There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Whatever the newly enthroned Majesty Nicholas II was thinking, the new Tsar, who was admittedly unsuccessful, was by no means a lord who knighted a foreign merchant on a whim. Even if the new Tsar had a second illness, Grand Elder Witt would not follow him to commit the second disease.

The promotion of officials to the knighthood is generally a reward for meritorious people, and sometimes it is also regarded as a business - a business called "selling official beards".

Since it was a business, and the other party quoted the price of "earl" - although it was in name only, the title of knighthood as an orthodox state still had a certain weight - and it was time to hear how much the duchy wanted from the consortium.

Money, technology, intelligence, or like Albion, want to hurry up and fight for independence so as to relieve the pressure on the principality?

"Trust the President...... His Excellency the Earl also knows that recently the domestic ...... Well, something went wrong. ”

A little situation?

Brunhill in the dark room almost burst out laughing. The aristocracy and the plebeians alike were actively creating or preparing assassinations and riots, and the army was running around to suppress the unrest.

"Of course, Earl, I know very well that reforming in the Duchy will always lead to problems of one kind or another. ”

Li Lin replied seriously, without the slightest hint of ridicule.

What he wants to express is the literal meaning, on the side of Mao Xiong, the moderate reformists have always had no way to live, either by mistake or by mistake. Noble as the Tsar, if you want to liberate the serfs, you will be suffocated to death by your subordinates with pillows, not to mention other small fish and shrimp. Now we have just experienced a big war and are burdened with huge war debts. There is also the "Volunteer Army", against the background of Castile's constant burning of money, to engage in industrialization, emancipation of serfs or something, of course, it will cause social unrest, or no small social unrest.

Within 10 months, 2,700 uprisings broke out throughout the principality, with peasant rebellions, factory strikes, seminary student strikes, and protests by the nobility. Rural communities have also expressed their demands for the overturning of the New Deal. The response of the tsarist autocratic government to this was repression by force. Suppressed groups are rewarded with terrorist attacks and assassinations. According to statistics, on average, more than 100 officials are assassinated every month. Not to be outdone, this side has also set up a large number of mobile military courts to counter violence with violence. Executions are carried out so quickly that the victims are often not buried. The whole family of the assassin is already lying in the grave.

Along with the social unrest is a shortage of food. Due to the huge loan owed to the consortium. The treasury is empty. In addition to relinquishing various powers as collateral, the principality also repaid loans in the form of barter trade with minerals, timber, and grain. The consequence of this practice is a severe shortage of food. The capital, St. Petersburg, received only 14 percent of the planned grain supply, and last month the capital's flour reserves were barely enough to meet 10 days' needs, forcing the authorities to ration in kind. On the 8th of this month, in the Vyborg district of St. Petersburg, a bakery spread the rumor that "Leba is gone!" Women in despair and panic rioted, smashing open doors and windows, rushing into the store and frantically snatching a qiē to satisfy their stomachs.

Since the beginning of the Battle of Riga, the people of the Principality have endured a hard life only by virtue of patriotism and habits, and the riots in front of the bakery have become sparks splashed into the ammunition depot. Under the instigation of well-intentioned people, the impulsiveness of several aunts turned into a riot of thousands in a blink of an eye. The angry housewife shouted, "Down with hunger, give me bread!", and headed towards the Hermitage, where more citizens soon joined the ranks. The mob chanted slogans as they stormed shops or ransacked the homes of wealthy people. Finally, the Cossack cavalry regiment was dispatched, and it was only with sabers that the rioting bullets of the mobs were suppressed.

The capital has become this virtue, and it is not difficult to understand the chaos of continuous uprisings in other regions.

Speaking of which, the problem of money is still troubling the principality.

Huge military spending, repayment of loans, industrialization, market regulation...... The operation and upgrading of the country are inseparable from money. As a serfdom country that mainly exported agricultural products and resources, the Principality had two ways to solve its current predicament: one was to make its citizens tighten their belts and pay off their debts by lowering the living standards of the entire population, and the other was to borrow from abroad.

