Chapter 797: Near East Development
Chapter 780: Near East Development 1.0
Undoubtedly, after receiving the support of the Vienna government, the Armenian throne fell to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.
After the news spread, Europe’s melon eaters turned on their daily mode, and one by one, experts and scholars jumped out to point out the results. Without waiting for everyone to dispute the outcome, the British government got anxious first.
The political significance behind the seemingly insignificant dispute over the Armenian throne cannot be ignored.
Armenia is located between the three countries of Russia, Austria and Poland, and if you have read the history of Prokopi’s wars, you will find that Byzantium and Persia have repeatedly fought over this area.
For the Tsarist government to get hold of this place would certainly not be to target Austria; the Russian-Austrian border line was so long and there were so many easy areas to attack that there was no need for any extra effort.
The Kingdom of Armenia alone was of no value, and the bullet-ridden area was not yet worth the prying eyes of the Tsarist government, so it was self-evident who the target was.
……
Foreign Minister George: “The Caucasus is too far away for our influence to penetrate deep enough to interfere in the struggle for the Armenian throne.
Russia and Austria have reached a quick agreement on this issue, and we will have to be on our guard next. In addition to the Austrian threat, the Russian threat cannot be ignored.
In the future, our pressure in both Central Asia and the Persian region will increase greatly, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggests appropriate support for France and North Germany to hold Russia and Austria from behind.”
There was no way around it, it was a historical legacy. More than a decade ago, the British used the opportunity of the Russo-Prussian War to support a few juniors to seize Central Asia from the Russians.
The Woolly Bear holds a grudge, and whether Alexander III is a pacifist or not, as long as he wants to be a “good tsar” in the eyes of the people, his next goal will be to retake Central Asia.
With the Russians back in Central Asia, the Austrian Foreign Office could be disbanded if the Anglo-Russian conflict didn’t flare up.
Facing the threat of two great powers at the same time, if no one to share the pressure, the British will not be able to withstand.
Whether it’s Persia, or Central Asia, if either area is breached, India will be reduced to a battlefield.
Russia and Austria would not necessarily be able to take India from the British, but the situation in India getting out of hand because of the war would almost certainly happen.
If the Russians and Austrians, with the mentality of “if I can’t get it, you can’t get it either”, fully support India’s independence, then it will be over.
With the precedent of American independence, the London government had to be vigilant in order to avoid the worst.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Xiaoji Childers, exclaimed, “You’re playing with fire, and it could get out of hand if you’re not careful!”
Supporting France and Germany looked great to hold Russia and Austria at bay from behind, the problem was that France and Germany were willing to join forces to do so.
All indications are that the French are still obsessed with Central European expansion, and North Germany happens to be in the way of the French advance.
This recent period of time can happen a lot of things, shorting the franc, big dumping, support for the revolutionaries, France to withdraw from the free trade system, a series of changes, so that the Anglo-French relationship is in the history of the most freezing point after the war against France.
A little setback, did not wear down the arrogance of the French, but instead stimulated the burgeoning of French nationalism.
If something happens in the middle of a change, the enemy in the middle of a little provocation, may not wait for them to play a role, their own people will first fight.
If that happened, the British government would be a joke.
Foreign Secretary George calmly analyzed: “Sir, don’t get excited. The Franco-German conflict is not as deep as you think, and is far from breaking out.
As long as the interests are large enough, potential enemies are also able to be allies first. If we want France and Germany to be friendly, we must make full use of Russia and Austria.
For example: use the Prussian-Russian hatred to provoke a high anti-Russian movement in North Germany;
Or the outbreak of conflict between France and Austria in the Italian region, in the Mediterranean, on the Suez Canal ……
It doesn’t have to be a fight, it’s enough to expose the conflict so that they can watch out for each other.”
“By the way, the Nordic Confederation can also be utilized. During the Second Russo-Prussian War, the Tsarist government used the sale of Finland as a front to get loans from the Nordic Confederation.
If it wasn’t for the Austrian guarantee, it is estimated that the Tsarist government would have reneged on the loan long ago. The conflict gap between the two sides was buried long ago.
We just have to ……”
Whether using a new feud to cover up an old one will work or not, no one can guarantee it.
This brainchild, however, is still worth pushing. Britannia’s long-standing foreign policy has resulted in them having more than their fair share of enemies.
If the old conflicts could not be suppressed, Britain was the enemy of the world.
Prime Minister Gladstone interrupted, “Sir, your Foreign Ministry’s plan is too whimsical.
There is no denying that Russia and Austria are a threat to us, but this threat only exists in a potential sense and will not explode in the short term.
The international situation is ever-changing, perhaps an ally today and an enemy tomorrow, who knows what will happen in the future?”
After a series of changes, Gladstone found that the most suitable foreign policy for Britain was still “glorious isolation”.
Britain had already gained too much, and what was needed now was to keep the world. Avoiding involvement in continental disputes and appearing as an adjudicator was the only way to continue to maximize.
The London government has made a series of diplomatic blunders, essentially giving up its Channel advantage to become directly involved in continental disputes.
Too much energy and money have been spent on “potential” and “possible” threats.
There is no problem with the policy of continental balance, and there is no problem with the foreign policy of suppressing whoever is powerful. When the two are combined, the problem erupts.
