Chapter 1071： A new steel center that didn't happen in time

The British are about to reform. For most countries, this is definitely a happy event worthy of celebration.

"Reform" may not necessarily make the country stronger, but it will certainly make the government busy.

The larger the country and the longer the regime, the more problems it will encounter in the process of "reform." The problems faced by Britain, a century-old world hegemon, are naturally comprehensive.

From the colony to the mainland, there are too many problems left over from history, which require the government to find a solution.

It can be described as "moving the whole body by pulling one start". Even if the London government is only carrying out partial reforms, it will be enough for them to be busy for a while.

History has proven that as long as the British get busy, international disputes will be greatly reduced and the world will become harmonious.

In fact, with the reunification of the Holy Roman Empire, the frequency of the British doing things has decreased a lot in recent years.

With the Holy Roman Empire being constrained positively, most of the energy of the British government was held back, so naturally there was no time to toss other countries.

Now that the British government wants to carry out internal reforms, there is no more energy to toss. For politicians around the world, this is a major benefit, which means that everyone can sleep for a few more days.

Although the two powers are now standing side by side, the only one who loves toss is Britain. As for the other overlord, he is obviously a farmer.

Looking through the international news, we know that since the establishment of the hegemony of the Holy Roman Empire, apart from supporting the expulsion of the Japanese by Spain, only the establishment of a peacekeeping force in France has been established.

If it hadn't been for the double eagle flag of the Habsburg dynasty flying all over the world, everyone would have forgotten the new overlord.

Of course, this is only for ordinary people, and politicians will never forget. Failure to do things does not mean that you have no ability to do things.

With Shinra's minister to foreign countries to tear down the British every day, everyone knows that this is not an easy master. Especially in the past two years, the Shenra Navy has often driven out "super battleships" to wander around, exchanging learning experiences in the name.

Obviously, it doesn't make any sense to exchange experiences with dreadnought ships with ironclad ships of several thousand tons.

If it was not Liwei, no one would believe it. If you know, you know, politics is hardly confused. The overlord countries have come to "friendly exchanges", and you have to cooperate!

Fortunately, the Shenluo Navy only strolled around and swore a sense of existence, and did not take the opportunity to blackmail them, letting everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

The end result is that the British government's progress in wooing its allies has become particularly unsatisfactory. Although the Royal Navy has the world's largest tonnage, the number of super battleships has already suffered.

There is no alternative, the construction of warships also takes time. Shinra's first-generation super battleship "Rome" was in service in 1900, and British talents have just begun to develop projects.

With great efforts, the British super battleship was towed to serve in 1903. This is already super level.

From project design, construction to final service, it only took more than two years, which is enough to prove the strength of Britain's shipbuilding industry.

This is useless. According to the construction rate of one ship per year, Shinra's fourth super battleship has already been launched, and service within the year is almost a certainty.

The Royal Navy has fallen behind, only temporarily, but the impact on countries is still huge.

Step by step, step by step.

The naval technological revolution has broken out. Can the Royal Navy, which is temporarily at a disadvantage, really catch up?

The British shipbuilding industry was able to crush almost all countries in the world, except for the Holy Roman Empire. This is determined by the market and is not changed by personal will.

The seeds of doubt have been planted, and everyone's inference about Britain's invincibility has already been shaken.

Since it is impossible to determine the outcome, it is natural not to stand in a hurry. At the moment, we have not yet reached the point of "non-friend or enemy". You can take a little while and take a better look.

Countries all over the world are relaxed, but Franz has a headache. The international situation has become unrecognizable, and no one can be sure whether the British reforms will succeed.

Campbell was elected as prime minister in December 1905. He met God in April 1908, and he was actually in power for less than two years.

In such a short period of time, it is obviously impossible to complete the reform plan, but history's evaluation of him is still not low.

Because of the butterfly effect and the impact of the domestic economic downturn and the intensification of social conflicts, all walks of life in the British society realized that reforms were necessary, and Campbell, the reform leader, was elected in 1902.

Being elected three years early means that the reformists have three more years. For a country, "three years" may not seem long, but it can change many things.

Britain still has a very strong foundation. Once the internal conflicts are resolved and the colony is integrated, it still has great potential.

With ready-made examples before him, Franz cannot guarantee that the British will not follow suit.

In case the British were stimulated and followed the Shenluo to entrust them and completely eat Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other regions, it would be a proper world empire.

With such a large support, even if it loses in the struggle for hegemony, Britain is still a top power.

The only thing to be thankful for is that England is underpopulated and can't digest such a large territory for a while. Otherwise Franz could only do it in advance.

...

