The Rise of the Empire

"If you only look at it from an economic point of view, I can't refuse the conditions offered by your country, but we have to consider not only economic issues, but also diplomatic and political issues arising from it. We have a lot of trade with the British, Even if there is no military conflict between the two sides, the British can still use many means to deal with us. And this gain cannot compensate for our loss." Nicholas II shook his head and said.

"What I'm talking about is only the funds for the purchase of ships. The material and economic losses brought by the British to your country will naturally be made up for by other means! How about the national debt of 80 million rubles? After your country agrees to our conditions, the three Within a month, the United States of America will subscribe for 40 million rubles of national debt, and after the fleet is handed over to us, we will subscribe for the remaining 40 million national debt in no more than two months!" Day said.

"Hehe, it's a pity that you can't represent your country, otherwise I would trust you more." Nicholas II smiled slightly, and there was no attitude in his words.

"Whether what I say is trustworthy can be proved by time. If Your Majesty agrees to this transaction, we will subscribe for at least 15 million rubles in foreign debt in the next month. During this time period, you have no loss. It can even be said that you have nothing to lose before the delivery of the ship. Isn't it?" Day said with a smile.

Although Day is not an official representative of the U.S. government, it is undeniable that he has the support of the president, the Department of the Navy, and a considerable number of members of Congress behind him, as well as the big entrepreneurs and financiers behind them. National debt does not mean giving away for nothing. , after subscribing, if you operate properly, you can also benefit. Therefore, the cost of persuading the American business community to subscribe for a batch of national debt is not high. The most important thing is that if the fleet expansion is inevitable after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, then Russia is willing to sell the fleet. Funding or subscribing to the remaining national debt is not a problem.

"This suggestion is very interesting." Nicholas II had to admit that he was defeated by the rich and powerful American emperor with money. To be honest, the current Nicholas II is very dissatisfied with France, his benefactor. Not only because of this ship purchase incident, he found that the French have gradually controlled Russia's politics and military through money! Do you want to build the Far Eastern Railway? Do you want better weapons? Need money? I can give it to you! But you must listen to me! Whoever I tell you to buy, you will buy it! You have no choice!

The intervention of the Americans not only gave the Russians a chance to make a fortune, but also allowed the Tsar to see the hope of getting rid of the French economic control and ensuring diversified sources of funds! If two or more countries provide financial support to Russia, then Russia's financial environment and autonomy will definitely be much better than now, so even if the funds provided by the Americans are nothing compared to France, but It is also an excellent start, and in this case Nicholas II can hardly think of a reason to refuse!

"I agree with this matter in principle. I have to discuss the details with my ministers, but I think Brigadier General Shirley next to you can already discuss some handover matters with General Makanov." Nico La II agreed in principle to this matter. This made Day heave a sigh of relief. We can talk about the details slowly. Anyway, there is still time!

From the point of view of ordinary people, since the bigwigs have agreed, shouldn't it be enough to talk about the handover? In fact, it is far from easy! the reason is simple! Now the main force of the Russian fleet is stationed in Vladivostok! At this time, Russia has not yet signed with the Qing Dynasty! Where is Vladivostok? If the Americans want to get a ship in February, it is almost impossible! If you want to go out in March, you need an icebreaker to open the way.

How to hand over, when to hand over, and logistics supplies, etc. need to be discussed slowly.

Fortunately, the Americans already have a plan! "Your country can send some warships to the south of the Qing Dynasty to avoid freezing at the end of 1897. For example, the French concession in Shanghai is a very good place. Then you can also carry out training in the Far East, and supply and maintenance can be carried out in the French concession area. , if you need to go to the bottom of the ship, you can go to the German base in the Pacific Ocean." Shelly put forward his own suggestion.

"There is nothing wrong with this. But I am more interested in some of the reasons. I always feel that your country is hiding something, for example, why does your country buy cruisers? If it is just to ensure that the island of Hawaii is included in the territory of the United States of America It doesn’t seem to take that much effort.” Makanov is not very interested in communicating the details of the delivery of the ship, and this is not his main task. The naval deployment figured out what the Americans thought.

"Our battleships have a very low freeboard and are not suitable for ocean deployment. And our fleet in the Far East is all cruisers, so we naturally want to buy cruisers to strengthen our fleet. The speed of the fleet is a very important tactical indicator. You should be very clear That," Shelley said.

"Actually, if it is just to strengthen the cruiser force, your country's local cruisers are a good choice. The newly commissioned Brooklyn and New York plus several other warships can completely replace Rurik and other battleships. Then What is the reason that makes you prefer to spend a lot of money to buy warships instead of using the remaining warships in your country? I would like to know the reason." Makanov was very dissatisfied with Shirley's explanation.

"I feel that this is not an issue we should discuss. As a general, what we need is to implement the will of the country. Why do we buy and why your country sells that is the business of the big shots. What we need to do is to complete the delivery of the warships. You Do you mean it? And your curiosity is a little too big. What we signed is a secret agreement. If outsiders know things they shouldn’t know, neither you nor I will end well, don’t you think?” Shelly smiled said.

"It makes sense, but I hope that in the near future, these warships can return to Russia safely. I always feel that something big has happened." Makanov said pointedly.

"Actually, the transaction between the two countries is a big event. You are right." Shelly also laughed. It's sort of over.

On December 8, 1897, Russia and the United States finally reached an agreement on the transfer of the fleet. When all the dust settled, the Admiralty, dominated by Roosevelt and Simpson, finally began to make final preparations for the upcoming Spanish-American War. The plan is up! At this time, the Spaniards adjusted their fleet deployment for the last time.

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