Mediterranean Hegemony Road

In 1923, the year when the London Treaty was officially implemented, according to the treaty, a wave of disarmament broke out all over the world, and Bulgaria was no exception. The navy was directly cut off six layers of tonnage.

The navy was in turmoil, and even the retired Admiral Petrov was disturbed, but it was of no use.

The treaty has been signed, and the disarmament is still to be done. All the Admiralty can decide is to keep those warships and how many troops to abolish.

Unlike the army, the navy can maintain its organization as long as there is one rifle in hand. Without enough warships, the size of the personnel must be greatly reduced.

It is impossible to reduce the establishment, because in the defense budget of 1923, the military expenditure of the navy has been cut by five layers, and it has become the military service with the lowest military expenditure in the Bulgarian army, navy and air force.

This year's military expenditure was successfully suppressed to 23.7% of the budget, and the military expenditure distribution ratio of the army, navy and air force has also become 6:2:3.

No way, who says it's a Navy holiday? Countries all over the world are disarmament, and Bulgaria will naturally follow suit.

The proportion of military expenditure in fiscal revenue has dropped significantly, but the total military expenditure has not declined. With the increase in fiscal revenue, the proportion of military expenditures will naturally decline.

In 1918, Bulgaria's fiscal revenue was 5.2 billion levs; but in 1923, the budget given by the Ministry of Finance was 9.2 billion levs, with an average annual fiscal growth rate of 12%.

This is not surprising. On the one hand, Bulgaria's economy has developed rapidly in recent years, and on the other hand, the government has sold a large number of state-owned enterprises to get rid of the burden of dragging its feet.

Except for the state-owned enterprises that are related to the international people's livelihood, other industries that are not profitable or that are not very profitable have been dealt with by the government one after another.

This alone will save hundreds of millions of losses every year, and as these enterprises become state-owned and private, they will also bring in a lot of taxation, which has contributed to the rise of fiscal revenue.

The restructuring of state-owned enterprises will continue to deepen. Ferdinand has decided to abolish the tax exemption privileges of state-owned enterprises. Unless it is a tax-exempt industry, state-owned enterprises must also pay taxes to the government normally.

For these officials who ruined the enterprise, the Independent Commission Against Corruption must conduct a comprehensive investigation. If there is no problem, that's all. Just pack up and go home.

Once a problem occurs, it is natural to be severely punished, even if it is the ex, the ex, no matter what position you are in, don't try to run away.

Considering the complexity of the source of funds, the Independent Commission Against Corruption has never been bothered to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate income, mainly because there is no way to distinguish, as long as there is any illegal income, it will naturally be confiscated.

Ferdinand even heard that there were unlucky people who had just entered the government job, embezzled several hundred levs, and had their entire property confiscated.

Of course, now, it is not as ruthless as it used to be. Except for rebellion and treason, the government has stopped implicated in other crimes.

The property of the family members can only be proved to be their legal income, and they will not be confiscated at the same time, which is much better than in previous years.

Well, Ferdinand admitted, that was because the government was too poor back then, and in order to solve the financial crisis, everyone could not do it.

It's better now,

Everyone also began to pay attention to eating, but the property of the party was confiscated in full, and the relatives accepted the property of the party and had to pay back double.

The government's determination to fight corruption remains unshakable!

The biggest news in the world is undoubtedly that the Italian government directly declared bankruptcy, and the Germans also demanded a suspension of the payment of the 1924 cash reparations on the grounds of the devaluation of the mark.

I have to say that the Germans chose a good time this time. The Italian government declared bankruptcy very single, which put the Allied countries in a very embarrassing situation.

The so-called military control of Italy by the British is just to scare people, and the ultimate purpose is to make the Italians pay the war reparations honestly.

The French have a very strong interest in military control of Italy, but John Bull does not agree?

At this time, military control of Italy will not allow France to annex Italy?

Ferdinand also expressed interest very cooperatively. After France sent troops, Bulgaria also sent troops at the request of the British consortium.

On the surface, there is nothing wrong with it. According to the agreement between Bulgaria and the British consortium, Bulgaria must guarantee the payment of reparations, so military action is inevitable.

Seeing that the momentum was not right, John Bull immediately sent troops to join in. Because they were worried that the two countries would directly divide Italy, they demanded that the troops of the three countries must be mixed in joint operations.

This rude request was immediately opposed by the joint efforts of the two countries, which made the British Empire very shameless, but the joint forces of the two countries in the Mediterranean Sea were stronger than the British, which made John Bull very uncomfortable. .

