Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 264: Environmental Protection is Everyone's Responsibility

Chapter 264: Environmental Protection is Everyone's Responsibility

Vienna Palace

Prime Minister Felix proposed, “Your Majesty, our number of colonies is constantly increasing, and it is necessary to establish a Colonial Ministry specifically to manage colonial affairs.”

After some thought, Franz suddenly realized that Austria had also become a colonial power, at least in terms of colonial territory.

From 1854 to the present day, in just over a year, more than thirty colonial outposts have been established on the African continent, receiving more than 200,000 immigrants.

Among European nations, Austria was the most proactive in developing the African continent. At the time, without a dedicated ministry for administration, it could easily lead to chaos.

After some thought, Franz asked, “We do indeed need to establish a Colonial Ministry. Prime Minister, who do you think would be suitable for this position?”

Prime Minister Felix suggested, “Your Majesty, how about appointing Count Josip Jela?i? as Minister of the Colonies?”

Count Josip Jela?i? was a Croatian. Historically, he was one of the three heroes who saved the Austrian Empire by leading the Croatian militia to suppress the Hungarian revolt.

As time went on, with the promotion of greater national integration, the Austrian government would inevitably have to appoint ethnic minority officials to demonstrate ethnic equality.

In this context, Josip Jela?i?, a loyal supporter of the Empire, stood out.

Franz thought for a moment and said: “Then let Josip Jela?i? serve as Minister of the Colonies. I remember that he made great contributions to the suppression of the rebellion in 1848.

In recent years, he has also performed well in his position as a high-ranking official in Croatia. Whether in road construction or economic development, he has achieved commendable results.”

The cabinet cannot be dominated by Germans indefinitely, as this is not conducive to national unity. In Franz’s view, as long as individuals are loyal and competent, they can be promoted and utilized, regardless of their background.

Josip Jela?i? could serve as an example. In the previous years, when Franz had just come to power, he still needed the support of the German aristocracy and inevitably had to make compromises with them.

Now that Franz’s position was secure, it was no longer a problem to promote individuals as he saw fit.

What surprised Franz, however, was that before he could take any action, Prime Minister Felix voluntarily brought up the matter. This meant that the prime minister would have to bear the pressure of the Austrian aristocracy.

After some thought, Franz dismissed this concern. Prime Minister Felix was now seen by the Germans as a national hero, no longer the butcher of the past.

With this halo, even if the conservative aristocrats were dissatisfied, they couldn’t shake his position.

The better the New Holy Roman Empire developed, the brighter Prime Minister Felix’s halo became, enough to suppress some opposition.

Archduke Louis hesitated to speak, feeling his influence in the cabinet diminish as the reformers took control. As the leader of the conservatives, he found himself increasingly marginalized.

At this time, confronting the emperor would not benefit him. It might even end his political career prematurely.

The Minister of War, Prince Windisch-Grätz, said hesitantly: “Your Majesty, the Sinai Peninsula is nothing but a vast desert. Except for a few nomadic tribes living in the few oases, there is nothing there.

Stationing two infantry regiments there is truly wasteful. The local area can’t even sustain itself, and during the dry season, water sources become a problem.”

It was a headache-inducing problem. In this era, Franz couldn’t afford the luxury of desalinated water to supply the stationed troops.

But to ensure influence in the region, it was impossible without a garrison. The current strength of two infantry regiments had already been reduced several times.

If they didn’t station troops now, once the Suez Canal was dug, it would not be so easy to deploy troops.

Franz asked, “The government will consider the cost issue. Food can be transported from the homeland. I have never thought about self-sufficiency on the Sinai Peninsula. So, the only problem is the water supply, correct?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” replied Prince Windisch-Grätz.

A garrison of thousands of soldiers would consume massive amounts of water resources daily just for eating, drinking, and sanitation. The lack of population growth in the Sinai Peninsula was largely due to the lack of water.

Without addressing this problem, even if there were intentions to deploy large forces, it would not be feasible.

Looking at the map, Franz went on to ask, “Prime Minister, how many indigenous people are there in the Sinai Peninsula?”

After some thought, Prime Minister Felix could not give an exact number and reluctantly replied, “Your Majesty, the Egyptians have not conducted a census of the nomadic tribes on the island. We can only estimate that there are about thirty to fifty thousand people.”

When Franz heard this number, he smiled.

“The water problem is easily solved. As far as I know, the locals mainly raise camels and sheep for a living and rarely grow crops.

