Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 581: PresentFuture

With Franz’s single order, the Austrian troops on the front lines sprang into action. Regardless of whether the Ottoman Empire agreed or not, the deportation process began.

In those days, the Ottomans had no human rights, so there was no need for lengthy explanations, and forced expulsion was carried out directly. No one thought there was anything wrong with it, including the embedded journalists, who pretended not to see it.

As for whether those journalists would write the truth afterward, no one could be sure. Anyway, to sell newspapers, all sorts of sensational stories would appear, and journalists back then had only slightly more integrity than their modern counterparts.

As long as most mainstream media didn’t speak on behalf of the Ottomans, that would be sufficient. Small street papers were always quick to produce content based on whatever they could make up.

It wasn’t hard to steer public opinion ahead of time, all it took was money. Trying to control the media completely, though? That was impossible.

In those days, the great powers were always targets of criticism. The more often a nation appeared on the front page, the stronger it was perceived to be. Small countries weren’t worth reporting on.

After futile protests, the Ottoman government chose to quietly accept the reality. Don’t be fooled by the current support from European nations. History shows that they’ve all been enemies in the past.

Preserving the Ottoman Empire was a strategic necessity, but it didn’t mean they were considered friends. Even France, with its historical friendship with the Ottomans, wasn’t about to stand up for them.

In the Prime Minister’s residence on Downing Street, Gladstone frowned and asked, “Are the greedy Russians still holding out?”

The British government was deeply frustrated by the Russian government’s reluctance to sign the armistice agreement. Everyone was busy and didn’t have time to keep circling around the same issue.

Foreign Secretary Maclean said, “The Russian government still hasn’t given up its fantasy of destroying the Ottoman Empire. They seem to be worried that in the event of another Russo-Prussian War, the Ottomans might stab them in the back again.

However, the Austrian government has already compromised, and without Austria’s help, the Russians don’t have the strength to wipe out the Ottoman Empire on their own.

The Russian government is broke, and their persistence will only last a few more days at best, creating some trouble for the Ottomans. Austria has only promised to supply them with military necessities until the end of the year, so the Russians will likely compromise by then.

On the other hand, Austria’s actions in the Middle East are something we need to watch closely. Under the banner of protecting the Holy Land, the Austrian government has announced a 20-year fallow period for the land there, followed by the expulsion of the local Ottomans.

The Austrians did something similar more than ten years ago. They deported the Ottomans and then moved in settlers from their own country, quickly establishing control.

Although the cost is a bit high, the long-term governance costs are low, and for now, it seems to be working well. If nothing goes wrong, Austria will soon have a firm foothold in the Middle East.

Right now, we are too far away from the eastern Mediterranean coast to intervene, so we can only watch the Austrians continue to expand. Occupying Jerusalem is just the beginning, and in the near future, the Austrians will gradually eat away at the Ottoman Empire.

If Austria’s ambitions are realized, they’ll recreate half of the Roman Empire’s territory. We must remain vigilant since if such a giant emerges, it will be a tremendous problem.”

Prime Minister Gladstone wore a worried expression. The international situation was increasingly slipping out of their control. After just being outmaneuvered by the French, now Austria was acting up as well.

This time, the united pressure from European countries forced the Austrians to back down, but what about the next time?

The European countries can’t always stand together, and once their positions start to diverge, it may be impossible to keep Austria in check.

“Are you suggesting that we support the Ottoman Empire, giving them enough strength to defend themselves and dispel Austria’s ambitions?”

Foreign Secretary Maclean nodded, “Exactly. Given the current situation, if the Ottoman Empire doesn’t strengthen itself, it’ll eventually be carved up by Austria and Russia.

Under the joint pressure from France and Austria, our influence in the Mediterranean has been steadily declining, and now it’s time to change that.

If we can hold the Ottoman Empire in our hands, we’ll have more room to maneuver. However, this requires cooperation with the French. Our power alone is not enough to help the Ottomans recover.”

