I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 860: Marching in, breaking the contract

During the Russo-Japanese War, Witte went to France, hoping that the French government would prevent Japan from issuing government bonds in France and persuade the French not to buy government bonds issued by Japan in other countries.

At that time, the French government rejected Witte's request on the grounds of "freedom".

The French government's reason was that it was Japan's freedom to issue government bonds in France.

It is also the French people's freedom to buy Japanese government bonds, and the French government will not interfere.

Freedom is real.

It is also true that the French government does not look favorably upon Russia.

You can't shout about freedom when it only benefits France.

Russia shattered Napoleon's hopes of unifying Europe and interrupted the opportunity given to France by history.

The damage caused by Britain to France is no less than that caused by Russia. Not to mention the Hundred Years' War which was too far away, France was exploited by Britain during the world wars and a generation was ruined.

On the Western Front, led by the British and French forces, almost every battle of the German army was launched from the area under the responsibility of the British army.

The British army was weak and collapsed at the first blow, and was quickly broken through by the German army every time.

The French army had to clean up the mess for the British army and mobilized its reserve troops to withstand the frenzied attack of the German army. In addition, the Russian army on the Eastern Front was able to tie down Germany, which was eventually exhausted to death.

Georges and Pétain were both eyewitnesses of World War I and knew all of this very well.

"George, what should I do?"

Pétain looked confused and saw no hope.

George wanted to give him a wake-up call, you are the commander-in-chief of the French army, you can't be completely clueless.

Pétain tried, but it was in vain.

Compared with Russia, France also has its own national conditions, and Pétain's power is far less than Georges'.

Russia's attack on Barakzai is a reflection of the collective will of the Russian military. George went with the flow and made these overconfident generals face the reality: your uncle will always be your uncle.

Pétain knew the weaknesses of the Maginot Line and hoped to extend it to the Franco-Belgian border and include the Franco-Belgian border within the protection range of the Maginot Line.

The request was rejected by the French parliament, which was concerned about hurting the feelings of Belgians.

This is certainly an excuse, the real reason is lack of budget.

The French government does have no money, but French financial groups do.

The French financial group would rather invest money in Germany than support French national defense, and Pétain could do nothing about it.

"Do your best to build a modern French army and stop the German invasion."

George wins both ways.

If France wants to build a modern French army, it must purchase the most advanced weapons and equipment from Russia.

In this way, the Russian government and companies make profits, while France gets security guarantees.

If it is still not safe enough, it is because the security is not strong enough, not because Russia's weapons and equipment are not advanced enough.

The ants kill the elephant.

"On the one hand, you are aiding Germany, and on the other hand, you are selling weapons and equipment to France. What is the difference between this and Britain's Continental Balance Policy?"

Pétain was greatly disappointed.

"You can do nothing."

George doesn't care. The current situation in France is very similar to that of the late Ming Dynasty.

The late Ming Dynasty was plagued by internal and external troubles. The imperial court could not even guarantee military spending. The powerful and wealthy were all concerned with their own business and ignored the honor and disgrace of the country.

Chongzhen tried every possible means, and his father-in-law Zhou Kui only donated 12000 taels, of which 5000 taels were Empress Zhou's private money.

The amount of cash that King Chuang seized from Zhou's family alone was as much as 52 taels.

The same goes for the French consortium. Capital has no borders. Even if France is destroyed, the little mustache will still use these consortiums to maintain its rule over France.

It should be noted that many French financial groups also belong to Hebrews.

This is why the French police's enthusiasm for arresting Hebrews after France surrendered surprised even the Gestapo.

There is really nothing new in history.

Back to the issue of France, if Pétain was willing to die, Georges would be willing to bury him.

Pétain did not completely reject George's suggestion. He ordered 150 armored vehicles from Siberian Heavy Industry and left in disappointment.

Makarov reported to George that there were growing calls in Austria for a merger with Germany.

After Austria gained independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it once planned to merge with Germany, but was stopped by the League of Nations.

The man with the mustache himself is Austrian. In recent years, there have been constant calls for Austria to merge with Germany, and these calls are not new.

The reason why the calls are getting louder and louder now is that the German economy has begun to recover, but it is also probably due to the promotion of the mustache guy.

The mustache has fulfilled his promise and brought milk and bread back to the German table.

Compared with Germany, Austrians were still struggling with hunger, which was the basis for Austria's demand to merge with Germany.

George understood the Austrians' demands as a test of the Treaty of Versailles by the Moustache.

If the League of Nations doesn't stop it, I'm afraid the mustache guy will take action next.

The mustache guy was very smart and knew who had the final say in the National League, so Karl Jr. came to George again to purchase something, this time it was a training aircraft.

George had to admit that compared to Pétain, he even liked the mustache a little.

