Lakshmi Bai harbored considerable resentment toward Franz, because he had not spared a single word of concern for her child.
However, Franz did not have much time. His main purpose in coming out this time was to see how Taaffe was doing in Austrian East Africa, and whether the Omanis had made any unusual moves.
He would also inspect the construction of the Suez Canal along the way, as well as make arrangements for the Rani of Jhansi and her people.
The Suez Canal was essentially complete. With less than five kilometers remaining, it had already entered the final stages of construction.
In fact, if Franz wished, he could dig through those last few kilometers at any time. But the Suez Canal was far too important to the future of the Austrian Empire. He did not want any mistakes, nor could he afford any.
The success or failure of the Suez Canal would determine where the world's financial and trade center would belong over the coming century.
This super Suez Canal was a wager on the national destiny of the Austrian Empire. In the future, it would bring the center of the world economy back to the Mediterranean Sea once more.
If this could be accomplished, then the rise of the United States might very well never come to pass.
While opening the Suez Canal would also benefit Britain, those benefits were nowhere near as great as those enjoyed by the nations along the Mediterranean coast.
This was especially crucial for the Austrian Empire, which had only a Mediterranean outlet to the sea, while the other great Mediterranean powers, France and Spain, both had outlets in two directions.
The Austrian Empire had only its Mediterranean outlet. Even if it truly acquired outlets in other directions in the future, they would