The Prime Minister was a little confused by Carlo's words. It was not that Antonio couldn't understand, but that he knew what kind of person the king was, so he also knew that the king's words were not just literal.
"Let the Foreign Secretary tell you."
At Carlo's signal, Bacona spoke. "Our embassy in Madrid received a summons from the Spanish Foreign Minister. They want to purchase a new battleship from our country."
Of course, the Foreign Secretary's words were more than that, otherwise Carlo would not have needed to signal. Then Bacona continued to explain the reason why Spain purchased the warship island.
Let’s start with the United States.
As we all know, the current sunset in Spain is like a shabby settlement, and most of the family property has been lost. But in any case, the ancestors of the shabby settlement are also richer, and they still have two treasures. And among the treasures of Spain, a shabby settlement, the most
What is valuable is ancient
Damn it. How valuable is Cuba? Let’s put it this way. Currently Italy’s most profitable colony of Borneo is far behind Cuba. This colony of Cuba can provide Spain with an annual income of 5 to 6 million pounds (1
Pound ≈ 25 lira).
Cuba's ability to provide such high financial revenue is entirely due to its unparalleled sugar cane cultivation and sugar refining industry. Cuba has a unique environment that allows Cuba's sugar cane to have the highest sugar content, so Cuba's cane sugar production has reached 30% of the world's. At this time,
Although sugar is not an expensive food, it is much more expensive than two dollars a bag in later generations. It is precisely because of the cane sugar industry that Cuba has become the richest region in the Caribbean.
The richness of Cuba is also a temptation for the United States, which is separated by the sea.
As a late-developing country, although the United States did not start its industrialization early, its unique geographical environment and resources allowed the United States to become the world's number one in the economic field in the first two years. As the saying goes, money is only a coward, and the money is so big.
The rising Americans want to make their voices heard in the world and let people know that the United States is no longer ordinary and needs the respect it deserves.
After a round of selection, I was lucky enough to be selected.
First of all, Spain is a first-generation world power. Although it is now dilapidated, it is well-known at least. Second, Spain has a colony in Cuba in the Caribbean, which is not far from the United States and is very rich.
At this time, Spain was also giving the Americans an opportunity. Its long-term oppression of Cuba made the local Cuban people extremely dissatisfied. So in February 1895, a large-scale riot broke out in Cuba. The United States took this opportunity to express its dissatisfaction with Cuba.
In sympathy with the Cuban rebels, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution on April 6, 1896, approving the official recognition of the Cuban rebels and urging the president to help them gain independence.
The United States' ambitions for Cuba have been exposed. Spain, as the owner of Cuba, immediately felt heavy pressure.
At this time, when Spain faced the naked threat from the United States, on the one hand, it wanted to seek help from various countries, and on the other hand, it wanted to strengthen its own armaments, and purchasing warships from Italy was one of them.
When choosing to buy warships from Italy, on the one hand, you have a good relationship with the two countries and the price will not be too high. Another reason is that it is fast, and you can get the warships faster. As for how fast, it depends on the Italian shipyard.
When will the warship of this type be completed?
What, you said this is built for the navy? I'm sorry. According to the regulations of the government and the navy, the shipyard has the right to process the warships under construction before delivery. This is specifically stipulated by the Italian government and the navy in order to find orders for the shipyard.
"Your Majesty wants to take this opportunity to improve relations with Spain?"
Antonio deserves to be the Prime Minister. After listening to the details of the Foreign Secretary's explanation, he immediately thought of Carlo's intentions.
"Yes, I hope to win over Spain, but I don't expect it to make a difference in western France."
Obviously, Carlo was afraid that the Prime Minister would misunderstand his intentions. Although surrounding France from three sides sounded good, Carlo knew that Spain must not expect that the capital of Spain could be deceived.
"So, we are going to increase Spain's strength and try to narrow the gap between Spain's strength and the United States, and then make plans. For example, we can start from other places, or let Spain voluntarily sell a certain place to alleviate its impending financial collapse?
"
Well, although the Prime Minister's guess was not accurate, it was very close.
Carlo stopped him from continuing to guess and said, "I think one battleship cannot enhance the strength of the Spanish Navy at all. To be able to contain the U.S. Navy, Spain needs at least two new battleships, and it is best to add two cruise ships.
"
Sure enough, he knew that it would not be easy for the king to find him. Antonio sometimes felt that he, the king, liked to get involved in hot spots. Whether it was to add fuel to the fire or to fish in troubled waters, Italy never suffered a loss. He was so perceptive.
Terrible eyes.
So after hearing the king's idea this time, Antonio was not surprised. Instead, he asked, "So, Your Majesty, under what conditions are we going to purchase two warships without the Spanish knowing?"
"I plan to use a loan for this, what do you think?"
The king's idea made Antonio frown. "It's not good for your majesty. A sudden loan without any reason will arouse suspicion. It's better to use barter. We allow Spain to use wool and pyrite to pay for two pieces of equipment."
Spain must pay the cost of the warships within three years. I think this will not arouse the Spaniards' suspicion."
The wool and pyrite Antonio mentioned are exactly what the Italian industry needs, and wool is not to mention the necessary raw materials for wool textiles. In this era, pyrite, in addition to being used as a raw material for the chemicals sulfur and sulfuric acid, can also
It can be used as jewelry. Its light brass color and bright metallic luster are often mistaken for gold, so some ores with higher gloss can also be used as jewelry.
"This is no problem, but can Spain sell so many goods?"
Don't blame Carlo for asking this. You must know that two new warships are not cheap at all. One is quoted as high as 25.5 million lire, and two ships are priced at 51 million lire. This is not cheap at all.
"Your Majesty, I think Spain will not refuse this condition because there is no more suitable choice than us."
It was Foreign Minister Bacona who said this, because he not only knows Spain, but also knows the character of its Prime Minister Antonio Canovas del Castillo. This Castillo Prime Minister is a dictator.
