Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1045: Chapter 59, Prince Governor

The eldest son must train, and the second son cannot remain idle either. As the eras continuously evolved, the colonial governor management model of the Overseas Colonies increasingly fell behind the times.

Just look at the Spaniards’ colonies and you’ll understand, they’re now in turmoil. Although the intervention of external forces plays a role, a significant factor is the ruling method not keeping pace with the times.

The colonies of Shinra are still stable, mainly because Franz enfeoffed a batch of Nobility. There’s a group of fellows working for themselves, suppressing all kinds of disobedience.

There’s no doubt, this feudal rule is even more backward. Its only advantage is that it can inspire subordinates’ working enthusiasm, maximizing the development of personal potential.

Relying on the double bind of the vassal system and interests, one or two generations will definitely pose no problem, and with the strength of Shinra, there won’t be any major issues even in the third or fourth generation.

But in the future, guarantees are uncertain. People’s loyalty cannot withstand the erosion of time, and as time progresses, the importance of interests only grows.

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Now, the economy of the Overseas Colonies is underdeveloped, and they must rely on the support of the homeland, so naturally, they are close as family.

As the economy continuously develops, the future becomes uncertain. When the day comes that the colonies’ economies have developed and they are unwilling to continue serving as raw material sources and consumer markets, conflicts between the two parties arise.

Both are flesh from one’s palm and the back of one’s hand; no matter how fair the Central Government is, when addressing issues, there can still be bias. Once or twice it’s not a big deal, but after many times, alienation of the heart and spirit will occur.

Rather than waiting until the situation deteriorates to the point of parting ways, it’s better to handle it while relations are still close, granting greater autonomy to the colonies.

Clearly, the governor system cannot fulfill such needs. The British from the original timeline have already attempted this, but in the end, due to insufficient cohesion, the U.S. and Soviet found opportunities to take advantage.

Since the governor management system cannot meet the needs, then continue with the enfeoffment system following the tradition of Shinra, establishing Sub-States. Even if things collapse later on, at least the mess is in our own pot.

In fact, after the colonial movement picked up, Franz was not the first to engage in enfeoffment overseas.

Both Liang Ya and England and France had once enfeoffed Nobility in the overseas. It’s just that domestic opposition was too strong, turning real fiefs into nominal ones.

Aside from a few small Nobility who truly received fiefs, most Nobility only had a nominal title, with governance of their lands taken away by the government.

Since they decided to play with nominal titles, naturally, you can’t expect people to abandon the comfortable life of the homeland and go struggle in the far-flung, impoverished colonies.

After the rise of Shinra, having witnessed the combat power of the Fief Aristocrats, the nations thought about following suit.

Unfortunately, by then the situation was already set in stone, and with the bourgeoisie and Government Official groups desperately blocking, a King could enfeoff one or two Nobility, but large-scale enfeoffment was out of the question.

The opposition had grand-sounding reasons; the colonies belonged to the nation and, thus, to all citizens, and should not be usurped by individuals.

In a single statement, the achievements of those who opened up the colonies were entirely erased, as if the colonies had just fallen from the sky.

Anyone with a bit of insight knows that, during the development of colonies, the government indeed played an important role, but the main force consisted of the settlers.

“The colonies are the state’s, belonging to all citizens,” ostensibly safeguards the interests of the nationals, but in reality, there’s an unspoken addition—”The interests of the colonies belong to the Government Officials and capitalists.”

The nature of the opposition is rooted in the distribution of benefits.

According to Shinra’s enfeoffment model, the Central Government controls only the major cities and important ports; the rest of the land was largely given in fiefs to meritorious subjects, and unwanted regions all belonged to the Emperor.

The main beneficiaries were soldiers and settlers, with the lucky ones becoming Fief Aristocrats and the more ordinary ones securing a piece of land of their own.

Although Government Officials and capitalists also benefited, compared to the lucky ones who rose suddenly, their gains were clearly much smaller.

Jealousy drives people mad; acting on the sentiment, if I can’t have it, neither can others, opposition is inevitable.

However, the Germany Region is special. Years of princely conflicts have left the military, led by Nobility, in a strong position. Coupled with an Emperor willing to share spoils, they can suppress domestic Government Officials and capitalists.

Other nations are different. Take Britannia for example: its upper echelons are held by Government Officials, the military is thoroughly suppressed, and without a strong Monarch, enfeoffment simply cannot proceed.

The military could only follow behind and drink soup; ordinary settlers were even more the object of exploitation. After being plundered of wealth over a long time, nobody could stand it.

The collapse of the Colonial Empires from the original timeline resulted not only from the meddling of the U.S. and Soviet but also because the capitalists and Government Officials took too much.

Especially towards the end, as nationalist awakening increased the cost of colonizing, and Government Officials and capitalists took away too many benefits, the colonies started running at a loss.

