Chapter 319 France's Response

On March 26, 1861, the Austrian navy set off from the Port of Venice on a global tour, with the first stop being the Ottoman Empire.

It's a pity that the Sudanese government moved the capital to the inland areas, otherwise they can feel the pressure well. Even if the capital was moved, the Sudanese government was still shocked.

Seven ironclad ships plus a dozen auxiliary warships constitute the most powerful fleet in the world, which is not comparable to the sailing fleet at all.

When it says visit, it's just visit. This time, Franz did not prepare for extravagance. After frightening the Sudanese government, he visited the Mediterranean countries and went straight to Asia.

Paris

Stimulated by Napoleon III, he announced at the government meeting: "We want to build a larger iron armored fleet to let the world know the strength of France."

Napoleon III has no way to not react violently, even if the navy is not as good as the British. He can also comfort himself that the British are pure sea-power countries, and that France is amphibious, and it cannot be tolerated if it is inferior to the Austrians.

The advantage of the French navy over the Austrian navy now is only in tonnage and combat experience.

It is a pity that these experiences are stuck in the era of sailing warships, and many things are outdated in the era of ironclad ships, and the tactical concept has also changed. Even if there are several times the advantage in tonnage, the sail battleship cannot beat the ironclad.

There is no way, the sail battleship artillery is also used to deal with the sail battleship, and suddenly the enemy becomes an ironclad ship, which is not enough.

Admiral Dicko replied confidently: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. We have already started to build an ironclad fleet. Two ironclad ships are already in service, and there will be three more ironclad ships in service by the end of the year.

The Admiralty plans to build ten ironclads, all of which will take up to two years to complete, to let the world know our strength. "

The technical hurdle has been passed, and building ironclads is no longer a problem. This is still the speed of shipbuilding in peacetime. If you are willing to rush, the construction time of a warship will only take a few months.

During this period, the tonnage of ironclads has not soared. The big ones are only eight or nine thousand tons, and the small ones are only two or three thousand tons. The dock does not need to be modified, and it can basically meet the needs of shipbuilding.

Napoleon III said with satisfaction: "Okay!"

The world's No. 1 navy can't get the title, the world's No. 2 can't lose any more, and the French also want to save face.

Now, according to the ranking of international military power, the French army and navy are second, followed by Austria and the army and navy are third. The military power of the two countries is very close.

Before the era of ironclad ships, the strength of the Austrian navy was still swaying. As a result, when the ironclad arrived, he overtook the car, and jumped up to get rid of Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United States.

Many people now believe that the Austrian navy can compete with the French navy. This concept is very marketable in the Mediterranean region, and Napoleon III has no idea in his heart.

In terms of naval tonnage, the Austrian navy is close to 70% of the French navy. Considering the bonus of the combat effectiveness of ironclad ships, this statement is very convincing.

Therefore, the French Admiralty announced the long-planned shipbuilding plan. When these warships are commissioned, the naval strength of the two countries will be pulled apart again.

As for the three countries of Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal, they have fallen behind at this time and are unable to participate in this naval feast.

After a pause, Admiralty Dick added: "Your Majesty, our navy has insufficient military spending. To build so many ironclad ships, the government needs to increase funding."

Obviously, the navy asked Napoleon III to see the Austrian naval fleet in person, and it was not for nothing. On the surface, the French Navy is disgraced, but in fact it is still for shipbuilding funds.

Without the time to pay attention to the small calculations of the Admiralty, Napoleon III asked: "How far is it?"

Admiral Dicko replied solemnly: "At least another 120 million francs will be allocated before we can complete the plan."

Simply building a ship will definitely not cost that much money, but also consider basic training, staffing, research and development of new technologies...

The current appropriation is only the upfront cost. Once the construction is completed, the follow-up maintenance cost of the Navy will also increase in the future. In other words, the Navy's military expenditure will increase.

Before Napoleon III could answer, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Monier, couldn't wait to jump out and say, "No, you are talking about a lion.

How much does it cost to build an ironclad? How could it be 120 million francs, and at most 80 million francs, if you save some money, 70 million francs may be enough. "

Now the financial income of the French Empire has reached as high as 1.72 billion francs (about 68.8 million pounds), the French have the confidence of cattle b, and the financial income of the British in the same period is only 70 million pounds.

(Note: The statistical chronology of the search seems to only calculate the local area)

However, no matter how high the financial income is, the money will never be enough. The Ministry of Finance still needs to save, and it must be decisively cracked down on this kind of lion-opening behavior.

