Chapter 340: Chapter 27: The Troublesome Younger Brother
Originally, Franz had merely used the pretext of colonial expansion to cover military preparations for intervening in the American Civil War. However, the intervention in the American Civil War never came to pass, and the new round of extensive colonial expansion by Austria began.

Firstly, the African Continent. Though a mere three infantry divisions might not seem like a large force, when deployed overseas for colonization, they could easily sweep through a dozen native tribes.

Looking at the map, it is clear that the colonies from West Africa to the Congo Region have joined together.

To the south, Austrian colonial power has extended along the rivers deep into Zambia; to the east, it has infiltrated Uganda and Kenya.

In the Middle East Region, using the Sinai Peninsula as a stepping stone, Austria has reached deep into the Arabian Peninsula, having cheated multiple tribes into signing land purchase treaties, and colonial outposts of Austria have appeared in the Persian Gulf Region.

All it would take is for the Suez Canal to open, and these areas would fall into Austrian hands.

In the Central American region, Austria mainly used infiltration and did not start with wars of annihilation. Once the immigrants were settled, having been cheated from the United States, it was hard for the countries to not fall under Austrian control.

Take Nicaragua, for example. German descendants accounted for a quarter of the white population, becoming the largest ethnic group there. With Austrian troops stationed there, the government had no choice but to be pro-Austria.

The New Holy Roman Empire already has a Lanfang Autonomous Province, and Franz wouldn’t mind adding a few more; peaceful annexation is also a fine way to expand.

Of course, this is only effective in places like Central America, where the land is vast and the population sparse. After all, the number of white people there is only a few hundred thousand, spread across five or six countries.

Even if they are not integrated into the imperial system, they could still become pro-Austrian countries. For regions far from the homeland and hard to govern directly, annexation is not necessarily a good thing, and a loose alliance could be acceptable.

In Southeast Asia, even Franz isn’t clear on how many islands the Austrian Colonial Government has occupied, but it’s definitely in the four digits—the multitude of island nations isn’t just for show.

The expansion in Southeast Asia has come to a halt; now it’s time to watch Prussia and the German Federation perform.

The German Federation, without any restraint, is carving up territories in the Malaysian area—it seems George I has smoothed things over with the London Government.

The Kingdom of Prussia has chosen to engage in hard struggle in the Indochina Peninsula for a very simple reason: the Indochina Peninsula is fertile enough and offers vast room for expansion.

Sumatra is respectable too, but compared to the Indochina Peninsula, it’s just too small, and the Dutch have claimed much of the land already.

In the European Continent, Prussia could beat the Dutch, but in the Southeast Asia region, the situation is the exact opposite—the nascent Prussian Navy had no confidence to speak of.

Upon opening the world map and carefully reviewing it, Franz was surprised to find that the world was about to be completely partitioned.

This was not a good thing, as it meant that conflicts between nations would occur from time to time in the future. Especially for emergent empires, they would inevitably challenge the world order to carve out their living space.

But Franz soon dismissed this thought; under current conditions, it was too difficult for a new empire to emerge on the European Continent.

The tripartite balance of Russia, France, and Austria left no room for a fourth pole to rise. Spain, a tier below, was still mired in internal conflicts. Besides, they were an old empire and still had a significant legacy to claim.

Prussia was even less likely to be mentioned; forced to seek overseas colonies to solve the issues of industrial raw materials and markets. Establishing a German Empire would require a miraculous turn of events.

The other contender, the Kingdom of Sardinia, was out before it could achieve anything. Far from discussing the unification of the Italian Area, they themselves became food for the French.

…

Belvedere Palace

Franz was playing with the children. By this day, he was the father of three.

Even though he was only seven years old, as the Crown Prince, Frederick didn’t have the chance to be an idler. He was overwhelmed by endless homework and knowledge to learn every day.

Seemingly struck, a disheartened Frederick approached Franz and asked, “Father, why is it only me who has to go to school while none of you do?”

Franz patiently explained, “It’s simple. I have already completed these subjects, so I don’t have to study them now.

Your brothers are too young. Look at Wilhelm; he can’t even speak clearly, how could he learn? When they grow a bit older, they will go to school with you.”

Frederick complained, “But my homework is far too much. I’ve been outside and seen many kids who only have three subjects.”

Indeed, Austrian compulsory education consisted of only three subjects: German, Mathematics, and History. Any other subject was elective.

German and History were intensified, with German including patriotic education. History, naturally, was the Greater Germany version, proving from the source that all Austria’s ethnic groups were branches of the Germanic peoples.

Whether the common people believed it or not, the Nobility certainly did. Their ancestors mostly came from the Germany Region, and then they represented all the ethnicities of Austria.

