Perhaps out of disgust for Austria, the French's farm plan was not kept a secret. Not long after the Government of Paris made the decision, the news was released to the outside world.
This was understandable. At this moment, the eighth division of the rebel army led by Hutier and the others had swelled to eighty thousand soldiers and was about to break through the one hundred thousand mark.
Regardless of their combat power, the French had already experienced their destructive power. This motley team had only done two things along the way: crazily expanding the troops and looting the manor.
Hutier and the others fully displayed their style of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. They did not touch the cities that the French were defending, but targeted the weaker villages and small towns.
Even if most of the soldiers were armed with cold weapons, they were invincible by relying on the advantage of numbers.
In fact, most of the time there was no need to attack. Looking at the number of rebels, the defenders along the way would flee at the sight of the wind.
It was not that there was no resistance, but the disadvantage in numbers was too severe. There were too few French soldiers in small towns, and the Egyptians were unreliable.
Concentrating their forces to defend the big cities was the best choice. Generally speaking, as long as the French had more than a thousand soldiers, the eighth division would not be rebuffed.
There was no point in fighting to the death. They were not here to conquer the world. All they had to do was to just roam around. The matters of seizing territories would be left to the Revolutionary Army behind.
With the eighth division running around, the French in Egypt lost the chance to regroup and had to fight separately.
After all, there were few French soldiers who could fight. Most of the troops were colonial troops. They could defend the city, but they were only a little stronger than the rebels in the wilderness.
With such a big commotion, the Government of France was naturally unhappy. In the spirit of "if I feel bad, don't think about it", the French directly showed their cards.
Then all the agricultural stocks began to plummet. A group of self-righteous experts and scholars appeared one after another to talk bad about agricultural stocks. Some even thought that a new round of agricultural crisis was right in front of them.
Alright, they had guessed correctly this time. For a long time in the future, enterprises engaged in agricultural production would not have an easy time. It might be more appropriate to describe it as getting worse by the day.
Even if the French did not come this time, the agricultural crisis would still break out. With the continuous development of fertilizer technology, overproduction of grain was inevitable.
Even if a grain exporting country like Austria did not promote industrial fertilizer technology, those grain importing countries would promote it.
Although it wasn't as rapid as the later generations, it was still possible for the output to increase by tens of percent.
Food production capacity could be greatly increased, but the demand for food in the market could not increase by so much in a year.
Phosphate fertilizers had already been invented and were being used on a large scale. Potash fertilizers had already been invented in the laboratory of the Royal Academy of Sciences. They had not been popularized because they wanted to maintain the stability of food prices.
As for ammonia fertilizers and compound fertilizers, there was no sign of them yet. Human needs were the driving force behind technological progress, and Austria was one of those that lacked the driving force.
In order to earn more profits from the export of agricultural products, Franz was not very active in the research of fertilizer technology to increase the production of grain on a large scale.
For many advocates of green food in the future, perhaps this was the best era. Pure green food without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides could be found all over the streets.
Affected by France's large farm plan, the world's major food exporting countries were panicking to varying degrees.
…
St. Peter Castle, as the world's largest exporter of raw grain, was undoubtedly the biggest headache for the Tsarist government.
Alexander III had personally experienced the agricultural crisis. It was during the last crisis that the Tsarist government panicked and foolishly signed the infamous food-for-loan agreement with the British.
This was one of the few dark memories of Alexander II Of Russia. He was tricked by the British into joining the pound sterling – gold system.
Even if he reneged on the British debt in the end, the Russian Empire still lost tens of millions of rubles. The political losses were even more immeasurable.
After that experience, Alexander III realized the importance of agriculture to Russia. He was particularly concerned about the changes in the international food market.
"What do you think of the large farm plan announced by the French?"
The Minister of Agriculture, Barshak, said bitterly, "This is simply terrible. Currently, the countries and regions in Europe that needed a large amount of food imports were Britannia, North Germany, and the Regions of Italy.
The remaining countries, such as Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, although they were also food importing countries, their demand was very limited. The total demand was less than 10%.
If the French were to succeed in their food self-sufficiency plan, the international food export market would shrink by at least one-fifth.
Without this part of the market, a new round of food overcapacity was bound to erupt in Europe.
As the largest exporter of raw grain in Europe, once this situation occurs, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses. There might even be a new wave of farmers going bankrupt. "
Alexander III frowned. Everyone knew this. He wanted a solution, not to listen to complaints here.
"Is there a way to avoid the worst situation from happening?"
Alexander III asked expectantly.
Unfortunately, it was easy to see the problem, but difficult to solve it. This was the trend of the times. It was not something that could be resolved by individual ability alone.
Barshak shook his head. "The international market is shrinking. This is not something the Ministry of Agriculture can control.
