It was another fruitless day, and Ives’s mood grew heavier. With no income for over five months, his meager funds were about to run out. He couldn’t bring himself to ask his parents for help… Not only because of his pride, but because they were just ordinary people too. They had his grandparents to support and younger siblings to raise. The wave of layoffs and pay cuts had hit them too. Everyone was trying to make every penny count, saving what little they had as a last resort to get through the crisis. They wouldn’t touch their savings unless they were truly at the end of their rope. Unable to rely on his parents, Ives returned to his rented room and stared blankly at the world map on the wall. The map had been left by the landlord, a promotional gift from a merchant celebrating the victory of the European War. Frankly, the map made the Holy Roman Empire look truly mighty. Excluding uninhabitable regions, the Holy Roman Empire already occupied nearly a quarter of the land and a twentieth of the ocean, making it one of the only two world empires today. Ives had also once been filled with a burning passion, fantasizing about riding into battle and returning home in glory to become a respected noble. Unfortunately, he wasn’t born at the right time. When he enlisted, it was at the very tail end of the European War, and the French surrendered before he could even finish his basic training. He didn’t earn any military honors or even a chance to see combat. He finished his last few months of service without a hitch, was discharged, and went back home to look for work. His dream of becoming a noble was shattered, but it didn’t matter. The odds of an ordinary person becoming a noble were low anyway and only those who were incredibly lucky ever truly stood out. The majority, even if they found an opportunity, would just end up with a farm. Ives wasn’t jealous at all. He really, truly wasn’t. He told himself that with hard work, he could still have a chance to buy a farm in his lifetime. After the rough lessons of society, Ives decided that becoming a great engineer was also a good path, especially since he’d gotten perfect scores in his mechanical operations classes in school. Clutching his dreams, he came to this strange city with his discharge pay. He had originally thought that someone as talented as him could easily get into a large corporation with great benefits, quickly be recognized by a mentor, and be fast-tracked to becoming a great engineer. The facts proved he was completely deluded. The economic crisis had arrived just as his job search began. Against the backdrop of widespread corporate layoffs, let alone getting into a big company with good benefits, Ives couldn’t even land a job washing dishes at a streetside diner. Overseas was such a distant place. Although airplanes existed, they were only used for military purposes. For civilians, they were limited to a few flying clubs. While it was theoretically possible to fly between Africa and the mainland, it was completely unrealistic in practice. Putting aside the safety issues, the sheer cost of operation was enough to deter any airline. Currently, all airlines in the Holy Roman Empire primarily used airships for short to medium-range fast cargo transport. They did carry passengers, but the fares were not something ordinary people could afford. A typical round trip by ship between the mainland and Africa would take at least a month, and for some remote regions, a one-way trip could take as long as half a year. Not to mention more distant places like the East Indies and the Americas. The quick trips took several months, and the slow ones a year or more. With such long distances, the costs were naturally high. Many people who left their homes wouldn’t return for over a decade. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, the problem was that the expense of one round trip was equal to an entire year’s income. Ordinary families couldn’t afford such a financial strain. Especially for those with wives and children, to give their families a better life, they had to put aside their homesickness. Many immigrants would only bring their entire family back for a single trip in their later years. There was no other way as only by then could they accumulate enough vacation time for a free trip home. The free family visits promised by colonial governments or employers every five years only applied to the employee and were limited to one person per trip. If you wanted to bring your family, you either had to accumulate multiple vacation trips or pay for it yourself. It’s not that they couldn’t offer better terms. The problem is that if you take your entire family, they worry that you’ll never come back! Except for those who achieve great success and can afford to return more often, for ordinary people, by the time they come back, it’s a matter of “The children, meeting me, did not know me. They smiled and asked, ‘Where are you from, guest?”’ The hometown of his childhood and the cherished memories are gone. Looking at his shriveling wallet, Ives knew that if he couldn’t find a job soon, he would have to give in to life’s demands. Perhaps there was a better life overseas, but the feeling of home was something he could never find again. Once he took that step, his friends and family would become mere acquaintances in his life’s journey. That night, Ives couldn’t sleep. He was just one of thousands of unemployed people who were also sleepless, as the question of whether to leave to make a living became yet another choice on their life’s path. … As the economic crisis ran rampant, it wasn’t just the public who were struggling, the governments of various nations were also having a difficult time. The bankruptcy of the Prussian government was just the beginning. By May, the governments of Modena, Parma, and the Two Sicilies had also gone bankrupt. In June, the governments of Sardinia, Lucca, and Tuscany couldn’t hold on either and joined the wave of bankruptcies. The entire Italian region was collapsing, with only the Papal States left struggling to hold on. As a religious state, the Papal States was able to rely on donations from its followers, so its situation was still a bit better than its neighbors. But only a bit. If the economic crisis continued and believers had no money to donate, the Papal States would likely join the wave of bankruptcies. The collapse of the Italian region was just the beginning. According to Franz, the governments of Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland were still holding on, but they were all struggling to get by. Belgium, for example, had suffered heavy losses in the war, and its reconstruction efforts were only halfway complete when it was hit by the economic crisis. The fact that it had managed to hold on until now was already a feat. Switzerland, on the other hand, had bitten off more than it could chew. To develop its newly acquired territories, the impoverished Swiss government had borrowed heavily on the financial markets. Now that it’s raining, the banks have suddenly pulled their umbrellas away, exposing the government’s financial problems and leaving Switzerland in a difficult dilemma. With half-finished projects, the initial investments would be wasted. However, if they continue, the government’s finances can’t hold up. As for Portugal, it was a “husky that stumbled into the fight.” With the republican and monarchist factions bickering fiercely, no one was paying attention to economic