Pétain tried very hard, but he did not have the courage to overturn the table completely. He could only patch things up, which was not enough to change the balance of power between Germany and France. The last time the mustache passed the armored vehicle, he had actually broken the restrictions on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles.

Although nominally the armored vehicles were purchased for the German police, they would not be equipped with the German Wehrmacht.

But in fact, everyone knows that the German police driving those armored vehicles are 100% active-duty soldiers of the German Wehrmacht.

Even if not, you can transfer to the National Defense Force at any time.

Now Germany has started purchasing aircraft again. Will they be sold?
Carl Jr. purchased the trainer aircraft in the name of the flying club, and it will only be used for civilian teaching and will not be used for military purposes.

George could also ensure that the "civilians" in the flying clubs could become active German troops at any time.

This is a difficult choice. If Russia does not sell, the Germans will turn to the Americans.

The United States did not sign the Treaty of Versailles and is not bound by the Treaty of Versailles.

Little Karl was very generous. He wanted to buy 100 trainer aircraft right away. All the Russian aircraft factories came here to try to get this big order.

100 aircraft in peacetime is definitely a large order.

“When will your police be equipped with fighter jets?”

George teased Carl Jr. that this day is not far away.

"If you agree, tomorrow."

Little Carl finally found a way to maximize his profits.

It is not in Germany's interests to completely side with either Russia or the United States. Only by playing both sides can Germany maximize its interests.

Karl not only wants to purchase aircraft, but also hopes to obtain production authorization and organize production in Germany.

"That's too much. We'll talk about this next time we meet."

If George does not authorize, Germany will certainly be able to please both sides, but George also wants to maximize his interests.

"As you wish—"

Little Carl didn't argue and was very respectful to George.

After leaving Yuriev Palace, little Karl went to have a drink with his brother-in-law Leonid and complain at the same time.

"The Grand Duke is too harsh on Germany. This will have an impact on the friendship between Germany and Russia!"

Little Carl can't drink much and gets drunk after just one glass of wine.

"Don't come on, haven't you gotten enough benefits from Russia?"

Leonid would not allow anyone to defame George.

At the end of the World War, if Russia had not taken the initiative to extend a helping hand to Germany, Germany might have suffered a tragedy similar to the Irish famine.

It is because of Russia's help that Germany has retained its valuable military-industrial capabilities, otherwise Germany would have no one available now.

Russia's greatest help was that it saved Germany's valuable industrial workers, which enabled the German economy to take off rapidly.

Although many German skilled workers and scientific researchers have joined Russian citizenship, and even more have retained their German citizenship, in the past two years many Germans who have already joined Russian citizenship have chosen to rejoin German citizenship. The little mustache man does not refuse anyone and keeps his doors open to accept all who come.

Even those Germans who did not return to Germany were not blamed by the German government and German media. The media almost unanimously believed that they respected, understood, and blessed their choice.

This attitude is powerful. Many people who were originally hesitant began to lean emotionally towards Germany.

Even those who are determined will at least not refuse to donate to Germany. They have to show some appreciation.

In recent years, Germany has received donations from Russia exceeding 1000 million rubles.

This was also widely publicized by the German media as evidence of friendly relations between Russia and Germany.

"Little Lion, if Russia and Germany join forces, we can conquer the world."

Little Carl's eyes suddenly became clear.

"And then what? An unprecedented showdown?"

Leonid didn't know how the relationship between Russia and Germany would evolve, he only knew that there could not be two tigers in one mountain.

"The world is big enough for two countries."

Carl Jr. doesn't have as big ambitions as Moustache.

The guy with the mustache wasn't ambitious, but he was held hostage by the German tanks, and he kept moving forward and couldn't stop.

"No matter what, our feelings will not change. If one day Germany is no longer safe, you can come to me. Remember, there is hope only when you are alive."

Leonid reminded Karl that Germany was not absolutely safe, and if necessary, Karl could go into exile in Russia to plan for the future.

"You too, if Russia is no longer safe, you can come to me."

Little Karl didn't take it seriously, as the Yuriev family had a lot of businesses in Germany.

As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. At this level, this is normal operation.

George is a cunning man who has many burrows. If Russia no longer needs the Yuriev family, George can go to the Grand Duchy of Yuriev and Yugoslavia, or even to Australia.

Germany and France are both strengthening their military buildup, and Russia must also take action to prevent problems before they occur.

Amidst the chaos, in March 1936, Germany sent troops to occupy the Rhine demilitarized zone and announced the abolition of the Locarno Treaty.

Although this adventure of the little mustache was strongly opposed by the French, it actually received support from the British.

It is said that the UK had been hiding the matter before, but now it is finally no longer hiding it.

(End of this chapter)