Chapter 684 Talking About Money

Russian Jews are a good example of what it means to be unlucky and even drinking cold water will cause your teeth to ache.

In fact, the Jewish population in Russia is very different from their relatives on the European continent. These people mainly make a living by farming, and are not the bankers and businessmen that people usually imagine.

Among Russians, Jews drink less alcohol. This does not mean that Jews do not drink alcohol, but that they drink less alcohol than other Russians.

When faced with the cholera disaster, Russia was in a similar situation to Britain and France. Dead bodies could be seen everywhere in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

The refugee and vagrant problems that had plagued the Tsar for many years were greatly alleviated in just a few weeks.

Instead, there were a large number of unclaimed bodies and rapidly rising fuel costs due to the need to cremate the bodies.

The St. Petersburg Palace.

Nicholas I paced anxiously, waiting for the report of the new Governor-General of the Caucasus, Count Josiah Barria Jones.

In the eyes of Tsar Nicholas I, the plague that killed the poor was not worth mentioning, and victory in the war was the key to turning the situation around.

The crisp sound of leather shoes landing came from the deep corridor, and a young officer in a neat uniform was striding towards the meeting room where the Tsar was.

The young officer had a stern face, a firm look in his eyes, and a unique military aura.

If this person appeared in any celebrity ball or salon in Europe, he would definitely become the focus of attention. Both men and women would respect him.

However, there was a clear missing piece on the angular earlobe, a shallow scar on the chin, and the severely worn leather boots all told of the cruelty of war.

The door was slowly pushed open, and the Tsar finally stopped and looked at the young man who walked in.

The pressure accumulated by the superiors for many years came to his face, coupled with his terrifying height, even the cold and hard soldiers like steel couldn't help but tremble.

But the young officer had seen big scenes after all, and soon regained his composure.

He took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and began to report to the Tsar the results and process of the war, as well as what he saw, heard, and felt.

At first, the Tsar just listened quietly, but soon frowned.

Until he heard the sentence "Earl Josiah Barria Jones has repelled the Chechen attack, and the southern Russian steppe is safe. We can take this opportunity to build a defense line to prevent the enemy from attacking again..."

"Damn coward! I gave him 200,000 troops, which is ten times that of Imam Shamil! In the end, he was complacent just by repelling the enemy! What I want is victory! To kill them all!"

Tsar Nicholas I roared hysterically, and Earl Josiah Barria Jones's progress was far less than the former's expectations.

However, as a witness of the Caucasus War, the young Consquet Lobyzov knew how hard-won this victory was.

Although the Imam Khanate had a small number of troops, the Caucasus region where it was located was very vast and the terrain was complex. Although the Russian army had ten times the strength of the enemy, they were unfamiliar with the terrain, and the hostility of the locals often put them at a disadvantage on the local battlefield.

At the same time, the army of the Imam Khanate was fearless, and Imam Shamil himself was an excellent strategist. It was not easy for Count Josiah Barriajones to repel them.

"Marshal Barriajones and we have done our best."

Before Consquet Lobyzov finished speaking, he was rudely interrupted by Nicholas I.

"Enough! I don't want to listen to the loser's excuses. Tell Josiah Barriajones that he can go home and hug his children. Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich will take his place."

Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich was a close friend of Tsar Nicholas I and one of the most meritorious generals in Russia. He had participated in the Napoleonic Wars, put down the rebellion of the Decembrists, and suppressed the Polish uprising. He was also known as the "Prince of Warsaw" and "Night".

The young officer was angry and unwilling, but he did not dare to disobey the Tsar.

Nicholas I noticed the young man's expression. He was in a very bad mood. In his plan, the Imam Khanate should have been completely eliminated before 1846.

"Go down and have a good rest." The Tsar's tone was cold. The young Consquet clenched his fists, stood at attention, saluted, and turned to leave.

Although Prime Minister Ilarion Vasilyevich Vasilychkov was the head of the Russian civil servants, his status was not high because the civil servants themselves were not favored by Nicholas I.

But as Prime Minister Ilarion had to say something.

"Your Majesty, you have changed three coaches in a row. I am afraid that this will have a negative impact on the morale of the army."

