Chapter 624: American trip

In the era of imperialism, the embassies of foreign powers also collected information part-time. After sending Nino away, Minister Tom became busy looking up relevant information.
There is no way, France has limited interests in Colombia, and Colombia ranks very low in diplomatic activities.
Being a minister here is basically about eating and waiting to die. As time goes by, Minister Tom has fallen, and intelligence is still being collected. It depends on his mood if you want to see it.
Now I want to get the development right of the Panama Canal from the Colombian government. I do n’t know what the other party ’s weaknesses are.
The minute passed, and Tom had a rough idea of ​​what happened in Colombia recently.
As for the detailed information, I'm sorry that the embassy has limited funds and cannot afford to investigate further. The information collected now is actually similar to what you see in the newspaper.
Putting down the information in his hand, Minister Tom frowned, apparently the information on it was not what he wanted.
"Diff, find out information about Austria's activities in Colombia and information about the Panama Canal Project."
Secretary Diff responded without hesitation: "His Excellency, the embassy only has information on the activities of the Austrians, and the Panama Canal plan is not within our intelligence collection.
If necessary, we can find the public information of the Colombian government within a week, and it needs additional funds to check the in-depth information. "
Minister Tom's face was darkened. The French government was rich, but the French embassy in Colombia was poor.
This can be seen from the staff staffed by the embassy. All members add up to less than 10 people, including a cleaner, a chef, and two guards.
Communication was inconvenient in this era. The power of the ambassadors abroad was very large, and hiring ordinary staff was one of the functions.
The main reason for the embassy's small staff is insufficient office funding. Otherwise, Minister Tom would not mind hiring more staff.
Many things ca n’t be done without money. For example: when collecting intelligence, you can only choose to focus on collecting it, and you can only discard secondary information.
Under normal circumstances, the canal plan of the Republic of Colombia will not have anything to do with France. They have too little influence here, and they can't get the benefits.
The situation is very obvious now and is abnormal. Minister Tom had more than one trouble in his heart, and he did not consider the actual situation at all.
In the face of Franc, since he promised others, Minister Tom still has to fulfill his promise. This is his professional ethics.
"No problem, I will grant you a special 10,000 francs. You must investigate the details of the Columbia Canal Plan as soon as possible."
The secretary, Diffus, was puzzled, and suddenly became generous, unlike the ambassador he knew.
In his impression, Minister Tom was able to save provinces in normal times, especially the intelligence department, not even a professional spy, and the information was collected by embassy staff.
10,000 francs may not be a big number, but it is also a record breaking for the intelligence service.
Over the past three years, the total expenses of the embassy's intelligence department totaled less than 5,000 francs.
For every penny you have, you don't expect much to gain since you have less money. Generally speaking, excerpting some information from newspapers, plus hearsay at the banquet, sorting it out is considered to be a task.
Doubt came to doubt, but Desff didn't mean to ask. In any case, get the funding for the event first.
"Excuse me, as you wish. You can see the relevant information for up to three days."
Rich money is easy to handle. This has not just come up with funds for activities, and the efficiency has suddenly improved.
Desf has been here for many years, and the network has long been established. Moreover, the Colombian government is like a sieve. It has no sense of confidentiality at all and it is too simple to get some unimportant information.
As long as you are willing to spend money, you can bring out the original information directly. There is no doubt that Desff is not prepared to throw money.
Based on his identity, to view unimportant information, go directly to the Colombian Government Archives.
If anyone dares to refuse, he will engage in things to create diplomatic conflict. This is a trial and error method, and the Colombian government is most afraid of diplomatic disputes.
...
Nino's origin is not high, but only middle-class. In order to climb up, he put in a lot of effort. This canal project is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him.
The big guys behind the scenes promised that as long as he can complete the preliminary work and persuade all parties to restart the canal plan, he will be the first president of the canal company, and will preside over the canal excavation and operation.
The credibility of this promise is very high. Big people will not default on this small issue, and there are ready-made cases. The first president of the Suez Canal Company is an example.
High returns are naturally accompanied by high difficulty. If anyone can get things done, it's not worth the price.
According to the analysis of the data at hand, Nino quickly found out that the Panama Canal is unnecessary for the Confederates, and their coastline is concentrated on the east coast.
Instead, it is the United States of America, whose territory spans the East and West Straits. In order to strengthen trade and commerce, it is still busy building railways.
If the Panama Canal is opened and the distance between the East and West Pacifics is reduced, the United States can obtain huge economic benefits and strategic value.
