Chapter 968 Tangled......
What worries the British government is not only the international situation, but also the accompanying economic problems.
If nothing else, the market from which the French have withdrawn will be mostly replaced by Austrian industrial and commercial products, and Britain can only pick up some leftovers.
The law of "the stronger stays stronger" applies here as well. Austria itself is an industrial overlord, and now it has captured the French market, and domestic industry and commerce will definitely develop further.
A little common sense knows that the more industrial and commercial products are produced, the lower the cost and the stronger the market competitiveness.
The market is so big, and the further development of Austria's industry and commerce is bound to compete with Britain.
Not to mention other regions, at least Britain's market share in Europe will definitely be squeezed.
When the market shrinks, the profit of the company will decrease, and the money invested in product development and promotion will also decrease. This is a vicious circle.
Of course, these are long-term issues. Britain has the richest colony in the world, and it can hold up in a short period of time.
The big deal is to slowly transform the economy, abandon the manufacturing industry with meager profits, and vigorously develop the financial and service industries. The original time and space have done this, and now it is naturally possible.
The long-term problem is the next one, or the next one, Gladstone doesn't have to worry about them, and the current trouble is enough for him to have a headache.
As the world's largest financial empire, it is natural to lend usury. Everyone knows that those who play finance are all daring and scrupulous owners.
As long as the benefits are big enough, no matter how big the risks are, someone will do it.
In Britain, which advocates a free economy, the government does not interfere with private lending. In the continental war, these speculators were naturally indispensable.
Some people gain blood, and some people lose blood. With the end of the European War, the financial groups that bet on the French government are now locked in.
If the consortium's money was tied up, Gladstone would only open champagne to celebrate, and wouldn't care about the life and death of these vampires.
It is a pity that the vampires are very shrewd, and they have carefully planned the script for a long time. The profit is their own, and the loss is raised from the private sector.
From the end of the European War to the present, more than 300 financial institutions in Britain have declared bankruptcy, throwing the mess directly to the government.
It is impossible to collect debts. Judging from the current situation, even if the French government has money, it has been swept away by the anti-French alliance. It is estimated that within a few decades, it is impossible to fulfill this debt.
Before the French's bad debts could be dealt with, the German Confederation breached its debt again, giving the London government another blow.
This time it is not only private loans, many of which are secured by the British government.
No way, the German federal government declared bankruptcy. In order to save money, they even cancelled the embassy in London and entrusted the business to the Austrian embassy in London.
It's not that the German federal government deliberately "delinquent", they are indeed out of money now. The states below did not pay taxes, the centrally-administered area was smashed again, the government lost all its income, and even the salaries of public officials had to be paid in advance by Austria, let alone repaid.
The settlement is approaching the end of the year, and the government cannot afford to pay its debts, so it can only choose to go bankrupt and default.
In fact, it is not only the German Federal Government that has gone bankrupt. The Belgian government, whose hometown was broken, also declared bankruptcy at this time.
No money means no money, no one pretends to be poor. They are not targeting Britain alone, but defaulting on all their debts together. It's just that Britain lent the most and became the biggest victim.
"Have the German and German governments made any statement?"
The French government simply ignored Gladstone, and apparently he didn't think he could get money out of the anti-French alliance's nose.
It is a well-known fact that the German and German governments have no money, and Gladstone does not expect them to spend money immediately.
It doesn't matter if you don't have money, Britain has a professional financial team. As long as you can come up with enough collateral, you can borrow more.
The key lies in the attitude to solve the problem, whether it is necessary to "suspend payment" because of lack of money, or to "receive the debt".
"The plan given by the Belgian government is to postpone the payment for five years, and use the French war reparations as a guarantee. After five years, the war reparations paid by the French will be paid to us first.
The plan given by the German federal government is to transfer the creditor's rights, directly deducting the corresponding amount from the war reparations, and the French will bear the debt.
In theory, both the German and German governments' plans can work. The only question is whether the French can afford it. "
It's not that George is soft-hearted, it's really a special situation now. Belgium is now a poor ghost, the national treasury can be closed without the gate, and there is no oil at all.
The German Confederation seems to be in better shape, but the government is too weak and could close at any time.
If the debt issue is not dealt with quickly, and when Austria announces the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire and dissolves the illegal organization of the German Confederation, even the creditors will be wiped out.
No country will pay for an illegal government formed by a chaotic party unless Britain can get Austria to recognize the legitimacy of the German federal government.
This is obviously not possible. Recognizing the legitimacy of the German federal government means that the empire is divided. Vienna was able to withstand the pressure thirty years ago, not to mention now.
"Trouble!"
"Judging from the current situation, the anti-French alliance will definitely hit the French hard, and the war reparations will probably not be one billion pounds.
Belgium made a lot of sacrifices in this war. Austria has to be appeased by reason and reason, and the proportion of indemnity should not be low.
With five years as a buffer, the French should also recover a little bit of vitality. Even if they can't pay the reparations in full, the part that goes to Belgium every year is enough to pay our debts. Even if it is lacking, the Belgians can make up for it.
The proposal of the German federal government is troublesome. It seems that we have no loss in the transfer of creditor's rights, but in fact the risks we need to bear are very large.
Not only the French's ability to pay, but also the political risk. If Russia and Austria play tricks, let the French deliberately delay, or pay the transferred debts at the end, it is estimated that by the end of this century, we will not see the money. "
Gladstone can't help but worry, Britain has played a similar trick, and now the feng shui turns, it's their turn to be passive.
Accepting the assignment of the creditor's rights of the German Federal Republic means high risk; rejecting the assignment of the creditor's rights, there is no chance to bear the risk.