Frederick: "Father, this is the new economic construction plan drafted by the cabinet. On the basis of the previous five-year plan, a new economic revitalization plan for the west has been added, and a lot of money is prepared to build the Ruhr Industrial Zone.

I have studied, the Ruhr area is indeed suitable for the development of industry, especially heavy industry. Not only is the transportation convenient, it is also close to the source of raw materials.

Once developed, it was the industrial center of the western part of the empire. It is of great significance to promote the economic development of the western region.

The most important thing is that the heavy industry of the empire is too scattered. Limited by industrial raw materials, there are more than a dozen heavy industry centers throughout the country, but there is no real core.

Before the development of the empire, such a decentralized layout can increase the country's security, so it cannot be wrong.

The current situation is different. We no longer have enemies on the European continent. We have completely developed a core to further promote the development of the domestic economy. "

"Revitalizing the Western Economy", if it were before, would be a joke.

We must know that the European continent has always had an obvious feature, that is, Western Europe has the most developed economy, followed by Central Europe, Northern Europe and Southern Europe again, and Eastern Europe's economy has been at the bottom.

However, this situation has undergone a fundamental change since the revival of the Holy Roman Empire.

Eastern Europe’s economy is still at the bottom, and Northern Europe’s changes are not significant. Western Europe’s economy has been declining in recent years. On the contrary, Central and Southern Europe has become the most economically developed region in the world.

Of course, the economic development of southern Europe is only developed in some regions. The economy of Italy still hasn't improved much, let alone Spain.

Whether they are regarded as southern European countries or Western European countries, there is no unified conclusion on this issue.

The only certainty is that placing them in Southern Europe will lower the economic average, while placing them in Western Europe can pull them up a few points.

The main reason was the pot of war. A European War destroyed the pillar of France, including the territory of the western part of Shenra, and suffered heavy losses due to the war.

As for Britain, it is not a mainland country, so it can't be forgotten. In order to exclude the British, Shinra, whether it was government documents or broadcast newspapers, tacitly threw Britain out of Europe.

After the end of the European War, the Vienna government launched the western reconstruction plan. Just rebuilding, there is no further development.

In particular, the territory of the newly acquired area is limited by the population, and the local economy has not improved much and has become a dragging area.

In order to change all this, the Vienna government is not without efforts. Just before, I was mainly busy restoring the post-war infrastructure.

As for the development of the economy, there must be someone first. Although the population of the Holy Roman Empire is quite large, the empire is too big to stand up.

When the country is bigger, there will be more "key projects". In contrast, the western region under reconstruction did not occupy a high position in the economic strategy of the empire.

It is not comparable to the African Loop Railway, nor to the petrochemical industry chain in the Middle East, nor to the local automotive and aviation industries.

In the western regions where the economic strategy is not high and the population is lacking, the resources available are naturally limited.

Encouraging immigration is unrealistic, there are too many places to grab people. The western territory on the border is not competitive at all.

In the eyes of ordinary people, running to the west to be neighbors with the French is in itself a big challenge. Who knows when the fight will start again.

In a sense, this is also the pot of the Vienna government. Deliberately suppressing reports on the domestic situation in France, even if there are occasional newspaper publications, it is an understatement.

Ordinary people don't even know that the French empire, which used to be so powerful, is now a plucked phoenix.

There are three fires for new officials, and due to the great achievements of the previous government, the new cabinet dare not change course easily. This has been held back for several years, and only now have I found an opportunity.

The distribution of heavy industry in the Holy Roman Empire is indeed too scattered. It's not that Franz doesn't want to concentrate, but that he can't concentrate at all.

There are many areas suitable for the development of heavy industry, but due to various reasons, the upper limit of development is inherently restricted.

Take the steel industry as an example. Shinra has seven steel centers with an annual output of one million tons; areas with an annual output of 500,000 tons are even more; however, with so many steel centers, those with an annual output of five million tons There are none at all.

In this era, such capacity can still be obtained. If left in later generations, any township and village enterprise can kill in seconds.

It's not that steel companies don't work hard, but natural conditions are too restrictive. With the increase in production capacity, the cost has also increased, and many steel centers have actually developed to the limit of existing technology.

From the perspective of the development of the Holy Roman Empire, the annual steel production capacity of 28.78 million tons obviously cannot meet the demand.

According to the forecast of economic experts, the demand for steel in the Holy Roman Empire will increase to 50 million tons in the next two decades.

Theoretically speaking, by tapping the potential of all the steel centers in Shinra, the demand can be met without the need for continued expansion.

Obviously, theory is only theory. The society is constantly developing, and the demand for steel is also increasing day by day.

The current forecast of 50 million tons of demand is not static. After all, the Holy Roman Empire is too big, and the potential demand is unimaginable.

