Holy Roman Empire

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Some revel in success, others wallow in defeat, and as Russia and Austria celebrated their victory, the atmosphere within the London Government was particularly eerie.

Being a politician is not an enviable profession, and despite being in a foul mood, Prime Minister Gladstone still forced himself to send a telegram of congratulations.

It was necessary. The British public was watching, weren’t they? Secretly supporting the Ottoman Empire was one thing, but openly, one must not be seen sitting askew.

The butterfly effect grew increasingly significant, and international conflicts were not as intense as in the original timeline, which correspondingly lifted the integrity of involved parties just a little bit.

Just a little, enough to save face. In the shadows where daggers should and should not be stabbed, everyone was still stabbing each other relentlessly.

Inside the Downing Street Prime Minister’s Office, Foreign Minister George presented a document and said, "This is the agreement we have just reached with the Austrians, redefining the scope of our influence in the Middle East Region.

By supporting Austria’s annexation of the Ottoman Empire, we have obtained their promise to cease their expansion into Persia."

Is this agreement meaningful?

Can a mere contract truly bind Austria?

That depends on the perspective. Austria’s annexation of the Ottoman Empire has become an inevitable conclusion, beyond the purview of the British Government’s opposition.

However, with the British acknowledgment, the expansion can now be justified with more legitimacy. From this angle, the Vienna Government had the motivation to compromise.

Conversely, this all rests on the assumption that the Vienna Government cares about appearances.

If one day the Vienna Government suddenly drops its integrity and ignores international pressure, then these agreements are nothing but worthless paper.

Gladstone took a puff from his cigar and said slowly, "It seems we have a few years of peace ahead of us. The Austrians will need time to digest the Asia Minor Peninsula, so this agreement should hold in the short term."

Foreign Minister George added, "According to intelligence collected by our embassies, Russia and Austria are engaged in secret negotiations. The specifics are unknown, but it’s certainly about more than just post-war spoils.

Not long ago, the Vienna Government was relocating populations in the Asia Minor Peninsula. So far, millions have been deported, and the process shows no sign of stopping, almost as if they aim to empty the Ottoman Empire."

The true purpose remains unknown, but it’s certainly not out of concern for the safety of the Ottomans that they’re carrying out these relocations.

We’ve already verified that there are no large-scale epidemics in the Asia Minor Peninsula, nor is there any Black Death.

The Austrians’ emphasis on the Asia Minor Peninsula has exceeded common expectations, considering the enormous cost of the population relocation.

It’s worth mentioning that although the war is over, the Tsarist Government has not dispatched any administrative officials to the Asia Minor Peninsula, nor shown any intention of establishing an administrative infrastructure there.

This is highly abnormal and may have something to do with the Tsarist Government’s financial situation, lacking the capacity to bear the burden of post-war reconstruction.

Based on these indicators, the UK Foreign Office believes that the Russians might be willing to relinquish the Ottoman legacy in exchange for financial compensation from the Austrians."

No matter how passive the UK Foreign Office appeared in previous dealings, when it comes to diplomatic expertise, they still stand at the pinnacle of the age.

The ability to link seemingly unrelated clues to uncover underlying motives is enough to prove their professional competence.

After hearing this interpretation, Gladstone stood up, walked over to the map behind him, and stared intently at the Asia Minor Peninsula.

After a long moment, he said helplessly, "Our troubles in the future have grown significantly. Before we knew it, Austria had grown too powerful to be restrained.

By moving the Ottomans, it seems the Vienna Government intends to incorporate the Asia Minor Peninsula into its own territory. Soon, their territory will stretch from Vienna to Jerusalem, forming an unbroken expanse.

Look at the map. Aside from not having Constantinople, what else distinguishes the current Austrian sphere of influence from the Eastern Roman Empire?"

There are differences, of course. Italy’s heel is missing, so are Bulgaria and the Crimea Peninsula.

However, Austria’s domain now extends deep into Central Europe and has colonized much of Africa, its sphere of influence vastly exceeding that of the Eastern Roman Empire.

In essence, it is stronger than before. Before the fall of the Ottoman Empire, this realization was not so clear, but now anyone glancing at the map knows what this means.

Minister of the Navy Astley Cooper Key blurted out, "They’re aiming to restore the Roman Empire!"

He then quickly refuted, "That’s impossible. The nations of Europe would never agree to this; it would be a suicide mission."

Foreign Minister George said indifferently, "Restoring Rome is naturally impossible, but the current Austrian Empire is in no way inferior to the Roman Empire.

From Central Europe to the Middle East, all fall under Austrian territory. Once these regions are integrated, the land area of Austria’s homeland will have doubled. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

If you include the Arabian Peninsula, the land continuously connected to their homeland will exceed five million square kilometers, a size that rivals the peak era of the Roman Empire.

However, that is only a fraction of their influence. If we take into account their Overseas Colonies, the current Austrian Empire has in fact surpassed the zenith of the Habsburg dynasty.

