Wild North America 1846

Chapter 723 Washington Negotiations

April 6

Washington

With the current size of more than 140 million people in the new United States, Washington, the political capital, cannot be supported at all. After countries became independent, a large number of senators, representatives, and political brokers left this city and returned to the countries they represent.

Washington's population reached 1870 in 13.2. Before President Benjamin Harrison declared bankruptcy in early 1890, the city's population once reached a peak of 26.7. Since then, the city's population has declined rapidly.

Today, a year and a half later, the population of the whole of Washington is less than 20, and the total population is about 18.6 to a little over 19. About half of the people are unemployed, and the city is visibly depressed.

In the majestic Capitol Hill
Lieutenant General Escalade Freche, North American Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army of the Tang Empire, Lieutenant General Jean-François Pesini, Commander of the French North American Expeditionary Force, Brigadier General George Graham of the British North American Military Liaison Office and other military personnel Representatives, each signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Occupied Areas.

in the crowd

There were also heavyweight diplomatic officials such as Viscount Lin Feng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Tang Empire, Jean-Migne Perrier, the special envoy of the French President, and Baron Henry Lind, the British Special Representative for North American Affairs, who witnessed the signing of this important agreement on the spot. .

The conclusion of this memorandum of understanding agreement on the occupied area means that the new United States is in a state of military co-management by Tang, France, and Britain, and the defense zones are demarcated from each other to avoid unnecessary misfires and trigger greater disputes.

Although the three major powers have eliminated the danger of misfires, the "Colombia disputed area" has also lost its status as an independent country and is no longer internationally recognized.

This is also the sorrow of the new United States. As a region that inherited the official country name of the former United States of America, because it has not been formally recognized by major powers, it can only be referred to as the "Colombia Dispute Area", thus losing the status of an independent country. identity.

This is a demand strongly insisted by the French, and it is also to clear the way for international debt restructuring negotiations. After several negotiations, the Tang Empire took the lead in recognizing it, and the British no longer insisted on their original position of being an independent country.

Weak people can't even get the most basic respect.

After the formal signing of the MOU, there will be a brief working luncheon.

Representatives of the Great Powers of Britain, France and Tang Dynasty held champagne glasses in their hands, standing together in twos and threes and chatting with gentlemen.However, this local representative of the so-called "Colombia disputed area" has no right to enter this high-end small circle.

The special envoy of the French President, Jean-Migne Perrier, looked more excited, and walked over with a champagne glass with a smile on his face...

With his insistence, most of the demands of the French side were taken care of, and the scope of the French expeditionary force was limited to a few hundred square kilometers in Washington, D.C., Colombia.

The coalition forces of Tang and Britain occupied most of Maryland and Delaware, including the Baltimore military base.

The French side transferred all the remaining personnel to Washington, DC, Colombia, thus forming a powerful military presence with a total of 1.6 people.

"Guys, I think that with our joint efforts, we have made a good start. The next step is to talk about the issue of international debt restructuring." Envoy Jean-Migne-Perrier said with a smile.

Viscount Lin Feng nodded lightly and said, "It can be included in the agenda, but it obviously requires the participation of more professional financial officials. The international creditors headed by your country should also show due sincerity. This is the start of restructuring negotiations. Foundation."

Baron Henry Lind, the British special representative for North American affairs, also agreed and echoed: "I think the French can only represent themselves and make substantial debt reduction commitments. I think 5% is an appropriate ratio."

The British are ruthless enough, because not all of the international debts owed by the United States of America belong to French usurers. France accounts for a little more than 7%, and the rest comes from the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark and other countries. The interests of these people Undoubtedly betrayed.

Based on the outstanding international debt principal and interest of about 11.67 billion Tang Yuan before the United States officially declared national bankruptcy, this knife cut off more than 3 million Tang Yuan.

The international creditor's rights that really belong to the French loan sharks are less than 8 million Tang Yuan.

The so-called 5% refers to the reduction of the principal and interest of the 8 million Tang Yuan debt by half. On this basis, when talking about debt restructuring, the debt scale is about 4 million Tang Yuan.

Such debt reduction may seem like a cut in the middle, but it is not.

During the war, the United States of America (Northern) borrowed a total of 13.75 billion Tang Yuan (including loans of the same value in British pounds, francs, and marks) from international finance. After the war in 1861, an "International Creditor's Committee" was formed to renegotiate the amortization of debts.

During this period, the United States repaid about 2.55 million Tang yuan through the sale of government assets, and the remaining international borrowing totaled 11.2 billion Tang yuan.

