Chapter 356: Reaching an Agreement

"Oh, this is really a novelty." Deputy Head of State Salazar looked at Samuel Hall, the British Ambassador to Madrid, who was visiting in the evening, with a surprised look on his face. "Your Excellency, Ambassador, do you mean that the British Empire will provide this gold?"

Ambassador Samuel's face looked a little strange, and he didn't know what Prime Minister Churchill was thinking. It was simply unbelievable that he wanted to be taken advantage of. However, Prime Minister Churchill meant that after the war was over, Spain would be spit out several times, so he could only do so. "Exactly."

"The friendship between your country and the Soviet Union is really as strong as gold." He said it sarcastically or jokingly, and Salazar rubbed his hands excitedly. "Anyway, it's great. I wonder when your country will ship the gold?"

Ambassador Samuel coughed lightly. "Sir Salazar, I am here to discuss this matter. Do you think you can be accommodating?"

Salazar raised his eyebrows slightly. "Accommodating? What kind of accommodation?"

"After all, 560 tons of gold is not a small amount. I hope you can reduce the amount." He took out a beautiful box and pushed it in front of Salazar.

"Reduction?" Salazar put away the box without changing his expression, thought for a moment, and asked. "Speak frankly, Ambassador, how much gold can your country produce?"

Ambassador Samuel held up a finger. "100 tons." Although Prime Minister Churchill said that he could produce 300 tons, he still had to save money.

"Haha." Salazar sneered. "Your Excellency, the Ambassador, is really good at joking. 100 tons of gold is just enough to send beggars away."

Ambassador Samuel couldn't help but curse secretly, 100 tons of gold are used to send beggars away? We must know that the current price of gold is US$450,000 for one ton, and more than US$120 million for one hundred tons. Who can be so arrogant and spend US$100 million to send beggars away?

After some haggling, the two finally reached a consensus on the price of 270 tons; this was only after Ambassador Samuel said that he would give Salazar a large benefit, so he reluctantly agreed.

After agreeing on the price, Salazar stood up. "In this case, I will go to the head of state to discuss it now. But let me declare first that no matter whether the head of state agrees or not, I will not lose any of the benefits that belong to me."

"Of course, then I'll be here waiting for good news." Ambassador Samuel smiled and nodded, but in his heart he cursed the damn vampire several times! When the British Empire controls Spain in the future, I will be the first to kill you! !

Salazar went straight to Arias's residence and recounted the negotiations between him and Ambassador Samuel. "That's it. The British are willing to spend 270 tons of gold to stop us from supporting Finland."

"It's really interesting." Arias said to himself, stroking his beard. "What conspiracy do these British guys have? Why are they helping the Soviet Union so much?" Now that the United Kingdom is almost in danger of itself, does it still have the heart to care about the Soviet Union? Did you even take out the coffin book?

270 tons, more than 300 million U.S. dollars. You must know that the cost of the George V-class battleships that are about to enter service in the United Kingdom is less than 30 million U.S. dollars.

Salazar also expressed confusion. "Is it possible that they made some agreement to deal with the empire?"

Arias nodded. "It's indeed suspicious. I have to report it." After saying that, he immediately sent an urgent coded message to Berlin.

After receiving the telegram, Yannick thought for a while and then agreed to the deal, and asked them to sell 2,000 tons of tungsten ore to the UK. As for what the deal was between Britain and the Soviet Union, the worst they could do was to let the Soviet Union provoke a war in eastern Germany to contain the German army. It would be best to transfer most of its troops to the eastern front to give Britain some time to breathe.

What made him most curious was what price Britain paid to let the Soviet Union do this.

Salazar returned home after receiving Yannick's reply. "Your Excellency Ambassador, it took a lot of effort for me to convince the head of state to agree to recall the volunteers. But the head of state has a condition."

Ambassador Samuel couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "What conditions?"

"We happen to have 2,000 tons of tungsten ore in stock. Look..."

Ambassador Samuel cursed secretly. "That's great, we need these tungsten ores." In this way, Britain still had to pay nearly 300 tons of gold, which really made him heartbroken. "Then when will your country withdraw its volunteer troops?"

Salazar said happily. "The head of state said that as soon as the gold is in place, it will be withdrawn immediately."

After receiving the report from Ambassador Samuel, Churchill immediately arranged for a submarine to transport 270 tons of gold to Spain.

He thought that as long as Spain did not interfere, the Soviet Union could bulldoze Finland, but he did not expect that Spain was not the only one supporting Finland.

You must know that Finland's neighbor Sweden does not welcome the Soviet Union.

In the middle of the 16th century (1501--1600), Sweden was a military power and had a rivalry with Tsarist Russia. In 1721, Sweden was defeated by the Triple Alliance (Denmark, Poland) led by Tsarist Russia. This tragic defeat made Sweden realize the importance of neutrality. Due to the weakening of the country, Sweden became a meal for the great powers at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. A large amount of Swedish territory was ceded.

Sweden's national power no longer allows expansion, and strictly maintaining neutrality is their only way out.

Sweden’s geographical environment is quite special. To the east is the powerful Tsarist Russia, to the south is the powerful Prussia, and to the southwest are the powerful Britain and France. When the great powers fought each other, Sweden felt uncomfortable being caught in the middle. Some countries win over Sweden to their side and oppose the other side. Sweden is very calm, saying that you are beating yourselves, I will only watch and won’t help anyone. It is Sweden's national policy not to offend both parties.

During the First World War, Sweden said to Tsarist Russia and Germany: Don't look for me again, my attitude remains unchanged.

In the Second World War, Sweden still declared neutrality, but the Soviet Union's massive attack on Finland made the Swedes feel dangerous: If you really destroy Finland, you will come straight to me. We Swedish people are really not used to giving everything to Comrade Stalin.

So in the original time and space, Sweden said to Finland in the Soviet-Finnish War: Brother, I will give you everything I have.

Sweden fully supported Finland's anti-Soviet war, and almost all its domestic weapons and ammunition were given to Finland, and money was given in large quantities (according to statistics, by the end of the Soviet-Finnish War, Sweden had provided Finland with gifts and loans worth 400 million kronor in total). Sweden played like this, and the Soviet Union was half angry to death, saying, is there anyone who can maintain neutrality like you?

Sweden was not very afraid of the Soviet Union. Two points: First, Sweden and the Soviet Union are separated by Finland on land. The Soviet Union couldn't even eat Finland, so how could it eat Sweden? Second, the Soviet Union attacked Sweden across the sea? It seems that the Soviet Union did not have this ability.

However, Sweden also knew the Soviet Union's temper and would never cross the Soviet Union's red line.

Finland thought Sweden was too kind and said why not send troops to fight the Russians together. Sweden refused on the spot, saying that I was about to offend the Soviet Union and I had to live to eat.

Not only Finland, but also Britain wanted to send troops to aid Finland through Sweden, but was rejected by Sweden.

Interestingly, Sweden helped Finland fight the Soviet Union, but the Soviet Union was also worried that Sweden would turn to Germany in an all-round way. Before the war with Germany, the Soviet Union warned that it would never allow Germany to undermine Sweden's neutrality.

Not long ago, Germany and Sweden signed a secret agreement for the Soviet-Finnish War. Germany sold a large number of weapons and equipment to Sweden at a half-sale and half-gift price, and supported Finland in the name of Sweden.

Therefore, even if Spain no longer participated in the Soviet-Finnish War, Finland would not lose any weapons and equipment. The British were really taken advantage of this time and spent 270 tons of gold in vain.