The essence of establishing colonies is to make money. For the Austrian government, only two types of colonies are valuable: those that generate profit and those with strategic value. Undoubtedly, the Lanfang Autonomous Province is profitable while also possessing a certain degree of strategic value. Together with other Austrian territories in Southeast Asia, it has solidified Austria’s dominance in the region. There have been calls within the Austrian government to place the Lanfang Autonomous Province under direct rule, but the key issue is that no one can guarantee greater profits under direct administration. The economic value of the Lanfang Autonomous Province to the Austrian government goes far beyond the 3.764 million guilders it generates annually. Since joining the Austrian system and eliminating security threats, the province has rapidly entered a phase of accelerated development. Perhaps due to the strong presence of its Spanish and Dutch neighbors, the Lanfang Autonomous Province had already become a major hub for overseas Chinese merchants more than a decade ago. The influx of capital has naturally driven local economic growth. If not for geographical limitations, the province’s development would have been even more remarkable. At present, the Lanfang Autonomous Province imports over ten million guilders’ worth of Austrian industrial and commercial goods each year while exporting raw materials such as rubber, sago, dried coconut, kachi dye, tapioca starch, pepper, gold, and silver. If ranked separately by trade volume, the Lanfang Autonomous Province would be among Austria’s top five trading partners. The greater the interests involved, the more cautious the Austrian government becomes. If a misstep were to cause political turmoil, allowing others to take advantage and stripping Austria of its dominance in Southeast Asia, the losses would be devastating. Driven by economic interests, the status of the Lanfang Autonomous Province has naturally changed. It now occupies a unique position—above a colony but below a sovereign state. If not for the deep-rooted traditional influences on the local ruling class, which prefers to stay out of politics, the Imperial Parliament would have already gained an additional seat. The Lanfang Autonomous Province is not without forward-thinking individuals. More than a decade ago, some had already proposed building railways, but strong traditional forces stood in the way as ancestral graves simply could not be bypassed. Moreover, since Lanfang consists of islands with well-developed maritime transport, inland areas remain largely undeveloped, reducing the demand for railways. As a result, the project was shelved. This indirectly highlights the incompetence of Lanfang’s ruling class. In the original timeline, these people were nothing more than compradors for the Dutch, so their integrity was never particularly high. Franz has no intention of interfering in Lanfang’s internal affairs. Having accepted their tribute, he is bound to offer protection. After all, he is a man of his word. Even if only out of respect for the annual tribute payments, Franz remains a supporter of Lanfang’s autonomy. This is not because Franz is greedy for wealth but because he understands Eastern traditions. If the emperor refused their offerings, those people would be so anxious that they might even break down in tears. In an era where mediocrity prevails, as long as things do not spiral into chaos and unrest, it is considered acceptable governance. How future history books will portray this remains unknown, but for now, everyone is getting what they need, and the cooperation is going smoothly. … Seeing that all parties had reached an agreement, Franz, acting as the arbiter, put forward a new demand, “Let’s proceed with the railway plan as it is for now, but this still isn’t enough. This economic crisis is likely to last for quite some time. To overcome it, the government must create more jobs while minimizing expenses as much as possible.” Reducing expenses and creating jobs individually are not difficult, but balancing both at the same time is no easy task. The Austrian government’s construction plans are fundamentally aimed at boosting economic development, so investment projects must take profitability into account. If this were twenty years later, Franz could simply upgrade the roads and build highways. But that is not an option right now. Automobiles have only just emerged, and people’s primary mode of transport is still the horse-drawn carriage. Carriages on concrete roads? That might sound interesting, but the problem is, it would ruin the horses! Such a rough surface would wear down their hooves in no time. What about hydraulic projects? Those had already been extensively developed during previous economic crises. The remaining unfinished projects are those with little to no economic value. It’s not just these projects that have been completed, even urban upgrades and renovations have essentially been finished. For at least the next thirty years, these issues won’t need to be considered. Austria’s European homeland is only so big. After years of infrastructure development, there’s simply nothing left to tinker with. Africa, on the other hand, has plenty of land. Unfortunately, its population