CHAPTER 428: CHAPTER 105 IN TRIESTE

The construction difficulty of the New Hamburg Port is even greater than the initial construction of Mtwara Port in East Africa. Not only is it far from East Africa, lacking relevant population and industrial support, but the project scale is also much larger than Mtwara Port, so New Hamburg Port must prioritize the construction of the naval port.

While preparations for the New Hamburg Port were underway in East Africa, Grand Duke Ferdinand also arrived in Austria, smoothly disembarking at the port of Trieste.

At the Royal Shipyard, Ferdinand asked with great interest, "Is that giant ironclad ship Austria’s new main battleship? What is its tonnage approximately? How does it compare to the Lissa Ironclad Ship?"

The engineer said somewhat dejectedly, "It would be great if it were truly a warship of the Austrian Navy, but according to the navy, they have no new shipbuilding plans. This ship is custom-ordered from abroad, and we don’t know which country. This ship has a displacement more than two hundred tons greater than the Lissa and is technologically more advanced than it."

Grand Duke Ferdinand: "Didn’t Austria reclaim Venice? Now the control of the Adriatic Sea is back in Austria’s hands. This naval victory is no less than the previous Battle of Lissa. Why is there no new warship building plan?"

The engineer said, "Alas, it’s because we fought so beautifully this time that the navy captured quite a few ships from the former Italian Adriatic Fleet. Besides those distributed to the Pope Country and the Kingdom of Naples, the rest were incorporated into the Imperial Navy’s sequence, which led the Hungarian Parliament to believe the navy no longer needs new vessels. They refused funding and even demanded a reduction in naval expenses. Fortunately, General Tegedthoff argued reasonably, preventing the tragedy."

Grand Duke Ferdinand sighed a little, saying, "Is the Imperial Navy’s situation so poor now? Even worse than when I was the Navy Commander?"

The engineer smiled and said, "Actually, ever since the war with Prussia ended, imperial authority has been divided into two. Every expenditure requires joint negotiation between Austria and Hungary. Economically, this has no impact, but for industries like the military that need financial support, there is no benefit at all. In fact, not just the navy, the army is struggling too. The national defense pressure on our land is no small matter. They even have objections to the army’s budget, let alone the navy."

Grand Duke Ferdinand then said, "Hmm, it seems the internal conflicts of the empire have become sharper. Franz surely has it tough."

The engineer said, "Grand Duke, I also believe these conflicts have no benefit to Austria if they continue. The decision-making efficiency of the empire was already lower than other countries, and since implementing the dual monarchy, it’s even worse. This generation understands living under one roof, but the next generation might not be so easily restrained."

Grand Duke Ferdinand: "What do you think the empire should do right now?"

The engineer: "There are only two ways. The first is to sit and wait to die, doing nothing and waiting for the conflicts to fully explode. The second is to directly puncture the conflicts and reform in advance. But neither method is a good idea. The first is a slow death, and the second could very likely cause the empire to collapse prematurely."

Grand Duke Ferdinand didn’t quite agree. Having stayed in East Africa for long, the style of the East African government deeply influenced him.

"Actually, in my view, the second way is worth trying. Sometimes a fight can resolve many issues. As for losing control, unless there is foreign interference, in the current continental European environment, the probability of such events is negligible."

The engineer said, "Hehehe, this is something only you, Grand Duke, have the confidence to say. We wouldn’t dare think so."

In the engineer’s view, Grand Duke Ferdinand is speaking without considering the repercussions. The importance of Hungary to the empire is self-evident. Without Hungary, the empire is nothing.

If Grand Duke Ferdinand knew the engineer’s thoughts, he would probably be dissatisfied. If a civil war truly broke out, Austria wouldn’t be the losing side.

Currently, the Austrian army, under Albert’s leadership, still has a strong military spirit. Coupled with Austria’s natural terrain advantage over Hungary, if the Hungarian nobility truly causes trouble, they won’t gain any advantage. If Grand Duke Ferdinand were in charge, he would rather fight the battle, since Hungary is vast and could be broken up or even kicked out.

However, Grand Duke Ferdinand was also just thinking. If really in Franz’s position, things might not be much better. But this is already a significant change from his past in Austria and Mexico, where he acted as a mediator and compromiser.

It was later proven that kindness would only be seen as weakness, and ambitious people wouldn’t care if you were genuinely kind. Once you reach that position, you’re destined to be an enemy.

Of course, the main thing is that Grand Duke Ferdinand saw how Ernst dealt with the natives in East Africa, realizing that in this world, no one is irreplaceable. Just like the African natives, Ernst’s approach was to keep the land but not the people. Similarly, the Hungarians might not be as important to Austria.

"Alright, let’s not talk about this any further. I want to know if there are any vacant slots recently at the shipyard?" Grand Duke Ferdinand started discussing official matters.

The engineer said, "Speaking of slots, there really aren’t any. Though the navy doesn’t have orders, there are quite a few orders for civilian cargo ships!"

Grand Duke Ferdinand: "Not a single slot available! How come the merchant ship business is so booming lately?"

The engineer said, "That’s how it is. The economy is doing so well now that maritime transportation is developing rapidly, especially since the opening of the Suez Canal. The old fleets along the Mediterranean coast are revitalized, so everyone’s rushing to build new ships."

Grand Duke Ferdinand asked, "When can you free up slots?"

The engineer responded pleasantly, "As for our shipyard, it might take about two years."

"Two years from now!"

"Yes, lately a group of Austrian merchants also ordered several ships, intending to participate in Far East trade. But I don’t see much promise in their decision, considering the Heixinggen Ocean Trade Company is the real giant now. It’s said that over the past few years, most business from the Far East to the German region has been monopolized by their merchant ships."

Ferdinand was a bit troubled: "Are other shipyards just as busy as yours?"

"More or less. Since Italy’s defeat, we’ve monopolized most of the business with French shipyards. If technical requirements aren’t high, we could also consider Italy. Their country might not be doing well, but their shipbuilding industry is still decent."

Due to twice losing battles at Trieste, Italy’s shipbuilding industry indeed faced some doubts. Of course, the main issue was the massive economic loss from wars, and the Kingdom of Naples taking a significant portion after its restoration.

"So going to Italy is also feasible?"

"Hard to say. It’s reported they’ve faced serious brain drain, with many of their skilled workers going abroad. Our shipyard even hired a few from Italy, where many shipyards have gone bankrupt."

Ferdinand also knew this. The Bajamojo Shipyard recruited quite a few Italians back then.

It seemed Ferdinand couldn’t quickly find where to solve the warship procurement issue. The reason for visiting the Austrian Royal Shipyard was mainly to get something for free, to lower costs, and save the navy some expenses. But opportunities are crucial.

Having no choice, Grand Duke Ferdinand had to contact Ernst in faraway East Africa via the dedicated phone line installed at Ernst’s residence in Trieste.

Ernst: "For this matter, there’s no rush. You can wait until their giant ironclad ship is completed, then order. It should be around next March."

Grand Duke Ferdinand: "Ernst, how did you know there’s an ironclad ship at the Trieste Royal Shipyard?"

Ernst quickly explained, "Uh, my company has quite a few dealings with the Royal Shipyard, so it’s normal to know. I was aware of this before coming to East Africa."