North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 289 Everyone has their own agenda
The delegations of the great powers quickly returned to Europe, where they reported the situation to their respective heads of state and discussed countermeasures.

By the time they obtain authorization and return to California, several more months will likely have passed.

No sooner had the delegations of the great powers left than the Russian ambassador arrived in California.

In the same conference room of the California government, Azu met with the weary Russian ambassador.

And this ambassador was also an acquaintance!

Karl Nesselrod, Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire!

Azu had anticipated that Russia would send an ambassador, but he never expected that it would be the Imperial Foreign Minister himself who arrived!
……

"Lord Nesselrod, I never expected that you would make this trip in person!"

Azu smiled and said, "From St. Petersburg to San Francisco, it's almost halfway around the world, it's really too far."

"It is a great honor for me and the entire state of California to have His Excellency the Foreign Secretary come in person!"

Karl Nesselrod had barely sat down and hadn't even caught his breath before he went straight to the point: "Your Excellency, I have been sailing for months, almost unnoticed by everyone, to come to California. You should know very well why I am here!"

Azu replied, "I guess, Your Excellency the Foreign Minister, this trip is for more weapons and ammunition...is that right?"

"Yes!"

Despite his fatigue from months of travel, Karl Nesselrod hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, over the past year, we have completed the huge arms deal we signed very amicably, with payment and goods settled on time!"

"With the weapons and ammunition you provided, we armed more than fifty divisions. During the entire year of the Marine Corps last year, these troops, armed with advanced California weaponry, achieved surprising results."

"Although the countries deployed as many as 1.8 million troops in Crimea and the surrounding areas, they suffered a major defeat and heavy casualties under the powerful firepower of our army."

"By the day I left St. Petersburg, the Allied forces had not yet gained a foothold on Tsarist Russian soil, nor had they secured any stable landing sites."

Azu smiled and said, "To hear such good news, I must congratulate His Excellency the Foreign Minister, His Majesty the Tsar, and the Russian Empire...!"

Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrod did not smile at all: "I have come here with His Majesty the Emperor and the entire Russian Empire's highest respect and heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency the Count, as well as a personal letter from His Majesty the Tsar...!"

As he spoke, Karl Nesselrod took out an elaborately decorated and ornate envelope bearing the royal double-headed eagle emblem from his pocket and respectfully presented it to Azu with both hands.

Azu accepted the envelope with both hands, but before he could open it, Karl Nesselrod continued, "However... the intensity of this battle far exceeded anyone's expectations!"

"Although the allied forces suffered heavy losses, our army also suffered heavy casualties. By the time I left St. Petersburg, the Imperial Army's casualties had exceeded 600,000!"

"Moreover, our Black Sea Fleet was almost completely wiped out, and we have completely lost control of the Black Sea."

“Apart from Crimea, the allied forces could land on any imperial territory along the Black Sea coast.”

"In fact, the coalition forces of various countries did the same thing!"

Karl Nesselrod said in a deep voice: "Apart from Sevastopol, where the fighting was most intense, in Sochi, Kerch, Odessa, Heliport... the Allied forces have been using their naval superiority to launch forced landing operations and constantly open up new battlefields!"

"Although the coalition forces have suffered heavy casualties, their size has continued to expand and may soon exceed two million."

"This war is in danger of escalating further until it completely spirals out of control!"

Karl Nesselrod's expression was grave: "Although the Empire has armed more than fifty elite divisions, the number is still too small. Facing a huge battlefield that encircles most of the Black Sea, it is seriously overwhelmed."

"The imperial army of over a million men, still equipped with old-fashioned smoothbore muskets and cannons, is far inferior to the coalition forces equipped with Minié rifles in terms of firepower and combat capability, making it difficult for them to win."

"Moreover, although the quantity of the several batches of military ammunition provided by His Excellency the Earl is considerable, they are being consumed even faster...!"

Karl Nesselrod stared at Azu with hopeful eyes: "So, Your Excellency, the Empire needs more weapons and ammunition from you...!"

"Or even, directly acquire a powerful fleet to drive the British and French fleets out of the Black Sea in one fell swoop...!"

Carl Nesselrod continued, "As far as I know, various advanced warships are being launched one after another in Huamei's shipyards, and more warships are under construction at a rapid pace."

"If Your Excellency is willing to provide the Empire with a powerful fleet directly, the Empire is willing to pay a price that will satisfy you...!"

After listening, Azu did not rush to answer, but instead used a paper cutter to slowly open the beautifully decorated envelope.

In this letter, Nicholas I wrote in beautiful handwriting his respect for the Count of Goldberg and his sincere gratitude to Tsarist Russia.