History was open to debate, and the cultural sphere was still arguing fiercely. Franz didn’t intervene; after all, as long as the assimilation education lasts for two generations, any retrospect would be impossible.

If it was proven that the textbooks were wrong, it wouldn’t matter; time had passed too long, and it was understandable that errors occurred in the information that had been handed down.

The government neither confirms nor denies, letting the historians argue about the professional issues at length. After all, these are academic matters.

Behind closed doors, they’re free to discuss as they please, as the general public doesn’t care about these things. Without a unified answer, there’s no way the textbooks will be revised.

Franz explained, “That’s just the basic education provided by the state. Those who can afford it should study more.”

This world is cruel, Frederick. The extent of one’s knowledge also implies one’s social status.

As the Crown Prince of the Empire, you are born at the very pinnacle of the world, and you must be the most outstanding; thus, naturally, you have more to learn. These are the capabilities you must possess, and the path that I too have followed.”

Happy education? Being born into the royal family, one is inherently estranged from happiness.

Developing interests and hobbies? Better not dream about it. As the Crown Prince, your job is to be the Emperor, and you don’t have to worry about employment issues.

This is simultaneously the most enviable and the most vexing profession.

As long as the Emperor is rigorously trained by the process, perhaps no genius will emerge, but at the same time, no fools will be produced.

Franz doesn’t need a genius successor, for geniuses often have eccentricities that don’t suit the role of an Emperor.

As the Empire’s heir, as long as you can methodically maintain the operation of the Empire, possess a certain level of foundational knowledge, and aren’t easily cheated, that’s sufficient.

As for governing the country, isn’t there a Cabinet?

The margin for error in a great empire is very high. As long as the Emperor doesn’t meddle excessively, and the Cabinet officials, who have climbed up step by step based on their achievements, their capability to run the country, no matter how poor, won’t incite heaven’s wrath or the people’s resentment.

Besides, if the Cabinet isn’t functioning, they can be replaced. As the Emperor, you only need to scapegoat those who mess up during critical times.

In short, as long as the Emperor doesn’t interfere indiscriminately, things won’t go too badly. Meanwhile, keeping a check on the bureaucrats and occasionally making an example out of one or two corrupt officials to serve as a warning, that’s what makes a good Emperor.

Seeing Frederick’s dejected face, Franz just smiled slightly and didn’t say much more.

A maid rushed over and said, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager asks for your presence.”

Franz recognized the person who had come; she was the Empress Sophie’s favorite maid.

“Eilinna, what happened to make you rush like this?”

Eilinna, a bit breathless, said hesitantly, “Archduke Maximilian plans to become the Emperor of Mexico, and he’s met with opposition from the Empress Dowager. There’s been a heated argument; please, come quickly!”

Franz’s headache intensified. Concerning his carefree brother, he too was exasperated.

Franz had already provided him with materials about Mexico, intending for him to see the difficulties and back down. He hadn’t expected him to make the same choice as in history.

No choice; as a good brother, Franz reached the scene with utmost speed.

From a distance, he could hear Empress Sophie’s furious roar, clearly angered by Maximilian. As a member of the royal family, Empress Sophie had a basic understanding of international common sense, and even with her amateur political insight, she could tell this was a huge pitfall.

Upon seeing Franz enter, Empress Sophie stopped her tirade and tried to calm her emotions, saying, “Franz, educate your beloved brother about Mexico’s situation. This fool actually wants to become its Emperor.”

Franz soothed her, saying, “Alright, Mother, I’ll take care of this fool. You calm down first.”

Looking at the dispirited Maximilian, Franz knew he was very defiant. The usually smooth-sailing Maximilian naturally had become arrogant, like wanting to challenge a hellish level right now.

“Maximilian, who suggested you become the Emperor of Mexico? Please don’t tell me you don’t even have any supporters,” Franz asked.

Maximilian replied, “The Mexican constitutionalists, and Napoleon III has promised to support my accession.”

Clearly, Maximilian wasn’t truly foolish. In theory, with the support of France and Austria, plus the might of the Mexican constitutionalists, securing his throne wouldn’t be difficult.

Franz sternly demanded, “To wear a crown is to bear its weight! Maximilian, what makes you think you can secure the throne of Mexico? Present your policy to convince me and demonstrate your competence.

The Habsburg dynasty will not put an ignorant fool on the throne; otherwise, if one day this fool ends up on the guillotine, we cannot afford such disgrace.”

Provoked, Maximilian immediately responded, “Just you wait; I’ll prove it to you all!”

Franz refrained from further sarcasm. The pit was already dug. Nothing is perfect in the world, including governance plans. No matter what plan Maximilian presented, Franz would find flaws in it.

If even an idealist couldn’t be persuaded, how could Franz hope to achieve the revival of Austria?