Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Representatives from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Russia appeared on the stage one by one

This document must not be ignored.Because once the Arctic Experiment Association occupies the Arctic region, the North Pole will be assigned to the Americas, to be precise, it will always belong to the United States.And the United States, which is full of vitality, wants to expand its territory all the time.In the early years, Russia ceded to the United States the area from North Cordial to the northwest of the Bering Strait, which greatly increased the territory of the United States.Therefore, it is understandable for other major powers not to be reconciled to the annexation of the Arctic by the United States.

However, some Eurasian countries that do not border the Arctic region declined to participate in the outlandish auction.They considered the auction results questionable.Only countries whose coasts are adjacent to the 84° line have sent official representatives to exercise their power.Also, as you'll see, they don't want to pay a premium because it's probably a piece of land that they can't really own.However, the insatiable British thought that their representatives should be given a considerable sum of money.It should also be pointed out that the transfer of the Arctic region will not threaten the balance of Europe in the slightest, nor will it cause any international disputes.Therefore, Mr. De Bismarck, the German Chancellor who is still alive at this time, did not even frown his thick Jovian eyebrows.

This leaves only England, Denmark, Sweden-Norway, Holland and Russia.They will compete in an auction in Baltimore against the United States.The Arctic ice cap will go to the highest bidder, but its commercial value is doubtful. It is understandable that the five European countries all hope that the auction will be beneficial to them, so historical figures have become the basis for their debate. Sweden-Norway, which owns the North Cape beyond the 70° line, makes no secret of claiming that they own the vast space extending to Spitsbergen, and even from here to the North Pole.Because the Norwegian Kelo and the famous Swede Nordensolde have both made contributions to the development of this area.There is no doubt about it.

Denmark believes that it is already the owner of Iceland and the Ferroyo Islands, which are almost along the line of the Arctic Circle.The northernmost places in the Arctic, places such as Disko Island (in Davis Strait), Holsteinsberg, Plowen, Goldhaun Ubernavik (in Baffin Bay and the west coast of Greenland ) belong to it.The world-famous navigator Bering was born in Denmark although he served Russia at the time. In 1728, Bering crossed the strait that bears his name.Thirteen years later, he and the thirty explorers on the same ship were killed off the coast of another island named after him, and died tragically and forever. In 1619, the navigator Jean Monck explored the east coast of Greenland and marked several completely unknown locations.Therefore, Denmark has the right to be the owner of the area.

Holland says that at the end of the sixteenth century its sailors Barents and Simkeck had already visited Spitsbergen and Neuzember. In 1611, Jean-Main made a bold move north, giving the Netherlands the island named after him beyond the 71° line.The Netherlands has such a glorious history, it is only natural to intervene in the auction. The Russians who participated in the Arctic expedition included Alexei Chelikov, and the navigator Bering was under his command; in 1751, Polusky expedition to the North Pole, and has crossed the boundary of the ice sea; in 1739, Martin Captain Spamberg and Lieutenant William Walton also reached these strange waters.It follows that the Russians took an active part in the expedition across the strait between Asia and America.In addition, the territory of Siberia crosses the 120° line and extends to the limit of Kamchatka. On this vast Asian coastline, there are Samoyeds, Yakuts, Zhoukeshi and other ethnic groups under the jurisdiction of Russia. Could it be that the Russians Didn't they control half of the Arctic Ocean?At a distance of less than 900 nautical miles from the North Pole on the 75° line, do they not still possess some islets and islands of Novosibirsk, the Liaku Islands discovered at the beginning of the eighteenth century? In 1764, long before the British, Americans, and Swedes, didn’t the Russian navigator Shishakov try to open a passage to the north and shorten the voyage between the two continents?

In short, it is the Americans who most want to be masters of this hard-to-reach region.Many attempts were made, and in addition to Lord John Franklin, Grinel Kane, Hayes Greeley, De Long and other daring navigators were also explored.Americans can also boast that they are geographically closest to the North Pole.For example, from the Bering Strait to Hudson Bay, it entered the Arctic Circle, and Wollaston, Prince Albert, Victoria, King Guillaume, Melville, Cocker Wood, Banks, Baffin, etc. Aren't land and islands, as well as thousands of small sea reefs, the extension of the continental shelf to the 90° line of the North Pole?If the North Pole is connected by an unbroken line to any continent of the earth, then this continent is America, not Asia and Europe.Therefore, it is only natural for the federal government to propose that an American company occupy the Arctic region.If it is said that the Arctic region should be owned by a certain country, the least controversial one can only be the United States of America.

