Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1012: Chapter 26, The Lord’s Troubles

Even though he had prepared himself for difficulty, Ito Hirobumi was still enraged by the scene before him.

But deep inside, a voice kept reminding him to stay calm, this was the enemy’s conspiracy, intended to provoke…

“Governor, to simply revert to the pre-war status is extremely unfair to us. It violates—”

Chandler cut Ito Hirobumi off before he could finish, “Prime Minister, you seem to have misunderstood the concept. Your negotiation partner is over there.

I am merely offering a personal suggestion for your reference. Whether to accept it or not is up to you. In any case, order in Southeast Asia must be restored before Christmas.

Your country’s troops in the Philippine Islands have already disrupted the prosperity and stability of the region, something no peace-loving country can tolerate. If your government is incapable of dealing with this, we are willing to help.”

... @@novelbin@@

“Played,” that was Ito Hirobumi’s initial reaction. After all, since it was the Japanese-Spanish War, the main actors in these negotiations should be the two countries involved.

And yet, he had lost his patience and begun talking with the Shinra representative—wasn’t that a sign of utter foolishness?

With this one conversation, the problem became apparent. Chandler seized the opportunity to establish a timeline for negotiations, putting him on the defensive.

Disagree?

Just by looking at the expressions of the representatives from other countries, it was clear—dream on. It would be better for all involved if the negotiations were concluded sooner rather than later. Otherwise, affecting everyone’s Christmas plans would be a grave sin.

What Ito Hirobumi found utterly unacceptable was that the British had actually allowed all this to happen without raising any objections to withdrawing from the Philippines.

Ito Hirobumi couldn’t help but overthink it; John Bull’s skill in betraying allies was simply too strong. If one wasn’t careful and got sold out, they might even end up counting the money for their betrayer—that would be a real tragedy.

…

As expected, the first day of negotiations ended on a discordant note. If they could reach an agreement in one day, that wouldn’t really be called negotiating.

In the evening, as the host, Governor Chandler traditionally held a banquet. Observing the representatives from various countries merrily mingling at the banquet, Ito Hirobumi stood in a corner, suited up and nursing a glass of red wine, his solitary drinking making him stand out awkwardly from the surroundings.

“Still troubled about today’s events?”

The newcomer was Klaus, the British consul to Southeast Asia. He walked over with a female companion on one arm, a glass in his other hand, and took a seat opposite Ito Hirobumi.

They clinked glasses, and after a small sip, Ito Hirobumi slowly replied, “Yes, Sir.”

“The obvious partiality of certain countries is quite unfriendly to us. Continuing in this manner, the upcoming negotiations will likely be difficult.”

Klaus laughed so hard at this unsurprising answer that he spilled his drink, only managing to regain composure with the help of his companion.

“Prime Minister, you’ve been fooled. It’s true that European countries support Spain, but that doesn’t mean they’re willing to wage a war for Spain without seeing any return on their investment.”

Don’t be fooled by their bluster; in the end, it’s still up to the governments of various countries to decide whether to go to war. As long as your country does not cross the Vienna Government’s bottom line, they will not send troops.”

…

Frankly, Klaus did not want to tell the Japanese so much. But he couldn’t help it because Ito Hirobumi was so generous—just now, he received another cheque for 5000 pounds.

While diplomats stationed abroad have many ways to make money, it also depends on where they are. If one were stationed in the Far Eastern Empire, naturally, wealth would flow abundantly, and they could get rich by just flipping anything.

Unfortunately for Klaus, his post was in Southeast Asia, and in the Southeast Asia dominated by Shinra, his consul status was not worth much.

When it came to political and diplomatic dealings between the two countries, it was London that dealt directly with Vienna, leaving no room for him to take charge. Even if there was something that required his coordination, he could not expect the Austro-South Sea Governor to give him a generous gift.

He wanted to help broker deals for weapons, industrial machinery, and other manufactured goods, but sadly, Shinra played the game even slicker than Britannia, leaving no open market.

Under these circumstances, Klaus’s purse was naturally not getting any fuller. Having finally encountered the Japanese, who were naive and financially exploitable, he was eager to extort them thoroughly.

For the sake of the British pounds, Klaus promptly sold out the inner workings of the European diplomatic circle and even included an overview of the current situation on the European Continent.

The latter was mere verbosity; Ito Hirobumi was well aware of the basic situation in Europe. However, he still needed to learn about some of the secrets within the European diplomatic circles.

