Chapter 200: A Journey to Russia
Arthur's words made Wilhelm II and the German officials ponder for a long time, and even the entire evening was spent discussing the latest decisions. However, the following morning, the negotiations were still held as scheduled.
It was clear that the German officials and Wilhelm II had shifted their stance from their previous consistent support for the German alliance. Instead of continuing to push for the creation of the German alliance, they introduced a new topic: the German-Russian Non-Aggression Pact, also known as the "German-Russian Neutrality Treaty."
The terms for supporting Russia proposed by Wilhelm II had not changed. Germany was still willing to provide Russia with 100 million marks in grants and a 500 million mark low-interest loan. If Russia required additional funding, Germany could mobilize private banks to raise at least 1 billion marks to help Russia restore domestic production.
Altogether, this amounted to a staggering 1.6 billion marks. What does this amount represent? Based on the latest exchange rate of one British pound equaling 20 marks, 1.6 billion marks would be equivalent to 80 million British pounds, which would be a powerful boost to Russia's finances.
Additionally, Germany was willing to support Russia's Far East policy and maintain permanent peace along their eastern border, where Germany and the Russian Empire met. Germany would not participate in any actions against Russia, and during the validity of the neutrality treaty, Germany and Russia would remain in a neutral and peaceful state.
On the surface, it might seem as though Wilhelm II was spending money to buy peace with Russia. Not only would Germany not gain any support from Russia, but the two nations would merely maintain a neutral peace.
However, this was not the case. After the loss of Russia in the Franco-Russian alliance, Germany's biggest rival in Europe was the Anglo-French Entente. In Europe, Germany's real enemy was only one: France, its former defeated foe. Without Russia's involvement on the eastern front, the German Empire would undoubtedly defeat France, even if France had the support of the British Empire.
This confidence was rooted in the self-assurance that all Germans had in their country's strength. Of course, this confidence could also be attributed to the results of the Franco-Prussian War, which had changed the way Germans viewed themselves.
Germany now held the position of European continental dominance, and as for France? Hah! It was merely a defeated foe of the past.
Although France had formed an alliance with Britain to jointly combat Germany, Germany did not fear land-based wars with Britain. When it came to the British Army, one could even question whether they would be able to defeat Austria-Hungary.
Germany's shift in attitude surprised Nicholas II and the Russian officials, but this was good news for Russia. Russia did not have to break its alliance with France and could still receive support and assistance from Germany.
While the Franco-Russian alliance had been broken by maintaining peace with Germany, Nicholas II had no intention of involving Russia in European affairs at the moment.
Currently, the Russian government's goal was to restore domestic stability, suppress the ongoing rebellions and strikes, and expand its influence in East Asia through the Far East policy. Facing a rival like Japan was certainly better than facing Germany.
Germany's shift also sped up the pace of the new treaty's negotiations. Arthur, as an observer, personally witnessed the swift conclusion of this historic German-Russian Neutrality Treaty, which had never appeared in history, and saw Wilhelm II and Nicholas II sign their names with the three parties as witnesses.
On August 4, 1905, just two days after the negotiations began, the new "German-Russian Neutrality Treaty" was successfully signed and officially entered its ten-year validity period.
This treaty stipulated that Germany and Russia should maintain peace between their countries and remain neutral in any war involving the other party. If Russia's ally, France, went to war with Germany, Russia was to remain neutral unless Germany declared war.
This meant that if France declared war on Germany, Russia could not participate in the war between Germany and France unless the treaty expired.
Though this treaty went against the original purpose of the Franco-Russian alliance, it was exactly what the Russian Empire needed at the time.
The neutrality treaty would ensure at least ten years of peace along the German-Russian border, giving Russia ten years of recovery time, while also allowing Germany to focus on defeating France without worrying about a two-front war.
After the treaty was signed, both Nicholas II and Wilhelm II appeared much happier.
Together with Arthur, the three began their several-day vacation.
Without the need to discuss political matters, their spirits improved significantly.
Of course, Arthur was in a good mood all the time. After all, Australia was benefiting from the events, and the situation in Europe had no direct bearing on Australia for the time being.
Over the past few days, the three of them had mainly discussed domestic political issues.
Although their methods of consolidating power were different, Arthur, Wilhelm II, and Nicholas II were among the few remaining autocratic monarchs, holding significant power in their respective countries.
During their conversations, they inevitably discussed the private lives of European aristocrats—mistresses and lovers.
When they learned that Arthur had neither a fiancée nor any lovers or mistresses in Australia, both Nicholas II and Wilhelm II were quite surprised.
After all, these two terms were common among European male aristocrats. Larger aristocratic families without several lovers would often be looked upon suspiciously by others.
As the Duke of Australia and New Zealand, Arthur's absolute power in Australia made Wilhelm II and Nicholas II envious.
Although they too held considerable power, they were still limited by domestic factions. What they could do depended on not offending the interests of other power groups.
But Arthur was different. Australia had no dominant ruling class, and Arthur was the highest authority.
Furthermore, the hearts of the people in Australia and New Zealand were with him, making his absolute autocracy even more plausible.
It had to be said that Arthur, without a fiancée, had caught the attention of both Wilhelm II and Nicholas II.
Australia's future was vast, and it could at least become a second-tier European power. Especially considering Australia's unique geographical location and abundant mineral resources, Australia could stretch its influence to Asia, Africa, and even the Americas, affecting the colonial interests of the major powers in these regions.
Though neither of them said anything, their behavior indicated that they were already planning something.
On August 8, 1905, after several days of leisure, the talks officially came to an end.
Wilhelm II returned to Germany by ship to discuss Germany's next steps with German officials.
Arthur, on the other hand, traveled with Nicholas II to Russia. The final stop of his European tour was Russia, and it was now time to reach the last destination of the trip.
The capital of the Russian Empire at the time was St. Petersburg, while the previous capital had been Moscow.
This city was named after one of Russia's greatest tsars, Peter the Great.
However, during the conflict between Russia and Germany, St. Petersburg's name was changed to Petroggrad, as it sounded similar to the German pronunciation. Later, to commemorate Lenin, the city was renamed Leningrad. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was eventually renamed back to St. Petersburg through a public vote.
Due to the successful discussions on Bjork Island, Arthur had become much more familiar with Nicholas II.
Since the cooperation between Australia and Russia on Far East matters had already been largely settled at Bjork Island, Arthur's main goal in visiting Russia was to build a good relationship, rather than to negotiate national cooperation.
Nicholas II had the same idea and held a grand welcoming banquet for Arthur, which many Russian aristocrats attended.
(End of Chapter)
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