The French’s behind-the-scenes maneuvers did not come as a surprise to Franz. With Austria’s growing strength, it was only a matter of time before the French felt threatened. There weren’t many in continental Europe qualified to be allies of France. Compared to drawing in the British, the French government naturally leaned more toward courting the Russians. This was determined by geography. France and Russia’s spheres of influence did not border one another. Even if there were conflicts, they were mostly historical issues, and the two nations had few direct clashes of interest. In contrast, the conflicts between Britain and France weren’t just historical, they involved a vast number of direct, ongoing interests. From the colonies to their home territories, Britain and France were locked in severe strategic competition. In this era, Anglo-French tensions remained a dominant force in international politics, even overshadowing the Franco-Austrian rivalry. Aside from the government’s sense of danger, the French public was still immersed in the glories of the Napoleonic era and didn’t take Austria, seen as a former defeated foe, seriously at all. The broader environment also influences people. Otherwise, the French government would have tried to court the Russians much earlier and it wouldn’t have waited until now. When it comes to interests, no ally is truly reliable. As long as the French offer enough, a Franco-Russian rapprochement is inevitable. However, without having experienced a defeat like the Franco-Prussian War, asking the French government to exhaust its resources to win over the Russians might be asking too much of Napoleon IV. It’s worth remembering that in the original timeline, the Franco-Russian alliance only came about through massive loans from France. As a consequence, the French Navy fell behind, and by the early 20th century, it had been surpassed by both Germany and the United States. The so-called naval misdirection, focusing on submarines and small vessels, wasn’t just because the French naval leadership had lost their minds. The real issue was a lack of funding. Without money, how could anyone maintain a large navy? The construction cost of a single battleship alone ran into tens of millions of francs. When you added maintenance, port infrastructure, and a host of other related expenses, the total cost easily exceeded a hundred million. Trying to maintain a powerful land army while also building dozens of battleships would drain the government’s entire budget. Even private financing would be exhausted. So where would the money to win over the Russians come from? The Russian Empire of this era, although not as powerful as in the same historical period, was still strapped for cash. However, it was much larger than in the original timeline. Alexander III was not like Nicholas II. He was not so easily fooled. If the French did not offer a high enough price, he simply would not be interested. Of course, making overtures to Russia would still yield some results. After all, those who take money are in no position to say no. Easing Franco-Russian tensions would certainly be achievable. If the price was a little higher, the political tactics a little more refined, and a proper opening could be found, then splitting up the Russo-Austrian alliance was definitely within reach. But getting the Russian government to go to war for France would take far more than just a few enticing benefits. If one were to think of the Russians as the mercenaries of this era, they would be the most expensive mercenaries of all. To make things worse, this high-priced mercenary did not have the best reputation. They had a history of taking payment without delivering. How could any employer feel secure in such a deal? Since things were safe for the moment, Franz was in no hurry. At that moment, he was test-driving his personal vehicle—the Royal One. It wasn’t a battleship. That kind of thing wasn’t suited for an emperor prone to seasickness. The Royal One was a luxury sedan produced by the Austrian Automobile Group, a symbol of status and prestige, designed specifically for the ultra-wealthy. Entirely handcrafted and considered a high-end piece of art, it couldn’t be compared to the mass-produced vehicles from assembly lines. Of course, the term “automotive art” wasn’t really in vogue at the time. In this era, even an ordinary household car was already a super luxury item, far beyond what the average person could ever hope to own. What truly made the Royal One competitive was its exceptional performance. Since it was made for the emperor, cost was never a concern. The technologies and craftsmanship used in the car represented the very limits of what was possible in that era. It featured a four-cylinder engine with 90 horsepower and a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour. When fully fueled, it could maintain top speed for three and a half hours. In addition to its impressive speed, the Royal One had unmatched stability and top-tier safety features, including specialized steel throughout the body and groundbreaking bulletproof glass. Franz personally tested it. The bulletproof glass could easily withstand rifle fire, and the car’s body armor could even resist grenades. Of course, that only applied if the grenade exploded outside the vehicle. It could block shrapnel, but if one were thrown directly under the tires, it would still be dangerous. In a way, with some modifications, this thing could be taken onto the battlefield and used as an assault tank. However, after seeing the terrifying cost, Franz decisively abandoned the tempting idea. A tank unit was still a distant dream. There was no helping it. Most of this high-tech equipment was still limited to the laboratory stage. Not only was mass production extremely expensive, but the defective rate was also frighteningly high. Take the engine as an example. Out of a batch of one hundred engines produced, only two managed to reach 90 horsepower. Most hovered between 80 and 90, and a few even dropped below 70 horsepower. It was basically like the knockoff phones of later generations, where performance was entirely left to chance. In fact, it might have been even worse, at least those knockoffs didn’t have a 98 percent defect rate. If small-scale production