“Sir, what is the bottom line for the Continental Alliance, or rather, the bottom line for the Vienna Government?”

Understanding this was crucial; without knowing the bottom line or the real intentions of the Holy Roman Empire, Ito Hirobumi would rest easy.

Consul Klaus shook his head, “I cannot give you a definite answer to that question. But according to the London Government’s speculation, the Continental Alliance is currently preoccupied with attempting to escape a domestic economic crisis and most likely does not have the extra energy to seek trouble with you.

Of course, your country will definitely not be able to keep the Philippine Islands. This was determined at the Vienna conference, and your country cannot fail to give face to the Continental Alliance.”

“Your enemies often know you best,” and this adage was spot on. When it came to researching the Vienna Government, if the British claimed second place, absolutely no one dared to claim first.

After many years of research and analysis, London had a good handle on Vienna’s foreign policy style.

For a tough nut like Japan, that holds no lucrative oil, even if they offered themselves up, they would not be wanted. The interference in the Philippine war was simply due to the need for a diplomatic strategy.

The Continental Alliance sounded imposing, but the only powers truly capable of influencing affairs in Southeast Asia were Shinra and the Netherlands. Should there be an armed conflict, Shinra would undoubtedly be the main force.

Targeting the Japanese was easy, but the Vienna Government had already made its profits; it was now a time for appearances, making it impossible for them to set their sights on the Philippines. Even if they could defeat Japan, the Vienna Government would not recoup its costs.

Moreover, Japan was not without its own backers. Even if the support for this junior alliance member was not high priority, as long as it could create trouble for Shinra, the London Government would not cease their support.

Ito Hirobumi was well aware of the issue of face for the Continental Alliance; from the outset of the diplomatic exchanges, the Tokyo Government knew that the Philippine Islands were not defensible. The current standoff was merely to maximize their benefits.

Whether or not they could extort a sum of compensation from Spain was secondary; the key was that the withdrawal and relocation required time. The proceeds the Japanese Army had collected on the Philippine Islands needed to be transported back to home soil in order to count.

To smoothly bring back the wealth, the Spanish Navy was an obstacle that could not be circumvented. Even though the Japanese Navy had tied down the main force of the Spanish Navy, their cruisers could still make an appearance and cause problems.

Such breakthrough ships manufactured by Shinra don’t have too many advantages, they’re just fast enough. They are not suitable for head-on battles, but for breaking through enemy lines, they are worth two. Even if encountered at sea, the Japanese Navy wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Of course, Britain could also build similar warships, but why would the most powerful Royal Navy in the world even need to consider such strategies, when they could face challenges head-on? Strategies such as breakthroughs are only considered by those who are weaker.

Without the need, there was no construction. The Japanese Government could place custom orders, but unfortunately, there was no time to wait on the battlefield.

Under these circumstances, the most pressing need for the Japanese Government was to cease fire. Only with maritime security could they smoothly transport the wealth they had harvested back to Japan.

This obvious situation couldn’t be hidden from the Spaniards. Being the robbed party, the Spaniards naturally did not want to see the Japanese take away their wealth.

Although Spain was supported by the Continental Alliance, the Japanese were not without their own backers. Not to mention anything else, at least most regions of the Philippine Islands were still in the hands of the Japanese Army.

Destruction is always easier than construction; if pushed too hard, the Japanese could resort to a scorched-earth strategy, leaving nothing but ruins for the Spaniards.

In any case, Spain did not have the strength for retaliation; once the Japanese Army retreated to the homeland, Spain could only sigh in vain.

Don’t be fooled by the current parity of the navies of the two countries; that’s on the condition of Shinra’s support, allowing them to supply and repair ships nearby. If the battlefield were to change, the situation would be entirely different.

Having learned the intentions of the Continental Alliance from a British source, Ito Hirobumi heaved a deep sigh of relief.

A weak country has no diplomacy; even Japan, which held an advantage in the original timeline, was compelled by the great powers to give up Liaodong. Now it goes without saying.

Spain has not yet been defeated, and although it has suffered heavy losses on the battlefield, its military strength has not declined but increased with the support of Shinra in the background.

Beyond these factors, another reason prompting the Japanese Government to concede was that the domestic situation was on the verge of becoming unsustainable.

