Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1097 - 111: Too Painful to Look Back

Chapter 1097: Chapter 111: Too Painful to Look Back

Vienna Palace was indeed very interested in the smuggling proposal from the Tsarist Government.

Money that came knocking on the door was not to be turned away. Although most of that money had originally been loaned out by them, now earning back each Divine Shield meant one less Divine Shield lost in the future.

If one wanted the Russians to “fulfill their debt”, the Tsarist Government would need to have money. And not to mention the gold-consuming beast that was the Russo-Japanese War, what was crucial was the brewing wave of revolution within the country.

Due to the decrease in population, the social contradictions in the Russian Empire were slightly more alleviated than in the original timeline.

However, this alleviation was limited to the traditional ruling areas. For example: the newly occupied Poland, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, several Khanates in Central Asia, and other regions, where there was never a day of peace.

Nicholas II had inherited a mess, and over the long term, the Russians’ rule over the above-mentioned areas had always followed the traditional feudal model, purely relying on military force to suppress the resistance of the locals.

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If this were one hundred years earlier, such rule naturally wouldn’t be a problem; given enough time, people would gradually grow accustomed to it.

In this regard, the Tsarist Government had rich experience, as the vast territories of the Russian Empire were obtained in this manner.

The regrettable fact was that it was now the 20th century, and the tide of nationalism was sweeping across the globe; traditional feudal rule was increasingly unable to keep pace with the times.

If the Russians could have won the Russo-Japanese War, then so be it. Victory could suppress domestic social contradictions, but if defeat occurred, it would be a different story.

Especially with a hidden hand behind the scenes remotely manipulating things, constantly leading the Russian Empire into the abyss as if they were hoping for its fall.

Well, Franz was clearer than anyone about how deep a pit one’s own hands had dug.

Even if the Tsarist Government could survive a disaster, it would inevitably require a peeling of skin. Other possible complications were temporarily uncertain, but government fiscal bankruptcy was guaranteed.

Bound to lose money, one had to think of a way to lose less. As for “smuggling trade” offending the Japanese, that was not an issue at all.

It wasn’t the first offense; the offense had already been committed during the Philippines war when Shinra took sides with Spain, and now it was just a deeper offense.

In this aspect, Franz had to admire the Meiji Government. They truly exercised the saying “to be able to bend and stretch” to its fullest extent.

Although they were seething with hatred in their hearts, they managed to restrain themselves. Not only did they bow and act subservient openly, but they also refrained from petty retaliative actions in secret.

Effort brought rewards, and the Japanese Government behaved so decently that Emperor Franz, who wished ill on them, felt somewhat embarrassed to make a move.

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In fact, the Shinra Navy had a plan for a real combat drill. Mainly, everyone was hesitant to engage directly with Britannia in war; they wanted to find a somewhat weaker enemy to have a trial run first to boost their confidence.

Regrettably, the Holy Roman Empire just lacked such an enemy.

Other than previously beating up the Kingdom of Sardinia and later attacking the Ottoman Empire, at other times their navy was essentially on the sidelines.

The European continental war was also a good opportunity. Unfortunately, the French Navy was just a bit too strong, and after tentative skirmishes, both sides tacitly chose to settle the conflict on land.

As it turned out, this decision was absolutely correct. Military drills didn’t equate to seeking death; at the time, the strength of the France-Austrian Navy was very close, and a decisive battle would only have been to the benefit of the British.

Then there was no follow-up. In recent years, the Holy Roman Empire had fully lived up to Franz’s declaration of “loving peace” in foreign policy.

Not only did they refrain from waging wars but they also intervened several times in international conflicts, making significant contributions to maintaining world peace.

The navy wanted to find a chance to prove itself, and Franz was supportive of this. The problem was, aside from the mighty Great Britain Empire, there wasn’t any nation willing to accept the challenge, right?

For example, Japan.

The European continental war had just ended. Under Franz’s guidance, the Vienna Government immediately and assertively intervened in the Philippines campaign, even outright taking sides.

They even told the Japanese Government explicitly, “We have just finished the European war and are at our most vulnerable, it is impossible to launch a distant campaign for Spain.”

Unfortunately, the Japanese Government wasn’t fooled and read the “underworld lingo” early on. It was a fact that they could not launch a long-distance expedition, but that didn’t mean Shinra had no capability to interfere.

If they wouldn’t give face, it was still possible to give them a thrashing right at their doorstep in Austrian Nanyang.

The shrewd Meiji Government not only gritted their teeth and accepted the conditions of the Continental Alliance, but even their subsequent retaliatory actions were directed towards Spain, leaving Shinra completely out of the picture.

The Vienna Peace Conference had just ended, and Emperor Franz himself had led the creation of international rules, so there was no way he could slap his own face!

Then the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was formed, and there seemed even less chance of looking for trouble with the Japanese.

It wasn’t just Japan, other countries were the same. Each was so slippery that the Vienna Government never found enough leverage to wage war.

Franz always believed that face was given mutually; since other countries had given face to Shinra, then the Vienna Government must also give face in return.

