"If, as you say, I think we need more allies, a long stalemate is not something the Russians can afford, nor can the French withstand, we need allies to share the pressure. "After Kuropatkin'www.biquge.info s departure, the representatives of Britain and France did not leave, but held a consultation to avoid.

The French were also very worried about Churchill's inference, because if the war continued in the future, it would definitely be fought on the territory of France and Germany, and the French naturally did not want to let their homes be a mess, and the purpose of the war was to gain benefits, not to die with the opponent! So, as soon as the Russians walked on the front foot, the French Minister of War Messimi voiced his concerns to Churchill.

"It's a big war on a global scale, but there aren't many countries that can come to the fore and play a role. We were going to win over Italy, but now I think you know very well what the result is, Italy is too weak, and this unsuccessful success has also made the Italians feel timid, and even if we are willing to pay some price, we may not necessarily get the support of Italy. They will not choose to take sides until the war situation becomes clear, and by that time it will not matter how Italy chooses. Churchill said.

"The Americans, I think it's already good if they don't help Germany. I don't have much hope for the Yankees on the other side, so they forget it. And the remaining powers have all chosen to take sides. ”

"Actually, there is another country, and that is Japan! If Japan can enter the war, I am afraid that it will reduce our pressure a lot. Messimi said.

"Hehe, Japanese? They may not have any responsibilities and obligations other than the possibility of seizing the territory of the Germans in the Pacific after the war, and after the end of the Russo-Japanese War in the Far East, the Japanese were like a well-fed hyena, very lazy, and it was unrealistic to expect them to contribute unless there was such a pie-in-the-sky thing. Churchill said.

"That's not an attractive condition, and if we agree with the Japanese to eat the German islands in the Pacific, and tolerate Japan's actions against the Dutch East Indies to a certain extent, will the Japanese stand firmly on our side?"

"Of course, pure interests are not enough, we also need to intimidate the Japanese, now Japan has a mortal enemy, if it weren't for the distance, maybe Japan would have been crushed a long time ago, and if you want to fight this country, Japan can only rely on the strength of its allies, that is, us. If the Japanese want to protect their interests in the Far East, then they should know how to choose. Messimi said.

"But what do we gain? The Japanese will not send a large number of land forces to Europe, their naval forces in the Far East will not help us much, they may send an auxiliary fleet into the Mediterranean Sea at our request to carry out minesweeping or escort missions, and then what? What else can be done? Churchill asked rhetorically.

"If it were only these conditions, we would not be able to give them corresponding guarantees, if they were willing to send the main fleet. Judging from the current trend, the Japanese navy is developing very rapidly. Maybe it's nothing in the North Sea, but in the Mediterranean, it's definitely a force that can change the tide of battle, and if one day we really plan to attack the Dardanelles, any dreadnought is important! Messimi said solemnly.

"I agree in principle, but what the final result will be depends on the choice of the Japanese, and we have already set the conditions, it depends on how the Japanese choose." Churchill said.

Churchill was also calculating the gains and losses of this deal, and in fact, after the Russo-Japanese War, it was an indisputable fact that the Japanese fleet had replaced the British as the most powerful presence in the Far East. And when Britain chose to respond to the German-Austrian threat and the world contracted, Japan became a force that Britain needed to rely on in the Far East. And the Japanese also need Britain to pull up the banner as a tiger skin. Far from disappearing as a result of Russia's retreat, the alliance between the two sides has become even closer.

In a way, Britain was Japan's most important ally against the United States. If this ally falls, then I am afraid that the Japanese will have a hard time. So, the French are very good at what they are saying, and as for the loss of the Dutch as a result, sorry, it's not something that the British and French need to consider. As a big country, we must first consider our own interests, so why care about the lives and deaths of others?!

"In addition, the investment we have given to the Italians needs to be recouped." Messimi said.

"How do you take this back? The Italians don't have money, so we can't knock on the door, right? Churchill also said helplessly.

"We can let them repay the loan in another way, such as building warships for the French Republic, Austria-Hungary is preparing to expand their navy, and now, France is rebuilding its army, the plan for the navy has been delayed, and the Minister of the Navy has asked me to find a way to expand the army that can avoid the parliamentary budget, and I thought about it." Messimi said.

The money lent to the Italians is actually a sunk cost, and Italy has difficulty repaying anyway, and if you want Italy to repay now, you must give them another loan ....... However, this will only make France lose more and more, and if Italy is half of the use of Russia, the French will not mind doing so, but in the eyes of the French, Italy will not even play a tenth of the role of Russia!

Therefore, Italy can only be repaid with goods, implying that Italy has no resources in this country, and there is nothing else worthy of the attention of the French, and the naval shipbuilding industry is not bad. In the end, the French came up with a solution, which was to ask Italy to help build ships, and use the warships built to pay off the original debts, so that the French government could get new warships without additional funds. Of course, the depreciation of the debt is certain, but it can be recovered somewhat. Another role is to maintain relations with Italy for the time being, although Italy is very wasteful, but France is not willing to let Italy return to the side of Germany and Austria.

"The British Empire could share part of the burden, and Italy could pay off the loan with the warships or other military supplies it had built." Naturally, the British Empire would not use the battleships built in Italy, but it was clear that this deficit could not be given entirely to the French, otherwise it would be too uninteresting.

Eventually, Britain and France meant to try to win over Japan, while at the same time ensuring that Italy at least did not throw itself into the arms of the Allies, and time passed little by little as the two sides prepared for war, and gradually came to mid-1907.

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