With the outside world's attention focused on the elections, Franz dispatched his two sons to overseas colonies to serve as governors.
Frankly speaking, replacing them at this time carried certain political risks. The struggle for hegemony between Britain and Austria had yet to end, and the overseas colonies were far from being as steady as Mount Tai.
Should a colony fall in the contests to come, its governor would be the first to bear responsibility. But there was no helping it—wealth and honor had always been sought amid danger.
Even for the imperial family, political resources were not limitless. To ensure a smooth transfer of power, those resources would naturally be directed first toward the heir apparent.
In a nation where titles were bestowed for military merit, without sufficient achievements and prestige, even if Franz pushed them into office, they would find it difficult to win public acceptance.
For the sake of the long term, it was very necessary to send them to the colonies ahead of time. Even if they failed to accumulate enough achievements, they could at least cultivate a group of trusted followers.
European imperial power was nowhere near as dominant as its Eastern counterpart. Even an assertive emperor like Franz often had no choice but to go with the flow.
Although the Overseas Dominion Plan would benefit the empire more in the long run, in the short term it was eroding the central government's authority.
Not everyone could see that far ahead, and still less could everyone be utterly selfless. Franz did not believe such a plan could win the support of the majority.
As emperor, he could certainly use forceful measures to suppress opposing voices, but Franz had no way to make the people of the overseas colonies all swear loyalty to his sons.
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