Chapter 448: The Poorest Tsar


    Time flew like an arrow; the days and months shed by like a shuttle. After so many years of effort, Austria has risen to be the world’s secondrgest colonial empire, with its influence spanning the six continents and the seven seas.


    One has to be thankful that this eracks satellite maps; otherwise, Austria’s strategicyout would immediately cause a huge uproar.


    In the Americas, Austria upies Central America, effectively dividing North and South America. The famous Panama Canal from the original timeline has now be a distant possibility.


    Unless Austria bes powerful enough to handle all challenges or the United States undergoes another split, rendering it no longer a threat, this canal will remain out of consideration.


    The situation in Africa is even more rming. If anyone pays attention, they will notice that Austria has divided other nations’ colonies, preventing them from forming contiguous territories.


    Of course, the French have arge area in North Africa, but once the desert areas are considered, this perspective changes.


    Having arge area is good, but if most of it is desert, the situation changes. Apart from the coastal regions, only a few oases in the vast desert hold any value.


    There might be mineral resources, but in Africa, they are not very valuable. If they are beneath the sand, they are even less valuable.


    The British territories in South Africa are actually in a precarious situation. Austria hasn’t seized them yet simply because Franz does not want to confront the British too early.The French colony in Egypt looks good but is actually fraught with crisis. If they can’t quickly take over Sudan and connect the two territories, they will be surrounded by the British and Austrians.


    Purely from a military perspective, it seems like a n to monopolize the African continent.


    In reality, this is just idealistic daydreaming. Currently, the forces of five nations—Britain, France, Austria, Spain, and Portugal—are converging on the African continent, so how could they be easily expelled?


    Moreover, Austria doesn’t have the poption to fill this massive pit. Franz is very wary of turning from an emperor into an African tribal chief.


    TN: “非酋” is an inte ng term that literally trantes to “African tribal chief.” It is often used byizens to refer to the unluckiest person, someone who is so unlucky that they are considered to have the worst luck possible. It is mostly used for self-deprecating humor. (Double-meaning usage in this scenario. This is also used where they say you have European luck or African luck to indicate how lucky you are in gacha games.)


    In the original timeline, many Africans imed to be French, just darkened by the African sun, turning them ck.


    Whether true or not, the mere possibility makes Franz hesitant to take reckless actions.


    Against the backdrop of the integration policy, if the African poption were to exceed that of the homnd, people would cry and shout to move the capital, which would be a headache.


    Well, these are minor issues that Franz is unlikely to encounter. The main concern is still theck of strength as being too aggressive can lead to trouble.


    On the European continent, it goes without saying that if it weren’t for the decisive creation of conflicts and the behind-the-scenes maniption to instigate the Russo-Prussian War, Austria’s current national defense pressure would be enough to cause copse.


    There’s no way around it—Austria’s geographical location both blesses and limits it.


    If not for Franz’s flexible diplomatic measures that divided the great powers, Austria would have long be the target of everyone’s hostility.


    The current situation in Europe can be said to bergely engineered by Franz. There have been some unexpected changes, but overall, things are still within the nned scope.


    Eastward, Austria faces Russia; to the west, it blocks France; and in the middle, it suppresses Prussia. While this strategy might seem satisfying, in practice, it would lead to a more thorough demise than that of the Second German Empire.


    The “Austrian threat theory” hasn’t be mainstream in public discourse, but it has emerged in the minds of many politicians. The reason it hasn’t erupted yet is due to the overly active French.


    After all, the Habsburg dynasty was once even more glorious than now, but even they failed to unify Germany. Additionally, Franz’s inability to realize this feat made them tolerable for everyone.


    Many are likely calcting that another German regional conflict could pull the Habsburg dynasty down once again.


    Perhaps the prestige earned during Napoleon’s era has fostered arrogance among the French, who now consider themselves as the best army in the world. They didn’t even fear the Russian Empire at its peak, so Austria was hardly a concern for them.


    Although France attracted hatred from many, they have been fortunate. Spain has declined due to its own turmoil and is now on the brink of civil war over a session dispute.


