Chapter 678: Title of King (Twelfth update)

"Your Majesty, once these railways and roads are built, the empire's control over these eastern territories will become very tight. At the same time, it will also greatly promote the economic development of these areas. However, these railways If all roads and roads are to be completed according to plan, a large amount of funds will be needed," said the chancellor.

  Everyone's eyes fell on Qin Tian. The reason why the Ministry of Communications came up with such a plan was to win as much funds as possible. The power of the German emperor, although not as resolute as the Eastern Empire. However, Qin Tian is different from others. His ability, and his achievements on the battlefield led the troops, so that he has a high reputation in the country. Plus the army is almost under his control. Therefore, the parliament will basically not constitute any restrictions on him. In fact, those members of the parliament, unless their brains were trapped by the door, otherwise they would never oppose Qin Tian.

   It is precisely this that makes Qin Tian the most powerful of all German emperors. Qin Tian had the final say on the distribution of the war reparations that Germany received during the war. The cabinet hopes that war reparations can be used to pay for the construction of transportation facilities.

   "How much will it cost?" Qin Tian asked.

   "It is initially estimated that at least 12 billion marks are needed. If there are 15 billion marks, that would be the best." The Minister of Transport said.

  Qin Tian couldn't help but gasped, he really didn't expect that so much money would be needed. Although a large amount of war indemnity has been obtained this time, a lot of money needs to be used to repay the debts during the war. In addition, the pensions for casualties also require a lot of funds. Not to mention that after the war, the army has to be reformed and changed. Those all require a lot of money.

  The 10 billion marks obtained from Russia, the 55 billion marks obtained from France, and the 20 billion marks obtained from Italy, add up to only 85 billion marks. This amount of money seems to be a lot, but if all these things are to be done, it may not be enough.

   "15 billion, isn't it too much?" Qin Tian said.

   "Your Majesty, the railways and roads we built are too long. It is only natural that we need to spend so much money." The Minister of Transport said.

  Qin Tian thought for a while: "I think eight to ten billion marks should be enough."

  The face of the Minister of Transport suddenly turned ugly. Isn't this typical of wanting the horse to run without feeding the horse?

"The labor for building railways and roads is all done by prisoners of war. Except for professionals in necessary positions, prisoners of war are used. I think this alone can save a lot of money. Those prisoners of war can Use whatever you want, and don’t care about their life or death. As the army wipes out guerrillas and other resistance forces in the east, the number of prisoners of war will increase. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the lack of labor.” Qin Tian said.

   "Yes, Your Majesty. In this case, ten billion marks is probably enough." The Minister of Transport said.

"In addition, since it will take ten years to complete the construction of these railways and roads, then these funds will not be allocated to the Ministry of Communications at one time. It will be allocated once a year, and it is basically allocated according to the annual plan." Qin Tian said .

  The pressure to allocate 10 billion marks at once is naturally much less than the pressure to allocate 1 billion marks a year in ten installments.

   "Yes, Your Majesty." Although the Minister of Transport was a little unwilling, he couldn't find a reason to refute it, so he had to give up.

   "Everyone, the transportation construction plan in the east is decided in this way. If there is nothing else, then the meeting will come to an end!" Qin Tian said.

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing. According to our treaty with Russia, Finland and Ukraine will become independent with our support. However, the importance of the geographical location of these two places is self-evident. Once we go to war with Russia , These two places will become the front line. Therefore, we must strengthen our control over these two places." Foreign Minister Wahit said.

  Qin Tian nodded, supporting the independence of Finland and Ukraine is just a cover. The reason why Germany did this was to weaken Russia's strength on the one hand, and to prepare for a future war with Russia on the other.

   "However, the people in these two places may not welcome us to directly enter these two countries. Therefore, we have to adopt other strategies." Wahit continued.

   "What are you going to do?" Qin Tian asked.

   "Your Majesty, the Finns and Ukrainians have been enslaved by the Russians for a long time. This makes them full of hatred for the Russians. If we can start from this aspect, it should be able to get twice the result with half the effort." Prime Minister Biluo said.

   "Yes, compared to the Russians enslaving them, but we treat them kindly. Compared with the two, they will naturally make a choice." Qin Tian said.

  After Finland was annexed by Russia, the Finns have been seeking independence, but Russia is too strong, while Finland is too weak. Without the help of external forces, it is impossible for them to be independent.

   Ukrainians are the same, although Ukrainian soil is fertile. Ukrainians are a powerful ethnic group second only to Russians. However, they can't even eat enough to eat all year round. The culprit behind all this is the oppression and exploitation of the Russians. Let them independently establish a country, and they will definitely agree with it.

"Your Majesty, in order to strengthen control over Finland and Ukraine. We hope that Your Majesty can concurrently hold the title of king of these two countries. The Finns and Ukrainians handle the country's political affairs. But in terms of military affairs and diplomacy, they must It must be consistent with the empire. In other words, after the outbreak of war, the army must obey the command of the empire." Prime Minister Biluo said.

   Qin Tian had nothing against being the king of two countries. This is the norm in Europe as well. Didn't the King of England also serve as the Emperor of India? The emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is also the emperor of the Austrian Empire, the king of the Hungarian king, the king of the Kingdom of Bohemia, etc., with many titles.

   "Will the Finns and Ukrainians object?" Qin Tian was a little worried about this.

   "Your Majesty, neither the Ukrainians nor the Finns will object. The Empire is the most powerful country in the world, and the Emperor of the Empire is also their king. It is an honor for them!" Vahit said.

  Qin Tian nodded: "Then let's do this!"

   Soon, in addition to the title of Emperor of the German Empire, Qin Tian would have to add King of Finland and King of Ukraine.