The only one unwilling to give face, Britannia, just so happened to be the one Shinra Navy couldn’t beat, so the plan for combat training naturally fizzled out.

In the end, the Shinra Navy could only choose to silently concentrate on inner training until the naval technology revolution erupted, and the reshuffling began, only then reaching out for the British maritime supremacy.

Smuggling for the Russians now was clearly not just to make money, let alone about helping an ally.

If it was simply to help allies, then the Vienna Government wouldn’t be supporting the Russians while also selling arms to the Japanese Government.

Although the Vienna Government had officially imposed an arms embargo on Japan, over ninety percent of international land weapon, equipment, and ammunition trades originated from the Holy Roman Empire.

Except for the few countries that had achieved domestic production of weapons and equipment, the remaining countries’ land army equipment was almost entirely dominated by “Austrian equipment.”

Even if not yet dominated, those on the way to being dominated included the Japanese Army, which had an increasingly high proportion of Austrian equipment.

There was no choice, for who would have thought that France, the only competitor, would meet its demise? The countries that originally bought French equipment were all pitifully let down.

A decree from the Anti-French Alliance directly destroyed the entirety of France’s military industry, with Allied Forces dismantling and smashing related mechanical equipment.

Forget about after-sales service for part replacement and repairs; even the ammunition could only be used up without the possibility of resupply.

The stuff in their hands, in the real sense of the term, all turned into firewood sticks, and it was difficult not to switch to large-scale new equipment.

With the modernization of various countries’ land armies, the “Austrian weapons,” already mainstream in the market, quickly defeated many competitors and emerged as the only mainstream equipment in the world.

To this day, in the armies of any country in the world, one could see the shadow of “Austrian equipment.” Even the British Lobster Soldiers were no exception.

“Mainstream equipment” is called mainstream not only because it offers a high cost-performance ratio and a wide application range but also because it’s convenient for maintenance and ammunition procurement.

In any industry once a scale economy effect is formed, it becomes quite difficult for newcomers to break through.

Even if a country cleverly creates a more advanced weapon, it cannot change the overall situation.

Weapon equipment is also about compatibility; only what is most suitable is considered the best, not what is most advanced.

Selling arms to both sides to make money clearly wants to leave Japan and Russia both compromised, in order to profit massively from it.

Internationally, this is more or less an open secret, and basically, all the high-level officials that should know about it are aware, including the Tsarist Government.

Knowing is one thing, but when they need support, the Russians still think first of their “good ally.”

There are no pure creatures in politics; everyone is a creature of interest, and the Vienna Government’s calculations—well, not even death will make the Russians believe there are none.

Compared to those invisible tricks, the Russians still preferred the overt “profiteering.”

After all, most of the Tsarist Government’s money was borrowed from Shinra, and if the Vienna Government wanted to recover the debt, it couldn’t afford to watch them defeated.

In most cases, this judgment posed no problem. When the debt accumulated to a certain extent, it became a scenario of “the debtor calls the shots.”

As long as the Vienna Government didn’t want a default by the Russians to stir up domestic financial markets or even trigger a financial crisis, they would have to lend them a hand.

Unfortunately, this time was an exception, as the Russians had encountered Franz, a freak from the “currency credit era” who simply didn’t give a damn about the money he lent out.

Compared to the fiscal policies of central banks in later eras, which flooded the markets with cash, the Russian debt didn’t seem like such a big deal.

As long as they defeated the British and established the Divine Shield’s dominance as the international currency, even if the Russian debt default triggered a financial crisis, they could learn from the Americans and drag others down to share the losses.

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Looking at the prices noted on the documents, Franz said with satisfaction, “Tell the Russians, as a nation that champions free trade, the Holy Roman Empire opposes all behavior that destroys free trade.

Trade between the Empire and the Far Eastern Empire is not subject to interference by any individual, organization, or national government, and naturally, the Japanese cannot be an exception.

By the way, is the transportation route open? We can’t have an agreement in place and then be unable to trade on time. That would damage our reputation.”

“Smuggling” doesn’t exist. As the world’s hegemon, the Vienna Government always adheres to the rules.

So, “military trade” doesn’t exist either. There is only regular commercial trade between the Holy Roman Empire and the Far Eastern Empire, which has nothing to do with the ongoing Japan-Russian War.

As for how ordinary goods end up as weapons or various strategic materials, that’s a question for God.

Anyone curious about this issue could inquire directly with God Himself, and the Vienna Government might even reimburse the travel expenses.

Compared to the “curiosity” that might arise externally, Franz was more concerned with transportation. The consumption of strategic materials by hundreds of thousands of troops was not an insignificant sum.

If this had occurred inside the Holy Roman Empire, transporting these materials, whether by ship or train, could have been easily managed.

If pressed for time, mobilizing the country’s cargo airships would also solve the urgent need.

However, it was a whole different story in the Far Eastern Empire. Directly delivering goods to the combat zone was clearly unrealistic.