Admittedly, many sailors of the United Kingdom, which ruled Canada and British Columbia, were credited with conquering the Arctic.Therefore, it has every reason to incorporate this region into its vast colonial empire.Therefore, British newspapers even launched a big debate. Great British geographer Kryptlingam wrote an article in The Age that caused a sensation: "The Swedes, Danes, Dutch, Russians and Americans can all think they have a right to the Arctic, but Britain will never Give up this territory easily. Hasn't the northern part of the New World already belonged to Britain? From Vilushi to Spitsbergen and New Zumble in 1739, to McClure's steamer passing through the Northwest North Pole in 1853, the northern Aren’t the lands and islands of China discovered and conquered by the British?”

Admiral Fezer wrote in the Standard: "Frobisher, Davis, Hall, Weymes, Hudson, Baffin, Cook, Ross, Parry, Bessie, Belcher , Franklin, Kennedy, Niles, Collinson, Archer, Mulgolevo, Scoresby, Mike, Collintock, aren't they all Anglo-Saxons? Which country The right to make a tenable claim to the arctic regions that these navigators also did not reach?" "Okay!" retorted the San Diego Courier-Journal (California): "Since America and England have self-respect, we might as well look back in history. The Englishman Macan in the Niles Expedition once reached latitude 83° 20'N. But The Americans Lockwood and Brainard in the Greeley expedition surpassed him by 15′, and raised the thirty-eight star flag of the United States at 83°35′. The glory closest to the North Pole belongs to Lockwood and his partners .”

An eye for an eye, an eye for an eye.No one is worse than anyone else. In fact, among the navigators who went deep into the Arctic region, there was the Venetian Cabot in 1498; the Portuguese Cotreal in 1500.They discovered Greenland and Labrador successively.Neither Italy nor Portugal wants to participate in the auction, though, and has no interest in who will get the North Pole. Only Britain and the United States actively backed this territorial rivalry with pounds or dollars. However, the countries adjacent to the North Pole, after negotiating the proposal made by the Arctic Experiment Association through business conferences and scientific conferences, decided to participate in the auction held in Baltimore on December 3, and each gave their representatives a sum of money, but not overrun.As for the money from the sale, it will be distributed to the five countries that did not buy it as compensation for giving up all future rights.

After many discussions, the matter was finally settled.The countries involved agreed to hold the auction in Baltimore.Delegates traveled from London, The Hague, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Petersburg with credit notes and arrived in the United States three weeks before the auction. The only U.S. representative was William S. Foster of the Arctic Experiment Association, whose name also appeared alone in the November 7 bulletin of the "New York Herald". The representatives sent by European countries are specially introduced as follows. Representative from the Netherlands: Jacques Janssen, former member of Parliament for the Netherlands India, fifty-three years old, squat, like a statue.Short arms and short legs, wearing a pair of lead glasses, a round face with a red light, a ring hairstyle, and a frosty sideburn.One can tell at a glance that this is an honest man.He had no idea about the outcome of this matter, so his attitude was somewhat ambiguous.

