Holy Roman Empire

Influenced by France’s large farm plan, experts in the United Kingdom also advocated for a "grain self-sufficiency strategy," suggesting that the government establish Britannia’s own granaries in overseas colonies.

Unlike the French, the British had too many options. With the advantage of the Royal Navy, Britannia did not have to worry about grain supplies.

Whether it was the United States in North America, or Argentina and Brazil in South America, they all were Britannia’s granaries.

Even newly developed regions like New Zealand, Australia, and Canada also had the potential to become the Empire’s granaries.

If that wasn’t enough, squeezing more out of India would suffice.

After all, the population of the British Isles was just that bit, and the homeland could self-sustain 70% of it. Feeding a few million people was not a problem for John Bull.

The high food security of Britannia did not prevent scholars from boasting. As long as the money was in place, nothing was impossible.

For the sake of British Pounds, experts soon listed a whole bunch of reasons, even bringing up the shameful Irish famine to make a point.

The government had not yet responded, but the public had already begun to panic. It was unknown which unscrupulous capitalists were spreading rumors, claiming that Russia and Austria suffered from drought and that the autumn grain harvest for the latter half of the year had completely failed.

Such absurd rumors were believed, not by just one or two people, because grain prices indeed rose. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As a lawyer, Bill’s insight was much stronger than ordinary people, and he was not influenced by the rumors to run and hoard grain.

"Sir, there has been a frenzy recently about a drought in Eastern Europe, with Russia and Austria facing a total failure of this year’s autumn grain harvest, leading to a slight increase in grain prices in London.

To reduce expenses, I suggest you stockpile some grain now. If funds permit, you can store more, and sell it after the grain prices skyrocket," the housekeeper advised.

The housekeeper’s reminder did not shake Bill’s judgment. What kind of drought could cause Russia and Austria’s entire grain crop to fail?

Keep in mind, it was only June. The grain had been planted not long ago, and there was still a long time before the autumn harvest.

Even if there had been no rain in the first half of the year, as long as there was enough rainfall later, most of the crops could still be saved.

If Russia and the Austrian Alliance really had a total grain failure, international grain prices would have skyrocketed by now.

A slight increase?

If it did not increase three to five times, it would not match the conscience of the capitalists.

Bill smiled and said, "These are all rumors, and only the ignorant fools would believe them. If Russia and Austria really had a total crop failure, they would have stopped exporting grain long ago.

Without grain from Russia and Austria, the international grain market would collapse. The highly sensitive futures market hasn’t responded, so there’s nothing to worry about."

This was the truth, the futures market was indeed the most sensitive. On the contrary, if there were even a slight sign of reduced food production, the speculators would not miss the chance to manipulate the market.

"Yes, sir. I also believe that a complete grain failure in Russia and Austria is unlikely, but the drought might be real.

Just yesterday, the London newspaper reproduced a drought resistance plan by Austria’s Agriculture Department. If they hadn’t faced a drought, such a plan would not have appeared.

Given the credibility of the London newspaper, they likely would not lie about such news. The futures market not reacting might be due to the speculators hiding the news," the housekeeper explained.

Upon hearing the housekeeper’s explanation, Bill believed it somewhat. After all, the futures market was too heavily manipulated by the speculators, and often the fluctuations were not determined by the market itself.

After hesitating for a moment, Bill made a decision, "Then go ahead and purchase a batch of grain, but don’t buy from local stores. I will contact the wholesalers directly." Your next chapter awaits on empire

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Adhering to the principle "better to believe it and be prepared, than to disbelieve and become caught unprepared," there were quite a few people making similar decisions.

After all, grain is a life necessity, and even if the price doesn’t increase later, it’s still something to consume gradually.

It’s much better than being unprepared and waiting until grain prices soar before rushing to purchase grain.

Due to the hoarding frenzy, grain prices in London steadily increased, and consequently, more people joined the queue to hoard grain.

In Downing Street Prime Minister’s Office, the intensifying hoarding frenzy made Prime Minister Gladstone uneasy.

People regard food as their prime want, a notion that is universal throughout ancient and modern times worldwide.

Mere rumors were enough to cause British grain prices to rise, proving that Britannia’s food security was not as stable as presumed.

Gladstone asked, "Regarding the recent advocacy for grain self-sufficiency by the public and the continuous rise in domestic grain prices, what do you all think?"

What to think, they sat and watched.

Everyone present understood that it was nothing more than the French initiating the large farm plans, and a group of people looking to profit from manipulating public opinion and artificially creating panic.

Minister of Agriculture Died Barres stated, "The government has already arranged to debunk the rumors, but the effect has been minimal so far. Once the autumn grain comes to market, domestic grain prices will stabilize.