After nearly two years of difficult negotiations, a total of 11.2 billion Tang Yuan international claims were finally reached, a 49-year debt repayment arrangement plan, and the accumulative repayment of principal and interest exceeded 25 billion Tang Yuan (note, some assets were sold to repay debts in advance).

Among them, the interest on the loan has far exceeded the principal. American Weather has been repaid for 27 years, repaying slightly more than half of the principal and interest of the loan.

There are still 22 years of loan period and a little more than 11 billion Tang yuan in loan principal and interest.

Therefore, the 5% mentioned by the British is based on guaranteeing the remaining 3.6 million Tang yuan principal, and then giving some appropriate compensation, and the main reduction is the interest part.

The term of the loan is to be determined, and the loan interest and other preferential conditions are to be determined.

Debt reduction must be reduced, but how much should be reduced will need to be discussed in detail.

Envoy Jean-Migne-Périette looked at Viscount Lin Feng, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Does your side hold a similar position?"

Originally, the Tang Empire had a detached position in international debts. Now, after swallowing three states and one vassal state in one gulp, it has taken over the latter's international debts and has become a direct party.

According to the ratio of population and economic scale, it is basically New York State, Datang and other divided countries. The ratio of 5; 4; 1 is more fair, and there will be no major changes during the negotiation.

Although the New York Republic only accounts for 46% of the population, it has New York, the third largest city in North America, with relatively high economic output and wealthy urban areas, so it should account for half of the repayment ratio.

The three states and one vassal state occupied by the Datang Empire have the largest combined area, with a total population of more than 886 million, and distribute 40% of the debts of the entire United States.

The rest of the Democratic Republic of Maine, the Republic of Connecticut, and the disputed area of ​​Colombia share 10% of the debt, which is roughly a ratio of 5;4;1.

Viscount Lin Feng smiled lightly. This debt seemed like the sky was falling in the North American countries after the division, but the Tang Empire didn't care and could easily take it on.

The annual gross national product of the Datang Empire has exceeded the 200 billion Tang Yuan mark, ranking first in the world.

A debt of less than 2 million yuan is just a thick feather, and the imperial family can pay it off in one go by tightening their cash flow.

The Royal House of Internal Affairs has a reserve fund for emergencies every year. Over the years, it has purchased gold and stored it in many royal banks, and now it has accumulated thousands of tons of gold.

This money is just one of the funds that the royal family can use.

The royal family authorized these multinational banks to issue banknotes of the same size for circulation based on the gold reserves, and to maintain and increase the value through international and domestic credit issuance, which can be used to purchase more gold reserves.

The great wealth of the Tang Empire royal family is really not bragging. Every year, only tens of millions of Tang Yuan are invested in the financial funds of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the territories directly under the royal family.

But money is not used in this way, and the British plan is not the best one, Viscount Lin Feng said;

"Based solely on the principal of the debt, the remaining principal of the loan is about 3.7 to 3.8 million Tang Yuan, which is not a large amount.

In this debt repayment negotiation, a variety of possibilities must be considered, including early repayment of loans, combined loan repayment plans, etc., as well as the debtor's repayment ability.

But the premise of all this is that the international creditors must show sincerity in debt reduction, otherwise it will be a castle in the air, and it will be difficult to reach a final agreement.

In the end, the choice is still yours. "

After suffering a big loss, the French no longer insisted on their previous tough stance, the presidential special envoy Jean-Migne Perrier nodded seriously and replied;
"The Paris government has done everything it needs to do for the financial community, and will try its best to facilitate debt restructuring negotiations, hoping to reach an agreement as soon as possible."

"I hope so." The British Special Representative for North American Affairs, Baron Henry Lind, was not so eager, and responded.

Based on the interests of the three countries, although the British side is dissatisfied with the reckless actions of the French kidnapping.However, considering that the important sector of France cannot be lacking in the balance of power in Europe, I have to hold my nose and endure it.

Compared with France, Britain is now more troubled by the big trouble it has single-handedly supported, and that is Germany.

In 1888, after the young and energetic William II succeeded to the throne, he really couldn't bear the conservative policy of the iron-blooded prime minister Bismarck. In March 1890, he was publicly dismissed from the post of prime minister and given the empty title of field marshal and admiral.

Since then, there has been no checks and balances, and Germany has entered the real Wilhelm era, which is represented by "world policy", which is an expansion policy that competes with Britain, France, Tang Russia for colonies, and is extremely aggressive.

especially in africa
The active expansion of Germany can be seen everywhere, and it quickly became one of the main players in the African colonial boom, occupying a large number of colonies second only to Britain and France.

