Chapter 649 Diplomatic Action

Stockholm, since becoming the capital of the Nordic Confederation, this ancient city has been rejuvenated with new life, and the "Venice of the North" is well-deserved.

The beautiful scenery and the unique Nordic style add a special charm to the city, which is unforgettable.

No amount of beauty could have moved Philip Francis Thomas. As an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire, Francis has always been arrogant.

However, his so-called arrogance was defeated in the face of reality. Since accepting this task, his heart has been completely gone.

In order to win a new round of the Prussian-Russian War, the tsarist government not only tried to raise money from the three countries of Britain, France and Austria, but also did not let go of the Nordic Federation, which was a strip of water.

Of course, Francis's main task is not to raise money, but more to stabilize the Nordic Federation, lest this old enemy stab them at a critical moment.

With the unification of the three Nordic countries, the comprehensive national strength is not a matter of 1+1+1=3. After the three countries learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses, the Nordic Federation has formed its own system, and its comprehensive national strength is comparable to that of Prussia 20 years ago.

Thinking back to the old battle for Nordic hegemony with Sweden, the tsarist government dared not underestimate this potential opponent, and finally decided to appease this old opponent first.

For diplomats, this is undoubtedly a chore. There is no way, it is impossible not to give in in the face of the cruel reality.

Having personally experienced the last war, Francis knew that the Russian Empire's advantage over the Pope Federation was not as great as government propaganda suggested.

To a certain extent, the Nordic Federation already has the power to swing the balance. In order to win this war, the tsarist government had no time to lose face.

Not only to appease the Nordic Federation, all the neighbors are the objects of their wooing. Don't ask these neighbors to support them, just keep them neutral.

With a gloomy mood, Francis, as the tsar's special envoy, stepped into the Nordic Federal Foreign Office. Unlike the last time he came here, he has no arrogant capital.

...

Francis: "Your Excellency Count, this time we are very sincere. The Russian Empire is willing to take Finland as collateral in exchange for a loan of 800 million kronor.

We can make a promise that half of this loan will be used to import goods from your country. The interest is based on the international commercial loan practice, with an annual interest of 6%, and the principal and interest are repaid in annual installments. "

The currencies of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are all krona, and the currency value is the same (1 krona is about 0.4 grams of gold). After the establishment of the Nordic Federation, there is no need to change the currency name.

"Your Excellency Special Envoy, you overestimate us. The Nordic Federation is only a small country, not as rich as your country, let alone 800 million crowns, even 100 million crowns we can't get it." Nordic Federation Minister of Foreign Affairs Carla Valenti decisively refused

Francis was not angry, and he had already noticed it carefully. When he heard that Finland was being used as a mortgage, Carla Valenti frowned and quickly covered it up.

This is to be expected. After the establishment of the Nordic Federation, the call for Finland to be taken back in China has been increasing day by day.

Taking Finland back by force is not realistic. The Russian Empire is not something that the Nordic Federation can challenge, and the strength gap between the two sides is too great.

Moreover, there is also pro-Russian Denmark within the Nordic Federation, which has rashly provoked a war. If it fails, this fragile new government will be divided again.

If you put it another way and use economic means to get back to Finland, the situation is completely different.

The Danish government will not refuse the return of Finland, a powerful Nordic federation can help them regain the lost two principalities.

That's right, the Nordic Federation is an alliance of nations that compromised with each other. While the Russian Empire was in a weak period, it was established with the support of the great powers.

In this context, when the government conducts domestic and foreign affairs, it must also take into account the interests of all parties. For example: Sweden supports Denmark to recover the two principalities in exchange for Denmark's support for Sweden to recover Finland.

Of course, the premise is that the strength is enough. Although the Nordic Federation is a small country, it also has a historical background. Coupled with a comfortable natural environment, everyone tends to be conservative in strategy.

In other words: if the strength is enough, when the opportunity comes, recover the lost ground; if the strength is insufficient, then bear with it!

The Russo-Prussian War was the opportunity they were waiting for, and the strategy formulated by Oscar II was: whoever loses will be attacked.

This is the obvious question. If the Pubo Federation loses, the country might be gone, and naturally it cannot stop the actions of the Nordic Federation; if the Russian Empire loses the war, it will not be much better, and the Finnish region will definitely not be able to keep it.

