Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1060: Chapter 74: Dreadnoughts – Rome
 

To avoid becoming the fisherman’s profit, the Tsarist Government did not wish to provoke a war against Britain at this time. As for Britannia, the eye of the storm, that was even more unthinkable.

When has Britannia ever been so brash as to venture onto land and start a war with a major power?

Even if it were to really fight, it would be by pulling together a group of cannon fodder allies for a collective attack, solo combat was simply out of the question.

The Tsarist Government dreaded Britannia’s strength, and the London Government even more so dreaded the strength of the Mao Xiong. Most importantly, waging war against the Russians, even winning brought few benefits, but losing could mean losing India.

Having personally experienced the ferocity of the Afghan Guerrillas, the British Government had since given up on the Afghan Region.

Unfortunately, these fellows were also bullies who feared the tough, able to overpower the Indian Colonial Army; but faced with the unreasonable Mao Xiong, the Afghan Guerrillas did not achieve remarkable military feats.

This was not surprising, as Afghanistan, though fierce in spirit, lacked resources, with limited arable land capable of sustaining a limited population.

Due to the war, the local population was even scarcer. The Tsarist Government had deployed over two hundred thousand Russian Army members in the Afghan region, and the local military-to-civilian ratio had reached 1:10.

One Russian soldier overseeing ten Afghan civilians, even if they wanted to make trouble, they could not! After all, the fighting capability of these gray beasts was far stronger than that of the Indian Colonial Army.

If Britannia had stationed its main forces in the Afghan Region back then instead of the British Indian Corps, they would not have been so easily bullied by the guerrillas.

After all, international public opinion of the time only focused on Europe, turning a blind eye to the occurrences in overseas colonies—a silent agreement among nations.

Of course, that was just wishful thinking. With Britannia’s total land forces being less than two hundred thousand, how could they possibly dispatch over two hundred thousand to be stationed in the Afghan Region?

Though land forces were slightly cheaper than naval forces, it still didn’t change the fact that the military was a gold-eating beast.

Apart from the Russians, in peaceful times, even the major European land powers maintained only five to six hundred thousand standing army.

Sending over two hundred thousand troops to station in a region at once, even the Vienna Government would feel the pressure, let alone the British Government.

It was precisely because it was unfeasible that after a major shift in the European situation, the British Government opted to abandon most of the burdensome Afghan Region and temporarily compromised with the Russians.

Without these issues, the British Government would have clenched its teeth and held on. With Britannia’s financial resources and the manpower of the Indian Region, the first to be dragged down would definitely be the Russians.

War is a continuation of politics, and politics is a continuation of interests. The governments of both England and Russia deemed that initiating a war now did not serve their interests, so naturally, a war could not start.

Sowing discord would only worsen relations between England and Russia, and could not truly influence the decisions of the two governments. Even though Shinra had significant influence within the Tsarist Government, it was not enough to make decisions for them.

…

Frederick, feeling only slightly disappointed, was not discouraged by the bankruptcy of the first wave of international strategic plans he personally organized and implemented.

Provoking an England-Russia war was always a low-probability event.

Even though the Vienna Government had begun preparations nine years earlier, assisting the Russians in building the Central Asia Railway, it only worsened the England-Russia relationship slightly and increased the odds of success marginally.

Even to avoid making their intentions too obvious, they withdrew the technical personnel from the Austrian Railway Company immediately after the main line was opened.

Nevertheless, it was futile. It was a scheme in broad daylight, and no amount of disguise could change the Vienna Government’s intent to provoke an England-Russia war.

Under such circumstances, failure was normal. It was merely a beginning, at most considered a probing attempt.

Just because the England-Russia war has not erupted now, it does not mean it will not in the future. The seeds of war have been sown; now, they just wait to take root and sprout.

…

In July, through the azure sky, the sun baked the earth like a huge fireball, evaporating the clouds, making the sky exceptionally high.

Trieste Harbor under the blazing sun was exceptionally busy today. Guards, seemingly from nowhere, had swarmed the docks, allowing no passage.

This did not dampen the local populace’s enthusiasm for spectacle; it seemed a common sight, only astonishing the merchants visiting for the first time.

Seeing the increasing number of soldiers on the streets, Du Chengen, wary of trouble, decisively led his people back to the inn, fearing they might provoke a huge disaster.

There was no choice. In these times, the international environment was quite unfriendly toward Chinese merchants, necessitating extreme caution.

Without a nation to back them and amid an era of severe racial discrimination, engaging in overseas trade was akin to risking one’s life.

The emergence of the Lanfang Autonomous Province slightly altered this situation but did not genuinely turn things around.

