Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1106: Chapter 120: The Conflicted Tsarist

Government was in motion, and so was civil society. The capital market reacted the fastest, with prices of strategic materials constantly climbing in the futures markets while the stock market was experiencing both highs and lows.

Every enterprise engaged in overseas trade, without exception, saw its shares plummet, replaced rapidly by a surge in the defense sector.

To protect their own interests, capital magnates engaged in overseas trade swiftly mobilized, launching a massive anti-war campaign across Europe.

Especially in the smaller European countries, almost the entire population participated by submitting petitions to the embassies of the Anglo-Austrian two countries, urging them to calm down and resolve issues through negotiation.

Unfortunately, it was all in vain, as both the Shinra and Britannia war machines had been set in motion and were not something that could be easily stopped.

It wasn’t that Franz disrespected public opinion, quite the opposite, the war had been initiated because of public opinion. Although there was a strong voice against the war among the public, those advocating for war were even louder!

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Among the domestic anti-war faction, aside from those whose interests were harmed, only idealists remained. Undoubtedly, compared to the whole society, these people’s voices were insignificant.

There was no way around it; the British deer was just too fat. If the Great Britain Empire had continued to prosper, everyone, despite their ambitions, would have had to restrain themselves.

Reality was extremely cruel; the British had missed the second industrial revolution, putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage internationally.

Although everyone doubted the British capability, the renown of the Royal Navy had initially deterred any rash actions.

However, as soon as the British announced their withdrawal from the free trade system, they inadvertently exposed their weaknesses, and everyone suddenly realized that the former workshop of the world was now in decline.

Once the vulnerability was exposed, regaining the previous deterrence became clearly impossible.

The world still had many smart individuals; if Franz could think of overwhelming the British with quantity, so could the people.

With its industrial advantage, Shinra could easily do the following: for every battleship the British built, Shinra would build two to counter it.

The navy is a technical branch of the military, as well as a technological one. No matter how elite the Royal Navy was, it was impossible to combat two enemies at sea simultaneously.

At least with comparable naval capabilities, it was impossible to fight one against two.

Then the question arose, why should the British lead when our overall national strength is stronger?

This wasn’t just a struggle for a name; it was accompanied by vast interests. The biggest stakes were undoubtedly currency hegemony, which was virtually tied to global hegemony.

Over the past couple of decades, the British hegemonic status had been unstable, consequently leading the British Pounds to lose a significant share of its currency hegemony to Divine Shield.

But no matter how it was shared, it couldn’t compare to possessing exclusive control. No one could refuse the opportunity to eliminate the British and enjoy sole currency hegemony.

Not only that, but the British also held the most fertile colonies, which were an immense temptation for both the nobility and the commoners.

Turning the tables wasn’t just a trivial matter. In line with Emperor Franz’s usual practice, the juiciest lands would be distributed, which certainly made everyone’s hearts flutter.

Everyone had been eagerly anticipating the decline of the Great Britain Empire, and they couldn’t afford to delay any longer. What if the British rejuvenated?

There were precedents; the Holy Roman Empire was a classic example of rising from the ashes, and nobody could guarantee that the British couldn’t do the same.

No matter how you looked at it, Britannia was much stronger now than Shinra had been when it was fragmented and weak, making a resurgence much less challenging.

With minor internal adjustments and catching up on lessons missed during the second industrial revolution, they could still be the mighty Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets.

Without needing to overpower Shinra, if their strengths were similar, the Vienna Government would not likely initiate a conflict destined for mutual destruction.

Perhaps Britannia would decline further, but everyone’s patience was almost exhausted and they were unwilling to wait any longer.

Moreover, the British wouldn’t just sit idly by. If reform had been so simple, Campbell wouldn’t have stopped.

It was because all possible reforms had been implemented, and when it came to “revolution,” they suddenly stalled, forcing them to try to suppress competitors to solidify hegemony.

Looking back, competitors had turned into giants. It was no longer about suppressing competitors, but rather being grateful not to be suppressed by them.

Unwilling to willingly surrender hegemony, the British were no exception. Driven by interests, the Great Britain Empire inadvertently started its war machine.

St. Petersburg felt an ominous premonition ever since the escalation of tensions between Shinra and Britannia, with Nicholas II sensing something foreboding.

