Chapter 204: Chapter 195: Australia Enters the Game

If the nationwide strikes within Russia were a factor that forced Russia to admit defeat, then the series of revolutions caused by this bloody incident were the reason Russia had to ask for more support from the international community.

This so-called revolution was actually a long-term social unrest. After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, terror attacks, strikes, peasant resistance, riots, and uprisings continued to emerge in major regions of the Russian Empire, creating domestic woes that could lead to the demise of the empire amidst sufficient external problems.

This so-called revolution had no organization, no goals, and not even a single reason.

If insisting on a reason, it can be mainly attributed to decades of national turmoil and dissatisfaction of the Russian people with the Romanov Dynasty.

Of course, the lack of reform in Russia decades ago and the demand for liberation by some ethnic minorities are also one of the causes.

This revolution became more intense after the failure of the Russo-Japanese War. Although it did not reach the scale of historical disasters, it was definitely a national crisis.

After the German-Russian negotiations resumed, the progress was rapid. The Germans took advantage of Russia’s recent defeat and both internal and external troubles, promising a large amount of loans to help Russia stabilize domestic order and resume domestic production.

Moreover, Germany was willing to support Russia’s future expansion in the Far East. Germany was willing to provide a batch of German-made equipment at cost price and was willing to give up the provisions of the treaty on reminding the French about the French-Russian Agreement.

On the other hand, France was only willing to provide a small loan to help Russia stabilize production in the European region.

As for the affairs of the Far East, France did not mention it at all, obviously no longer supporting Russia’s actions in the Far East.

This obvious gap did not cause Russia to abandon its alliance with France.

However, the turning point also emerged.

In the original history, due to Russia’s disastrous defeat in the war, the competition between Britain and Russia in the Far East, Near East, and Central Asia had virtually disappeared.

But it is different now. Although Russia has experienced failure, it is more like having to admit defeat due to the domestic crisis.

Given a few more years of development, Russia will still be the hegemon of the Far East.

Not to mention the Near East and Central Asia, Russia’s power in these two regions has not weakened, and its competition with Britain continues.

Due to the continued existence of competition, the reconciliation between Britain and Russia that happened in the original history did not progress, even worsened due to the previous Fishermen Crisis.

Although the Fishermen Crisis was finally resolved due to French mediation, there was no solution to the crises in the Far East and the Near East.

In short, the defeated Russia in the original history was no longer the main competitor for Britain’s hegemony, but Russia, which has not experienced much failure now, is still Britain’s largest rival in Central Asia, the Far East and the Near East, especially in India and the Middle East.

How important is India to the British Empire? The British Empire is an empire because of the title and resources of the Indian Empire.

If they lose India, the British Empire would be just a small United Kingdom.

Because Russia still poses a threat to India, Britain maintains a vigilant and hostile attitude towards Russia and has not reconciled due to the signing of the Anglo-French Agreement.

The contradiction between Britain and Russia has also become one of France’s most troublesome problems. After the Anglo-French Agreement, both Britain and Russia became France’s theoretical allies and strong support for France to confront Germany.

However, the problem is that there are obvious contradictions between Britain and Russia, and they cannot be eradicated in a short time.

More importantly, Russia has begun to contact Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Russia’s ambition for the Far East is well known.

But France does not want Russia to continue to focus on the Far East. The French hope that Russia will fulfill its obligations as an ally and hold back a large amount of German forces in the east of Germany.

If France continues to strongly support Russia, it will not only be contrary to its own interests, but it will also cause Britain’s dissatisfaction.

Because the region that Russia prioritizes now is the same region that the British Empire also values. Russia and the British Empire have strong competition in areas such as the Far East, the Near East, and Central Asia. Naturally, they do not allow France to support Russia on a large scale and enable Russia to regain the power to lay out in these areas.

The contradiction with Britain, as well as France’s lack of support for the Far East policy, made Russia greatly disappointed with the alliance between France and Russia and, at the same time, vigilant about the Anglo-French Agreement.

Under such premise, the Germans’ desperate efforts to win Russia over and their willingness to support the Far East policy have made the Russians feel the only warmth.

At the end of May 1905, Emperor William II of Germany and Tsar Nicholas II met near Bjork Island in the Gulf of Finland to discuss a possible German-Russian alliance treaty.

Compared with the French, Emperor William II appeared much more extravagant.

In the first round of negotiations, William II promised Tsar Nicholas II one hundred million Marks in gratis aid and 500 million Marks in civilian loans.

As William II also participated in Germany’s car factory, he could take out one hundred million Marks of gratis aid without blinking an eye.

Attracting Russia is also very important for the German Empire. As long as Russia is willing to remain neutral during the Franco-German conflict, Germany can avoid fighting on two fronts, concentrate all the advantageous forces on the Westline, and seek to resolve France in a short period.

Prussia did this during the Franco-Prussian War, and Germans firmly believe that a stronger German Empire would accomplish this task more easily.

The negotiations went very smoothly, but many ministers within Russia believed that if Russia takes Germany’s side in future conflicts and assumes corresponding obligations, it would violate the French-Russian alliance agreement.

Besides, Russia’s diplomacy should be based on the French-Russian alliance as the cornerstone, and Russia, heavily dependent on French capital, also needs a large amount of French loans.

There were also two factions in Russia – one faction supports maintaining the French-Russian alliance, keeping good relations with France, seeking a certain degree of reconciliation with Britain, and reaching a more advanced British, French, and Russian tripartite agreement.

The other faction believed that France currently places more weight on the agreement with Britain and focuses its support on Russia in the European Region.

But Russia’s Far East policy remains one of the most important policies, and Russia still needs to maintain its hegemony in the Far East and defend its hard-won ice-free ports.

However, adherence to the Far East policy will lead to competition with Britain and dissatisfaction from France.

Instead of having a bigger conflict with Britain in the future and forcing France to choose between Russia and Britain (in fact, this faction of Russians believe that France would choose Britain), Russia should give up or weaken its cooperation with France in advance to gain Germany’s support.

Nicholas II did not know how to choose for a moment, but a proposal from an officer made him brighten up.

Isn’t Germany claiming to use loans, weapons, and a large amount of support for Russia’s Far East in the Australian Region in exchange for Russia’s support for Germany in future conflicts?

Why not ask Australia’s opinion then?

With the development of Australia’s armaments industry during the Russo-Japanese War, Australia’s position in the Far East has become somewhat special.

First of all, Australia’s industry has already developed, and the industrial sector has grown to a certain scale.

Especially in the military industry, due to the integration of British and German weapon systems, Australia’s military industry has become exceptionally advanced.

Moreover, with abundant mineral resources and plenty of labor and its proximity to the Far East region compared to other powerful nations, supplies from Australia can arrive within a week.

During the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian army relied heavily on the large number of weapons and equipment from Australia, barely achieving a balance with the Island Nation Army in terms of defense.

Although Russia also understands that Australian weapons are exported to the Island Nation, in the absence of any diplomatic relations, this is the norm in the international community.

Upon receiving Nicholas II’s request, William II raised his eyebrows, but quickly agreed to Nicholas II’s request.