There was no choice; rights had always to be fought for. As a legal nation, having accepted the Lanfang Autonomous Province, it naturally had to recognize the residency of Lanfang.

However, this recognition was limited to acknowledgment within the Holy Roman Empire itself. Internationally, it still wasn’t highly regarded.

Or it could be said that even if recognized, it couldn’t rely on the clout of the Holy Roman Empire; ultimately, when Chinese merchants encountered problems, their first choice was to keep things quiet and avoid conflict.

On the one hand, inconvenient information transfer made proving one’s nationality very difficult; on the other hand, long-term oppression had made Chinese merchants reluctant to deal with government officials.

When issues arose, they didn’t seek help from the embassy first; instead, they tried to solve problems themselves, which didn’t deter the wolves.

Under these circumstances, more and more Chinese merchants engaging in overseas trade chose to trade within the Holy Roman Empire or with various Asian countries.

After all, the domestic market of the Holy Roman Empire was large enough, and everyone was familiar with the Asian region, sufficient for their own needs.

Du Chengen was among them. Originally active in Southeast Asia and East Asia and directly transporting tea to Europe, this was his first experience.

Despite opening a new trade route, it did not change Du Chengen’s cautious nature. He preferred to earn less, avoiding trouble for himself.

After transporting goods to Trieste Harbor, he traded directly with local tea merchants and had no plans to delve into the European market.

Seeing the increase in soldier numbers outside, the cautious Du Chengen naturally didn’t want to linger.

“Boss, there are so many people outside watching the excitement; why are we in such a rush to leave?”

Du Chengen scolded the young sailor with a glare, “Ah Fu, how many times have I told you, the most taboo thing when abroad is to be curious.

With so many soldiers on the streets now, who knows what will happen next. If you get involved and get shot, you won’t even have time to cry.”

Hearing Du Chengen’s words, the guide beside them became unhappy, as if his country was being portrayed as a land in turmoil.

But considering that it was his employer, Lau Cole restrained his emotions and gently reminded him, “Du, you worry too much.

Here in the Holy Roman Empire, as a legal nation, our troops would not shoot at civilians casually.

Unless you assault a military blockade line or approach with weapons, at most, they would just warn you to leave.

Just watching the excitement is no issue. If I’m not mistaken, today there’s a new large battleship being launched, which is why the port is closed.

This is also a distinctive feature of Trieste. If you want to experience it, I can take you to the observation deck. With a telescope, you can even see the battleship being launched.”

As one of the shipbuilding centers of the Holy Roman Empire, Trieste regularly had battleships launched, although not every time did it necessitate closing the docks.

Generally, such a big commotion only occurs when a large military ship is launched or when a major figure attends the event domestically.

Franz, who cared much about appearances, naturally wouldn’t talk about the details. Right now, he just wanted to take his employers over and put on a show.

Realizing he had misspoken, the crafty Du Chengen immediately rectified, “Sorry, Mr. Cole. But we are truly exhausted today, and we just want to go back and rest.

Our work for today is already finished. You’re free for the rest of the day, just come over by 9:30 am tomorrow.

If possible, it would be best if you could take a few photos of the ship launching, and let us experience it too.”

Hearing that today’s “work was over,” Cole’s dissatisfaction was wiped out, and he promised immediately, “Don’t worry, I’m very familiar with Trieste, and I can definitely take the best pictures.”

After that, without waiting for Du Chengen and the others to bid farewell, Cole disappeared in a flash. Obviously, watching the spectacle was much more interesting than working.

Returning to the inn, Du Chengen and his companions happened to run into the old owner, Mr. James, who was about to go out with a camera.

The old man enthusiastically invited, “Du, you’ve come back just in time. Do you know, today a super battleship is being launched, rumored to be a revolutionary warship.

I must admit, you’re quite lucky to catch this historical moment. Come with me now and witness history!”

If it were an ordinary person, they might have been convinced. But Du Chengen knew that this Goriot-like innkeeper was only enthusiastic when it came to Divine Shields.

He immediately refused, “Sorry, Mr. James. We’ve been busy all morning and are quite tired now; I’m not fortunate enough to witness history with you.”

After being refused, Mr. James didn’t persist but merely lamented, “That’s truly a pity. Just for 5 Divine Shields, we could have secured a great spot to witness a moment in history.”

Hearing Mr. James’s lament, Du Chengen finally understood why the previous guide and the current innkeeper had invited him.

Though Mr. James made it sound trivial, merely “5 Divine Shields,” that number already represented a month’s income for a lower-class worker.

