Chapter 193： The battle for oil (part 2)

The German and Austrian ambassador expressed to Edel the two countries’ offer for Romania’s latest petroleum products.

The next morning, as if to demonstrate against Germany and Austria, the British and French ambassadors rushed to the prime minister's residence.

Prime Minister Bretianu, who was in office, received the report from his subordinates and immediately asked the two ambassadors to come in.

Prime Minister Bretianu pretended not to know, and asked the two visiting ambassadors. "Don't know what the two ambassadors are asking for me?"

The two ambassadors ignored the Romanian Prime Minister who was showing off his acting skills before his eyes. Of course, they all knew each other's purpose.

"We are here to buy Romanian oil this time."

The British and French ambassadors explained their intentions straightforwardly, and Prime Minister Bretianu knew that it was time for business. He preached earnestly. "The two ambassadors should know that Germany and Austria have already offered a price of 9 pounds per ton."

"We all know."

Prime Minister Bretianu was satisfied with the answers of the British and French ambassadors, so he continued. "I don't know how much price the two ambassadors can offer this time?"

This time the French ambassador asked Bud to speak. "We have prepared a price of 10 pounds per ton this time, but all the oil that needs to be exported has to be sold to us."

The price given by the French ambassador gave Prime Minister Bretianu a trance. Before the war, Romania's national finance was only more than 20 million pounds, and now the oil sold alone has reached half each year, which also opened his eyes and was amazed.

"Thank you, your Excellency, for your love of Romanian oil. I will inform the crown prince of the two countries' quotations. I believe this price will have a satisfactory result."

Prime Minister Bretianu regained his senses and said this in a pun. He knew that if it were not for Romania, it was the only oil importer between Germany and Austria. Where can I sell it at this price. The oil that Romania exported to other countries before the war was only 2 pounds per ton, and after the war broke out, the price was only 4.5 pounds. So if it weren't for uniqueness, how could it be Romania's turn for such a good thing.

After talking about the latest oil prices, the two ambassadors continued to chat with Bretianou for a while, especially the French ambassador Jean Bard discussed with the Prime Minister his experience of studying in Paris.

After sending off the two British and French ambassadors, Prime Minister Bretianu immediately released the news that the British and French fare increased to 10 pounds per ton. I believe the German and Austrian embassy will be busy late tonight.

As expected, the news from Prime Minister Bretianu was not in vain. At noon, the German ambassador Baslob and Austro-Hungarian ambassador Berli both received the news. Unexpectedly, the British and French ambassadors reacted so quickly, and directly mentioned the price of 10 pounds per ton, which made them feel a bit stingy.

Especially the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador Bailey was the most nervous, which has approached the price limit set by the government. So after receiving this news, he hurried to the German embassy to seek ambassador Baslob to discuss countermeasures.

Ambassador Baslob looked at Ambassador Bailey, who was looking at him eagerly. The attitude of the ambassadors of Britain and France is compelling. He also felt a headache. It's just that there is no other way, but both sides can fight for economic strength.

So he spoke to Ambassador Bailey. "You'd better inform your government about the current situation in Romania and ask them to increase the current limit price. I will also inform our government about this situation. According to my estimation, the current government price seems to be insufficient for me."

After hearing the words of the German ambassador, Ambassador Belli thought about it carefully, and it seemed that he could only do so. Now that Britain and France have made it clear that they need to use economic means to restrict them, now they can only let the two sides fight each other's economic strength.

He spoke to Ambassador Baslob. "I will go back to the embassy to report to the country. Now this is related to the unanimous interests of both of us, so I hope that our two countries will support each other."

Ambassador Baslob knew that this was Ambassador Belle’s hope that the German side could bear more. What mutual support is that Germany supports Austria-Hungary. It's just that now the two countries have become grasshoppers on the same line, and no one can run away, so he can only acquiesce in what Ambassador Bailey said.

They sent the telegram to China in the afternoon. Among them, the Austro-Hungarian Empire sent a message to Germany for help in the evening because of the gap in economic strength. Now the problem is concentrated in the hands of the German government, and because of this problem, the Kaiser and General Mooch, who have been focusing on the war, rarely let go of their attention to the war and discuss with Prime Minister Holwig about the oil issue that has been ignored by them.

In this special meeting for Romanian Petroleum, the Prime Minister Holwig, who is still in charge of government work, talked about the current situation in Romania. Finally he concluded. "According to my estimate, this time we will need to spend a lot of money if we want to keep Romanian oil imports.

After listening to the Prime Minister’s speech, the German emperor first asked General Mochi, the German army is now conquering the city in northern France, so his opinion is the most important.

"General Moqi, do you think our demand for oil is a necessity? If so, how much should we pay to get it?"

