Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. When interests are involved, anything can get complicated.

There are those who oppose "free trade", and there are those who support it. Not everyone is a victim of "free trade", on the contrary, there are many industries in Britain that are also beneficiaries of free trade.

For example: the coal industry.

Britain has been the world's largest exporter of coal since the beginning of the last century. Today, nearly a third of the UK's coal production capacity is exported.

Once the free trade system is withdrawn, the good days of the coal bosses will come to an end. With tariff barriers, Britain's coal will lose its cost advantage.

If the energy industry cannot monopolize the market, their core competitiveness is cost. Without cost advantages, it is almost inevitable that the market will be encroached upon.

Another example: the textile industry.

Although the textile industry has been severely affected by the wave of industrialization, Britain is still the world's number one textile exporter.

Because of the enlargement of the economic development market, even though the share of British textiles in the international market has shrunk, the total export of textiles has not fallen much.

The data is all false, only making money is real. Regardless of the future market prospects, at least for now, it is still profitable.

Once withdrawn from the free trade system, none of these export-oriented enterprises will be counted as one, and no one will want to have a good life.

Driven by profits, Britain's business community has become divided. The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and the consortium bosses who control industry and commerce behind the scenes also have a headache.

Decisions about who to support and who to oppose are never taken for granted. In essence, a consortium is a collection of interests of a group of capitals, and it does not have a strong binding force.

The strength of the consortium is when everyone's interests are aligned. Now that there is disagreement among the members, the power of the consortium has actually weakened to the extreme.

If the interests of some members are seriously harmed, the consortium may split in minutes. In this context, all the business leaders can do is to reconcile the contradictions of all parties as much as possible.

When there is a division within capital, the question of whether or not to withdraw from the free trade system cannot be settled immediately.

Without trade barriers to protect the market, the London government's economic stimulus policies are useless.

No matter how the policy stimulates, the industry that does not work will always be unworkable. The product is not competitive in the market, and it is useless to give more preferential policies.

If economic problems cannot be solved, political reform will be even more difficult. With the exception of the passage of the Sector Disputes Bill involving the economy, most of the reforms proposed by the Campbell administration were rejected by the House of Lords.

For example: Reducing the power of the House of Lords and supporting Ireland's self-government? Grant the colonies more autonomy......

So many impressive cheese reform proposals? The days of the Campbell administration soon turned grim.

Conservatives are forced to unite in order to defend their own interests? Taking the parliament as a position? and the reformers kicked off the "war of words".

……

Downing Street, Prime Minister's official residence.

Looking out the window into the distance? Prime Minister Campbell sighed deeply. At the moment, his mood is similar to the weather in London? It's all gray.

As a sign of the advent of the industrial age? Since the beginning of the last century, London has been shrouded in smog.

Especially in winter, visibility of less than 50 meters is a common occurrence. If fog lamps hadn't been invented? You can't drive in London in winter.

What is the weather? Campbell didn't care. Since the beginning of the reform, he has not had a good night's sleep, and countless troubles come to his door every day.

Conservatives and reformists are at loggerheads, and the contradictions between the two sides have almost become public. The battlefield has spread from the initial parliament to the whole society.

Radio newspapers? It is also the main battlefield of the debate between the two sides.

"The public says that the public is reasonable, and the mother-in-law says that the mother-in-law is reasonable."

As the polemic unfolds? Don't say it's ordinary people, even intellectuals and middle-class elites? I was confused.

In fact, Campbell himself is a bit of a circle. Although he proposed the reform policy? But listened to the opposition's reasoning? Campbell was also unsure that the reforms would succeed.

Looking for a soft pinch of persimmons? Political reform has been put aside, and the most important thing now is to reform the economy and reverse the deteriorating economic situation in the country.

Only when economic reform is successful and has established sufficient prestige can political reform be further promoted.

Releasing his emotions for a moment, Campbell turned around and asked, "Who's out there now?" ”

Unlike other countries, there is not much power gap between reformers and conservatives in Britain.

Then there was a strange scene, in the course of the polemic, no one was able to overwhelm anyone.

Today the reformers have the upper hand, tomorrow the conservatives have the upper hand, and no one knows what the final result will be.

The confusing situation has made the speculators in the government afraid to take sides. How can reform be carried out without the help of the bureaucracy?

