Chapter 415: In Trieste
Constructing New Hamburg Port was proving even harder than East Africa's earlier Mtwara Port. The location was more remote, and lacked both population and industrial support. Plus, the engineering scale was much larger. So priority had to go to building the naval base first.
Meanwhile, Archduke Ferdinand had arrived in Austria, disembarking with practiced ease at the Port of Trieste.
Inside the Royal Shipyard, he asked with interest, "That giant ironclad— is it Austria's latest flagship? What's its tonnage? How does it compare to the Lissa?"
The engineer sighed, "Ah, if only it were for the Austrian Navy. But from what we've heard, the navy doesn't have any new orders. That ship was commissioned by a foreign client. We don't know which country exactly. It's over 200 tons heavier than the Lissa and more advanced technically."
Archduke Ferdinand frowned. "Didn't Austria retake Venice? The Adriatic is ours again. The navy's victories this time were no less than in the Battle of Lissa. Why aren't we building new warships?"
The engineer replied, "Exactly because the war went so well, we seized many of the former Italian Adriatic fleet's ships. After giving a few to the Papal States and the restored Kingdom of Naples, the rest went straight into our navy. The Hungarian parliament argued the navy didn't need new ships and rejected funding requests. Worse, they demanded budget cuts. Thankfully, General Tegetthoff argued the case fiercely, or we'd have been in real trouble."
Ferdinand sighed, "The Imperial Navy's situation is worse than when I was in charge!"
The engineer chuckled, "Ever since the war with Prussia, power in the empire has been split. Every expense needs both Austria and Hungary to agree. Economically it's not a problem, but for military industries—those that rely on state funds—it's been awful. The army's in a tough spot too. And with our strategic threats on land, even the army's budget gets questioned. The navy? Even worse."
Ferdinand said, "Seems the empire's internal divisions are only getting worse. Poor Franz."
The engineer nodded, "Yes, and if this goes on, it won't help Austria at all. We already lag other countries in decision-making. After we adopted the Dual Monarchy, it got even slower. This generation might still understand we share one roof, but the next generation? I fear they'll lose control."
Ferdinand asked, "So what should the empire do?"
The engineer replied, "There are two paths: do nothing and let it fester until it explodes—or poke the hornet's nest and reform early. But neither is ideal. The first is slow death. The second might cause the empire to collapse early."
Ferdinand didn't fully agree. His time in East Africa had clearly influenced his thinking.
"In my view," he said, "the second option isn't off the table. Sometimes, a good fight clears things up. The risk of losing control is real, but unless there's foreign interference—and on today's European continent, that's unlikely—it could work."
The engineer chuckled. "Only someone like Your Grace could say that with a straight face. We wouldn't dare think that way."
To the engineer, Ferdinand sounded detached from reality. Hungary was vital. Without it, Austria was nothing.
Had Ferdinand known what the engineer thought, he'd have disagreed. If civil war broke out, Austria wouldn't necessarily lose. Under General Albrecht, the Austrian army still had serious bite. And Austria's geography naturally boxed Hungary in. If the Hungarian nobles rebelled, they'd suffer for it. If it were up to Ferdinand, he'd fight the war and be done with it. Hungary's large territory? Split it up or kick it out of the empire.
But this was just speculation. If he were really in Emperor Franz's shoes, he might not have the heart. Ferdinand had long played the peacemaker—both in Austria and Mexico.
But he'd learned the hard way: mercy is mistaken for weakness, and the ambitious don't care if you're kind—they'll still treat you as the enemy.
More importantly, East Africa had shown him how Ernst handled the native population—ruthlessly. Ferdinand came to understand that no group was irreplaceable. If that applied to African natives, it could apply to the Hungarians too.
"Enough politics," Ferdinand said. "I need to know—do you have any open slots at the shipyard?"
The engineer replied, "Actually, no. Though the navy hasn't placed any orders, civilian demand is off the charts."
Ferdinand frowned. "Not a single opening? What's with the shipbuilding craze?"
"It's the economy," the engineer said. "It's booming. Maritime trade is expanding rapidly. Since the Suez Canal opened, those old Mediterranean fleets are coming back to life. Everyone's rushing to build new ships."
Ferdinand asked, "How soon can you make space?"
The engineer smiled, "Maybe in two years."
"Two years!?"
"Yes. We recently got an order from some Austrian businessmen. They want to join the Far East trade. But personally, I don't think they'll succeed. That market is already dominated by Hechingen Overseas Shipping. I hear their fleet now controls most trade between the Far East and Germany."
Ferdinand groaned, "And the other shipyards? Same story?"
"More or less. After Italy's defeats at sea, we and the French split most of the business. If your standards aren't too high, Italy could be an option. Their country's a mess, but their shipbuilding's still decent."
Ferdinand nodded. Italy's shipyards had suffered credibility losses after two defeats at sea, especially around Trieste. But the real problem was Italy's economy: devastated by war, the restored Neapolitan kingdom siphoned off even more industry.
"So... Italy is technically viable?"
"Hard to say. I've heard they're bleeding talent. Many engineers and designers are going abroad. Even our yard hired a few former Italian workers. Lots of their shipyards have gone bankrupt."
Ferdinand knew this already. The Bagamoyo Shipyard had taken in many Italians. Now, he truly had no idea where to turn for more shipbuilding slots.
His reason for visiting the Royal Shipyard was to get a good deal—to save costs and stretch the navy's budget. But you can only do that if there's capacity.
Left with no choice, he used the private phone line in Ernst's Trieste residence to call him back in East Africa.
Ernst: "Don't worry. We'll place the order after that giant ironclad is finished—probably by March next year."
Ferdinand: "Wait… Ernst, how did you know about the ironclad being built here at the Royal Shipyard?"
Ernst (scrambling): "Oh… well, my company has long-standing ties with the yard. Of course I'd know. In fact, I knew about it before I even came to East Africa!"
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