Chapter 514

Palace of Vienna

Franz asked in surprise, "France and Russia are getting closer?"

Franz wasn't surprised that France and Russia were getting closer. What surprised him was that the two countries were getting closer too early.

The agricultural crisis was brewing, but it hadn't erupted yet. Even if they were in a desperate situation, they would only panic when the situation was serious.

It was still too early. The French only had a proposal for their large farm plan, and the British didn't even have a confirmed source of food.

Even if it would affect the international food price, it would have to wait until they could grow the food.

This kind of indispensable product wasn't like futures or stocks betting on future market changes.

Whether it was bad news or good news, the market demand was inexorable. Before the overcapacity of food occurred, even if the international food market was in turmoil, there wouldn't be any major changes.

At least before the major food exporting countries gave up on implementing a unified food sales price, the international food market wouldn't have any major changes.

Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, the Tsarist government has no other choice.

Although after the agricultural crisis, everyone can still solve the problem by expanding domestic demand, but the Tsarist government's debt pressure is too great.

The Russian Empire also has a serious lack of foreign exchange. After losing the source of income from food exports, their financial system will soon collapse.

The French are willing to let Russia's food enter their domestic market, and the Tsarist government has no way to refuse. "

There was no other way. No matter how much they tried to increase income and reduce expenditure, the debt still had to be paid, and they could only choose to pay in foreign exchange or gold. No one cared about the ruble in the international currency market.

Every year, they had to take out a large amount of foreign exchange to repay the debt, so the Tsarist government naturally had to work hard to earn foreign exchange. Otherwise, they would have to use a large amount of gold to fill the hole.

Once the foreign exchange was insufficient, a large amount of gold would flow out of the country, and the value of the ruble would also be finished. When a country's currency lost its credibility, the financial system was doomed to collapse.

The Tsarist government had personally experienced the pain of this, and it could even be said that they had rich experience.

Every financial collapse was accompanied by the bankruptcy of the government.

It seemed to be an effective way to repudiate the debt, but in fact, there were endless consequences. It was fine to be isolated and rejected by the international community, but what about the mortgage?

They couldn't repudiate the debt of the Nordic Federation and Austria at the same time, refuse to fulfill the loan contract signed in advance, and fight with the two countries to clear the debt.

This kind of shameless approach was not rejected by the Tsarist government. Allies were always worthless in the face of interests. But the problem now was that they couldn't win against two enemies at the same time!

In this era where the strong preyed on the weak, the winner on the battlefield could renege on a debt, but it was unheard of for the loser to do the same.

Couldn't repudiate the debt, the Tsarist government couldn't refuse.

The French offered real benefits. Even though they knew that it might be a poisonous bait, the Tsarist government could not refuse.

Franz nodded and said slowly, "It seems that we have underestimated the French. Maybe the Paris government's big farm plan is just a cover.

The French region itself was the largest grain producer in Western Europe. If it weren't for the annexation of the Italian region, they wouldn't be short of food at all.

These farmers were the foundation of the Bonaparte Dynasty. As long as Napoleon Iv wasn't crazy, he wouldn't harm the interests of these people.

Politically, it was decided that France's food prices would be at a high level to protect the interests of the farmers.

The France's Germany plan could reduce the dependence on foreign food, but it didn't mean that they could be self-sufficient.

Once they were self-sufficient, France's food prices were bound to fall under the drive of interest groups. It would be difficult to guarantee the interests of the farmers.

Only by leaving a certain gap and importing food from overseas, could the food prices remain high and provide a reason acceptable to all parties.

Cozying up to the Russians might have been part of their plan. Our laissez-faire only accelerated the development of the situation.

What is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs going to do next? "

The facts were in front of them. Whether the France was prepared in advance or had a sudden inspiration, the final situation was developing in the direction of France.

Without harming the interests of the farmers, the Germany plan would not only reduce the loss of foreign exchange, but it would also help promote the development of the domestic food processing industry.

Since the Industrial Revolution, there were only a few main economic sectors. They were light industries led by textiles and agricultural products, and traditional heavy industries including shipbuilding, steel metallurgy, and mining.

Next was transportation, and finally the newly emerging electric power industry. As for the automobile and internal combustion engine industries, they were still in their infancy and occupied a very small proportion of the social economy.

France's foundation was still very solid. The industrial chain was basically complete. The only regrettable thing was the lack of a leading industry.

The British dominated the financial industry, textile industry, shipbuilding industry, and also occupied an important position in mining and steel metallurgy.

Austria dominated the agricultural products processing industry, electric power industry, transportation, and other fields. In mining and steel metallurgy, they slightly surpassed the British and became the industry leader.

The French, on the other hand, were a tragedy. There was not a single person in any of the important industries who could stand up to the national flag.

Not to mention the heavy industry, the natural resources had determined that it was difficult for the French to make a difference in this field. To be ranked third in the world was already very hard work.

The textile industry that the government focused on was beaten by the British in international competition. It seemed that the industry was large, but in fact, the total amount was not as large as the neighboring Austria.

France's transportation industry was developing very well. Since Napoleon Iii, they had been building railways. Unfortunately, other industries didn't keep up.

Capitalists had to consider returns when investing. Railways that couldn't be profitable for a long time would be ruthlessly abandoned even if they were built.

Frankly speaking, the development of France's new industries was very good, but unfortunately, there were too many natural limitations.

For example, the French entered the electric power industry very early. Unfortunately, the French lacked coal and relied heavily on overseas imports. The high cost of power generation limited the promotion of electricity.

It was difficult for one company to dominate the real economy. Even if they couldn't become the industry leader, they could still live comfortably as the second industry leader.

The Germany plan seemed to be for food self-sufficiency, and it was enough to rely on farming.

In fact, because of the existence of tariff barriers, domestic agricultural processing enterprises had the advantage of tax costs. As long as the food production increased, these enterprises would develop.

While promoting the domestic economic development, it also dealt a blow to competitors. It could be said that this large farm plan was beneficial to France.

Foreign Minister Wesenberg replied, "The France's Germany plan is beyond our reach. We can't stop it for the time being.

However, we can't let them succeed in winning over Russia. The Foreign Ministry is looking for a suitable point of entry to interrupt France and Russia. "

It would be a lie to say that they weren't afraid.

Either France or Russia alone had obvious weaknesses. Austria could still deal with it calmly, but if the two joined forces, the situation would change.

Franz didn't forget that outside the straits, there was still the sh * t stirrer John Bull. The First World War in the original space and time was only ignited after John Bull joined the Allies.

In a sense, if it wasn't for John Bull and his teammates, the Russians wouldn't have been defeated so quickly.

The Tsarist government wouldn't have fallen so early, and the German and German empires wouldn't have lasted that long. The Americans wouldn't have had anything to do with the First World War.

"This is difficult to do. If the French are willing to open their domestic market, it will be a real benefit. The Tsarist government will find it hard to refuse.

If we want to stop them, we must also pay a price. Even if we add political influence, it can't be much lower than the French.

Unlike the French, they can do whatever they want. If they succeed, it will be a big profit. If they fail, it will cause us trouble.

If this happens a few more times, I'm afraid we won't be able to take it. If this goes on, the French won't be suppressed, but the Russians' appetite will be nurtured first.

Unless we can win in one strike, it will be very disadvantageous for us to continue this entanglement. "

The problem was that the French were purely messing around. Regardless of whether they succeeded or failed in the end, the result wouldn't be worse than now.

In contrast, Austria couldn't keep playing like this. As time goes on, it will give the Russians the illusion that Austria can't do without Russia.