At the same time, Nicholas I expressed almost the exact same sentiment as Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrod.

However, Nicholas I was more direct in his letter.

In the letter, Nicholas I frankly admitted that the Russian treasury had been almost completely emptied due to the costly war.

This means that Tsarist Russia was out of money and was buying up advanced weapons produced in California.

However, without more and more advanced weapons, Tsarist Russia was unlikely to achieve final victory in this brutal war.

Therefore, Nicholas I directly authorized Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrod to obtain California's support for the Russian Empire by any means possible and at any cost that could be borne.

……

After reading it, Azu closed the letter and couldn't help but smile slightly: "Your Excellency, if I understand correctly, the Russian Empire's treasury is currently unable to afford to purchase weapons, but it desperately needs more and stronger munitions and ammunition, and even a powerful fleet...!"

"For this, the Tsarist Russian Empire was willing to pay any price it could bear... Am I right?!"

Karl Nesselrod nodded emphatically: "To be honest, Your Excellency, that is indeed the case!"

"To the outside world, this is top secret! But to a sincere friend like Your Excellency the Earl, we have chosen to tell you frankly."

"Given the Empire's understanding of His Excellency the Earl, this is the correct way to negotiate!"

"Hehe!" Azu laughed, "It seems that His Majesty the Tsar and His Excellency the Foreign Minister both know quite a bit about me!"

"That's right, honesty is the right way to negotiate!"

"So let's be more frank and get straight to the point: what does the Russian Empire need, and what can it offer in return?"

In Azu’s memory, at this point in early 1855, the coastal fortress of Sevastopol had been besieged for a long time by a coalition of countries with more advanced weapons and stronger combat capabilities.

Russia's defeat was inevitable!

Suffering from a long-term illness and facing defeat in war, Nicholas I, who was over sixty years old, was also nearing the end of his life.

If I remember correctly, Nicholas I originally had a maximum of two months left to live.

Only about a year remained before the Crimean War ended completely and Tsarist Russia signed the treaty of defeat.

In this life, thanks to Azu's early intervention, the Russian division, equipped with over fifty advanced weapons, at least did not suffer losses in land battles.

The scale of the war was far larger and more devastating than that of later wars.

Judging from the current situation, the end of the war seems a long way off.

What Azu wants to do is to keep this war, which is devouring countless lives and flesh and blood, going on forever.

Therefore, he could not stand idly by and watch Russia fail, nor could he allow Russia to easily defeat the Allied forces and become the true land hegemon of Europe!
We can support Tsarist Russia, but this support is limited, and the price Tsarist Russia pays for this support is extremely high!

……

Karl Nesselrod replied, "Your Excellency, we also need the equipment for at least one hundred divisions of the army, a massive amount of ammunition, at least ten capital ships, more than twenty escort ships, and dozens of coastal gunboats... Of course, the more the better!"

"Heh!" Azu shook his head and smiled noncommittally, "Your Excellency Foreign Minister, you really are asking for an exorbitant amount...!"

"To be honest, Your Excellency, just before you arrived in San Francisco, the ambassadors from the British Empire, the French Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Austrian Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia had only recently left this conference room!"

"I don't need to tell you, Your Excellency should know why they came here."

Azu continued, "I withstood enormous pressure from the European powers and did not easily give in on the matter of supplying arms, which shows that I have completely stood on the side of friendship with the Tsarist Russian Empire!"

"If you want me to continue supplying arms and ammunition to Tsarist Russia, it would undoubtedly be to completely offend these European powers, and the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"Furthermore, the arms requests made by His Excellency the Foreign Minister require at least... well, at least three hundred million US dollars!"

"Leaving aside the enormous pressure from the European powers and whether my military factories and shipyards can produce it, how will the Tsarist Russian Empire pay for this huge sum of at least three hundred million US dollars?"

Karl Nesselrod had already calculated the value of this massive arms shipment.

Three hundred million US dollars, and that's an underestimation!

If the Earl of Gold Mountain on the other side were to exercise even a little bit of his capitalist nature, the price could very well rise to four or five hundred million US dollars!
Karl Nesselrod pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, Your Excellency, the Empire's finances are currently in dire straits!"

"Let alone three hundred million US dollars, even coming up with thirty million US dollars would be extremely difficult!"

"But before he left, His Majesty personally instructed that even if it meant selling everything, even the Winter Palace and the Kremlin, we must find a way to acquire enough advanced weapons...!"

"Even so, the Empire can only offer a maximum of fifty million US dollars worth of gold and cash at the moment...!"

"As for the remaining portion, the Empire hopes to pay it off in installments over the years after the war ends, through loans!"

