Chapter 598 The Second Moroccan Crisis
"I wonder why this beautiful lady suddenly appears here?" Rasputin spoke in his broken French. After years of mingling in the upper class of imperial Russia, he had already learned a foreign language through what he had heard and seen.
"Dear Mr. Rasputin, I greet you on behalf of my husband and my motherland." Rasputin's sanctimonious demeanor did not confuse Anne in the slightest. As for the other party's mysterious color, in Anne's eyes it was as if he did not exist. The most disguised person she had seen in all these years was the slave owner's husband.
A slave owner who treats everyone as a slave, privately never cares about anyone's life. Her husband only has dollars in his eyes, and if there is anything else, it is nothing more than pounds, francs, and marks.
This man, who believed that everything in the world could be measured by money, was the king of the emerging industry in the United States. His reputation was much better than that of the Morgan and Rockefeller families. In private, Anne heard that "the so-called citizens of the whole world are all slaves in my eyes, regardless of region or race."
Always facing such a man, no matter how good other men's disguise is, in the eyes of the Arlington mistress, it will appear so poor. In the few days that Rasputin came to Paris, Anne had already known what this man was like in private. In terms of hobbies, he was like most men, lustful.
"It is our honor to invite you to Paris. I believe that Mr. Rasputin has been enjoying a very relaxing time in Paris in recent days." Although what she thought in her heart was completely different from what she said now, Anne still maintained her good self-control and said, "I heard that you are a well-known person in the entire Russian Empire. It's amazing."
"It's just some ignorant people who need to be saved, who are willing to listen to what an ordinary person like me says." Rasputin sat up straight and spoke in a calm and favorable voice, with a look of compassion on his face.
"Ordinary people, a very modest self-proclaimed name." Anne nodded in understanding, "Let's not be modest to each other. I am the one who invited you to Paris. I invited you here for a purpose. Rasputin, since you are a successful prophet, did you foresee this? Hmm?"
It was not long after Rasputin entered the palace that people heard that this charlatan had the ability to predict. Although he cured the crown prince's illness, people were still not convinced. One day, Rasputin suddenly said to the queen nervously: "Queen mother, don't let the children into the nursery. I saw it." A few days later, a huge chandelier in the nursery really fell from the ceiling and broke into pieces. Seeing this, the queen was very grateful. But according to some people later, this was actually a trap set by Rasputin. He had sawed a hole in the chain of the crystal chandelier in the nursery in advance.
Seeing a brief flash of panic in Rasputin's eyes, Anne's lips curled up slightly, and she said with joy, "Dear Mr. Rasputin, no matter whether your ability to predict is true or not, as long as many people believe it is true, then it is true. I am here to discuss cooperation, which is beneficial to both of us. It can help you and me."
"I don't understand, my dear madam. I heard that your husband is one of the richest people in the world. There shouldn't be anything that requires help from a poor person like me." While thinking about the other party's purpose, Rasputin maintained his long-developed habit of humility.
"Influence does not necessarily have to be achieved through money. You should know this, Mr. Rasputin. If you don't believe me, look back at your life." Anne said with a serious face, "If this cooperation goes well, your influence in the Russian Empire will be taken to a higher level, and the entire Russian Empire will be thanked by the French. The relationship between France and the Russian Empire will be closer, and many people in the Russian Empire will regard you as a prophet of the entire country. All you need to do is listen carefully to what I have to say now."
"Madam, please tell me if I can help you." Rasputin's mind raced. He thought he could listen to what the other party said first. Besides, this was France, so he couldn't help but listen.
Anne told Rasputin part of France's colonial policy, that is, the North African policy. Although Rasputin did not understand these things, he listened very carefully.
This matter involved four countries, France, Imperial Russia, Italy and the Ottoman Empire. It can be said that it was closely related to the Russian Empire and was definitely a major event. As a prophet who often went in and out of the court, Rasputin certainly knew that Imperial Russia was eyeing the Balkans.
They were even more coveted for Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Following Anne's words, Rasputin gradually understood why the North African affairs were related to the Russian Empire. If Italy and the Ottoman Empire were to get entangled in a fight, it would be very beneficial for the leader of the Slavic world who wanted to expand its influence in the Balkans.
