"Russia needs the support of Australasia, and we want to be able to get the whole of Poland, East Prussia and Silesia. At the same time, Russia has also made a huge contribution to the war, and we need at least 12 billion pounds of reparations from Germany to improve the impact of the war at home. Hearing Arthur's inquiry, Archduke Paul did not hesitate at all, and said what he had in mind.

Arthur's originally calm mood fluctuated slightly, and he didn't expect the Russians to have such a big appetite.

Poland, East Prussia and Silesia, and when you add the Russian annexation of Galicia from Austria-Hungary and Austrian Poland, this is hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land, and they are all in the heart of the Central Powers.

If these regions could be acquired under the leadership of Nicholas II, Nicholas II's prestige would have risen dramatically in Russia.

This is inevitable, and the monarch who expands the territory of the country will always make people naturally forget some of his shortcomings.

If another 12 billion pounds in reparations can be obtained, Russia will soon be able to recover and regain the glory of European bulldozers at that time.

However, judging from the current situation in Russia, it is basically impossible to get Britain and France to agree to the demands of the Russians.

In its heyday, Russia deserved the fear of all countries, but the mixed domestic forces, even royalists, and the disputes between the bourgeoisie and the workers' alliance were like a triumph, making Russia a seemingly brave paper tiger in a chaotic mess.

"Australasia will not oppose Russia's demands, but whether other countries will support it or not, you have to fight for it yourself." Arthur was silent for a moment before speaking.

If Australasia supports Russia's partition of Germany, it will inevitably make some German civilians dissatisfied with Australasia, which is contrary to Australasia's strategy of attracting German immigrants and technology.

What's more, it is useless to rely on the support of Australasia alone, and the attitude of Britain and France is also very important.

Hearing of Australasia's reluctance to support Russia in peace talks, Archduke Paul was slightly disappointed, but not too surprised.

After all, the benefits that can be shared between Germany and the Allies are limited, and the more one country gets, the more it means, the other countries get less.

Calming down his disappointment, Archduke Paul put forward the second purpose of his visit: "Your Majesty, can we secretly purchase a batch of weapons and equipment from your country?" Although the war has been won, order in Russia still needs an army to maintain. If we can, we hope that the payment for this batch of weapons and equipment will be postponed, after all, the government really does not have much surplus food at the moment. ”

Arthur was not at all surprised by the Russians' proposal to buy weapons and equipment, after all, the chaotic order in Russia needed to be resolved, and it was believed that all forces were looking for ways to buy more weapons and equipment.

"Of course it's all right, Archduke Paul. If your country is okay, we can even exchange this batch of weapons and equipment with the previous population payment method. Within three months, we will be able to supply your country with 600,000 rifles, 2,000 machine guns, 1,100 artillery pieces of various types, hundreds of millions of rounds of ammunition, and 5 million shells. We hope to be able to conclude a further migration agreement with your country, which may increase the number of migrants to around 2 million per year. "Naturally, Arthur would not refuse the Russians' request to buy weapons.

Because Arthur could not be sure when the war would end, the Australasian military factories were in production until Germany declared an unconditional cessation of the war.

The Russians' purchase of weapons would also allow Australasia to empty its weapons stockpiles, after all, the next large-scale war may not be until twenty or thirty years later, and perhaps these weapons will already be backward by then, so it is better to sell them sooner.

Compared with Russia's currency and mineral resources, Arthur valued Russia's population more than its constant population.

Russian immigrants, who have undergone a rigorous selection, are second only to British immigrants in the world. Because these Russians were more adapted to peasant life and an absolutist monarchy, they were easier to manage.

It was not easy for immigrants from the Republic to accept the Australasian monarchy.

Even if they accept it on the surface, their hearts will not easily adapt to the presence of the king above their heads.

Compared with Russian immigrants, immigrants from the republics undoubtedly had a higher rate of rebellion and were more likely to endanger the rule of the state.

Therefore, for Arthur, the best immigrants were the British immigrants, followed by the Russian immigrants.

This was followed by immigrants from European monarchies, then European immigrants, Asian immigrants, etc.

As for immigrants from Africa, it is not nothing, but they will be dismissed at the first time. If you don't want to leave, you will basically be arranged to the colony in various ways, and then disappear without a trace in a short time.

Australasia's immigration policy does not exclude immigrants of any race, but Australasia does not welcome Nigo, which is a tacit agreement from top to bottom in Australasia.

