Chapter 1095: Clouds Rise in the Far East
Chapter 1074 – The Rise of Wind and Clouds in the Far East
Where there are people, there is a jungle. Once interests are involved, anything becomes complicated.
Some people are against “free trade”, there are also people in favor of it. Not everyone is a victim of “free trade”, on the contrary, there are also many industries in Britain are the beneficiaries of free trade.
For example, the coal industry.
Since the last century, Britain has been the world’s largest exporter of coal. Today, nearly a third of Britain’s coal production capacity is exported.
Once it exits the free trade system, the good times for coal owners will come to an end. With tariff barriers, British coal will lose its cost advantage.
If the energy industry cannot monopolize the market, their core competitiveness is cost. Without the cost advantage, it is almost inevitable that the market will be encroached upon.
Another example: the textile industry.
Although the textile industry has been severely impacted by the wave of industrialization that has unfolded, Britain remains the world’s number one exporter of textiles.
Because of the economic development of the market has become larger, even though the share of British textiles in the international market has shrunk, but the total textile exports have not fallen much.
Data are false, only money is real. Regardless of how the future market prospects, at least now is still profitable.
Once out of the free trade system, these export-oriented enterprises, there is a family counts, who do not want to have a good day.
Driven by interests, Britain’s industrial and commercial sector has been polarized. The heart of the hand are meat, behind the scenes in control of industry and commerce of the consortium bigwigs is also a headache.
The decision of who to support and who to oppose can never be taken for granted. In essence, the consortium is a collection of capital interests, and does not have a strong binding force.
The consortium was strong when everyone’s interests were aligned. Now that there are disagreements within the members, the power of the consortium has actually been weakened to the extreme.
If the interests of a portion of the members were really seriously jeopardized, the consortium could split up in a matter of minutes. Against this backdrop, all the bigwigs of the consortium could do was to harmonize the conflicts between the various parties as much as possible.
The question of whether or not to withdraw from the free trade system naturally cannot be settled immediately when divisions occur within the capital.
Without trade barriers to protect the market, the London government’s economic stimulus policy is tantamount to a useless endeavor.
Sensei policy how to stimulate, not work industry is always not work. If the products do not have market competitiveness, it is useless to give more favorable policies.
When economic problems cannot be solved, political reforms become even more difficult. Most of the reform programs submitted by the Campbell government were rejected by the upper house, except for the bill on industry disputes involving the economy, which was passed.
For example: cutting the powers of the House of Lords, supporting Home Rule for Ireland, and granting higher autonomy to the colonies ……
With so many moving cheese reform proposals put forward, things quickly became difficult for the Campbell government.
In order to protect their own interests, the conservatives were forced to unite together, using the parliament as a position, and the reformers started the prelude to the “war of words”.
……
Prime Minister’s residence, Downing Street.
Looking into the distance through the window, Prime Minister Campbell sighed deeply. At this moment, his mood was similar to the weather in London, it was all gray.
As a sign of the advent of the industrial age, London has been shrouded in haze since the last century.
Especially in winter, visibility of less than fifty meters is a common occurrence. If not for the invention of fog lights, London’s winter could not be driven.
Campbell couldn’t care less about the weather. Since the beginning of the reform, he has not had a good night’s sleep, every day there are countless troubles to find the door.
The conservatives and the reformers were bickering, and the conflict between the two sides had almost become public. The battlefield had spread from the initial parliament to all of society.
The radio and the press, moreover, were the main battleground for the polemics of both sides.
“The public says the public is justified, and the women say the women are justified.”
As the polemic unfolded, not to mention the general public, even the intellectuals and middle-class elites were confused.
In fact, Campbell himself was somewhat baffled. Although the reform policy was proposed by him, after listening to the opposition’s reasoning, Campbell was not sure that the reform could succeed.
Persimmon to find soft pinch, political reforms first put aside, the most important thing now is to reform the economy, reversing the deteriorating economic situation in the country.
Only when the economic reform is successful and enough prestige has been established can the political reform be further promoted.
Releasing his emotions, Campbell turned around and asked, “Who has the upper hand out there now?”
Unlike other countries, there wasn’t much of a power gap between the reformers and conservatives in Britain.
Then there was a bizarre scene where no one was able to overwhelm anyone in the course of the argument.
One day the reformists prevail, the next day the conservatives will prevail, and no one knows what the final result will be.
The situation is so confusing that the speculators in the government are afraid to take sides. Without the help of bureaucrats, how can the reforms go on?
