Chapter 1074： From the Far East

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. Once interest is involved, everything becomes complicated.

Some people oppose "free trade", and others support it. Not everyone is a victim of "free trade". On the contrary, many industries in Britain are also beneficiaries of free trade.

For example: the coal industry.

Since the last century, Britain has been the world's largest coal exporter. Today, nearly one-third of Britain’s coal production capacity is used for export.

Once the free trade system is withdrawn, the good days of coal bosses will end. With tariff barriers, British coal will lose its cost advantage.

If the energy industry cannot monopolize the market, their core competitiveness is cost. Without the cost advantage, the market is almost inevitable.

Another example: the textile industry.

Although the textile industry has been severely impacted with the unfolding of the industrialization wave, Britain is still the world's number one textile exporter.

Because the economic development market has become larger, even though the share of British textiles in the international market has shrunk, the total textile exports have not fallen much.

Data is all fictitious, only making money is real. Regardless of the future market prospects, at least it is still profitable for now.

Once they withdraw from the free trade system, one of these export-oriented enterprises will count as one, and no one can expect to have a good life.

Driven by interests, Britain's business sector has already divided. The palms of the palms and the backs of the hands are all fleshy, and the consortium leaders who control the industry and commerce behind the scenes also have a headache.

You can never make a decision by taking it for granted. In essence, a consortium is a group of capital interests and does not have a strong binding force.

The strength of the consortium is when everyone's interests are aligned. Now that there are differences among members, the power of the consortium has actually been weakened to the extreme.

If the interests of some members are seriously damaged, the consortium may split within minutes. In this context, what the consortium leaders can do is to reconcile the contradictions between the parties as much as possible.

If the internal division of capital occurs, the question of whether to withdraw from the free trade system is naturally impossible to settle immediately.

Without trade barriers to protect the market, the London government’s economic stimulus policy would be useless.

Regardless of how the policies are stimulated, industries that do not work will always fail. Products do not have market competitiveness, and no amount of preferential policies are used.

If economic problems cannot be resolved, political reform will be even more difficult. Except for the passage of the industry dispute bill involving the economy, most of the reform proposals submitted by the Campbell administration were rejected by the upper house.

For example: reducing the power of the House of Lords, supporting Ireland's autonomy, and giving the colonies higher autonomy...

With so many moving cheese reform proposals, the Campbell administration soon became sad.

In order to safeguard their own interests, the conservatives were forced to unite together, using the parliament as a position to start a "fire war" with the reformers.

...

Downing Street, the prime minister's residence.

Looking into the distance through the window, Prime Minister Campbell sighed deeply. At this moment, his mood was similar to the weather in London, and it was all gray.

As a sign of the advent of the industrial age, London has been shrouded in smog since the last century.

Especially in winter, visibility is less than 50 meters, which is common. Had it not been for the invention of fog lights, London would not be able to drive in winter.

Campbell can't care about the weather. Since the beginning of the reform, he has not had a good night's sleep, and countless troubles come to his door every day.

Conservatives and reformers have quarreled, and the contradiction between the two sides has almost become public. The battlefield spread from the original parliament to the whole society.

Broadcasting newspapers are the main battlefield of the controversy between the two sides.

"The public says that the public is reasonable, and the mother-in-law says the mother is reasonable."

As the controversy unfolded, not to mention ordinary people, even the intellectuals and middle-class elites were confused.

In fact, Campbell himself is a little trapped. Although he proposed the reform policy, Campbell is not sure that the reform will succeed after listening to the reasons of the opposition.

The persimmon is looking for softness. Political reforms are put aside first. The most important thing at the moment is to reform the economy and reverse the deteriorating domestic economic situation.

Only when the economic reform is successful and sufficient prestige is established can further political reform be promoted.

After releasing his emotions, Campbell turned around and asked, "Who has the upper hand outside now?"

Unlike other countries, there is not much power gap between reformers and conservatives in Britain.

Then there was a strange scene, in the course of the debate, no one can overwhelm anyone.

Today the reformists have the upper hand, and tomorrow the conservatives have the upper hand. No one knows what the final result will be.

The confusing situation has made speculators in the government afraid to stand in line. Without the help of bureaucrats, how can reforms proceed?