Admiral Dicko explained solemnly: "Your Excellency Count, how can this be saved? Entering the era of ironclad ships, we are one step behind the Austrians, mainly due to insufficient military spending.

How can we develop new technologies if we reduce military spending now?

Ironclad ships are different from the previous sailing warships. After serving, our soldiers have to be re-trained to be able to operate proficiently, which is another expense.

There are also ironclads that are much larger than sailing warships, and many of our original military ports need to be rebuilt, which cost money. "

Chancellor of the Exchequer Monier did not buy it: "Don't talk nonsense, except for research and development and the application of new technologies, other projects are allocated every year, and there is no need to repeat the budget.

Even if the Ministry of Finance allocates money to you, you will not be able to pass the government audit in the future. Or do a detailed budget again, we will discuss the issue of appropriation. "

This is very political art. The warship must have been built. This is the will of Napoleon III, but the cost of building the warship is still compressed. Otherwise, how can it reflect the seriousness and responsibility of the Ministry of Finance?

Knowing that the two quarreled and acted more, Napoleon III still watched the fun as if nothing had happened. Obviously, he is still qualified as an emperor in terms of power and tactics.

If the people below him hold a group, the emperor's life will not be easy. This kind of small fight, even if you know it's just a routine, the conflict will still take root in the hearts of the people after a long time.

The power of the Ministry of Finance is too great, and all departments need them to allocate funds, and they cannot offend the God of Wealth. If there is no contradiction, let the Ministry of Finance sell well, the emperor will not be able to sleep.

...

As if it was time for the fire, Napoleon III interrupted the debate between the two: "Okay, if you want to quarrel, just go back to your office and quarrel slowly, don't affect my mood.

I remember that the United States seems to be splitting up. How did the Foreign Ministry respond? "

Auvergne, the foreign secretary, replied: "Your Majesty, we have received news from our minister in Washington that we have reached an agreement with the three countries of Incio, and we all agree on the affairs of the United States.

Now that we have persuaded the southern government to agree to abolish slavery, the four countries have officially recognized the legitimacy of the southern government and are currently lobbying for more slave states to join the southern government.

If nothing else, America should be divided this time. With a bit of luck, our chances of returning to North America will also arise. "

Napoleon III asked suspiciously: "Since the southern government is willing to abolish slavery, why are they independent? Didn't the northern government make any concessions?"

Auvergne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, explained: "Your Majesty, the main contradiction between the North and the South is tariffs. In recent years, the population of the northern states has grown rapidly, while the population of the South has grown slowly, and the strength gap between the two sides has been widened.

The current North American government is the spokesman for the interests of the capitalists, and the promises they give have no credibility at all.

If the southern states do not act, their interests will gradually be eaten away.

After the independence of the southern states, the neutralists proposed to add a slave state to balance the power gap between the two sides, but the northern government rejected it.

There are also people who propose double tariff standards, which means that the northern states implement trade barriers and increase tariff rates; while the southern states implement free trade and reduce tariff rates.

The person who made this suggestion has already grown grass on the tomb. The capitalists refused to compromise on this issue, they wanted cheap industrial raw materials and markets. "

Napoleon III nodded, and this explanation made more sense. There is no love and hate for no reason in the world. If there is no benefit, do you expect the capitalists to fight a civil war for the benefit of the black slaves?

If there is such a Virgin, why don't these people treat the workers a little better? This is true for his own people, not to mention ****.

"So, the Austrian Navy's global visit is also aimed at the Americans?"

Obviously, Napoleon III's political vision was still good, and Franz's real purpose could be seen at a glance.

Under normal circumstances, even if an exchange visit is required, it is impossible to send such a large team, and the navy is also very expensive to run.

"There should be factors in this regard, and the fact that the Vienna government is ready to stand up.

In recent years, the Austrians have frequently established colonies overseas, and they have encountered many troubles, which may be resolved during this visit. ' replied the Foreign Secretary Auvergne

After pondering for a while, Napoleon III made a decision: "We can't be idle either, in recent years, the speed of overseas expansion is still a bit slow.

This American Civil War is an opportunity, and even the Austrians have to fish in troubled waters. If we miss the opportunity again, we will be really behind.

Come up with a plan as soon as possible, the interests of the Americas must have a French share. "

In fact, the speed of the French overseas expansion is not slow at all, but the strategic focus on the Kingdom of Sardinia in the past two years has slowed down the speed.

This slowness is only relative. Except for Austria, the French are currently the fastest expanding on the African continent.