Chapter 241： Armored ship

When the Near East War broke out, the rest of the world was also not peaceful. Britain, France, and Russia fought, which made Americans on the other side of the ocean feel the opportunity.

The first thing that happened in Cuba was that the Spaniard cut off the tentacles, touched a gray nose, and was warned by British and French, and had to continue to retract to pretend to be a grandson.

However, the Americans still did not give up. In July 1853, the Americans created a black ship incident in Japan, threatened to force the Shogunate government to accept their terms, and signed the Japan-US Kanagawa Treaty.

According to the **** nature of the major powers, it is naturally impossible to watch Americans swallow Japanese interests alone, so everyone joined them one after another. Britain, France, the Netherlands, and other countries took the lead in forcing the Shogunate government to sign similar treaties.

The news arrived in Vienna, allowing the Austrian colonialists to see the opportunity and want to join in. The Vienna government is discussing whether to follow the robbery while on fire.

The Prime Minister Felix said, "Your Majesty, Japan is too far away from us. Moreover, our interest there is not great, and there is no need to spend too much energy.

Now our focus is still on developing the country, especially sorting out the South German region. Rather than taking action in East Asia, it is more in our interest to penetrate the German Federal Empire. "

Minister of the Navy Philcos objected: "His Prime Minister, we do not need to pay much to take action in the Near East. The Dutch can compel the Japanese government to compromise. It is not difficult for us to obtain equivalent benefits.

Now that the Japanese government is a frightened bird, it dare not reject our proposal.

Even if diplomacy fails, we have agreements with the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal to obtain supplies from their colonies, and it is not difficult to send a fleet to Asia to deter Japan. "

In order to open up overseas colonies, Austria is not doing nothing. Signing an overseas port replenishment treaty with the declining colonial empire is one of the measures, at the cost of Austria not being able to plot overseas colonies of various countries.

In the short term, it is a blank check. There is no overseas colony in Austria, but no one doubts that Austria has the ability to open up overseas colonies.

According to convention, the emerging empire's entry is necessary to seize the sphere of influence of the old empire. The Vienna government has released goodwill and is willing to coexist peacefully, and naturally everyone will not object.

Metternich analyzed: "There are many countries that are jealous of Japan. Now that they have opened their doors, I am afraid that everyone will flock to them.

In fact, the Russians already had a plan to colonize Japan. If it were not for the outbreak of the Near East War, I am afraid that the Americans would not have taken the lead.

In the current international situation, it is not a big problem for us to join in, but to gain greater benefits, we must send a navy fleet. "

The Austrian navy is not very good, even after Franz came to power and made certain expansions.

However, the strengths and weaknesses are all compared. Compared with the two naval powers of Britain and France, it is not worth mentioning. Naturally, there is no pressure to bully Japan in this era.

However, this is not a reason for Austria to send its naval fleet to the Far East. The key lies in the interests.

After hesitating for a while, Franz made the decision: "The Far East is not the focus of our expansion. Even if we are colonizing overseas, we must avoid conflicts with European countries as much as possible.

For now, let's focus on the land of no one, even if it is desolate, it doesn't matter at all, we should accumulate experience just from the beginning.

What we should do now is to send more expeditions to detect the land that has not been occupied by various countries. As long as it is in an area that is easy to rule, we can all take it and practice our hands. There is no need to excessively chase immediate interests.

As far as Japan is concerned, we should follow the footsteps of other countries. It is enough to get some of our interests instead of continuing to expand. "

Franz's words were superficially relaxed, but in fact he was bleeding deep down. It was hard to catch up with the last train of the colonial empire, but because of the strength of the navy, they could only pick up some British and French remnants.

If you do n’t know how to rob the fat, let ’s not say Britain and France. It is estimated that the old colonial empires such as Spain and the Netherlands can make Austria unable to eat.

Overseas colonialism is not just about strength, but about ways and means of governing. Joining in as a new din, these established empires do not need to interfere by force, just dig a pit, and you will be able to lose money.

Including the history of Americans seizing the Philippine Islands, seemingly winning, but actually knowing it hard. The land rich in oil in the hands of the Spaniards turned into a lost money in their hands.

This is still a rich Philippine archipelago. If you change to a backcountry, it is estimated that it will be even worse.

