Chapter 324

"Where will the money come from?"

The Minister of Finance, Pavel Lisitsyan, asked.

How poor the Tsarist government was, no one could give an exact answer. In short, it was certain that there was no money to build the Siberian Railway.

As early as 1891, the Tsarist government organized road experts to launch the Siberian Railway Exploration Plan. That's right, it was launched after the assassination of Nicholas II in Japan.

Although Alexander III was a pacifist in the Tsar, he was also a good father. If it weren't for traffic restrictions, it was estimated that after the end of the Anglo-Russian War, the Russo-Japanese War would have started ahead of time.

Whether it was because of a moment of anger or because of early preparation, the Siberian Railway project was launched.

The results of the exploration were terrible. Starting from Moscow, they had to pass through vast pine forests, cross the Ural Mountains, and cross the vast Siberian tundra before they could finally reach the Pacific Ocean.

The distance was not as far as Shinra's Ring Railway. The key was that the natural conditions were bad.

If the construction cost of the plain railway was 1, then the construction cost of the Siberian Railway might be 2, 3, 4 …

Without money in their pockets, they didn't have the courage to do things. Just when the Tsarist government was hesitating whether to launch the Siberian Railway construction plan, the Government of Vienna made a move.

The equally tempting "Central Asian Railway Plan" came out, which made the Tsarist government even more hesitant. However, before the Russians could hesitate for long, the Government of Vienna helped them make up their mind – "Aid construction"!

Opening the map, one could see that whether it was the Siberian Railway or the Central Asian Railway, the construction cost was astronomical.

Letting the Tsarist government, which was not rich, bear this expense was undoubtedly a fatal matter. In order to build the Siberian Railway, the Russians also lived frugally.

From 1891 to 1901, the Tsarist government invested 1.46 billion rubles, far more than the military expenditure during the same period.

After 13 years of hard work, on July 13, 1904, the world's longest main railway line was finally opened to traffic. The follow-up work was finally completed in 1916, after many bumps and setbacks.

In contrast, the construction conditions of the Central Asian Railway were still a little better, of course, only a little better.

Although they didn't need to be accompanied by frozen soil all year round, the endless mountains in the Afghanistan were also miserable.

Whether it was for strategic needs or for the sake of their own wallet, the Tsarist government decisively chose the Central Asian Railway.

Even knowing that the Government of Vienna was calculating Anglo-Russian relations, the Tsarist government had no room to refuse.

In the words of an optimistic minister in the Tsarist government: "No matter how many calculations the Austrians have, the Central Asian Railway will always be beneficial to the Empire. Whether we want to go south or not, the initiative is still in our hands.

There was nothing wrong with the theory. The initiative to go south was indeed in the hands of the Tsarist government, and the government of Vienna could not make the decision for them.

However, this could only fool ordinary people. India was such a big piece of fat meat on the table. If they didn't use a knife and fork to cut it, would they still be considered a hairy bear?

As long as the railway was opened, there was no need to do anything. The greedy Hairy Bear would go out to look for food. The Hairy Bear's eastward movement would certainly harm Britannia's interests, but compared to going south to India, it was clear which was more important.

At that time, it wouldn't be Britannia's problem to contain the growth of Russia. Shinra also wouldn't watch the Russians complete the "Yellow Russia Plan."

At that time, it wouldn't be Britannia's problem to contain the growth of Russia. Shinra also wouldn't watch the Russians complete the "Yellow Russia Plan."

If it was done properly, the final outcome would evolve into: Britain and Austria would work together to trap the Hairy Bear.

It was estimated that after a proxy war, the Russians would suffer heavy losses. It was impossible to guarantee, but it wouldn't be difficult to make them behave for ten years.

The most important thing was to bury a thorn in the middle of the Russo-Austrian Alliance. With this thorn, even if the two countries didn't fight each other, it would be impossible for them to be as close as they were now.

If everything went well, in the future struggle between Britain and Austria, the Tsarist government would find ways to drag Shinra down.

The plan was perfect. The only problem was: where would the money to build the "Siberian Railway" come from?

The relationship between Britain and Russia wasn't as close as the relationship between Russia and Austria. The Government of Vienna helped the Russians build the Central Asia Railway, but they only helped advance part of the funds.

The main expenses were exploration, design, management, and other expenses. The labor and raw materials were provided by the Tsarist government.

For the sake of the Russo-Austrian Alliance, even if there were objections in the country, the Government of Vienna could deal with it.

It wouldn't work for Britannia. The blood of the Anglo-Russian War in Afghanistan hadn't dried yet.

The families of the soldiers who died in the Anglo-Russian War would probably want to tear them apart if they were willing to contribute money and labor to help the Russians repair the railway at this time.

If it really aroused public anger, the opposition would definitely add fuel to the fire. Although the national interest was important, the party interest was more important.

I oppose what the enemy supports and support what the enemy opposes. This had always been common in politics. As for whether it was right or wrong, it didn't matter. The key was what was needed.

If it was just a funding gap of 1.8 million pounds, they could still think of ways to scrape together the funds, hide it from the public, and settle the account with special expenses.

But for the Siberian Railway, without an investment of hundreds of millions of pounds, it wouldn't be able to run the train.

Even if the Russians provided labor and materials, it would still cost tens of millions of pounds. To use such a large amount of money, no matter what method was used, it couldn't be kept secret.

Secretary of the Navy Flora: "It's not just about money. Our relationship with the Russians is so tense. Even if we offer to help build the Siberian Railway, I'm afraid the Tsarist government won't believe us.

