Chapter 320: Chapter 7, Ocean-going Fleet
On June 18, 1861, the Austria Ocean-going Fleet visited Korea. Both sides reached a consensus on friendly exchanges, and the diplomatic relations were upgraded to envoy level.

During this period, Korea, under the feudal system, rejected foreign trade. Previously, Austria had little interest in Korea and had no embassy there, only an office.

After this friendly visit, Hummel signed a friendly trade agreement with the Korean government, granting each other most-favored-nation treatment.

This had become the norm, as Austria had already signed commercial most-favored-nation treaties with more than a dozen countries, including England and France.

In passing, several military procurement orders were made as well, and apart from army equipment, Hummel also managed to sell five ironclad ships.

Thailand and Vietnam each ordered one, and the Manchu Qing Government ordered three in one go. Clearly, they were intimidated by England and France and wanted to strengthen their maritime defenses. No matter how expensive the ironclad ships were, it was better than being a homeless dog.

As Austria had no intention of expanding in the Far Eastern region, it naturally went ahead with the business at hand. Whether this would cause trouble for the European Colonial Empires was not a concern for Hummel.

Unable to persuade the Korean government, Hummel still felt somewhat reluctant, and could only hope that Japan, the last one in East Asia, would yield some results.

After all, with everyone selling army equipment and competing with each other, the profits had already been pressured down. And since Austria was the only one selling ironclad ships, a twofold profit was not too high.

If someone was willing to pay a high price, even active service equipment could be sold. For instance, this Ocean-going Fleet; if someone offered over 30 million Divine Shield, Franz wouldn’t mind selling it off in a package deal.

After all, the production costs of these warships wouldn’t exceed 7 million Divine Shield, and it would take just over a year to build such a fleet.

Following the adoption of the gold standard by Austria, the international gold-to-silver ratio was also impacted, with the devaluation of silver to gold reaching 15.3 to 1, where now 1 Divine Shield equated to 1.5 Taels of Pingku silver.

Clearly, in this era, there were very few countries with the capacity to produce 45 million taels of Pingku silver in one go. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would want to be such a sucker.

…

In Edo, Hummel had just finished a friendly visit with the Bakufu/Shogunate government, and Austria’s list of most-favored nations grew by one more.

The envoy Charles, puzzled, asked, “Count, why did you not take the opportunity to expand our interests in Japan?”

Hummel smiled faintly and replied, “Haven’t we already expanded? We have signed a most-favored-nation treaty, which means that any time a power expands its privileges here, we automatically enjoy equal treatment.”

This was true. On the surface, a completely equal treaty, but due to the disparity in national power, the outcomes differed.

Signing a most-favored-nation treaty with England and France was a purely equal treaty, where both sides took what they needed. After all, no one in this era could force them into signing unequal treaties that sold off domestic commercial interests.

With Japan, it was different. Any commercial privileges granted by the Japanese Government to any country would be automatically enjoyed by Austria.

However, compared to the actions of other countries, Austria was actually rather moderate. It did not forcefully coerce through military threats or harm sovereignty, but was merely focused on commercial cooperation.

The envoy Charles shook his head and said, “Count, that’s still not enough. We could easily establish concessions, ports, or even occupy a few islands here.”

Hummel earnestly explained, “Envoy, we indeed have the strength to do so. The Ocean-going Fleet is currently the most powerful armed force in the East Asia region; making Japan a protectorate wouldn’t be a problem.

However, the Ocean-going Fleet can’t be stationed here forever, and we will leave before long. Would England and France sit by while we occupy so many interests?

Once military pressure is gone, would the locals continue to accept our rule? With our limited power in the Far Eastern region, we simply can’t handle such extensive interests.

So, it’s better to get along with everyone from the start. The East Asia region is not our focus for expansion; doing business here is sufficient.”

Unsatisfied, the envoy Charles said, “But what about our Russian ally? If we join forces, holding on to these interests won’t be a problem.”

Charles had helped the Russians occupy Tsushima Island with that in mind not long ago. By bringing Russian influence in, it was intended to join forces in seizing the biggest slice of the pie.

Hummel sighed and said, “The Russians are too greedy; one Japan won’t satisfy their appetite. Collaborating with them means being tied to their chariot in the future.

This place is too far from Austria, beyond our capacity for investment. Don’t forget, the Ocean-going Fleet was able to smoothly reach East Asia by using the ports of various countries for supplies along the way.”

That the Russians were too greedy was a universally acknowledged fact. In matters of territorial expansion, the Tsarist Government seemed never to be satisfied.

Dissolving the Russian-Austrian Alliance also garnered strong support within the Vienna Government. Many Austrians believed that cooperating with the Russians was not worthwhile, and that working with England and France to suppress the Russian Empire would yield greater benefits.

After pondering for a while, the envoy Charles commented, “Alright, you’ve convinced me. But still, if we do nothing, the Russian’s troubles will only grow before long.”

Did they swindle the Russians? That probably didn’t count; Charles was a seasoned diplomat who never made any promises to the Russians.

He helped the Russians occupy Tsushima Island unconditionally out of ally obligations. Now that the Nagasaki Region had fallen into Russian hands, Austria hadn’t benefitted at all.

After the Ocean-going Fleet departed, whether the Russians could withstand the pressure and keep the Nagasaki Region was their own problem.

Once the Ocean-going Fleet left, the nearest Austrians fleets would be far away in the Southeast Asia region. Back then, any support Austria could provide would truly be limited to lip service.

After assessing the situation, the envoy Charles was relieved that no troubles were left behind.

Hummel smiled faintly, stood up, took a few steps forward, and with his back to Charles, he said, “Envoy, don’t you think the relations between England and Russia have been a bit too good lately?”

Charles was slightly startled, then caught on. Stirring up the discord between England and Russia was also part of Austria’s Foreign Ministry’s duties.

Not just England and Russia, but also the conflicts between England and France, England and Spain, and French-Russian were all within the remit of Austria’s Foreign Ministry.

All foreign ministries were engaged in these activities; if it weren’t for the European countries backstabbing each other, the world wouldn’t have so many conflicts.

These tasks were all carried out behind the scenes, maintaining gentlemanly facades in public. Many people still believed that the countries of Europe were united at this time.