Washington
Secretary of State Safar said calmly: "His President, this is a quote from arms dealers of various countries, as well as domestic capitalists.
Of course, this doesn't make much sense to us. The federal government was too hastily prepared in this war, and both government forces and state militiamen were now short of weapons.
At present, many of our troops are still shotguns. In terms of weapons and equipment, there is no way to compare with the southern army.
Buying all the stocks of these arms dealers now cannot meet our needs. So choice is just a fallacy. "
President Lincoln rubbed his forehead. He was very skeptical that the Secretary of State had come specifically to find the fault. Since there is no choice, then I will buy it, what to say.
"Send someone to talk to them, try to lower the price as much as possible, and kick out the highest offer."
Safar shook his head and said, "I'm afraid not. The Austrian with the highest offer, their product is a rifle, which has better performance.
The most important thing is that they have the most stock in their hands. They can provide us with 100,000 rifle rifles, 150,000 rifle rifles, and 800 types of artillery at one time.
Not long ago, they just sold 200,000 breech rifles, 1,000 artillery pieces, and ammunition to the Southern Government. If it weren't for the Southern people, they were too stupid. These weapons could not serve us. "
In the opinion of the Secretary of State, the Southern Government is just too stupid.
During the war, wasn't it foolish not to use the good relations with other countries to sweep the goods and let these weapons and equipment flow into the hands of the enemy?
As for the price paid, the amount of money to buy weapons and equipment is not comparable to the losses brought on the battlefield.
If the southern government scans the goods as soon as possible, then the northern government will not be able to obtain sufficient weapons and equipment for at least the next six months.
This is the advantage of constant communication, which can make a time difference. Don't look at the international arms dealers gathering in North America. In fact, the stock in everyone's hands is still limited.
Tens of thousands of rifles, hundreds of artillery pieces, and thousands of tons of ammunition are all big things. No matter how many people like Franz open, the average person knows the scale of the Civil War?
If there are too many stockpiles, the North and South sides suddenly ceased to compromise and then all fell into their hands, and the costs could not be recovered.
Except for the Americans, no one in the world can find such an innocent head as a paner.
It also cost less than 10 million pounds to empty the arms dealer warehouses active in the United States. In exchange for 10 million pounds, the enemy was short of weapons and equipment within half a year. Such a sale was a big profit.
After hearing Safar's explanation, President Lincoln almost scared a cold sweat.
Half a year is enough to determine the outcome of a war. Fortunately, the southern government did not do this, otherwise the northern government would be miserable.
After adjusting his mind a bit, Lincoln asked: "Sir Secretary of State, wouldn't you come to me just to say that?"
Secretary of State Safar explained without hesitation: "Of course not. Now the four major powers of Britain, France, and Ossi support the southern government. Under their influence, most European countries have stood on the south.
These arms merchants basically have a political background. Under the same conditions, they are definitely more willing to do business with the southern government.
If we bid higher, things are different. In the face of interests, arms dealers don't care about the government's thinking.
Therefore, I plan to increase the price of weapons and equipment, especially some advanced weapons. The industrial strength of the southern states is weak, and their own production capacity is limited. They can only follow us to increase prices.
Unlike the traitors in the South, our own industrial capabilities are not bad. The lack of weapons and equipment is only temporary.
If nothing else, our self-sufficiency rate of weapons will reach more than 85 percent starting next year, and the southern government may not reach 30 percent.
Since there is no military victory, then we are economically dragging them down. "
This is the northern government's advantage, but President Lincoln was not happy at all. Seeing that the Secretary of State's plan is to prepare for a protracted war.
Lincoln frowned and asked, "Are you so unconfident in our army?"
Safar replied solemnly: "His Excellency, it has been more than three months since the outbreak of the war, and the total military power lost by the federal government has exceeded 80,000.
I admit that the military has worked very hard, and they have achieved great results, but it is still us who are at a disadvantage.
If anything goes wrong on the Maryland battlefield, the federal government is about to fight a Washington defense. I don't think in the short term the federal government has the potential to win war. "
To some extent, the attitude of the Secretary of State also represents the attitude of officials within the federal government. Now that they are preparing for a protracted war, it also means that everyone has lost confidence in calming down the rebellion in the short term.
This is not the worst. If the war is delayed, the voices of domestic leaders and factions will rise.
As a qualified politician, Lincoln knew that the enemies inside were the most terrifying. These people were lurking in the dark, and he didn't even know who they were.
After hesitating, Lincoln said, "Well, go according to your plan! But we must first solve the financial problem. The southern government uses cotton as a collateral to issue bonds overseas. We have no collateral."
The federal government is not without collateral, the problem is that these collateral, they dare not mortgage it. Otherwise, the people in the country will break out first.