Even as an international trader, the profits Du Chengen earned from a ship voyage, after all expenses, could hardly exceed a thousand Divine Shields.

There was no choice; as the era evolved, the golden age of ocean trade was slowly fading, especially with the appearance of large cargo ships, which drastically squeezed the industry’s profits.

Du Chengen abandoned the familiar Asian routes and ventured into Europe to trade, driven by brutal market competition.

This time in Trieste, apart from trading, Du’s more important purpose was to purchase a ten-thousand-ton cargo ship.

As a businessman, Du was never short of foresight. With the ongoing economic development, the demand for cargo capacity in maritime trade was also increasing.

But this demand was for large cargo ships with high transportation volume and low unit operational cost, not the small and medium-sized merchant ships being phased out by time.

Not wanting to be squeezed out by competitors, the only option was to keep up with the times, purchasing more advanced merchant ships to hold a competitive edge in the market.

As for witnessing history, let others do that; he, a little figure, didn’t need to join the crowd.

Deep inside, Du was actually quite surprised. He could never have dreamt that the Holy Roman Empire had turned ship launching into a business.

It was always said there were more solutions than difficulties, even though Shinra Navy’s budget was still insufficient despite being in the world’s leading economy.

To raise military funds, the Navy Ministry had also put in tremendous efforts. Selling viewing tickets was just one of them.

At 5 Divine Shields a spot, selling ten thousand spots would total 50,000 Divine Shields. Accumulated over time, even for the Navy, this was not a small number.

Though not guaranteed, the annual revenue from tickets could still confidently finance the construction of another warship.

As for the issue of secrecy, if a person could spot the secrets held within the warship from miles away with binoculars, Shinra Navy wouldn’t need to exist anymore.

…

Accompanied by salvos of ceremonial cannons, Franz, who seldom appeared in public, showed up on the ship platform.

After all, the world’s first dreadnought was being launched. For any military enthusiast, it was a major temptation, and Franz was no exception.

How could he be absent from a historical event he himself had initiated?

Moreover, without escalating the event, how could he put sufficient pressure on the British?

The Emperor’s presence on-site was itself a political statement. Anyone with discernment could see that in the days to come, the Vienna Government would heavily develop the navy.

Navy Minister Castaigne: “Your Majesty, everything is ready. Should we start now?”

Franz responded with a faint smile, “You take the lead. I’ll stay here.”

Witnessing history was one thing, but for an Emperor who got seasick, personally experiencing the launching ceremony aboard the ship was too demanding.

Even if curiosity needed to be satisfied, it could wait until the facilities were fully operational.

When the Emperor decided not to board, Castaigne breathed a sigh of relief. Riding a warship that had just been constructed and not yet furnished was not a comfortable experience.

If the aging Emperor were to have an accident on board, it would be a disaster. No matter how healthy Franz might be, he was nearly 70 years old.

In an era where even a cold could be fatal, no one dared to let the Emperor experience the jolting of the warship during the launching.

With the Emperor’s command, the launching ceremony began. As the valves opened, sea water surged into the dock, striking the hull with a tumultuous roar.

Every worker’s heart was on edge, fearful an accident might occur at the last moment and turn into an international embarrassment.

The Emperor Franz, seemingly oblivious, asked with interest, “Frederick, what name have you decided for this warship?”

Choosing a name for the first dreadnought spurred endless debates within the Vienna Government. The initial plan to name it after the Emperor was decisively rejected by Franz.

The reason was simple: he feared it would be bad luck if the warship were to be sunk in a naval battle someday. As the saying goes, the older one gets, the more they fear death, and Franz was no exception.

Aside from the widely supported name, the remaining list of options was diverse, with more than fifty names submitted to Franz.

The more choices one has, the harder it is to decide. At this moment, Franz also suffered from decision paralysis, unsure which name was most appropriate.

Regardless of delays, the warship was starting to be launched now, and a name needed to be chosen and announced today.

Franz was terrible at naming, and Frederick was no better, who blurted out, “How about Holy Roman Empire?”

Hearing this, Franz rolled his eyes and said, “Naming it directly after the Empire is even worse than calling it Rome! At least that’s shorter and easier for everyday use.”

“Short” and “easy to call” thus became the ultimate criteria for naming, rather than considering its political significance. It’s doubtful anyone would believe this if it got out.

However, since the Emperor had spoken, everyone was too lazy to object. “Rome” actually wasn’t bad, although it didn’t originate from a political perspective, but the outside world didn’t know that!

As long as the PR department could delve a little deeper, they could devise a plethora of reasons and meanings for it, surely avoiding any cliché.

…