Chapter 563: Plan for Steam Engines on Ships
Spain might have been past its prime, but relying on its vast colonial wealth, it could still barely be counted among the European powers.
Joseph likewise valued the Spanish fleet.
After all, this was a nation that once boasted the invincible Armada. Even with its decline, its fleet size still firmly held the third position in Europe.
If France wished to maintain its minimal trade requirements, specifically the security of its Mediterranean shipping lanes, it would need to ally with the Spanish fleet.
Joseph was well aware that the navy was, without question, the most expensive branch of the military.
With France's current financial resources, there was no chance of competing with Britain's navy through traditional methods.
Historically, during the Napoleonic Wars, Britain's military expenditure ranged between 1 billion and 1.2 billion francs annually. The naval budget alone soared to 380 million francs, not far from France's total military expenditure of 400 million francs. (Note 1)
Thus, in a race for warship numbers, for every vessel France launched, Britain would launch two or more.
Furthermore, Britain, which relied on maritime trade for its livelihood, had cultivated a large number of elite sailors. Even if France possessed warships identical to Britain's, the probability of winning a naval battle would still be very low.
Before the navy could acquire new types of warships, France had to unite with the Spanish fleet to buy itself the necessary time.
Speaking of new warships, Joseph suddenly recalled Murdoch's ongoing development of a new High-Pressure Steam Engine.
While its power output was still far from sufficient for heavy Battleships, the swift galley-frigates remained an indispensable combat force in Mediterranean warfare. The Mediterranean's consistently calm waters severely reduced the speed of heavy sailing ships, whereas galley-frigates could compensate for propulsion with numerous rowers, granting them exceptionally high maneuverability in these seas.
Although Murdoch's High-Pressure Steam Engine only produced 50 Horsepower, this was still incomparable to what dozens of oarsmen could achieve.
If two were installed, making for 100 Horsepower, the speed achieved would certainly far exceed human rowing.
Furthermore, the steam engine's sustained output capacity utterly surpassed human effort.
No matter how skilled the rower, two hours of continuous effort would surely leave them exhausted. Even with a large reserve of oarsmen, high-speed travel would only be possible for five or six hours at most. A steam engine, however, could run non-stop for several days.
This meant that if steam engines could be successfully installed on galley-frigates, and the "kiting" tactic were employed effectively, the French navy would gain the ability to contend with the British in the Mediterranean.
Simultaneously, this process would accelerate the technological iteration of marine steam engines, paving the way for larger-powered steam engines to drive heavy Battleships of third-rate or higher in the future.
Joseph had originally intended to postpone the development of new warships until France's economic situation improved, but it now seemed there was no time to lose.
If the Mediterranean shipping lanes could not be secured, the vast North Africa provinces would be unable to provide support to mainland France and might even become a burden.
Entering Egypt and commencing the Suez Canal strategy would be out of the question. It was highly probable they would repeat Emperor Napoleon's failed North African campaign.
Joseph immediately made a note to arrange for Murdoch and his technicians to travel to Brittany as soon as possible. Brittany was a major shipbuilding center for France and one of the primary sources of its sailors.
Of course, since it involved entirely new shipbuilding concepts, he would likely need to make a trip himself.
Joseph shifted his thoughts from warships back to diplomacy.
Beyond Spain, Russia was of paramount importance.
He wasn't confident in forging an alliance with Russia, as Russia's trade ties with Britain ran too deep. If Britain were to impose severe sanctions, France alone could not possibly fill Russia's trade deficit.
This was precisely why Emperor Napoleon's Continental Blockade policy could be enforced throughout mainland Europe, yet a gap emerged only in Russia.
Emperor Napoleon's subsequent desperate attack on Russia wasn't driven by "exploding ambition" to unify Europe; the core reason was to plug the holes in the trade blockade.
However, if Russia were to strictly enforce the Continental Blockade, its own finances would collapse first. Thus, a Russo-French war was destined to be unavoidable.
Therefore, Joseph's bottom line was to ensure that Russia would not join the British camp.
On one hand, he needed to rapidly increase trade between France and Russia, making it impossible for Russia to abandon France. On the other, he aimed to intensify development in Donbas, deepening the entanglement of interests between the two nations.
Naturally, the existing conflicts between Russia and Austria in the Balkan Peninsula could be exploited if necessary, but that strategy would depend on future circumstances.
Next came Austria.
For now, Franco-Austrian relations remained relatively stable.
And to Joseph's recollection, Leopold II was a man of principle with a good grasp of the bigger picture, and he should be unwilling to be drawn into the great maelstrom of Anglo-French conflict.
However, Joseph also knew that Leopold II was a short-lived emperor, expected to pass away early next year.
The successor, Franz II, however, was a conservative emperor prone to impulsive decisions and of mediocre ability.
Whether he would be swayed by Britain was something no one could guarantee.
If Austria were indeed to align against France at that time, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing in some respects.
Firstly, France could then seize Austria's interests in Italy without any reservations.
It was important to remember that the prosperous northern Italy was currently largely within Austria's sphere of influence. Additionally, Tuscany in the central-southern part of the peninsula had a Grand Duke directly from the House of Habsburg.
Currently, due to the matrimonial ties between France and Austria, it was genuinely difficult for France to act against Italy.
But once relations soured between them, Austria's army alone would be utterly incapable of stopping France from advancing deep into Italy.
In an extreme scenario, Joseph could even replicate historical events, making a deal with Sardinia: offering to help them unify Italy in exchange for abandoning central and southern Italy, and together with Sardinia, completely expelling Austria from the Apennine Peninsula.
Afterward, whether France attacked Austria from the Italian front or supported Sardinia in harassing Austria's rear, both would be excellent options.
As for Prussia and the Netherlands, they were essentially Britain's designated allies, and Joseph didn't consider investing effort in them.
Of course, Emperor Napoleon's historical method of directly conquering the Netherlands was absolutely not an option.
Advancing deep into northwestern Germany would inevitably incite fear among the German States, causing them to firmly accept Prussia's command and turn against France.
If the Netherlands truly became too belligerent, a small contingent of elite troops could swiftly raid Amsterdam, withdrawing immediately after the Dutch surrender.
As for the Dutch warships, they would have to be destroyed or brought back to France as spoils of war.
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