If possible, it is best to make the French give up the large farm plan through diplomatic means. "
The Ministry of Agriculture had no way to deal with the agricultural crisis. They had to pin their hopes on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"This is impossible!
The French have already withdrawn from the free trade system. Even if the international food prices fall to the bottom, they can adopt tariff barriers to ensure that the domestic market is not affected.
By achieving food self-sufficiency, the Government of France can save a lot of foreign exchange every year and reverse the current trade deficit situation. I really can't think of a reason for the French to give up.
Instead of hoping that the French are stupid and give up the large farm plan, it is better to start thinking of ways to reduce food production or increase market demand. "
Faced with the ball that was kicked over, the Foreign Minister Oscar Jimenez did not hesitate to fight back.
Both Russia and Austria were France's competitors on the European continent. While attacking their competitors, they could also reap rich benefits. The Government of France had no reason not to do it.
Not to mention the pressure from Russia, even if the European countries pressured them together, the French would not give up.
The Minister of Agriculture, Barshak, refused righteously. "There are as many as 50 to 60 million people engaged in agricultural production in the country. It is impossible for so many people to reduce production at the same time.
Expanding the market is even more of a joke. Is the domestic food market not expanding?
However, with the expansion of the market, our food production is also growing at the same time, and the growth rate is even faster.
This is also based on the premise that the domestic agricultural production technology is backward. If we adopt the latest agricultural production technology, the domestic food production can increase by a third.
If it wasn't for the consideration that after the increase in food production, the Ministry of Agriculture would have promoted the new technology long ago. "
Although the words were not pleasant to hear, Alexander III knew that it was the truth. Reducing production and expanding the market were not realistic.
"Once the French plan is completed, Austria will also suffer heavy losses. What is the Government of Vienna going to do?" Alexander III asked expectantly.
There was nothing to be embarrassed about. If they couldn't handle it themselves, they would learn from others. The worst thing was that others didn't know what to do.
After hesitating for a moment, Barshak replied, "Your Majesty, Austria's situation is different from ours.
We are both major food exporters, but Austria mainly exports finished food and by-products. Their ability to resist risks is stronger than ours.
As early as 1884, Austria's export of agricultural by-products and food industrial products accounted for 47.9% of the total agricultural export. This proportion was still growing.
The plummeting of food prices did not have a big impact on canned food, biscuits, snacks, and industrial chemical products. In fact, due to the reduction of production costs, profits will increase further.
The direct impact is mainly on the sales of finished food, such as flour, potato flour …
After the food price falls, it will affect the retail market. For a period of time, the processing enterprises can lower the purchase price of food and pass on the risk … "
Seeing that Tsar's face was getting uglier and uglier, Barshak's voice became softer and softer. In the end, he simply shut up.
It was normal for Alexander III to be unhappy. He originally thought that someone was going to suffer with him, but he didn't expect that someone had already prepared a way out.
Once the Austrian enterprises lowered the purchase price of food, most of the losses would fall on the Russian Empire, and they couldn't refuse.
After all, during the agricultural crisis, it was considered lucky to be able to sell their food. If they were unlucky, they could only pile up in the warehouse and wait to rot.
Seeing that the atmosphere was getting tense, Minister of Finance Alisher Gurov deliberately changed the topic. "No matter how we pass on the loss, Austria's agriculture will be affected. It's just a matter of size.
Based on the size of Austria's agriculture, even a drop of one percent is enough to make the Government of Vienna feel pain.
Once the agricultural crisis breaks out, no matter how perfect their industrial chain is, they will still suffer heavy losses. The Government of Vienna can't just sit back and do nothing.
Now that there is no movement, I guess they are also stunned by the French's sudden action and don't know how to deal with it. "
Hearing this explanation, Alexander III's expression softened slightly. It was good that someone was accompanying him. It would be too miserable to be alone.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is paying close attention to Austria's movements. Report to me immediately if there is any movement."
…
Alexander III didn't wait long.
On June 11, 1885, Austria sent invitations to Russia, Denmark, Argentina, the United States of America, Brazil, and other agricultural exporting countries to prepare for the third agricultural summit to be held in Vienna in March next year.
This result made many people breathe a sigh of relief. It was good that there was movement. What they were most afraid of was no reaction at all.
The French's large farm strategy was currently only a plan. To be precise, it was an intention. There wasn't even a specific plan.
To implement it specifically, it wasn't something that could be done in a day or two. Not to mention other things, just the location alone wasn't something that could be done in a month or two.
By the time the agricultural experts selected the location and completed the preliminary design plan, it was estimated that they wouldn't even have enough time to level the land. This year would be over.
There was still plenty of time, and there was no need to rush. There were still several years before they became a threat.
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