"What do you know? Have you been on the battlefield? Or have you been to a military school?"

Prime Minister Ilarion was speechless for a moment, and Nicholas I continued with even more contempt.

"You know nothing, what qualifications do you have to comment here? Fighting is the business of the military, and civilians should do their own work!"

Field Marshal Prince Mainkov: "Your Majesty, the war has been going on for too long. We need to end this costly war as soon as possible. I propose to increase the troops by another 100,000."

Nicholas I nodded approvingly and looked at Prime Minister Ilarion, but the latter obviously did not realize his mistake and spoke at an inappropriate time.

"Your Majesty, we have no money! If we send another hundred thousand troops, the supplies will crush our country!"

"Go borrow it if you don't have any money! You damn guy, don't you have any brains at all?"

Nicholas I was obviously even more angry. He already looked down on these talkative guys, and the submissive look of Prime Minister Hilarion made him even more displeased.

"Your Majesty, we have no place to borrow money now." Prime Minister Hilarion said very aggrievedly.

"Idiot! Do you still want me to teach you how to borrow money? First sign a contract and borrow the money, and then expand production. How simple."

In fact, this was what Franz taught Nicholas I. Although it was very primitive, it was very effective. But it is only effective for countries with vast land and rich manpower like Russia.

This method has indeed worked well before. Three large arsenals in Russia were built in this way. These three factories are the Ivresk Arsenal, the Shetroretsk Arsenal and the Tula Arsenal, all located in the heart of Russia.

I have mentioned it before and will not go into details here. The annual output is 100,000 rifles, 15,000 long swords, 1 million rounds of ammunition, and 100 cannons.

However, as cracks appear in Russian-Austrian relations, Franz will no longer be merciful. If the Russian government borrows money again, it cannot directly use futures as collateral. Even if it uses futures as collateral, the price will be suppressed to a very low level.

Of course, they would not say this openly, but they would be skeptical about the future of the Russian economy. After all, the Imam Khanate was operating in the Caucasus and near the Black Sea at this time.

At the same time, the merchant ships of the Austrian Empire have been "robbed" once, and Russia has not yet made compensation.

Originally, the trade between Russia and Austria was its largest source of external income. However, as the former created a rift in the relationship between the two, the latter also began to be picky about trade goods.

Prime Minister Hilarion also tried to find a taker, but Russia's plate was too big and no one could take it, and its credibility was too bad, so no one dared to take it.

"The Austrians said that they have poor turnover and no money, so they have to hand over the money and deliver the goods."

Prime Minister Hilarion said somewhat helplessly that if the Tsar had not suddenly visited Britain, they could still make money while lying down.

Nicholas I was not an idiot. He knew that everything that had happened recently was Austria's revenge, but it was his dream to carve up the world with Britain.

At the same time, to realize the glory and dream of the Romanov dynasty, he could only sacrifice the Austrian Empire as an ally.

"What about Britain and France?"

"Private banks in Britain and France saw that the Austrians had withdrawn their capital, and they lost confidence even more. They all followed suit and the conditions were even harsher than the Austrians."

Although Russia has been blocking news of domestic rebellions, the great powers all have their own informants in St. Petersburg. In addition, Franz can also use newspapers in various countries to spread the news.

Therefore, the situation in Russia at this time makes private businessmen in various countries have no confidence at all, and at the same time, they have no courage to do business with it.

"What about the National Bank?" Nicholas I continued to ask without giving up. In fact, he was very tired of businessmen. In his eyes, those people had neither moral bottom line nor courage.

"The British claimed that they would only consider doing business with us if we abrogated the Treaty of Winkar-Iskelesi with the Ottoman Empire."

Nicholas I was so angry that he almost smashed the table on the spot, but there was no table around him for him to smash.

"Damn British guys! I'm obviously honest with you, but they still want to give me nothing!"

Such an obvious mistake in diplomatic rhetoric cannot be made by the wily British Foreign Office. In fact, its original words are:

"As long as Russia abrogates the Treaty of Vinkar-Iskelesi with the Ottoman Empire, we will lend them money."