It is also for this reason that the tsarist government is willing to take the Finnish area as collateral. Anyway, if you lose the war, you will not be able to keep Finland in the end. It is better to use it to stabilize the Nordic Federation first.

Francis: "His Excellency the Earl is too modest. With your country's economic strength, a mere 800 million kronor is not a problem at all.

As far as I know, your government's fiscal revenue this year is as high as 320 million kroner, and the liquidity in the Stockholm financial market alone exceeds 840 million kronor.

Your country's bank is fully capable to undertake this loan. "

800 million kronor is about: 87.43 million Aegis, or 43.715 million pounds. That's a huge amount of money for any country.

Francis proposed this figure, but also has a basis. Although Finland is not small in size, it is a bitter cold land in northern Europe after all, and it is a proper rotten land in this era.

There are many similar rotten Russians, if it is not of high strategic value, the tsarist government will not take it so seriously.

At this

In this era of the strong eating the weak, the European continent is not very peaceful. Small countries have no sense of security at all. Everyone is trying to strengthen themselves as much as possible.

The Nordic Commonwealth is eyeing Finland, and in addition to the factor of nationalism, there is still no better choice.

Carla Valenti shook her head: "Your Excellency Special Envoy, loans need to be considered risky. Your government's financial situation has always been bad, and war may break out with the Commonwealth at any time.

Once the war breaks out, your country's debt repayment ability will definitely go wrong, and you can only rely on collateral to cover it in the end.

The Finnish region is too barren, and the fiscal revenue is only enough to spend. And if there is not enough minerals, it depends on selling wood. How long will it take to recover the cost?

One hundred years, or two hundred years, everyone can't wait that long. "

It is no accident that they are rejected, and some talks are half-successful, indicating that the Nordic federal government is tempted.

Francis' task is to stabilize the Nordic Federation, not really how much to borrow. If you want to raise funds for the war, you can only find a way from the three countries of Britain, France and Austria. Other countries are too poor.

After the tentative inquiry was fruitless, Francis left, leaving Carla Valenti with a secret headache.

Although the pie that falls from the sky is good, it is also necessary to consider whether it is poisonous or not. The Russians are not easy to deal with. If they want to take advantage of them, they can easily be attacked.

...

In the palace, after receiving this good news, Oscar II's first reaction was not surprise, but shock.

After pondering for a while, Oscar II expressed his doubts: "What if the Russians won the war and finally refused to perform the contract?"

No way, the tsarist government has such a good reputation. If they lose the war, the Russians will definitely honor their contract, because they have neither the money to pay their debts nor the strength to keep Finland.

But winning the war is different. Although most of the tsarist government still has no money to repay its debts, they can't stand it and dare to default!

When the time comes, they will be dumbfounded when the tsar refuses to hand over Finland while refusing to pay the debt.

You can't use force to collect debts, right?

This is just an exclusive method for a strong country to collect debts against a weak country, and it is simply not feasible for a weak country to deal with a strong country.

Foreign Minister Carla Valenti said uncertainly: "Probably not! The Tsarist government is raising money for the war, not only borrowing money from us, but also borrowing money from Austria.

If the Tsarist government were to default..."

Before the words were finished, Count Carla Valenti no longer believed it. Borrowing money from Austria and borrowing money from the Nordic Federation are two completely different concepts.

To get rid of Austria's debt, the tsarist government has to think twice, and must consider the political risks behind it and the possible countermeasures that the Vienna government may take.

The Nordic Commonwealth is different, and it is also a matter of reneging on debts. At least Carla Valenti didn't find out what countermeasures they could use.

Needless to say, the risk of lending money to the tsarist government is simply too great, far exceeding the risk tolerance of the Nordic Federation.

After being silent for a while, Oscar II: "Continue to talk with the Russians, no matter what, this is an opportunity.

We simply cannot refuse to be able to reclaim the Finnish region through economic means. The most important thing now is to reduce the risk.

Now that the Russians have asked for loans, there must be measures to reassure us. For example: a third party provides a loan guarantee.

If the tsarist government can persuade one of Britain, France and Austria to provide a debt performance guarantee, it is not impossible to consider. "

The tsarist government can not care about the credibility, that is their own credibility is not good. The three countries of Britain, France and Austria are different. The economic reputation of the three countries are all leveraged, but they cannot be bought with only 800 million crowns.

...