From the experience of previous lives, as long as Shenluo does not decline, the future steel demand will definitely be used in units of 100 million yuan. It is nothing more than a matter of time.

However, the future is always the future, and one must focus on the present. After receiving the document and reading it briefly, Franz said slowly: "This plan is too radical.

I don't doubt that the Ruhr area can build a steel center with an annual output of 10 million tons, but don't forget that it is the economic market, not the government, that really determines the production capacity.

The world economy is indeed booming now, but don’t forget that there are already problems with the British economy. The London government is carrying out reforms at this time. What if it withdraws from the free trade system?

Once the British adopt trade barriers, there are definitely not a few countries that will follow suit, and our foreign trade exports are bound to be affected.

Even if the economic crisis broke out because of this, I would not be surprised. Is there still such a large demand for steel in the short term?

If we are unlucky, our steel center will be put into operation in a few years, just in time for a new round of economic crisis, then what should we do? "

It is not Franz conservative, but it is the economic crisis in the capitalist economic world. Judging from past laws, it is almost once every ten years.

It has been several years since the last economic crisis, and now the construction of a steel center has begun. Even if it did not catch up with the crisis when it was put into operation, it would have entered a crisis countdown.

With the outbreak of massive overcapacity, the domestic steel industry is absolutely wailing. I don't know how many industries will be tossed to death.

The most tragic thing is the steel industry of Shinra, which is either government invested or controlled by a royal consortium. Private capital rarely touches these high-input and long-term industries.

The industry created by oneself will destroy one's own enterprise, which is definitely a manifestation of brain flooding.

Even if it is to be done, it must be done slowly. For example, the production capacity should be controlled to one million tons first, and then continuously increased according to market demand.

From this perspective, the current cabinet is not as comprehensive as the predecessor when considering issues.

If it was purely for political achievements, the previous government had done it a long time ago, how could it be possible to stay in the present?

It is not difficult to build a steel center, as long as the basic conditions are available, you just need to invest money in it.

Even if the cabinet lacks the ability to look at problems, Franz is not ready to change now. Geniuses are always a minority, and most people are of ordinary level.

Being able to hold back for several years and continue the policy of the predecessor without major disturbances has proved that this government is stable enough.

Although the problem is not comprehensive enough, the plan is essentially correct. If the project is divided in stages and the construction progress is slowed down a bit, then there will be no problems.

From this perspective, the biggest problem with this plan is actually "too high" because the Vienna government's plan is to be completed within five years.

After listening to Franz's explanation, Frederick was shocked and said: "It is impossible for the British to withdraw from the free trade system?

You must know that the free trade system was proposed by the British government itself. When the treaty was concluded, the British made a promise in front of the world. "

With the development of the times, the capitalist world economy has become more and more closely connected. Once the British withdraw from the free trade system, the world economy will definitely go wrong.

With John Bull's consistent style of harming others and detrimental to himself, once he decides to retreat, he will definitely break the free trade system, and it is impossible for Shinra to continue to enjoy the dividends of the free trade era.

After such a shock, Shinra's economy will definitely be greatly affected, and the market's demand for steel will also shrink sharply.

In this context, it is obviously out of fashion to add a steel center with an annual output of 10 million tons.

Franz rolled his eyes: "There is nothing impossible, and credibility is the same for the British.

Once it is found that it is not in its own interests, it is inevitable to tear up the free trade agreement. Haven't done it yet, that's because the British are still playing internal games.

The British have been a beneficiary of the free trade system for a long time, and have naturally created vested interest groups. Now the free trade system is not good for them. If they want to withdraw at this time, those with vested interests will naturally oppose it.

If you pay attention to the London newspapers, you should know that there are more and more discussions surrounding free trade, and supporters and opponents have quarreled.

The quarrel among the people is only the beginning of the problem. Before long, the British Parliament will have discussions.

Campbell's election manifesto also mentioned the issue of free trade. Although he did not directly say that it would be abolished, in his speech he still hinted at export subsidies to some industries.

These are signals. With the continuous deterioration of the British economy, vested interests alone will not last long.

If the British government does not want to see the domestic manufacturing industry squeezed to death by us, it will be a matter of time before it adopts trade barriers. For Campbell, exiting the free trade system is far easier than carrying out internal reforms.

Judging from the current situation, this time will not exceed two years. We can start to prepare, and don't be caught off guard by the British. "

Don't be surprised to discuss a question for "two years". For the British Parliament, this is just normal operation.

Withdrawing from the "free trade system" is a major event. It can be said that it is related to the national fortune of Britain. What if we don't study it well?

Compared with the forty-five years of "Brexit" discussions in later generations, the ability to make decisions within two years is already very efficient.