Holy Roman Empire

Anyway, the negotiation is just bragging. Johannes naturally doesn't mind portraying Alaska better, omitting the cost of land development, and belittling the value of Libya to lower the price.

Fuad argued: "Your Excellency, no matter how you say Libya, there is such a large area, even the interior is desert, but the coastal area still needs tens of thousands of square kilometers of fertile land.

There are still more than 60 million people in the local area, and there is a ready-made labor force. Your country can directly develop it. The value is much higher than that of the deserted Alaska. 800 million Aegis is really not high.

And these islands, the most important thing about them is not economic value, but strategic value.

Cyprus is the junction of Asia, Europe and Africa, and its strategic location is very prominent; Crete is at the core of the Mediterranean Sea and radiates to the Aegean Sea...

These islands are definitely not of pure economic value. After adding the strategic value, they need at least 3500 million Aegis. "

Johannes replied with a smile: "Your Excellency, the price is too high. We don't need the so-called human resources at all. That's it, all the population on the land we trade belongs to you.

Since you believe that strategic value is important, we don't want other islands except Crete and Cyprus.

After this, everyone can accept it. If I raise the price again, how about 3000 million Aegis?The price is not low! "

The price of 3000 million Aegis is indeed not low. If the Vienna government does not need to offset the so-called debt, Ade directly agrees.

Obviously, Johannes was not prepared to spend much money from the beginning to the end, and the bonds purchased at the cabbage price were used as land purchase funds, and a higher price was acceptable.

Ade directly showed his hole card and said: "Your Excellency, we can make another concession. The debts of the two countries will be written off, and your country will pay another 1000 million Aegis for the land purchase. How about it?"

If gold and silver are paid, the Vienna government will not agree to this price anyway. If it can be offset with real objects, then the problem will not be big.

With the outbreak of the economic crisis, Austria has a large backlog of surplus products, and it is a good choice to dispose of them.

Johannes thought about it and replied: "If your country can repatriate the people on these lands, then the deal will be done. We can pay the bill with the materials your country urgently needs, and make up for the shortage in cash."

After a moment of silence, Fu Ade gave the answer: "All immigration costs will be borne by your country!"

There is no way, first the Balkan Peninsula was lost, and then a civil war broke out. Now the population of the Ottoman Empire has dropped to the lowest point in a century, and the total population is less than 1300 million.

Once the Civil War was over, labor shortages would become a pressing real problem.Although there are not many people on the trading land now, it is also a supplement for them.

Johannes replied, "Yes!"

……

The two reached an agreement, which does not mean that the matter is over. It is impossible for Britain and France to watch Austria occupy many islands in the Aegean Sea. Next, Johannes will continue to argue with the representatives of Britain and France.

Especially with the British, John Bull still has Corfu Island in his hands. If this portal is not taken down, the Vienna government will have trouble sleeping and eating.

In contrast, the French are still easy to pass, and the two parties have agreed in advance.Sell ​​a few islands to them as military bases, and everyone will share the interests of the Aegean Sea, and the matter will be settled.

Anyway, there are not many other things in the Aegean Sea, that is, there are five or six thousand islands, and there are hundreds of them suitable for human survival. The Vienna government did not intend to occupy it from the beginning.

……

The British representative Nigel said dissatisfiedly: "Your Excellency, it is too much for your country to trade the land of the Ottoman Empire with us!"

"No, we have reached an agreement with the Ottoman Empire. We have invested 500 million Aegis to buy their many islands in the Aegean Sea and Libya.

Now we are exchanging Austria’s islands in the Aegean Sea for the Ionian Islands. This is a map of the Aegean Sea. You can take a look. The red dots are all Austrian islands, and the rest are islands of Greece and the Ottoman Empire. "

Johannes deliberately left out Cyprus. The British had already started colonial activities in Cyprus during this period. Of course, this was a non-governmental organization and had nothing to do with the London government.

Nigel didn't pay attention to this little detail. Cyprus didn't have much strategic value in this era. Before the advent of airplanes, the island's strategic value was not high.

In contrast, the strategic value of the dozen islands in the Aegean Sea is higher. Once the Russians break out of the Dardanelles, this is the island chain blockade.

