Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 986 - 249, Transformation

Chapter 986: Chapter 249, Transformation

Influenced by the sudden change in the Parisian situation, the restoration movement of the Bourbon Dynasty devolved into a civil war, and the political situation on the European Continent became tense once again.

“Tense” not because of the civil war in France, the primary concern of the nations was the issue of debt. Especially for Belgium, Spain, Russia, and the various impoverished Italian States, this matter was of extraordinary importance.

If it were not for the Bourbon Dynasty’s staunch opposition to Alliance intervention, the Russian Army stationed outside the City of Paris would have charged in long ago. Unable to directly intervene did not mean they couldn’t tilt the balance.

The Paris Revolutionary Army’s several proactive attacks had all been blocked by the Russian Army under the pretense of military exercises, providing substantial support to the fleeing Aristocratic Private Army.

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Not only that, but the prisoners of war released in batches by the Anti-French Alliance were now being prioritized for members of the Royalist Party. As for those unfortunate souls who politically leaned towards the Revolutionary Party or The Republican Government, they could probably look forward to spending a long time behind bars.

The Anti-French Alliance did not want these fellows to come out and hinder the restoration, and the Bourbon Dynasty certainly wouldn’t welcome these dissenters. Perhaps they would have a chance to be released when the situation stabilized in the future, but who could ascertain the outcomes in politics?

Let there be a fight, for since the failure of the European wars, the dissatisfaction among the French populace had been accumulating. A release of this build-up might even be beneficial.

Based on past experience, every time such emotional release occurred, the situation in France would stabilize for a while, which would perfectly allow the Bourbon Dynasty to firmly establish their rule.

Everything was under control, and Franz had no extra time to be distracted by the turmoil outside, as the focus of his work remained on domestic matters.

After an initial period of adjustment, the Holy Roman Empire had finally truly unified, in the real sense of the term. Although blending together had a long way to go, it was enough to intimidate others.

The post-unification data for the Holy Roman Empire was undeniably terrifying. Adding up territories and colonies, the economic volume reached 38.2% of the world total, and the industrial volume amounted to 54.8% of the world total. The Empire’s fiscal revenue surpassed the total of all other European countries, coupled with the world’s first-ranked army and second-ranked navy; it was simply beyond reproach.

In fact, Franz was also stunned by these numbers, at one point thinking it was April Fool’s.

After calming down and carefully reviewing the data, Franz realized these figures were not exaggerated, there was even a great deal of potential left to tap.

The wars on the European Continent had devastated the economies of France, Belgium, and the Italian Area, causing shrinkages in the global economic and industrial totals.

As winners of the war, the Holy Roman Empire not only completed national unification but also further seized vast colonies from the French.

The mines, railways, ports, and plantations that the French painstakingly developed on the African Continent had all become war trophies of the Holy Roman Empire. As waves of immigrants flooded in, these treasures were converted into impressive economic figures on paper.

That’s right, these were merely “on paper” wealth. To make these assets effective and transform them into real national power still required a considerable amount of time.

The anticipated post-war depression did indeed occur, except the major affected areas were not within the Holy Roman Empire, but in France, Belgium, and Sardinia, where the war had inflicted the most damage.

To reduce the pressure of post-war demobilization arrangements and minimize government fiscal expenditures, Franz once again wielded the grand strategy of feudal enfeoffment, seducing meritorious officers and soldiers to emigrate to Africa.

As a generous Emperor, lands, mines, plantations, and non-essential ports were all offered as fiefs by Franz, and some particularly meritorious officers even received an entire city.

To put it bluntly, most of the colonies taken from the French now became private property, and what belonged to the Emperor was either sand or impoverished and remote lands no one cared for.

Since it was private property, local development ceased to be an issue. The new cohort of Military Nobility went about calling friends to start their venture.

The government just had to collect some commercial taxes to maintain local administrative operations. Everything else was not a problem; in case of major chaos, Franz pretended not to see.

In short, it was very characteristic of Shinra. Franz could tolerate the great lords on the European Continent, let alone the minor ones on the African Continent.

Besides, with such a vast territory, how else to rule if not in this manner?

It was certainly not about emulating British colonial rule.

If they opted for colonial rule, it would be less reliable than the feudal system; at least the feudal system provided a more stable foundation for rule without the constant need to suppress national uprisings.

A glance at the history books will tell you, wherever feudal nobles ruled, there was basically no independence. In contrast, new territories directly governed by the Central Government often experienced upheavals.

As for the future possibility of local nobles gaining too much power, Franz couldn’t be concerned with that anymore. If they grew, at most it would be an autonomous region; the size of the fiefs would limit their ceiling of development.

Cultural norms had already determined that, no matter how powerful the Aristocratic Group grew, they would not likely rebel with the cry “do princes and generals have any innate right to govern?” nor would they be likely to send the Emperor to the Guillotine.

Class standing already ensured they would be part of the Royalist Party, the foundation on which they preserved their own status. Even if there were a few rebellious ones, they would be suppressed by the other nobles.

Probably the most injured would be the Central Government; with a bunch of nobles counterbalancing, power would be severely limited.

Regardless, the Holy Roman Empire wouldn’t care about this problem, as the Central Government had never been strong since ancient times. The current Vienna Government was already an anomaly, qualified to be called the most authoritative government since the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire.

