African Entrepreneurship Records

   Chapter 68 Alaska

  St. Petersburg.

   Sergey, who took over the errand, found his accomplices and told them about the situation.

"Well, this time, as long as we can persuade the empire to sell the Alaska colony to the Hexingen consortium, we can get a sum of money. If we can help them pay less money, we will get more. Here is the initial deposit of 20,000. As long as we complete the task, we can get one hundred thousand rubles, and for every one million less, we can earn ten thousand more.”

  Sergey said while holding the check for 20,000 rubles sent by the Hexingen consortium earlier.

   "Your Excellency, is this Hexingen consortium too stingy? They only want to pay such a small amount of money for such a large piece of land?" said a minister.

"What do you know? You should know that **** place in Alaska. It's a place that doesn't shit, and it's worthless. You still expect someone to take it over! That's why the boss of the Heixingen Consortium has unique hobbies. Only then are you willing to spend a sum of money to take over." Sergey said.

   "Your Excellency, isn't the empire contacting the Yankees to buy the Alaska colony? The Americans should be able to offer a higher price!" Someone asked.

  Sergey said viciously: "Even if the Americans want to buy this land, they are not willing. If we hadn't supported the Americans when the United States was independent, they would have never wanted to talk to us."

   "So even if the Americans took over the Alaska colony due to the affection of the year, what does this have to do with us? The Americans will not pay us alone?"

   "Now, we persuade the empire to sell the Alaska colony to the Hechingen consortium. Not only can the empire get rid of the burden of Alaska, but we can also collect an extra part of the salary. Why not do such a win-win thing?"

  …

  Hermitage.

  Sergey and others are proposing the sale of Alaska to Tsar Alexander II.

  Alexander II looked curiously at Sergey and the others and said, "Count Sergey, the sale of Alaska has always been a small number of people who know where the Hechingen consortium got the news from."

"Your Majesty, this is actually normal. After all, we have discussed this matter with several royal families in Europe, and behind the Hechingen Consortium is the Prussian Prince Ernst of Hechingen. It is not difficult to obtain such information as him." Sergey replied calmly.

  Alexander II agreed with this reason, nodded and said: "Well, in this way, it is indeed the case." Then said: "Then what price do they plan to offer?"

   "Five million rubles."

   "What? Five million rubles, I heard it right! This is absolutely impossible, it's wishful thinking." Alexander II said in disbelief.

   Sergey quickly explained when he saw this.

   "Your Majesty, don't worry. In fact, what the Hechingen Consortium wants to buy is not the entire Alaska colony, but the part north of 56 degrees north latitude. As for the land south of 56 degrees north latitude, it is still part of the empire."

   Having said that, Alexander II was immediately interested. You must know that Alaska is in the cold zone, and only the further south it is, the more suitable for human habitation.

  Before, in order to develop Alaska, Russia tried to immigrate to the Alaska region, but the bad weather made life in the north basically impossible, so most of these immigrants based on the archipelago with a marine climate and the relatively warm southern land.

   And the Hexingen Consortium actually gave up the warm south and chose the vast snowfield in the north instead, which made Alexander II confused.

   "Why did they give up the Alaska territory south of 56 degrees? Instead, they chose the north with harsh climate?" Alexander II asked curiously.

   "Your Majesty, this is because the Hexingen Consortium has the same embarrassment as us, that is, there are two overly powerful potential opponents on the North American continent, one British and one American." Sergey explained.

   "And the Heixingen Consortium just wanted to find an area to engage in fur business, so the Hexingen Consortium did not really need the relatively warm south, but chose the barren and harsh north. This can avoid the greed of the British."

   It was the first time that Alexander II was very happy to hear someone say that the British were greedy. After all, in the international community, Britain, France and Austria have always said that the Russians are greedy.

   "You mean this Hexingen consortium uses the empire as a shield!"

   "Your Majesty, in my opinion, this is a matter of mutual benefit. There is no one who takes advantage of the other. Think about the purpose of our colonial Alaska and the sale of Alaska today?" Sergey asked rhetorically.

   "Of course the colonization of Alaska was for the purpose of developing and expanding in North America. Now selling Alaska is a complete burden, and the British are eyeing it." Alexander II said.

"That's right, Your Majesty, if we really sell Alaska to the Americans, then we will lose our foothold in the Americas forever in the future, and by selling Alaska to the Hechingen Consortium, we will not only keep Alaska relatively livable area, and in the future the empire will restore its energy, and it can use southern Alaska as a base to continue to expand southward. As for the threat of the British, after we sell most of Alaska, the population in Alaska can be migrated to the empire. South Alaska, south of 56 degrees north latitude, has a certain population, even if the British want to swallow the empire's southern Alaska with the strength of the British in North America, they will lose their teeth."

  Alexander II agrees with this very much. In fact, the British have very strict restrictions on Russia. Since the Crimean War, Russia has temporarily been unable to resist the British.

  That’s why the idea of ​​selling Alaska, the American bridgehead, came up. In fact, with the virtue of the Russians, the bad climate is nothing at all. So many places in Siberia with harsh environments are still swallowed by Russia.

   "In short, Your Majesty, there is no harm in selling North Alaska to the Hechingen Consortium. Even if the price is lower, it doesn't matter. After all, compared with losing the bridgehead in America, making less money at present is nothing."

  Other profitable ministers also echoed Sergey's statement, which further shook Alexander II's thoughts.

   After all, the wealth of North America is visible to the Russians, especially the rapid development of the United States in recent years, which all demonstrates the fertility of the American land.

  If it hadn't experienced the defeat in Crimea, even if it lost money every year, Russia would never give up the opportunity to expand to North America.

  Now someone is willing to buy the North Alaska region, which greatly reduces the pressure on the Russians in America.

  The Alaska area south of 56 degrees north latitude is located in the southeast corner of the Alaska colony. It is dominated by archipelago and mountainous terrain, with an area of ​​about 20,000 square kilometers. It is indeed easy for Russia to defend.

  And this location is closer to the core locations of Canada and the United States. After all, the entire northern part of North America is covered with huge snowy tundra and forests. Thousands of miles of uninhabited people are a true portrayal of northern North America.

  The place Ernst specially left for the Russians is very particular. Not only is it located at the southernmost tip of the Alaska colony, but it also has the Alaska warm current passing by. The climate conditions are considered to be the best in Alaska, and this place has no important resources.

  Compared to Juneau, Alaska’s gold-producing area in his previous life, and some nearby oil-producing areas, if it weren’t for the southeast corner of Alaska, Ernst would have liked to leave the tail of the entire southeast of Alaska to the Russians to let him eat dogs with Canada and the United States in the future.

  (end of this chapter)