I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 310

“So, am I to understand that you intend to incorporate Prussia into the Holy Roman Empire?”

“Yes. After all, Prussia and we are destined to come to a resolution eventually. Within our circles, there’s a growing sentiment that we cannot remain separate, especially since both of us claim to be the leading nation in the Germanic cultural sphere.”

That’s odd. In modern times, Germany and Austria get along just fine as separate countries.

Of course, there are times when they bicker over who Mozart or Beethoven truly belonged to.

“To my ears, that sounds like you’re dressing up your ambition for territorial expansion with a plausible justification. It seems to me that the Roman Empire already has more than enough territory.”

The current Holy Roman Empire has far more territory than the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the original history.

Naturally, it’s even larger than Prussia at its peak. Unlike the original history, it also holds quite a few valuable lands.

“‘We are the leaders of the Germanic cultural sphere, and they claim to be as well, so we must integrate.’ Doesn’t that sound like a very childish way of thinking?”

“I won’t deny that it appears to be a remnant of the Eastern Colonization movement that was prevalent when the Teutonic Knights were still active. Calling it childish isn’t wrong either. But at the same time, I believe it’s also an unavoidable destiny.”

Come to think of it, Prussia and the Austrian Empire were always at each other’s throats whenever they had a good excuse.

It’s ironic that the power dynamics are reversed from the original history, but the atmosphere itself probably isn’t much different.

If they can sweet-talk them well enough, they might be able to swallow them whole, so I can see why they’d be tempted.

“Are you aware of how difficult it was to create the peaceful atmosphere we have now?”

“Of course, war is the last resort. I intend to ask my father to help ensure it doesn’t come to that.”

He’s saying that if things continue as they are, a clash is inevitable, so he wants me to support him before that happens.

On the surface, it sounds reasonable, but when you turn it over in your mind, it’s no different from the logic of an invader.

Of course, I have to consider that the relationship between Prussia and Austria is unique.

But how can I clearly explain this unease that’s welling up inside me?

There’s no way he’d understand if I said, ‘Isn’t that just Lebensraum [living space for a nation’s expansion]?’…

“In my opinion, annexing Prussia would do more harm than good at this point. Therefore, I’d like to recommend that you reconsider.”

“Could you tell me your specific reasons?”

“First, let’s look at it from an economic perspective. In this era of industrialization, a nation’s power comes from its economic strength. And this economic strength comes from land with a solid infrastructure. But what you’re trying to do is nothing more than old-fashioned territorial expansion that doesn’t consider the economic aspects at all.”

There’s no point in talking about Lebensraum or Anschluss [political union, especially the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938], so I have to oppose it in the most logical way possible.

In fact, I’m not so much concerned about annexing Prussia, which has already become a second-rate country, but rather the fact that the German Empire would become a reality.

It might be an emotional aversion that I have because I’m a modern person, but I have a strong feeling that it won’t end with just emotional issues.

“Economically, there’s no benefit…”

“That’s right. Think about it. Hasn’t the territory of the Roman Empire been expanding too quickly compared to the population growth rate? If you expand your territory here without any meaning, it will only lead to population outflow.”

The trap that modern nation-states fell into most easily was this kind of indiscriminate colonial expansion.

It’s a fact that many people overlook, but colonial expansion and slavery were never cost-effective ventures.

Colonial expansion is less efficient than trade, and slavery is far more wasteful compared to hiring labor.

In the case of slaves, you have to provide them with food, clothing, and shelter, and the cost of this inevitably becomes higher than the cost of employing workers.

People think that you can just exploit slaves, but slaves are also human beings with feelings.

If you squeeze them to the point where they can’t live, they’ll rebel, and suppressing them will incur additional costs.

Colonies were no different.

If it were a region where gold mines or oil were exploding like crazy, I wouldn’t know, but how many such lands are there on Earth?

Of course, the French Federation has already taken most of those few lands, so rest assured.

“Do you think that if you tell Prussia to be incorporated into the Roman Empire right now, they’ll say, ‘Yes, sir!’ and agree? Of course, there will be resistance, and the cost of suppressing this resistance and the waste of manpower will all lead to a decline in national power.”

France and England in the original history were typical countries that fell into this contradiction.

And in just a little while, the current England will be added to that list as well.

According to Pitt, the British Parliament is already racking its brains over how to deal with the unprofitable colonies.

“So, the Roman Empire could become like that.”

“Yes. So, I hope you make a wise decision.”

“The reason why Father placed so much importance on integration and harmony in the New World was because he foresaw this.”

Somehow, the words fit together.

Seeing my son’s face as if he understood, I felt relieved and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t be too hasty, and think about it slowly.”

My son nodded silently, and having heard a satisfactory answer, I left the room first.

However.

As I left with a light heart, I didn’t hear the last words the child muttered quietly.

“You mean, if I’m going to eat it, I should eat it in a more thorough and certain way. I understand.”

※※※

-Prussia has fallen, and Rome has triumphed. This is ultimately proof that the center of Germany is our Federation and that our system is superior.

-The new Emperor Joseph III has declared that he will not limit the Roman Federation to just the Germanic cultural sphere. Prussia, bound by the framework of Germanic culture, was never a competitor from the start!

-The first step to restoring the true glory of Rome must be the annexation of Prussia!

Joseph III Karl wasn’t lying to Christian.

The Holy Roman Empire had transformed into a new federal empire, but it didn’t happen without any problems.

Originally, integration requires an enemy or some cause.

In the early days of his reign, Karl used both methods to repair the tattered empire.