Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 556: When False Appears Real, Even Falsehood Becomes the Truth

In the Middle East, Austrian forces launched a two-pronged attack against the Ottoman Empire. One force advanced from the Sinai Peninsula, targeting Jerusalem, while the other launched from the sea, aiming directly at Kuwait.

Kuwait, with its harsh natural conditions, falls under a tropical desert climate—arid, with little rainfall and frequent sandstorms. The entire region is barren and unsuitable for agricultural production.

Before the discovery of oil, it wasn’t considered important. It wasn’t until 1871 that the Ottoman Empire established a county in Kuwait, thanks to the Age of Exploration.

Kuwait does have excellent harbors, and the Ottoman government had planned to build a railway to provide direct access from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean as part of its efforts to boost the domestic economy. However, the plan remained just that, a plan, as the Ottoman government lacked the capacity to execute it.

Due to the limitations of its natural environment, Kuwait remained a poor, undeveloped backwater. With no domestic transportation infrastructure, foreign trade was also out of reach.

Now, the Ottoman government no longer had to worry about these problems. The Austrians already made the decision for them. Faced with a sudden invasion, the Kuwaiti garrison was quickly routed, still in shock from the unexpected attack.

It’s not that they didn’t try, the power disparity was just too great. The Ottoman government hadn’t anticipated Kuwait becoming an Austrian target, so the area was defended by just an undermanned garrison regiment.

Politically, controlling Kuwait doesn’t hold much immediate strategic significance. But a glance at the map reveals that Austria is essentially laying claim to territory.

By this time, most of the world had already been carved up. What’s left are either tough territories or regions where international powers intersect, where the balance of power makes sudden moves risky.

Although the Arabian Peninsula is somewhat barren, it’s still easy pickings, with fewer competitors. Aside from Austria, only Britain has shown interest in the region. However, it seems that John Bull doesn’t care much for these backwater areas, and thus, has only committed minimal resources.

In the Vienna Palace, Franz was carefully reading the British diplomatic note, which essentially protested Austria’s actions in the Middle East, claiming they harmed Britain’s interests and expressing their deep displeasure.

After a brief moment, Franz put down the document, smiling as he asked, “The British have come to protest. What do you all think?”

In Franz’s view, the British protest was actually a good sign. The fact that they hadn’t sent the Royal Navy to blockade Austria showed that the British government didn’t place that much importance on the Persian Gulf.

Though formal diplomatic notes might seem serious, they often boil down to matters of interest negotiation. Typically, as long as no nation’s core interests were at stake, everything was up for discussion.

Foreign Minister Wessenberg responded, “Your Majesty, based on the current situation, it seems the British want us to halt our actions.

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In Palestine, the Ottomans have gathered a heavy concentration of troops, and this war has only just begun. As for Kuwait, it’s just a small, rural area with almost no substantial interests at stake.

The so-called British losses in Kuwait likely don’t exceed 10,000 pounds, and such a small sum isn’t worth the British Foreign Office making such a fuss.

If they really want it, we could just compensate them. The Foreign Ministry has already been in contact with the British, and it’s clear that this isn’t the real reason for their protest.”

Kuwait was just an ordinary small county of the Ottoman Empire, with a population of only a few scattered tens of thousands. Given the harsh natural conditions, poverty was the defining characteristic.

The British colonial companies had once set up a foothold here, intending to establish a colony, but later withdrew due to financial losses.

In the original timeline, it wasn’t until after World War I, when oil was discovered in Persia, Iraq, and surrounding areas, that the British colonized Kuwait.

Now, Austria’s occupation of Kuwait was mainly for the port. In Yemen, many ports were affected by monsoons and could only be used for a few months, making them unsuitable as naval bases.

Of course, this was Austria’s official explanation and the current highest value of Kuwait. Whether others believed it or not was not something Franz cared about.

Prime Minister Felix said, “If that’s the case, then we can have a good discussion with the British. As long as the interests align, we can stop the war at any time. After all, we aren’t planning to destroy the Ottoman Empire right now.

However, I don’t think it’s very likely. The British do want to preserve the Ottoman Empire, but with the rapidly shifting political landscape in Europe, the fact that the British government has delayed taking action suggests there might be some hidden agenda.”

Assuming the worst when dealing with the British had become a habit for the Austrian government. This wasn’t about overthinking things, it was the result of long-standing experience dealing with them.

If you didn’t stay cautious, you could be swallowed by the British at any moment, especially when you were allies.

Take the Kingdom of Sardinia, for example. In its effort to hold on to Britain as an ally, Sardinia even joined the last Near East War despite having no direct involvement just to stay in the good graces of the British.

They thought that by securing British support, they’d be set, and with that backing, they could unify Italy. However, they were soon sold out by the British government.

If you carefully analyze the reasons, you’ll find that the poor performance of the Sardinian army in the Balkans to some extent fueled French ambitions.

Before the Austro-Sardinian War, Sardinia still had some military strength, capable of mobilizing over a hundred thousand troops, which was proof of it. Even though they lost that war, most European countries still gave the Sardinian military a decent evaluation.

But the previous Near Eas War was different. Sardinian soldiers had no interest in fighting and essentially coasted through the conflict.

