Chapter 327: Poaching from America (Bonus Chapter)
On June 18, 1861, the Austrian Ocean Fleet departed from Japan and sailed into the Pacific. Count Hmmel stood on the deck, gazing into the distance, sighing from time to time.
The fleet commander, Vice Admiral Aleister asked, puzzled: Count, it seems like youre not in high spirits?
Count Hmmel sighed and said, Admiral, it may not be so easy for us to establish a foothold in the Republic of Nicaragua. We may even have to resort to the use of force.
Vice Admiral Aleister asked doubtfully, Sorry, Count, I havent noticed any problem. Nicaragua is just a small country, with a total population of only 300,000 to 400,000, and less than ten percent of them are white. Theres hardly any industry. How could they pose a threat to us?
This was a fact; there were no powerful countries in Central America. Even if they were all combined, Aleister would not feel any pressure. The rulers here now, rather than being called a republic, are more like a few mine owners and plantation owners.
These people can bully the local natives, but if they encounter a regular army, Vice Admiral Aleister can guarantee that the force of a single regiment can deal with them.
Count Hmmel shook his head and said, What about the pretext for war? If we attack Nicaragua without sufficient reason, what about the planned state visits that follow?
This reflects the different perspectives of politicians and military personnel. The military only sees the ease of occupying Nicaragua, without considering the political consequences.
Otherwise, the Austrian governments orders to them would not be about finding a foothold but rather occupying Nicaragua or the various countries of Central America.
Vice Admiral Aleister bluntly said, Its simple. We can directly confront the Nicaraguan government. Tell them what we want. If they dont cooperate, well wipe them out. There will always be someone willing to cooperate with us.
Count Hmmel explained, Admiral, we dont have enough immigrants to govern this place. Ruling by force is not stable. Once the large army leaves, local rebellion will occur sooner or later.
Deploying a heavy amount of troops to suppress it is too costly, and abandoning the area is easy to trigger a chain reaction which will impact our colonial system.
The shortage of immigrants is an unsolvable problem. Africa lacks immigrants, the South Pacific lacks immigrants, and even the Americas lacks sufficient immigrants. Unfortunately, Austrias human resources are limited, and unlimited immigration is not feasible, even with the addition of the German countries.
The Colonial Department can mobilize tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the European continent each year, but thats already pushing the limit.
Count Hmmel not only heard about plantation owners personally working the fields due to labor shortages but also heard reports of some directly purchasing serfs from Russia.
As for using local labor, its mainly the mine owners, not the plantation owners. Its not that the plantation owners have higher moral standards; its mainly because management is too troublesome.
Austria prohibits slavery, so there are no slave training institutions. Untrained natives are prone to rebellion.
In this regard, mine owners are different. Almost every mine owner has a group of thugs. On one hand, they combat gold thieves and protect the security of the mines, and on the other hand, they suppress labor riots.
After some unfortunate incidents resulting in deaths, for the safety of everyone, the colonial government banned plantation owners from using unsafe native labor.
Vice Admiral Aleister thought for a moment and said, If its just a shortage of immigrants, we can actually look to the United States for a solution. It is said that the United States already has three million Germans.
Many people left the European continent and immigrated to the United States to escape wars. Now that the North and South are at war, these cowards probably want to flee again.
If we can entice a hundred thousand of them, the problem of insufficient immigrants will be solved. We can even promise them a little more benefit. After all, Central America is vast and sparsely populated.
Immigration cannot be haphazardly introduced, as the consequences can be extremely severe. A case in point is Mexico: initially, the United States sent immigrants to the Mexican region, and the Mexican government even introduced many favorable policies.
However, once the number of immigrants became dominant, Americans immediately plotted for the locals to seek autonomy and independence.
Naturally, the Mexican government couldnt tolerate it. They extended their hospitality and offered numerous favorable conditions, and yet, these people still wanted to rebel.
The Mexican government was also incompetent; they failed to suppress the rebellion. There was no second chance, and the long-prepared Americans swiftly invaded.
As a result, the Mexican government paid the price of 2.3 million square kilometers of land as a lesson fee. With this cautionary tale, countries henceforth must consider carefully when accepting immigrants.