Interior Secretary Azevedo: "No results yet. The strength of the diehards is too strong, and it will be difficult to distinguish the winner in a short period of time.

But the agricultural guilds we have co-opted have already made some moves, and it is in their interest to withdraw from the free trade system. ”

Compared to the business community, the peasants of Britain are the real tragedy. Due to geological constraints, there is not much land suitable for agriculture in the British Isles, and the cost of agricultural production is relatively high.

In the face of the impact of foreign agricultural products, British agriculture can be described as "only able to parry, but not to fight back".

However, they can't make a fuss yet, because Britain's food production is simply not enough to meet its own needs.

Since it is imported grain, the cheaper the better. All sectors of society are standing together, and the interests of the peasants will naturally be sacrificed.

It was not only the ordinary peasants who suffered, but also the farmers and the land-owning aristocracy.

They have a voice in politics, but they are significantly weaker than the business community.

In order to change this passive situation, agricultural guilds were organized among these people. Unite politically and fight for your own interests.

It can be seen from the selling prices of agricultural products on the market that the Agricultural Guild has not achieved the goal that everyone has in mind.

It's not that the agricultural guilds don't work hard, it's that the politicians are too shameless. Say one thing before going on stage, and do another thing after going on stage.

Investments have been made many times, and in the end they have failed, so that everyone has lost confidence.

If they hadn't been scared, these guys would have been involved a long time ago, and the abolition of the free trade system and the imposition of tariff barriers would be a major benefit to agriculture.

Prime Minister Campbell nodded and exclaimed, "It had better be!" Otherwise, if it continues like this, it will do too much damage to the country. ”

The Agricultural Guild was not mentioned, and apparently Campbell was not prepared to fulfill his promises.

There is no way to do this, Britain has a limited grain production, and it is simply unable to meet its own needs, and imports are inevitable.

Protecting agriculture means that the price of agricultural products will rise, which will inevitably increase the pressure on the working class to survive, and the labor costs of enterprises will also rise.

The capitalists are not vegetarians, and every increase in labor costs is won by the working class.

One bad thing is a nationwide wave of strikes, and just thinking about the terrible consequences is enough to make any politician feel intimidated.

……

Foreign Secretary Adam Wingard: "Don't patronize domestic troubles, there have been no fewer accidents in the world recently.

The Venezuelan Civil War dragged on, and the factions we supported lost the war, which hampered the expansion of the empire there.

Not long ago, Washington reached an agreement with the Vienna government to obtain the right to dig the Panama Canal, ending the freezing point diplomacy between the two countries since the Civil War.

Recently, there have been incidents in the Far East, and the contradictions between the Russians and the Japanese have intensified, and there is even a possibility of war.

……”

As a global empire, it is inevitable to pay attention to changes in the international situation. Of course, Britain is not just concerned, but actively involved.

Adam Wengard said that all of these international events were directly related to Britain, and even planned by them.

For example, the most inconspicuous of the Venezuelan civil war was one of the British government's efforts to expand in the Americas.

It's just that they provoked the beginning and failed to determine the end. No one could have imagined that an ordinary civil war would continue for several years because of the intervention of international forces.

Now the curtain is coming to an end, but the tragedy is that the side supported by the British government lost the civil war.

There is no way to do this, who makes Britain have a bad reputation and does not pay attention to the appearance of eating?

Because of the late rise of the world, HRE simply did not have time to expand its influence into Venezuela, and naturally there was no hatred.

The main purpose of participating in the Venezuelan civil war was to block Britain, and there was no intention of invading Venezuela at all.

On the one hand, there are the British, who invaded their homeland, and on the other hand, there is the Shinra, who is specially blocking the British, and the people of insight in Venezuela know who to support even with their eyes closed.

In an ordinary proxy war, the big boss mainly issues loans and sells arms, so it is natural for those who have received more help to win.

Venezuela in this year is not the oil power of later generations. Except for the slightly fertile, the land is basically nothing, and it is not worth mentioning at all.

A few minor setbacks could not shake Britain's supremacy. The failure of the proxy war only proves that the proxies supported are not good, but it does not mean that the British Empire is not strong.

By contrast, Washington's move closer to Vienna is what is truly alarming.

The core of international politics is interests, and changing jobs and changing bosses is a routine operation. It is not impossible for the Vienna government to win over the United States as long as it offers a price.

