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One wave had not yet settled when another arose.
While the Turbulence had yet to be resolved, trouble broke out again in the East Asia region. The Japanese Government, which had just begun preliminary social reforms, bared its fangs to the outside world.
In May 1875, Japanese warships including the "Yun Yang" invaded Busan, Korea, to demonstrate their military might. The decayed and incompetent Joseon Dynasty did not organize a counterattack in time but instead hoped for intervention from their "big brother."
Unfortunately, the neighboring "big brother" had decayed as well, busy with internal strife and unable to spare the slightest attention for such a trifling matter, further stimulating the ambition of the Japanese Government.
In order to test the limits of its neighbors, the Japanese Army invaded the region around Ganghwa Island in September. This time, there was no escape; the Korean Army was forced to resist.
After sustaining two casualties, the Japanese Army achieved victory in the battle. Under the threat of military force, the Korean Government quickly capitulated.
(Note: Approximately 35 members of the Korean Army perished.)
As for the specific details, the telegram did not specify them, and Franz couldn’t be bothered to inquire further. Such child’s play battles were indeed a shock to his worldview.
After all, the Kingdom of Korea was a country with a population of over ten million and a standing army of several hundred thousand, yet it capitulated after losing just a platoon’s worth of soldiers.
This was akin to telling everyone there was a fat sheep in East Asia that was so foolish it wouldn’t even kick when attacked, inviting all to come and carve up its flesh.
Ambition is always indulged and now the Japanese Government was merely probing outward, not yet the Showa Government of the mid-twentieth century that disdained all and aspired to be the leader of the world.
Austria had been involved in the Far East for too short a time and had nearly no interests in East Asia, so this piece of news merely added another joke to the Vienna Government.
However, it was different for the other European powers. At least the Russian Empire next door had felt the stimulus. Had the Prusso-Russian tensions not been so deep, perhaps the Tsarist Government would have already turned its sights eastward.
In the original timeline, Russia’s pivot to the East was spurred by such stimulations. The west was full of hard bones that couldn’t be chewed, yet the east, despite being farther away, was full of fat to be had!
Bears need meat, while only dogs gnaw on bones. This multiple-choice question was easy, driven purely by instinct.
Compared with the original timeline, the current international situation had changed beyond recognition, with the European Continent largely maintaining stability.
Englad, France, and Austria stood as major powers in a tripod balance, with the second-tier Prussia and Russia opposing each other. Below them were three mid-tier powers: Spain, the Nordic Federation, and the German Federation. This pattern was what the British had dreamt of.
Any nation wishing to disrupt the balance would have to withstand pressure from various sides. With the powers’ strengths balanced, the situation naturally stabilized.
Once the conflicts among the European Colonial Empires eased, other independent countries in the world felt increased pressure, especially countries like the Kingdom of Korea, seen as a "fat sheep."
"What do you think of the changes in East Asia, and could they affect the global situation?"
Almost every Colonial Empire had a stake in East Asia. Originally, Japan was also considered a fat sheep by everyone, but suddenly everyone realized that this sheep had evolved into a wolf, jumping out to compete for meat.
There’s only so much interest to go around, and if you take more, I get less. The presence of another player has a significant impact.
Foreign Minister Weisenberg, "Your Majesty, Japan is not to be worried about. Their minor skirmishes are one thing, but should they go too far, England and France will teach them the rules of the game.
Our interests are mainly in the Southeast Asia region, and the Japanese can only hover at their doorstep. They have no foothold in the Southeast Asia region.
Moreover, the unequal treaties signed with them also shackled their development. They cannot grow without breaking free from these shackles.
Just dealing with these issues may take them decades. The road ahead for Japan to truly become powerful is still very long.
The Meiji Restoration’s slogans are loud, but aside from training an army with second or third-rate combat effectiveness, I don’t see any other achievements.
Japan’s success this time was filled with coincidences. If not for the neighboring Far Eastern Empire being busy with internal strife, they would have had no chance to assert themselves."
"Belittlement" is the prevailing attitude of European society towards Japan. In those days, the notion of "white supremacy" was popular, and people of color were naturally subjected to discrimination.
Even among the whites, there were different classes, with discrimination based on region, ethnicity, country...
For example, Western Europe looked down on Central Europe, Central Europe scorned Eastern Europe, and Europeans collectively looked down on overseas peoples.