There are pros and cons to both approaches. The former will exacerbate social tensions, while the latter will allow foreign powers to infiltrate the economic lifeblood of the principality. At present, the principality has chosen the former, and the effect is obviously not very good. On the one hand, people's living standards have continued to decline, and prices have skyrocketed. On the one hand, due to the backward education system, the principality did not have enough qualified workers to work in the factories. After a succession of illiterate rural youths being scared away by the roar of the machine, the brutality of the foreman, the meager salary, and even worse the poor working conditions in the countryside, it is becoming more difficult to recruit workers, and the machine purchased through the Lend-Lease Act has to sit idle in the workshop to accumulate dust. The growth of light industry and manufacturing was almost zero, while the military industry and railways increased. However, growth in these areas cannot or will not bring benefits to people's livelihoods in the short term, which further contributes to the depression......

If His Majesty the Tsar had been a comrade of steel with a character as hard as his name, he would never have cared about "this little thing". He will unswervingly continue to carry out the road of industrialization, and it is a big deal to set a target of starving to death of several million cents and rich peasants, and just plug the food shortage. If anyone dares to make irresponsible remarks about this, then give him free Cheka peanuts and let him go with Comrade Lenin......

Although Nicholas II was very indifferent to Yiqiē, especially his subjects, he was not Uncle Steel after all, and he did not have the kind of deterrent power that could shut everyone up. In the face of the increasingly fierce opposition of the aristocracy and the people and the deterioration of the shape, the always numb "Nicky" had to change his course and discuss the possibility of introducing foreign capital with Grand Elder Witte.

Nicholas II is generally regarded as a newcomer who lacks ability and experience, not to mention his civil and military skills, and even compared to the previous Nicholas I, who was called a "non-commissioned officer" by a great poet. However, he is not stupid, and he knows very well that the introduction of foreign capital cannot be relied on alone......

"In other words, His Majesty wants us to contribute together with Albion. ”

"It's also about reducing your stress. ”

Orlov took a sip of tea and spoke unhurriedly.

"I can understand Your Excellency's desire to earn every cape. But that's something you can't do, and you still have a lot of things to do at this time, right?"

Yarfheim had more cooperation with the Principality than with Albion, especially with the secrets of the Katyn Forest, the chariot factory in Chelyabinsk, the proving ground in Prokholovka, and so on. Therefore, even if there is no formal communication, after observing the movement of trains and supplies, the principality will still be aware of the changes in the consortium.

Since the consortium has something to do, let's let go of part of the business, and everyone will make money together, hello, hello, everyone.

"I don't know how to do it?"

Li Lin quietly handed over the cigar and silver cigar cutter, an action that made Orlov breathe a sigh of relief. What he is most afraid of is that Li Lin is unwilling to give up his vested interests, and even makes no one earn at any cost. It's not impossible. Although Li Lin is a shrewd and rational successful businessman. It is a pure interest animal, and when someone steps on the bottom line of interests, it is not good to say whether they can maintain rational thinking. Fortunately, Li Lin didn't look crazy.

Light your cigar. Let the apple-scented smoke fill the lobes of the lungs. Orlov said:

"His Majesty the Tsar and Grand Elder Witte counted. It was the establishment of a consortium of banks called the 'International Bank Consortium of Daosheng Bank'. ”

To put it simply, Albion and the Principality are under the banner of "international economic cooperation", and they cannot take care of the Principality with the strategic energy of the consortium and Charlemagne. As well as the large increase in gold and silver production, the east wind used customs rights and interests as bait to play a "gold standard" money game.

The funding gap in the principality was even larger than the consortium had expected, amounting to 60 million guineas, or 90 million pounds. For the collateral of this huge loan, only customs revenue is an acceptable guarantee for all parties. Due to the large amount, it is not possible for this loan to be taken by a single party. The parties will inevitably cross-control and finance and manage the collateral in the form of an international syndicate, but this means that-

"The funder will ask for a joint operation of the foreign debt business and the establishment of an administrative body to manage the debt, with the representatives of creditors directly involved in the administration of customs. ”

Perhaps the conflict between the funders would give the principality an opportunity, and the fact that customs, a symbol of national sovereignty, had been reduced to collateral regulated by multiple parties had not changed. This kind of thing, if not handled well, will arouse national feelings, and it is not a good thing for the new tsar's not very solid foundation.

"But His Majesty and the Principality are really in dire need of large sums of money, and without gold coins and credit, the country cannot be maintained. ”

This is the truth and a lie.