The Ottoman Empire has already decayed to its core. The limited reforms by the Ottoman government are merely temporary fixes, solving one problem by creating another, without addressing the root causes. Reviving its strength will be incredibly difficult.

On top of that, the Ottoman Empire is a multi-ethnic state, and once it collapses, it will fragment into pieces, making reconstruction impossible.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Largo Lloyd added, “Supporting the Ottoman Empire is not the issue. The key is how to ensure that our investment yields return.

Even with the French sharing the risk, this is still a high-risk investment. If the Ottoman Empire falls apart, our investment will be for nothing.

The Ottoman government is already bankrupt, and saving them will require a significant financial commitment, not a small sum.”

Does the British Empire have money? Of course, it does! At this time, they are still the wealthiest government in the world, even surpassing France and Austria.

But having money doesn’t mean it should be wasted, and the Ottoman Empire is a mess. Largo Lloyd doesn’t believe that the Ottoman government can be reborn from the ashes.

Maclean waved his hand, “We don’t have better options left. In the Near East, only the Ottomans have the potential to become a great power. We can’t support the Greeks to counterbalance Austria, can we?”

Supporting the Greeks would be a joke. With a population of only about a million, no matter how much Britain invests, it’s impossible to turn them into a major power.

Prime Minister Gladstone said, “Supporting the Ottoman Empire is fine, but we must strike the right balance. If it becomes clear that it’s a lost cause, we must cut our losses in time.

But what about the French? Right now, the Spanish government is pro-French, stabilizing France’s western front. Once they’ve resolved their internal conflicts, they’ll likely seek to regain dominance in Europe.

With the Austrian government’s pragmatic approach, they may not necessarily clash with the French. If that happens, we could see another wave of large-scale annexations.”

That would be the worst outcome. If major powers are allowed to absorb smaller states unchecked, it would be difficult for Britain to maintain its dominant position.

Maclean shook his head and said, “Prime Minister, you’re overthinking it. Neither France nor Austria will expand externally in the short term.

With the rise of nationalism, the risks of expansion have only grown. France is a prime example. They annexed Italy, but after so many years, they still haven’t fully digested it.

Austria, despite loudly proclaiming its goal of unifying the German states, has been very cautious when it comes to real action. If it weren’t for their continued influence within the German Federal Empire, I’d think they had given up on it altogether.

Even if they haven’t abandoned the idea, the Austrian government’s enthusiasm for unifying the German region seems lukewarm at best.

The new Holy Roman Empire’s political system, though more structured than the previous one, still leaves considerable power to individual states.

The German region has grown accustomed to its state-based political structure, and forcing a change to this model could backfire.

The Austrians have realized this, which is why the new Holy Roman Empire has only centralized some core powers and even altered the voting rules in the Imperial Parliament.

With their size advantage, Austria can firmly control a few key states. But if all the remaining German states were brought into the Imperial Parliament, the balance could shift.

If each state had at least one vote, Austria would lose its absolute majority, leading to a situation similar to the old German Confederation, where a group of small states could band together to limit the power of the central government.

If the rules were changed to prevent this, it could undermine imperial authority. For an emperor, the stability of their throne is far more important than expanding their territory.”

These observations are accurate, especially given the current international situation. However, in a few years, as the power dynamics among nations shift, things might change.

For one, the number of German states has been steadily decreasing over the past century, which is a reality to consider.

Many smaller states have seen their ruling dynasties die out, and their crowns have passed to relatives through marriage, leading to state mergers. The Habsburgs are a prime example of this as Austria was built this way.

In addition to the one-vote-per-state rule, the new Holy Roman Empire’s parliament also had a rule that granted one vote per three million people, which is a tactic Franz preemptively embedded.

Austria’s population is growing rapidly, and as colonies become more integrated and directly governed by the central authority, Austria will still be able to secure more than half the votes, even if many smaller states are added.

However, diplomacy must focus on both the future and the present. If current issues aren’t addressed properly, what future is there to talk about?