Chapter 337: An Open Conspiracy
On October 11, 1862, the Kingdom of Prussia launched its first ironclad warship, the Frederick, with King William I personally presiding over the ceremony to demonstrate their commitment to developing the navy.
They were truly determined. Seeing neighboring Austrian nobles making fortunes in overseas colonial ventures, the Junker nobles couldnt help it.
Especially the younger generation, who had long been dissatisfied with the governments conservatism. Its worth noting that Austria had only been opening overseas colonies for less than a decade, yet already possessed territories five to six times the size of its own territory.
Many people optimistically believed that by joining the colonial movement, they could quickly get rich, earn noble titles, and reach the peak of their lives.
The future of the world lies in the oceans who first said this cannot be reliably traced, but it has gained widespread recognition in European society.
At the onset of overseas colonial expansion, Franz also contributed to the promotion of this theory, which has now become widespread in the German region.
The ironclad was recognized as a naval technological revolution. Within just a few years of its introduction, naval powers such as Britain, France, the United States, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands all constructed their own ironclads.
Now that the Kingdom of Prussia finally has its own ironclad, many people are celebrating. Only the top echelons of the government understood the gap between their ironclad and those of the major naval powers.
After all, they were like ducks out of water. For a long time, the Prussian navy had been a marginal presence, mostly serving as a coast guard, even inferior to neighboring Denmark.
The grandiose promotion of the ironclad warship is still aimed at boosting morale. After all, in recent years, the Kingdom of Prussia has faced significant challenges in its development, and the people need good news.
William I inquired with concern: How is the navys training going? When can we begin establishing overseas colonies?
Roon, the Minister of War who also served as the Minister of the Navy, changed his expression and replied with a wry smile, Your Majesty, our navys foundation is too weak. Before the expansion, the Navy had only around 1,300 officers and soldiers, including all the civilian personnel in the Naval Department.
It will take at least two to three years to develop combat effectiveness. Of course, if the enemy is just indigenous people, these wont be issues.
Roon continued to serve as both the Minister of War and the Minister of the Navy, which was a compromise among various factions. Despite the nobles desire for the benefits of overseas colonial expansion, they were unwilling to relinquish control over the military.
Having the army lead the navy posed no problems, as the navy personnel were all directly transferred from active army units. They even skipped establishing a Marine Corps; they are absolutely the strongest navy in land warfare, second to none.
Roon, who had initially led the army reform, tragically found himself leading the development of the Prussian Navy. While in other countries, inexperienced leaders may lead experienced ones, here, he was essentially an amateur leading a bunch of rookies.
Previously, the Prussian Navy was just the coast guard of the Kingdom of Prussia, with its normal duties being to crack down on smuggling activities.
Now, with the addition of thousands of army personnel, it became even more amateurish. From top to bottom, they were all amateurs, and Roon naturally felt immense pressure.
The Navy is not the army, you cant just train for a few months and then go into battle. Even for ordinary sailors, it takes years of training.
Clearly, Roon realized this only after delving deeper into the matter. The upper echelons of the Prussian government still had an army-centric mindset. This includes William I who had yet to fully grasp the difference between the army and the navy, or else he wouldnt have asked such a question.
William I asked in surprise, It takes that long? Then how did the Austrians expand their navy? Or is it that their officers and sailors are simply not properly trained?
Indeed, the Austrian Navy has expanded rapidly in recent years. Since 1850, the tonnage of the Austrian Navy has increased several times, propelling them to become the worlds third-largest naval power.
Roon explained, Your Majesty, although the Austrian Navy has traditionally operated in the Mediterranean with a relatively low profile, they actually have very solid naval foundations, especially in Venice, which has a strong maritime tradition.
They possess a complete system for inheriting naval technology and cultivating talent. During the Metternich era, naval development was neglected, which led to the Austrian Navy fading into obscurity. Now that the Austrian government has begun to prioritize it, they have quickly caught up.
In reality, the rapid development of the Austrian Navy also involved luck. During the era of sailing ships, naval technology had reached a bottleneck, and even British technology wasnt significantly superior to that of other countries.
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With the advent of the ironclad era, sailing ships were directly phased out, and past experiences and technologies became obsolete, necessitating a fresh start.
