Chapter 835 15 billion?!!

Outside Cairo.

A restaurant full of Islamic style in the ancient city of Fatimid has been completely emptied. Looking at the soldiers who have surrounded the hotel, wearing sunglasses and holding submachine guns, the boss and the clerk sat in the kitchen and looked nervous. They couldn't figure out who came today. There would be such strange soldiers to protect them. .

In the seat at the far end of the restaurant, Tang Shaoyi and Beitman, who represent the two cores of the Alliance Group, sit opposite each other. The translators and secretaries next to him sometimes listen to each other, and sometimes record quickly.

Tang Shaoyi picked up the teacup and looked at the German Prime Minister Bertman with a beard sitting opposite. Holberg smiled and said, "Mr. Prime Minister Bettman, with all due respect, I don't think it's necessary for us to pay attention to the Italian voices now."

"No, I think it's necessary."

Bertman shook his head. As a traditional German nobleman, he was born conservative and did not agree with this war. However, since His Majesty the emperor and the Supreme Command made a decision, he could not change anything. He could only try his best to maintain the stability of the country and the stability of the people's lives. However, as the war deepened, he had I feel more and more powerless, and the contradictions with William II tend to be made public.

Fortunately, the war is going to the German side, and the continuous aid from the Far East has barely maintained stability in the country.

After the peace of Brex, Germany won the war dividend for the first time, which stimulated those fanatical war elements more and more. They thought that they could continue the war to get more. They often put the words "strive for a place in the sun" in His Majesty William's mouth, but they did not realize that this sentence was slowly deteriorating.

But no one expected that the war had entered until now. Li Mo used its unparalleled sea and air advantages to help them get rid of Germany and obtain eye-catching benefits. So far, their fleet is still moving between the United States and the Far East like locusts, and the wealth brought back has made the commander-in-chief and His Majesty William grit their teeth. .

That's why there is this meeting.

It's not the first time he and Tang Shaoyi have met. The two had a confrontation in the last small-scale Istanbul meeting. They knew that Lord Tang was sharp, but they didn't expect that they and him had a serious disagreement on the issue of Italy at the beginning of the negotiation.

Before coming to Cairo, the German General Staff and Wilhelm II reached a consensus that he should use this meeting to take Italy into Germany's arms. At the same time, he should also restrict Xinhua's hands and fight for more for Germany. But the problem is that the German navy is really disappointing, and Germany is currently unable to solve Italy on its own. Trouble, especially on the food issue, there is not much room for Germany to bargain.

As a senior politician, he knows very well that most of the real consultations and issues at each meeting are reached in separate meetings, so today, Tang Shaoyi is invited to resolve the current disputes in Italy and enter the following more important post-war interest division and other issues as soon as possible.

"Why?"

Tang Shaoyi looked at Beitman with a smile, looking curious. In fact, he already knew that Germany had made up his mind on this issue, but as a politician, it was obviously a good negotiation skill to do more entanglement on small things.

"Italy was once our ally. His Majesty Emanuele III has been punished, and he has been deceived. He has also arrested the war criminals for trial, and I think that in the absence of the end of the war, one more ally is far more than one. The enemy is better." Bettman said seriously, "I remember that there is an old saying in your country that there are more ways to have one more friend, don't I?"

"Mr. Bettman, you are so erudite, but what role do you think Italy can play in ending the war?"

"Of course."

Seeing that Tang Shaoyi seemed to be a little relieved, Bettman hurriedly said, "Italy is a Mediterranean country. If they can return to the alliance, I think our joint fleet can get supplies nearby, and Italy has enough soldiers to attack from the flank of Monaco to Marseille, France, so we You can attack France and end the war as soon as possible.

"But Mr. Bettman, with all due respect, I am very worried about the combat capability of the Italian army. Although France is already at the end of the crossbow, it may be difficult to rely on Italy. More importantly, can His Majesty Emanuele III raise enough military expenses? I think it is entirely possible for our country to send marines to land on the Mediterranean coast of France and give them a heavy blow.

"No, no." When Beitman heard this suggestion, he was so scared that he shook his hand repeatedly.

Let the Xinhua Marine Corps land in Europe. God, now the Supreme Command and His Majesty William regard you as a plague. Malta feels extremely dazzling. If it is put into France, what else can Germany get after the war? So he hurriedly said, "The Italian army has enough capacity, and His Majesty Emanuele III has promised us that he will take Marseilles in ten weeks."

"Okay."

Tang Shaoyi picked up the teacup, but before Bateman was happy to achieve his mission, as if he suddenly remembered something, the teacup stopped at his lips: "Yes, Mr. Bateman, can you tell me how many troops Italy is going to send out?"

"Thirty thousand!" Beitman said with great certainty, "His Majesty Emanuele III has decided to send all the troops that are confronting Austria-Hungary to the west."

"Thirty thousand, that's enough." Tang Shaoyi nodded hypocritically, but without waiting for Bateman to relax, she suddenly calculated by herself: "300,000 people, based on the consumption of two kilograms of food per day, need 600 tons per day.