Although he dreamed of instigating a war between the Anglo-Austrian two countries to act as a fisherman and reap the maximum benefits,

the timing was not right! The Russian Empire was deeply mired in the Far Eastern quagmire and could not afford to be distracted by resolving issues with the Japanese before that.

Not to mention reaping the benefits of a fisherman, even the Far Eastern battlefield needed the support from the Vienna Government to sustain itself.

In this context, it was considered lucky not to be caught in the crossfire, let alone benefit as a fisherman.

The outbreak of war between Shinra and Britain would affect foreign trade throughout Europe, and the Russian Empire would be no exception.

If it were merely trade that was damaged, Nicholas II would not mind letting Shinra and Britain fight it out.

The trouble was that the logistics of the Russian Army on the Far Eastern battlefield was transported from the European Continent.

Apart from a small quantity that was transported through Siberia to the Far Eastern region, most were transported by sea and land via the Far Eastern Empire and then smuggled to the front-line troops.

The war between Shinra and Britain would undoubtedly disrupt maritime traffic, particularly the ships that transported strategic materials, which were main targets for both sides.

Collateral damage was inevitable, and encountering the Shinra Navy was fine as they would not seize their own ships, but encountering the Royal Navy would be tragic.

Nicholas II did not think his national prestige would compel the British to look the other way, given that England and Japan were allies, and there was only hatred between England and Russia.

If the supplies were seized midway, the officers and soldiers of the Russian front would face disaster. Without sufficient logistics support, they would be unable to fight.

Realizing this, Nicholas II did not hesitate to order, “The Foreign Ministry should expedite our previous orders and increase the orders to the major military factories of Shinra.

At all costs, we must get at least one year’s worth of strategic materials to the Far Eastern region before the outbreak of war between the two countries.”

There was no time to waste, as time waits for no one. Any delay could potentially lead to a war loss.

Fortunately, the smuggling network was already in place, so they just needed to send the materials into the Far Eastern Empire, where others would take over and ensure their delivery to the front lines. The Tsarist Government just had to pay.

Foreign Minister Mikhailovich: “Your Majesty, might this be too hasty? Stocking large quantities of strategic materials within the territory of the Far Eastern Empire and protecting against Japanese meddling is highly risk-prone.”

This concern was not unwarranted, given that they had made many enemies over the decades by constantly exploiting the Far Eastern Empire, sowing seeds of hatred.

The smooth conduct of the smuggling trade was not only because the high levels of the Far Eastern Empire wished for mutual destruction between Russia and Japan, but also because the transportation was handled by Merchant Jin, who recognized only money.

If nationalists got hold of it, even without completely destroying it, one couldn’t hope for safe delivery to its destination.

Japan was not idle, conducting anti-Russian propaganda day and night, far surpassing the Russian propaganda department by at least a hundred-fold.

Nicholas II shook his head, “We cannot worry about that now, it’s already too late for timing. First, get the supplies to the Far Eastern Empire and entrust them to the Austrians for safekeeping.

Their good relations with the Far Eastern Empire mean that to avoid impacting bilateral relations, the Far Eastern government would not dare tamper with their goods.

As long as the Holy Roman Empire is not defeated in the struggle for supremacy, no one would dare make rash moves.”

It was apparent that Nicholas II was feeling very conflicted at this moment.

On one hand, he needed Shinra’s support to win the ongoing Russo-Japanese War; on the other, he hoped for Shinra’s defeat, as only then could the Russian Empire return to the center of the world stage.

Regardless of his internal contradictions, politically, he still had to stand with the Vienna Government. The prestigious banner of the Russian-Austrian Alliance could not be so easily discarded.

As for the overtures from the British, Nicholas II never took them seriously. The hatred between England and Russia was too deep, even the Tsar dared not speak lightly of abandoning it.

Allying with enemies and turning against allies was out of the question. If that were to happen, a change of Tsar would be necessary.

Peter III was one of a kind, and there could only ever be one. The same mistake would not be made by the Russians a second time.

Army Minister Yevgeny spoke up, “Your Majesty, the enemy has increased the density of their aerial patrols. To ensure the safety of airships, we must increase our escort strength.

The Army Department hopes to increase the procurement of aircraft to secure air superiority over the Far Eastern battlefield.”

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