Regarding the East African warship purchase issue, Ernst himself will not do loss-making business. This time Archduke Ferdinand went to Austria for inspection, mainly to add East African products to the shopping cart.
Ernst, on the other hand, will not start purchasing until the economic crisis breaks out. Historical changes mean that Ernst is not sure when this global crisis will break out. However, the cyclical nature of the economic crisis determines that this crisis will definitely break out within this time period.
So Ernst then said to Archduke Ferdinand, "There is no rush to buy a ship. There is no vacancy now. We can wait. After all, my request is to complete the East African Navy expansion work before 1880, which is a sufficient time of seven years. That means I have worked hard, father-in-law, to do more work on the selection of warships."
We cannot blindly order warships produced by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but must put forward some more requirements based on the characteristics of the East African waters. These require sufficient demonstration work. Father-in-law, you can talk to your former subordinates and current Austrian Navy leaders about this issue. After all, the situation in our East African waters is different from that of the Adriatic Sea, which means that the strategic positioning of the two navies will be somewhat different. "
Austro-Hungarian Navy was blocked in the Adriatic Sea by Strait of Otranto. Even if he could break out of the Adriatic Sea, he would encounter Mediterranean Sea next. Although Mediterranean Sea is large, it is still a closed sea area. At the same time, the strength of Britain and France in the Mediterranean Sea is still stronger than that of Austro-Hungarian Navy.
Of course, this geographical condition also has advantages. Austro-Hungarian Navy cannot get out, and it is difficult for the navies of other countries to come in. The Austro-Hungarian Navy biggest threat before, the Kingdom of Italy navy, is losing Venice and Papal States along the coast, Kingdom of Naples finally said goodbye to the Adriatic Sea completely, and Imperial Navy's biggest threat no longer existed.
Therefore, Austro-Hungarian Navy is not proactive in strategy. The ship design is more inclined to defense and counterattack. It was a complete surprise to defeat Italian Navy under the command of an excellent general. Therefore, the strategic and tactical vision of Austro-Hungarian Navy's senior management can be guaranteed at present.
If they demonstrate the development direction of East African Navy, it will be of great benefit to Kingdom of East Africa. The scenario faced by East African Navy is completely different from that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although Ernst emphasizes the establishment of a defensive navy, but eastern East Africa faces the vast Indian Ocean, so East African Navy naturally should be more proactive in strategy and tactics. It is impossible to wait for the enemy to come at home.
Archduke Ferdinand: "Okay! What you said makes sense. I'm just a little impatient. After all, East African Navy is really unable to take action now. It seems that I don't have enough concentration."
As the former Austrian Navy Commander-in-Chief, fell to Commander-in-Chief of the Navy in East Africa. The gap is indeed too big. Most people may just give up on themselves, but Archduke Ferdinand is different, because Mexico's blow was greater to him. Now change After getting off the track and getting back on track with the navy, Archduke Ferdinand actually had some enthusiasm to try it out. Especially after East Africa proposed to expand the navy, Ferdinand wanted East African Navy to directly catch up with its old employer, at least in terms of scale.
Ferdinand continued, "Actually, when it comes to warship procurement, you don't have to focus on Austria alone. Other countries can also consider it. France and the United Kingdom are also good choices."
Ernst: "That's what I say, but I personally think it's better to unify the navy's standards. After all, our navy and Austrian Navy are of the same origin. This will also facilitate logistics guarantee and technical connection."
To say so is to be duplicitous. Ernst continues to support the Austria shipbuilding industry not entirely from an economic perspective, but more from military needs and political considerations.
After all, just as East African Navy can make demands on Austria, it can also make demands on French and British shipyards, allowing them to build ships according to East African standards.
The most cost-effective ships in this era, especially warship dealers, must be the first choice for Britain. The quality is absolutely unparalleled, and military products are not meant to be used against.
But from a personal emotional point of view, Ernst feels that if British is allowed to earn the money, it will be more uncomfortable than killing himself. Ernst is the most active in anti-British, cheating the United States, and resisting Japan.