In a sense, now is the easiest time for other countries to catch up with the British. After all, the technology of ironclad ships is still in its early stages of development for everyone, and the gap hasnt reached a despairing level.
After hearing this explanation, William I sighed. He had initially thought that Britains century-old naval dominance was just propaganda, but now he realized it was true.
If there were no foundations, establishing a powerful navy from scratch would require decades, if not a full century.
Not long ago, the Austrians proposed to us a joint venture for the development of Southeast Asia. This is a rare opportunity.
If the cooperation goes smoothly, we can directly utilize the Austrian colonial outposts to obtain supplies and establish our first colony in the Southeast Asian region.
Logistical supply is also an obstacle set by colonial empires for newcomers. While everyone welcomes ships from various countries for supplies, obtaining supplies for naval warships requires prior communication.
If its just about visiting other countries, its easy and everyone is willing to do business. But if you want to establish overseas colonies, in-depth communication is needed.
In any case, dont expect to get help from others without paying a sufficient price.
This is quite inconvenient for latecomers, as establishing overseas colonies is not feasible if everything must be shipped from the homeland. Procuring locally is the best way to reduce costs.
To obtain logistical support, Austria signed agreements with Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, promising not to seek their colonies in any way, thus gaining everyones understanding.
Franz has already fulfilled these agreements. In overseas colonial activities, Austria did not seize any countrys colonies, only claiming unclaimed territories.
Now the Kingdom of Prussia faces the same issue. If the problem of logistics supply cannot be resolved, the cost of colonization could directly cause anyone to despair.
Signing a similar agreement? Dream on. The Kingdom of Prussias political influence is waning, so why should anyone give them face?
In this world where fists do the talking, with the strength of the Prussian Navy, the various countries simply disdain to pay them any heed. Even the Portuguese could wipe out the Prussian navy two or three times over.
Especially with the army directly transitioning to the navy, it has become a joke in Europe. Many dont even believe Prussia is developing its navy; many newspapers directly ridicule the Prussian navy as an army fleet.
Roon asked with concern, Your Majesty, what do we need to give in return?
Theres no such thing as a free lunch, and if it did fall from the sky, it might be dangerous. Roon didnt believe Austria would help Prussia without something in return; such a big favor certainly wouldnt come without strings attached.
William I sneered and said, They still see themselves as the big boss in Germany, ready to recruit us, their little brother, as a thug.
Various powers are gathering in Southeast Asia. In recent years, Austria has expanded its influence too much, and the resources available for the Southeast Asian region are limited.
To ensure their interests in Southeast Asia, the Austrian government has invited us and the German Federal Empire to join.
Of course, they also have the intention of courting our domestic nobility. That little brat Franz talks about a unified Germany every day, as if afraid others might not know.
This is an open conspiracy, and even if William I knows the bait might be poisoned, he would still swallow it.
He cant avoid opening overseas colonies just because of potential hidden dangers, can he?
This is not the first or second time Austria has tried to win over people in Prussia. In recent years, over 150,000 Prussian immigrants have entered Austrian colonies.
Many Prussian overseas colonial teams are now affiliated under the Austrian flag. If these people had not defected to Austria, the Austrian government would have been crazy to shelter them.
William I is aware of the crisis. Hes very concerned that if things continue like this, he might be betrayed by his subordinates at any time. Bavaria serves as a good example.
After joining Austria, Bavaria has developed quite well. This traditional textile center in Germany has once again flourished.
To resolve the issue of industrial raw material supply, the Austrian government has even opened cotton plantations in West Africa.
In contrast, Baden, which remained in the German Federal Empire, has tragically declined. As another center of the cotton textile industry in Germany, it gradually declined due to an insufficient supply of raw materials.
With the power of this example, William I has no confidence in his subordinates. He does not even dare trust the Junker nobles.
After all, a change in leaders does not change the fact that nobles are nobles and capitalists are capitalists. Their core interests will not be harmed, and they may even gain more.
To prevent the worst from happening, William I has to find a new way out, or sooner or later, Prussia will be swallowed by Austria.
William I was not willing to engage in political games with the Habsburg dynasty as it was not his forte.
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