Chapter 951: The Power of Rumors
Chapter 932 – The Power of Rumors
Have to admit that the Japanese acting ability, one side to the British and French promise to join the war against Austria; one side to Austria to ensure that absolutely will not violate the Austrian Southern Ocean.
As for the gossip that circulated, it was all a conspiracy of the French, attempting to provoke the relationship between Japan and Austria through such despicable means.
True or false does not matter, anyway, a series of diplomatic tawdry operation down, the Japanese government still got tangible benefits.
Relying on the great method of fooling, April 11, 1891, Ito Hirobumi and the French Minister Gretelas signed the “Japan-France Far East Treaty”, in order to join the war against Austria as the price, in exchange for the French government to give up the privileges of Japan, the prelude to the abolition of unequal treaties by the Japanese government.
Immediately after, on April 18, Ito signed the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Tokyo with the British to withdraw the British privileges in Japan.
Also by means of the Great Law of Lulling, on April 26, Ito signed the Japan-Austria Security Treaty with the Austrian Minister, in which the Japanese government gave up Austrian privileges in Japan at the cost of a different alliance with the French.
With the three great powers taken care of, the remaining ones naturally became unseemly. By means of coercion and inducement, the Japanese government miraculously abolished the unequal treaties signed by various countries, and became the first Asian country with complete sovereignty.
The news reached Europe, well these days Japan’s presence is too low, no one is interested at all, the media are busy reporting the news of the European war, naturally, they have no time to pay attention.
Not to mention the lack of civil attention, even the governments didn’t take it seriously. It’s good to have privileges, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t have privileges. Anyway, Japan’s market is just a little bit small, and there’s not much left after the British and French ate the rest of it.
As a matter of fact, it was only after Franz saw the treaty submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he remembered that Austria also had privileges in Japan.
And then there was no more, the Japanese were just too poor these days. Only a limited number of commodities were able to sell well here, and naturally the most lucrative was the arms trade.
Unfortunately, the Japanese navy learns from the British, the army learns from the French, the arms market does not have Austria’s share.
The Vienna government also implemented the Mineral Export Approval Act, blocking the way to sell resources, except for the Austrian South Seas to sell some rubber, food, only a small amount of industrial products exports.
With fewer exports, fewer imports. Compared with the penniless Japan, Austria was basically nothing.
Even the Japanese fist product – raw silk, in Lombardy and Venice after the completion of the conversion of rice to mulberry, but also lost the market.
The total annual import and export trade between Japan and Austria is less than 300,000 guilders, which is completely negligible, and it is really impossible to find a reason to pay attention to it.
Being the emperor for so many years, Franz has long become a qualified politician, in addition to the beginning of the Japanese government to add a little trouble, the latter has rarely make things.
In fact, Austria also paid for the Emperor’s capriciousness. The Vienna government’s Mineral Export Authorization Act was initially aimed at cracking down on competitors, targeting mainly the French.
The Austrian South Seas is too far from Europe, if you travel so far to import ore, the cost of freight alone will go up, there is no need to restrict.
Only in the delineation of the scope of time, Franz hand shaking in the map drew a big circle, accidentally the Austrian Southern Ocean to the circle.
Then, the Japanese government wants to import ore from Austria, have to go through layers of approval, without a year and a half can not come down.
For this reason, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also made a lot of efforts, but unfortunately for the Vienna government, this is just a trivial matter, no one is willing to change a decree for the sake of Japanese feelings.
To put it bluntly, there was still not enough interest. Changing a law in Austria was very troublesome and required the reconvening of the legislative assembly.
Even if the restriction was abolished, the big deal would only be an increase of several hundred thousand guilders in trade every year, and the tax revenue that would fall into the government’s pocket would only be a few tens of thousands of guilders.
To run to amend the law just for this amount of money, the Vienna government was not that idle. Even if they know it’s wrong, then they can only be wrong to the end.
As a result of this, the relationship between Japan and Austria has always been lukewarm. I have to admit that in this regard, Benji still has a talent, when it is time to play the grandchildren absolutely no ambiguity.
Putting down the treaty in his hands, Franz slowly said: ”The Anglo-Russian negotiations have begun, it seems that our actions in the African continent have caused the British to be alert.
According to John Bull’s past style, they are definitely unwilling to see us streaking across Asia, Europe and Africa. If there are no surprises, Britain and France have now leaned in.