development. Unlike other colonial powers, Portugal’s colonies were operating at a loss, and had been for many years. Don’t ask why they’re losing money, they just are, and the losses are only getting bigger. What’s interesting is that the more a colony loses money, the more reluctant the Portuguese are to give it up. Even when someone offered a high price for these “inferior” assets, they still insisted on holding on to them. The reasons are self-evident and there’s no need to say them out loud. In short, facing ever-increasing colonial expenses, Portugal was proving more and more powerless. In an effort to maintain their colonial empire, the Portuguese had taken on enormous foreign debt, and the staggering debt was suffocating the small European nation. Spain had originally had the strongest financial base among these countries. But unfortunately, the Philippine War not only emptied the Spanish treasury but also tore off their “great power” disguise. Even though the Philippine War was still ongoing and Spain hadn’t been defeated, the strength they had shown made it difficult to consider them a great power. If it weren’t for Austria’s biased intervention on multiple occasions, Spain would have collapsed long ago. Now, it was less a war of Spain against the Japanese and more the Holy Roman Empire actively obstructing them. Just look at the situation on the battlefield: the heavily damaged Spanish fleet not only completed its resupply but even added a new capital ship. And that’s not to mention the army, where the main force has now become mercenaries. The ones battling the Japanese are the former French elite. The battle results speak for themselves. The original kill ratio of 1:1.4 has now jumped to 1:2.7 which was a qualitative leap. The Spanish expeditionary force, which had been getting beaten badly by the Japanese army, has now gradually seized the initiative. While a final victory is still a long way off, the tide has at least turned in their favor. In contrast, the Japanese, also an impoverished empire, were in a much more miserable state. With British support, their navy was not a problem, but their army was a different story! The British could find a way to solve the gap in weapons and equipment, but that required a long waiting period. As for the problems with soldier training, the Japanese were on their own. Since they had originally learned from the French, the Philippines had essentially become a battle between master and apprentice. The Japanese army wouldn’t have suffered such a big loss if it weren’t for the rapid military expansion. Not every country has the capacity to support hundreds of thousands of standing troops in peacetime. Japan only had a few standing army divisions, totaling just over a hundred thousand men. After the Philippine War broke out, their army rapidly swelled to 800,000—a fivefold increase. They were severely lacking in officers and veterans. Even with the supplement of their Bushido philosophy, their professional quality hadn’t improved. Their soldiers’ poor marksmanship was proof. In a firefight, they were completely thrashed by even the Spanish army, not to mention the French elite. Their only advantage was their courage. They were fearless in a fight to the death. Unfortunately, Japan was simply too poor at the time. The soldiers’ living conditions since childhood had limited their growth, and many were pale and emaciated, a clear sign of malnutrition. With malnutrition, physical fitness naturally couldn’t keep up. While Asians were innately slightly inferior to Europeans in physical stature, the current gap was even more obvious. If not for the jungle, the Japanese army, no matter how valiant, would not have lasted this long. However, the jungle was not omnipotent. If the enemy wouldn’t enter, they were powerless. Unlike the Spanish army, the mercenaries’ sole purpose for fighting was money. Their morale soared whenever they saw a city, but they made excuses whenever they encountered the jungle. An interesting situation has now emerged. With the help of over a hundred thousand mercenaries, the Spanish expeditionary force successfully captured numerous cities across the Philippine Islands, but the jungle has become their forbidden territory. The mercenaries were unwilling to fight in a place with no money to be made, and the Spanish army, having learned their lesson, was equally unwilling to suffer in the jungle. This left the Japanese army, who had been waiting in ambush, to feed mosquitoes in the jungle for nothing. Out of desperation, the Japanese were forced to resort to guerrilla warfare, periodically emerging from the jungle to launch raids and seize supplies from the enemy. If the situation doesn’t change, the expeditionary force will likely capture all major towns in the Philippine Islands in a year or so, and the Japanese troops occupying the vast jungles will truly become a guerrilla force. This is clearly something the Japanese government cannot tolerate. To win the war, they have already rallied the locals to form a solid “anti-white alliance.” But Spain had deliberately stirred up conflicts between the native tribes during their rule, so this large alliance is now filled with hidden problems. Many people suffer from a deep-seated fear of white people. They’re willing to cheer from the sidelines, but expecting them to contribute to the war is still a long way off. For the Japanese government, military problems are minor. As long as they’re willing to sacrifice men, nothing is a problem. Their current losses are only because they didn’t understand the rules of Europe. They were caught off guard, unaware that the Spanish would use mercenaries as their main force. As long as they can catch their breath, the situation will improve. In contrast, their financial problems are the real trouble. The Japanese government, which has never been wealthy, has long exceeded its financial limits by maintaining both a large navy and a large army. Although the Japanese army has gained a lot of wealth in the Philippine Islands, most of it has ended up in the pockets of individuals, with the government only receiving a small portion. This loot alone is clearly not enough to cover the war expenses. In normal times, they could have relied on foreign debt, but not now. In an economic crisis, cash is king, and financial groups are tightening their purse strings, unwilling to lend money easily. Issuing bonds is out of the question as well. With the rolling wave of unemployment, ordinary people are counting on their cash to get through the crisis. Who has any spare money to buy bonds? As for “British support,” that’s just talk. Not everyone is a simpleton like Louis XVI, the act of “selling one’s blood to aid America” has only happened once in history. It’s impossible for the British to support them at any cost. Besides, the British government has its own problems. The economic crisis is global, and as the world’s second-largest economy, Britain is no exception. Perhaps due to its overdeveloped financial sector, a financial crisis is raging alongside the economic one. Of course, war isn’t entirely bad. At the very least, this war has allowed the Japanese government to get through this economic crisis. Compared to the Great Depression gripping Europe, Japan’s economy is still “thriving,” even if the air is a bit heavy with the smell of gunpowder.
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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