Holy Roman Empire

It's certainly not worth taking the risk for the sake of the South American war.Franz can still distinguish between primary and secondary, and the threat of the Americans is bigger, and Chile is not worth mentioning at all.

Want to become climate, unless Chile can annex Argentina.This is obviously impossible, and Argentina itself is no weaker than them, not to mention that the powers disagree.

After hesitating for a while, Franz made a decision: "Let's wait and see, and stay neutral for the time being until it doesn't harm our interests."

This is the safest course of action. Austria's interests in South America are not large enough to be worth the cost.

Even if it is to interfere, it is to be asked to interfere, not to deliver it to your own door.

Once small country nationalism rises, it has a common problem, that is, it is easy to lose self-knowledge.

Without waiting for them to decide the winner, they ran to intervene in advance, but no one would appreciate it.

……

It is not only Austria that chooses to wait and see the situation, Britain and France also choose to wait and see.

South American countries are full of contradictions. The war between Chile and Bolivia may even trigger a major South American melee.

If you intervene in advance, you will obviously fall into a passive state.In the event of a wrong bet, even the great powers will suffer heavy losses.

If nothing else, a commodity market will cease to exist.Under normal circumstances, a small South American country would not have the confidence to say no to a big country, but if someone supports it, it may be.

……

In Bolivia, President Hilarion Daza has not been well since the war with Chile.

Unlike the fanatical nationalists at home, as a national leader, Hilarion Daza still has self-knowledge.

Militarily, Bolivia is indeed no match for Chile.That's just one of them, and the lack of international support for Bolivia.

This is not his responsibility. Bolivia has not yet entered the era of democracy. The so-called government elections are essentially all remote control by military caudillos behind the scenes.

The people behind the scenes wanted to play a balance between the powers, and the government that came out naturally couldn't refuse.However, this diplomatic balance is not fun, and Hilarion Daza has no control.

Now that the war has broken out, there is no country among the great powers that supports them with a clear-cut stand.

You know, from the standpoint of onlookers of this era, this time Chile was the first to invade Bolivia.

Under normal circumstances, public opinion should be sympathetic to the victims.In this context, everyone will at least verbally condemn the military invasion of Chile.

However, Bolivia's diplomatic balance has only failed for a few years, and the governments of Britain, France and Austria are still holding grudges.Internationally, the Bolivian government has had a rough time in recent years.

Now that the three major countries have not made a statement, other countries have nothing to do with them, and naturally they will not take the risk of offending big hooligans and seek justice for Bolivia.

President Hilarion Daza: "Gentlemen, the war has broken out. This war concerns the national destiny of Bolivia, and we cannot afford to lose it.

Once the war is defeated, we will not only lose the most important source of income, the saltpeter mine, but also lose the most important outlet to the sea, and thus become a landlocked country.

For the sake of the great Republic of Bolivia, I hope that everyone will do their best to win this war. "

Foreign Secretary Preta Gul: "Your Excellency, the problems on the battlefield are resolved by the military. Apart from logistics, we can only find solutions outside the battlefield.

In order to increase our odds in this war, I propose to temporarily unite Peru, which is as conflicted as Chile, to fight the Chileans together. "

There is no way, in this country with a powerful warlord, even if Preta Gul knew that Bolivia was not an opponent of Chile, he did not dare to say it directly, and he could only process it artistically and beautify it as much as possible.

President Hilarion Daza nodded: "Well, this proposal is good. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send people to contact the Peruvian government as soon as possible. As long as their conditions are not too excessive, they can agree first. We need allies now.

Any other proposals? "

Chapter 215 In front of and behind the scenes

Without waiting for European countries to express their positions, the situation in South America has changed again.Under the pressure of death, Peru chose to ally with Bolivia, and the Pacific War broke out.

The situation in South America became more complicated with Peru's entry into the war.Originally, Chile was fighting Bolivia, but the situation changed after Peru entered the war. The two sides seemed to be evenly matched.

When the military strength is close, diplomacy will be tested.These years, the powers have a very strong voice, especially when they are evenly matched, whoever gets the support of the powers will get the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

……

London, Downing Street

Foreign Secretary Edward: "The situation in South American countries has not been very good. The war between Chile and Bolivia and Peru, in addition to competing for minerals in the Atacama desert, is more about diverting internal conflicts.

Almost all South American countries have territorial disputes with their neighbors, and most of these countries have serious internal conflicts and appeal to transfer internal conflicts.

If we do not intervene in time, many more countries will be involved in this war.Once a full-scale war breaks out in South America, another round of reshuffle is not in our interest.