And this is just the army. According to the current logistics guarantee, every three soldiers need one logistics staff on average. They also need food consumption, which is 800 tons!

Ten weeks to win Marseille, that is, two and a half months, that is to say, at least 56,000 tons of grain need to be consumed. I don't know if His Majesty Emanuele III can raise this grain? Does it mean that your country has a bumper harvest this year?

The corners of Beitman's mouth, which had just cracked slightly, suddenly hardened. Obviously, the Xinhua Prime Minister stabbed himself in the heart with a sword!

It seems to be a casual calculation, but it tells the biggest problem under the current war.

It has been more than three years since the European war. Several countries have invested millions of troops and tens of millions of logistics personnel, all of which are counted in the military strength. They can't produce and need to be supported by the state.

The three-year war has hollowed out Europe, and there is no extra grain in the German treasury. At present, Xinhua is the largest source of food for several countries in Europe. If Italy joins again, according to Tang Shaoyi's words, it obviously doesn't want to be Italy, which is in the midst of famine and in urgent need of food, provides support.

Bertman has a headache.

The rich European plains have been half-dead of food torture today. Britain and France used to be provided by the United States, a major producer, but the Atlantic waterway was basically interrupted after the Bermuda Great War. Only some bold smugglers dared to travel, but how much can smuggled ships be carried by smuggled ships alone? Sooner or later, the pressure of tens of thousands of mouths will make Britain and France give in.

But the problem is that Germany is not much better.

Too much labor was sent to the front line, and Germany's food could no longer be self-sufficient. The mechanized production that sprouted before the war also fell into a halt or even regression because of the need of the war. Although outsiders think that Germany has obtained the French grain area and a large area of Russian arable land in Brescte, the problem is that Agricultural production has also been seriously damaged, and it will not be fully restored in a few years.

At this time, the only thing that still has grain reserves is Xinhua, which has not been slaughtered by war and has sufficient labor resources. Since 1908, Li Mo has forcibly ordered not to export grain, thus establishing a huge reserve in China. If Germany has cut off the source of grain because Italy offended Xinhua, So let alone the final battle, I will also be exhausted.

What should I do?

Looking at Tang Shaoyi, who frowned and seemed to be still calculating the consumption, Bateman even had the impulse to punch a few times in that face, but this is politics, using all available means to obtain benefits.

"Tang, I think we might as well be more direct." As the son of a banker, he knew this well, so he called his name directly, hoping to narrow the distance between the two sides. In more relaxed words of friends, he no longer said in circles, "What do you have to pay to make Italy return to the alliance?"

Tang Shaoyi regained her seriousness and aggravated her tone: "Prime Minister Bettman, although the culprit has been arrested, his previous stupidity has caused great harm to our country and allies. We can accept a frontal attack, but we can't let go of the traitor easily!"

"But."

Just as Betman was about to speak, he was blocked by Tang Shaoyi and continued, "I can understand the feeling of His Majesty William and your country to end the war as soon as possible. In fact, this is also our idea. For the sake of alliance, we are willing to accept the return of Italy."

Hearing that Tang Shaoyi was finally relieved, Betman was suddenly relieved. Italy is too important to Germany. As long as there is Italy, Germany will stand firm in the Mediterranean in the future, at least it will not be dragged away by Xinhua here.

"What do you need?" Beitman took a breath and pricked up his ears.

"In the interests of the United States after the war, we will guarantee that we will not occupy any other land except Alaska and the land occupied by Mexico! But we will not let the United States become hostile to us again, so we demand 60% of the compensation from the United States, establish several free trade zones, lease some necessary seaports and land, and ensure the safety of some people who are willing to leave the United States.

His Majesty William should accept this condition, right? For us, maintaining a weak America is our bottom line! And this is obviously not bad for everyone, right?

Bertman nodded, which was better than he expected. Xinhua took 60% of the U.S. compensation, and other countries took the part. Germany could get at least 20%. Moreover, Germany's eyes were already on the compensation between France and the United Kingdom. As for the United States, the gold of the Federal Reserve was taken in one pot, and What can you get? So it is acceptable.

In Beitman's nod, Tang Shaoyi has continued to say: "We don't want to interfere in the interests of Africa. In addition to the areas we currently control, the interests of Djibouti, Egypt, the Suez Canal, the Seychelles Islands, the Reunion Islands and Madagascar on the Indian Ocean side belong to our country, and the previous Italian and France Somalia and Ethiopia, which belong to the British, belong to our country and Japan.

Madagascar is a good place, but Xinhua's current military front has pointed there, and there is no hope! As for Somalia and Ethiopia, they are just a corner of East Africa. Most of them are wild places, accounting for only one twentieth of that of the vast Africa. They gritted their teeth and endured!

"Food is not unlimited, so we must get some compensation, but now His Majesty Emanuele III has no funds to buy it, right? Then we might as well barter, and we can use machinery and factories to pay off the debt.

In addition, the Italian political axe also needs to pay us 15 billion blue coins in war compensation after the war!"

"15 billion?!!!!!"

(to be continued)