Minister of the Interior Azevedo: "There is no result yet. The strength of the die-hards is too strong, and I am afraid it will be difficult to tell the winner in a short time.

However, the agricultural guilds we have wooed have already moved, and it is in their interests to withdraw from the free trade system. "

Compared to the business sector, the British farmers are the real tragedy. Limited by geological conditions, there is not much land suitable for agricultural development in the British Isles, and the cost of agricultural production is relatively high.

Facing the impact of foreign agricultural products, British agriculture can be described as "only parry, but no fight back."

But they can't make a fuss, because Britain's food production simply cannot meet their own needs.

Since it is imported food, naturally the cheaper the better. All sectors of society are standing together, and the interests of farmers will naturally be sacrificed.

It is not only ordinary farmers who have lost their interests, but also farmers and nobles who own the land.

They have a say in politics, but compared to the business community, their power is obviously much weaker.

In order to change this passive situation, these people organized agricultural guilds. Unite politically to fight for their own interests.

From the sales prices of agricultural products on the market, it can be seen that the agricultural guild has not achieved the goal that everyone expected.

It's not that the agricultural guild doesn't work hard, but the politicians are too shameless. Say one thing before going on stage, and do another thing after going on stage.

After investing many times, they all ended in failure, so that everyone lost confidence.

If it weren't for being frightened, these guys would have been involved long ago, and abolishing the free trade system and implementing tariff barriers would be a major benefit to agriculture.

Prime Minister Campbell nodded and sighed: "It's best to be so! Otherwise, the stalemate will continue to cause too much harm to the country."

There was no mention of the agricultural guild, and obviously Campbell was not prepared to fulfill his promise.

There is no alternative. Britain’s food production is limited and cannot meet its own needs. Imports are inevitable.

Protecting agriculture means rising prices of agricultural products. This is bound to increase the pressure on the working class to survive, and the cost of labor for enterprises will also rise.

The capitalists are not vegetarians, and every increase in labor costs is won by the working class.

One bad thing is the nationwide wave of strikes. Just thinking about the terrible consequences is enough to make any politician daunted.

...

Foreign Secretary Adam Wenjiade: "Don't patronize domestic troubles. In recent times, there have been no incidents in the world.

The Venezuelan civil war is endless. The factions we support have lost in the war, and the expansion of the empire in the region has been blocked.

Not long ago, Washington and the Vienna government reached an agreement to obtain the right to excavate the Panama Canal, ending the freezing point diplomacy between the two countries since the Civil War.

Recently, there has been an accident in the Far East. The conflict between the Russians and the Japanese has intensified, and war may even break out.

..."

As a global empire, it is inevitable to pay attention to changes in the international situation. Of course, Britain is not only concerned, but actively involved.

Adam Wingard said so many international events, all of which have direct sexual relations with Britain, and even they themselves planned.

For example: the most inconspicuous Venezuelan civil war is one of the British government's plans to expand in the Americas.

It's just that they provoked the beginning and failed to determine the end. No one would have thought that an ordinary civil war would last for several years because of the intervention of international forces.

The curtain is about to come to an end now, but it is the side supported by the British government that is tragic and loses in the civil war.

There is no way to do this. Who makes Britain's reputation so bad and careless about how it looks?

Because of the late rise of Shenluo, it was too late to expand its power to Venezuela, and naturally there was no hatred.

The main purpose of participating in the Venezuelan civil war was to add blockage to Britain, and there was no intention to invade Venezuela at all.

On one side were the British who invaded their homeland, and on the other side was the Shinra who was dedicated to the British people. People of insight in Venezuela knew who to support with their eyes closed.

In ordinary proxy wars, big bosses mainly issue loans and sell arms. Naturally, those who have more help will win.

Venezuela this year is not yet the oil power of later generations. Except for the slightly fertile land, it is basically not worth mentioning.

A small setback cannot shake the supremacy of Britain. The failure of the proxy war can only prove that the supported proxy is not good, and it does not mean that the British Empire is not strong.

In contrast, the Washington government's approach to Vienna is truly worthy of vigilance.

The core of international politics is interest. Changing jobs and bosses is a routine operation. As long as the Vienna government can afford a price, it is not impossible to win over the United States.