At this time, the Germans proposed to postpone the payment of the indemnity, and the British agreed immediately. This time, John Bull couldn't let the French military rule Germany!

While the London government was still struggling with these issues, Ferdinand sent someone to approach the British consortium, and the two sides negotiated the Italian issue.

On August 12, 1923, the Bulgarian ambassador to London, Willemsnov, and Douglas, the representative of the British consortium, had a secret talk on the Italian reparations.

Mr. Williamsnov, according to our agreement, now the Italian government has defaulted on its debts, and your country needs to take responsibility for this! Douglas Hao said rudely

Mr. Douglas, haven't we already taken action? Now the Bulgarian army has taken control of southern Italy, isn't it just to solve the problem of reparations? Wilhelmsnov said with a smile.

However, this does not solve the problem. With the current economic situation of the Italians and the tax situation in southern Italy alone, it is impossible to repay the indemnity! Douglas retorted.

No, Mr. Douglas, your calculation is wrong! Southern Italy has a population of more than 14 million, of which there are at least 8 million laborers. If they all work for you, how can they not be able to pay the compensation? William Snowf asked rhetorically

It's impossible. We don't need so much labor at all. Mr. Williamsnov's joke is not funny! Douglas said angrily.

Don't get excited, Mr. Douglas. You can look at it this way, now that the domestic economy in Italy is doomed and labor costs have hit rock bottom, as long as you give them a bowl of rice to eat, they can work for you!

In Italy you don't have to worry about those pesky unions, you don't have to worry about strikes, and if you're in a good mood, you can drive a tank around the factory!

With your strength, is it difficult to make money? Using so much cheap labor without having to bear heavy taxes, isn't this benefit enough to pay off the debt? Williamsnov said calmly.

Douglas fell into contemplation. Obviously, the proposal of the Bulgarians made him tempted. The real economy is not unprofitable, but the rising labor costs and tax costs of the British Empire, and the profits of enterprises are so low that they are chilling.

If the consortium's factory was moved from London to Italy, these problems would disappear, and labor costs would only have to be paid for one-fifth, or even lower.

Workers can be unscrupulously allowed to work overtime, and strikes can be suppressed at will. Compared with London, the conditions are many times better.

Raw materials are not a problem, anyway, most of the raw materials of the British Empire are imported from abroad, and it is still the same in Italy, even the distance is closer, which just offsets the shipping cost of bringing the goods back to London.

Mr. Williamsnoff means that we can make all businesses tax-free? Douglas asked with concern

If there is no need to pay a cent of tax, then this profit is even more impressive. Now the level of the British Empire on the real industry is too high, much higher than the tariff.

Of course not, what I mean is that the tax package system can be implemented. We will directly contract the taxation of each city to you, and all the tax rates and tax types are set by you.

You can form your own armed forces to maintain local law and order. Under normal circumstances, we will not interfere in any of your actions.

I believe that your business ability is definitely higher than that of the government. The increased tax is your profit. We only collect the expenses of the garrison. ' explained Willemsnovnov

Douglas was overjoyed. If there was so much good news, even if the Italian government could not pay the war reparations, the profits would be enough to make up for the losses.

Mr. Wilhelmsnov, I believe in the sincerity of your government, but this question is beyond the scope of my authority. We must study it before we can answer you! Douglas replied without changing his face.

Well, you have three days to think about it. If not, we can only cooperate with others! Williamsnov said calmly

...

reject? How can capitalists refuse profit?

The condition given by Ferdinand is a plan that the Bulgarian economists have carefully calculated to maximize the benefits.

Even if you don't make any investment, the benefits you get from controlling these cities are astronomical every year. If you take advantage of these industries and turn them into your own, then the benefits will be even greater.

So big that Ferdinand was tempted. If he didn't take into account the influence, he would have to do it himself. Now that such a great benefit has been left to the British, I am not afraid that they will not be tempted!

As for whether the Italians will rebel in the future, why do you think so much? After making money first, as long as it is controlled for three or five years, the consortium can recover the war reparations owed by Italy.

It's just that when the time comes, they are reluctant to give up the benefits they get every year, it's hard to say!

But at that time, it was the turn of the British to have a headache. Presumably, with the strong strength of the British Empire, it was more than enough to suppress an Italy!

Time flies, and three days later, the Bulgarian government and the British consortium formally reached an agreement on the issue of Italian reparations.