Affected by the Philippines war, Shinra, the largest grain merchant in Southeast Asia, had cut off grain exports to Japan, causing domestic rice prices to surge.

The British were likewise unable to help. The Indochina Peninsula had only recently been occupied, and John Bull did not have a talent for farming, lacking the capability to export grain in large quantities.

The Continental Alliance had completely blocked the Strait of Malacca, forcing the Japanese Government to import from either the Far Eastern Empire or the United States.

The Far Eastern Empire’s own food supply was insufficient, so naturally, the export prices couldn’t be low; and the United States was no longer the same United States, despite having the ability to export grain, its cost control was far less competitive than that of the southern Alliance.

With already high costs plus transportation expenses and capitalists taking advantage of the situation, by the time the grain reached Japan, it could not be considered cheap by any stretch of the imagination.

The smooth convening of the mediation conference was due not only to the face-saving concerns of the Continental Alliance but also to the fact that both the Japanese and Spanish could no longer sustain their positions, which was also an important reason.

Apart from the initial shock, once formal negotiations began, the initiative of the talks returned to the hands of the Japanese and Spanish representatives.

Rule-makers also need to abide by the rules of the game. Taking sides is allowable, but there’s a limit; the representatives of all countries have returned to their own roles as mediators.

The “Argue, argue, argue…” mode of negotiation henceforth unfolded.

…

African Continent, New Ottenburg.

This remote little city is now adorned with lights and festivities to welcome new friends. As the host, Viscount Autres stood at the forefront of the welcoming queue.

As per tradition, an ordinary reception which didn’t involve important figures wouldn’t require such high-level treatment from Viscount Autres.

There was no helping it, as Viscount Autres was not of distinguished birth; tracing back eighteen generations of his ancestors, there might have been nobility of some sort!

His origins were not only ordinary, but his family’s wealth was not substantial either. The true start of the family’s fortune began with his father. With luck akin to that of an emperor, his father hurdled the nobility threshold during the Ausa War more than thirty years ago, becoming the lowest-ranking knight.

Subsequently, he caught the wave of Africa’s development opportunities, becoming a baron with his own fiefdom.

Good luck didn’t just favor his father; Viscount Autres was also fortunate. During his time in the military, he happened upon the outbreak of the continental wars, riding the tide of the era and ascending from baron to viscount.

While things looked good on the surface, the fallout soon followed. Lacking in depth, Viscount Autres did not have enough capital to develop his domain properly. Even with the support of friends and family, he was unable to sustain a viscount’s domain.

Times have changed. Apart from occasional minor disturbances in the north, the situation on the African Continent has stabilized, and the opportunities to profit from war had been completely taken by the older generation.

Watching his neighbor lavishing money to bring people over from the homeland, with the construction of the domain thriving and cities beginning to take shape, Viscount Autres felt a mix of emotions while his own domain remained at a small town level.

Without recourse, although the Royal Bank offered low-interest loans for domain development, there were significant restrictions on the amount of the loans.

Slow farming development would suffice, but dreaming of becoming instantly wealthy and creating a prosperous domain through sheer financial investment was better left to dreams.

A single penny can halt a hero’s progress. Without sufficient funds, it was impossible to attract enough immigrants from the homeland; and without enough immigrants, the domain simply could not develop.

In fact, just establishing a small town was the result of substantial support from friends and family. In some sense, Viscount Autres’s domain could also be considered a large family enterprise.

Nepotism was the least of the issues; most of the common people were kin. Without old ties, they would not bother moving to a domain ruled by an impoverished lord.

However, there were still solutions. If one could set aside pretense and personally go back to the homeland to attract people, some gains could still be made.

An approachable lord, even if somewhat poor temporarily, would still have plenty of people willing to follow him. And if he could sell them a dream, even more would follow.

As for attracting investment, that was out of the question. One could blame their predecessors for burning their bridges so effectively that capitalists would deliberately avoid them.

Frankly, the territory of Viscount Autres wasn’t bad. Located in the Nigeria River Basin, it had ample rainfall, fertile land, and spanned over 7,000 square kilometers. Even building a hundred towns like the one with a population just over ten thousand would easily be sustainable.

The sole drawback was its inland location, where the tropical rainforest climate and numerous pests were off-putting.

The lack of labor made it difficult to transform the environment, a major factor constraining the development of the domain.

In this context, Viscount Autres naturally valued the provision of cheap labor from the homeland more than ever.