While actively expanding, Wilhelm II paid attention to the development of military power. With his strong support, the German Krupp company rapidly expanded like a balloon, and its production scale and production capacity doubled year after year.

When William II visited England, he was very envious of the huge fleet of the Royal Navy, and determined to build a powerful navy that could match the status of Germany in the world, which undoubtedly touched the sensitive nerves of the British.

Although the German Emperor Wilhelm II was the grandson of Queen Victoria and the cousin of Edward, the Prince of Wales, there was nothing to discuss about the fundamental interests of the United Kingdom.

So now Britain is deeply wary of the rise of Germany and is gradually alienating its relationship with Germany. It has become a realistic choice to win over France to become the main force against the alliance of Germany, Austria and Russia.

The changes in the European situation have brought about changes in British foreign policy. Weakening France is no longer an option A. When dealing with North American issues, the tone of the British has also changed.

"Pay attention to those Brits, they may betray our interests to satisfy the appetite of the French." Viscount Lin Feng, the vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stepped aside and whispered to Lieutenant General Escalade Frech.

He smelled something wrong from the British's statement just now, so he came over to remind him.

Lieutenant General Escalade Flech stared at him, turned his face to look at Baron Henry Lind, the British Special Representative for North American Affairs, and nodded in agreement;
"This is our home court. Whether you are British or French, you must play according to the rules of the empire, otherwise we can turn the table."

"That's right, the main opponent of the French in this negotiation is us. It is a strong dialogue, and it will certainly be a wonderful international negotiation." Viscount Lin Feng took a sip from the champagne glass in his hand, his eyes full of expectation.

The upcoming international debt restructuring negotiations will be a struggle between Tang and France, and it will be a stage for diplomats to show their talents.

more than a month later
Washington

The International Creditor's Rights Committee, mainly composed of French creditor banks and big capitalists, and the multinational delegation led by Lord Pan Shouguo, Minister of North American Affairs of the Datang Empire, launched tit-for-tat debt restructuring negotiations here.

The beginning of the negotiation
The two sides had a fierce confrontation on the ratio of debt reduction. Due to the large gap in positions, the two sides failed to reach an agreement after several rounds of negotiations.

under these circumstances
Lord Pan Shouguo directly announced the failure of the first round of negotiations, and the current mood and position of international creditors are not suitable for continuing negotiations.After calming down, we need to choose an opportunity to restart negotiations.

As for the time for the second round of negotiations, it may be some time next year, but it cannot be determined at present.

This statement directly made the international creditor syndicate headed by France dumbfounded, at a loss as to what happened?
In the face of such emergencies,

President Francois of France urgently sent a negotiation letter, which was directly rejected by the Tang Empire government, and there was no room for discussion in the reply.

Looking at the approximately 4.5 Tang Empire troops assembled in Maryland, the French finally understood something...

The international creditor banks headed by France have never put their position in order, but they don't know that the protagonist of the negotiation has changed, and the original strong position has been reduced to a disadvantage.

If it fails to meet Datang's requirements, the debt restructuring negotiations are nowhere in sight.It doesn't matter if it takes a year or two, or three to five years, and the debtor country is not in a hurry.

Just take this opportunity to recharge your batteries and recover a wave of blood, anyway, there is nothing to lose.

As for the "Colombia disputed area" occupied by the French army, you can occupy it if you want, and now everyone is clearing the door.

With the troops of the Great Tang Empire controlling the scene, the French Expeditionary Force did not dare to mess around.The longer the delay, the greater the loss for international creditors.

The biggest divergence point at present is;

The delegations of many countries requested that a certain proportion of debt reduction be carried out on the basis of the outstanding principal, which is 3.632 million Tang yuan.

The international creditor's rights syndicate, on the basis of the outstanding debt principal and interest of nearly 8 million Tang Yuan in the previous debt restructuring treaty, made a certain percentage of debt reduction.

This includes the huge interest generated in the next two decades, which is of course more beneficial to the creditor syndicate.

objectively speaking
The appeal of the international creditor syndicate is not unreasonable, because it is an international treaty written in black and white, and it is the international debt repayment obligation that the debtor country should fulfill.

However, the demands of the multinational delegation headed by the Datang Empire are also tenable, because the Datang Empire is the maker and defender of North American rules, and the most correct reason is to have a big fist and a hard fist.

(End of this chapter)