Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 624: 197. Political Art

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The French government’s energy was far greater than that of a few capitalists. Once they received authorization from the Paris Government, Envoy Tom’s confidence surged.

In less than a month, he had obtained the Panama Canal rights from the Colombian Government, paying merely an aid package in return.

It was mainly military supplies; the main reason the armed forces within Colombia did not engage was due to external pressure.

Everyone feared the outbreak of a civil war that could provide an opportunity for others to take advantage, causing the country to once again fall into colonial rule.

This fear particularly concerned neighboring Austria, as the Austrian Central American Colony already possessed military forces threatening their existence.

Given the precedents set by other Central American countries, the Colombian Government was even cautious about European immigration, lest their power be toppled from within.

With its population already sparse and hesitant to widely welcome European immigrants, Colombia’s economic development was naturally slow.

Now, by granting the Panama Canal rights to the French, besides seeking material aid, they also intended to balance Austrian power.

These were minor issues; France and Austria hardly took Colombia seriously. To maintain a balance, one must also be capable of control, or face backlash.

If the Panama Canal were already navigable, then for the sake of interests, France and Austria might indeed come into conflict. Unfortunately, the canal only existed on paper at that time.

It was implausible for two great powers to clash over potential benefits. Plainly put, digging a canal needed certain conditions to be met, and if the geological conditions were unsuitable, it would not be surprising if the canal couldn’t be constructed.

Everyone was highly pragmatic, considering events ten or twenty years in the future was already visionary.

Considering what might happen a hundred years later is mere nonsense. With the world changing so rapidly, who could predict the future?

The price offered by the French was appealing, and the Vienna Government did not interfere.

The establishment of the Canal Company went smoothly, with President Nino, the scapegoat, energetically organizing personnel for the survey of the terrain.

At the Panama Canal Company Headquarters in Paris, preparations were already underway for listing the company to raise funds. There were neither exploration reports nor design plans, yet the listing plans had already been released.

This was no joke but rather the reality. In the face of profits, these procedures are unimportant; capitalists have their ways to skirt around them.

There are many such swindles in the capital markets; the success or failure of a project is irrelevant as long as there is money to be made.

Nino did have some capacity, or else he wouldn’t have become the scapegoat. Looking at the survey report in his hands, President Nino began to feel a headache coming on.

The Panama Straits belong to a tropical marine climate, with plentiful rainfall and loose soil.

Purely from a construction standpoint, loose soil might seem beneficial, allowing easy excavation. However, for canal construction, it spelled disaster.

In President Nino’s view: "Abundant rainfall + loose soil = landslides + silt." This implied not only a rise in construction costs but also future operational costs.

Beyond that, the local jungles were teeming with poisonous insects and diseases frequently broke out, posing serious hurdles for canal construction.

"Dead men" did not concern President Nino. With the Suez Canal as a classic example, he was well aware that the Panama Canal might not come to fruition without tens of thousands of lives being lost.

The Panama Straits seemed narrower, a mere 61 kilometers, only slightly over one-third of the Suez Canal, yet the construction challenges were, in fact, greater.

Upon preliminary evaluation of the incomplete data at hand, Nino reluctantly arrived at this conclusion he least wanted.

Secretary Ralph reported solemnly, "President, the embassy just informed us that the Colombian Government, citing a shortage of labor, has refused to provide us with workers."

Everyone knew that digging the canal would result in high casualty rates, and the death of hundreds of thousands of laborers in the construction of the Suez Canal was no secret among the upper echelons.

Naturally, the Colombian Government had heard of this, and the Egyptian Government had fallen into this very pitfall, which left its people in dire straits and allowed the French to take advantage of Egypt’s vulnerable state.

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The population of Colombia is too small, it’s simply impossible for them to supply hundreds of thousands of laborers.

Conscripting native laborers is one thing, but if they dare to use white people as laborers, it’s estimated that before enough workers are gathered, there would already be chaos within the country.

Nino frowned, "Contact the embassy, have them continue to communicate with the Colombian Government. No matter what, we must have them provide a batch of laborers for emergency use.

The board of directors is trying to find cheap labor, just to get through the initial phase of the project. After that, we won’t be needing them."

There’s no way around it, there are too many pitfalls these days, and investors are not easy to deceive. We must start construction earlier, so we can go public sooner and raise money.

How can a project on paper compare with one that’s already underway? The Panama Canal Company’s stock prospectus has been exaggerated to the skies, with the board of directors urging me to start construction every day.

Secretary Ralph: "Yes, President."

Just as he was about to leave, Nino added, "Wait, report the survey data we have in hand to the board of directors.

Remember, omit the part about the potential outbreak of diseases. Even the local area could experience diseases—remarks like that are something shareholders wouldn’t want to see."

Without conducting a cost analysis, Nino was also aware that the canal plan had already exceeded the original cost estimates. It’s simply a pipedream to attempt building a canal with just a third of the Suez Canal’s funds.

It was not easy to become the person in charge of this project, and Nino did not want to see the canal plan fall through. If he missed this opportunity, he might never have the chance to advance further in his lifetime.

The best strategy is to get the canal project started. Once more funds are invested, capitalists would be reluctant to give up and would have no choice but to continue, regardless of the difficulties.

As for offending the powerful figures behind the scenes, Nino was not worried at all. The Panama Canal Company was going to be listed for fundraising, and those costs could be shifted onto the investors.

It’s normal for work to have flaws, and as long as there’s a hefty return for everyone, nothing is a problem.

Nino was full of confidence in the Panama Canal project, believing that he could recoup the investment within ten years once the canal was operational.

That’s just the visible profit. The hidden earnings would likely be several times the revenue from canal tolls. Such lucrative returns would be enough to quell any resentment among the shareholders.

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In London, Prime Minister Benjamin was worrying over the war report, already bracing for what tomorrow’s newspapers would say.

The Opposition Party would surely seize the opportunity to create trouble and strike at the government’s prestige.

This is how everyone operates: work hard while in power, implement their political ideas, and grab whatever benefits they can; and when out of power, do everything to undermine the competition.

In a Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin threw the telegram onto the table: "This is a plea for help from that useless Ismail. The war has just begun, and we’ve lost one fifth of our troops, including a whole Army corps that has been crippled.

As for the results, they are truly glorious, annihilating two hundred thousand of the enemy.

I would rather believe the sun would rise from the west than believe this report is true. If they’ve annihilated two hundred thousand of the enemy, why the need for reinforcements? Does the enemy have several million troops?"

Exaggerating the enemy’s casualties has become a chronic problem for the British Army. Especially after suffering defeats, to escape responsibility, they fabricate a glorious report.

But this time, the embellishment was a bit too much. If they had reported eight or ten thousand, the London Government might have let it slide. After all, if the lid is lifted, the government would also be criticized.

Adhering to the principle of downplaying major issues and glossing over minor ones, issues like these are usually quietly covered up.

Army Minister Fox said with an embarrassed look, "Prime Minister, it’s possible that the signal operator made a mistake and added an extra zero.

We’ve already sent people to verify it. Our losses are 5,876 men, of which three-quarters were from the Indian Colonial Army, and a total of 15,796 enemy troops were annihilated, which just rounds up to twenty thousand."

This data is much more acceptable. Losing a little over five thousand men while annihilating nearly three times the enemy’s number, that could be considered a passable result.