Both warring parties are now seeking our help, and considering traditional friendship, I recommend supporting Chile to win this war. "

South American countries seem to have become independent, but in fact they are still economic colonies of European countries, but they are framed, and the food is not so ugly.

There is no doubt that Britain has taken the biggest share.As described in a British newspaper: "Argentina is our ranch, Peru is our silver mine, Chile is our mine..."

As the biggest vested interests, the British naturally do not want to break the situation.

Just the war between Chile and Peru and Bolivia, the British still have the strength to control the situation.If there is a total war in South America, it is not the London government's business.

Today is different from the past. France and Austria have been relatively idle recently, and they have long been eyeing the interests of the British in South America.

Once the cards are reshuffled, the Three Kingdoms are bound to launch a new round of competition.Can the British still have the advantage they have now?

This is a question worth thinking about.

Economic competition is also a war, and it is nothing but the smoke of gunpowder.

If we use data to speak, we will find that nearly [-]% of the foreign trade of South American countries is carried out with the British, and the rest is divided up by other European and American countries.

Prime Minister Benjamin: "Chileans agree to our terms?"

In Britain, "traditional friendship" and "interest" are usually synonymous, and the Foreign Office advocates supporting Chile, and there is only one explanation for that - the Chileans bid more.

As for the relationship between the two countries, that is secondary.There are many younger brothers in Britain. If all the younger brothers have to support them, then the London government does not have to do anything.

Foreign Secretary Edward: "Of course, in addition to pegs between the peso and the pound, the Chileans promised: If we help them win this war, we will get mineral rights in the Atacama Desert.

The Atacama Desert has the largest saltpeter mine in the world, and if we master it, we will control the saltpeter market.

Whether it is strategic value or economic value, it is worth our shot. "

After hesitating for a while, Prime Minister Benjamin made a decision: "Try it again to see if you can get an exclusive license. If it is the worst, you must obtain our consent first."

The promotion of currency hegemony is the core, and the control of the saltpeter market is incidental.Prime Minister Benjamin can still distinguish the importance of this.

"No problem!" Edward said confidently

With the world's No. [-] Royal Navy, Britain has always had a strong voice overseas. Even if France and Austria combined, there is no way to compete with them in South America.

In terms of strength, whoever gets the support of the British has an advantage in the war.

……

Inside the Presidential Residence in Santiago, President Anibal Pinto Gamondia is approaching a special group of guests.

"Your Excellency, our business is done, and now it's your turn to fulfill your promise."

The person who spoke was a middle-aged man dressed in fancy clothes. Although he had a smile on his face, it was still difficult to conceal the arrogance between his brows.The seemingly peaceful conversation is actually full of warnings.

President Anibal Pinto Gamondia frowned, apparently the middle-aged man's behavior made him very uncomfortable.However, as a political figure, he was able to restrain his emotions.

He smiled and replied: "Don't worry, Sir Rox. As long as we win this war, the mining rights of the Atacama Desert will belong to you.

Now that the war is still going on, even if the promise is fulfilled immediately, it cannot be fulfilled at this time! "

There is no way, the integrity of the British has always been very low.If they get everything they want in advance, who knows if they will sell it?

President Anibal Pinto Gamondia was incapable of influencing the London government and could only take roundabout measures to influence the London government through British capitalists.

In fact, this war was also the result of the British capital behind it.The core goal is to monopolize the saltpeter trade and promote the hegemony of the pound by the way.

Compared with Bolivia's introduction of Britain, France, and Austria to check and balance each other, Chile is much simpler, and has always been holding Britain's thighs.

Rocks shook his head: "It doesn't matter, we can sign the treaty first. We can wait until after the war to fulfill the treaty. I have enough patience."

President Anibal Pinto Gamondia was worried, and so was Rox.Don't think that because he is British, there will be no change. In fact, Britain is also full of competition.

If you don't sign the contract sooner, you might be cut off by other forces in the country, and the capitalists have no integrity in the face of interests.

As far as the London government is concerned, as long as the meat is in the pot, it doesn't matter who is in control.Rocks didn't want to work so hard for so long and end up making wedding dresses for others.

After a pause, Rox added: "Your Excellency, I heard that your country's new troops still lack weapons. I am willing to personally sponsor the equipment of a regiment."

Seeing that President Anibal Pinto Garmondia was moved, Lockes continued to increase the price: "They are all active equipment of the British Army, and they also come with 100 million rounds of ammunition and [-] rounds of artillery shells."

After some hesitation, President Anibal Pinto Gamondia shook his head.Weapons and equipment he wanted, but these equipments were tricky to get.

Rox's face sank: "The equipment of the two regiments!"

