Chapter 86 Navy

The solution Franz could think of was steam battleships.

At this time, Austria already had its own steam shipyard, so it was not difficult to develop steam battleships.

Even some large steamships could be equipped with artillery and used as battleships with a little modification. The cost-effectiveness was very good, and the Austrians had done this in history.

The advantage of steam battleships was their unparalleled speed. The speed of a first-class battleship was usually 8-9 knots, while the speed of a steam battleship could easily exceed 15 knots, and was little affected by the weather.

If Austria wanted to defeat the Egyptian fleet, it did not have to go through a large-scale naval battle, but could also be a quick and effective sneak attack.

After all, according to the later "Sea Power Theory", the attacking party is more likely to take the initiative and have more advantages.

And the speed of steam ships is exactly what Austria needs.

This is because Austria relies on diplomatic tightrope-like means to maintain its international status, but the embarrassment is that its large size (although it is bloated) means that it has to rely on balancing means to avoid excessive attention or contempt from the great powers.

Otherwise, what awaits Austria is a European encirclement, and the response of Britain and France is particularly important here.

So Franz hopes to achieve a diplomatic victory rather than a bloodbath.

No one is afraid of a clown, and no powerful country wants another powerful country to appear around it. Austria is a land power, there is no doubt about that, but if Austria becomes a naval power, it is hard to say whether it will have an impact on the situation in the Mediterranean and even the world situation.

As for the matter of uniting Egypt to fight against the European powers, don't even think about it.

It is admirable and ridiculous to shake a tree with an ant.

The Egyptian Pasha, Muhammad Ali, started from the grass and ended up as an emperor. He invited the European heroes to fight in the blue sea. Although he failed and his dream was shattered, he can be said to be a hero.

However, this great Arab hero tried his best, calculated everything, and spent all the money he had accumulated in his life, but he couldn't even scratch the paint of the British flagship.

At this time, Britain had 16 first-class battleships, 21 second-class battleships, 57 third-class battleships, and countless small auxiliary ships.

France had 6 first-class battleships, 7 second-class battleships, and 10 third-class battleships.

Russia had 5 first-class battleships, 16 second-class battleships, and 19 third-class battleships.

The United States had 2 first-class battleships.

Spain had 1 first-class battleship and 1 second-class battleship.

The Ottoman Empire had 3 first-class battleships, 6 second-class battleships, and 6 third-class battleships.

The Kingdom of Sardinia had 1 second-class battleship and 1 third-class battleship.

* Statistics between major powers do not count non-capital ships.

Britain has the ability to gather all the battleships in Europe together and then sink them all.

Austria only has a few third-class battleships that have exceeded their service life and are in the scrap period and are anchored in the Port of Venice.

As for the British wanting to unilaterally monopolize Egypt, it is impossible. As long as the British do the same as in the Straits Convention, the final result is likely to be that the benefits will be shared equally among the powers.

In this way, Austria will have an additional dumping ground for goods and an additional source of cotton, and no longer have to worry about the Americans' faces.

At this time, the cotton used in Europe was mainly produced in the United States, so the United States was also called the "Cotton Kingdom".

This Turkish-Egyptian war is more disadvantageous than beneficial to Austria. Austria needs to maintain its own great power dignity and avoid being caught in the struggle between Britain, Russia, and Britain and France.

But changing history to help Egypt is even more unnecessary. After all, Muhammad Ali Pasha does not seem to be a grateful person.

In order to gain more bargaining chips for the Austrian Empire, Franz plans to meet the first person in the history of the Austrian Empire Navy, Archduke Friedrich Ferdinand Leopold.

Schönbrunn Palace, Royal Garden.

Archduke Friedrich looked very reluctant. He was already sixteen years old. He graduated from the military academy when he was thirteen years old. Everyone said that he would be the greatest naval commander in the history of the Austrian Empire, and he himself believed it.

As soon as Archduke Friedrich entered the navy, the naval commander entered semi-retirement. The entire navy followed his lead. His father promised to provide him with a sponsorship of two million florins, and the Minister of War, Count Tural, also said that he would try his best to obtain a budget for the navy.

Archduke Friedrich was proficient in naval warfare, understood warship design, and was a professional in artillery, and even proficient in ship handling technology. He felt that he could definitely build a maritime force that could suppress the Kingdom of Sardinia in ten years.

Historically, he did build a fleet in ten years, and then drowned as a naval marshal.

But today Archduke Friedrich had to come and play with the children. What does a seven-year-old kid know? Do you want me to play hide-and-seek with him?

Archduke Friedrich hated this boring social etiquette, but he could only think about it in his heart. After all, he was still very afraid of Archduke Karl.

Archduke Friedrich was praised as a genius since he was a child, but he never got his father's recognition. He did not choose to be tough like his elder brother Albrecht, but chose to escape.

Although escaping is shameful, it is very useful. Friedrich chose to join the navy. Archduke Karl did not interfere in things he did not understand, which made Friedrich feel very comfortable. However, he was still very afraid of his strict father.

Although Archduke Karl often quarreled with the old emperor, he hoped that his descendants would not learn from him. After all, life is short and one should not waste time for a momentary impulse.

And when Franz II returned the coin to him, all the quarrels between the brothers had been put aside.

As ministers of the Austrian Empire, Archduke Karl's descendants should have a good relationship with the emperor. Archduke Karl himself was also very clear that the future emperor of Austria would most likely be Franz Joseph.

Archduke Karl did not want his descendants to repeat his tragedy. After receiving Franz's letter inviting Friedrich to be a guest, he immediately sent someone to tie his third son back from the navy.

Birds singing and flowers blooming, neatly trimmed lawns, and the majestic Arc de Triomphe could not interest Archduke Friedrich.

To be honest, since his mother's death, his only entertainment activities were discussing battles with his family or designing ships himself.

Archduke Friedrich, who was walking and thinking with his head down, collided with a towering mountain.

Because the opponent was very fast, Friedrich was knocked unconscious and a little angry. When he looked up, he saw an elf with long golden hair.

This was a bit too exciting for Friedrich, who had not seen a woman in the navy for several months.

A fountain of blood gushed out

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