Hawaii and Nicaragua

Regarding the ratio of male to female laborers, the Austrian Empire could indeed demand that the Shogunate and the various domains provide only women, or women in large numbers.

Even if there were conscientious, principled people in the Shogunate, there would surely be some among the local domains who would do it. And once someone did, the others would grow envious, which would in turn pressure those conscientious, principled officials. If they still refused to change their stance, they might even be removed as obstacles.

But doing this would make their intentions far too obvious, leaving them open to being manipulated in turn.

Besides, no one who reached the pinnacle of power in any era was a fool. Franz could crush them with technology, institutions, and foresight, but to beat them through sheer intelligence alone, he would need to switch on an intelligence-lowering aura.

At this point, the Austrian Empire and the Shogunate were allies on the surface, but the latter knew full well that it was in the position of a colony—a vassal state.

Once they became "powerful" in the future, the first thing they would do was break free of this relationship. Also, the stereotype that Japan had been a vassal state of China from antiquity to the present was not entirely accurate.

At least as far as the Qing Dynasty was concerned, Japan recognized itself only as a trading partner. As for what it studied, that was still Chinese learning and Chinese medicine. Even intelligence brought back from the Qing Empire was called "Chinese-style Storytelling."

Furthermore, the Huidian of the Old Man of Ten Perfections acknowledged the concept of trading partners, which included Russia, Britain, and Japan.

The stamp-loving emperor would make sure to trumpet every reward he had given Wokoku, so long as it was something