Hearing that Arthur wanted to exchange some advanced weapons for the Russian population, Grand Duke Paul was already happy in his heart, and hurriedly promised: "Of course there is no problem, Your Majesty." We are willing to help you with your country's early selection to ensure that there is no reactionary force in the immigration process to Australasia. If we can, we want more weapons and equipment, and this will be a long-term cooperation. ”

The most important thing that Russia lacks is population, and it is this huge population that is more troublesome to manage.

Before the outbreak of the war, Russia had a total population of about 172 million, the largest of any great power.

The war did not affect the growth of Russia's population in any way, and by the beginning of 1918 the population of Germany had reached nearly 181 million, and was growing at a rate of 3 million per year.

This rate of growth is due to the impact of the war, otherwise the population growth will only become more and more exaggerated.

This is also the reason why Russia is not worried about population at all, even if 200 to 3 million people emigrate every year, Russia's population will not decline at all.

And the population of up to 180 million has already ensured that Russia has the capital of a superpower, and more population is also a burden for the current Russian government.

After all, the more people there are, the more resources are consumed. The reason for the armed uprising of the Russian workers and the population was precisely because of the insufficient use of resources in Russia, and the large number of people affected by hunger and war.

Arthur couldn't wait to sell all the weapons in World War I, and Archduke Paul couldn't wait to get more weapons and equipment for Russia.

The officials hit it off, and then a five-phase purchase agreement was signed.

The treaty stipulated that Australasia would provide Russia with a large amount of weapons and equipment each year in exchange for about 2 million Russian immigrants per year.

Russia would screen these immigrants in advance to ensure that they would not be mixed in with spies and members of the revolutionary party.

Australasia is responsible for the transportation and resettlement of migrants, and Russia will not provide any after-sales service after ensuring that there are no problems with the migrant population.

The deal was a deal for each to take what it needed, with Australasia able to solve the population problem and Russia able to get the weapons and equipment it needed.

Although Arthur did not agree to the diplomatic support of the peace conference, the matter of weapons and equipment was resolved, which also made Archduke Paul breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Australasia did not open his mouth widely, which also made Archduke Paul full of gratitude to Arthur.

Originally, Archduke Paul thought that it would take a lot of speech, and even started from Queen Mary's side to see if he could play the emotional card.

Unexpectedly, Arthur was still very generous in terms of weapons and equipment, and Russia could only use those useless populations in exchange for a large number of weapons and equipment to strengthen its military power.

Although the atmosphere in Australasia was very harmonious and beautiful, the Paris Peace Conference that was being held in Paris was a chaotic and chaotic affair.

In order to strive for more interests for their own countries, the delegations and diplomats of various countries can be said to have used frequent means, and the relations between various countries are very complicated.

In just a few days in Paris, Prime Minister Bent met with representatives of the Allied powers, including the British Prime Minister, the President of France, the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Russia (bourgeoisie), the Prime Minister of Italy, and representatives of Romania, Serbia, Italy, Montenegro and other countries.

Even Belgium, which seems to have little to do with Australasia, asked to meet with the Prime Minister of Kent and talked for hours.

These talks appear to be harmonious, but in reality they are mutually reciprocal in terms of their respective interests. Even in the peace talks, some countries quarreled with each other for the slightest benefit, and the harmonious atmosphere during the peace talks disappeared like two enemies.

During these days, the rooms of the four great powers of the Entente were the most popular. Everyone knows that it is the representatives of the four major Entente powers who really dominate this peace talks.

The Americans seem to be strong, but because they are still very weak militarily, they are not taken seriously by major European countries.

Needless to say, Italy's army was even far inferior to the Balkan coalition, and they were able to become a great power solely because of their navy and slightly larger industry.

The peace talks were presided over by French Prime Minister Clemenceau, the chairman of the Paris Peace Conference and the host.

From the outset, Clemenceau imposed quite strict demands on the Germans, restricting them in a total of 15 clauses, including:

Disband all the German government's armies, confiscate all the heavy weapons of the German army, dismantle all military installations and military industrial enterprises in Germany, separate Poland and Bavaria, France recover Alsace and Lorraine, and establish an independent republic on the left bank of the Rhine, Germany pays France a total of 15 billion pounds in reparations, arrests all war criminals who started the war, and the Allies form an international joint tribunal to try them

This demanding requirement nearly cut off Germany's strength and cost it important areas, including Poland and Bavaria.

If this demand of the French had really been granted, Germany would not have been able to retain even the status of a great power for at least 20 years.

If Germany is to be restored to its pre-war strength, it is simply impossible to start without 50 years.

This was a catastrophe for Germany and the German government, and this proposal by the French also blew up the entire peace talks.

3200 words for the first update, ask for a monthly pass, ask for support!

(End of chapter)