Karl Nesselrod added, “Your Excellency, rest assured, as long as we win the war, we will demand that the defeated powers pay war reparations and cede land and resources…!”

"Moreover, the reputation of my Russian Empire is absolutely trustworthy...!"

"Hehe!" Azu smiled and said, "Of course I have absolute trust in the credit of the Russian Empire, but according to business rules, such a huge loan must be secured by collateral...!"

"I wonder what kind of loan collateral the Russian Empire can offer?"

“Loan collateral…!” Karl Nesselrod gritted his teeth: “What can be used as collateral is, first and foremost, Imperial customs duties…!”

"Secondly... the territory of the Empire!"

Karl Nesselrod stared into Azu’s eyes and said, “Before this war, the Empire’s annual customs revenue was about 100 million gold rubles, which is equivalent to about 80 million US dollars.”

"I believe that using Imperial tariffs as collateral for the loan is absolutely safe!"

"If Your Excellency is still not at ease, then the empire's territory in the Far East can also be used as collateral...!"

"Gulp...!" Azu swallowed hard. "Customs duties... Far Eastern territories...!"

“Yes!” Karl Nesselrod said with great reluctance, “The Far East borders Alaska and also borders Your Excellency’s homeland. I believe Your Excellency will be very interested.”

"Even if the Imperial Customs Service cannot repay the Earl's arms loan, at least we can still obtain that vast Far East region...!"

After a moment's thought, Azu asked, "Does the so-called Far East region include Lake Baikal?"

"No, of course not... Lake Baikal and its surrounding area are an integral part of the Empire...!"

Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrod decisively cut off the railway.

“If that’s the case…!” Azu shrugged. “Then what’s there to talk about?”

"In this war, the Tsarist Russian Empire may face defeat, and war reparations are unreliable!"

"If we fail, the empire's customs revenue will most likely be included in the war reparations by the great powers."

"What merit do I possess to snatch food from the jaws of a tiger, from the mouths of European powers like Britain and France?"

"The only reliable thing is the mortgaged territory... provided that the Tsarist Russian Empire can abide by the treaty...!"

"And on that barren, frozen land in the Far East, the only thing of value is Lake Baikal and the surrounding area."

Azu continued, "Now that I own Alaska, I have little interest in developing the more desolate Far East; that would only be a huge burden for me."

"Therefore, if Lake Baikal and the surrounding area are not included in the mortgage agreement, I think there is no need for us to continue negotiating."

Azu shook his head slightly and said, "However, if Tsarist Russia can still come up with fifty million US dollars in cash and gold, then I am still willing to provide advanced weapons of equal value, without a doubt!"

"However, Your Excellency Foreign Minister, you should hurry up with the process regarding these fifty million dollars worth of arms."

"Once the European powers decide to sanction my California, or even openly blockade the California coast by force, then even this $50 million worth of arms... may very well not be able to be shipped out!"

With that, Azu was about to get up and end the negotiation.

"Wait... Your Excellency, is there really no possibility of continuing the discussion?"

Azu shook his head and said, "Your Excellency Foreign Minister, I am Chinese. Lake Baikal is the place where my ancestors watered their horses and herded their sheep!"

"We Chinese call Lake Baikal the North Sea!"

"That place holds extremely important and special significance for every Chinese person."

"It is a great pity that we, the unworthy descendants, failed to protect our Beihai."

"Although it only involves including Lake Baikal in the mortgage agreement, it has great symbolic significance for me and for all Chinese people!"

Karl Nesselrod looked at Azu deeply and said, "I never imagined that Your Excellency, though far across the ocean, would still have such a profound love for your homeland!"

As he spoke, Karl Nesselrod and several diplomats around him exchanged a few words in Russian in hushed tones.

After a long silence, Karl Nesselrod slowly raised his head: "Your Excellency, we agree!"

"Lake Baikal and the surrounding area can be included in the mortgage agreement!"

"If the Empire cannot repay this enormous loan, and even the customs duties cannot cover it... then Lake Baikal and the Far East region will belong to you, Your Excellency the Earl!"

"Hehe!" Azu then slowly sat down: "This is the right attitude for negotiation...!"

"Next, we can discuss the specific terms of the agreement...!"

In the following week, the Russian Empire and the Huamei Company engaged in arduous negotiations, going through every word and clause of the massive arms deal and its accompanying huge loan agreement.

The agreement was finally signed just before the Spring Festival.

Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrod, representing the Russian Empire, and Edgar Allan Poe, representing the Huamei Industrial Company, solemnly signed their names on this enormous agreement.

