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Text Chapter 790 Baghdad Railway

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    "Your Majesty, although we have begun mobilization, it will only take a month to expand the army to one million. However, our weapons, equipment and ammunition have not yet been fully stocked. In addition, our ally, the Austro-Hungarian Empire  and Italy are not ready for war. Once war breaks out, we will face the attack of the Allies alone!" Chief of General Staff Count Alfred von Schlieffen said.

    "Your Majesty, the Navy can go into battle at any time and can ensure the defeat of France. However, if Britain intervenes, we are not sure of victory. Therefore, the Navy recommends waiting until the 'Caesar-class' battleships and 'King-class' battleships are put into service before proceeding.  If we go to war with the Allies, we will have a greater chance of winning!" Navy Minister Alfred von Tirpitz also said.

    "Your Excellency Tirpitz, the navy has no chance of winning now. Will it have a chance of winning after the 'Caesar-class' battleships and 'King-class' battleships are put into service? Our number of battleships is increasing, and the British and French are not idle either. They  The 'Neptune-class' battleships, 'Giant-class' battleships and 'Orion-class' battleships will also be put into service. By then, the Imperial Navy will still have no advantage!" Crown Prince William retorted.

    "Your Highness, the performance of our battleships is no worse than that of the British, and is even much better than theirs. The gap between us and the British does not lie in the battleships, but in the quality of the navy! The Imperial Navy has taken too long to develop.  It¡¯s too short. Compared with Britain, which has dominated the world¡¯s oceans for hundreds of years, there is still a big gap. We need to work hard in this area. In a few years, even if the quality of the Imperial Navy is not as good as that of the British Navy, the gap will not be  It will be too big. By then, the Imperial Navy will have a greater chance of winning!" Minister Tirpitz explained.

    Crown Prince William was speechless after being rebutted and had no choice but to say no more.  However, you can tell from the expression on his face.  He was very dissatisfied.  I think both Count Schlieffen and Tirpitz are too cowardly.  It is truly a rare opportunity for Germany.  Although Germany is ready, countries such as Britain and France are also not ready. If a war breaks out, Germany may not necessarily lose!

    "Your Excellency Prime Minister, what is your opinion?" William II asked.

    "Your Majesty, the attitude of the French has softened. However, Morocco should be their bottom line. If we want to take Morocco away from the French, it should be impossible. The most we can do is let  Morocco maintains the status quo. If the empire does not want to go to war with France immediately, maintaining the status quo in Morocco and waiting for new opportunities should be the best choice!" Prime Minister Bernhard von B¨¹low said!  He has always personally presided over the negotiations with France.  The change in the attitude of the French government can be seen from the fact that the French replaced the tough Foreign Minister Theophile Delcase and replaced him with the relatively moderate Maurice Rouvier.

    "So. If war breaks out, can we survive?" Kaiser Wilhelm II asked.  He was also a little unwilling.

    "Your Majesty, with the current economy of the empire, it can last for about two years at most. However, the prerequisite is that the empire's overseas channels are not cut off. If the sea channels are cut off, it will be difficult for the empire to continue fighting for a long time. Many of our resources  , including iron ore, copper ore, petroleum and non-ferrous metals, etc., all need to be imported from abroad!" Prime Minister Bernhard von B¨¹low said.

    William II frowned. Germany lacked everything except coal, which seriously restricted Germany's development.  If the Franco-Prussian War had not snatched Alsace and Lorraine, two iron ore producing areas, from France, Germany would have been even more restricted in terms of resources!

    "The resource problem has always troubled Germany. If the war cannot be ended in a short time, the empire lacking resources will not be able to persist for long. Does anyone have a solution to this problem?" William II asked.

    "Your Majesty, to protect the empire's sea lines of communication, a powerful navy is needed. The strength of the imperial navy is still lacking. However, our strength is expanding rapidly. When the imperial navy can defeat the British navy, our  The sea lines of communication will be safe!" Navy Minister Tirpitz said.

    ¡°So, what happens before the navy can defeat the British navy?¡± William II continued to ask.

    "Your Majesty, we have an alternative. We can maintain contact with the outside world through the Baghdad Railway and obtain support from China. China is rich in resources. If they can provide the empire with the supplies it needs, even if overseas transportation lines are cut off, the empire will  You can persevere!" Prime Minister Bernhard von B¨¹low said.

    Bagha?The railway runs from the Bosporus to the Persian Gulf through Baghdad.  In the late 1880s, in order to compete for world hegemony, Germany pursued the Eastward Policy and extended its influence into the Near East. It tried to build a railway to connect it with the European Railway and form a direct route from Hamburg and Berlin via Constantinople and Baghdad.  The Great Railway of the Persian Gulf.  This railway not only allowed German forces to control T¨¹rkiye; it also seriously threatened the Caucasus, Persia and other regions and British India.  Therefore, it was opposed and obstructed by Russia, France, and especially the United Kingdom.

