The Rise of the Empire

"If it is what you said, I think we need more allies. A long-term stalemate is not something the Russians can bear, nor France can bear. We need allies to share the pressure." In Kuropat After King left, the British and French representatives did not leave, but held an avoidance consultation.

The French are also very worried about Churchill's inference, because if war continues in the future, it will definitely be fought on the territory of France and Germany, and the French are naturally unwilling to let their own homes be beaten into a mess. The purpose of the war is to Gain benefits instead of dying with your opponents! Therefore, as soon as the Russians left, French Minister of War Messimi expressed his concerns to Churchill.

"This is a worldwide war, but there are not many countries that can step forward and play a certain role. We originally planned to win over Italy, but now I think you know the outcome. Italy is too weak, and this time The unsuccessful success also makes the Italians feel timid. Even if we are willing to pay some price, we may not get Italian support. They will not choose to take sides until the war situation becomes clear. And when that time comes, how will Italy choose? It's not that important," Churchill said.

"Americans, I think it's good that they don't help Germany. I don't have any hope for those Yankees on the other side, so they forget it. And the remaining powerful countries have already chosen to take sides."

"Actually, there is another country, and that is Japan! If Japan can participate in the war, it will probably reduce a lot of pressure on us." Messimi said.

"Haha, the Japanese? Apart from working hard to seize the German territory in the Pacific after the war, I'm afraid they don't assume any responsibilities and obligations. After the Russo-Japanese War in the Far East, the Japanese are like eating They are as lazy as a full hyena, and unless there is something pie-in-the-sky, it is unrealistic to expect them to contribute," Churchill said.

"That's because the conditions are not attractive enough. Think about it, if we agree to the Japanese eating the German islands in the Pacific and tolerate Japan's actions against the Dutch East Indies to a certain extent, then will the Japanese stand firmly on On our side?"

"Of course, pure interests are not enough. We also need to intimidate the Japanese. Now Japan has a mortal enemy. If it weren't for the distance, maybe Japan would have been crushed long ago, and if we want to fight In this country, Japan can only rely on the strength of its allies, which is us. If the Japanese want to preserve their interests in the Far East, they should know how to choose," Messimi said.

"But what can we gain? The Japanese will not send a large number of land forces to Europe. Their naval power in the Far East is of little help to us. They may send an auxiliary fleet into the Mediterranean to perform mine clearance at our request. Or escort missions, and then what? What else can be done?" Churchill asked rhetorically.

"If these are the only conditions, it is naturally impossible for us to give them corresponding guarantees. Only if they are willing to send the main fleet. Judging from the current trend, the Japanese navy is developing very rapidly. Maybe it is nothing in the North Sea. , but in the Mediterranean, it is definitely a force that can change the situation of the war. If one day we really plan to attack the Dardanelles, any dreadnought is very important!" Messimi said seriously.

"I agree in principle, but the final outcome depends on the Japanese people's choice. We have already laid out the conditions.

It depends on how the Japanese choose. " Churchill said.

Churchill was also calculating the pros and cons of this deal. In fact, after the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese fleet had replaced the British as the most powerful presence in the Far East. This is an indisputable fact. When Britain chose to respond to the threat of Germany and Austria and the world shrank, Japan became the force that Britain needed to rely on in the Far East. And the Japanese also need the British to pull the flag and use it as a tiger skin. Not only did the alliance between the two sides not disappear because of Russia's retreat, on the contrary, it became even closer.

To some extent, Britain is Japan's most important ally against the United States. If this ally falls, then I am afraid that the Japanese will have a very difficult time. Therefore, the French's suggestion is very good. As for the loss of interests of the Dutch as a result, I'm sorry, this is not something that Britain and France need to consider. As a big country, you must first consider your own interests. Why should you care about the lives of others? !

"In addition, the investment we made in the Italians also needs to be recovered," Messimi said.

"How to recover this? The Italians have no money, so we can't knock on the door, right?" Churchill also said helplessly.

"We can let them repay the loan in another way, such as building warships for the French Republic. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is preparing to expand their navy. Now, France is preparing its army. The navy's plan has been delayed. Please, Minister of the Navy I was looking for a way to expand the military that could avoid the parliamentary budget, and I thought about it and this is the way to do it," Messimi said.

The money lent to the Italians is actually a sunk cost. It is difficult for Italy to repay it anyway. If you want Italy to repay it now, you must give them another loan... However, this will only make France suffer more and more losses. If Italy is half as useful as Russia, the French will not mind doing this, but in the eyes of the French, Italy is not even one-tenth as useful as Russia!

Therefore, Italy can only be repaid with items, implying that Italy is a country with few resources and nothing else worthy of the attention of the French. In other words, the naval shipbuilding industry is not bad. In the end, the French came up with a way to ask Italy to help build ships, and use the built warships to pay off the original debt. In this case, the French government could obtain new warships without additional funding. Of course, debt depreciation is certain, but how much can it be recovered? Another function is to temporarily maintain relations with Italy. Although Italy is useless, France is not willing to let Italy return to the side of Germany and Austria.

"The British Empire can share part of the burden, and Italy can also use the warships or other military supplies built to repay the loan." Naturally, the British Empire will not use warships built by Italy, but obviously, this shortfall cannot be all given to the French, otherwise , it’s just not interesting enough.

In the end, the intention of Britain and France was to try to win over Japan and at the same time ensure that Italy at least would not fall into the arms of the Allies. Time passed little by little as both sides prepared for war, and gradually reached mid-1907.

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