Chapter 327: Chapter 14: Undermining the United States
On June 18, 1861, the Austrian Ocean-going Fleet left Japan and entered the Pacific Ocean. Count Hummel stood on the deck, gazing into the distance, his sighs occasionally breaking the silence.

Major General Arest, the commander of the fleet, asked in confusion, “Count, you don’t seem very enthusiastic?”

Count Hummel let out a sigh and said, “Commander, the domestic directive to establish a foothold in the Republic of Nicaragua won’t be so easy. It’s likely we’ll have to resort to using force.”

Arest asked in confusion again, “I apologize, Count, but I don’t see the problem.

Nicaragua is just a tiny country, with a total population of only three or four hundred thousand, with less than ten percent being white. There’s barely any industry; how could this pose a threat to us?”

That was true, there were no strong countries in the Central American region. Even if they were all banded together, Arest wouldn’t feel pressured.

The rulers here could more aptly be described as a few mine owners and plantation owners rather than a republic.

They could bully the locals all they wanted, but faced with a regular army, Arest was sure a single battalion could take care of them.

Count Hummel shook his head and said, “What about a pretext for war? If we attack Nicaragua rashly without a solid reason, what about the state visits that are to follow, should they still happen?”

This was the difference between how politicians and military personnel approached problems. The military only saw the ease of occupying Nicaragua but didn’t consider the political ramifications.

Otherwise, the directive from the Vienna Government would not have been to find a foothold, but rather to occupy Nicaragua, or even all the Central American countries.

Major General Arest bluntly said, “That’s easy, we just lay it out to the Nicaraguan Government. Tell them what we want. If they don’t cooperate, we’ll destroy them. There will always be someone who will want to work with us.”

Count Hummel explained, “Commander, we don’t have enough immigrants to occupy this place. Rule enforced by sheer military power is unstable. Once the troops leave, it won’t be long before a rebellion occurs.

Sending in more troops to suppress it is too costly, and abandoning this place could easily trigger a domino effect, impacting our colonial system.”

The lack of immigrants was an intractable problem. The Region of Africa was short of immigrants, Southeast Asia was short of immigrants, and the American region was still short of immigrants.

Unfortunately, Austrians had limited human resources, and it was impossible to have unrestricted immigration, not to mention that even including the German cultural circles it still wasn’t enough.

The Colonial Department could mobilize a hundred and twenty thousand immigrants from the European Continent each year, already straining their utmost effort.

Count Hummel had heard more than once of plantation owners toiling in the fields themselves due to a labor shortage, and some even resorted to purchasing serfs from Russia.

As for employing local labor, it was mainly the mine owners who did so. It’s not that the plantation owners had higher moral standards; it was just too much trouble to manage.

Austria had banned slavery, so there were naturally no institutions for slave training. The untrained natives could easily turn on their masters.

Mine owners were different in this regard, almost every one of them kept a bunch of toughs. On one hand, they fought off thieves, protected the safety of the gold mines, and on the other hand, they suppressed miner uprisings.

After some unfortunate souls perished, for everyone’s safety, the Colonial Government prohibited farm owners and plantation owners from using unsafe indigenous labor.

After some thought, Major General Arest said, “If it’s only a matter of insufficient immigration, we could actually consider a solution from the United States. It is said that there are already over three million German descendants there.

Many left the European Continent for the United States originally to avoid war. Now that the North and the South have started to fight, these cowards probably want to flee again.

We just need to entice about a hundred thousand of them; the issue of insufficient immigration would be solved. At worst, we promise them a bit more benefits—after all, Central America is sparsely populated.”

Immigrants can’t be brought in recklessly, or else the consequences are very serious. A negative example would be Mexico, where the United States had once sent immigrants to Mexican territory, and the Mexican Government had even introduced many favorable policies.

When the immigrant population gained the upper hand, the Americans immediately orchestrated a local autonomy and independence movement.

The Mexican Government naturally couldn’t tolerate it, thinking they had kindly taken in these people and offered so many concessions, only for them to turn around and rebel.

The Mexican Government was incompetent; they failed to suppress the rebellion. Without a second chance, the Americans, who were already prepared, came over and fought.

As a result, Mexico paid a tuition fee of 2.3 million square kilometers of land. With this negative example in mind, countries became more cautious about accepting immigrants.