Denmark represented: Eric Baldnak, former Lieutenant-Governor of the Dependencies of Greenland.He is of medium build, with slightly uneven shoulders, a big belly, and a wobbly fat head. His eyes are highly myopic, and he sniffs books with the tip of his nose when reading.If anyone talks about the rights of other countries, he does not argue at all, because he believes that the northern part of the country belongs to his own country. Sweden-Norway representative: Jan Hallard, Professor of Cosmography at Christiana, was one of the most active supporters of the Nodensolde Expedition.A typical northerner, with a red face and golden beard, like ripe wheat.He was convinced that the polar cap was just an ancient sea of ​​ice, worthless.Therefore, the reason why he came was just a matter of routine. Russian Representative: Colonel Boris Karkov, both a soldier and a diplomat.Tall, stern, with thick hair and beard, his whole body looks awkward in casual clothes, and he often touches the hilt of the old saber subconsciously.He tried his best to know what was hidden behind the proposal of the Arctic Experiment Association and whether it would cause international disputes in the future. British representative: Major Donlan and his secretary Dean Tudrink.These two represent all the greed, the voracious appetite, the commercial instinct, and the penchant for appropriating all the "unclaimed" land from north to south to the equator in the United Kingdom. This Major Downland is a true Englishman: tall and thin, with prominent bones, exposed veins, and a thin face with a snipe-like thin neck, and a Palmers on his sloping shoulders. A sudden head, a pair of long legs of waders.Although he is in his sixtieth year, he is full of energy and never tired.He has shown this in his work in drawing the border between India and Burma.He never laughed, and probably he never did.Why laugh?Who ever laughed at a locomotive, an elevator, or a steamship? Secretary Dean Tuderink was very different from him.This person talks a lot and is funny.Fat head and big ears, hair scattered on the forehead, a pair of small squint eyes.Born in Scotland, he was known for his wit and jokes.Although he talks wittyly, when it comes to British interests, no matter whether it is justified or unreasonable, he is as selfish, bossy and uncompromising as Major Tang Lan. Obviously, these two representatives will become the strongest opponents of American companies.The North Pole belongs to Great Britain!Belonged to them since prehistoric times.It seems that the Creator assigned the mission of turning the earth to the British, and they will never give it up to outsiders. France did not think it appropriate to send formal or informal representatives, and only a French engineer came to follow the progress of this strange thing on the grounds of his love of art.When it's time for him to appear, everyone will see him. The representatives of the Nordic countries came to Baltimore on different ships because they did not want to influence each other.They are rivals, and each has in his pocket the money necessary for the fight.However, the strength is not evenly matched.Some of the money is less than one million, and some are more than one million.In fact, in order to occupy the inaccessible place of the earth, this number is too large.In the balance of power, the most dominant is the British representative.The United Kingdom gave them a very handsome sum.With this amount of money, Major Tang Lan can easily defeat Sweden, Denmark, Holland and Russia.As for the United States, it is another matter. It is the most difficult to win in terms of money.That mysterious company must have a lot of money.Thus, a multi-million dollar battle is confined to the US and the UK. Public opinion became more heated as representatives of European countries landed.The newspapers were full of strange stories, and all sorts of strange assumptions were made about the possession of the North Pole.What are they up to?What else can I do?Unless it is to maintain the glaciers of the old and new continents.The Paris "Le Figaro" even half-jokingly supports this statement: But the maintenance of the glacier also has to cross the 84° parallel. The representatives avoided each other during their cross-Atlantic journey and did not come into contact until they arrived in Baltimore. Why did the representatives of various countries evade at first?Because they want to get in touch with the Arctic Experiment Association in private, to understand the association's motivation for buying the Arctic, and what benefits they can get from buying the Arctic Association, so that they can take the opportunity to make a profit.However, until this point, there was no indication that the company had a presence in Baltimore.There are no offices and no staff.For information see William S Foster in the High Street.But the honest cod dealer probably knew less about it than the worst porter in town. As a result, the delegates were deprived of any information other than the more or less absurd speculations circulating among the public.If the company doesn't disclose, can't its secrets be guessed?God knows.Maybe the silence won't be broken until the North Pole is acquired. In view of this situation, the representatives began to visit each other, testing each other's relations, presumably trying to form an alliance in private against the common enemy-American corporations. On the evening of November 23, the deputies were assembled in the rooms of Major Donlan and Secretary Dean Tudrink at the Wharton Sly Hotel.This tendency towards complicity is due to the ingenious arrangements of the able diplomat Colonel Boris Karkov. Their conversation naturally turned to the commercial and industrial advantages that would accrue to corporations from possession of the Arctic.Professor Jane Hallard asked any of his colleagues who had inquired about the news, and everyone admitted that they had been in contact with William S. Foster. "But, I failed," Eric Baldnak said. "I didn't succeed either." Jacques Jensen echoed. Dean Tudrink replied: "I've been in the high street shop under the name of Major Donlan and seen a fat man in black with a tall hat and a white apron Neck to toe. When I asked him about it, he replied that the steamer 'Southern Star' had returned from New Land with a full load, and that he could supply the Adrinelle Company with a large quantity of fresh fish." "Hmph!" retorted the always skeptical former MP for the Netherlands