is still too small to create sufficient demand. Government investments must consider economic returns. It’s not possible to build blindly without purpose. This is an inevitable challenge that any country reaching a certain level of development must face. Austria is simply encountering it a bit earlier than others. Chancellor Felix stated, “Our domestic infrastructure is nearing completion. Relying on government investment in infrastructure to drive the economy cannot last forever. For a long time to come, our economic growth rate may slow down. The next period of rapid economic expansion is likely to occur only after the African integration strategy is fully implemented. With long-term development in mind, we must now initiate as many projects as possible that offer sustainability and lasting benefits.” This was the reality. Austria’s current major projects, the canal plan and the hydroelectric power plan, had already been launched, making it impossible to start another round of large-scale infrastructure investment. After a brief pause, Chancellor Felix continued, “In recent years, internal combustion engine technology has advanced rapidly, demonstrating significant potential in many fields. It may even replace the steam engine altogether. If that happens, oil will replace coal as the most important industrial raw material. The only question is whether oil production can meet demand. As things stand, global crude oil output remains severely limited. This is especially true for continental Europe, where no major oil fields have been discovered. Although we have Ploiești, a traditional oil-producing region, we still had to import 110,000 tons of crude oil from the Russian Empire last year. That figure may seem insignificant, amounting to only a few hundred thousand guilders at current international oil prices. However, just three years ago, we were still an oil-exporting country. In that short period, domestic crude oil demand has surged by at least 200,000 tons. According to scientists’ estimates, our oil demand will double in five years and double again in ten years, creating a supply gap of over a million tons. Many energy experts have already issued warnings to the government about an impending energy crisis. To address this issue, the government has deployed oil exploration teams. Overall, the results have been promising. Several oil fields have been discovered domestically, but their production capacity remains low. The most significant discovery was a large oil field in the lower Mesopotamian region, with reserves exceeding the total of all our domestic fields combined. Geologists believe that Mesopotamia may contain vast amounts of oil, and the government has sent exploration teams to verify this. Recently, oil was discovered near the border between the Ottoman Empire and Persia, confirming these predictions. However, since this region is outside our sphere of control, no further exploration has been conducted for security reasons.” There was no need to say anything further so the meaning was clear. If the oil fields were outside Austria’s sphere of control, the solution was simple: expand Austria’s influence to bring them within its reach. Oil is buried underground and cannot be moved, so the only option is for Austria to move its borders instead. This has always been the way of the great powers. To be frank, Franz had never considered that Austria might face an oil shortage. From beginning to end, he had never paid much attention to the issue. An emperor has many matters to attend to, and naturally, less critical ones are ignored. Given that Austria’s sphere of influence already covered half of the world’s known oil reserves, the idea of an oil shortage seemed laughable. And yet, that “joke” had become reality. No significant oil reserves had been discovered in Africa, and only a small portion of the Middle East’s potential had been revealed. Once the Austrian government recognized the importance of oil, it was only natural to take precautionary measures. And so, the Ottoman Empire was destined for misfortune. With a deep-seated history of blood feuds and now holding a resource too valuable to ignore, who else could be the target? Franz hesitated for a moment, but the truth was inevitable. Austria’s eventual conflict with the Ottoman Empire was only a matter of time. The energy crisis merely provided a convenient excuse to silence the anti-war faction in the government. Chancellor Felix did not openly call for war, but his emphasis on “sustainability” and “long-term projects,” combined with repeated mentions of oil’s importance, had already made the message clear. Compared to investing in other projects, launching a war against the Ottoman Empire was by far the most economically beneficial option. Most importantly, the timing was perfect. The European continent was engulfed in revolutionary upheaval, and every country was too busy dealing with its own crises. With no one in a position to intervene, who would come to the Ottomans’ aid? At this point, nothing could stop the march toward war. Even without oil as a justification, another excuse would have been found.
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Persia is in need of some Holy Imperialism
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