So in the next economic crisis, Ernst certainly hopes that the UK will suffer as much damage as possible. If he sends orders, isn't he subsidizing the enemy?
As for France, France, like the United Kingdom, is a big threat to East Africa. Both are top players on African continent, and they are naturally different from Kingdom of East Africa.
Furthermore, it is not that our own products are out of stock, and there is no need for foreigners to make money. This domestic product refers to the entire German culture circle.
Among them, Austro-Hungarian Empire is the most trusted partner of Ernst. The characteristic of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is that it is strong but not strong. It is among the top in the world in a series of fields such as industry, economy, diplomacy, and military, but it cannot use its full strength.
From the naval perspective, although Austro-Hungarian Navy is not taken seriously, its strength is not bad. In the recent two world-class maritime battles, Austro-Hungarian Navy performed well.
Although Hohenzollern Conglomerate has made great efforts in the development of Austria's shipbuilding manufacturing industry, without Hohenzollern Conglomerate's contribution, the current Austria shipbuilding manufacturing industry is also the world's top, which even Germany cannot compare with.
What Austro-Hungarian Navy lacks is that the cost of trial and error is too high. If the Navy wants to make progress, it must pay the cost of trial and error. For a large company with abundant funds like British Navy, even if it turns around in time after taking the wrong path, Austro-Hungarian Navy cannot.
Ernst is willing to share part of this trial and error cost for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, because Austro-Hungarian Empire's shipbuilding industry is strong, which means East African shipbuilding industry is strong. Two of Hechingen Overseas Trading Company's four shipyards are within the Austro-Hungarian Empire's territory.
Moreover, by cooperating with such Austro-Hungarian Empire countries, Ernst can put two hundred hearts into his stomach. Not to mention the close relationship between the two countries, even if Austro-Hungarian Empire wants to interfere in the development of East Africa, it is powerless.
Germany is almost the same. Although both companies are House of Hohenzollern, there are some conflicts in national interests. It is okay that King Wilhelm I and Bismarck are in office, and they pay more attention to international relations and cooperation.
Looking at the previous life before World War I, Germany, driven by the entire national interest group, eventually embarked on the road of colonizing Africa. In the end, under the siege of Britain and France, it could only use force to break the order of the entire world.
And now that East Africa occupies only a small third of Africa, there is a chance that some people in Germany may have evil intentions towards East Africa. This is a threat to national interests.
After all, German industry and commerce also needs a market and a source of raw materials. This cannot be suppressed by King Wilhelm I and Bismarck. Germany has France on its left and Tsarist Russia on its right. They are not easy targets and there is not much room for maneuver. Austro-Hungarian Empire is stronger, and the fat burner of Balkan Peninsula is just aside. After obtaining Balkan Peninsula, it is really possible to realize the recurrence of the Eastern Roman Empire. Although this is also the goal of Tsarist Russia, both companies feel that they have a good chance of winning.
Archduke Ferdinand: "Since you think so, I won't say anything else. This way East African Navy's choice will be smaller, but we can still play foreign cards and let Austro-Hungarian Empire's companies give us more profits."
Ernst said directly, "Father-in-law, you are still professional. I really didn't think of this level before."
Under the economic downturn, companies around the world are having a hard time, and their pursuit of orders will become more intense. If East Africa uses this as a bargaining chip again, Austria's shipbuilding companies will definitely provide further discounts.
The money you originally invested in the navy may only be enough in a normal year. If you take advantage of the economic crisis and add the method of selling for a price, then the funds will instantly become abundant.
Of course, in an economic crisis, the governments of great powers will definitely not do nothing. They will generally actively expand armaments, solve employment problems, and be ready for war to pass on the crisis at any time. For example, American Civil War was caused by the American economy crisis in 1857.
It seems that I still have to be wary of this change, especially in the construction of the army. However, it seems that there is no need to make any major changes to the East African Army at present. I can only optimize some details on the current basis.