Facing the emperor’s question, General Xiao Maoqi talked about it after sorting out his thoughts. "Your Majesty, the use of vehicles in this war has greatly surpassed the storage capacity. In terms of economy, even the oil of DM 00 per ton can compete with the storage capacity transportation, but in terms of efficiency, vehicles are still faster and more convenient. So I think oil is a necessity in our war."

After General Little Mochi finished speaking, Secretary of the Navy Tirpitz also said it. "Your Majesty, our navy ships also need fuel for traveling. The fuel in the Empire's inventory has now reached the warning level, so seeking to replenish it is the only way."

The German Navy has not changed its power from coal to fuel, but this does not mean that the Navy does not use oil. When its warships are dispatched, they will also pour heavy oil on coal to increase combustion efficiency. Moreover, not all naval ships use coal, and many small ships pursuing efficiency have been converted into fuel-powered ships. But Marshal Tirpitz continued. "Our Navy Department is working on a plan to restrict Romania's exports to other countries."

William II asked with interest. "What is this plan?"

Marshal Tirpitz spoke about it. "This plan is mainly to win over an ally for us, but also to prevent Russia from obtaining material supplies through the Black Sea. Restricting Romanian exports is only a collateral effect."

The ministers here are all human beings, so he guessed it without having to talk about the script. But this will not alleviate Germany's demand for Romanian oil, and it is still necessary to discuss the feasibility of competing for its oil.

After the Secretary of the Navy finished speaking, Prime Minister Holwig also stated the economic needs. "Your Majesty now we need Romanian oil. Many machinery in agriculture need it, and many chemical plants must use its petrochemical raw materials to produce it."

After hearing the opinions of three important ministers, William II continued to ask. "Then what economic price do we bear more now? It is impossible for this oil price to continue to rise."

"Da~Da~Da"

When William II asked impatiently, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The emperor whose speech was interrupted did not show any dissatisfaction. He knew that it was probably due to urgent matters.

Sure enough, a guard walked in and took a telegram. "This is a telegram from Vienna."

The emperor took a brief look at the telegram, and after reading it, he told the ministers in front of him. "This is a telegram from Austria-Hungary requesting our help, and it is also about oil."

After speaking, he handed the telegram to the ministers present and circulated it to each other and asked. "What should we do now?"

Prime Minister Holwig knew he needed to come forward at this time. "Your Majesty is actually a problem. It is not only that we need oil, but Austria and Hungary also need it. Then we can tell them after discussing the results, and at most we can give them a little subsidy."

After hearing the Prime Minister’s words, William II murmured in a low voice. The little General Mochi sitting next to him seemed to have heard saying, "These Austrians need our help in everything."

The Emperor German asked afterwards. "Then how do we reply to the ambassador in Romania?"

General Xiao Maoqi mentioned. "I think the 00 mark is a good price, and I believe that the Romanians will not refuse our kindness."

Secretary of the Navy Tirpitz agreed to arrive. "I also think the price is reasonable."

Prime Minister Holwig knew he needed to speak at this time. "I also agree with the plan of the two ministers, but I need to add that if Romania can accept that we can use machinery and equipment to offset the oil payment, then it can be higher."

After hearing the unanimous approval of his trusted ministers, William II also approved this method. So he told the Prime Minister. "The prime minister sent this news to the ambassador to Romania and let him know the importance of this matter, hoping that he can seize Romania's oil export share for the empire."

So Ambassador Baslob in Romania was given sufficient power to discuss the matter in the country, and the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador Bailey was also given this power. So in the following week, the German and Austrian ambassadors with sufficient funds and the British and French ambassadors began to compete fiercely for Romanian oil. They competed repeatedly for each price, and finally won the German and Austrian ambassador with no strings attached depending on the funds after a week.

Then, witnessed by Prime Minister Bretianu, they signed a supply contract with the Romanian Petroleum Company. In this contract, Romania guarantees to provide at least 4 million tons of refined oil and 2.5 million tons of petrochemical products to Germany and Austria within three years. Among them, the most important price of refined oil products was contested. The transaction was sold at a combined price of US$75 per ton, and the total contract value reached 90 million pounds.

In terms of payment methods, Romania requires precious metals such as U.S. dollars or gold as the payment currency. 15% of the money will be for Romania to purchase German machinery and equipment, and the equipment price cannot be higher than 20% before the war broke out. As a concession to Germany for giving such a huge contract, Romania needs to repay the German payment and purchase petroleum products every year. However, Romania’s annual repayment is only 20 million marks, which can only be considered better than nothing.

So the competition for Romanian oil ended with the signing of this contract.

PS; The book friends will keep the monthly tickets for the steamed buns next month. I will change the bottom of 2 every day from June. If there are more rewards, I will add more. Tomorrow on Children’s Day, the steamed buns will be guaranteed.