……

Under this agreement, Huamei Company will deliver munitions and weapons for a full one hundred divisions, as well as a huge amount of ammunition, to the Russian Empire in installments over the next two years.

Over the next four years, Huamei Company will also build ten high-speed steam warships of 3,000 tons or more, twenty frigates of 1,500 tons, and sixty coastal gunboats of 500 tons for Tsarist Russia in phases.

If this order is completed, Tsarist Russia will possess the most powerful army in Eurasia, as well as one of the world's leading naval fleets, second only to Britain and France.

Of course, at the same time, Tsarist Russia would pay the Huamei Company $50 million in cash and gold.

The remaining funds will be used by Tsarist Russia to pay all customs revenue for the next four years after the war to the Huamei Company.

The total amount of customs duties paid as collateral shall not be less than US$300 million or more than US$310 million.

If the amount is less than three hundred million US dollars, the Tsarist Russian Empire will compensate with equivalent territory in the Far East.

The price for each square kilometer of land, including Lake Baikal and the surrounding area, is set at eighty US dollars!

This price, while far higher than the average price for selling Alaska, is also far more valuable than that of the Far East, including Lake Baikal.

After all, it was connected to the Russian mainland and was not comparable to Alaska, which was isolated overseas.

……

Once the agreement was signed, Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrod and other Tsarist Russian representatives, carrying this huge sum of money, boarded their ship and sailed away, completely satisfied.

Ah Zu, who rarely makes public appearances these days, personally saw them off this time.

As the ship carrying the Russian representatives sailed further and further away, Azu stood alone in the cold wind, watching them go.

"Boss, I feel this agreement...!" Edgar Allan Poe, who had personally signed the agreement, finally couldn't suppress his doubts of the past few days and asked.

"What's wrong with this agreement?" Azu turned around and smiled slightly at him.

“I think this agreement is too difficult to achieve…!” Edgar Allan Poe replied.

"Hehe...!" Azu continued to gaze at the increasingly distant ship and laughed, "It's not just too difficult to achieve... it's that both parties to the agreement have their own ulterior motives!"

"Each has their own agenda?" Edgar Allan Poe asked curiously. "What do you mean?"

Azu laughed and said, "I never thought that all the weapons, ammunition, and warships in the agreement would be handed over to Tsarist Russia!"

"And Tsarist Russia never intended to continue fulfilling the loan repayment agreement after acquiring all the weapons, ammunition, and warships...!"

"Ah...this...!" Edgar Allan Poe's eyes widened: "How could this be?"

Azu's smile deepened: "If I hand over all the weapons, ammunition, and warships stipulated in the agreement to Tsarist Russia, it would be like raising a tiger to cause future trouble, personally nurturing an incredibly greedy monster!"

"The emblem of the Russian imperial family is a double-headed eagle. Do you know what that means?"

"I don't know!" Edgar Allan Poe shook his head.

"The so-called double-headed eagle means it eats up both the East and the West, profiting from both ends!"

Azu laughed and replied, "Do you think I would personally raise a monster like that into one?"

"The only reason I signed this agreement was to allow Tsarist Russia to continue fighting this war indefinitely."

"As long as this war continues, Britain, France, Russia, including the Ottomans, Austria, and Sardinia, will not have time to launch any action against California, or even war."

"Of course, we will also use this war to sustainably exploit resources...!"

"The only thing that can actually be fulfilled in this order is the $50 million worth of military weapons, ammunition and supplies."

"With this amount of military equipment and ammunition, I estimate that Tsarist Russia can last at least three to five years."

"But that's all!"

Azu slowly shook his head: "The equipment for the remaining hundred divisions, the fleet... heh, I never intended to hand them over to Tsarist Russia."

"Even if Tsarist Russia acquired the equipment of a hundred divisions and a powerful fleet, they would absolutely not be prepared to pay the remaining three hundred million dollars!"

"As for the so-called pledged tariffs, the territory in the Far East, or even the area around Lake Baikal, haha... those are just empty promises."

"Given Tsarist Russia's insatiable greed for territory, it would be utterly impossible for them to willingly cede the Far East, let alone Lake Baikal!"

Edgar Allan Poe was even more puzzled: "If that's the case, why not just sign a $50 million arms deal? Why sign such an impossible agreement?"

Azu laughed heartily, patted Edgar Allan Poe on the shoulder and said, "Edgar, after four or five years of training with me, you still retain that unique simplicity of a scholar!"

Ah Zu was practically reaching out to pinch Edgar Allan Poe's bewildered face: "The reason I signed this impossible agreement is simply to leave a loose end, to have a pretext for the future!"

(End of this chapter)