The current German federal government is like a limited liability company that is about to go bankrupt with huge debts, and it still has the lowest registered capital.
Anyway, everyone is only responsible within the scope of the registered capital. Whether it is a legal person or a shareholder, they have chosen to stop losses in a timely manner, and have no intention to save the company.
As a creditor, Britain is in a tragedy, either to collect the company's bad debts outside, or to wait for bankruptcy and liquidation.
Foreign Minister Georg added: "Not only us, but other creditors of the German Federal Republic are now treated the same, including the Royal Bank of Austria.
Now that George I has thanked his guests behind closed doors, and threw everything to the German Federal Government, the Kingdom of Hanover and the German Federal Government have completed the cut.
In order to stop the loss, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed to use the colony to repay the debt, but it was still rejected by them. Aivar is still clamoring for war with us as long as they dare to touch their colonies. "
None of them are fuel-efficient lamps, and even Britain's own son is now rebellious. No matter how good their previous relationship was, in short, they would not carry the debt.
Even if they knew that they would offend Death Britain in this way, they were now fearless. Anyway, the revived Holy Roman Empire is the hegemon of the European continent. If the British want to make trouble, the central government will stand by them, so there is no need to counsel.
...
It is not only the British government that is also struggling, but the Japanese government in Tokyo is not feeling well. Even the fact that Japanese troops had occupied the Philippine Islands did not make Emperor Meiji feel relieved.
There is no way, the plan does not change fast. Originally, I was going to speculate when the situation became clear, but unfortunately, due to the inconvenience of communication, the news of the Japanese government was delayed for a few days.
However, within a few days, the French surrendered. So much so that the gauntlet prepared by the Japanese government could not be sent out.
It's not enough to forcibly touch porcelain. The French Indochina Peninsula was preempted by the British, and several small islands of the French in the Southeast Asian region fell into the hands of Austria, none of which they dared to provoke.
The failure of speculation has put Japan in a very embarrassing position now, and the international situation is not friendly to them, especially the next Vienna Peace Conference.
Spain is a European country and a member of the anti-French alliance. It is clear at a glance who everyone will support at the Vienna Peace Conference.
Without the recognition of various countries, the Philippine Islands they occupy are rootless and may be snatched away at any time.
In the days to come, they not only have to worry about the Spaniard's counterattack, but also be wary of Britain and Austria's black hands against them.
Before Spain was able to defend the Philippine Islands, it was not only because of its strength, but simply because of its strength. Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal were not qualified to defend the colonies in their hands, but more because of political factors.
Now that the situation on the European continent has changed dramatically, and the Philippine Islands have fallen into the hands of the Japanese, the original political factors are no longer applicable at this time.
Missing the opportunity for speculation, the Japanese government can only speak with strength if it wants to defend the Philippine Islands.
"Prime Minister, what is the position of the European countries?"
Ito Bowen's expression tightened, and he said with some embarrassment: "The situation is not optimistic, I personally went to visit the ministers of various countries, and even if the empire made concessions, it did not receive explicit support from any country.
Among the great powers, the British had a vague position, as if they did not care about our occupation of the Philippine archipelago; the Russians were also more inclined to Spain, and after the Empire made concessions, they did not get their assurances.
Austria's position is the most unfavorable to us. Minister Antonio made it clear that he hopes that we will abandon the Philippine Islands and stop our expansion into the South China Sea.
The only good news is that Austria's position is not too firm and there is no intention of forceful intervention. Oppose our occupation of the Philippine Islands, should be because Spain is their ally.
According to the news from Europe, the Spaniards have begun to form an expeditionary fleet. At present, there are three new battleships and ten ironclad ships, all from the French Navy. "
Naval Minister Saigo Congdao asked suspiciously: "Aren't all the French warships going to be auctioned, how did they fall into the hands of the Spaniards?"
Ito Bowen explained helplessly: "The French warships are all trophies of the anti-French alliance, and Spain is a member of the anti-French alliance. Borrowing them in advance before the auction is no big deal.
Even if it is going to be auctioned, it is just a passing scene, and these warships will also fall into the hands of Spain. The warships that can really be bought by the outside world are also selected by the anti-French alliance countries. "
Opening the back door is perfectly normal. As a member of the anti-French alliance, there is no problem if you don't have privileges.
Xixiang Cong Dao was silent. The 100-year navy is not a joke. Regardless of how badly Spain has declined, there is still no shortage of naval heritage. As long as there is money and warships, a fleet can be pulled soon.
The Japanese Navy has a limited wealth, and the most advanced battleships are only a few ironclad ships, or cruisers, and the most advanced battleships do not exist at all.
Warships are not ordinary weapons, and they cannot be bought with money. The warships that can be bought in the international market are all second- and third-rate warships, and may even be simplified versions. The British are the most slippery in this regard.
More than 10,000 tons of former dreadnoughts against thousands of tons of cruisers, it is not so much a battle as a slaughter. The navy does not rely on blood and courage, and the gap in technology cannot be filled by a few slogans.
No matter how confident he is, Saigo Congdao does not think that the broken ships of the Japanese Navy can be compared with the elite warships of the French Navy.
Seeing the navy's counseling, Army General Da Shanyan hurriedly said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Imperial Japanese Army is not afraid of any challenge from the enemy. As long as we are here, we will definitely be able to defend the Philippine Islands."
Unlike the worries of the navy, the army is full of confidence. In the previous offensive and defensive battle of the Philippine Islands, the Japanese army was hanging all the way to beat the Spaniards.