Werther was not stupid, perhaps even smarter than most bankers, and he knew that the Principality's current financial woes did not allow him to bargain too much in negotiations, as well as the risks of mortgaging customs. However, as the so-called crisis represents both danger and opportunity, the Great Elder who is good at seizing the opportunity has his own calculations.

First of all, the Principality's current financial difficulties are indeed temporary, and they are far from the point where the country is doomed to sovereignty. With the vastness of the Principality's land area and abundant resources, as long as it gets through this difficult period, it can always be relieved. And Albion has no territorial ambitions for the principality, and secondly, the cake of the customs is too big and easy to choke them to death, and in the end, with the thinking that everything will be pitted by Charlemagne, and the principality is combined, and decided to pull the consortium to do a vote, and pit Charlemagne well.

International trade settlement is still basically based on the silver standard system, but with the discovery of overseas colonies, a large amount of silver poured into human countries, and the price of silver began to fall. People are increasingly reluctant to hold silver coins, which are depreciating every day, and exchanging silver coins for huàn gold coins and V.E marks is becoming a general trend. The former is because of the strong price of gold, which makes people believe in the role of gold coins as a store of value. The latter is to take advantage of the absolute advantage of industry, with gold and monopoly industrial products as guarantees, plus the consortium in finance, manufacturing, services, logistics ...... The extensive operation of the banknotes has made most of the banknotes circulate in the consumption and production circle established by the consortium, and their value has been fully guaranteed.

In this context, holding silver coins or pegging the value of money to silver becomes an unprofitable and even risky business. Against this background, the early establishment of a gold-standard system of international financial settlements will not only bring huge economic benefits, enhance China's international influence and status, but also deal a heavy blow to hostile countries that adopt the silver standard. More importantly, the system will be perfected over time. It is a long and short term with the V.E consortium's financial system, which is guaranteed by industrial products, and breaks the monopoly of the consortium in the field of technology and finance.

This is a big game of chess, and Albion, Grand Elder Werther, and Li Lin can be said to have a good understanding of this, but Charlemagne cannot understand, or understand but cannot adapt to this change.

Charlemagne himself was a silver-producing country, with little gold production, and the precious metals produced by the colonies he later occupied were mostly silver. After sending troops to occupy the north of Castile, it was thought that it would make a lot of money, but it turned out that Castile was also a country that played the silver standard, and when it retreated, it moved most of its gold. Looking at the silver pesos that were left in the treasury and were depreciating every day. Prime Minister Richelieu is big.

This is the time when Charlemagne's silver reserves are at their highest. Once Albion and the Principality take the lead in announcing the abandonment of settling trade with silver, plus Castile, Serres and even Ymir follow up, and cooperate with the platform of Daosheng Bank, Charlemagne will definitely be pitted until he vomits blood.

As for the consortium. They were not obligated to help Charlemagne through his troubles. I will not miss the great opportunity to reap the benefits. Although due to the deliberate exclusion and the relationship between energy is involved. The consortium has lost the dominance of personnel and cannot turn Daosheng Bank into a financial vampire like Goldman Sachs Investment Bank, and at some point in the future use the virtual economy, bookkeeping, economic status ratings and other levers to "get the bears" leftover. However, the current strategic focus is not on the principality. It's not a shame.

Of course, as the old proverb goes, sometimes when a door is closed, a window is opened. Li Lin also had other measures to make the duchy serve the interests of Alfheim.

"It is our duty to participate in the economic construction of the Principality with great readiness, for the prosperity of the Principality, for the supreme absolute monarch of the Principality, and for the people of His Majesty the Tsar. ”

Li Lin smiled, like a kind and good person, bathed in a gentle smile, and the envoy shivered.

Orlov was well aware that the new count was a cunning old fox, and when he said "duty-bound", he must have had other intentions, or became interested in some area.

If Li Lin takes an interest in something and knows his opponent's hole cards well, then 99.99% of the time, it will be extremely bad.

It's terrible for the competition.

Li Lin was interested in railways, and the sleepers of the V.E railways were spread all over the world; Li Lin was interested in ocean transportation, and the V.E ocean trade and Zeppelin giant spaceships appeared; Li Lin was interested in steel, so V.E Steel was listed......

This has almost become a common practice, once Li Lin decides to invest in a certain industry, most of the competitors in that field commit suicide or are killed by their families, and the rest either take the initiative to seek cooperation with the consortium early or change careers as soon as possible. This is not a rosy situation for individual competitors and national governments.