What happened in North Africa seems to have nothing to do with the Russian Empire, but in the context of the Central Powers and the Entente, everything is linked together, and any action taken by the Allies will bring about a chain reaction.
If Italy and the Ottoman Empire were to become entangled in a conflict over the North African territory, it would certainly be a good opportunity for the Russian Empire to take advantage of the situation and expand its influence in the Balkan Peninsula.
The current situation is that Italy is a member of the Allied Powers, and the Ottoman Empire is an intermediate power. As an important member of the Allied Powers, it is natural for France to curb the development of the Allied Powers. As another important member of the Allied Powers, the Russian Empire will also gain its own interests by taking the opportunity to attack the Ottoman Empire.
So if Italy, as a member of the Central Powers, goes to war with the Ottoman Empire, will it lead the Ottoman Empire to the Allies?
Sheffield had thought about this problem at the beginning of the planning. The reason was simple. The Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire could not appear in the same camp. The Allied camp could only accommodate one. Whether it was the British or the French, it was obvious who to choose between the two candidates.
In a very famous Allied propaganda poster, the goddess representing Imperial Russia is in the middle, with Britain and France on both sides. This shows that Britain and France have high hopes for the role that Imperial Russia plays in the Allied camp.
Although the Russian Empire had exposed many problems in the Russo-Japanese War, the British and French General Staff believed that the key to the victory of the Allies was to enable the Russian giant to act, and the effectiveness of its actions was secondary. What if the European gendarmerie regained its glory?
Feeling that his interference would not change the members of the two camps, Sheffield boldly let Anne return home to instruct Arlington's mistress on how to let France backstab Italy.
Manipulating public opinion to form political correctness is only one aspect, while the other aspect relies on Rasputin, who is known as a prophet.
"The situation in Italy was carefully investigated by our French intelligence personnel. Not to mention you Russians, even the top leaders in France and Italy don't know about it." Annie lowered her voice and said, "It is because the matter is of great importance and cannot be communicated through formal channels that I arranged this scene."
Anne, the hostess of Arlington, also began to use her rhetoric to deal with this Russian charlatan, making the whole incident mysterious.
"If Mr. Rasputin can use his powerful influence to help France in this matter, I and many others will be very grateful, and the reward will definitely not be small." Anne clapped her hands twice. The bodyguards behind her took out a box and opened it. Anne said, "Five hundred thousand gold francs, Rasputin should know its value."
Rasputin took a deep breath. Even though he often moved in high society, he was shocked by the generosity of the other side.
Although Sheffield was not here, it did not mean that he had no concept of money. You should know that when the Italian army of 100,000 launched the Italo-Turkish War, the calculated monthly military expenditure was only 300,000 lire per month. On the one hand, this budget confirmed the title of Italian pauper imperialism, and on the other hand, it also reflected the value of currency at the beginning of the century.
"If everything goes well and our two countries are able to witness developments that are beneficial to both our countries, then this part will only be a deposit, and the other half will be delivered to you when things happen." Anne seemed to be completely unconcerned about the money in front of her, and the moment she opened her mouth she sounded like an old loan shark imperialist, which was in line with the impression many Russians had of the French.
"Of course I'm willing to help!" Rasputin saw Anne's strengths, which were the same as Sheffield's, showing her wealth and billions. He paused and added, "It's for the common interests of the Russian Empire and France."
"Of course!" Anne smiled and nodded. "Then I wish Mr. Rasputin a happy time in Paris. I will send someone to send Rasputin back to the Russian Empire when the time comes."
Rasputin's brief trip to Paris went unnoticed by anyone. Anne was still manipulating public opinion to ridicule Italy, but an incident came unexpectedly. The crisis was caused by Morocco. In the first Moroccan crisis, Germany was forced to make concessions because Britain and Russia supported France. The conference declared Morocco's independence, while recognizing that France and Spain had police power over Morocco. Subsequently, France's influence in Morocco expanded day by day, causing strong resistance from the local people.
Residents of Fez, the capital of Morocco, revolted. France, under the pretext of protecting its citizens and quelling the riots, occupied the capital of Morocco, fueled by the recent heated discussions on North Africa in the country, and the second Moroccan crisis broke out.
(End of this chapter)
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