"From an economic point of view, I cannot refuse the terms offered by your country, but we must consider not only the economic issues, but also the diplomatic and political problems that arise from them. We have a lot of trade with the British, and even if there is no military conflict between the two sides, the British can still use a lot of means against us. And this gain does not compensate for our losses. Nicholas II shook his head and said.

"I'm only talking about the cost of ship purchases. And the material and economic losses inflicted on your country by the British will naturally be compensated for by other means! What about the national debt of 80 million rubles? After your country agrees to our terms, within three months the United States of America will subscribe to 40 million rubles of national debt, and when the fleet is handed over to us, in no more than 2 months we will subscribe to the remaining 40 million national debt! Dey said.

"Hehe, it's a pity that you can't represent your country, otherwise I would trust you more." Nicholas II smiled slightly, and there was no attitude in his words.

"The trustworthiness of what I say can be proven by time, and if Your Majesty agrees to this deal, then in the next month we will subscribe to at least 15 million roubles of foreign debt, and you have nothing to lose during this period of time, not even until the ship is delivered. Isn't it? Dey said with a smile.

Although Dai is not an official representative of the U.S. government, it is undeniable that he has the support of the president, the Navy Department and a considerable number of congressmen behind him, as well as the big entrepreneurs and financiers behind them. So the cost of convincing the American business community to subscribe to a batch of Treasury bonds is not high, and the most critical thing is if the Spanish-American War breaks out. The expansion of the fleet is inevitable, and at this time, Russia's willingness to sell the fleet is naturally something that the Americans cannot want, and it is not a problem whether it is to purchase ships or to subscribe to the remaining national debt.

"It's an interesting suggestion." Nicholas II had to admit that he was defeated with money by the deep-pocketed American imperialists. To tell the truth, the current Nicholas II was very dissatisfied with his own patron, France. It was not only because of this purchase that he discovered that the French had gradually taken control of Russia's politics and military affairs through money! Do you want to build the Far Eastern Railway? Do you want better weapons? Need money, right? I can give it to you! But you have to listen to me! Whoever I ask you to buy, you will buy! You don't have a choice!

The intervention of the Americans did not just give the Russians a chance to make a fortune. It also made the tsar see the hope of getting rid of the control of the French economy and ensuring the diversification of sources of funds! If two or more countries had provided financial support to Russia, then Russia's financial environment and autonomy would have been much better than it is now, so even if the money provided by the Americans is nothing compared to France, it is an excellent start, and in this case Nicholas II could hardly think of a reason to refuse!

"I agree in principle with this. I'll have to discuss the specifics with my ministers, but I think Brigadier General Shelly, next to you, can already talk to General Makanov about some handovers. Nicholas II agreed in principle to the matter. This made Dai breathe a sigh of relief, and everyone can talk about the details slowly. There's still time anyway!

In the eyes of ordinary people, since the bigwigs agreed, then it is enough to talk about the handover? It's actually nowhere near as easy! The reason is simple! Now the main forces of the Russian fleet are stationed in Vladivostok! At this time, Russia has not yet signed the "Lend-Lease Treaty" with the Qing State! What is Vladivostok? If the Americans want to have a ship in February, it's almost impossible! If you want to go out in March, you also need an icebreaker to open the way, how to hand over, when to hand over, and logistics and supplies need to be talked about slowly.

But fortunately, the Americans already have a plan! "Your country can let some warships go to the south of the Qing country to avoid the cold at the end of 1897. For example, the French concession in Shanghai is a very good place. Then training can also be carried out in the Far East, and supply and maintenance can be carried out in the French concession. If you need to hang the bottom of the boat, you can also go to the German base in the Pacific. Shelly made his own suggestion.

"That's fine. But I'm more interested in some of these reasons. I always feel that your country is hiding something, for example. Why did your country buy all cruisers? It would not seem to be necessary to ensure that the island of Hawaii was to be included in the territory of the United States of America. Makanov was not very interested in communicating the details of the delivery, and this was not his main task, the commander of the Far Eastern Fleet was responsible for the specific things, and his task was to find out what the Americans really thought through the deployment of the other side's navy.

"Our battleships have a very low freeboard and are not suitable for ocean-going deployments. And our fleet in the Far East is all cruisers. So naturally it is desirable to buy cruisers to strengthen our fleet. The speed of the fleet is an important tactical indicator. You should be very aware of this. Shelly said.

"In fact, if it is only to strengthen the cruiser force, several cruisers in your country are a good choice, and the newly commissioned Brooklyn and New York, plus several other warships, can completely replace Rurik and other warships, so what is the reason why you would rather spend a lot of money to buy warships than use the remaining warships in your country? I'd love to know why. Makanov was not satisfied with Shelly's explanation.

"I don't feel like that's something we should be talking about. As generals, what we need is to carry out the will of the country, why do we buy, why do you sell it is a matter of the big guys, and all we need to do is to complete the delivery of the battleship, don't you say? And your curiosity is a little too big. We signed a secret agreement, and if outsiders know something they shouldn't know, it won't end well for you and me, don't you say? Shelly said with a smile.

"Makes sense, but I hope that in the near future, these ships will return to Russia safely. I always feel like something big is going on. Makanov said pointedly.

"Actually, the transaction between the two countries is a big deal, you are right." Shelly also snorted. It's kind of the end of this matter.

On December 8, 1897, Russia and the United States finally reached an agreement on the transfer of fleets, and when the dust settled, the Admiralty, led by Roosevelt and Simpson, finally began to make final plans for the imminent Spanish-American War! And it was at this time that the Spaniards also adjusted their fleet deployment for the last time.

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