In this age where interests determine state relations, from the point of view of interest, obviously the interests of the United States and the Canal Plan are consistent, so this time the partner can only be the United States.
Nino calculated many times in his heart, pulled the United States and Spain together, and the three countries united against Colombia in Austria, and the odds were still very large.
Compared with the United Kingdom and the Olympic Games, it is still easier to obtain dominance with the United States and the West. Even if there is a problem, France has the strength to subdue them.
A telegram was sent back to the country explaining the situation, and Nino took a non-stop boat trip to the United States, preparing to recruit people.
...
Affected by the failure of the Civil War, the United States was hit hard. The government's finances went bankrupt. The consortium that supported the government in the war naturally lost its money.
After the war, the prestige of the central government was greatly damaged, the federal states took their own course, and local protectionism prevailed. Several consortia that were formerly dominated by time and space have now evolved into contention among hundreds.
Nino's job is very heavy this time, not only to convince the federal government, but also to get the support of these capitalists.
The skinny dead camel is larger than the horse. As the king of Wall Street, the Morgan Consortium is still the first federal consortium, but its influence is not as abnormal as in time and space.
In order to show importance, Nino chose Morgan Manor in the first stop.
...
"Mr. Nino, I admit that you are right. The opening of the Panama Canal is indeed conducive to the economic development of the United States, but what can we get?" Morgan asked directly
Morgan is not interested in this uninvited guest. As far as he knows, there is no such person in the French capital. If it was not recommended by the French Minister, he would have thought that he had encountered a liar.
Nino smiled slightly, put down the coffee in his hand, and replied without hesitation: "I heard that local protectionism is prevailing in your country. In recent years, the development of the Morgan Consortium has not been smooth!
If the Panama Canal opens, things will be different. Commercial trade between the East and West is bound to flourish. The Morgan Consortium has the right to speak in the canal. Are you afraid that these companies will not cooperate? "
It is not difficult to make a blank check if you have control of the canal.
But the problem is that the United States has limited strength. After the canal opened, how could the Morgan Consortium gain control?
Just because you have money?
Sorry, the French consortium is richer than them these days. The Morgan Consortium is at most a second-rate consortium in continental Europe.
Without the right to dominate, as a small shareholder, obedient dividends are just right. If you want to be a demon, you may not even have a dividend.
At that time, don't say to cut the wool of other companies, or the Morgan Consortium itself will have to accept French capital shares, and once again lose its autonomy.
Morgan shook his head: "Mr. Nino, this matter is too much involved, and it can't be promoted by our family alone. We must find others to join, and there are more people involved. How much more can we have?
Take the liberty to ask, how much share are you willing to pay, if it is too small, everyone will not waste time. "
After hesitating for a moment, Nino gave a self-considered answer: "Too many countries are involved in the development of the Panama Canal. We must have more partners. The United States can obtain a maximum of 21% of the shares."
The development of the Panama Canal is indispensable for the cooperation of the head snake. No matter how the Colombian government wants to share, it also needs to win the Spanish.
From the French standpoint, to control the dominance of the canal, it is not enough to have no more than half of the shares, leaving only the remaining half for the three countries to divide.
In fact, this is only an ideal number. If the capital of other European countries participates, it is bound to release some shares.
This 21% is a short check. In the end, the United States will only get fewer shares. After listing and financing, the proportion will be further diluted.
Morgan waved his hand: "Sorry, Mr. Nino. In this business, Morgan will not be involved.
With a 21% stake, it is impossible to convince the parties that the risks and benefits we need to take are not proportional.
As far as I know, Austria has always been interested in the Panama region. There are also a large number of immigrants in the local area, which may change the Panama area at any time.
Once Panama falls into the hands of the Austrians, there is no guarantee for our investment. Will your country be unable to go to war with Austria for our benefit? "
Nino frowned: "Mr. Morgan, the chances of this happening are very small. The Panama Canal affects the interests of Colombia, Spain, us and your country.
Together, the four nations are able to invest in the Panamanian region, no less than the Austrians.
The Vienna government is not a reckless husband. If they are not sure, even if they have ambitions in the Panama area, they will not take the initiative. "
Nino didn't make random promises. Everyone understood people. It was too difficult to fool each other.
If you really promise: France will protect everyone's investment, it is estimated that Morgan will catch up.
A capitalist representative, what qualifications are there to represent the French government? Even if the French capitalists are too powerful, they have not been able to determine the political direction of the country at will.
Not to mention that even in the heyday of the consortium, it can only influence government decisions, not make decisions for the government.
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