Why was the theory of unification able to spread in the German Region? In reality, the main reason was that the German People were regarded as second-class, and everyone needed a strong nation.
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The specific manifestations can be seen in 19th century America. Like other immigrants, those from the Germany Region faced discrimination and, along with the Irish, Italians, and Eastern European migrants, they were all at the bottom of society.
This situation continued until after Germany unified and began to improve.
Now, change is happening even faster. With Austria’s revival, the international status of the German people has risen accordingly.
This is also why Austria has been able to maintain its influence in the Germany Region.
Those capital owners involved in international trade, if not abroad, would not feel secure without the citizenship of the New Roman Empire.
Having obtained the Empire’s citizenship and enjoying the benefits of a great nation, these people’s stance naturally leaned towards Austria.
In this context, although many of Austria’s practices are considered very conservative by German nationalists and fail to satisfy their demands, they are still recognized as orthodox.
It’s no wonder that the Japanese were looked down upon. The Meiji Restoration had just begun, and what development there was, was relative.
For Japan, which was poor and backward, any progress in an industry was a great achievement, but from Austria’s perspective, these things were hardly worth mentioning.
All of Japan’s industrial output put together wouldn’t surpass that of a single Austrian industrial park. If calculated by production value, it might not even equal a large corporation.
The "elite navy" trained by the Japanese Government might not even match one of the colonial squadrons Austria stationed—an Austrian main fleet ship could defeat them.
The so-called modernized army was just a few tens of thousands strong, with subpar weapons and equipment; coupled with natural disdain, it’s possible that in many people’s eyes Japan’s elite troops wouldn’t even compare to Austria’s reserves.
Under such overwhelming pressures, it was impossible for the Vienna Government to take Japan seriously. In the original timeline, the world only acknowledged Japan after the Russo-Japanese War, climbing up by standing on Russian shoulders.
Franz wasn’t prepared to reverse people’s perceptions, since putting one’s thoughts into other people’s minds was too difficult.
Moreover, Japan’s rise was still a long way off, and even if it did rise, it wouldn’t threaten Austria. The strength of the Austrian colonies in Nanyang was something the Japanese couldn’t challenge.
However, Franz did admire the capabilities of this Japanese Government, which managed to develop a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country under such difficult circumstances.
For example, right now, the Japanese Government had chosen a good time. They acted while European countries were distracted by the Turbulence, creating a fait accompli.
If they had waited a year or two, until England, France, and Austria had reached an agreement on dividing colonies and the international situation had calmed down, the Japanese Government would have faced a disaster.
In plain terms, the Japanese didn’t have the strength to challenge the international order; they could only play on the sidelines, acting before the European powers established a new order for East Asia.
The "Yun Yang incident" opened Korea’s doors, but the Japanese Government couldn’t enjoy the benefits alone; the major powers could also get their share of the spoils, so naturally there was not much resistance.
While it seemed like they didn’t gain much, the political significance was quite substantial. The Japanese Government used this opportunity for outward expansion.
As European countries turned a blind eye to this action of the Japanese Government, it also meant that the international community could accept Japan’s colonization of Korea, laying the foundation for the next wave of colonial expansion.
However, there are also disadvantages to such opportunism and gambling—it’s too addictive, and once someone starts, it’s hard to stop.
Winning a bet can bring rich rewards, but luck always runs out. Once lost, everything can be forfeited.
This is the tragedy of small countries; without gambling, there is never a chance to rise, but once on the gambling table, it’s hard to leave.
Victory can lead to confusion; once ensnared, one only sees success and struggles to continue to look at issues rationally.
Franz, "Let’s observe for now! If the Russians look east, then the Japanese will have their chance. Compared to the Far Eastern Empire, the British prefer to support these smaller entities."
Whether the Russians will look east or not is a question no one can answer. Everything depends on the outcome of the next Prusso-Russian war.
On the European Continent, France and Austria now jointly dominate. If the Tsarist Government manages a painful victory, then withdrawing from the competition for dominance in Europe becomes inevitable, and looking east becomes one of the options.
If the Tsarist Government suffers a terrible defeat, then everything is over. A defeated Russian Empire would certainly be dismembered. Self-preservation would be a problem, let alone continued expansion.
From Austria’s perspective, the ideal outcome would be a draw or a narrow, costly victory for one side—eliminating two potential competitors at once would be too good to be true.
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