...
The island of New Guinea has now been renamed New Bavaria. Random names seem to be a European habit, and Franz is already used to it.
The world's second largest island now belongs to the Habsburg dynasty, but Franz was not surprised.
In terms of resources, New Bavaria is also rich in various mineral resources. The delta delta in the south is also the most fertile land in the world.
There is also no powerful indigenous kingdom on the island. It is estimated that the indigenous people on this island will not exceed one million, and may even be less than 300,000.
But this land was not favored by the colonists in Europe. Obviously, this is very abnormal.
Previously, Austria's colonial activities were also the first to occupy the islands surrounding New Bavaria, such as the Melanesian Islands, the Real Islands, the Aru Islands ...
This is a way of delineating sphere of influence and sworn sovereignty. My territory is all around, naturally you can't come to grab the central area, otherwise the rules will be broken.
Now that the pace of colonization is accelerating, the colonial team has entered the New Bavaria Island, and problems have arisen.
1. The island has a tropical rain forest climate with large annual precipitation;
2. The terrain in the downstream is low and the drainage is not smooth;
3. The river has a long flood season, which easily floods the surrounding area;
4. Affected by tides along the coast, seawater intrusion and tidal flats;
5. The island is mountainous and swampy with a sparse population.
In summary, to develop this island, it must cost a lot of money.
At least we must solve the drainage problem, change the marshland into farmland, and it is best to build a seawall to protect the coastal areas from the tide.
Franz asked: "What is the Colonial Ministry going to do?"
Colonial Minister Josip Jelacic replied: "His Majesty, we are prepared to temporarily suspend the development of the New Bavarian Island, but only to develop parts of the region, and to establish several cities in the appropriate areas to swear sovereignty.
The focus is still on developing the surrounding islands, and the Nanyang region is really rich. The Aboriginal people here do not engage in agricultural production at all, and live on the gifts of nature.
These islands are rich in tropical fruits and are suitable for growing cash crops such as coffee, cocoa, coconut, palm oil, tea and rubber. "
This is the most sensible choice. Colonization is to make money. It is very unwise to invest blindly.
Anyway, the island has a sparse population and does not engage in agricultural production. If there is no external influence, it will be the same after 100 years.
Where the island ca n’t run away, it ’s not too late for the Vienna government to redevelop it after the world ’s colonies are divided up.
Franz nodded and said, "New Bavaria does just that. What's up with the Lanfang Republic?"
If the Lanfang Republic was not mentioned in the document, Franz would have almost forgotten that there is also a Chinese Republic in the Nanyang region.
Josip Jelacic explained: "His Majesty, Kalimantan Island is rich in gold mines, so a group of Chinese gathered to establish the Lanfang Republic.
The Ocean Fleet also visited this country not long ago, and also signed a friendly agreement with Earl Humel.
This small country is very weak. The colonial government is looking for an excuse for war. It should not be long before we can destroy them. "
Hesitating a moment, Franz still relented.
"Don't rush into action first, send someone who can speak well to fool them into the new Holy Roman Empire.
We can give them autonomy, we can refer to the standards of the domestic kingdom, and we can be more relaxed.
The Nanyang area is too far away, we have limited immigration, and it is very difficult to develop so many places.
If the Lanfang Republic is destroyed by force, not only will it have to increase a military expenditure, it will also be difficult to obtain much revenue in the short term.
It would be better to directly compile Lanfang Company and make a profit directly. We do not even need to pay the cost of domination. "
From the perspective of Franz, the Lanfang Republic is Lanfang Company, and the rulers themselves did not regard this as a country.
Historically, it was because Lanfang's rulers turned to the Dutch for their own benefit that this country was destroyed.
The Dutch's force was not that Franz looked down on them, that was really unscrupulous.
The Lan Fang Republic is located in the South Ocean. It can get enough immigrants and enough land for development. If the ruling class does not degenerate and strives to develop its own strength, it will not be a dream to unify the Nanyang region.
Being able to turn to the Dutch can naturally turn to the Austrians. Several aristocratic titles fell, and it is estimated that these people could not resist the temptation.
This can also be considered as necessary, the Lanfang Republic can obtain the protection of Austria, and the Vienna government has added a revenue.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Although Franz's style is different today, Josip Jelacic has no objection, which is in Austria's interest.
The essence of overseas colonization is to make a profit. As for how to make a profit, it doesn't matter.
This is different from the African continent. The Vienna government is preparing to establish a second German homeland in Africa, and naturally cannot rule at will.
Although Franz's plan is whimsical, the cost is very low, and it's no problem to try it.
If it succeeds, you do n’t need to do anything. The Vienna government added a revenue, and Austria ’s industry and commerce increased a market.
Failure, a big waste of time.
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