Chapter 37 Negotiations with France
In July 1884, as countries could not reach a consensus on the dispute over the Congo River Basin, Bismarck appealed to major countries to hold an international conference to resolve the current differences and conflicts among countries in Africa.
Constantine, who received the news, came to the French capital Paris with Schmidt, and took a carriage to the Matignon House on Vahena Street in the seventh district of Paris.
As for Banning, he went to Berlin to participate in the formal meeting as an observer of the Congo Commission.
Matignon House is the office of the French Prime Minister.
The two came to the gate, and Schmidt went to negotiate with the guards in front of the gate. After a while, a man who looked like a butler in a tuxedo walked out of the gate and invited Constantine and the others to enter the Prime Minister's Office.
Constantine, led by the butler, came to the study of Matignon Palace, only to see French Prime Minister Jules Ferry waiting for him.
Jules, wearing a brown suit, had a big forehead and thick beards on both cheeks. Maybe it was a beard, maybe it was sideburns, and he looked a little weird.
The two sat at the reception table.
"Dear Prime Minister, I came here this time to reach a consensus with you on the issue of the Congo River Basin," Constantine said directly, stating his purpose.
"Your Excellency the Duke, I think there is nothing to discuss about the Congo River Basin. France has indisputable sovereignty over equatorial Africa," said Prime Minister Jules arrogantly.
The Frenchman Brazza led an adventure team to open up many colonial outposts on the north bank of the Congo River, and had many disputes with Stanley's adventure team.
Even so, in the eyes of Prime Minister Jules, the Congo Commission, which was only privately supported, had weak financial resources and could not be the opponent of the Brazza Adventure Team backed by the powerful French government.
The entire Congo River will sooner or later be a French colony.
"But Portugal proposed that they have ownership of Congo"
"So what? The Portuguese will not be the opponent of France," Jules was still unwilling to show weakness in front of Constantine.
"But they have the support of the British behind them," Constantine said.
Jules choked and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
The British are France's old rivals. The two sides have no idea how many conflicts they have had, but the French have always lost more than they won against the British, and have suffered many setbacks at the hands of the British.
"Mr. Prime Minister, I think that at present, no matter what the status of Congo will be in the future, at least for now, we should unite to oppose the claims of Britain and Portugal, and we can no longer let the British use their own strength to unscrupulously exert their influence in Africa," Constantine said.
Hearing Constantine's request, Jules frowned and thought about Constantine's suggestion.
"As long as you agree, the Congo Commission will be responsible for the management of the Congo River Basin. If one day in the future, the Congo Commission is financially exhausted and unable to maintain the management of the Congo River Basin, then our commercial bases and the trusteeship treaty will be sold to you, France, first," Constantine said sincerely.
Selling the rule of Congo to France first is not a trick by Constantine, but a sincere act.
To be honest, the plan to acquire African colonies has cost a huge sum of 7 million francs so far, and the royal family alone cannot afford it.
To develop overseas colonies in the barren land of Africa, there are many adventurers, which requires a lot of salary expenses, logistics expenses, etc. These expenses add up to a considerable expense, and such an expedition is far beyond the financial support of an individual.
In addition, what is even more disturbing is that if African colonies want to generate income, it is not enough to simply obtain management rights.
Because of the waterfall area at the mouth of the Congo River, if you want to effectively develop and utilize the Congo River basin, you must build a long railway line to connect the navigable river network and realize water and land transport.
It is foreseeable that this is another huge expense. So far, according to the information from the adventurers, the only commodities that can generate income from the Congo River are elephant ivory and wild rubber. As for mineral resources, due to the limitations of transportation conditions, European countries do not have clear information.
Considering these conditions, even Constantine, who knew that Congo's mineral resources had extraordinary potential in the future, did not dare to guarantee that the Congo Commission would be able to persist until the day when it recovered its costs after successfully obtaining the management rights of Congo.
Jules was very moved when he heard the conditions offered by Constantine. Since he learned that the Congo Commission had become France's colonial development rival in the Congo River, he had asked the intelligence personnel in detail about the details of the Congo Commission.
After careful analysis, he did not think that the Congo Commission could last long in the Congo River, where the environment was harsh and transportation and communication were difficult.
Constantine's proposal moved Jules.
If France could really accept the legacy of the Congo Commission after it was unable to maintain management, and get the ready-made Congo Commission to develop a certain scale of Congo, it would naturally be a good thing, even if it would cost a lot of money to buy it.
There are two benefits:
First, it avoids the sacrifice of a large number of French people. Developing colonies, especially colonies in tropical areas, has always been a dangerous and difficult act. In the initial investment, it not only costs money, but also requires certain sacrifices.
Second, the Congo River is now a very sensitive area. Because it is located in the middle of Africa, all countries are watching it. It is really difficult for a colonial power like France to take the Congo River region directly into its pocket under the watchful eyes of the public.
If a privately funded organization like the Congo Commission obtains management rights, even if the Congo Commission has a firm foothold in central Africa in the future, countries will not worry about its expansion in Africa, but will be more accepting.
After avoiding this sensitive period, find an opportunity to take over the management rights from him. This operation will have a buffer time.
Even if other countries have objections, the overall situation has been determined.
Even Constantine guessed that Jules might not have some dark thoughts: Even if the Congo Commission had a miracle and really succeeded in holding on to the day when the colony was profitable, it would still be a piece of meat close at hand for African powers like France.
It's just that it will be placed in the hands of the Congo Commission for custody first. When the right time comes, it may not be impossible to force Constantine to give up the Congo River Basin.
Jules pondered for a moment, pacing back and forth in the room, thinking about Constantine's conditions.
After a cup of tea, he apologized and said, "Your Excellency, I will discuss this matter with others and give you an answer later."
After that, he walked out of the room, leaving Constantine alone.
Sitting on the sofa, closing his eyes and sighing in his heart.
If Greece's strength was not too weak, he would not have to work so hard.
About an hour later, Prime Minister Jules finally came in.
"Your Excellency, the French government agreed to your conditions. When the Congo Commission is unable to maintain its management capabilities, France will have the priority to purchase." Jules said with relief.
He believed that he had expanded the territory for France again, and after exchanging opinions with other members of the government, his point of view was confirmed again.
Afterwards, Constantine signed the agreement with the French government.