    In 1888, Germany obtained the concession right to build the railway from the Bosporus to Ankara from the Ottoman Empire, and established the German Asia Minor Company to engage in construction.  In 1889, according to the instructions of the Kaiser, the company obtained the concession right from the Ottoman Empire to extend the railway to Konya in January 1893.  Britain strongly objected, and Germany threatened to oppose British interests in Egypt, forcing Britain to make concessions.  In 1896, the railway was completed.  In 1901, Germany obtained the concession right to build a railway extending from Konya through Baghdad to the Persian Gulf.  Britain and France strongly opposed this. After complex negotiations, Britain still firmly disagreed with Kuwait as the end point of the line.

    "The Baghdad Railway is a good alternative. However, can the Baghdad Railway's transportation capacity meet the consumption of the war?" William II asked.  In a war, the amount of supplies consumed every day is astronomical.  Railway transportation capacity in this era is generally relatively low. It is simply impossible to rely on one railway to support a large-scale war.

    "Your Majesty, we will extend the Baghdad Railway to Kuwait, but we have been blocked by Britain, France and other countries. However, after the Middle East War, the power of Britain and France has been seriously weakened in the Middle East. The Middle East is already dominated by our Chinese allies.  If we propose to extend the Baghdad railway to Kuwait, the Chinese will definitely not refuse. After all, if we lose the war, it will not be of any benefit to them. As for the railway capacity, there is no solution to this problem yet.  However, the Baghdad Railway is just a supplement to Germany. What we really need to do is to reserve as many strategic materials as possible before the war. After the sea lines of communication are blocked, we can then rely on the Baghdad Railway to supplement. In this way, it is convenient  The empire's external communications will not be completely cut off!" Prime Minister Bernhard von B¨¹low said.

    ¡°Well, the government will come forward to contact the Chinese and discuss the Baghdad Railway with them.¡± William II said.

    Under the appeal of various countries, Germany's attitude also softened. On July 8, the two sides reached an agreement and agreed to convene an international conference of the participating countries of the Treaty of Madrid to discuss the Moroccan issue, namely the Algeciras Conference held in January 1906.  Meeting.

    When France and Germany reached an agreement, the whole of Europe and even the world breathed a sigh of relief, as if the war was suddenly gone.  The clouds of war surrounding Europe seemed to have dissipated a lot at once.  However, everyone seems to have selectively forgotten that Germany's military mobilization is still continuing, and France's mobilization has not ended.  Negotiations between France and Germany are still ongoing, because the differences between the two sides are so great that there is no possibility of reaching an agreement.

    As for the German government¡¯s proposal to China to extend the Baghdad Railway to Kuwait, China also agreed.  The Chinese Emperor Wang Yuze has long been considering how to transfuse blood to Germany if Germany cannot persist in the war.  Baghdad Railway is undoubtedly a good choice.

    From January 16 to April 7, 1906, the great powers held an international conference in Algeciras, a seaport city in southern Spain, to seek to quell the conflict between Germany and France over Morocco.  The meeting was attended by representatives from 14 countries including China, Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Spain, Italy, Austria, Russia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden and Morocco.  Germany demands that all countries enjoy absolute equality of rights in Morocco and opposes France turning Morocco into its own "protectorate."

    There are two main topics of the meeting.  The first is the issue of police power in Morocco.  Germany advocates the establishment of an international agency to manage the Moroccan police, while France demands that it be managed by it or at most jointly managed by it and Spain.  The second is the issue of supervision of Moroccan banks.  Germany demanded that the great powers have equal shares in the bank.  France agreed to internationalize Moroccan banks but required a slightly larger stake in the bank's fixed capital than other countries.  At the meeting, Britain supported France out of their own interests.  Russia urgently needed French loans and persuaded Germany to make concessions to France.  The United States focuses on the balance of power in Europe and is also inclined to support France's position.  Spain and Italy had already made commitments to France, and other participating countries took the opinions of the majority of countries as their own.  China and Austria-Hungary were the only countries that supported Germany.  Germany was isolated.

    On April 7, the conference adopted the "Final Protocol", a total of 123 articles, claiming to recognize the independence of Morocco, but stipulated that: Morocco's police organization and security powers will be handed over to France and Spain; international supervision of Morocco's finances will be implemented.  Several major countries participating in the meeting provided funds to establish a national bank, with France occupying a larger share and business activities governed by French law.??; Foreigners can purchase land and engage in commercial, mining and other activities; tariffs are managed by a standing committee composed of a government representative, a foreign representative and a representative of the National Bank.  This meeting was actually a deal for several European powers to pursue imperialist power politics at the expense of Morocco's sovereignty.  (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read it.)
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