Chapter 461: British Minister 2

"My Excellency, Sir Davis, Mr. Johnson, and Baron Anderson requested to meet you."
The embassy assistant walked into the backyard of the embassy and reported to Williams Exchange.
"How long have they been here?"
"About ten minutes."
The assistant replied: "According to your instructions, if you receive an application from the three consortiums of Lloyds Bank, Kimbass Group and Barclays Bank, you will find reasons to send them away as much as possible.
It's just that this time they seem to have urgent matters to discuss with you, staying in front of the embassy and not wanting to leave. "
"It's a group of annoying guys. They are like flies and they are annoying!"
Williams was obviously tired of dealing with these financial jackals, with a deep sense of disgust in his speech.
"Tell them that I am not feeling well today. If there is something important, let them discuss with Mr. Torres, the counsellor of the Embassy."
"The three gentlemen asked me to tell you that they came here this time to discuss with you how to deal with the industrial investment issues that the Empire holds in the Republic of Brazil. If you can help them solve the difficulties, the three consortiums are willing to contribute together and will be in Oxford, London. A villa in the center of the street was bought and transferred to you. "
"Every time this group of comes to the embassy, ​​there is nothing good."
After listening to the assistant's explanation, Williams' tone changed slightly, and the expression on his face was not as exciting and annoying as it was just now.
"Tell them, let them rest in the parlor first, and wait for me to change my formal dress before seeing them immediately."
"Okay, sir." ...
Lloyds Bank, Kim Bass Group, and Barclays Bank are three emerging capital consortiums. Around the 1850s, the founders of the three consortiums took advantage of the opportunity of the British government to sign a trade agreement with the Brazilian Empire to take the London stock market With tens of thousands of pounds of funds raised, they entered the commodity market of the Brazilian Empire, and then relied on the extrajudicial power and business privileges possessed by British merchants. The scope was expanded from Rio de Janeiro to the rest of the Brazilian Empire.
The split and turbulent international environment in South America has caused serious damage to the economic development of South American countries. However, with the support of the British maritime military power and political hegemony all over the world, it is similar to Lloyds Bank and Kimbas Group. , Barclays Bank, the three ordinary British businessmen, but like a fish, in the countries dominated by the white descendants of Latin America, wantonly use the privileges in their hands to seek attractive economic benefits for themselves.
Because of the British intervention, since Latin America got rid of Spanish colonial rule in the 1810s, almost every war conflict has the British shadow.
In these conflicts, the British businessmen and capital consortium did not look at the land itself,
It is a natural resource and industrial market with huge economic benefits.
After 1850, with the expansion of American capital, British capital investment in South America increased significantly.
Prior to this, the UK's positioning of Latin America was pure export of goods, not capital.
Britain's great interest in Latin America, as in Asia and Africa, is to find product markets for its local industrial enterprises.
However, by the mid-nineteenth century, the second industrial revolution had entered an explosive period, and domestic capital in the UK had increased several times in decades. The discovery of gold in California and South Africa in the United States saturated the traditional financial markets.
In order to achieve higher profits, the United Kingdom had to invest increased capital in the mining and export of mineral raw materials and basic products in Latin America, in order to ensure the transportation and distribution of products.
British capital began to develop the necessary transportation lines (railways, roads and ports), as well as various service facilities.
At the same time, loans from British financial consortiums to governments in Latin America have also doubled,
After obtaining loans, the Latin American government used these loans to pay for various expenses, including military and non-military expenses.
Due to the British financial and economic penetration of Latin America, especially Brazil,
Brazil and other Latin American countries have greatly increased their dependence on British capital.
However, the Latin American indigenous countries are different from the Han state. Within the Han state, the Han government can use the imported foreign capital to develop a self-reliant industrial economy through overall control, while other Latin American indigenous countries can only cause debt-bound conditions. .
This situation continues to deteriorate, and the serious consequence is that neither the government nor private individuals can afford to repay foreign debts. Then, for the safety of early loan investment, British capital can only take risks to intervene in other countries ’internal affairs and directly participate in the political and economic operations of Latin American indigenous countries. Then, in order to maximize their capital interests and allow the economy of the foreign debt receiving country to develop in accordance with their interests, they will always use all influence to exert pressure and bribes to make this country ’s policies based on the strength of the individual ’s Interests to adjust.
Both British capitalists and local comprador oligarchs want to implement a conservative national policy, thereby safeguarding the privileges of financiers and comprador merchants.
In this way, they will have to mobilize their political and military pawns to overthrow the nationalist government or the government that wants to oppose the oligarchs' social transformation.
Sometimes they have to push countries that depend on them into international conflicts that are in their favor.
Whenever a country rises up against their control, they will lead the hegemonic British government to send expeditionary forces to intervene in this disobedient country.
All this is done in the name of defending "civilization" (a monopoly of imperialist civilization) and opposing "barbarism" (all words and deeds that doubt the leadership of British capital consortia, financiers, and businessmen).
