Struggle in Russia - Vol 3 Chapter 747

It’s just that he has to answer no matter how difficult it is to answer. After all, Nicholas I and many bigwigs are watching, and it is impossible to fool things.

He coughed twice and lowered his head to answer: “The two countries have not had formal contact on this matter, so there is no exact number. It can only be said that the sincerity of the United States is still very good. If the negotiation is conducted, it should be no less than Ten million dollars.”

Is ten million dollars a lot?

It depends on who it is for. For ordinary people, even in 2022, this is a huge sum of money that is difficult to earn in a lifetime. But even in 1853, the money was not particularly large for the country.

It can only be said that it has some value, but the value is not that great.

But having said that, 10 million US dollars can really help a financially tight Russia. So it was still attractive to Nicholas I.

So you can see that he nodded slightly unconsciously, and this was naturally seen by Count Uvarov, and he immediately laughed in his heart, thinking that Count Rostovtsev was shooting himself with a rock The feet are simply stupid.

Did Count Rostovtsev really make a mistake? Obviously not. With his intelligence ability, can he not know what the intentional bid of the Americans is?

Now that he knew and specifically asked about it, Count Rostovtsev must be sure. Facing the Minister of Finance’s answer, he slowly asked again: “Ten million dollars is really a lot, that is to say one hundred million dollars. 500,000 square kilometers of land is not worth $7 per square kilometer, well, that’s a good price!”

Nicholas I changed color as soon as he said this. When he heard the price of 10 million dollars, he didn’t think anything, and even thought it was quite a lot. But when he heard the price of less than 7 US dollars per square kilometer, his face was not so ugly.

How big is one square kilometer? And how much is seven dollars? If you look at it in such a comparison, it’s hard to bear to look directly at it, okay?

Anyway, Nicholas I felt that if he agreed to this price, he would really be taken advantage of.

“This… this…” The Minister of Finance stammered when he saw that something was wrong, and Count Uvarov had to quickly stand up to help him out: “That is barren land, and it is worthless if it is not sold. !”

If Nicholas I would have believed this before, but now, after Count Rostovtsev’s little talk, he will not think so. Of course, barren land is worthless. In this case, Americans are not taking advantage of it. Why spend huge sums of money to buy these barren land. Their money is not blown by the wind. Surely Alaska is valuable and profitable. So they will buy it!

Nicholas I was such a person. He was so preoccupied with his calculations that he would never allow others to take advantage of him. Even if Alaska was rotten in his hands, he would not feel a pity, but if others bought Alaska for even a dime, he would not accept it.

“Barren land!” He heard a heavy snort, glaring at Count Uvarov and said, “Alaska was pioneered by our ancestors, although it is now a little barren, it is by no means nothing. barren land!”

Count Uvarov’s complexion suddenly changed. People like him who knew Nicholas I knew too well what the tsar would say next. Definitely not good for him!

Sure enough, Nicholas I scolded the Minister of Finance in a nasty manner, directly scolding the fellow so much that he couldn’t lift his head, and after a while he changed the subject again: “Although Russia’s territory is large, not an inch is superfluous. It is a barren land and cannot be given up casually, and our land must not be sold cheaply!”

Look at what you said, it’s a typical example of being a woman’s watchman and building an archway. The meaning is actually very simple, that is, selling Alaska at a price of 10 million US dollars is absolutely forgotten, but if you sell it for 20 million US dollars, it will be a success.

All in all, Alaska is not impossible to sell, but this price is absolutely impossible! Must pay extra!

Count Uvarov was secretly relieved. He was afraid that Nicholas I would be persuaded by Count Rostovtsev, and he really did not intend to sell Alaska. Now it seems that he still underestimated Nicholas I. Financial pressure also underestimated his determination to win the current war.

Obviously, Nicholas I had given everything up, even if he sold his ancestral property like Alaska, he had to pool money to win the Turks.

This is good news for Count Uvarov. As long as Nicholas I is willing to sell it, he has no problem. As for how much it can be sold, he doesn’t care at all. Of course, it’s definitely not a bad thing if you can sell it for a few more dollars. After all, he still doesn’t know how long this war will last, let alone 20 million dollars, even if he doubles it, he doesn’t know what to do!

But this is really not good news for the Chancellor of the Exchequer~www.mtlnovel.com~ Don’t look at what he said to Nicholas I just now that the Americans are willing to pay 10 million, but only he knows in his heart that this is purely a matter of Brag, don’t talk about 10 million Americans, they don’t even want to pay 8 million, but now look at Nicholas I’s meaning, let’s not talk about 10 million, even if he doesn’t know 15 million accept.

Only he, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, now knows how bad the economic and financial situation is. According to his estimation, even if the war tax is not levied now, it will definitely be increased in the second half of the year, or even more than once.

In this way, the life of the big guys will not be easy in the second half of the year, and this is the key reason why almost everyone is not opposed to selling Alaska.

So he knew that if he dared to say that he couldn’t sell it at such a price, or persuaded Nicholas I not to sell Alaska, the conservatives would never spare him. Pity his small arms and thin legs, where is the opponent of this group of conservative nobles like wolves like tigers.

But if you ask him to sell 20 million, that’s really hard for him, the concubine really can’t do it!

For a while, the Chancellor of the Exchequer didn’t know what to do. He lowered his head and said nothing, just looking at it and making Nicholas I angry!

He really wanted to rush up and kick this guy’s ass, but the occasion was really inappropriate, so he could only ask patiently, “What’s your opinion?”

The Chancellor of the Exchequer really wants to say that I should not bother with my opinion, even if I sell one piece of it, it is not worth 20 million!

He replied with a sullen face: “Your Majesty, you are so right, we can’t just sell a single bit of our territory, otherwise there is no way to explain it to our ancestors or explain it to the people of the country, so let’s put it on hold!”