Although it is also a trap, Franz is not sure whether Nicholas I and the numerous pro-British factions in Russia will be fooled. After all, historically they believed the British lies and almost killed themselves.

So Franz didn't want to take this risk, so he bribed some Russian officials, replacing "only" with "only".

If the Russians jumped into such an obvious trap, then Franz could only change his strategy, change allies, or let Russia change its master.

In France, whether it is Louis Philippe or Napoleon III in prison, they all have clear goals and it is easier to communicate.

Because they all have different interest groups behind them, personal will will be greatly weakened. Although it also has a strong personal style, it can still be discussed.

However, Russia is completely different. The personal will of the Czar can completely influence the country's policies. People feel very insecure with such allies.

As for changing the czar, Franz did not consider it, because the crown prince Alexander II at this time was still a thorough liberal.

Although Alexander II is known as the "last great tsar" in history, this was the result of long-term groping and growth, coupled with the strong stimulation of Nicholas I's defeat and suicide.

If it is forced onto the stage of history, there is too much uncertainty, and if liberal reforms are carried out recklessly, the whole of Russia may fall apart by then.

Abolition of the "Winkar-Iskelesi Treaty" signed with the Ottoman Empire would be equivalent to ruining the efforts of several generations of tsars. This was very clear to Nicholas I after Franz repeatedly reminded him.

Since the British can't do it, what about the French?

Nicholas I continued to ask: "What are the conditions of France?"

Prime Minister Hilarion actually received money from the French. He cleared his throat and said.

"The French are willing to lend us money, but they need us to use Alaska as collateral."

Nicholas I and Prince Mainkov looked at each other. In fact, although Alaska is a large place, it is completely useless for Russia at this time.

Although Russia began to colonize Alaska in 1784, the effect was touching. Until 1846, this colony was still mainly based on fur trade and fishing, with less than 7,000 people on more than 1.7 million square kilometers of land.

(Here, the natives who defected to Russia are also calculated, and the ratio of natives to Russians is not clear.)

In fact, even today Alaska is the least populous state in the United States, with a population of only 740,000.

Although Nicholas I likes land very much, he really doesn't have much interest in this huge and useless land.

Moreover, the failure in the Oregon region proved that it would be difficult for Russia to continue to make any achievements in the North American continent, so His Majesty the Tsar thought it would be a good idea to sell this piece of rotten land for tens or even hundreds of billions of rubles.

(At this time, the ruble was nearly twice as expensive as the franc.)

Prince Mainkov also thought it was a good idea. After all, Alaska was too far away and soldiers had to be sent to guard it. The problem of people was easy to solve, but supply was very difficult. In addition, Russia did not have any good ports, and the cost of maintaining rule was really high.

As for the resources of Alaska, they were not worth mentioning in Russia. Whether it was wild animals, forests, or fish, Russia had plenty.

(At that time, gold mines and oil had not been discovered in Alaska, and it was also called the Tsar's "freezer.")

The Tsar saw that Prince Mainkov had the same idea as himself, so he asked.

"How much are the French prepared to bid?"

Prime Minister Hilarion carefully extended a finger.

"One hundred million rubles? No, that's too little! You know, Alaska is three times the size of France!"

Prime Minister Hilarion swallowed his saliva and shook his head.

"What do you want to say?" Nicholas I asked.

"It's 10 million francs."

Prime Minister Hilarion replied tremblingly.

"What! 10 million? Francs again!"

Originally, asking for a high price and paying it back on the spot is a common practice in the business world. However, no one dared to talk business with the Tsar, and Nicholas I felt insulted.

Then a palm-sized slap hit Prime Minister Hilarion in the face, and the poor old prime minister was directly knocked out.

The 206cm tall Nicholas I's round blow was not weak, and Hilarion was almost killed by it.

In fact, the French bid was 50 million francs, and the highest was no more than 100 million. It was just that the people sent by Guizot lowered the bid by half in order to save costs and told Hilarion.

"Our budget is 50 million francs. As for how much we can reduce, we will each take half. In addition, I will personally donate 500,000 francs to you."

If the 10 million francs are negotiated, then Prime Minister Hilarion will be able to earn 20 million francs, a figure he would never dare to imagine in his lifetime.