The coastal regions were all in Japanese hands, and even if the Russian Army was still controlling several fortresses, they had no capacity to break through the Japanese blockade and bring the materials back.

To ensure the safety of materials, a detour was essential. The Far Eastern Empire had only a few roads and railways, with most transportation relying on primitive human and animal power.

Taking a detour to the destination could end up being just as far as from Moscow to the Far East. The only advantage was the comparatively better climate, unlike Siberia where just getting there took ages.

Frederick said with a slight smile, “Don’t worry, Father. Arms dealers are far more eager than we are. As soon as the Japan-Russian War broke out, they began to move strategic materials to the Far Eastern Empire.

The government merely facilitated the process by smoothing out the official steps, which wasn’t hard to do.

Both Japan and Russia are the main forces invading the Far Eastern Empire, and there are plenty of people, including some high government officials, who despise the two countries.

They dare not do anything in the open, but they are quite happy to cause trouble for Japan and Russia behind the scenes.

We have already established contacts with local power factions, and with the generous transportation fees we offer, the locals are quite cooperative.

The first batch of materials has already entered the great plains and should be in the hands of the Russians in a month or two.

Although it’s not a huge amount, it should alleviate the Russian Army’s immediate needs. We’ll fill the rest of the order from the nearby Southeast Asia region, and the delivery shouldn’t take more than half a year at most.”

Where there is war, there are arms dealers. The government doesn’t need to organize them; the sheer profits of arms trading alone are enough to continuously draw people in.

When it comes to predicting and estimating war, arms dealers are the most sensitive. Franz even suspected that after the Russian Embassy incident occurred, arms traffickers had already started preparing.

Of course, preparing early would certainly allow one to seize the initiative and capture the biggest piece of the cake; but where there is risk, there is potential loss. If the assessment was wrong and war did not break out, it would indeed be tragic.

Every era has its arms dealers who make a killing, as well as those who lose everything. If one were to rank the top ten high-risk industries, arms dealers would definitely be on the list.

Although the agreement was reached between the Vienna Government and the Russians, the government needed to save face and could not openly engage in smuggling.

The specifics of the trade would naturally be left to the arms dealers, who were to “take the fall.” After all, arms dealers already had a bad reputation, and they hardly cared about adding one more misdeed to their name.

Satisfied, Franz suddenly added, “I’ve heard that the Russian Army’s military discipline is very poor and their relationship with the local residents is terrible, which is extremely dangerous.

Have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warn the Tsarist Government. If they want to win the war and need the cooperation of the locals, they should properly control their military discipline.

If they can’t do it, then this agreement can be voided right now. We can’t deliver supplies to their hands if the locals resist.

That’s what I said, no need to mince words, just convey the message directly.”

What effect this would have Franz was not certain. But a warning was definitely better than no warning at all.

Besides, he as the Emperor had personally issued the warning, so no matter how indifferent the Tsarist Government might be, they could not ignore it.

Frederick did not understand why Franz was being so cautious, but chose to obey nonetheless. After a long period as the regent, he was no longer the youth who questioned everything.

His numerous experiences had taught him that not understanding “why” often meant the question was literal.

Frederick had personally experienced many times when a seemingly ordinary decree was interpreted by those below him to have a myriad of meanings.

If he were to criticize, they would claim to be guiding things for the better. There was no harm done, and in fact, there was a positive societal impact.

At first, Frederick felt a bit out of place, but as time went on, he got used to it.

In his view, Franz’s issuance of a warning to the Tsarist Government meant either the Russian Army’s actions were truly intolerable, affecting the war; or he simply could not stand by and wanted to change the situation.

Both possibilities were likely, yet neither was particularly dependable. If the goal were really to help the Russians win the war, the simplest and most effective method would be to join the Continental Alliance and impose an embargo on Japan.

Just like during the Philippine War, when to force the Japanese Government to withdraw from Southeast Asia, the Vienna Government led a European embargo on Japan.

The latter, too, is unnecessary to mention, as those full of sympathy cannot become great emperors.

One can look to his own uncle as an example, who, due to an excess of sympathy and idealism, was driven out of Mexico.

And this was when the family influence was strong, and the military intervention emerged, deterring local factions. Otherwise, whether he could have left Mexico alive was uncertain.

For this unfortunate uncle who lost his throne, the entire Habsburg dynasty, including Frederick, had little regard.

It was not a matter of propelling someone higher by putting another down; after all, they were already at the top of the food chain and had no need for such meaningless acts.

The main issue was the “loss of money.” To raise funds for the restoration in Mexico, Maximilian I spent years begging from them.

Frederick knew that in his youth, after hearing of his uncle’s tragic experiences, he too was generous in his help.

He donated all of his saved pocket money and even took the initiative to help raise funds.

Money was one thing, and for the honor of the family, Frederick would not be stingy with that bit of pocket change.

He did not expect anything in return, but when money was spent, he wanted to see actual results!

After years without progress, anyone would become resentful. Over time, the good impressions of Maximilian I naturally faded.