In 1865, the United Kingdom came forward to reconcile the contradictions between Brazil and Argentina, instigating the two countries to form a joint force to suppress the Paraguayan government for this purpose.
In 1879, the British Expeditionary Fleet directly dispatched troops to interfere in the Argentine War, also for this purpose.
It's just that the British are too savage and greedy for economic colonial means, and ultimately it is difficult to last.
While capital investment in Britain has increased the degree of semi-colonialism in Latin America,
It also makes the contradictions between Latin American indigenous countries and Britain more and more acute.
The collusion between the British and Chilean compradors struck serious dissatisfaction with the middle and lower classes in Chile. In 1886, with the political will of the middle and lower classes as the dominant factor, Balmaceda, who advocated the expulsion of British capital and nationalized saltpetre and mineral resources, was elected as the new A president, and after one year in the presidency, received the allegiance of the Chilean army officer.
Balmaseda ’s election as Chile ’s president was a heavy blow to the influence of the British capital consortium. Many Chilean compradors attached to British capital were suppressed by the presidential and army factions. The situation of British capital in Chile is also becoming more and more difficult. .
Similar to Chile, the situation of the British capital consortium in the Republic of Brazil is also uncomfortable. The government of the Republic of Brazil invests most of the capital obtained through loans in the expansion of military power. The infrastructure transportation project that should have been led by the Brazilian Republican government Contracted by businessmen assigned to the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries.
Military spending has surged, domestic power has risen, and local security has deteriorated. Although the Republic of Brazil has imitated the policy guidelines of the Han Dynasty to attract foreign capital to develop its own economy, the Republic of Brazil, which has unstable domestic and foreign situations, does not have the same rigor as the Han Dynasty. Public security situation.
Due to factors such as poor basic transportation and deteriorating public security, the physical industries invested by the British consortium not only cannot use road traffic to transport raw materials to other regions, but also face the risk of raw materials being looted.
It is under this severe test that the three capital consortiums of Lloyds Bank, Kim Bass Group, and Barclays Bank, which have suffered economic losses for several years, ca n’t wait to meet with the British Minister in the Republic of Brazil, Williams.
"What? You want to suspend economic support for the Republic of Brazil and withdraw the financial loan promised to the government of the Republic of Brazil?"
Williams walked into the parlor and heard no requests from the three consortia.
"Yes, sir, you are not mistaken. The three consortiums of Lloyds Bank, Kim Bass Group and Barclays Bank are preparing to suspend the loan plan and will no longer continue to provide financial support to the government of the Republic of Brazil."
Davis, the old Ed Bank manager, determined.
"Why do you do this?"
"Providing loans to the government of the Republic of Brazil is no longer able to bring due economic benefits to the consortium. As a businessman, when the business project that handles signs of loss, it is the most sensible choice to suspend the cooperation plan and stop losses in time."
"Well, this is your freedom, and I have no right to interfere."
Williams received the benefits promised by the three consortia and did not intend to fight for the benefits of the Brazilian republican government. However, out of the professional habits of a diplomat, he was still curious: The several railways that pass through the Belo Horizonte Interchange are very high-quality economic industries. Why did you suddenly change your mind and would rather give up these high-quality industries and terminate the loan agreement? "
"Railway and mining sites are indeed very high-quality economic industries ~ EbookFREE.me ~ It's just that these industries now do not bring the expected economic benefits to the consortium for the consortium."
A well-dressed middle-aged white man with a so-called gentleman demeanor replied: "Your Excellency should be aware of the current plight of the Republic of Brazil. More than 100,000 Brazilian troops entered Paraguay for three months, but they have not achieved a decisive victory. Asuncion is still in the hands of the Paraguayans, and as the Han team enters Paraguay to fight, the situation of the Paraguayan war will also change drastically. According to the analysis of the combat experience between Han and other countries in South America, the Kimbas Consortium has more than 30 None of the shareholders believed that the Republic of Brazil could defeat the Han team and win the Paraguayan War.
Therefore, in order to prevent the bad consequences brought about by the defeat of the Republic of Brazil, the Kimbas consortium decided to suspend the loan transaction plan and abandon the plan for commercial expansion in the Brazilian Republic in the next few years. "
"Barclays Bank also intends to shrink its business layout in the Republic of Brazil and stop the loan transaction agreement with the government of the Republic of Brazil."
"The security of the Republic of Brazil is protected by the imperial government. Even if the Republic of Brazil fails in the war, the imperial government has the ability to stop the aggression of the Republic of Brazil against the mainland of the Republic of Brazil.
The worries of the three are somewhat redundant. "
Williams frowned, explaining.
"Any unexpected situation can happen during the war, and no one can predict what the worst result will be after the war. For the safety of investment funds, the suspension of the loan program and the shrinking of the commercial layout in the Brazilian Republic are The safest response. "
"I hope your worries are superfluous, otherwise the situation in South America may change dramatically again."
"We also hope that the worst result will not happen." ............