Colonial rule also depends on cost. Without colonial management experience, if you join the colonial army blindly, you are ready to pay for it!

In contrast, Franz is more willing to go to the uninhabited island to put in the flag, and just send a few soldiers to the station to swear sovereignty. Don't worry about someone snatching.

Of course, such islands are either poor in geological conditions or too small. Don't expect too much interest. They can only be used as resource reserves.

Secretary of the Navy Philcos proposed: "His Majesty, we have been developing on the European continent and have not made a voice in the world, which is very unfavorable for us to open overseas colonies in the future.

It is better to organize a navy cruise around the world, visit countries around the world, and find opportunities to win some landless places as our first step out of Europe. "

The rise of almost every maritime power is inseparable from a large-scale naval battle. Obviously Austria does not have this opportunity, nor can it find such a stepping stone.

Britain and France couldn't win at all. After 20 years of development, they still couldn't win. Franz didn't want to die. He didn't mean to challenge the maritime supremacy.

The next best thing is, unfortunately, none of the remaining countries deserves Austria's challenge. Just look at the map and you will know that everyone is out of reach and there is not enough conflict of interest.

Unless you go to the Ottoman Empire, in history the Ottoman navy once ranked fifth in the world, barely enough to qualify.

However, according to the current situation, Franz is very doubtful that the Ottoman government still has the money to build such a fleet.

Without a suitable opponent, you can only go another way. Anyway, Austria is an old empire, and you do not need to determine the status of a great power through war. You are already on the field.

As a civilized man, Franz hated war. In his opinion, war means risk, and a lunatic who provokes war without sufficient benefits is absolutely incapable of mixing in this era.

The proposal of the Secretary of the Navy is actually based on the international political environment. Since Austria has adopted a conservative colonial strategy, armed deterrence is important.

Even if it can't scare Britain and France, anyway, it is necessary to show strength to deter other countries, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble when you colonize overseas.

In history, in the early 20th century, Americans established their maritime power status through a glorious global voyage.

Feasibility is feasible, provided that the Austrian navy has that strength. Franz is very skeptical. Crossing the ocean is not so simple. Traveling around the world in this era is still challenging.

In case of an accident midway, the pretense can't be changed and it becomes a fool, then the fun will be great. The Austrian navy has no experience in the global industry, and it is a question whether the warship can survive.

Where should a warship break down halfway? Ocean shipping industry, how to get logistics supplies? How do naval officers and soldiers withstand long-term maritime life? All these issues must be considered.

Franz asked directly, "Filcos, are you sure that our navy can do this and not make international jokes?"

It matters, and Filcos cannot guarantee it. Not to mention the Austrian Navy, even the British and French Navy dare not guarantee that a global voyage will not be a problem.

Filcos encouraged: "Your Majesty, this is a medium-term strategic concept, which will certainly not be possible from the beginning. We can choose an ocean-going route to accumulate experience, and wait for the time to mature before we go on a global tour.

Moreover, our admiralty is not unprepared. In order to reduce the gap between the strength of the British and French naval powers, our independently developed ironclad technology has matured.

We have placed an order, and it is expected that within two years, the first ironclad ship will enter the Navy.

Such an epoch-making warship will certainly rewrite the history of naval warships and eliminate naval warships from all countries. "

As a catch-up, the best way to gain an advantage in the navy is to promote technological innovation, eliminate old warships, and put everyone back on the same starting line.

Historically, the outbreak of the German Navy was due to the advent of the Age of Dreadnoughts, allowing them to see the opportunity to catch up with the British.

The Austrian Navy is no exception. If we develop a sailing ship to catch up with Britain and France, everyone will not have this confidence. The gap between them is really too great.

Since the concept of the iron armored ship was proposed by Franz three years ago, the Austrian Navy has attracted much attention. After careful study by shipyard engineers, it has been found that the iron armored ship is theoretically feasible.

Since it is feasible, it is necessary to carry out research and development. In recent years, most of the increased military expenditures of the Austrian Navy have been invested in the research and development of warships. Now it is finally about to bear fruit.

No matter how many sailing warships the British and French have, these ships will be eliminated once the armored ships come out.

Blockade technology is impossible. In this era, the navy of each country is only a conceptual breakthrough from the iron armored ship, and there is no technical problem.

