management experience.

However, this kind of intelligence gathering is not very reliable, and can only see some superficial things, and deeper things need to be learned.

Don’t look at how many experts and professors in later generations attacked the backwardness of the colonial management system every day. But to be able to establish colonial rule in this era, to manage a large swath of colonies with a small number of people, and to earn a large amount of profit, this is a kind of skill.

If we cooperate, we can also gain a deeper understanding and learn from their successful experience, lest we lose our money just a few days after opening up a colony.

In the final analysis, overseas colonization was still for the sake of profit, and if one kept on doing money-losing business, it was expected that no one would participate in a short time.

The Ministry of Navy is not working blindly, taking the signed treaty, and then asked the government for funding.

According to the shipbuilding program proposed by the Ministry of the Navy, the government allocated 50 million guilders for shipbuilding funds, within five years to create a naval fleet second only to the British and French.

This is not an exaggeration, this era of the countries of the navy are not large, even the British total tonnage is only 100,000 tons, as long as the total naval tonnage of more than 10,000, that is the world ranked.

In terms of tonnage, the Austrian Navy is second only to the British, French, Spanish and Russian countries. Obviously tonnage is not equal to combat effectiveness, Austria’s navy are offshore navy, the Mediterranean Sea run around okay, ocean-going industry probably will not sink, right?

Who knows? Anyway, a total of 18,000 tons of navy, in Franz’s view, this is a bean sprout navy, than a battleship in later years, but this era of naval warships tonnage on the small side, this scale is not too small.

Put it this way, if the French suddenly broke out, they can also and the British PK wave, compete for the position of the world’s first naval power, the gap between the British and French naval forces is not as big as in later years.

At least in the tonnage gap is not so big, the closest time, the total tonnage gap between the two countries less than twenty percent of the navy, theoretically a surprise attack, may not be able to win.

Anyway, everyone is a wooden warship, the shipbuilding technology of the countries did not pull open too big a gap, from the world’s first ironclad ship was born and ten years.

Looking at the hands of the shipbuilding program, Franz did not give face, directly asked: “I remember last year, the French Navy on the construction of the Napoleon, which is powered by steam engines.

You build a bunch of sail battleships, downwind, even if, upwind, you run over others?”

Naval Minister Philcox explained, “Your Majesty, the French steam engine battleships are expensive to build, difficult to repair and maintain, and after full power drive, they need to undergo a major overhaul.

Steam engine battleships have not shown a clear advantage on the battlefield, and now that the mainstay of the navies are still sail battleships, it is too risky to take the risk of adopting new technology.”

Franz didn’t care about all his reasons and asked directly, “With our shipbuilding technology, can we build it?”

Philcox thought for a moment and said, “Theoretically there is no problem, applying the steam engine to the ship as power, we have the proven experience of building merchant ships, applying it to battleships is not much of a problem.”

Franz didn’t bother to spit it out, the navies of this era were horribly conservative. It was probably unthinkable to many that it was not the British but the French who led the revolution in naval technology in this era.

In 1849 the French were the first to apply the steam engine to warships, opening the prelude to the revolution in naval warship power; in 1859 the French built the world’s first ironclad ship, ending the era of sail warships; in 1863 the French applied compressed air engines to submarines, ending human-powered drives and increasing the submarine’s range of motion… …

The revolution in naval technology was started by the French, and it still didn’t change their status of being the second best for 10,000 years. Then it was so hard to change, I guess the French preferred to stay the same and go from being the second to the third, fourth or fifth ……

Now the Austrian Navy is undoubtedly also the representative of the conservatives, technological innovation, look at the Austrian Navy military expenditure is to know, they do not have the money capricious.

This is also Franz wondered the place, new technology is not always first in the military use, and then do civil promotion it?

How to here on the reverse, the Danube so many Austrian steamships and then run, how the Navy has not thought about manufacturing steam engine battleships?

Maintenance difficulties? This can also be regarded as a reason, how do not see the steam merchant ships because of maintenance difficulties, along the sail power?

Franz said in a serious tone: “The Navy should also pay attention to the use of technology, even if you are not able to promote technological innovation, others have come up with the results, you follow the study of the use of the total can not?

Otherwise, an outdated navy, even if the scale is huge, what is the use? On the battlefield, it can only be used as a target!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Minister of Navy Philcox replied with a bitter smile

There was no doubt that the Admiralty’s shipbuilding program died when it came to Franz.

Technically speaking, it was no longer difficult to build the initial ironclad ships. As early as 1578 the Japanese had come up with ironclad ships, which were warships covered with a layer of iron.

Franz didn’t want to build a bunch of sail battleships and take them out as targets for others, even though there was little chance of a naval battle in the Austrian Navy in the short term.

The epoch-making invention he can not get out, just the concept of military technology innovation, this is always not difficult, right?

Did not see the French to get out of the iron armor ship, only a few months time to follow the trend of people appeared, the technical obstacles almost did not appear.

Shipbuilding technology to reflect the industrial level of the era has not yet arrived, now the sail warship shipbuilding technology has been very mature, the performance gap between the countries of warships is not large.

Thinking about it, Franz did not first put forward the theory of ironclad ships, this is not something that an emperor should do, even if you want to do it must be carried out secretly.

Otherwise, William II is an example, he personally designed warships, and then launched directly sunk. It would be strange if this is not a problem, are the German technicians are idiots, do not know to remind the emperor a little?

Franz will not let people take advantage of the opportunity to secretly promote technological innovation is much better, failed that is normal, any new technological innovation is not a success.

Success is proof that under the leadership of the Great Emperor, Austrian technological innovation has taken another step forward. As for the credit for the invention, as the emperor is not needed.

(End of chapter)