Chapter 310: Gatling
In 1859, the British occupied Queensland, and the entire Australia fell under British colonial rule.
Watching helplessly as the British took the Gold Coast, Franz could only sigh in resignation. For Austria, Australia was simply too far away, and they had no means to compete for it.
The only ones in the world capable of challenging the British for Australia were the French, but clearly, Napoleon III had no interest in the continent of exiles.
The French, however, were not idle; they continued to intensify their infiltration of the Kingdom of Sardinia, with most areas bordering France already under French control.
The number of peacekeeping forces was limited, and the troops promised by various countries did not arrive in time; they could only control the Turin region.
As for the French infiltration, apart from the British and their gang of lackeys calling for action, the Russians, who were out of reach, became mere spectators, while the Austrians, busy catching the culprit, turned a blind eye to the actions of the French troops.
The British government was furious, but unfortunately, they were preoccupied with suppressing the Indian rebellion and couldnt spare more resources to intervene.
The French government was indeed pro-British, but that was based on the premise that there was no conflict of interest. The Kingdom of Sardinia, on the other hand, was a juicy target with minimal risks.
Opportunities for expanding territory on the European continent were rare, and Napoleon III might not encounter such a chance again in his lifetime if he missed it.
As for offending the British, the centuries-old enmity between Britain and France was no joke. What more was there to fear by adding another to the tally?
They were just nibbling away now rather than swallowing the entire Kingdom of Sardinia in one bite, already giving the British some face.
While expanding in Europe, the French also intensified their expansion on the African continent, such as invading Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and other regions.
At the end of 1859, Spain, unwilling to be beaten, sent 50,000 troops to invade Morocco, taking Tetouan and approaching Tangier. Under British mediation, the two countries signed the Treaty of Tetouan.
In comparison, Austria was pretty well-behaved this year, although the colonies still expanded a bit, but it was all done in a normal manner, without any major military actions.
Perhaps the most significant move was the frenzied export of immigrants to various countries in the Americas.
First, Marshal Radetzky passed away, followed closely by Metternich, and then Marshal Julius also met his maker.
The funeral for Marshal Radetzky was relatively straightforward; he was highly respected, and there was no opposition to holding a state funeral for him.
Metternich, on the other hand, had a stain on his political career due to the Vienna uprising of 1848, and he had offended many people during his many years in office.
While these people dared not cause trouble while he was alive, many emerged after his death. They found plenty of reasons to argue that he didnt deserve the highest level of state funeral.
Without a doubt, these minor disturbances didnt affect Franzs decision; he forcefully quashed any opposition.
No matter how the government tried to redeem his image, Marshal Julius nickname The Butcher could not be erased. He had slaughtered the rebels mercilessly when he was suppressing the uprising, offending even more people.
After the announcement of the state funeral, there were protests and demonstrations. Undoubtedly, these people misunderstood the situation and were eventually thrown into prison to reflect.
Giving Marshal Julius a high standard of treatment was something Franz did deliberately for everyone to see. The purpose was to tell people that as long as they worked for him, even if they ended up with a ruined reputation, he as Emperor would still protect them.
In this context, those who dared to cause trouble naturally faced misfortune.
Illegal assembly, gathering to disturb public order, disturbing public order, endangering public safety...
This series of charges added up to more than a decade in prison. This was almost equivalent to life imprisonment. Under current conditions, 90% of people would not survive more than ten years in prison.
Those who followed along for the sake of joining the fun would also be criticized and educated, fined, or sentenced if the circumstances were severe.
Receiving money from others, or being financially hired to participate in protest activities, would lead to hefty fines and prison terms of over a year.
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Indeed, there are financial transactions involved in protests. In many protests that fail to attract enough participants, organizers would hire ordinary people to participate.
Franz clamped down hard on such behavior.
Direct provisions were made in the law, imposing fines of a thousand times the illegal profits obtained and sentenced to over a year of hard labor depending on the severity of the offense.
Organizations or individuals who pay for hired participants are subject to a tenfold increase on top of this.
To combat financial consortiums manipulating politics, Franz racked his brains too, constantly adding targeted laws and regulations.
This was a time of harsh crackdowns, and those convicted of less serious crimes were mostly sent into exile. However, those sentenced to more than three years are all required to serve their sentences in the road construction corps.
During this crackdown period, the punishments are indeed severe. If you happened to get caught then you were just unlucky, who told you to make trouble at this time?
Although the constitution hasnt been finalized yet, everyone already knows that any organization or individual with a criminal record will be stripped of their right to participate in politics.
When it comes to combating enemies, Franz doesnt hold back. In these rapidly changing times, if strict order isnt established, Franz seriously doubts that Austria will be able to withstand the challenges.
Maid Jenny said softly, Your Majesty, the armory has delivered another machine gun sample, please take a look.
Franz replied calmly, Very well, arrange for a test firing tomorrow.
The machine gun had already been invented; in 1851, Belgian engineer Gatling designed the worlds first machine gun, but unfortunately, its practical value was too low.
TN: I think the Belgian engineer the author was referring to in this is the Belgian Army Captain Fafschamps who invented the Mitrailleuse in 1851 (with the help of the Belgian gunsmith Joseph Montigny and the Fusnot company) which was considered the worlds first machine gun. Not to be confused with the Gatling gun invented ten years later by American inventor Richard Jordan Gatling.
With the advent of the Gatling gun, Franz immediately took notice and ordered the armory to conduct research and development and improve it.
Over time, it went through four or five generations of updates. Designers racked their brains and came up with over thirty machine gun models of varying designs.
However, out of all these machine guns, not a single one satisfied Franz. Its not that he had high demands; its just that these guns were too disappointing.
How do you use a machine gun that jams when moving? Who can handle a machine gun that weighs one and a half tons? Who can afford a machine gun that costs tens of thousands of guilders?
In short, none achieved the combination of high functionality and low price that Franz had envisioned. These machine guns were of little use for defending fixed positions because they could not turn and could only fire in one direction.
This was the situation with new technological research and development. Without even a reference, everything depended on trial and error. The Maxim gun that Franz had imagined was still nowhere to be seen.
The Gatling machine gun was modified almost to satisfaction and tested in African colonial territories, where it barely met the requirements.
They were not equipped in the army yet, mainly because no other countrys armies had machine guns equipped, and there was no rush since it was still peacetime.
Franz wanted to wait and see if machine guns with better performance would appear. It should be noted that even the lightest machine guns still weighed several hundred pounds and had to be towed by vehicles.
The cost of changing military equipment was extremely high. Many countries had outdated weaponry, not because the government bureaucrats did not know better, but simply because they could not afford to upgrade.
In this era, the iteration of weapons research and development was very fast. Newly equipped advanced weapons could become outdated after just a few years.
If luck isnt on your side, just as you finish equipping, even more advanced equipment comes out.
What to do then?
Not upgrading means falling behind, but upgrading again strains the finances.
Moreover, even if you do upgrade, who can guarantee that even more advanced weapons wont emerge?
In such situations, its a test of everyones judgment.
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