India, "throw your money in the Arctic Ocean and buy it a boatload of cod!" "That's not the problem." Major Tang Lan said in a short but proud tone, "The problem is not the cod, but the Arctic hat..." "The United States really wants to wear an arctic hat on its head!" Dean Tudrink smiled smugly, feeling that he had answered well. "Then the Yankee is going to catch a cold." Colonel Karkov said more playfully. "That's not the problem." Major Tang Lan stood up and said seriously, "I don't know what rhinitis and cold have anything to do with our meeting. What is certain is that no matter what the reason is, the United States represented by the Arctic Experiment Association, gentlemen, Note the word 'experiment', wanting to buy the present..., gentlemen, please note the word 'present', the area of ​​407,000 square nautical miles around the North Pole within the 84° north latitude line..." "We know, Major Tang Lan." Jane Hallard retorted immediately, "We all know this very well. What we don't understand is how the company develops that piece of land and sea in terms of commercial value? If that What can be called land and sea." "That's not the problem." Major Tang Lan replied for the third time, "A country intends to buy a corner of the earth. From the geographical point of view, it seems that this place should belong to the United Kingdom..." "Belongs to Russia," said Colonel Karkov. "It belongs to Holland," said Jacques Janssen. "Belongs to Sweden-Norway," said Jan Hallard. "It belongs to Denmark," said Eric Baldnak. The five representatives became agitated, and their conversation almost turned into swearing by shrews.That's when Dean Tudrink interjected for the first time. He said in a conciliatory tone: "Gentlemen, as my boss, Major Tanglan, likes to say, this is not the problem. Since it has been decided to sell the Arctic region, it must belong to the highest bidder represented by you. Since Sweden-Norway , Russia, Denmark, Holland and Great Britain have given money to their representatives, so wouldn't it be better for you to form a federation? A federation would have such a sum of money that American companies could not compete with it." The representatives looked at each other.This Dean Tuderinck really has a bit of a bad idea.A union... In modern times, everything is about union, people unite as much as they breathe, drink, eat, sleep.There is no word more fashionable, politically or commercially. However, objections and interpretations are always inevitable.After expressing the sentiments of his colleagues, Jacques Janssen asked: "What about after that?" Yes, what happens after the Federation takes possession of the Arctic? "I'll show England!" said the major stiffly. "Russia!" said the colonel, frowning. "Holland!" said the MP. "When God gave Denmark to the Danes..." Eric Baldner points out. "I'm sorry," cried Dean Tudrink, "God only gave one place, and that was Scotland to the Scots!" "Is there any basis for your statement?" asked the representative of Sweden. "Didn't the poet say it? 'Scotland's divine grant of sovereignty. Even the reading became Ecotia (Scotland.) Everyone laughed.The only exception was Major Tang Lan.This smile eased the atmosphere again and avoided a quarrel. Dean Tudrink added: "Don't quarrel, gentlemen! Why bother? Let's have our union..." "And after that?" asked Jane Hallard again. "In the future," replied Dean Tudrink, "it could not be easier. Gentlemen, when purchased, the ownership of the Arctic region will either be shared by all, or it will be transferred to the joint possessor at a reasonable price. One of them. But our main purpose is achieved, which is to exclude the American representatives.” Right now, that suggestion doesn't feel bad.Before long, however, the delegates were bound to fight again when it was time to determine who would occupy the uselessly contested space.Everyone knows that they are all as strong as cattle!In any case, astute Dean Tudrink is right, the US is definitely out of the Arctic. "I don't think that's a bad idea," says Eric Baldnak. "Ingenuity," said Colonel Karkov. "Fantasy," said Jane Hallard. "Cunning," said Jacques Janssen. "British enough!" said Major Donlan. Everyone complimented them verbally, but they were wondering how to play tricks on their respectable colleagues in the future. Boris Karkov added: "Gentlemen, then it is settled, we join forces, and then everyone will have a share in the sovereignty of the Arctic." That's it. One problem remains: find out how much money countries are giving delegates, and add the money together.It is certain that the total amount of this sum of money is so large that the financial resources of the Arctic Experiment Association cannot be compared. So Dean Tudrink asked the question. This is indeed a problem.Everyone fell silent, and no one wanted to answer.Open your wallet for others to see?Pour money out of your pocket into the federation's cash drawer?Tell me in advance how much each person intends to bid?Why are you in such a hurry!What if conflicts arise between the new federation members in the future?What if circumstances forced them to fight for their respective interests?What if the diplomat Karkov is annoyed by Jacques Janssen's tricks?What if Jacques Janssen was irritated by Eric Baldnack's tricks?What if Eric Baldnack was dissatisfied with Jane Hallard's cunning?What if Jane Hallard did not support Major Donlan's arrogant demands?What if Major Tang Lan himself conspired against other colleagues?In short, if you say how much money you have, it is tantamount to revealing your most secret things to others. Dean Tudrink's question is embarrassing, though necessary.There are two ways to answer: one is to exaggerate the amount of money, and it will be embarrassing when it comes to payment; The former MP for the Netherlands India leans towards the latter idea.Clearly, the guy was having fun: "Gentlemen, with great regret I can only offer fifty Riksdal for the Arctic." His colleagues all followed his example. "I can only offer thirty-five rubles," said the Russian representative. "I can only offer twenty kronor," said the Swedish-Norwegian representative. "I can only offer fifteen crowns," said the Danish representative. "Then," replied Major Donlan, with the usual British arrogance in his tone, "it is for you that I want the North Pole. Gentlemen, England can only offer one shilling and sixpence!" Thus came the comical end of the meeting of the representatives of ancient Europe.