Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1099 - 113: Test and Reputation

Chapter 1099: Chapter 113: Test and Reputation

After hesitating for a moment, Franz walked up to the hanging map and tapped it lightly with his hand.

“If Bru is willing, he could go to Veracruz to take up the mayoral position as a test for him.

If he does well, we could increase our support appropriately; if he performs inadequately, then we might as well give up!”

Regardless, his brother’s dignity must be maintained. After decades of living together, Franz had long accepted everything left by the original master.

Though Maximilian was overly idealistic, it did not prevent him from being a good brother. Even if he was making a mess of things, it was only in Mexico and never caused trouble at home.

Franz could certainly afford to grant the position of a colonial mayor, even if the governorship of the Yucatan Peninsula was out of reach.

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Even if trouble arose, Peter would be there to handle the aftermath. Everyone was being tested, so this couldn’t be called setting up his son for failure.

The only difference was that Peter had first served domestically, accumulating a fair amount of experience before he went to govern Central America.

Although Bru had dealt with matters of the Restoration Organization on behalf of Maximilian, his hands-on governing experience was still virtually non-existent.

If he were given a high position directly, that would truly be setting someone up for failure. Political struggles are very complex, and no matter the status, once in position one must face challenges.

Maximilian himself was a negative example, having been too well protected by his mother from a young age, lacking the societal hard knocks that led to his being an idealist.

As a border city and a hotspot for ethnic conflicts, as well as a congregation area for Fief Aristocrats, Veracruz was naturally not in a favorable situation.

If peace prevailed and the city government could operate normally without a mayor, that would defeat the purpose of the test.

But compared to the situation in Mexico, Veracruz’s complex situation didn’t even qualify as “troublesome”; it was hardly worth mentioning.

If he couldn’t handle even this, then there’s no need to discuss further; it would be best to let go early.

Based on the current situation in Mexico, if Maximilian and his son were to declare they’d never return, they might just wake up one day to find that the restoration had been achieved.

No joke, the military forces flying the Royalist flag were no weaker than The Republican Government and they were not without a chance to win.

But these guys were used to being local emperors and, even if they did win the war, they would not welcome the return of Maximilian I.

If a compromise could be reached on this issue, accepting a figurehead for political necessity would not be a big deal.

Of course, knowing his brother as Franz did, not even the threat of a knife to the throat would make Maximilian I yield to such treatment.

Ever since Franz ascended the throne, the good days for the second and third generations of the Habsburg dynasty had ended. As long as one was healthy, every one of them, without exception, had to undergo “hardening”.

Strict family education from an early age was a given, and following the traditions of the Germany Region, after graduating from school, they must serve in the military for two years.

This meant genuine training, not just serving in name only. Every year at the grand military parade, they would appear, and if they didn’t perform well…

After being sufficiently polished, they would then be sent to meet society’s severe challenges for a few years; by the time this whole process was completed, they would be almost thirty years old.

Only then would they have the freedom to choose their career, whether to pursue the military, politics, commerce, or even arts.

The only exception was academic research; upon completing military service, one could enter a research institute without needing the societal education.

Under this educational model, descendants may end up lacking ability, but they will certainly not harbor any idealism.

In a sense, Maximilian also made an outstanding contribution to the educational cause of the Habsburg Family.

Without him as a negative example, it would not have been easy for Franz to convince everyone to accept such family education.

Seeing Franz’s lack of enthusiasm, Frederick comforted him, “Alright, Father. I will go and make the arrangements. I believe Bru will understand your painstaking efforts.”

Franz didn’t care whether his painstaking efforts were understood or not. His years as an emperor had taught him never to try to master the hearts of people, as it would only leave you covered in wounds.

What truly made Franz feel sentimental was remembering the past. There was no helping it—people become nostalgic as they age.

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Domestic affairs were but a minor episode. At the crucial moment of Shinra’s contest with Britannia for supremacy, Franz and his son’s main focus was still on the British.

Unlike any enemy they had faced before, although the adversary did not threaten the foundations of Shinra, they were slippery indeed!

After unifying the Germany Region, the military force of the Holy Roman Empire had reached its historical peak, with both its army and air force being invincible across the world.

Unfortunately, the English Channel stood in the way, which forced them to pit their weakest navy against the British’s most formidable Royal Navy.