With the economic strain, the colonial government had to cut expenditures, directly harming the interests of the military and settlers. Left with no soup to drink, naturally, no one was willing to serve the Colonial Empire.

With no one to sell their lives, the colonies became increasingly chaotic, and maintenance costs soared. When ordinary citizens saw that the colonies were not only unprofitable but actually causing losses, they simply wanted to abandon them.

As Government Officials and capitalists, part of the entrenched interests, realized the danger, the wave of independence had already risen, and the Colonial Empire was powerless to turn the tide.

With such historic lessons before him, Franz couldn’t afford not to take precautions. Anyway, there were many Sub-States in the Holy Roman Empire already, so a few more didn’t matter.

Abolishing overseas colonies to establish Sub-States, this kind of matter could only be done by Franz; no one else could shoulder such a thunderbolt.

…

Vienna Palace

Franz, holding a document, said earnestly, “This is the appointment letter for the Governor of Central America. One last time I ask you, Peter, are you truly prepared?”

A Sub-State couldn’t be created overnight, and Franz could cover any internal troubles. The ennoblement of fiefdoms wasn’t a novelty; anyone could be granted a fiefdom, and naturally, the Emperor’s son could as well.

It’s simply that the fiefdom was “slightly” larger, and the autonomy “slightly” greater, but as for the rank of nobility, it remained unchanged.

The Prince obtaining the rank of a Grand Duke is a routine operation for the Habsburg dynasty. According to the constitution of the Holy Empire, with the Emperor’s approval, a Grand Duke could establish a Sub-State.

The establishment of a Sub-State by a Prince still meant being part of the Empire, not amounting to secession or treason. There were plenty of historical precedents, and the public wouldn’t have much opposition.@@novelbin@@

The strongest objections would come from capitalists and bureaucrats whose interests were harmed, yet at most they would complain. To actually take action, they lacked the courage.

As for the local Fief Aristocrats, the establishment of a Sub-State wouldn’t strip them of their fiefs. They would retain all their rights, with just a new boss over their head.

They might be displeased in their hearts, but due to the obligations of being a vassal, they had no way to oppose the Emperor.

However, the mere fact of being the Emperor’s son could only ensure respect; winning their loyalty would depend on the Monarch’s political skills.

Going directly to the final step was too risky. Despite his confidence in his own son, Franz wouldn’t do anything so foolish as to rush his growth.

The role of “Governor” was a good transition; do well, and you become a King, do poorly, and you come home to be a freeloader.

In recent years, the Habsburg dynasty had been flourishing with many in line to succeed. If a son was unfit, there was still a grandson, and as long as Franz was alive, he could manage the situation.

Aside from the Middle East and Africa which were to be integrated into the mainland, the colonies in Southeast Asia and America could all establish Sub-State governance.

In a sense, this was also a form of diversifying investments. For the Royal family, a few additional crowns provided security.

An enthusiastic Peter immediately promised, “Rest assured, Father. I have been preparing for this day for many years.”

Indeed, he had been preparing for many years. From the beginning of opening up overseas colonies, Franz had planned on establishing overseas Sub-States, so he had trained his son entirely to the standards of an heir.

After so many years of preparation, it was not easy to finally start implementing the plan; Peter couldn’t help but be excited. After all, he wasn’t getting any younger.

Now at middle age, if the plan didn’t start soon, he’d age before the Sub-State system was perfected.

Looking at his spirited second son, Franz felt pleased but kept an impassive face and said indifferently, “Once you’re in Austrian Central America, you will have five years.

I don’t care what methods you use, but if you can bring the locality under control within five years, you will be the future King of Central America.

I’ll give you one final piece of advice; unless absolutely necessary, it’s best not to use methods outside the rules.

The rules may restrict you, but they can also protect you. As a ruler, you can change the rules, but you must never be the first to break them.

Of course, this has a precondition, that it doesn’t threaten your personal safety or the authority of the Monarch. If that line is crossed, then all rules can be overturned and reset.

Exactly what to do, you’ll need to make decisions based on the actual situation; no one can help you with that.”

…

Appointing Peter as Governor of Central America was just a beginning; Franz still had to appoint Governors for Southeast Asia, South America, Alaska, and so on.

However, considering the actual circumstances, Franz had not switched all the colonial Governors to his sons at once.

Nothing could be achieved in one go; just appointing a Prince as colonial Governor, even if controversial, wouldn’t be too much.

If all overseas colonies were filled with Princes, even a political novice would know what the Emperor was up to.

Before the British, the foreign enemy, were dealt with, Franz wouldn’t provoke internal dissent. Even if he was confident in suppressing all opposition, it wouldn’t be advisable.

“As the saying goes: ‘Use all your strength, even when striking down a rabbit.'”

Especially when dealing with the British. Keep in mind that some people may be ineffective at many things, but their capacity to disrupt is first-class.

Nobody knows how much damage a single detail overlooked could cause.