This fluctuation also indirectly confirms our food security, which is too influenced by external factors and is not as stable as we imagined.

Fortunately, this time it was just a rumor. If Russia and Austria really faced a severe drought, the consequences would have been serious."

"From a safety perspective, the French’s plan for agricultural self-sufficiency is indeed very worthy of our emulation," he said.

Setting aside the potential for profit, once the agricultural self-sufficiency plan was initiated, the influence of the Ministry of Agriculture within the government would greatly increase.

As one of the beneficiaries, Died Barres could not possibly oppose it.

Finance Minister George Childs warned, "We are different from the French, strategies that work in France may not necessarily work in Britannia.

The French are not part of the free trade system; their grain self-sufficiency plan relies on protective tariffs, making this investment somewhat secure.

Given the current situation, a fall in international grain prices is inevitable, and future market competition will be very fierce.

If we mimic their decision, we must compete directly with the world’s major grain-producing countries, and perhaps eventually we won’t even be able to sell our grain at cost.

From an economic standpoint, this is a fundamentally money-losing investment. The domestic market turmoil is only temporary and will soon recover.

Britannia has too many places to import grain from; with the Royal Navy, there is no need to worry about blockades," he said.

While enjoying the benefits brought by the free trade system, Britannia must also be constrained by it.

Normally, that is not so bad. After all, Britannia’s imports are industrial raw materials and grains, essentials that definitely don’t need tariff barriers.

To achieve grain self-sufficiency is not feasible, as it requires direct competition with the major grain-producing countries, or essentially a price war.

Anyone would think it’s clear that growing grain in colonies is more expensive than in other grain-exporting countries.

Running at a loss to gain a reputation for grain self-sufficiency, it virtually has little effect on the growth of the Great Britain Empire’s national strength.

Foreign Minister George rebutted, "Economically, we might run at a loss, but politically it’s different.

From what the French have shown, they are gradually losing the ability to counterbalance Austria, and the balance in Europe is being disrupted.

The French agricultural plan seems to be just for securing their own grain safety, but in essence, it is also a retaliatory move against Austria.

If we also follow suit, the international grain market would shrink by half. Consequently, countries that rely on grain exports would be devastated.

As the largest exporter of agricultural products in the world, Austria would bear the brunt, which could help equalize the power dynamics between France and Austria," he stated.

Pressuring the strong has been the British Government’s unchanged foreign policy for hundreds of years; now it’s Austria’s turn.

The more issues considered, the harder it was for Prime Minister Gladstone to make a decision. It wasn’t just about money; it involved political changes in European politics for the British Government.

After hesitating for a while, Gladstone asked, "What about the Russians’ reaction, has the Foreign Office considered that?"

This isn’t just about pressuring one major power; it is about putting pressure on two at the same time. A Russian-Austrian union is an invincible combination on the World Island.

If they were pushed too far, they might start a war to divert attention and head straight for India, which would really complicate things.

Foreign Minister George shook his head, "The Russian-Austrian Alliance has lasted for three generations, nearly a century, and the interests of the two countries are now intertwined.

To break up this alliance, we have put in a lot of effort, but now the two countries still stand together.

How capable the Habsburg dynasty is in diplomacy is known by flipping through history books. Franz is among the best monarchs of the dynasty; isolating Austria is simply not feasible.

The Russian-Austrian Alliance won’t be split anytime soon. From the moment Russia began expanding into Central Asia, they were our enemies, so there’s no harm in offending them now.

Perhaps after the international grain market contracts, Russia and Austria might part ways over interests.

Even if the alliance becomes more consolidated, the situation can’t get much worse than it already is," he explained.

A threat to India?

If no action is taken, wouldn’t Russia and Austria still be a threat to India? In George’s view, any powerful country near India is a potential danger.

It can’t be helped; such is the crisis consciousness of a maritime civilization. Rather than facing a strong Russian-Austrian alliance, it’s better to face a weakened one.

As long as Austria, the financial backer, runs out of money, the impoverished Russians won’t be able to make much of a stir. As for Austria, aren’t the French keeping them in check?

Although the economy of France isn’t great, no one doubts the combat effectiveness of the French Army.

If not for such a formidable boss, the British would have sleepless nights; today’s Austria is much more formidable than the German Empire of the same historical period.

After hesitating for a while, the politically astute Gladstone finally decided to pass the buck.

"The agricultural self-sufficiency plan involves an investment of tens of millions of British Pounds; it’s too hasty to just decide among us.

Let the Ministry of Agriculture prepare a proposal and submit it to Parliament for review. Let’s first hear the opinions of the Members," he proposed.

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