Currently, Austrias colonies strictly control the proportions of various ethnic groups. They mainly attract immigrants from the German cultural sphere with a small number from other countries, primarily consisting of lower-class people with much cultural background.
After pondering for a moment, Count Hmmel made a decision: Admiral, your idea is brilliant. If we can recruit enough immigrants from the United States, Central America will be ours.
He continued, Inform the Hawaiian government that our visit will last only one day and have them wait at the port. After resupplying the fleet, we will directly visit the United States. I want to visit each state along the West Coast one by one.
Its no wonder Count Hmmel was excited; this plan was highly feasible from the outset.
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During this era, unlike in later times, German-Americans were marginalized in mainstream American society. The upper echelons of American society were dominated by the English, who held the majority of the countrys wealth.
Ethnic segregation applied to every group; the elite German-Americans who couldnt enter the upper echelons of American society did not yield and continued to resist.
The German immigrant enclaves still use German, and local schools continue to teach in German, reflecting their dissatisfaction with the dominance of the English in the upper echelons of American society.
German-Americans truly integrated into American society after the two World Wars. They were dispersed during the war period, taking advantage of the opportunity to counter espionage.
This created an opportunity for Austria to poach them. Once they become beneficiaries of the system, it becomes difficult to undermine them. Its the immigrants at the bottom of society who are the easiest to manipulate.
Central America has plenty of lands, and leveraging others generosity has always been Franzs specialty, inevitably influencing Austrian government officials as well.
As for whether the US government would hinder the immigrants from leaving, there was no need to worry at all. If the American government really did that, they would no longer be a threat.
A country that people can enter but not leave, how else could it attract immigrants? Without enough immigrants, relying solely on natural population growth, by the time they developed the nuclear age would have arrived.
Dividing up the world also depended on timing. Once the opportunity was missed, even paying ten or a hundred times more would not necessarily gain anything.
The status a country attains in diplomacy depends on its actions. Without a doubt, Hawaii, already a semi-colonial country, is not worthy of Hmmels attention.
If there was ample time, he wouldnt mind paying a customary visit as diplomacy required. But now that they were pressed for time, shortening the visit to Hawaii made sense.
Hawaiis kingdom probably wont welcome him either; in this era, visits from great powers are often unwelcome for many small countries.
Hmmel had experienced it more than once. Most countries reacted like they were welcoming the plague, with officials desperately trying to get him to leave with the fleet as quickly as possible.
Their behavior is evident; they receive cramps in their hands just from shaking hands. Even the fleets supplies are sponsored by these countries, and there are special local products presented to the fleets high command as gifts.
Newport Harbor, Oregon
The scorching sun roasted the earth, and not far away, the roar of warships could be heard.
The dock was crowded with people, ranging from elegantly dressed dignitaries to common folks in coarse linen clothes, all waiting under the blazing sun.
As the fleet appeared in the distance, accompanied by the deafening roar of steam engines, many people showed joyful smiles.
However, among the smiles, some wore frowns, as if anticipating a colossal trouble.
Being away from the homeland, one may never truly understand the importance of a powerful motherland.
Despite being a nation of immigrants, the United States also had a social hierarchy among immigrants, and those of British descent undoubtedly occupied the top.
On the one hand, the dominance of the British-Americans shaped the mainstream of society, and on the other hand, the worlds foremost Royal Navy provided the British with abundant confidence and assurance.
In this regard, the German-Americans were rather tragic. With the German region fragmented, although each country had its own strength, there was no world power to support them.
Under Franzs butterfly effect, Austria experienced a rebirth, leaping to become the worlds third naval power and naturally becoming a pillar of support for overseas Germanic peoples.
In fact, the Austrian government also made significant efforts in this regard. Overseas embassies were open to all Germanic peoples, providing them with reasonable assistance.
By taking practical actions, they gained their recognition. Therefore, when the fleet visited the United States, so many German immigrants gathered.
Many people hoped for Austrian government intervention to gain higher political status. Thus, the arrival of the fleet was seen by many as an opportunity.
In this world, its all about strength. A powerful nation naturally commands respect overseas, while a weak nation is inevitably bullied.
Seeing the densely packed crowd on the docks, Count Hmmel smiled with satisfaction. His confidence in this plan grew stronger.
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