Chapter 626: human nature

In 1877, the three countries, Britain, France, and Austria, launched an expansion war on the African continent, and Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Somalia peninsula fell into conflict.
Compared to the sweep of France and Austria, the British are in trouble. The famous "Warrior Emperor" became a nightmare for the British army.
Because the enemy rushed in, the British army was ambushed shortly after the war broke out, and the troops suffered heavy losses.
Looking at the battle report in his hand, the commander of the British army, Ismail was outraged. Less than a month after the war began, there were more than 5,000 troops. Colonial army cannon fodder is also okay, the key is that a British infantry regiment was beaten.
"Rice buckets, all are rice buckets!"
"You can't beat even a bunch of indigenous people. You have lost all of Britain's face. What is the use of the country to support you?"
...
A young officer explained stubbornly: "General, the indigenous people of Ethiopia are extraordinary. They also have modern weapons and have regular military training."
"Snapped!"
Ismail Meng shot a table and scolded, "It must have been done by the Austrian natives and the French, except that no one is so shameless!"
The crowd did not answer this topic. You must know that it was the British who helped Ethiopia train the army first. Only after the last Ethiopian war ended, did the two countries infiltrate the forces.
Ethiopia has a well-trained army, and the British have their own credit. If this layer of window paper is broken, the government will face greater pressure on public opinion.
It is the best choice to directly put the responsibility on France and Austria. It is not because they do not work hard, because the enemy is too "strong".
After venting, Ismail calmed down.
For this war, they prepared completely according to the experience of the last war. Obviously, this is no longer appropriate.
Different from the past, Menelik II was able to unify most of Ethiopia, and it was all the way out. How could it be possible to mess with a battle-hardened army?
The outcome of the Paris conference did not come to an end. Without a treaty constraint, France and Austria secretly stabbed their swords, which is perfectly normal.
Ismail is very skeptical that the Ethiopian army is now commanding the Fao commander, otherwise how could the British army lose to the indigenous people?
After taking stock of the forces in his hands, Ismail reluctantly concluded that with the current strength of the military it is difficult to win, even if it can be won, it is a disastrous victory.
If a war breaks out with the European powers, a "victorious victory" is also acceptable. The current enemy is the indigenous Africans. If such a result is achieved, it will be in military court.
Needless to say, in order to win, Ismail decisively chose to ask for help at home.
...
After a few years of political struggle in Paris, Paris, through play balance, Napoleon IV gradually took control of state power.
In this respect, Napoleon III's original plan was successful. Take advantage of the opportunity for power struggle between the parties to allow the smooth transfer of imperial power.
There are advantages and disadvantages. After several years of political struggle, the rest are old foxes who are used to political struggle.
After taking control of power, Napoleon IV would not be able to replace these people, and internal fighting has become the biggest problem for the French government.
As a last resort, Napoleon IV could only continue playing balance. He was powerless against the internal strife of the bureaucracy.
Perhaps bureaucracy is a good thing for imperial power, but there is a premise that it must be confined to a range.
Once the bottom line is broken, it finally becomes a disaster. Everyone is stabbing each other. How can the country develop normally?
This aspect can be seen from the economic development of France in recent years. Since the death of Napoleon III, the speed of economic development in France has dropped sharply, and the Paris government has done little.
It is better to do nothing than to do it indiscriminately. In general, France is stable, but its economic development is slow.
This made it difficult for Napoleon IV, who was arrogant, to accept economic control.
The slowdown of France's economic growth is due to various reasons. It is not something the government wants to catch up with.
The biggest problem is the energy crisis. The domestic coal production is seriously insufficient to meet the growing economic demand.
Not only the local coal shortage, but also the French African colonies. Without that, it can only be imported, which undoubtedly raises the cost of industrial production.
As costs go up, market competitiveness naturally comes down. In international trade, the market share occupied by France is falling sharply.
At its peak, France once accounted for one-fifth of the total global import and export trade, and now it has fallen to 15.7%.
This is not over. The French's market share continues to decline. Perhaps it will not be long before their position as the third largest trading nation can be maintained.
Napoleon IV asked: "Are you sure that the opening of the Panama Canal can drive domestic exports of industrial and commercial products?"
I have to say that French capitalists are powerful, and the emperor comes before their work.
Minister of Finance Alan: "His Majesty, the Panama Canal and Suez Canal are in very close condition, and the opening of the Suez Canal resulted in the last round of economic prosperity.