In order not to stimulate the Ottoman Empire too much, so as not to push the Sudanese government into a hurry, their offshore islands are not within the scope of the transaction.

Now that it is trading with the British, the Vienna government does not have many valuable islands, and more of them are talking about the Indian issue.

From 1857 to the present, the Indian rebellion has not only not been extinguished, but has become more serious. The London government has no longer the idea of ​​delaying time.

This is naturally the credit of the Russians. Without the selfless assistance of the tsarist government, the Indians would not be able to make such a big wave.

It is hard to say what role the Vienna government played in this. In short, Austria did nothing on the surface, and at most it provided a small loan to the Russians.

This is a symbol of the friendly relationship between the two countries' allies, and it is definitely not money to support the Indian rebellion.What the Russians did with the money had nothing to do with the Vienna government.

Nigel has no time to continue to consume. Now that Austria supports the Indians with 100 million Aegis weapons and ammunition, they may not be able to suppress it even if they spend 1000 million pounds.

There are too many people in India, and a random group of people, with the help of Russian instructors, can cause them great trouble.

"For this deal to be possible, your country must immediately abandon its support for the Indian rebels, including providing financial assistance to the Tsarist government."

Johannes replied with an innocent face: "Your Excellency is too worried, the Vienna government is peace-loving, how can it support the Indian rebels?

As for the issue of supporting the Russians, that is even more nonsense. The Vienna government is not rich in finances, so it does not have such great capabilities. "

It is okay to engage in small tricks secretly, but it is absolutely unacceptable on the surface. All countries do it like that.Don't the British now also smuggle arms into Nigeria to support the native kingdoms and add chaos to Austria?

Anyway, there is no evidence, and everyone dragged each other's legs, so they did.The integrity of the great powers is so high, if they don't stab each other in the open, then it's easy to say anything.

Nigel listened to Johannes' overtones, that it was all good to talk about, and it was inevitable that things would go wrong if they didn't.

"Then it's best, as long as your country promises to support us in suppressing the Indian rebellion, then this land transaction can be discussed."

Johannes promised very cooperatively: "Your Excellency, please rest assured that colonies are also part of a country's sovereignty.

The Vienna government firmly supports your government's approach to safeguarding national sovereignty and opposes all external intervention. "

This is international politics, everything depends on interests.In West Africa, the Mediterranean, Britain and Austria reached a tacit agreement, the British acquiesced in the expansion of Austria, and the Vienna government naturally gave up its actions in the Indian region.

On March 1858, 3, the New Holy Roman Empire signed the "Mediterranean Land Transaction Treaty" with the Ottoman Empire. The Vienna government invested 12 million Aegis to purchase Libya and more than 4586.8 islands including Crete and Cyprus. .

Among them, 3586.8 million Aegis were paid with creditor's rights and late fees, and the remaining 1000 million Aegis were paid in kind.Don't even think about cash, it's not difficult at all to collect 1000 million Aegis supplies.

The next day, Johannes signed the "Aegean Islands Transaction Treaty" and the "Territorial Replacement Treaty" with Britain and France respectively.

The much-anticipated conflict in the Mediterranean was resolved, Britain, France and Austria once again made it clear that they were in the Mediterranean sphere of influence, and North Africa was officially included in the French sphere of influence.

Obviously, John Bull suffered blood this time and gave up a lot of interests in the Mediterranean in exchange for the support of France and Austria on the Indian issue.

Chapter 36 The Great Immigration

Franz is reputable, and immediately after signing the treaty with the Ottoman Empire, he paid for supplies worth 1000 million Aegis.

This time, the Vienna government did not make any discounts, and there was no way to deal with the sequelae of overcapacity. There were too many materials in the backlog, and they could not be sold. They directly destroyed Franz and were not so prodigal.

It couldn't be better to use it to make a deal with the Sudanese government.If possible, he still wants to make the same deal with the Russians, no matter what, it is better than watching these materials rot in the warehouse.

Especially for agricultural products, the shelf life of these finished products is not very long.The preservatives in this era are too scumbag, adding too much will kill people.

