A World-Shaking Plan

Franz's decision meant that the honeymoon period between Britain and Austria was over. In the years to come, conflicts between the two countries were bound to increase.

The world was vast, vast enough to feed billions; yet it was also small, too small to accommodate two hegemons.

If the world itself could not contain them both, how much less could the European Continent?

With Austria's revival, a clash of interests with the British was only a matter of time. Even without the Prusso-Russian War, the two countries would still have ended up on opposing sides elsewhere.

Before the Suez Canal opened, Franz would still have been wary of the British. Now, things were different. The Austrian Navy could enter the Arabian Sea directly, with colonies along the route to rely upon.

If Britain and Austria truly fell out, Austria could fully adopt a strategy of mutual destruction—drive the British off the African Continent while, in passing, carrying the flames of war into the Indian Ocean.

India's significance to Britain was clear from its productive capacity alone; it was practically on par with the British Isles.

Without question, that parity was limited to total economic output. One was agricultural, the other industrial; the two were not comparable at all.

Austria could not seize this "most dazzling jewel in the crown of the British Empire," but it did possess the ability to overturn the chessboard.

Naturally, "overturning the chessboard" was only a last resort. If it truly came to that, Austria would also be left in a pitiable state.

Colonies in the Americas would be out of the question, while even its colonies in the South Seas might not be retained. With most overseas markets lost, Austria would find it difficult to recover its strength for decades.

And that was the optimistic