"This is a copy of the treaty, please check it out." In the Winter Palace, Russian Foreign Minister Giles sent the text of the Treaty of Reinsurance to Tsar Alexander III.

"Very good, the Germans finally chose the right path. They did not offend the powerful Russia because of a fragile ally." Alexander III nodded and said with satisfaction.

Although the contents of this treaty and the treaty signed between Germany and Austria are far different, and can only be considered a preventive or even neutral clause, relying on this treaty, the Balkans can maintain the status quo. Without the support of the Germans, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was at a disadvantage in the Balkans, and they would not take the initiative to attack. Russia, which drew its strength, could put all its experiences on the decaying empire in the Far East. It was the last place in the world that had not been divided yet, and Russia was determined to win it!

"That place is too big. Even if Russia does its best, it will take hundreds of years to conquer it, but at least we have to control it!" The Tsar pointed to the northeast corner of the Qing Dynasty's territory.

"Although we have solved the troubles in Europe, the battle in the Far East has just begun. We need to face Britain and that restless small country! They seem to have tear off a piece of the decaying empire of the Qing Dynasty before the empire takes action! Our current military power in the Far East cannot deter potential opponents at all, and strengthening the Far East requires a lot of money and support from allies." Secretary of the Finance Minister Vitt said respectfully.

"Well, tell me what you think. Do you have new ideas?" asked the Tsar, who was in a good mood.

"We already owed French banks up to 2.6 billion francs last year, and if we were to build a railway system across the Eurasian continent, we would need more funds, and only the French could give us this fund." Witt said tentatively.

From the perspective of his job, continuing to maintain a good relationship with France is of great significance to changing Russia's fragile financial situation and meeting His Majesty's military expansion needs. But the question is, will it cause Germany's rebound if he just signed the Reinsurance Treaty with the Germans and got closer to the French? So he could only say it in a tactful tone.

"The Empire has given the French an order of 500,000 rifles, and the reward is already very generous. The Empire is not unable to make rifles. The French should understand what we mean." The Russian Prime Minister said with some dissatisfaction. As a conservative, he naturally hopes that the friendship between Russia and Germany can be consolidated. And those domestic capitalists and spokespersons of capitalists naturally hope to obtain a large amount of loans from the rich French.

"It is necessary to maintain cooperation with the French, but as the Reinsurance Treaty continues, our relationship with Germany should also be eased. The easing of relations with Germany can give us a greater advantage in negotiating with the French." Gilles immediately came out to smooth things over.

"The Germans have what we need, and this thing is only available in Germany, but the French don't!" General Makanov, who was relatively low in ranking, finally spoke at the Prime Minister's instructions. "They developed a hardened armor, which is said to have 150% higher anti-oplastic armor than ordinary nickel steel armor. If our newly built warships can be equipped with this kind of armor, their performance will be greatly improved."

"This is enough to be handled by Ambassador Pavel Schwarov, Ambassador to Germany. I believe he can convince the German central government to give us armor first." Alexander III said calmly. In his opinion, ordering armor is an act of giving money to manufacturers. It would be very convenient if the Russian government comes forward to negotiate. If there is a help from the German official, it can be almost certain.

"I'm afraid Mr. Pavel will find it difficult to solve this problem alone. Because the company that produces this kind of armor has a strong background, the Bavarian royal family almost completely controls this company, and they have received orders from the Navy to provide at least 10,000 tons of armored steel to the German Navy in the next four years! In addition, they have also received orders from the UK and Italy. If we follow the order, our position will be relatively backward." Giles said with some embarrassment.

"Vitelsbach family?" Alexander III frowned. As the Tsar, he naturally knew the relationship and historical origins between the Bavarian royal family and the Austro-Hungarian royal family. Whether new armored steel can be purchased is one aspect, and whether the proximity between the two families will affect Russia-German relations is a more important question! A simple royal family of a state does not have this power, but if a state plus Vienna acts together, then the German center may really have to reconsider its relations with Russia. Although the treaty has been signed, the relationship between the two countries has not improved in practice. The trade war between the two sides has just ended, and the relationship is actually relatively fragile!

"I think it is necessary for us to contact the Kingdom of Bavaria alone. In addition to armor, they also designed a very good cruiser. I think it is of great reference for our naval development. In addition, from the perspective of maintaining the stability of the treaty, it is also very necessary to differentiate the Vettelsbach family and the Habsburg family." The Prime Minister said.

Although the Reinsurance Treaty guarantees that as long as Russia does not move, Austro-Hungary's layout of changing the Balkan status quo will not be helped by Germany, but what should I do when Russia's main force advances eastward and Austro-Hungary takes the initiative to challenge? Moreover, this treaty is only a continuation, only a three-year extension! If Germany does not sign after it expires, will it be stopped if it is already halfway through the eastward advance, or will it not stop?

Although the Tsar agrees with Bismarck's ability and believes that he can grasp the political situation in Germany, he is just a prime minister after all, and he is just a bystander after the opening of the Federal Parliament. The German emperor's wife is the British princess, and the relationship between Britain and Germany is also good now. Austria-Hungary is the younger brother of Germany, and Britain and Austria are not friendly to Russia. Russia is also very isolated now. The Tsar has thought that Russia and France have moved closer, but in that case, Russia is equivalent to becoming enemies with Britain, Germany, Austria, and Italy! This cost is too high!

"First contact, in addition, we can know the ambassador to Berlin that the trade war between Russia and Germany can be considered to end, and our tax rate on special steel can be lowered to the previous baseline." Alexander III thought about it and said that the Russians were always willing to spend money on their own military construction. Every battleship since 1890 used hardened armor. Historically, Harveyed armor was used, and this time, the Russians used KC three years in advance! Well, now it is called Bavarian hardened armor!

Just as the Russians were considering how to bring Russia-German relations closer and thus ensuring that no one was disturbing when they advanced eastward, Vienna's reaction was much stronger than the Russian court! After all, the signing of the Reinsurance Treaty means that Germany is still in a nearly neutral position in the dispute between Russia and Austria. In the Balkans, Austria-Hungary still has to face Russia's pressure independently. This is undoubtedly a very bad result for King Fritz. When he saw the note sent by the German Foreign Ministry, the king said angrily: "The Austro-Hungarian Empire has never had friends! This is the case in the Prussian-Austria war! It is still the case now!"

The prince's suicide in 1889, as well as the Romanian crisis and Serbia's betrayal, have suffered too much damage to the king. Since the Pakatan Harapan War, Vienna accepted the 2-yuan empire conditions proposed by the Hungarian nobles, the old king has increasingly felt the powerlessness and fragility of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Now, the seemingly huge Austro-Hungarian Empire cannot withstand the heavy pressure of other major powers. Before external pressure crushes this country, the empire may collapse first!

"We must change and find some powers to rely on!" King Fritz said gritting his teeth. Looking at the silent power in the north and the increasingly alienated Germany in the Balkans, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was once again pushed to the forefront!
Chapter completed!