Since the opening of the Suez Canal, domestic import and export trade has grown at a rate of more than 7% for five consecutive years, which has greatly promoted the development of the domestic economy.
Now the Panama Canal is the same. Once the canal is opened, the journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific will be shortened by tens of thousands of nautical miles, which will greatly stimulate the growth of domestic export trade. "
Lying without blinking, I have to say that the politicians' temperament is low. The opening of the Suez Canal has indeed greatly stimulated French economic development, but the Panama Canal is not as effective.
From the map, we know that the biggest beneficiary of the Panama Canal is the United States of America, followed by Colombia, and other countries can only pick up some scraps.
Nor is it completely useless. If the Panama Canal was opened for navigation more than a decade ago, it is estimated that the French government would not have to give up Mexico.
Time can't go backwards. Now the development of the Panama Canal will shorten the distance to the west coast at most.
In this era, the economic development of the west coast of the Americas, even if it stimulated exports, this growth was very limited.
Moreover, there is competition from other European countries. French industrial and commercial products are losing their international competitiveness.
In this context, it is actually worth more than the French to invest heavily in the development of the Panama Canal.
Napoleon IV shook his head: "No, my Chancellor of the Exchequer. You only see the benefits to us, but you don't see the consequences. Actually, the biggest beneficiary is not us.
From the map, the biggest beneficiary is the United States of America. It is the common national policy of the three countries to suppress the development of the Americas, and the United States is the focus of suppression.
The three-nation covenant clearly stipulates that the three countries must maintain the balance of the American continent and prohibit unilaterally strengthening the strength of a certain country.
Regardless of whether or not we support the United States, this kind of strengthening of the United States is a betrayal in the eyes of the British Olympics. We cannot ignore long-term development for short-term benefits. "
Obviously, Napoleon IV was not easy to flicker, and this flawed statement could not lie to him.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Allen: "Your Majesty, this is only a benefit on the surface. The potential benefit is actually greater.
The opening of the Panama Canal in the short term is of greatest benefit to the United States. But the Panama Canal is under our control, and as the trade increases, the economic lifeline of the United States also falls into our hands.
The benefit behind this is our biggest gain. In the future, we can use the Panama Canal to open the doors of the countries of the Americas and capture more benefits for the empire.
The development of the Panama Canal has not directly enhanced the strength of a certain country. This can only be regarded as a side ball. The British and Austrian countries will not be so bad. "
The potential benefits are indeed exciting. Now that the world is almost divided, the remaining independent countries are not good at acting.
Taking advantage of economic means has become a necessity of the future world. Controlling the economic lifeline of the Americas will undoubtedly allow France to occupy a favorable position in the new round of competition.
Napoleon IV: "How can we guarantee the dominance of the Panama Canal? In the Colombian area, whether British or Austrian, we can't compete!"
This is the crux of the problem. France has insufficient strength in Colombia to guarantee control of the canal.
Britain, France, Austria and Austria are allies, but this is just a combination of interests. When the interests reach a certain level, allies can also become enemies.
If Britain and Austria are allowed to join the canal plan, the leadership will be changed instantly. Napoleon IV would rather not do this kind of wedding dress for others.
Finance Minister Allen: "Your Majesty, in fact, this does not require the government to come forward, and it will be better for private capitalists to do it.
We will not be able to take the lead in cooperating with any country in the UK and Austria alone, but the situation has changed with more countries participating.
As the sponsoring country, we may not have the right to dominate, but it is not difficult to obtain the largest right to speak.
The government need only ... "
...
After struggling, Treasury Secretary Allen managed to persuade Napoleon IV. Deep in his heart, he has made up his mind, whoever likes to do this kind of thing, anyway, he is not going to do it anymore.
Although the promised benefits of capitalists are large, the risks are not small. If it wasn't for Allen's knowledge that Napoleon IV intended to make a substitution, and wanted to leave for a fortune and return to the pension, he wouldn't cooperate with the capitalist.
You know, on the bright side, he is a representative of the grassroots class. With the restoration with Napoleon III, the counterattack of life was realized.
The politician's staff must not collapse. As a civilian representative in the government, he ran to cooperate with the capitalists. Once the news was leaked, Allen would immediately fall into a betrayal.
It is precisely because of this identity that Allen was able to propose to Napoleon IV that if he replaced a minister who represented the interests of the capitalists, it would not have been so easy to succeed.
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