African Business Chronicles

Chapter 67: The Ministers' Route

March 2, 1867

St. Petersburg

Kross, an expert negotiator for the Hohenzollern Consortium, was bargaining with Count Sergey (a fictional character), a close aide to Tsar Alexander II.

"Count Sergey, is the news true that your country is considering selling the territory of Alaska?"

Kross asked cautiously. After all, this was a big deal—he couldn't afford to be careless.

"A person of my status has no reason to play games with you," Count Sergey said seriously. "In fact, some ministers have already suggested to His Majesty that Alaska should be sold. Some of them even want to contact the U.S. government to take over the territory."

"Alaska has become a burden for the Empire," he continued, "and now there's even a threat from the British. That's why voices are rising about selling it."

Kross realized the information was likely accurate, so he asked, "Count Sergey, does this mean your country no longer plans to expand in the Americas?"

This was a rather blunt question, but Sergey, who had already accepted a bribe, didn't mind at all.

He explained, "Since the Crimean War, the Empire has been focusing on reforms—and reforms cost money. Our attention is now on Central Asia. We simply don't have the energy or resources to develop colonies in the Americas. Managing and developing Alaska doesn't bring any profit. In fact, it often causes financial losses. And with the Empire's economy in bad shape these past two years, many people have wanted to sell Alaska to get some cash."

Kross nodded and said, "Exactly. The Hohenzollern Consortium is interested in buying Alaska from your country."

"No problem," Sergey replied, "but if you want me to help make the connections, well… you know what that means." He made a money-counting gesture with his fingers.

"Count Sergey, if you can help us make this deal happen, we won't forget the friendship you've shown us," Kross quickly responded.

Then, without making a fuss, he handed Sergey a check for 20,000 rubles.

"This is just a token of respect—a small gift," he said.

Sergey glanced at the check, counted the digits, and seemed satisfied.

He asked, "What kind of result are you looking for? I can find some friends to help, but the payment has to be worth it!"

Kross carefully asked, "Count Sergey, do you think it's possible to buy Alaska for just a few million rubles?"

"Absolutely impossible!" Sergey said firmly. "Alaska is over a million square kilometers. Even the wealthy Americans would have to pay several million dollars for it."

"Then what price is your government hoping for?" Kross asked.

Sergey thought for a moment and then raised one finger.

"Ten million dollars!" Kross struggled to hide his shock. The Russians were really bold with their expectations.

Kross had done his research. Alaska was basically a vast snowy land—not suitable for farming, with no valuable minerals. The Russians were only running some fur trade there.

In recent years, Russian fur traders had said that even the fur business wasn't doing well anymore. So what value did Alaska have?

If Kross weren't sent by his company, he wouldn't even consider buying such a snowy wasteland.

"Count Sergey," Kross said, "you and I both know that Alaska, though large, is just a snow-covered land with little practical value. It's not worth ten million dollars."

"Besides, our consortium doesn't have any urgent need for this land, so the price can't be too high."

Sergey asked curiously, "Then why do you want to buy such a useless piece of land?"

Sergey also knew Alaska was a total mess. It didn't produce anything, and every year, Russia had to spend a lot just to maintain control over it. Right now, Russia was desperate to find a sucker to buy Alaska, and the Hohenzollern Consortium was the only one who had shown interest.

Kross pretended to explain helplessly: "It's just a personal idea from our boss. He once told us that if the deal can't be made, we don't need to force it."

"Mr. Kross, I don't understand why someone would want to buy such a wasteland. Does your boss have some strange hobby?" Sergey asked with curiosity.

"Well, to be honest," Kross replied mysteriously, "our boss does have a hobby. Just our guess—but he once bought land in Africa for colonization. That place is full of tropical diseases and harsh natural conditions. He even tried to start farming there and recruited immigrants at a loss. Frankly, the local natives were the most suitable labor force, but he didn't use them. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"

"This just doesn't sound like something a smart businessman would do," Kross added.

"In short, our boss is a bit eccentric—a real sucker. If you miss this chance, you won't get another. If you don't appreciate us, we'll walk away."

"Mr. Kross, it's not that I don't want to help your company," Sergey said, "but your offer is too low. Naturally, my country would rather sell Alaska to the Americans."

You weren't saying that when you took the money, Kross thought silently.

But Ernst had already expected this. To get the Russians to help, he knew he had to tempt them with benefits. Imagine—back in history, Russia was so greedy it even had to bribe American officials to get the payment for Alaska. (Some versions say Russia never even got the money, though that's unlikely.)

So Ernst's plan this time was to bribe Russian ministers. He couldn't offer a better price than the Americans, but he could buy off the ministers.

As for whether the Americans had the same idea? Probably not. Historically, most Americans were against buying Alaska, so they likely weren't too enthusiastic.

That's why Ernst instructed Kross and his team: "When you go to Russia, don't directly bring up the Alaska issue. Instead, bribe the ministers behind the scenes."

So Kross said, "Count Sergey, if you can convince your government to sell Alaska to us, we'll pay you 300,000 rubles. But the total price must not exceed 15 million rubles. And for every 1 million rubles you can lower the price by, we'll add another 100,000 rubles to your reward…"

Sergey's eyes lit up. He couldn't hide the greedy look on his face.

"Mr. Kross, if you'd said this earlier, things would've been so much easier. Don't worry—leave it to me. I promise your company will be satisfied."

To Sergey, this was like picking money off the ground.

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