"I believe that financial investment in the current conditions can indeed go a long way in improving the economic situation of the Principality, and I believe that any visionary will agree with this. ”

However.

"The people, the majority of the people, are more concerned with immediate issues such as three meals a day than with national affairs. For them, concepts such as the gold standard, profit harvesting, and fiscal expenditure are the savings of another world, and even if they can be expected to make profits, they are still too far away and too long. They don't have the patience to wait that long. ”

This is especially true of the orcs of the bear clan, who are considered to be the world's best examples, and these impatient fellows can even line up to get a loaf of bread to spread rumors, which can develop into a riot that shakes the capital, telling them that their living conditions will probably improve in a year or two. It is estimated that there will be a rebellion immediately.

Therefore, in addition to a big chess game like Daosheng Bank, we also have to do something that is small in scale, but can really change the hearts of the people.

"I intend to build two more new factories in the name of the royal family, one in the form of a joint venture, one dedicated to the production of canned food and the other to the production of fertilizers and pesticides. ”

"Oh! that's a ......."

Orlov made a joyful voice, from his expression to his breathing, without a hint of the disguise of performance.

The Principality was traditionally agrarian, but today its agricultural productivity is far behind. In addition to serfdom, such as low motivation and efficiency in production, as well as the limitations of climate and technology, long-term cultivation has led to a decline in the fertility of the land, and ineffective agricultural facilities and disaster and pest prevention are also important factors. Therefore, the Principality has always wanted to obtain various agricultural application technologies from the consortium, but it has not been able to achieve its wish due to the monopoly of the consortium on the technology and the lack of skilled workers. Nowadays, although it is a joint venture, it has solved the problem of whether it has or not, and the canning factory can mass-produce cheap canned products...... Returning home with such a heavy achievement will be of great help to your future career.

"So about the names and locations of these two plants......"

"The canning factory, named 'Khomel Food Manufacturing,' will produce Spam luncheon meat for the time being, and in order to prioritize the supply of the capital's needs, it will be located around St. Petersburg. The manufacture of fertilizers and pesticides, named 'Joint Carbide Production', is located in the south, and in order to facilitate transportation and production, we hope to build a small town around the chemical plant, a new city called Bhopal. ”

"Bhopal?"

"A little interest, I think you'll get used to it. ”

That's right, you get used to it very quickly.

One is built on a plant that produces highly toxic compounds with easy access, ample electricity and running water, and next to the railway station. It will employ a large number of indigenous people, create local jobs, and generate revenue for the government. After simple skills training for animal workers, production can be started, and the waste disposal and safety systems of the factory, as well as the wages of workers, can be reduced to a minimum, saving a lot of expenses and successfully reducing production costs. The elves bid farewell to the polluting and dangerous chemical factories, and on the premise of mastering the core production technology, they ensured the supply of food and the production of explosives and poison gases in wartime, the principality got the "domestic" fertilizers and pesticides they wanted, the people got jobs and improved lives, and the orc patriots and nationalists got proud national industrial symbols. Everyone is very happy with this and will quickly adapt to the situation.

Of course, it is quite risky to set up a chemical plant that can be converted to the production of nerve gas and explosives in a densely populated area, and in the event of a leak, it is no different from bombing it with poison gas. However, His Majesty the Tsar had always been indifferent to his subjects, the Principality did not have a news media and audience that liked to chew on the root of the tongue, and the consortium had a sufficiently good public relations department and a team of lawyers. So even if there is a serious accident, it will eventually turn into a long lawsuit of the century. Companies can take a small share of the proceeds as compensation, express their regret to the victims and bereaved families, and then reveal the truth that a worker who had drunk too much had mistaken the job and caused the tragedy. Throw out a few inconsequential kittens and puppies as scapegoats, and squat in a five-star prison for a year to half a year......

It was the perfect ending, the victims were compensated, the principality government calmed the matter, the judges got bribes, and the consortium continued to do business. As a conscientious, responsible, and successful businessman who is actively engaged in philanthropy, Li Lin is happy to see such an outcome.

"It will be a pleasant cooperation, a model of win-win cooperation. ”

"That's right, win-win. ”

The two hands were clasped together, and both of them had sincere and friendly smiles on their faces. (To be continued......)