President Anibal Pinto Gamondia was in a trance, as if he was in a fierce inner struggle, unable to make a choice.

Rox: "The equipment of the three regiments!"

"This is the bottom line. If Your Excellency the President is still unacceptable, then I can only find others to cooperate."

"Deal!" said President Anibal Pinto Gamondia with difficulty

Facts have once again proved that there is nothing that weapons and equipment cannot solve. If not, it must be that there are not enough weapons and equipment.

South American countries are not peaceful, and Chile is no exception.The presidency does not necessarily depend on elections, but it must be supported by the military.

In this case, no matter who is the president, he must protect the interests of the supporters behind the scenes.

Weapons and equipment are undoubtedly the best weapon to buy the military. Even if President Anibal Pinto Gamondia wants to refuse, the people behind the scenes will not let him refuse.

Chapter 216 Disintegration of the Russian-Austrian Alliance

Diplomatic siding is sometimes simple, since the British decided to support Chile, Peru and Bolivia had to turn to Fao for support.

International trade is only a small problem. The size of South American countries is very small these days. If it is not rich in resources and the need to promote currency hegemony, the powers will not pay attention to them.

If you look at the population of each country, there are about 220 million in Chile, 275 million in Peru, and 130 million in Bolivia.

With so few people, and they are all agricultural countries, it is obviously impossible to expect a large internal market.

Chile is relatively rich, mainly relying on saltpeter exports, and its military strength is the strongest among the three countries.

There is silver in Peru, but unfortunately the price of silver has fallen year by year, and the wallet of the Peruvian government is also drying up.

Bolivia can be said to be the worst. After finally discovering the saltpeter mine, the war broke out after only a few years of good life.

There is no doubt that the three countries are unable to come up with huge amounts of war funds at once, and loans are unavoidable.

In the Vienna Palace, Franz was approving a special loan, and the debtor generously took out the Atacama Desert minerals as collateral.

"As things stand now, how likely are Peru and Bolivia to win the war?"

Albrecht, Chief of the General Staff: "Based on the analysis of military strength on paper, the General Staff conducted a quantitative analysis based on factors such as the number of troops of the three countries, weapons and equipment, training conditions, past records, and logistical support capabilities.

The military strengths of the three countries are: Bolivia 1, Peru 1.8, and Chile 2.1.

In theory, Bolivia and Peru have an absolute advantage; however, most of the time on the battlefield, the Chilean army is pressing Peru and Bolivia to fight.

Bolivia and Peru, which have military superiority, only joined forces in name, and there was no cooperation on the battlefield, and sometimes they held back each other.

If the issue of cooperation between the Peruvian and Bolivian armies is not resolved, their odds of winning the war will not be more than half. "

This is a common problem for all joint operations. Bolivia, Peru, and Chile all swore sovereignty over the Atacama Desert.

Now that Bolivia and Peru are united, it does not mean that the territorial disputes between the two countries have disappeared. They are only forced to unite because of their common enemy, Chile.

In this context, stabbing each other with knives on the battlefield is normal.

Franz: "Tell the Bolivians that we have no interest in the saltpeter of the Atacama Desert, and have them come up with other collateral.

If there is no suitable collateral, you can mortgage domestic minerals to us, such as gold, silver, copper, iron, oil, and natural gas. "

It is not optimistic that Bolivia will win the war, nor does it prevent Austria from supporting Bolivia in this war.Just because "Boliviano" is linked to Aegis, it is worth Austria to stand behind them.

If it weren't for the minerals in the Atacama Desert, which had been promised by the Chileans to the British, and Austria couldn't compete with John Bull in South America, Franz might have sent people to the enclosure first.

Of course, the most important thing is that the interests are not enough.Although the Atacama Desert is the largest producer of saltpeter in the world, it does not mean that there are no saltpeter mines in other places, and there are artificial nitrates.

Originally, Franz was going to pull Peru aboard, but unfortunately the French took the lead.Austrian tentacles penetrated into South America for too short a time, and its influence was still too weak.

If it weren't for the fact that Chile and Peru were the first to embrace the thighs of Britain and France, Franz doubted that Bolivia would not necessarily choose Austria.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Carl reminded: "Your Majesty, the precious metal mines in Bolivia have been mortgaged for a long time.

Although many common minerals such as copper and iron have been discovered, they have no development value.Oil and natural gas are both new energy industries, and it is unknown whether Bolivia has it.

If you want to take these mortgages, the risk of the loan will be greatly increased, and domestic banks may not accept it. "

Franz came to his senses. Bolivia's industrial strength is limited, let alone heavy industry, which is infinitely close to zero.