Interior Minister Azevedo: “There are no results yet. The recalcitrant faction is too powerful, and I’m afraid it will be difficult to separate the winners from the losers in a short period of time.
But the agricultural guilds we’ve pulled together have shown some interest, and it’s in their interest to withdraw from the free trade system.”
Compared to the industrial and commercial sector, the farmers of Britain were the real tragedy. Restricted by geological conditions, the land suitable for agricultural development in the British Isles was originally not much, and the cost of agricultural production was relatively high.
In the face of the impact of foreign agricultural products, British agriculture can be described as “only the power to fight, but not the power to fight back”.
Instead, they can not make a fuss, because Britain’s food production, simply can not meet their own needs.
Since they were importing food, naturally the cheaper the better. All sectors of society stood together, and naturally the interests of the peasants had to be sacrificed.
The interests of the peasants were not only jeopardized, but also those of the farmers and land-owning aristocrats.
They had a say in politics, but their power was much weaker when compared to the industrial and commercial sector.
In order to change this passive situation, in these people organized agricultural guilds. United politically, they fought for their own interests.
As can be seen from the selling prices of agricultural products on the market, the Agricultural Guild did not accomplish the goals that everyone had hoped for.
It’s not that the Agricultural Guild doesn’t work hard, it’s mainly because the politicians are too shameless. They say one thing before they come to power and do another thing after they come to power.
Investments have been made so many times and ended in failure that everyone has lost confidence.
If they hadn’t been scared of being screwed, these guys would have gotten involved a long time ago, and the abolition of the free trade system to implement tariff barriers would have been a major boon to agriculture.
Prime Minister Campbell nodded and sighed, “It had better be! Otherwise it would be too damaging to the country to keep this stalemate going.”
The matter of the Agricultural Guild was not even mentioned, and it was clear that Campbell was not prepared to fulfill his promise.
This was something that could not be helped, Britannia’s limited food production was simply unable to fulfill its own needs, and imports were inevitable.
Protection of agriculture means that the price of agricultural products, which is bound to increase the pressure on the survival of the working class, the cost of labor to follow the upward climb.
The capitalists are not vegetarians, and every time the cost of labor rises, it is the working class that fights for it with its life.
A single bad move would result in a nationwide strike, and just thinking about the horrific consequences would be enough to make any politician shy away.
……
Foreign Secretary Adam Wingard: “Let’s not just focus on the domestic troubles, there has been no shortage of international trouble in recent times.
The Venezuelan civil war has been raging on and on, and the factions we support are losing the war, and along with it, the Empire’s expansion there has been thwarted.
Not long ago Washington reached an agreement with the government of Vienna to gain the right to open the Panama Canal, ending the icy diplomacy between the two countries since the Civil War.
Recently there has been another incident in the Far East, where the conflict between the Russians and the Japanese has intensified to the point where there is a possibility of war.
……”
As a global empire, paying attention to changes in the international situation is a given. Of course, Britannia is not just concerned, but actively involved.
Adam Wingard had spoken of so many international events, all of which were directly related to Britannia, or even planned by them themselves.
For example: the most insignificant civil war in Venezuela was one of the British government’s handiwork in expanding in the Americas.
It was only they who started it, not the end. No one could have imagined that an ordinary civil war would continue for years because of international intervention.
Now that the curtain is coming down, the tragedy is that the side supported by the British government is losing the civil war.
This is something that can’t be helped, who let Britain have a bad reputation and not pay attention to what it eats?
Because of its late rise to power, Shinra was simply too late to expand its power to Venezuela, and naturally, there was no talk of hatred.
The main purpose of participating in the Venezuelan civil war was to cause trouble for Britain, and there was no intention to invade Venezuela at all.
On the one hand, there is the British who invaded their homeland, and on the other hand, there is the Shen Luo who specializes in giving the British a hard time, so Venezuela’s educated people know who to support with their eyes closed.
A commonplace proxy war, where the Big Boss mainly sends out loans and sells arms, is naturally won by the one who gets the most help.
Venezuela in these days is not yet the big oil country of the latter days. In addition to the land is slightly fertile, basically to what nothing, it is not worth mentioning.
A few minor setbacks can’t shake Britannia’s supremacy. The failure of the proxy war only proves that the support of the proxy can not, does not mean that the British Empire is not strong.
In contrast, Washington’s government to Vienna, is the real cause for alarm.
The core of international politics is interest, jumping ship for a new boss, that are routine operations. As long as the Vienna government is willing to pay a price, it is not impossible to pull the United States together.