According to the agreement, all the income of the British in Italy is only normal business transactions, and has nothing to do with loans.

The war reparations owed by the Italian government is still not less than a cent, and all the deferred payments are subject to late payment fees, while Bulgaria collects a part of the contract tax, which is considered to be a split between the two sides.

Of course, the British consortium will no longer pursue Bulgarian responsibility for the guarantee. After all, the money has already been obtained, so what else is there to say!

The most direct consequence is that in 1928, the British Empire's domestic exports decreased by 180 million pounds compared with 1923, while the import trade volume increased by 380 million pounds.

If these transactions were not carried out in sterling, this trade deficit alone would have been enough to bring about the collapse of the British Empire.

The Kingdom of Italy has also become an industrial power. Of course, this power has not brought a dime of benefits to the Italian people, all of which are load-bearing disasters.

...

The sinkhole was dug, and Ferdinand was in a much better mood. The London government didn't know yet that they had already fallen into the quagmire of Italy in the future.

When the consortium established factories in Italy one by one, and a large amount of industry was transferred over, even if the London government wanted to give up Italy, these vested interests would not agree!

And is it easy to rule a country like Italy that has completed its national awakening? There will be no problems in the short term, the smoke of the world war has just passed.

It was repaired by hunger again, and now they can work for you as long as you give them a bowl of rice to eat.

But time can forget all of this, and for the past three or five years of peaceful life, opposition to colonialism and oppression will once again become the mainstream of this country, and it will be enough for the British to endure it.

Your Majesty, something has happened in the Far East! At 11:58 on September 1, a major earthquake occurred in Tokyo, Japan. Half of our embassies in the Tokyo area collapsed. Fortunately, there were no casualties. Now Tokyo has fallen into chaos!

According to the news from the embassy, ​​this earthquake has affected a large area, and the Japanese have suffered bad luck this time! ' Metev said with schadenfreude

It is not news that the Bulgarian government is not interested in the Japanese.

This is all due to the Russians. Before the end of the World War, the Russian Empire had a great influence in Bulgaria.

During the Russo-Japanese War, Bulgaria supported the Russian Empire and made a fortune in the war. Naturally, the relationship with Japan was not very good.

It's just that for a long time, there has not been much conflict of interests, and the diplomatic relations between the two countries are still decent, and they have not become enemies.

Well, that's just what Ferdinand thinks!

Although the outside world also believes that the relationship between the two countries is not good, it is the credit of the Russians, but they all think it is the credit of the pillow, who made him, the king, show his disgust for the Japanese?

The upper and the lower are effective, even if someone has a good impression of Japan, they dare not show it? Ferdinand is no longer needed, and the pro-Russian factions within the government have suppressed them.

Although the momentum of the pro-Russian faction has dropped a lot, there are still many people who have a good impression of Russia. This situation is a natural cultural identity between the two sides, and no one can control it.

Anyway, it is relative. There are not a few Russians who have a good impression of Bulgaria. Not to mention, as long as the Russians are immigrants, 99% of them will choose Bulgaria.

In this context, the Bulgarian people are not interested in the Japanese government. This is indeed the credit of the Russians. The Russian immigrants also brought their hatred of Japan.

Ferdinand, who was familiar with all this, naturally did not guide public opinion because of his own feelings.

Due to the geopolitical relationship, the two sides do not have much conflict of interests, nor do they have any common interests. Naturally, there are not many exchanges, and the relationship is very general.

Well, got it! In the name of the Bulgarian government, send a sincere telegram of condolences to the Japanese government, and at the same time let the Japanese government protect our diplomats and overseas Chinese!

In addition, in Sofia, organize a medical volunteer rescue team to represent the Bulgarian government for disaster relief! Ferdinand said with a smile.

Anyone who knows him knows that he is in a good mood right now.

Yes, Your Majesty! Metev replied

At the traffic speed of this era, when the Bulgarian medical ambulance team was formed, it was slow to rush over from Sofia, and when it arrived in Japan, it was estimated that it would not even be able to catch the corpse.

As for efficiency, how can it be efficient? The medical volunteer rescue team, how many medical staff are there this year, willing to volunteer to go to Japan for disaster relief?

With such an obvious perfunctory attitude from above, how could the bureaucrats be quick?

If nothing else, many European countries will do this this time. There is no way that the European people are busy dealing with the economic crisis. Who is in the mood to care about the Japanese!

...

Book: Seeking the Way in All Realms

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