During this period, the French Navy also embarked on the development of ironclad ships. After the British obtained the information of the French iron armored ship, a similar plan was made in 1856.

Of course, it will take time from research and development to the final service. The adoption of new technologies cannot be smooth. Even if research and development begin several years in advance, Franz is not sure who can build the ironclad ship first.

What he asked for was an iron armored ship, not an iron armored ship covered with a layer of iron skin outside the warship. If only a layer of iron was added, it was introduced hundreds of years ago, and there is no need for research and development.

Prince Wendy Schgrez questioned: "Iron armored ship? Mr. Filcos, are you sure that all iron warships will not sink when they are loaded with artillery, and will they be able to run?"

This is the point of view of most people, and the first impression of many people is to sink. Iron armored ships are definitely heavier than wooden warships. In addition to artillery, ammunition, personnel, etc., whether they can run is a problem.

Firkos said dissatisfied: "His Royal Highness, please don't question my professionalism. If it is the same tonnage, the armored ship must not be heavier than the wooden warship because of its own weight.

However, wooden warships are limited by raw materials. At present, the technology of various countries can build warships with a displacement of more than 4,000 tons. Iron armored ships do not have this limitation.

We can make up for this small problem as long as the tonnage of the warship is enlarged.

The armor of the armored ship can block the enemy's artillery fire, even if it is a 48 pound artillery, it will cause a little trouble at most.

And because the hull of the iron armored ship is more stable, we can also equip with explosive shell artillery. As long as it hits the vital ship, the enemy can be solved by one shot.

The iron armored ship uses steam engine power, so you don't need to worry about speed. You can refer to the steam ship.

An ironclad ship on the battlefield can easily kill a dozen sail ships. "

These are the advantages of the iron armored ship, and the disadvantage is of course the skyrocketing cost. Naturally, Philcos will not speak up.

Anyway, as long as Austria wants colonial expansion and sees the power of ironclad ships, the cabinet cannot give up.

Prince Wendy Schgrez continued: "Sorry, Firkos, I'm not questioning your profession. It's just a little confusing. Ironclads have so many advantages, so why don't other countries build them? Has our shipbuilding technology become the world? First? "

Firkos said with confidence: "His Royal Highness, this statement is not accurate, and it is not just us who are interested in the armored ship.

As far as I know, the French have a similar design, but it has not yet started implementation.

Both Britain and France have a large number of sailing warships. Once the era of ironclad ships comes, all these warships will be eliminated.

This is not only an economic loss, but more importantly, they have lost most of their naval superiority, and everyone has to work hard again on the same starting line.

Therefore, even if they have plans in this area, they must weigh the advantages and disadvantages. Proactively advancing technological innovation in shipbuilding brings not only benefits but also disasters.

As latecomers, we have no pressure in this regard. Because there is no relationship with overseas colonies, our navy is far from comparable in size.

Even if it were all overturned, we still took advantage. In fact, now only two iron armored ships are needed to reach the gross tonnage of the Austrian Navy. "

Finance Minister Carl exclaimed: "What, an ironclad ship has a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, how much does it cost?"

It's no surprise that naval ships were not large in this era, and the gross tonnage of the Austrian Navy was just a little bit like this.

The Minister of Finance was not surprised by the large warship, but by the professional response, how much it cost to build such a warship.

Filcos said calmly: "Not so much, I just exaggerated a little bit, and the displacement of the iron armored ship was only 8,000 tons.

The specific data will not be known until it is constructed. You all know that the role of the new technology is full of uncertainty, and a slight error in the final displacement is acceptable.

The cost is indeed a little higher than that of ordinary warships, but the excellent performance of iron armored ships is still worth the price. If we add weapons and equipment, it will probably be more than three or four million shields, not more than five million.

This is the first iron armored ship. Many technologies require experimentation, and the cost will be reduced when the number of later builds increases. "

A warship plus weapons and equipment accounted for one-third of the Navy's annual budget. Franz knew that the era of the navy's money-burning era was coming.

If you use this money to build a sailing warship, you can build five or six first-class battleships, which will inevitably bring greater financial pressure to the colonial empire.

Everyone was lost in thought, and they began to weigh the pros and cons, whether to stir up a new round of naval arms race.

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