When the French saw how weak their neighbor was, it was hard not to become ambitious! What happened next is well-known: the patriotic youths handed the French the perfect excuse.

As for their British allies, after a token effort to support them, they turned around, struck a deal with France, and sold out the Kingdom of Sardinia.

There are many such examples. You can easily find them by flipping through any history book. With so many lessons to learn from, experienced politicians naturally became wary of the British.

Finance Minister Karl said, “Could it be that the British are trying to make a deal with us? There are quite a few places where our two nations’ spheres of influence overlap. Although major conflicts rarely occur, small skirmishes happen every now and then.

Both of our foreign ministries are constantly busy dealing with these issues, and many problems remain unresolved. If the British are taking this opportunity to negotiate with us, it would certainly be in their interest.”

A glance at the world map reveals that with the continuous expansion of the major colonial empires, overlapping spheres of influence have increased, and in recent years, conflicts between the great powers have become more frequent.

The alliance between Britain, France, and Austria was, in fact, partially about dividing up colonial territories. After all, most of the wealthy regions had already been carved up, and the leftovers weren’t worth the effort fighting over.

Colonization needs to be cost-effective. The goal of establishing colonies was to plunder wealth, but blindly seizing territories without considering costs could bankrupt any empire.

The “Anglo-Boer War” in South Africa was a clear example of this. Austria, having won the war, could gradually recover its costs, but Britain, who had initiated the conflict, suffered a total financial loss.

The British government had no choice but to downplay the political consequences, and the previous administration even fell because of it.

With that lesson learned, the great powers have since been more restrained in their colonial disputes. After all, not every place has vast amounts of gold buried underground. Winning a war only to find that the costs outweigh the benefits is a real risk.

Staring at the map on the wall, Franz pondered for a while before finally turning his gaze to Ethiopia and Sudan.

The Suez Canal was critically important, but France and Austria weren’t going to let the British get involved. It was one thing for the British to miss out on control of the canal, but they still needed to maintain influence over it.

In this context, Britain had no choice but to focus on the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. With Austria occupying Yemen, the only area left for them was the African side.

Unfortunately, the African continent had already become the hunting ground of France and Austria, and now the British must pay for their earlier neglect.

To make up for their oversight, the British launched the Ethiopian War and the Anglo-Boer War, with the latter already a failure and the former only half-successful.

Although the British army did defeat Ethiopia, it came at the cost of several years, and Ethiopia remained in a state of chaos with anti-British forces continuing to grow stronger.

Undoubtedly, France and Austria, their two “teammates,” were hindering them behind the scenes. Without outside support, the Ethiopian natives would have long since succumbed to British bayonets.

Franz drew a circle on the map, covering the entire Arabian Peninsula, “The Foreign Ministry can take its time negotiating with the British. No matter what their intentions are, they will reveal themselves eventually.

They’re not in a hurry, and neither should we be. Dragging things out is a good strategy, ideally, until the Near East War is over.

If the British want to negotiate a deal, we should demand that they give up the entire Arabian Peninsula. Just negotiating over Kuwait alone isn’t worth it.”

After pausing for a moment, Franz drew another circle over the African continent, encompassing most of Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia.

“These areas are what we can offer as bargaining chips. If the British want to talk, let them negotiate slowly. There’s no need to rush an agreement.”

Colonial Minister Stephen quickly interjected, “Your Majesty, such a trade would be a huge loss for us. The Arabian Peninsula is of limited value, and its economy is still in a primitive stage.

It’s primarily made up of nomadic tribes, without a single proper city. The income from colonizing the region might not even cover the costs of ruling it.”

A loss? From this era’s perspective, it seems so. If it had value, Austria wouldn’t have been able to lay hands on it.

Franz didn’t bother to explain. In this era, talking about oil was like a fairy tale. The internal combustion engine was still in the experimental stage, far from being introduced to the market.

Oil’s greatest use was for refining into products for everyday lighting. Unfortunately, Austria was heavily investing in the development of the electricity industry, making oil for lighting look like a sunset industry.

After a moment of contemplation, Franz drew a line on the map, “Build a railway from Jerusalem, extending all the way to the Gulf of Aden, and then stretch it along the Arabian Peninsula to Kuwait. What do you think?”

There was no doubt that Franz was now talking strategy and not economics. Building a railway around the Arabian Peninsula would ensure that the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf could not escape Austria’s influence in the future.

If the Ottoman Empire collapsed, Austria could take the opportunity to expand its power into the Euphrates River region, solidifying Austrian dominance in the Middle East.

Finance Minister Karl said, “Your Majesty, we have to consider the costs. The economy of the Middle East is not strong, and it may take thirty years to recover these investments.”

Thirty years was a very optimistic estimate. Without considering the underground resources, Franz believed costs wouldn’t be recovered even after a hundred years.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz said slyly, “This is just a plan. Whether it can be implemented is a question for the future, but for now, let’s make the British believe it’s real.

Think about it. Once the Ottoman Empire collapses, and we, along with the Russians, carve it up, extending the railway from the Anatolian Peninsula all the way to the Arabian Sea. Doesn’t it sound enticing?”

When false appears real, it becomes real. If Franz wasn’t the one making the strategy, he might not have been able to tell which parts of it were real and which were false.