It's not that similar operations have never happened before. Many of Shinra's current younger brothers were dug from their hands.

It's all about the small country being poached. If the only big-power ally is also poached, the London government will be forced.

Prime Minister Campbell: "Venezuela's problem, let's take a step by step now. We will try again if we have the opportunity, and we will give up temporarily if we have no chance.

On the side of the Washington government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs still has to pay more attention to avoid problems at critical moments.

Franz the Great seemed to be gentle, but in fact he was also a hegemonist, and it was impossible to tolerate an existence that might threaten Shinra.

It can be seen from the fact that they occupy the Central America region and jam the neck of the Americans.

With this fundamental contradiction, under normal circumstances, it is impossible for the Washington government to fall to them.

However, accidents can happen in everything. If the Vienna government allowed the Americans to annex Canada in order to win hegemony, maybe the Washington government might really be tempted.

As for the Japanese-Russian conflict, it is part of our plan. Let their hatred grow deeper!

The bait has been put down, and with the greed of the bears, as long as the Siberian Railway is opened to traffic, they are bound to invade eastward.

Now there is a conflict with the Japanese. It seems that the Russians are really impatient, and they don't even want to wait for such a little time. "

As the ancestor of digging pits and burying people, when it comes to provoking troubles, Britain considers itself the second child, really no country dares to be the boss.

Before the Siberian Railway was opened to traffic, the conflict between Japan and Russia was provoked first. With Mao Xiong's unwillingness to lose money and not looking for the bad luck of the Japanese, that's the problem.

...

The British government is preparing, and the Vienna government is also not idle. Everyone is preparing for the next game.

I have to admit that the Russians are big-hearted, and even the construction progress of the Siberian Railway has not been concealed from the outside world.

With the selfless dedication of a group of free labor, the construction progress of the Siberian Railway is much faster than outside expectations.

Perhaps it is because the American railway technical team is so strong, or the French laborers are not distressed when they die. In short, the construction of the Siberian Railway is progressing very smoothly.

In the words of the French writer Roman Roland-"Every sleeper of the Siberian Railway is made of the flesh and blood of French laborers."

Franz agrees with this statement very much.

According to intelligence from the Tsarist government, in the past few years, more than 250,000 French laborers have given their lives for the construction of the Siberian railway.

Whether it was frozen to death, sick to death, starved to death, exhausted, or accidental death on the construction site, this question no longer matters.

Anyway, the French will keep this account on the Russians.

Judging from the current situation, the French laborers who have entered the Russian Empire are likely to be unable to return.

There is no way. The Russian Empire is so big and there are too many infrastructure projects. The Tsarist government needs this kind of labor that is free of money, can afford to die, and has no troubles.

The hatred of the French is nothing at all. Even if France turned over one day, it would be impossible to retaliate over the Shenluo.

...

Vienna Palace

"The construction speed of the Siberian Railway has exceeded our expectations and is much faster than the Central Asian Railway.

According to the Russians, the Siberian Railway was opened to traffic in 1905. At that time, the biggest obstacle restricting the Russians' eastward advance will be removed.

Once the railway is open to traffic, the Far Eastern Empire and the Japanese will probably not be the opponents of the Russians. Especially since the two countries had a war a few years ago, it is difficult to unite.

In order to limit the development of the Russians, I am going to increase..."

Before Frederick finished speaking, Franz interrupted: "The Siberian Railway and the Central Asian Railway are different.

The Central Asia Railway we helped to repair was a two-track railway, while the Siberian Railway that the Americans helped design was a single-track railway.

Even if the train is really open, how many trains do you think the Siberian Railway can send every day?

With just this little capacity, there is no problem in supplying daily needs. Once a war breaks out, the Russians will immediately feel what logistical pressure is.

Besides, don’t you think it’s weird that the Americans help the government build railways?

The Siberian Railway is not profitable, and the operating income can smooth the daily maintenance expenses. God blessed it.

I think that apart from the British who want to cause trouble, there is probably no one else who can be so generous.

The stage is set up, I don't believe the British will not be prepared. It is enough for us to secretly add to the flames, and the British government will arrange the rest. "