The main force of the British Army is still in the Afghanistan region, and in the short term they are incapable of getting involved in the continental war, the danger will only come from overseas.
Order the Governor of the South Seas and the Governor of Central America to strengthen their alertness and to be on the alert for all the surrounding neighbors, so as not to give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
As for the other regions, we are too weak to allow them to surrender directly if war breaks out.”
Although he did not think that the Japanese would have enough to eat and run to sneak attack the Austrian South Seas, but associating it with the original time and space Japanese fancy death strategy, Franz still ordered to strengthen the alert at the first time.
Other areas are naturally the result of brainstorming, in the context of the possible joining of Britain and France, fooling a few fools to charge is not at all difficult.
There could be the Japanese, and likewise other countries. Of Austria’s overseas colonies, with the exception of the South Seas and Central America, which were well run and had the strength to play a friendly game with their neighbors, the rest of the region was not very good.
Austrian Alaska, in particular, was guarded by just one infantry battalion, and with the immigrants there were less than 50,000 people, a third of whom were criminals.
All the British had to do was make a move, and it was a matter of minutes before it fell. They couldn’t win anyway, so they simply conceded.
It’s not easy to run these places, and if you blow your family’s money, you’ll have to make the investment all over again.
Anyway, once the Continental War is over, whoever took it will have to spit it out with interest, so there is no need to make meaningless sacrifices.
After so many years of crossing over, Franz has been influenced by European culture. When thinking about the problem, it was becoming more and more like a European politician.
Foreign Minister Weissenberg: “Your Majesty, perhaps if we release the news of the occupation of Egypt to the outside world, we can dispel these guys’ unrealistic fantasies.”
Although the Austrian army has torn through the Suez defense line and is even under Cairo, the war in Egypt is still going on.
Just a short time ago, the French government sent reinforcements to the Egyptian region, which could not reverse the situation, but still delayed the Austrian occupation of Egypt.
This did not prevent, however, the Vienna government from putting out rumors to the outside world. Anyway, the Austrian army was already in Cairo, and it was only a matter of time before the city was broken.
Ambitious or not, speculators or not, these guys are wallflowers, which side of the wind is strong, which side to fall.
Although the combination of Britain and France can be bluffed, but Austria’s tiger is also not to be underestimated, received such news, in the absence of certainty before the true or false, no one can easily take sides.
These days it is not easy to verify the news, and when countries figure out the situation, it is estimated that the Austrian army has almost taken Egypt.
When the strategic situation is reversed, the wallflowers will naturally know what to choose. The essence of politics is to increase the number of friends and reduce the number of enemies.
In the face of interests, people can not stand the test, and the same applies in politics. Franz is not a war monger and has no interest in playing snake charmer and creating enemies for himself.
“Give it a try, but don’t make it too obvious, just release some photos of our troops in action in Egypt, release a few tidbits of information, and let them brainstorm their own battlefield progress.”
True or false is the hardest thing to judge. If it was any other battlefield releasing photos of the march, naturally the battlefield progress could be judged through landmarks.
But the Egyptian battlefield is not the same, the Austrian army is a three-line attack, the French army can only hold on to strategic places and big cities, the rest of the area is completely at the mercy of the Austrian army.
Judging purely from the marching route of the Austrian army, it is easy to come to the conclusion that the French army is finished. As for the truth, it doesn’t matter anymore.
……
There are two sides to everything, and the news of the Austrian army’s occupation of Egypt caused a sensation all over the world when it broke.
Not only the wallflowers who wanted to take advantage of the fire were shaken, but also the Russians, Austria’s good allies.
Perhaps the stimulus was too great, or perhaps in order to allow the British to be good enough for Austria to pull back, the Tsarist government changed its previous carelessness in the negotiations, and quickly completed the exchange of benefits with the British, reached an armistice agreement, ending the Anglo-Russian War.
Originally still stuck in the French neck of the European countries, at this moment also have changed their position, in the export of strategic materials to the French open the door of convenience, as if overnight everyone with the French relationship has entered the honeymoon period.
However, this is also the limit of the governments of various countries can do, as before did not participate in the anti-French alliance, we also can not participate in the anti-Austrian alliance for no reason.
The easing of restrictions on the French was only to balance the power of France and Austria, so that they could fight more fiercely on the battlefield, not to become friends.
In the eyes of most politicians, France had always been the biggest destabilizing factor in Europe, and belonged to the key target.
……
(End of chapter)