When the Near East War broke out, other parts of the world were not peaceful, and Britain, France and Russia started fighting, which made Americans far away from the ocean feel that the opportunity has come.

First, Cuba caused trouble, but the tentacles were cut off by the Spaniards, and they were disappointed. They were warned by Britain and France, so they had to continue to retreat and pretend to be grandson.

However, the Americans still did not give up. In July 1853, the Americans created a black ship incident in Japan, threatening and forcing the shogunate government to accept their conditions and signed the "Japan-US Treaty of Kanagawa".

According to the feces and urine properties of the great powers, it is naturally impossible to see the Americans taking over the interests of Japan alone, so everyone joined the group, and Britain, France and the Netherlands took the lead in entering the market, forcing the shogunate government to sign similar treaties.

The news reached Vienna, which allowed the Austrian colonists to see the opportunity and wanted to take the opportunity to join in. The Vienna government is discussing whether to take advantage of the situation.

Prime Minister Felix said, "Your Majesty, Japan is too far away from us, and we have little interests there, so there is no need to spend too much energy.

Now our focus is on developing the country, especially in the South Germany. Instead of taking action in East Asia, it is more in our interest to penetrate the German Federal Empire."

Navy Secretary Fircos opposes: "His Excellency Prime Minister, we do not need to pay much for action in the Near East. The Dutch can force the Japanese government to compromise. It is not difficult for us to obtain the same benefits.

Now the Japanese government is already a frightened bird and dare not reject our proposal at all.

Even if diplomatic measures fail, we have an agreement with the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal that we can obtain supplies from their colonies and send a fleet to Asia to deter Japan."

Austria did not do anything to open up overseas colonies. Signing overseas port supply treaties with the declining colonial empire was one of the measures, and the price was that Austria could not plot overseas colonies of various countries.

In the short term, it is a blank check. Austria has no overseas colonies in its hands, but no one suspects that Austria has the strength to open up overseas colonies.

According to convention, the entry of emerging empires will inevitably seize the sphere of influence of the old empire. The Vienna government releases goodwill and is willing to live in peace, so naturally everyone will not object.

Metternich analyzed: "There are many countries that are eyeing Japan. Now that they have opened their doors, everyone will flock to it.

In fact, the Russians had long had plans to colonize Japan. If the Near East War had not broken out, it would have been better for the Americans to take the lead.

Under the current international situation, it is not a big problem for us to join and get a share of the pie, but if we want to gain greater benefits, we must send a naval fleet."

The Austrian navy was not very good, even after Franz took office, he made some expansion.

However, the strength and weakness are compared. Compared with the two naval powers of Britain and France, it is not worth mentioning. There is naturally no pressure on Japan that bullies this era.

However, this does not become a reason for Austria to send naval fleets to the Far East. The key is still to rely on interests.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz made a decision: "The Far East is not the focus of our expansion. Even if we are colonizing overseas, we must avoid conflicts with European countries as much as possible.

Now everyone should focus on the land without a border. It doesn’t matter if it’s desolate at all. It’s just as if it’s accumulated experience at the beginning.

What we should do now is to send more expedition teams to detect land that has not been occupied by various countries. As long as it is a region that is easy to rule, we can take it down and practice, and there is no need to pursue immediate interests too much.

On the issue of Japan, follow the steps of various countries and get some of our benefits without continuing to expand.”

Franz said this easily on the surface, but in fact he was bleeding deep inside. He finally caught the last train of the colonial empire, but due to the strength of the navy, he could only pick up some British and French leftovers.

If you don’t know how to snatch fat, let alone Britain and France, you probably won’t be able to save Austria.

Overseas colonization is not only about strength, but also about the methods of rule. As a newcomer, these old empires do not need to interfere with force. Just dig a hole and you can make your compensation reach the bottom.

Including the fact that Americans seized the Philippine Islands in history, seemingly winning, but in fact they know their own hardships. The rich land in the hands of the Spanish became money-lossing goods when they were in their hands.

This is still the wealthy Philippine Islands. If they were replaced by a remote area, they would probably lose even worse.

Colonial rule also depends on the cost. If you have no experience in colonial management, if you blindly join the colonial army, you will be ready to lose your life!