Even if everyone doesn't pay attention to food safety, it can't poison people to death. How can such a thing of smashing signs be done?

Regarding word-of-mouth issues, the Vienna government still controls very strictly. It is the bottom line of food safety not to kill people, even for export products.

Of course, this is limited to this. Higher standards belong to high-end food, such as products that are exclusively for nobles, and the quality level is not much lower than that of later generations.

The price gap between the two grades of goods is basically several times, or even dozens of times, which fully proves that cheap goods are not good.

In the Palace of Vienna, after listening to the report of the Minister of Agriculture, Franz thought for a while and said: "Since the export of agricultural products has declined, we will artificially create a market.

Didn't they reach an agreement with the Ottoman Empire just now, and the population on these lands, did they all withdraw?

Immediately organize ship transportation now. At worst, we will provide them with one-year rations as compensation for early migration. Presumably the Sudanese government will not refuse such a good thing.

When the Ottomans are gone, we will organize immigrants to fill them up and completely control these areas.

In this way, shipping companies have new business, and we can also reduce the pressure of unsalable food, which will help stabilize domestic food prices. "

The Mediterranean region is different from other overseas colonies. The Vienna government has the ability to directly control it. Even if there is no transoceanic telegram, it only takes a week to deliver the message.

As long as all the local Ottomans are evacuated and replaced by domestic immigrants, then there is no need to worry about governance.

Agriculture Secretary Christian replied: "Yes, Your Majesty."

After a pause, Franz added: "Remember to pack the people of the Ionian Islands and the Sinai Peninsula together and send them to the Ottoman Empire. If there is any problem, bribe the officials of the Sudanese government.

Anyway, the Ottoman Empire did not have household registration, so the Sudanese government was confused about how many people there were, so it should not be difficult to get confused.

The immigration issue should be completed as soon as possible. During the economic crisis, the cost of doing this work is the lowest.It can also alleviate the crisis, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone. "

This is not speculation. The Ottoman Empire claimed to be the most corrupt empire in the world in this era. As long as money is given, there is nothing these bureaucrats dare not do.

Hearing that the immigration work should be completed as soon as possible, the Colonial Secretary Josip Jeracic had a headache.There is a lot of demand for immigration this time, and it is impossible to lose people if we want to control these newly added territories forever.

At least 10,000 to 20 immigrants from Crete, at least [-] to [-] immigrants from Cyprus, at least [-] to [-] immigrants from the Ionian Islands, [-]+ immigrants from Libya, and even [-] immigrants from the Sinai Peninsula, adding up to more than [-] people.

These areas need people, and the African colonies still need people.Forget about the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea first. The population of the two places is already quite large, and it is okay to suspend large-scale immigration.

But Nigeria, which has just started, and Cameroon and Benin, which are infiltrating, absolutely cannot do without immigrants.

Otherwise, when John Bull recovers, they will start trouble again.The best choice is like the current Gulf of Guinea. Even the British are very jealous. After seeing the large group of German immigrants, they lost interest.

In this era, those who went to the colonies to make a fortune were not to be bullied.Especially the nobles who opened up farms and plantations, they were all masters who could mount a horse and carry a gun.

On land, the British couldn't help them at all.If there are only 8000 people in the colony, and one day they fall out with Britain and France, the colony will immediately change hands.

The Vienna government is not only thinking about opening up colonies, but also how to keep the colonies. In this context, it is really not enough to have more than a dozen or 20 immigrants.

In addition to these regions, the Balkans should also be considered.In order to control Wallachia, Moldavia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Vienna government also formulated a million-million immigration plan.

This immigrant can only come from the German region to ensure the smooth progress of national integration, which is also an urgent task.

In order to avoid multiple departments competing for immigration, all immigration work was handed over to the Colonial Department for unified responsibility.

Josip Jeracic explained: "Your Majesty, with the improvement of the domestic economic situation, fewer and fewer people are willing to immigrate overseas, and we cannot gather so many immigrants in the short term.

As you know, in order to facilitate assimilation, every time we organize immigrants, we have to disperse and resettle them, so as not to allow ethnic minorities to gather in one area.