Similar operation is not unprecedented, God Luo now little brother, there are many are dug from under them.
Small countries are dug out is just, if the only big country allies, also be dug out in the past, the London government will be bitter.
Prime Minister Campbell: “Venezuela’s problem, right now, let’s take a step forward. If there is an opportunity, we can go back again, but if there is no opportunity, we will give up for the time being.
On the other hand, on the Washington government’s side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs still needs to pay more attention, so as not to have problems at the critical moment.
Franz the Great appears to be gentle, but in reality is also an uncompromising hegemonist, and simply cannot tolerate the existence of a possible threat to Shinra.
From the fact that they occupied the Central American region and stuck the Americans by the neck, it was clear that the Vienna government would not allow a great power to be born in the Americas.
With this fundamental contradiction in place, under normal circumstances, it was simply impossible for the Washington government to fall to them.
But everything is subject to accidents. If the Vienna government let the Americans annex the Canadian region in order to win hegemony, there was no chance that the Washington government might actually move.
As for the issue of the Russo-Japanese conflict, which is itself part of our plan, let their hatred grow a little deeper!
The bait has been put down, and with the greed of the Woolly Bears, as soon as the Siberian Railroad is open, they are bound to invade east.
Clashes with the Japanese have broken out now, and it seems that the Russians are really impatient, and are not willing to wait even so little time.”
As the ancestor of digging holes and burying people, when it comes to stirring up trouble, Britannia recognizes itself as the second, and no other country really dares to call itself the boss.
The Siberian Railway has not yet been opened to traffic, Japan and Russia contradictions have been provoked first. With the style of the woolly bear that refuses to suffer, not looking for the Japanese bad luck, that would be a problem.
……
The British government was making preparations, the Vienna government was likewise not idle, and everyone was preparing for the next game.
Have to admit that the Russians are just big-hearted, even the construction progress of the Siberian Railway, are not hidden from the outside world.
Under the selfless dedication of a group of free laborers, the construction progress of the Siberian Railway was much faster than the outside world expected.
Perhaps because of the American railroad technology team to give strength, or perhaps it is the French laborers die without pain, in short, the construction of the Siberian Railway progress very smoothly.
In the words of French writer Romain Rolland – “Every sleeper of the Siberian Railway was laid with the blood and flesh of French laborers.”
Franz was very much in agreement with this statement.
According to information from within the Tsarist government, over the past few years, more than a quarter of a million French laborers have given their lives for the construction of the Siberian Railway.
Whether they died of frost, disease, starvation, exhaustion, or accidental death on the construction site, the question was no longer important.
In any case, the French were going to hold the Russians responsible for this debt.
From the present situation, there is a high probability that the French laborers who entered the Russian Empire will not be able to return.
There is no way, the Russian Empire is so big, there are a lot of infrastructure projects, the Tsar’s government is in need of this kind of laborers who don’t need money, can afford to die, and don’t have any consequences.
The French held a grudge, and that was nothing at all. Even if France someday turned over, it was unlikely that it would run across the Shinra to retaliate.
……
Vienna Palace.
“The Siberian Railroad is being built at a speed that is beyond our expectations, much faster than the Central Asian Railroad.
According to the Russians, the Siberian Railroad will be able to open in 1905. By then the biggest obstacle restricting the Russians’ eastward advance will have been removed.
Once the railroad was opened, I’m afraid that the Far East Empire and the Japanese alone were no match for the Russians. Especially since these two countries had also had a war a few years before, it would be hard to unite them.
In order to limit the development of the Russians, I am prepared to enhance ……”
Without waiting for Frederick to finish, Franz interrupted, “The Siberian Railway and the Central Asian Railway are different.
The Central Asian Railway that we helped to build was a double line railroad, while the Siberian Railway that the Americans helped to design was a single line railroad.
Even if it really opens, how many cars do you think the Siberian Railway can send every day?
With such a small capacity, it would not be a problem to supply the daily needs. Once war breaks out, the Russians will immediately feel the logistical pressure.
Besides, don’t you think it’s strange that Americans are helping the government build railroads?
The Siberian Railroad is not profitable, and it’s a blessing in disguise that it’s operating revenues cover the cost of maintenance.
I don’t think anyone other than the British, who are trying to divert the money, could be that generous.
The stage is set. I don’t believe the British will be unprepared. It’s enough for us to push in the dark next, the British government will arrange the rest.”
(End of chapter)