Now in Austria’s colonies, they strictly control the proportion of each ethnic group. The main approach is to attract immigrants from the German cultural circles and to accept only a small number of immigrants from other countries who are mostly culturally lower-class citizens.

After pondering for a moment, Count Hummel made a decision, “Commander, that’s a brilliant idea.

If we can recruit enough immigrants from the United States, the Central American region will be ours.”

Send someone to notify the Hawaii Government that our visit will last only one day. Have them wait for us at the port.

Once the fleet has resupplied, we will head directly to the United States, where I intend to visit each state along the West Coast in turn.”

Count Hummel’s excitement was understandable, as this plan was highly feasible.

In this era, unlike later times, German descendants were excluded from mainstream American society. British descendants held sway over high society, commanding the majority of the society’s wealth.

Banding together applies to any ethnicity, and the German elite, unable to penetrate the upper echelons of society, did not yield but continued to struggle.

Immigrant communities in the Germany Region still used German, and local schools taught in German, reflecting their dissatisfaction with the British dominance of America’s upper strata.

It was not until after both World Wars that Germans truly integrated into American society, taking advantage of the wartime counter-espionage to dismantle their communities.

This created an opportunity for Austria to undermine the foundation. Once one becomes a beneficiary, they cannot be easily swayed. It’s the immigrants at the bottom of society who are the easiest to cheat.

There’s plenty of land in Central America, and gifting what belongs to others has always been Franz’s forte, inevitably influencing the officials of the Vienna Government as well.

As for whether the United States Government would obstruct emigration, there’s no need to worry. If they actually did that, they would no longer be a threat.

A country from which entry is possible but not departure, how can it attract immigrants? Without enough immigrants, relying solely on the natural population growth of the United States, by the time they develop, we’ll already be in the era of nuclear parity.

Dividing the world also depends on timing; once the opportunity is missed, even tenfold or a hundredfold the effort may not yield any gain.

The international status of a country is reflected in its diplomatic standing. Without a doubt, Hawaii, already a semi-colonial country, was not worth Count Hummel’s attention.

Had he had ample time, he wouldn’t have minded making a visit according to diplomatic protocol. But now, pressed for time, it’s fitting to shorten the visit to Hawaii to proceed with the new plan.

The Kingdom of Hawaii likely wouldn’t welcome them either; in this age, the visit of great powers wasn’t a good thing for many weak nations.

Count Hummel had experienced this more than once; in most countries, it was akin to sending off the god of plague, with bureaucrats trying everything to hasten his departure with the fleet.

This is evident in the lavish gifts they receive until their hands hurt from accepting them. Even the fleet’s resupply is courtesy of these countries, with top brass receiving a selection of local produce as gifts.

…

Newport Port, Oregon

The sun scorched the earth, and the roar of warships could be heard in the distance.

The dock was filled with people, from those dressed in luxurious attire to those in simple hemp garments, all waiting under the scorching sun.

Looking toward the approaching fleet and listening to the steam engines’ piercing roar, many people revealed joyful smiles.

Unlike the majority’s smiles, a portion of individuals furrowed their brows, as though about to face a tremendous annoyance.

One can never know the importance of a powerful homeland without being overseas.

Don’t be misled by America’s status as a nation of immigrants; there’s still a social hierarchy among them, with British immigrants undeniably at the summit.

On one hand, British descendants dominate mainstream society, and on the other, the world’s number one Royal Navy provides Britons with ample confidence.

In contrast, the fate of German descendants was quite tragic; the Germany Region was fragmented and, although each state was not weak, there was no global power to support them.

However, with Franz’s butterfly effect, Austria was reborn, quickly rising to become the world’s third naval power and naturally becoming the pillar of the overseas German People.

In this respect, the Vienna Government also did quite a bit. Overseas embassies were open to all German descendants, offering them reasonable assistance.

Through concrete actions, they gained their recognition. Hence the large gathering of German immigrants when the Ocean-going Fleet visited the United States; it was a chance for many.

This world looks to strength; a strong nation overseas naturally commands respect, while a weaker one cannot avoid being bullied.

Seeing the dense crowd on the dock, Count Hummel smiled contentedly. His confidence in the plan increased.