Unlike any empire before, the Austrian Empire faces very little internal strife. Vienna Government’s steadfast policy of population displacement ensures that newly expanded territories harbor no hidden threats to rule."

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The stability of this Empire far surpassed that of the historical Habsburg dynasty; hoping for their internal collapse was simply impossible.

If we allowed the Austrians to continue developing and assimilating these regions, all our previous plans would be a joke."

Despite the harsh natural conditions in the Middle East and Arabia, that’s only a relative statement. At the very least, it’s more suitable for human habitation than the Siberia of the Russians.

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If Austria were to develop the area, I can’t guarantee anything else, but with the productivity of this era, supporting a population of two hundred million would be an easy task.

Plus, taking into account Austro-Africa, the carrying capacity could easily exceed five hundred million, which makes their developmental potential comparable to the entire European Continent.

Finance Minister George Childers laughed and said, "Sir, you are too pessimistic. A country’s strength doesn’t necessarily grow with its territory size; otherwise, Russia would be the world’s foremost superpower.

Yet, although Russia has the largest homeland in the world, its comprehensive strength ranks only fourth in Europe and doesn’t match its territorial size.

This is not only due to the Tsarist Government’s corruption but also largely determined by geographic conditions. The harsh environment of a land of ice and snow inherently constrains Russia’s economic development.

The situation Austria is currently facing is similar. It may seem that they have gained a vast territory through expansion, but most of these lands are deserts, utterly unfeasible for development.

Even the Asia Minor Peninsula, which has slightly better conditions, has become barren due to war, unable to yield any benefits in the short term.

To develop their economy, they must first improve their environment. Otherwise, the Vienna Government wouldn’t have implemented the "Fallow Law" in the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula.

Nature is not so easily changed; after so many years, no achievements have been reported, suggesting the Vienna Government’s plan probably failed."

Foreign Minister George shook his head, "No, the Austrians have seen some results. I’m not clear about other areas, but indeed, large forests have been added outside the city of Jerusalem.

Now, sandstorms can no longer endanger Jerusalem. Even the newspapers in London have published reports on it, which the religious community has always regarded as a gift from God.

Since the implementation of the Fallow Law, the controlled area of Austria has increased by at least two to three hundred thousand square kilometers of forest and grassland."

It’s not surprising at all; with people gone, the areas previously used for farming are now filled with singing birds and greenery, naturally leading to increased reforestation.

This is a virtuous cycle. Without the water-draining agriculture, plant life inherently serves the purpose of preventing wind and sand as well as conserving water and soil, which, as water resources slowly become abundant, promotes the expansion of the oasis area; the local ecology is slowly recovering.

Of course, such recovery is mainly noticeable in the early stages. It’s natural for farmland to quickly transform into grassland or forest, but it becomes much more difficult to further increase the green area later on.

Relying on nature alone to restore the ecosystem is not an overnight endeavor. Jerusalem is just an exception, primarily driven by political and religious benefits.

A diminishing religion needs miracles to consolidate waning faith; the Vienna Government needs a beautiful Jerusalem to demonstrate its contributions to Christendom, enhance international reputation, and increase national support for the government. The two hit it off and started a tree-planting campaign on the outskirts of the city.

Jerusalem, which is 24 kilometers from the Dead Sea and 56 kilometers from the Mediterranean, has resolved its water scarcity after the relocation of several hundred thousand people.

With substantial investment, naturally, the results are impressive. If an environmental ambassador were to be selected in this era, Franz and Leo XIII would be the leading candidates."

Seeing the topic veering off-track, Prime Minister Gladstone intervened, "Alright, gentlemen. Whether or not the Austrians have succeeded is irrelevant, turning deserts into oases is not something humanity can achieve at present.

The urgency now is to limit Austria’s growing power or unravel the potential Russian-Austrian deal.

After all, following the annexation of the Ottoman Empire, Egypt is the only thing separating Vienna from Austro-Africa.

The French only appear strong on the surface, but they have yet to recover from their internal turmoil. In future competitions, they may well fall behind.

As time goes by and the power disparity between France and Austria continues to widen, it’s possible they could reach a compromise one day.

The horror of that thought, I can hardly imagine."

No matter the era, there’s never been a shortage of armchair experts. The idea of turning deserts into oases has already been put forward.

It’s just that they’re still shouting in corners, not yet acknowledged by mainstream society, lacking any real influence.

Including the Vienna Government’s desert oasis project, only the Jerusalem area has a concrete plan, while other regions have nothing but a Fallow Law, waiting for nature to gradually recover.

In contrast, the consequences of a Franco-Austrian compromise are far more severe.

Remember, France and Austria still maintain a superficially allied relationship. As the power gap between them grows, and one side believes it has lost the ability to compete for supremacy, compromise becomes inevitable.

Foreign Minister George: "To prevent such an event, the best solution is to drag Austria into a war and deplete their strength.

Political diplomacy has always been a stronghold for the Habsburg dynasty, and their only weakness lies in their military.

Of course, this weakness is only relative; in the grand scheme of the world, only France and Russia can realistically stand against them."

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