Using one’s weakness to overcome an enemy’s strength is not advisable in military history, but there was no choice—the inevitable had to be faced.

From the moment they chose to break off relations, the Vienna Government closely monitored the British intelligence, just as the British Government kept an eye on Shinra.

Both sides dispatched a large number of intelligence personnel, striving to collect as much information as possible about each other, with the only difference being their focus.

The British paid more attention to the construction of Shinra’s warships, while Franz was more concerned with the material reserves of The British Isles, especially essential goods like food.

Franz asked, “What has the British Government been up to recently? They’ve been quiet for so long; this isn’t like them.”

Being “troublemakers” was an inherent label for the British, and even the rise of the Holy Roman Empire did not change the British Government’s nature of stirring trouble everywhere. The difference now was just in the target and extent of their meddling.

Forget about the European Continent—the British Government wouldn’t dare cause issues there, as no one was willing to cooperate.

It was different overseas, though. With a few exceptions, the influence of the Holy Roman Empire abroad paled in comparison to that of the British.

This meant the British Government could gather allies overseas, while the Vienna Government simply aimed lower, merely requesting countries to remain neutral.

Those willing to join the Shinra camp were essentially the leftovers filtered out by the British, those who had to find a backer due to regional conflict and thus turned to them.

The Vienna Government lacked the ability to protect the safety of allies overseas, so the support it could offer was quite limited, and consequently, its demands on allies were low.

Rousing some cheers and raising morale was enough. When it came to fighting, Shinra would definitely not involve everyone indiscriminately.

Correspondingly, after a victorious war, everyone should stop coveting the legacy left by the British.

Of course, these days, aside from the Holy Roman Empire, probably only the Tsarist Government would dare to eye the British’s foundation.

The rest of the countries all had the desire but not the courage. For example, Spain wanted to reclaim the Strait of Gibraltar, yet they dared not take any action.

Frederick laughed, “The higher-ups in the British Government have recently been so busy that they’ve hardly had a chance to touch the ground. They are occupied with healing the pain from withdrawing from the free-trade system and are also busy integrating the domestic industrial system.

It seems like they’ve received a stimulus and are preparing to make an all-out effort. After all, they had to revise their shipbuilding designs to reduce the tonnage of their warships due to a shortage of large shipyards after they announced their shipbuilding plans.

If nothing unexpected happens, the battleships the British build this time will likely have a very touching endurance.”

It was an inevitable result. Reducing the tonnage of warships while ensuring firepower made it necessary to sacrifice other performance aspects.

Decreasing the coal storage and shortening the range was one of the less harmful modification plans.

If a warship’s range is inadequate, it’s no big deal—they can just follow with a supply ship dedicated to servicing it.

Franz nodded, “We’re closely monitoring every move of the British Government, looking out for any peculiar situations. The lack of action now is the greatest scheme.

The British couldn’t possibly be unaware of the industrial gap between the two nations. Even if they had two Britannias, it wouldn’t change the outcome.

Moreover, no matter how they integrate industry, they can’t possibly double their domestic industrial capacity in a short period.”

It wasn’t that Franz was making a mountain out of a molehill; the behavior of the British Government was just too abnormal. Competing in industry with Shinra was something no sane person would do.

What really suited the British was this: take advantage of the Royal Navy’s strengths to deliver a fatal blow during a naval engagement and annihilate the Shinra Navy Main Force.

The industrial strength of the Holy Roman Empire was powerful, and warships could be replenished indefinitely, but experienced naval officers and sailors were limited.

After two or three battles, Shinra would have depleted its reserves. Then, with ships but no one to man them, the Vienna Government would have to sit down for negotiations.

Of course, this was merely theoretical. Naval battles have always been about defeating the enemy; annihilating the opponent was almost impossible.

Without total annihilation, the officers and sailors who escaped would become veterans with combat experience.

After resupplying the fleet with ships and recruits, after a year or so of adjustment, they would be ready for combat again. Regardless of quality, at least the quantity was there.

Moreover, the reinforcements wouldn’t all be new recruits. The Holy Roman Empire Navy was also extensive, with hundreds of various-sized regular warships aside from the main fleet.

The vast majority of regular warships wouldn’t engage in combat. If the main fleet lacked personnel, they could be transferred directly from the regular ships, so they weren’t purely green recruits going into battle.

