I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 697: Unpaid Debt

It is not realistic to expect the Russian government to pay for the construction of railways in the Hebrew self-governing state. This is not because the Russian government ignores the interests of the Hebrews, but because the Russian government now has too many places to spend money and the landlords have no surplus food.

George has been in a very bad mood these days. As a victorious country, Japan demanded that Russia and Britain withdraw their troops from Japan.

After the Russo-Japanese War, Japan was under British-Russian joint administration and became a de facto colony of Britain and Russia.

During the World War, Japan not only sent troops to join the Gaori Corps to fight for Russia, but also sent nearly 10 people to fight for Britain, thus participating in the Paris Peace Conference as a victorious country.

Japan had no demands for territory or compensation, its only demand was that Russia and Britain withdraw their troops from Japan.

Japan's request was supported by the United States and France.

At the fourth plenary session of the League of Nations, Baron Shinken Makino, who represented Japan at the Paris Peace Conference, delivered a speech in which he asked Britain and Russia to withdraw their troops in an almost pleading manner.

Lloyd George agreed to withdraw the troops.

Young Nicholas disagreed, arguing that Japan had not yet paid off its war reparations to Russia.

"It has been 15 years since the Russo-Japanese War. In these 15 years, Japan has sent nearly 190 million workers to Russia. During the World War, Japan sent nearly 11 million people. As of November last year, a total of 24.5 Japanese were killed and 110 million were injured—"

Shinaki Makino believed that the war reparations owed to Russia had long been paid off through human resources.

"So what! Russia lost a total of 3000 million people during the world war. Your one hundred thousand is nothing!"

Little Nicholas was disdainful and said that Russia's greatest advantage was its resilience.

Russia is like a rickety old house that looks like it could be knocked down with just a slight kick.

But if anyone dares to kick it, a bunch of Russians will rush out of the house and beat up the person who kicked it.

"In the past 15 years, we have paid 12 billion rubles in cash as war reparations to Grand Duke Yuriev, but we still owe 10 billion. So is the 12 billion we paid just interest?"

Baron Makino Shinken's every word was heart-wrenching, giving people the impression that Grand Duke Yuriev was even more cruel than the Hebrews.

Shinaki Makino played a little trick here and switched the concept.

In recent years, Japan has had very close trade with Russia, with annual trade volume exceeding 10 billion rubles.

Most of the industrial products needed by Japan are imported from Amur.

The wages that Amur paid to Japanese workers were earned back through trade.

Little Nicholas didn't know the twists and turns here and thought that the 12 billion was really all interest, so he was speechless for a moment.

"Is it interest? Don't you know?"

Alexander knew what was going on.

"Your Highness, can the Russian army withdraw after we pay all the compensation?"

Makino Shinaki did not dwell on this issue.

Alexander was curious and wondered where the Japanese got the money.

The money the Japanese borrowed was from the United States.

During the world war, the United States played both sides, made huge profits, and its economy developed extremely rapidly.

This also poses hidden dangers to the US economy.

After the end of the world war, Europe's dependence on the United States will decline rapidly, which will lead to a new round of economic crisis in the United States.

The fundamental purpose of Wilson's Fourteen Points was to find overseas markets for American products.

As soon as Russian goods are pushed out of Japan, American goods can take their place.

Alexander did not give an answer immediately. Little Nicholas asked for a recess, as George had the final say on the matter.

"If Japan pays all the reparations, Russian troops can withdraw except for Nagasaki."

George agreed to a partial withdrawal of troops. The lease term for Nagasaki still had many years left, and Russia's presence in Nagasaki was legal.

"It is necessary for Russia to establish a healthy international image."

Witte wants Russia to play a more important role in international affairs.

"Shel, Russia should be feared, not loved."

George doesn't care about international image at all.

Even if Russia gave every British citizen 100 pounds, the British would not change their prejudice against Russia.

The soft and cute Gallic rooster is suitable for anyone to marry.

The ferocious polar bear is the image of Russia.

When the news reached Paris, Makino Shinaki was very dissatisfied with George's response. After the Russo-Japanese War, Russia forcibly leased Nagasaki for 99 years. After the expiration of the lease, Russia could continue to lease it if it was willing, and Japan could not refuse.

Over the past decade, the Russian Pacific Fleet's investment in Nagasaki has totaled millions of rubles, and Nagasaki has become one of the home ports of the Russian Pacific Fleet.

The Pacific Fleet has three home ports: Vladivostok, Nagasaki, and Fort Arthur.

"As a victorious country in the world war, doesn't Japan even have the power to abolish unequal treaties?"

Makino Shin was filled with grief and indignation.

“If you say it’s unequal, does that mean it’s unequal?”

Little Nicholas sneered. For Russia, leasing Nagasaki was reasonable.

Compared with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Japan was extremely lucky just to lease Nagasaki.

Young Nicholas did not participate in the Russo-Japanese War or the post-war negotiations.

If little Nicholas had been in charge of the negotiations at that time, he would definitely have taken Hokkaido as well.

"Grand Duke Nikolayevich, Japan's demands are Japan's due rights as a victorious nation."

Lloyd George wanted to be the peacemaker.

"Do all victorious nations have the power to abolish unequal treaties?"

Little Nicholas retorted, "Don't talk without any pain in your waist."

Lloyd George was defeated, and the Grand Duke of Russia was the real invincible in his talk.

If all unequal treaties were abolished, Russia would not be the one to suffer the most.

"Baron, you should accept Grand Duke Yuriev's terms."

Clemenceau persuaded Makino to agree to Russia's continued lease of Nagasaki.

France benefited just as much as Britain from the unequal treaties.

"why?"

Makino Shinken was still unwilling to accept it.

"Because Grand Duke Yuriev is tall!"

Clemenceau was annoyed.

George is indeed tall.

But more important than his height, George has a bigger fist.

This is the law of the jungle: whoever has the bigger fist has the louder voice.

On April 4, Japan paid 17 billion in war reparations to Russia, and Russian and British troops began to withdraw from Japan in batches on the same day.

After the failure of containing Russia, Japan had lost its value to Britain.

Lloyd George promised that all British troops would be withdrawn from Japan within three months.

The Russian military's withdrawal plan will take two years.

The evacuation plan did not include Nagasaki.

Witte was happy that the reparations paid by Japan came at the right time.

For a long time, George has been very dissatisfied with Russian universities, led by St. Petersburg University.

Russian universities are not holy places for training talents for Russia, but dens of traitors.

George wanted to rebuild the Russian education system, not only to implement nine-year compulsory education throughout Russia, but also to standardize Russia's higher education institutions.

St. Petersburg University also teaches theology, and it is a public course.

George did not object to Russians believing in Orthodoxy, but he was still unhappy that college students had to waste their precious time studying God.

George's ideal higher education institution would focus on engineering. Russians have great talents in mathematics and chemistry, which must be developed.

As for theology, literature and the like, they all have to give way to engineering and can only be studied as hobbies in spare time.

Russia has a large population, and the cost of the nine years of compulsory education required by George alone is at least over one billion rubles per year.

This money from Japan comes at the right time.

(End of this chapter)