Unless we just provide money and don't touch the railway exploration, design, and construction, they won't be at ease. "

This was the inevitable result. One day, the enemy suddenly came to help you build the railway. Anyone would suspect there was a conspiracy.

From the standpoint of the Tsarist government, the British offered to help build the Siberian Railway. It was estimated that the Russians' first reaction was: they were here to sabotage.

After all, the construction of the Central Asian Railway had reached a critical moment. It would be open in a few years. It was normal for the British to feel pressure.

For the safety of India, there was nothing wrong with Britannia destroying the construction of the Central Asian Railway.

Although the Russian Empire was huge, the Tsarist government's ability to mobilize materials was limited. The construction of the Central Asian Railway had already mobilized a lot of manpower and material resources. If they started the construction of the Siberian Railway, it would obviously increase the logistical pressure.

No matter what the Government of the United Kingdom said, the Russians would think it was a conspiracy by the British to use the Siberian Railway plan to delay the construction of the Central Asian Railway.

Helping with the exploration, design, and construction was even more useless. Who knew if the railway built by the British could be used in the end?

Just like what Flora said, unless they just gave the Russians money and let them deal with everything themselves, the Tsarist government wouldn't be at ease at all.

The problem was that if they just gave money, the Government of the United Kingdom would not be at ease. Who could guarantee that after the Russians got the money, they would use it for the construction of the Siberian Railway and not use it for military expenses to go south to India?

The Government of the United Kingdom did not have integrity, and neither did the Tsarist government. It was too difficult to make the two countries, which lacked the most basic trust, cooperate.

Foreign Minister Cameron: "The problem of trust is actually not difficult to solve. It is not convenient for us to do it, but we can have a third country communicate with the Russians.

It was also not difficult to convince the Russian military to agree to build the Siberian Railway. The current Tsar was Nicholas II. The unpleasant trip to Tokyo had always been a thorn in Nicholas II's heart.

From Nicholas II's personal standpoint, going east to seek revenge against the Japanese was probably more tempting than going south to India.

After all, they were not pushovers. Even if the Central Asian Railway was opened, the chances of the Russians winning were still not high.

Compared to going south, the success rate of going east was obviously higher, and the benefits would be greater.

If the Russians could realize the Russian Plan before the war for hegemony ended, then it would be a three-way situation again.

If they could be the boss, no one would want to be the little brother, not to mention the arrogant Hairy Bear.

Although the relationship between Russia and Austria seemed to be good, in fact, many Russians were not convinced of the Holy Roman Empire's position as the hegemon of Europe.

This bait was enough for the Russians to take the bait. As long as the Tsarist government took this step, the Russo-Austrian Alliance would be over.

Vienna could tolerate a powerful Russian Empire, but it definitely could not tolerate a Russian Empire that could threaten it.

In a sense, the threat that the Russians posed to the Holy Roman Empire was much greater than ours.

After all, they were both continental powers, and they happened to be neighbors. Although the European continent was vast, it could not accommodate two hegemons.

In contrast, the problem of funding was difficult to solve. The men in Congress would not agree to fund the Russians, even if it was a strategic need. "

"The enemy is in Congress." This was the sentiment of every Government of the United Kingdom. Without exaggeration, the trouble that the British Congress brought to the government was indeed greater than any enemy.

If the Congress and the opposition did not drag the government down, the international situation would not have deteriorated to the current situation.

As early as in the middle of the European War, the previous Government of the United Kingdom wanted to send troops to intervene, but the quarrels in Congress and the game with the opposition wasted a lot of time.

Before the discussion came to a conclusion, the French's power was lost. Needless to say, when the dust settled, they could only betray their teammates. It was possible to be an ally with Britannia, sharing the joys and sorrows was out of the question.

Similar things had happened more than once. Going back further, there were several previous Osman Wars, France's annexation of Italy, Austria's annexation of South Germany … and a series of other international events.

The Britannia of 1895 could not do anything to the Holy Roman Empire, but the Britannia of forty years ago definitely had the ability to stop Austria's expansion.

Even if they did not stop Austria's annexation of South Germany, they could at least destroy Austria's colonial plan. The Royal Navy's absolute advantage lasted until the early 1980s.

Before that, the Austrian Navy was the younger brother. It was not until the pre-dreadnought was introduced that the gap was closed to the point where both sides could suffer.

Of course, because of the era, the two big bosses of France and Russia attracted the firepower at the front, so the politicians at the time underestimated the threat of Austria.

When the Government of the United Kingdom began to pay attention, the Holy Roman Empire was about to come out, and it was too late to do anything.

There was everything in this world, but there was no medicine for regret. If they were not careful, the hegemony of Britannia would encounter the most serious challenge.

The problem that the predecessors had encountered, and now it had once again fallen on the Government of the United Kingdom.

If they could not deal with the Congress, there would be no funding for the construction of the Siberian Railway. Without the railway, there would be no way to divert the trouble. If the Tsarist government did not look east, then the ultimate plan to divide the Russo-Austrian Alliance would become "the moon in the water, the flower in the mirror."

After hesitating for a while, Robert Cecil nodded, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should first find a third party to contact the Russians. With a layer of separation in the middle, we can at least avoid the anger of the people.

As for the problem of the Congress, you should privately communicate with the members of the party. I will visit the Queen. "

Prime Minister Robert Cecil had no choice but to face the pressure of the Congress alone. He had to seek more help.

In the Victorian era, the British royal family was not a rubber stamp. Although the old Queen Victoria rarely involved herself in politics, no one could ignore her existence.

To suppress the voices of opposition in the Congress, the power of the Conservative Party alone was not enough. For the sake of the overall situation, Robert Cecil had to seek help from Queen Victoria.