Besides active-duty personnel, there were also those who had previously retired, who could be conscripted as well.

Let’s do the math—on average, Shinra Navy personnel served for about four years, meaning each year, about 25% of the people retired.

After retiring, they automatically moved to the reserves, with one month of military training each year, typically lasting for twenty years.

Retired officers and sailors represented about five waves of people. Even if a portion were filtered out due to various incidents, at least half could still take to the battlefield.

Unless faced with a continuous succession of annihilating strikes, a gradual war of attrition was something the Holy Roman Empire could afford to fight.

In the original timeline, the Royal Navy faced a personnel shortage during World War II partly because naval funding was tight after World War I, with reserve training overlooked; on the other hand, many warships were needed to escort merchant ships, but there was an adequate number of personnel for capital ships.

The Shinra Navy didn’t need to worry about this. As long as they held the Mediterranean gateway and removed the British nails in the Mediterranean, with the air force blockading the Strait of Gibraltar, British surface warships would dare not enter.

While submarines could enter, the submarines of that era had limited underwater endurance and could mostly operate in the western Mediterranean; they practically couldn’t reach the eastern part.

If Gibraltar were taken, a few destroyers stationed there would ensure the safety of the western Mediterranean.

Theory is one thing; practice is another. Military history is never short of miracles, and before a decisive battle begins, no one knows what might happen.

“When a fierce tiger attacks a rabbit, it still uses all its strength.”

Especially when the opponent is British?

Franz certainly did not want to engage in a decades-long friendly match with the British—that would be lethal.

Something seemed to occur to Frederick, as his expression suddenly turned grim. Frowning, he said, “Lately, our exports of industrial equipment, spare parts, agricultural products, and various kinds of strategic materials have been reaching record highs.

The bulk of the new orders are coming from Japan and Russia. I originally thought this was due to the Russo-Japanese War, but now that I think about it, something seems off.

The amount of exports is too large. For the governments of Japan and Russia to order such quantities of materials, they would have to empty their coffers.

The war is only at halftime, and even if they are desperate, they must reserve emergency funds. What’s more, many of the goods ordered in large quantities are not needed in such large amounts by them.

Combining this with the British Government’s busy consolidation and expansion of industrial capacity, these peculiar orders are very likely placed under the flags of Japan and Russia by the British Government.”

With these thoughts, Frederick instantly found the new trade orders less appealing. Even if a lot of money could be made, this was also tantamount to aiding the enemy!

Just imagine, the materials ordered by the British from Shinra, ultimately transformed into warships and firearms, and then fired back at them—that scene would be truly heartbreaking.

By comparison, Franz was much calmer. This was already not bad, as there were no direct orders of weapons from Shinra. Otherwise, he would truly become a “qualified arms dealer.”

“Send someone to check the related orders. For those that are problematic, detain them all; for those without obvious flaws, delay the delivery as much as possible.

From now on, any export involving strategic materials or related machinery and equipment must be strictly audited.”

Free trade is a double-edged sword. While enjoying the dividends brought by free trade, one must also be constrained by the rules of the free trade system.

Theoretically, before war breaks out, the Vienna Government cannot prevent the normal flow of commercial trade.

Even if they were to stop it, it should have been vetoed at the time of contract filing, not after government approval followed by a change of heart.

Since the British took the lead in withdrawing from the free trade system, other countries have followed suit. Now the free trade system is like a flickering candle in the wind, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

If the Vienna Government were to break the rules, then this system could truly collapse, the kind that couldn’t recover for decades.

After all, once credibility is destroyed, who would still believe in “free trade”? If everyone stops playing, Shinra alone can’t keep it going!

As the biggest beneficiary under the free trade system, the Vienna Government had absolutely no reason to let the free trade system crumble.

After weighing the pros and cons, considering the long-term benefits, Franz still decided to abide by the rules of the game.

Not just for the sake of the free trade system, but also for the allies to see. At this critical moment, it was essential to reassure the subordinates that the leader was credible.

Of course, a direct retraction was not an option, but investigating commercial violations remained possible. Hold accountable whoever was caught, and if unable to do so, then delay the delivery.

After all, it’s just this one wave; even if the British order a plethora of materials, they are but rootless weeds.