These livestock are major consumers of water resources. If the hundreds of thousands of livestock on the island were to disappear, then everyone’s concern about water would no longer be an issue.”

Prime Minister Felix reminded: “Your Majesty, these livestock are the livelihood of the local people. If they’re not allowed to raise livestock, I’m afraid the locals will have no means of livelihood.”

Franz, with a solemn expression on his face, replied, “It’s not a big deal, it’s just a few tens of thousands of people. We can ask the Egyptian government if they are willing to take them in. If they refuse, we can resettle them in West African colonies.

Once the locals have all left, the water resources used by these tens of thousands should be enough for our two regiments of soldiers.

The natural environment of the Sinai Peninsula has already been devastated beyond recognition by the locals. Historically, this place was once shaded by green trees, and cattle and sheep covered the fertile land.

If we don’t protect it now and let them continue their destruction, it won’t be long before the local ecological balance collapses. The once beautiful Sinai Peninsula will become a wasteland.

By relocating the local population, prohibiting agricultural production, and banning livestock, we can conserve the region’s precious water resources.

Our stationed troops can use their free time outside of training to plant trees and grow grass on the island, constantly expanding the oasis area and doing their part to beautify the earth.”

At that moment, Franz seemed to have become an environmentalist. He emphasized that the relocation was not just to solve the water supply problem for the stationed troops!

Hundreds of thousands of livestock were significant water consumers, depleting a significant amount of water resources each year.

If this precious fresh water was used for afforestation instead, it could easily increase the forested area by dozens of square kilometers each year. If it were used to grow grass, the increase would be even greater.

Although it seemed negligible now, this was a virtuous cycle! Theoretically, hundreds of years of such efforts would complete the desert oasis plan for the Sinai Peninsula.

Seeing an opportunity, Archduke Louis applauded enthusiastically, “Your Majesty, your words make perfect sense. For the sake of the natural environment of the Sinai Peninsula, we must take immediate action.”

Of course, no one would disagree with Franz’s proposal. The development of the African continent required a huge population. Relocating and dispersing the population of the Sinai Peninsula would kill two birds with one stone.

Of course, it would be even better if the Egyptian government would be willing to accept these people, thus saving the Austrian government some money.

Finance Minister Karl said with a pained expression, “Your Majesty, let’s put aside the issue of immigration from the Sinai Peninsula for the time being!

The refugees we have accepted in Dalmatia have not all been transported over yet. Blindly increasing immigration now would place too much logistical pressure on the colonies.

Last year, the net loss of our colonies was 588,000 guilders, and this year, the net loss is expected to exceed 1.2 million guilders. Quickly turning losses into gains is our top priority.”

There was no choice; Austria’s colonial activities were currently in a net investment phase. It would take time for the colonies to enter a production phase to reap returns.

In the current African colonial outposts, aside from establishing local farms, the only options were fishing and hunting to supplement food shortages.

The lumberyard is already under construction, but due to attacks from local indigenous tribes, it is currently being cleared and cannot be put into production in the short term.

As for the so-called cotton plantations, rubber plantations, coffee plantations... all are in the planning stage, with capitalists and nobles sending people to inspect.

In the short term, these industries won’t be profitable; if they don’t find mineral resources, it’s difficult to break-even within three to five years.

This was also the reason why nations were unwilling to invest in colonies. The return on investment was too long. It was better to find colonies with gold and silver mines to develop, or to exploit the natives directly.

It was a difference in management philosophy. Franz’s development of the African continent was primarily to solve domestic resource shortages and reduce emigration.

Although the African colonies had only recently been established, more than 30,000 people had voluntarily joined the migration effort due to its promotion by the Austrian government.

These people are the main force in the development of the African continent. Now, anyone who signs up can be employed by the government, receive double the salary of the locals, and even serve as a low-ranking official in the colonial government.

If they wanted to get rich, they could join the pioneer teams. All the spoils of wiping out the native tribes were kept by the members. They could also collect bonuses for completing their tasks.

Franz said confidently, “Don’t worry. Our colonies in Africa are still in a primitive state and have never been developed. According to geologists, alluvial gold deposits are very likely to occur along river banks. There are also traces of gold in collected river sand, with a high probability of the presence of gold mines.

As long as we discover a large gold mine, all our investments will be recouped, and we’ll also have vast, fertile lands that will ensure substantial profits.”