To continue to strengthen the authority of the Central Government, even if people below didn’t object, Franz would not agree.

Joking aside, if the Cabinet’s power continued to inflate, it would soon be topsy-turvy. Once an influential minister arose, the Emperor would become just a rubber stamp.

This was still considered lucky. If they encountered someone who was heavy-handed, they might not even leave a place for the rubber stamp, taking matters into their own hands and simply turning over the table to become the boss themselves.

Once power lost its checks and balances, it became a man-eating monster. Countless examples had proven that human nature cannot withstand such tests; loyalty was never as reliable as interest.

Seizing the opportunity presented by the victory in the European wars, Franz directly bolstered the military nobility group, rooting them in the African Continent.

From this moment on, the core that maintained the unity of the Holy Roman Empire shifted to the Emperor. The sub-states and the nobility were loyal to the Emperor precisely because of the Holy Roman Empire, and not the other way around where the Empire existed because of the Emperor.

In other countries, this would certainly stir much discontent. However, the Holy Roman Empire was an exception, as the sub-states and nobility below were beneficiaries of this system; from the beginning, the political system operated in this manner.

What seemed to be definitions with little differences was actually the origin of legal precedent.

Loyalty to the Emperor meant that the princes were on the same level as the Central Government, possessing the highest degree of self-governance; loyalty to the government meant that the Central Government could retract everything they owned at any time.

After decades of turmoil, he finally established the ideal political system in his mind, enduring so many twists and turns that Franz felt physically and mentally exhausted.

Issues like hidden dangers and lingering effects, he didn’t want to deal with them now. Anyway, this world had never been perfect, and the painstakingly managed Holy Roman Empire was also built around the Habsburg dynasty.

If one day the Habsburg dynasty collapsed, what did the life or death of the Empire have to do with him? Making wedding dresses for others was not something Franz considered particularly noble.

According to the current political structure, as long as his descendants didn’t make disastrous mistakes, continuing for a hundred or two hundred years would be no issue. Beyond that—sorry, even transmigrators are not omnipotent.

Upon signing the document in his hand, the unique governing system characteristic of Shinra was officially established. Not only the African Continent, but also the colonies in far-off America and Southeast Asia would replicate this model in the future.

The difference was that in these distant regions, Franz was not yet decided on whether to send a son to be king or to let the nobility play with local autonomy.

Sometimes having too much territory could also be a hassle. For a generation or two, immigrants might still feel a sense of belonging to the nation, but after three to five generations, talking about belonging would simply be nonsense.

Aside from cultural kinship, the remaining factor was interest. With close economic ties and aligned strategic directions, they were as good as family. But if core interests conflicted, splitting off was inevitable.

Looking at the world map on the wall, Franz made up his mind—not to continue the expansion any further.

He roughly calculated that the Holy Roman Empire had already controlled more territory than Britannia, and it was on the verge of surpassing 40 million square kilometers.

From the current situation, without any effort, as long as Franz didn’t stop it, within ten to eight years, the Empire’s control area would break through 40 million square kilometers.

However, this kind of expansion was meaningless. The benefits brought about by colonial expansion were not enough to compensate for the negative political impacts of the expansion.

Times had changed; the days of unclaimed land being taken by running ships were over. All the lands were already divided. To continue expanding meant nothing but strife and conflict, with payoff completely disproportionate to the investment.

“Prime Minister, tell the governors below that we need time to digest our victories. In the coming years, unless absolutely necessary, let’s refrain from military expansion.

The belligerent atmosphere in the country has clearly gone a bit overboard recently. We are not warmongers, so let’s not be clamoring for war at every turn.

The Cabinet should do a good job in the political education of government officials, teaching them to think more and remember that arrogance is a display of lack of proper upbringing.

The Foreign Ministry also needs to change its mindset. From now on, we will no longer be bystanders in international affairs; be prepared to act as arbitrators.”

It wasn’t that Franz was making a mountain out of a molehill; it was that the current Vienna Government had started to get carried away. Victory had come too easily, blinding many and causing them to become arrogant.

Well, it’s alright for a superpower to be a bit mad, but rulers themselves must always stay clear-headed.

After all this time, even Franz had spotted the problems; it was astonishing that no one at the top of the government had raised them, which was an abnormal sign.

Even if those in charge can be blind, surely someone in their think tanks should have thought of that? If nobody had, what was the point in having them around?

Clearly, this was impossible. It’s normal for one or two people to lose their way, but everyone losing sight was out of the question. There was only one answer—everyone knew but didn’t accord it enough importance.

No matter the reason, the Emperor had identified an issue, and the Cabinet hadn’t even realized it—this was an error.

Prime Minister Carl replied with a bitter expression, “Yes, Your Majesty!”

As the Empire’s Prime Minister, being pointed out directly by the Emperor was quite an embarrassing matter. Among previous Prime Ministers of the Holy Roman Empire, incidents like this were rare. Facing such a blow on the eve of retirement deeply affected Carl’s pride.

Of course, that was the extent of it. Politicians have thick skins; even if they were scolded to their faces, they could smile back. A little embarrassment wouldn’t deter Prime Minister Carl.

In a sense, it also reflected the Emperor’s trust in them. In politics, only insiders got directly called out. If issues were found and they still smiled back, that would be the real political disaster.