Refugees, including those who migrated from the Balkan Peninsula, are allocated according to a certain ratio to ensure that they cannot form a dominant advantage locally.

This has brought troubles to the immigration work. As of now, there are less than 20 domestic people who intend to apply for immigration, and the total number of applicants in the German region does not exceed 55.

Most of the people tend to emigrate to the Balkan Peninsula, and less than half of the people are willing to go to overseas colonies. "

Franz nodded. This is normal. If it is not a last resort, how can ordinary people be willing to leave their homes?

It doesn't matter if you emigrate to the Balkans, you are still in the mainland, and you can go back and forth once a month along the Danube River, but overseas is different.

Even though the Vienna government offered preferential conditions, opened up farms and plantations in overseas colonies, the government directly recognized property rights, and even provided policy loans, many people were still worried.

"The economy has just spread to the German region, and it will continue for a while. In the future, the number of bankrupt people in the German region will increase. This is an opportunity.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has communicated with the governments of various states, and they will not stop your actions. Before the end of the economic crisis, there will be a peak period of immigration.

You must race against time to send the immigrants away as quickly as possible, and send them to the Balkans if it is too late to send them overseas.Once the economic crisis is over and people find jobs, things will be different again. "

The reality is so cruel. During the economic crisis, the unemployed people are not wealth, but social hidden dangers. The governments of various countries hope that they will go faster.

In this context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vienna has also worked through the work of countries in the German cultural circle such as Switzerland and Belgium. The governments of these countries welcome the recruitment of immigrants from Austria.

Of course, this kind of good opportunity is limited to the period of economic crisis.Once the economy returns to normal, if you want to fool immigrants, even if the governments of various countries do not stop them, the local capitalists will not agree.

Only when there is more labor can it be cheap, which is why it is difficult for European governments to organize large-scale immigration.

If the Vienna government was not strong enough to subdue the capitalists in the country, Franz would not be able to organize immigration with such a big fanfare.

Chapter 37 The Black Hand

Vienna Palace

Intelligence leader Tai Lunhui reported: "Your Majesty, the negotiation between Britain and France on the Suez Canal issue failed. The Paris government decided to dig the Grand Canal alone without the British."

This is to be expected, the Suez Canal is not only of great significance to Austria, but also to the French.With such a large investment in the early stage, it is naturally impossible to give up because of the opposition of the British.

The current gap in strength between Britain and France is not as great as it was at the end of the century, and the French are still obsessed with being the world's hegemon.

Moreover, they also have the strength to match their ambitions.

The total strength of the French Army's standing army is as high as 40, which is second only to Russia and Austria on the European continent; the total tonnage of the French Navy is more than six floors of the Royal Navy, close to seven floors.

At the same time, it has a world-class navy and army. The French are the most balanced country among the great powers, and their comprehensive national strength is not weaker than any of the great powers.With such a strong strength, it is difficult for them to settle down even if they want to.

The only pity is: this is already the pinnacle of the French, and their national strength is no longer enough to support them to go further.

In order to compete with the Russians for hegemony on the European continent, the population of France is too small. In this age of human sea tactics, the slow population growth rate directly put the French out of the game.

Wanting to compete with the British for maritime supremacy, the construction of the Continental Army diverted resources, and it was impossible to do all the power of the country. Naturally, it would not be John Bull's opponent.

The French in the game only see their own strength, but not their potential for development. They have been thrown off by their competitors and are still dreaming of world hegemony.

From a strategic point of view, France and Austria are facing similar difficulties. Both must develop the army and navy at the same time, and cannot concentrate their efforts on one side.

Austria's advantages lie in its larger population, larger land area, and greater advantages in resources; its disadvantages are also very obvious. If a multi-ethnic country cannot complete ethnic integration, it will be in big trouble when nationalism awakens.

After clearing the cards in his hand, Franz thought he was happier than Napoleon III. No matter how many ethnic groups there are in Austria, they are still more peaceful than the French people!

Taking history as a mirror, Napoleon III did a good job in history. After only one defeat, he was kicked out of power by the hot-headed people; while the original owner lost consecutive Franco-Austrian Wars and Prussian-Prussian Wars in history, and he still sat firmly on the throne. The gap can be seen .