In contrast, Franz is more willing to go to an unmanned island to plant the national flag, and send a few soldiers to garrison to claim sovereignty, and don’t worry about someone robbing it.

Of course, this kind of island has either bad geological conditions or is too small. Don’t expect much benefit. At most, it can only be used as a resource reserve area.

Navy Secretary Filcos proposed: "Your Majesty, we have been developing on the European continent and have not made any sound in the world, which is very unfavorable for us to open up overseas colonies in the future.

It’s better to organize a naval cruise around the world, visit countries around the world, and find opportunities to take some borderless lands as our first step toward Europe.”

Almost every rise of maritime power is inseparable from a large-scale naval battle. Obviously, Austria does not have such an opportunity and cannot find such a stepping stone.

Britain and France cannot win at all, and they still cannot win after 20 years of development. Franz doesn't want to commit suicide and has no intention of challenging the maritime overlord.

It’s a pity that the rest of the countries are not worthy of Austria’s challenge. Just look at the map and you will know that everyone can’t reach it at all and there are not enough conflicts of interest.

Unless you beat the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Navy once ranked fifth in the world in history, barely enough.

But according to the current situation, Franz is very suspicious whether the Ottoman government still has the money to build such a fleet.

If you don’t have a suitable opponent, you can only take another path. Anyway, Austria is an old empire and there is no need to determine the status of the great powers through war. It is already on the court, so why bother to grab the ticket?

As a civilized man, Franz hates war. In his opinion, war means risks. A madman who rashly provokes war without sufficient benefits will definitely not be able to survive in this era.

The proposal of the Navy Minister is actually based on the international political environment. Since Austria adopts a conservative colonial strategy, it is very important to deterrent force.

Even if you can't scare Britain and France, you must at least show your strength to shock other countries, so as not to encounter unnecessary trouble when colonizing overseas.

Historically, Americans established their maritime power through a global voyage that showed off their might.

Whether it is feasible or not, the prerequisite is that the Austrian Navy has the strength. Franz is very suspicious of this point. It is not that simple to travel across the ocean, and it is still challenging to travel around the world in this era.

If an accident occurs in the middle and fails to show off, he will become a fool, and the fun will be great at that time. The Austrian Navy does not have the experience of the global industry, and whether warships can be eaten is a question.

If a warship fails in the middle of the journey, where will it be repaired? How can the ocean industry obtain logistics supplies? How can naval officers and soldiers bear long-term sea life? All these issues must be considered.

Franz asked directly: "Filcos, are you sure our Navy can do this and will not make international jokes?"

It is of great importance, and Filcos naturally cannot guarantee it. Not to mention the Austrian Navy, even the British and French Navy cannot guarantee it. There will be no problem in conducting a global voyage.

Filcos encouraged: "Your Majesty, this is a medium-term strategic concept, and it is definitely not possible to do it at the beginning. We can first choose an ocean-going route to accumulate experience, and then conduct global circumvention when the time is ripe.

Moreover, our Navy Department is not unprepared. In order to narrow the gap in strength with the British and French naval powers, the ironclad ship technology we independently developed has matured.

We have placed an order and expect the first ironclad ship to enter the Navy within two years.

Such epoch-making warships will surely rewrite the history of naval warships and eliminate the naval warships of all countries today."

As a catching up, if you want to gain an advantage in the navy, the best way is to promote technological innovation, eliminate old warships, and let everyone be on the same starting line again.

Historically, the outbreak of the German Navy was due to the advent of the dreadnoughts, which allowed them to see the opportunity to chase the British.

The Austrian Navy is no exception. If sailing warships are developed to chase Britain and France, no one will have this confidence, and the gap between them is too big.

Since Franz proposed the concept of ironclad ship three years ago, it has attracted the attention of the Austrian Navy. After careful research by shipyard engineers, it was found that ironclad ships are theoretically feasible.

Since it is feasible, research and development will naturally be carried out. In recent years, most of the increased military expenditure by the Austrian Navy has been invested in the research and development of warships, and now it is finally about to bear fruit.

No matter how many sailing warships the British and French had, once the ironclad ships were released, these warships would be eliminated.

Blockade technology is impossible. In this era, the navies of various countries are only missing a breakthrough in concepts from ironclad ships, and there are no major technical problems.

During this period, the French Navy also embarked on the development of ironclad ships. After the British obtained information on the French ironclad ships, they also had similar plans in 1856.