already had such a high failure rate, then full-scale industrial production would be even more disastrous. The numbers would be downright unbearable. Just take a look at the common cars on the market. Any car that could reach 40 kilometers per hour was already considered a high-quality, reliable product. For most cars, their top speeds were only theoretical. Some could hit 40 kilometers per hour in their first couple of years, but eventually they would drop to only 20 to 30 kilometers per hour. If you were in a real hurry, there was no guarantee it would outrun a horse. The only real advantage was a stronger range. If it were just a bit slow, that wouldn’t be such a big issue. After all, it was still faster than a horse-drawn carriage and more convenient than a train for short-distance travel. The problem, however, was the shockingly high failure rate. When cars first hit the market, on average, they required maintenance after every 200 kilometers driven, or even after a single 100-kilometer trip. In the 19th century, anyone who could drive a car needed more than just money. They also had to know how to fix it, otherwise they’d have to hire a driver. To better sell their cars, the Austrian Automobile Group set up a maintenance and rescue station every 20 kilometers. This removed much of the concern for buyers and laid the foundation for the rapid development of Austria’s automobile industry. There’s no doubt that none of those messy problems existed in the case of the Royal One. If it broke down after only about a hundred kilometers, the staff wouldn’t dare present it to the emperor. If anything unexpected happens, heads will roll. In this instance, you get what you pay for. The outstanding performance of the Royal One was the result of pouring in money. Its total cost came close to a million guilders, which already matched the construction cost of a pre-dreadnought battleship. As a groundbreaking product, it had enormous value as a collectible. Yes, collectible. Franz was a homebody who rarely went out. For long-distance travel, he had a dedicated train. Austria’s railway system already reached every city, which was convenient enough. For short trips, such as hunting, he rode horses. There was no need to use a car. If some rich person were willing to pay, Franz honestly wouldn’t mind selling this luxury car. However, that was unlikely. The manufacturing cost alone was 600,000 guilders. More importantly, it incorporated a vast number of new technologies, representing the pinnacle of Austrian industrial achievement. Selling it for anything less than seven or eight million would be an insult to the hard work of everyone involved. After all, what was being sold was not just a product. While the car itself might only be worth a few hundred thousand guilders, what truly held value was the cutting-edge technology used in it. If someone were to get hold of this car and dismantle it to use as a research and development template, reverse-engineering the technologies would certainly be much faster than developing them independently. Without a doubt, that was impossible. Setting aside how many of these technologies were highly classified and not for sale, the price alone made it clear that no buyer could be found. As good as the technology was, not everyone could actually handle it. Even the powerful financial groups in Britain and France did not have a fully developed technological system capable of absorbing all the innovations contained within. Due to limitations in research capacity or differences in industrial systems, many of these technologies could not simply be reverse-engineered from a single template. Of course, if there were enough templates and enough experimental attempts, most of the technology could eventually be figured out. But discovering the technology did not mean a country had the capability to mass-produce it. That still depended on the overall level of industrial development. A product that surpassed its era could not be easily copied. If those technologies could not be applied in industrial production to create real value, then buying the car would just mean purchasing an ultra-luxury item. And it really was luxurious. With a price tag of seven or eight million guilders, that equated to more than two hundred tons of gold. Such wealthy individuals could only exist after the collapse of the gold standard. In a gold standard era, this level of wealth was simply impossible. And that was the end of it. The ultra-luxurious automobile that pushed Austria’s automotive industry forward—the Royal One—would ultimately remain in the emperor’s collection. Even if it were to be sold, it would have to wait ten or twenty years until the technologies were widely adopted and no longer needed to be kept secret. However, by that time, the value of the Royal One would have dropped significantly. Perhaps it would only take tens of thousands, or even just a few thousand guilders to produce. When the Royal One held only collectible value, it would still be valuable in the emperor’s possession. But if it ended up in the hands of an ordinary person, its worth would plummet. This was similar to antiques and artifacts. Even ordinary jars and vases, as long as they were once used by an emperor and labeled as “from the palace,” would instantly skyrocket in value. Even if they had no artistic value, experts would find a way to justify their artistic worth. And if that didn’t work, they could always bring up historical value. Driving around the palace grounds at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, Franz quickly decided to get out of the car. He couldn’t help it. Having not ridden in such a fast vehicle for a long time, Franz was surprised to find himself experiencing signs of motion sickness. In theory, drivers don’t get carsick. But unfortunately, no one dared let the emperor sit in the driver’s seat and operate the vehicle himself. *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
The car belongs in a museum!
ReplyDeleteBro just got his ride and already ppl want it in a museum, smh. Josef should hold let it rips in Vienna's streets.
DeleteHe should start making donuts... Donuts on the streets of Vienna.
DeleteWhen they talked about Family on the Fast and Furious, I didn't know that family were the Habsburgs.