Chapter 317 War Profits

The German army did not completely ignore the use of cars in military logistics. Reading

While Greece was enjoying peace, the war in Europe continued.

In the recently concluded Battle of the Marne, after the German army successfully occupied Belgium, its five armies of one million troops invaded northern France, intending to capture Paris in one fell swoop and force France to surrender.

The British and French armies, led by French Commander-in-Chief Joffre, stopped the German army's attempt at the Marne River.

In this Battle of the Marne River, excluding the command ability and military quality of the generals of both sides, the performance of cars as an important means of logistics transportation was also very eye-catching.

Among them, the 20,000 trucks used by the British and French coalition forces will be scattered from Verdun to Paris, where the army will soon gather at the Marne River, to counterattack the German First and Second Armies.

The German army was not to be outdone. Among the 10,000 transport trucks assigned to the right wing, 40,000 of them were mainly used to reinforce the First and Second Armies, and the timely ammunition support helped them withstand the British and French counterattacks.

In this battle in which both sides suffered 600,000 casualties, trucks on both sides became an indispensable means of transportation.

These heavy-duty trucks transported personnel and ammunition to the front line, and then carried the wounded back to the rear. Heavy-duty trucks performed well in this battle and were busy until the end of the battle.

Although during the battle, 10,000 of the 60,000 trucks owned by both sides broke down due to lack of parts, were destroyed by the enemy, and could not be used, it was still much more efficient than the traditional power-accumulation transportation relied on by the army in logistics.

In traditional power-accumulation transportation, mules and horses are easily frightened by guns and artillery and flee in all directions, and livestock are also prone to large-scale deaths due to fatigue when the battle is fierce.

After the battle, the commanders of both sides on the front line asked the rear government to supplement their truck transportation teams as much as possible. The rear government could only try to collect domestic trucks and hand them over to the army.

In a short period of time, the demand for trucks on both sides increased rapidly. As an important raw material indispensable for manufacturing tires, rubber also became a strategic material in short supply on both sides.

After the German-Austrian overseas transportation was completely blocked, Greece, which still had a large amount of natural rubber reserves, became the target of both Germany and Austria.

Before the outbreak of the war, the rubber forests invested by the Greeks had entered the peak production period. In addition to supplying domestic use in Greece every year, they also exported a large amount to various countries.

Now that the war has broken out, as an important strategic material, the price of rubber has soared sharply, making rubber in Greece very popular.

There are also rubber futures trading varieties in the Athens Exchange.

In the Royal Palace of Constitution Square, Constantine is discussing the rubber transaction with Prime Minister Venizelos.

Previously, the British and French ambassadors to Greece visited Prime Minister Venizelos and wanted to discuss the purchase of all the export shares of Greek rubber, and the price offered was not low.

Originally, this was just a transaction, and there was no unusual expenditure, but the German and Austrian ambassadors to Greece also visited Prime Minister Venizelos and asked to buy Greek rubber.

Regarding the rubber transaction involving the Allied Powers and the Allied Powers, the Prime Minister certainly did not dare to make a decision privately, and could only consult with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Edel sat behind his desk and asked the prime minister in front of him with interest. "You mean Britain and France agreed to buy all the natural rubber we export at a price of 25 pounds per ton?"

Looking at the crown prince sitting in front of him, Venizelos replied: "Yes, British Ambassador Richard and French Ambassador Le Mans said it in person at the time, and it was authorized by the government, so I think it can be considered."

Now Greece's rubber forests in Congo produce about 200,000 tons of rubber each year, of which Greece's domestic rubber demand is only about 50,000 tons, and the rest can be exported.

After leaving 50,000 tons of natural rubber for self-use, there are also 150,000 tons of refined oil, which is 3.75 million pounds at a price of 25 pounds.

Faced with this huge amount of money, it is no wonder that the prime minister hurried to discuss with the crown prince.

The government can also get some benefits from the transaction, which is not a small amount for the government whose fiscal revenue has been tight due to the outbreak of war.