    With no threats from the rear, France isn’t intimidated by any single country, giving Napoleon III the confidence to stir things up.


    Of course, this is both an advantage and a disadvantage. France’s path to expansion is difficult, and the French people’s dreams of being a superpower are hard to fulfill.


    Napoleon III is not young anymore, and his son is still a child. elerating the pace of expansion is a sign of Napoleon III’s urgency.


    If Napoleon III doesn’t stay in power until his son is ready to take the throne, he must first create a Greater French Empire. Otherwise, France, or rather the House of Bonaparte’s throne, will be in jeopardy.


    This is also why Austria and France can form an alliance. With Franz manipting public opinion, the French people’s spirit has been kept highly enthusiastic.


    The desire for greatness has deeply ingrained itself in the French psyche. While Napoleon III can still maintain control, the next generation might not be able to.


    In this situation, they either achieve this goal or suppress it and change people’s mindsets.


    Undoubtedly, thetter is impossible. Even if Napoleon III wanted to attempt it, the capitalists who would suffer from his reforms would not allow it.


    If expansion seeds, the increased market can satisfy the capitalists. If it fails, it will trigger political changes, and recing the government with one of their own will still bring them significant benefits.


    The danger of an overt plotpared to a conspiracy lies here. France’s internal conflicts are severe, and the best way to alleviate these internal conflicts is through expansion.


    Using the wealth obtained through plunder canpensate those who suffer losses from the reforms. In modern times, sessful reforms have almost always used this approach.


    After the revolutions, Britain expanded its colonies and used the colonies to resolve its internal conflicts.


    During Austria’s reforms, it also relied on external expansion to solve internal issues.


    The Kingdom of Prussia did the same. It wasn’t until after the Russo-Prussian War that the conflicts between capitalists and Junker aristocrats were resolved.


    France’s current stability is also built on external expansion. If the government hadn’t opened up so many colonies, the capitalists who suffered losses would have rebelled long ago.


    Alexander II, who is currently undergoing reforms, is facing the same problem. The Russian Empire has plenty ofnd, but those who suffer from the reforms still needpensation.


    Money is something Alexander II cannot afford to give. In the original timeline, many criticized Alexander II for not reforming thoroughly enough, leading to the fall of the Russian Empire. In reality, he had no choice; he really did his best.


    As a representative of the noble ss’ interests, cutting into his own ss’ privileges meant that a thorough reform would have led to a change in tsars before it was evenpleted.


    Even so, the Russians still expanded in Central Asia, the Far East, and the Near East, using external plunder to alleviate internal conflicts.


    Now, with the Russian Empire losing its opportunities for expansion, internal conflicts have be even more intense. If not for a massive purge, Alexander II’s reforms wouldn’t have been possible at all.


    In St. Petersburg, Alexander II has reced the top levels of government once again. There’s no other choice. After three ministers were assassinated, the remaining officials became cowards, so he had to choose new people.


    Every country always has passionate young men, and now the reformists in power are a group willing to shed blood for the Russian Empire.


    Alexander II understood the art ofpromise, and his reforms were not overly radical, with many policies taking into ount the interests of the nobility.


    In terms ofnd distribution, he made further concessions. Nobles who refused to sell theirnd were not forced, and the government funded the organization of peasants to clear newnd.


    The Russian Empire had plenty ofnd that was simply undeveloped. Not only was there undevelopednd in Europe, but even the Siberian in could theoretically amodate millions of people. Inter times, farms were established even in the Far East.


    Peasants at the bottom of society did not mind remote areas. As long as the government was willing to fund their efforts to clear thend, they were willing to endure hardships.


    This policy shift significantly reduced the nobility’s resistance. In the age of mechanized agriculture, the demand forbor was no longer as high.


    As a consequence, the Russian government’s treasury quickly dried up. Government funding required real money, at least to provide tools, seeds, and food.


    The newly liberated peasants were extremely poor, so the cost ofnd development had to be borne by the government. This money was considered an interest-free loan from the government to the people, to be repaid in the future, but that was a concern forter.


    Currently, millions of people are relying on the Russian government for sustenance. Financial issues had be the biggest challenge for Alexander II’s administration.