Since the First Near East War, the British government’s foreign policy has been caught in this loop, and has been on the opposite side of the European powers.
Having suppressed the Russians, the French rose up again; having managed to suppress the French, Austria sprang up again; and is now preparing to take on Austria.
It looked as if the British Foreign Office had achieved a brilliant war, and had not been of any substantial use. This kind of suppression of rivals of the day, or a glance can not see the end.
The culprit for this was none other than Britain’s policy of balancing Europe.
In order to maintain the European balance, the London government had no way to knock the enemy to death with a stick. Not only could it not kill, it could not even maim.
In case it accidentally hits hard, the British also have to hurry up and pull a hand, lest there be a situation of one dominant country in the European continent.
Hatred will not disappear because of pulling a hand, and the fact that it does not break out now does not mean that it will never break out.
The rulers of all countries are all human beings, and as human beings, they have weaknesses, so don’t expect everyone to remain sensible forever.
In case a hot-headed guy pops up one day and launches a war of vengeance directly at Britain regardless, the situation that the British government has worked so hard for will immediately go up in smoke.
In this age of utilitarianism, anything is possible as long as there is enough profit.
For example: the hate value is pulled up, and the rulers of Russia, France and Austria suddenly change their minds, and want to complete the clearing of the field before they fight for hegemony in Europe.
Or maybe the three countries realized that no one could do anything about it and simply endorsed each other and headed out together to find meat to eat.
……
Once again, the British government’s foreign policy has changed, and naturally Franz doesn’t know about it anymore, now that he’s still working on post-war recovery in the Near East.
As for the British most worried about Russia, France and Austria to join forces, Franz never took it seriously.
Now Austria is willing to join forces with France and Russia to do Britain, but people are not willing to France and Russia ah!
Austria is at its peak, they are still licking their wounds, this time to join forces, who is the master and who is self-evident.
If you can be your own boss, why should you be a small one?
Unless Austria also fell into decline, or France and Russia recovered, the strength of the three countries in a unified class, it is possible to join forces to divide Britain.
If the strength of the three countries is equal, Franz and dare not join hands with them. This is the strategic location of the decision, as a sandwich must maintain twelve points of vigilance.
Although the British hate, but their policy of continental balance, in the Austrian strength is not enough period, still has a positive significance.
In fact, after entering the modern era, the foreign policies of all countries in the world are full of utilitarianism and variability, focusing excessively on short-term interests.
The British have to pay a considerable part of the responsibility for this change. The geographical position of being alone overseas made the British unscrupulous and profit-oriented.
France and Russia were actually learners from the British, but unfortunately they had no protection from the Straits, and the result of their rigidity was that they got themselves into a mess.
Austria didn’t follow the British example, not because of Franz’s knuckle-dragging, but mainly because of the geographic location.
With the tragic example of the German Second Empire in the original time and space, Franz had to pick up the foreign policy of the Metternich era and tinker with it to be a harmless great power.
Prime Minister Felix: ”Your Majesty, this is the Near East development plan formulated by the government, which is mainly divided into three phases.
What the government is implementing now is the first phase, which mainly consists of two parts, resettlement and main road construction, which complement each other.
According to the plan, the government intends to complete the mainline railroad from Vienna to Baghdad within five years, including two connecting lines to the Middle East Railroad and the Arabian Roundabout Railroad branch line.
In view of the special characteristics of the Near East region, the resettlement of migrants would then follow the railroad lines.
Already, 145 stations have been planned along the railroad line, where migrant towns will be set up, or cities will be established.
Large-scale emigration will begin in two years’ time, and in the short term, emigration will be directed only to the coastal areas, with the direct remodeling of existing cities.
……”
On the whole, the Baghdad Railroad planned by the Vienna government is not much different in essence from the Baghdad Railroad built by the Germans in the original time and space.
The difference is only that the German’s Baghdad Railroad went to Constantinople and the Austrian’s Baghdad Railroad went to the Dardanelles.
The European portion of the railroad has long since been constructed, and the section that needs construction starts at the Dardanelles Bridge and extends all the way to Baghdad.
As for the railroads left over from the Ottoman Empire along the way, they had to be torn down and rebuilt because the track standards were different.
The connection to the Middle East Railway and the Arabian Circular Railway is still only a concept, and these two railroads are also still under construction.
The Middle East Railway construction is relatively early and almost completed, as for the Arabian Roundabout Railway because of geographical conditions, it is estimated that the Baghdad Railway is open to traffic, may not be able to build.
Immigration lag is inevitable, although the Ottoman Empire fell, but the elimination of the guy who occupied the mountain, still need a certain amount of time.
If it is not packed to send away the people on the peninsula, not to mention two years time, even if another five years, there is no way to ensure that the purge of the place.
After receiving the plans, Franz looked at the plans. Without computers, it was all drawn by hand, and beautiful renderings were not to be thought of.
A few lines symbolized the railroad, and there was no doubt that such an important project as the Baghdad Railroad would naturally be a double-track railroad.
The stations along the way, that is a small dot. It is estimated that the specific location of the station, are not finalized.
There is no satellite map, all rely on the manual operation of engineers, there are errors is natural.
Skipping over the fairly beautiful plans, and the long known immigration plan, landing on the final capital budget, Franz brow tightened.
(End of chapter)