Similar operations have not happened before, and many of the current younger brothers of the Shinra have been dug from their hands.

It is just a small country that is poached, and if the only big country allies are also poached, the London government will be forced to do so.

Prime Minister Campbell: "Let's take a step at a time when we look at the Venezuelan problem. If we have the chance, we will fight again, and if we don't have the chance, we will give up for the time being.

On the other hand, on the side of the Washington administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs still needs to pay more attention not to go wrong at a critical moment.

Franz the Great may seem suave, but in fact he is also an out-and-out hegemonist, and it is simply impossible to tolerate a presence that could threaten the HRE.

From the fact that their occupation of the Central American region stuck the neck of the Americans, it was clear that the Vienna government would not allow the birth of a great power in the Americas.

With this fundamental contradiction, under normal circumstances, it is impossible for the Washington administration to turn to them.

But accidents can happen. If the Vienna government allows the Americans to annex Canada in order to win hegemony, perhaps the Washington government may really be tempted.

As for the issue of the Russo-Japanese conflict, it is itself part of our plan, let's let their hatred be deeper!

The bait has been laid down, and with the greed of the woolly bears, as long as the Trans-Siberian Railway is opened, they are bound to invade the east.

Now that a conflict has broken out with the Japanese, it seems that the Russians are really impatient and are not willing to wait even for such a little time. ”

As an ancestor who dug a pit and buried people, when it comes to provoking trouble, Britain considers itself the second, and there is really no country that dares to call it the boss.

Before the Trans-Siberian Railway was opened, the contradictions between Japan and Russia were provoked first. With the woolly bear's style of refusing to suffer losses and not looking for the bad luck of the Japanese, then there is a problem.

……

The British government is preparing, and the Vienna government is also not idle, everyone is preparing for the next game.

I have to admit that the Russians are big-hearted, and even the construction progress of the Trans-Siberian Railway has not been hidden from the outside world.

Thanks to the selfless dedication of a group of free laborers, the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway is progressing much faster than expected.

Perhaps because of the strength of the American railway technical team, or perhaps because the French laborers did not feel distressed when they died, in short, the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway was progressing very smoothly.

In the words of the French writer Romain Rolland - "every sleeper of the Trans-Siberian Railway is paved with the flesh and blood of French laborers".

Franz agrees with this statement.

According to intelligence from within the tsarist government, over the past few years, more than 250,000 French laborers have paid with their lives for the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

It doesn't matter whether he froze to death, died of disease, starved to death, died of exhaustion, or died in an accident on the construction site.

Anyway, the French will have to put this account on the heads of the Russians.

Judging from the current situation, it is very likely that the French laborers who entered the Russian Empire will not be able to go back.

There is no way, the Russian Empire is so big, there are many infrastructure projects, and the tsarist government is in need of this kind of labor force that does not need money, can afford to die, and has no consequences.

The grudge of the French is not a matter at all. Even if France turned over one day, it would not be possible to run across the HRE to take revenge.

……

Vienna Palace

"The pace of construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, which we did not expect, is much faster than that of the Central Asian Railway.

According to the Russians, the Trans-Siberian Railway was opened in 1905. At that time, the greatest obstacle to the eastward advance of the Russians was removed.

Once the railway was opened, the Far Eastern Empire and the Japanese alone would probably not be the match for the Russians. In particular, the two countries had a war a few years ago, and it was difficult to unite.

In order to limit the development of the Russians, I am ready to strengthen ......"

Before Frederick could finish speaking, Franz interrupted: "The Trans-Siberian Railway is not the same as the Central Asian Railway.

The Central Asian railway we helped build was a two-track railway, while the Trans-Siberian railway, which the Americans helped design, was a single-track railway.

Even if it is really open, how many cars do you think the Trans-Siberian Railway will be able to send every day?

With such a small amount of capacity, there is no problem in supplying daily needs. As soon as war breaks out, the Russians immediately feel what logistical pressure is.

Besides, don't you think it's strange that the Americans helped the government build railroads?

The Trans-Siberian Railway is not profitable, and the operating income can wipe out the daily maintenance expenses, all God willing.

I think there is probably no one else who can be so generous except for the British who want to bring disaster to the east.

The stage is all set, and I don't believe the British will be unprepared. Then it is enough for us to secretly add fuel to the fire, and the British government will arrange the rest. ”