Chapter 204: 195: Australia Enters the Game

Chapter 204: Chapter 195: Australia Enters the Game

If the nationwide strikes within Russia were a factor that forced Russia to admit defeat, then the series of revolutions caused by this bloody incident were the reason Russia had to ask for more support from the international community.

This so-called revolution was actually a long-term social unrest. After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, terror attacks, strikes, peasant resistance, riots, and uprisings continued to emerge in major regions of the Russian Empire, creating domestic woes that could lead to the demise of the empire amidst sufficient external problems.

This so-called revolution had no organization, no goals, and not even a single reason.

If insisting on a reason, it can be mainly attributed to decades of national turmoil and dissatisfaction of the Russian people with the Romanov Dynasty.

Of course, the lack of reform in Russia decades ago and the demand for liberation by some ethnic minorities are also one of the causes.

This revolution became more intense after the failure of the Russo-Japanese War. Although it did not reach the scale of historical disasters, it was definitely a national crisis.

After the German-Russian negotiations resumed, the progress was rapid. The Germans took advantage of Russia’s recent defeat and both internal and external troubles, promising a large amount of loans to help Russia stabilize domestic order and resume domestic production.

Moreover, Germany was willing to support Russia’s future expansion in the Far East. Germany was willing to provide a batch of German-made equipment at cost price and was willing to give up the provisions of the treaty on reminding the French about the French-Russian Agreement.

On the other hand, France was only willing to provide a small loan to help Russia stabilize production in the European region.

As for the affairs of the Far East, France did not mention it at all, obviously no longer supporting Russia’s actions in the Far East.

This obvious gap did not cause Russia to abandon its alliance with France.

However, the turning point also emerged.

In the original history, due to Russia’s disastrous defeat in the war, the competition between Britain and Russia in the Far East, Near East, and Central Asia had virtually disappeared.

But it is different now. Although Russia has experienced failure, it is more like having to admit defeat due to the domestic crisis.

Given a few more years of development, Russia will still be the hegemon of the Far East.

Not to mention the Near East and Central Asia, Russia’s power in these two regions has not weakened, and its competition with Britain continues.

Due to the continued existence of competition, the reconciliation between Britain and Russia that happened in the original history did not progress, even worsened due to the previous Fishermen Crisis.

Prussia did this during the Franco-Prussian War, and Germans firmly believe that a stronger German Empire would accomplish this task more easily.

The negotiations went very smoothly, but many ministers within Russia believed that if Russia takes Germany’s side in future conflicts and assumes corresponding obligations, it would violate the French-Russian alliance agreement.

Besides, Russia’s diplomacy should be based on the French-Russian alliance as the cornerstone, and Russia, heavily dependent on French capital, also needs a large amount of French loans.

There were also two factions in Russia – one faction supports maintaining the French-Russian alliance, keeping good relations with France, seeking a certain degree of reconciliation with Britain, and reaching a more advanced British, French, and Russian tripartite agreement.

The other faction believed that France currently places more weight on the agreement with Britain and focuses its support on Russia in the European Region.

But Russia’s Far East policy remains one of the most important policies, and Russia still needs to maintain its hegemony in the Far East and defend its hard-won ice-free ports.

However, adherence to the Far East policy will lead to competition with Britain and dissatisfaction from France.

Instead of having a bigger conflict with Britain in the future and forcing France to choose between Russia and Britain (in fact, this faction of Russians believe that France would choose Britain), Russia should give up or weaken its cooperation with France in advance to gain Germany’s support.

Nicholas II did not know how to choose for a moment, but a proposal from an officer made him brighten up.

Isn’t Germany claiming to use loans, weapons, and a large amount of support for Russia’s Far East in the Australian Region in exchange for Russia’s support for Germany in future conflicts?

Why not ask Australia’s opinion then?

With the development of Australia’s armaments industry during the Russo-Japanese War, Australia’s position in the Far East has become somewhat special.

First of all, Australia’s industry has already developed, and the industrial sector has grown to a certain scale.

Especially in the military industry, due to the integration of British and German weapon systems, Australia’s military industry has become exceptionally advanced.

Moreover, with abundant mineral resources and plenty of labor and its proximity to the Far East region compared to other powerful nations, supplies from Australia can arrive within a week.

During the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian army relied heavily on the large number of weapons and equipment from Australia, barely achieving a balance with the Island Nation Army in terms of defense.

Although Russia also understands that Australian weapons are exported to the Island Nation, in the absence of any diplomatic relations, this is the norm in the international community.

Upon receiving Nicholas II’s request, William II raised his eyebrows, but quickly agreed to Nicholas II’s request.