Constantine looked at the prime minister who was obviously moved and said. "We are not in a hurry to reply to the British and French ambassadors now. When you go back, pass the news that Britain and France want to buy Greek rubber to Germany and Austria, and say that Britain and France want to buy all the natural rubber exported from Greece in a package."

When Venizelos heard this, he knew Constantine's intention, which was to let the two sides compete directly.

As colonial powers, Britain and France have a large number of rubber fields in tropical areas where rubber is rich. Moreover, after the war began, the domestic industrial production of the two countries was also affected due to mobilization, and there was definitely no shortage of rubber.

The reason why the two countries asked Greece to buy rubber was purely because they did not want Germany and Austria to get scarce industrial raw materials.

The overseas blockade of Germany and Austria was completely blocked by the Allied Powers, and the overseas source of natural rubber was completely cut off, so they were naturally anxious to buy.

Rubber is a necessary material for manufacturing aircraft, warships, cars, tractors, harvesters, water conservancy and irrigation machinery, medical equipment, etc.

It is said that in order to meet the domestic demand for rubber, Germany has been studying the technology of artificial synthetic rubber, but the time is short, and it is definitely too late in a short time.

Neither country produces rubber. Now Germany and Austria can only rely on trade with neutral countries to obtain some rubber to meet their own needs.

Therefore, after learning the news, Germany and Austria must rush over to stabilize Greece.

What the two countries most want to see is that all of Greece's rubber export share can be packaged and returned to China.

As Constantine expected, the day after Constantine asked Prime Minister Venizelos to deliver the news, German Ambassador Bas and Austria-Hungary Ambassador Beryl rushed to see the crown prince.

Constantine, who had been waiting for the two ambassadors at the palace for a long time, immediately asked his attendants to invite them in.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, it was previously reported that Britain and France want to buy all the natural rubber exported by Greece. Is the news true?"

After showing diplomatic etiquette, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador Belial eagerly asked about Constantine.

Faced with the inquiry from the Austro-Hungarian ambassador, Constantine said unabashedly: "Yes, the British and French ambassadors came to see the palmist before and wanted to buy all the natural rubber exported by Greece. Now we are considering it."

After hearing Edel's reply, German Ambassador Bass stood up and said: "Your Highness, Germany and Greece have always had close relations, and the royal families of the two countries are related by marriage. So I hope that Your Highness can consider the relationship between our two countries." Deep friendship and rejection of malicious competition from Britain and France. You must know that there is no shortage of rubber in the two countries. Britain and France have a large number of rubber forests in Southeast Asia where rubber is produced."

Constantine was also amused by Ambassador Bas's words. Business is business, and they are still talking about friendship. There are only interests between countries.

Constantine replied calmly: "But the price offered by Britain and France is too good for us to refuse."

After hearing the words of the crown prince, Ambassador Bass, who was mainly responsible for this meeting, knew that the critical moment had arrived.

Faced with the Crown Prince's directness, Ambassador Bas also gave the conditions between the two countries: "We believe that the current rubber price is unreasonable, and the price of Greek rubber should be increased to ensure the interests of Greece."

He glanced at the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador Beryl, and after receiving the ambassador's response, he continued: "Our two governments have decided to increase the price of rubber exported from Greece to us to 32 pounds per ton."

Regarding the conditions of Ambassador Bas, Constantine did not give a specific reply: "Thank you to both countries for their support to Greece. I still need to discuss this matter with the Prime Minister. I cannot reply to you directly now. I hope the two ambassadors will forgive me."

In response to the crown prince's words, both ambassadors replied: "No problem, we will understand your country's difficulties."

Ambassador Bass and Belial both knew that now was the beginning of the competition between the two sides for this source of raw materials that was crucial to Germany and Austria.

They are here in a hurry just to delay Greece from agreeing to the conditions of Britain and France in advance.

The prices given to them by the two governments still have room to increase.