Of course, it will definitely take time from research and development to final service. The adoption of new technologies cannot be smooth sailing. Even if the research and development starts a few years in advance, Franz is not sure who can build an ironclad ship first.

What he asked was to build an iron-clad ship, not an iron-clad ship covered with a layer of iron sheet outside the warship. If it were just added with a layer of iron sheet, it was released hundreds of years ago and there would be no need for research and development.

Prince Wendyschgratz asked: "Iron Craft? Mr. Filcos, are you sure that the iron warship will not sink after being installed with cannons, and can still run?"

This is the view of most people. Many people's first impression is that they must sink. Iron-clad ships must be much heavier than wooden warships. In addition, artillery, ammunition, personnel, etc., it is a question whether they can run.

Filcos said dissatisfiedly: "Your Highness, please do not question my professionalism. If it is the same tonnage, the ironclad ship will definitely not be heavier than the wooden warship due to its own weight.

However, wooden warships are limited by raw materials. Nowadays, the technology of various countries is only to build warships with a displacement of more than 4,000 tons, but ironclad ships do not have this restriction.

We can make up for this small problem by amplifying the tonnage of warships.

The armor of the ironclad ship can block the enemy's artillery attack. Even if it is a 48-pound cannon, it will only cause it a little trouble at most.

And because the hull of the ironclad ship is more stable, we can also equip explosive bomb cannons to deal with sail warships as long as they hit the vital point, they can solve the enemy with one shot.

The ironclad ship uses steam engine power, so there is no need to worry about speed. You can refer to the steamship.

On the battlefield, an ironclad ship can easily kill more than a dozen sailing warships."

These are the advantages of ironclad ships, and their disadvantages are naturally the surge in costs. Filcos will naturally not say these problems.

Anyway, as long as Austria wants to colonize and expand, it will be impossible for the cabinet to give up after seeing the power of the ironclad ship.

Prince Wendyschgratz continued: "Sorry, Filcos, I'm not questioning your profession. I'm just a little confused. Iron-clad ships have so many advantages, so why don't other countries build them? Is our shipbuilding technology the world's number one?"

Filcos said confidently: "Your Highness, this statement is not accurate. It is not only us who are interested in the ironclad ship.

As far as I know, the French have similar designs, but they have not started to be implemented yet.

Both Britain and France have a large number of sailing warships. Once the era of ironclad ships arrives, all of their warships will be eliminated.

This is not only an economic loss, but more importantly, most of their naval advantages have been lost, and everyone has to work hard on the same starting line.

Therefore, even if they have plans in this regard, they must weigh the pros and cons. Radical promotion of shipbuilding technology innovation will bring not only benefits, but also disasters.

As latecomers, we do not have this pressure. Because without overseas colonies, our navy is far from comparable to them.

Even if we push them all down and start over, we will take advantage of it. In fact, only two ironclad ships are needed now to match the total tonnage of the Austrian Navy.”

Chancellor Carl exclaimed: "What? The displacement of an ironclad ship actually exceeds 10,000 tons. How much does it cost?"

There is nothing strange about it. In this era, naval warships are not large, and the total tonnage of the Austrian navy is only a little bit.

The Chancellor was surprised not by the large warships, but by the professional reaction, how much does it cost to build such a warship?

Filcos said calmly: "Not that much, I just exaggerated a little bit, and the displacement of the ironclad ship is only eight or nine thousand tons.

Only after the specific data is built will you know that you all know that the role of the new technology is full of uncertainty, and it is acceptable to have a slight error in the final displacement.

The cost is indeed a little higher than that of ordinary warships, but the excellent performance of the ironclad ship is still worth this price. With the addition of weapons and equipment, it will only be more than three to four million shields, which will not exceed five million.

This is the first ironclad ship, and many technologies require experimentation. When the construction quantity is too high, the cost will be reduced."

A warship plus weapons and equipment accounted for one-third of the Navy's annual budget. Franz knew that the era of Navy's money-burning era was coming.

If you use this money to build sail warships, you can build five or six first-class battleships, which will inevitably bring greater financial pressure to the colonial empire.

Everyone fell into deep thought and began to weigh the pros and cons, whether to provoke a new round of naval arms race.
Chapter completed!