87_87379 military expenditure, always a bottomless pit, not to mention warships, just talk about rifles, now the price of a rifle is about 30 to 60 silver dollars, according to the lowest price, equipping 10,000 horses is 300,000, how much silver do 300,000 Zhenwei troops need to equip?

That's nine million taels of silver!

300,000 guns, a 100-round bullet, a box of 1,000-round rifle bullets, twenty or thirty silver dollars, and more than a million, once a war is fought, how can a rifle not prepare more than a thousand rounds of ammunition? How much is this? More than 10 million taels of silver!

The follow-up equipment, military salary, grain and grass are even more bottomless, Li Hongzhang really asked Li Dacheng with a word of money, the army is like this, and the navy is even worse!

A 10,000-ton battleship, the firepower is terrifying, but the cost is even more terrifying, and the life of the main and auxiliary guns is limited, so why can't you prepare a few more barrels? A giant cannon is more than 100,000 yuan, and the price of purchasing a cannon barrel is about the same, and you can't make it yourself, so you can only admit it, right? How can a battleship not have six main guns and a dozen secondary guns, and just prepare one more gun barrel is more than a million expenses.

The Qing Dynasty's fiscal and tax revenue of 70 or 80 million a year sounds like a lot, but since the beginning of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the central and local fiscal and tax revenues have been separated, and the Qing court has less than one tenth of the fiscal and tax revenues at its disposal, and the two largest revenues, the sea tariff and the permanent tariff, have become the things of the foreign devils.

"Since there is a distinction between the north and the south oceans, the battleship may as well be raised by the place!"

Li Dacheng can't solve this problem of Li Hongzhang, and after this war, the imperial court can't count on it. I can only hope for the locality, although the cost of two warships is a lot, but if it is put in a few provinces to raise, a few million silver is not much.

"Place?

Little brother, are you joking with Lao Li? ”

Listened to Li Dacheng's idea. Li Hongzhang smiled crookedly, it would be good if it could really be like this, let the local warship be raised, I don't know how much trouble it will be!

"State affairs are like this, do you still want to shirk it?

If the tax should be raised, the tax will be raised, and the tax should be donated. 40,000 people can't afford to keep two warships? ”

Looking at the mocking smile on Lao Li's face, Li Dacheng's eyebrows also rose, if this country doesn't rise up to fight, it really has no chance.

"I really can't afford it!

Two ships? Little brother, you underestimate officialdom......

Money this pass. My Lao Li will first reveal to you the past, and in the peace talks, it was mentioned that the Qing Dynasty was not allowed to import weapons and the materials used to manufacture weapons, how did you get through this hurdle? ”

Leaving aside the section on officialdom, Li Hongzhang raised the most crucial issue, the attitude of the great powers, after this war, I am afraid that foreign affairs will not be able to continue......

"This level is simple, peace talks! There will always be comings and goings. The battle of Jingu is a bargaining chip, and the three eastern provinces in the future may not be a bargaining chip! ”

Li Hongzhang mentioned the arms embargo, and Li Dacheng also remembered the German-made box cannon he had seized in Dagu. The box cannon is an artifact, which is also created by the arms embargo.

The first battle of Jingu blocked the march of foreign devils, but could not stop their ambitions, and now the real ambition of foreign devils is the plague, and now I think about it, the plague can break out in the Jingu area. God blessed.

"Oh...... Using medicinal herbs as a threat? ”

Li Dacheng mentioned the three eastern provinces, and Li Hongzhang naturally remembered the Jingu plague. Thinking about it this way, this matter is really a bit of a calculation.

"Alas...... Lao Li. Do you know why you can't do foreign affairs? ”

Hearing these two words, Li Dacheng's brows furrowed again, although the words were so, but when he said it, he would fall behind, what is politics? It's just an exchange of interests, and some of the words used are not meaningful.

In the past 30 years of officialdom, Lao Li may have played a lot of interest exchanges, but in Li Dacheng's view, Lao Li's means of playing interests are still a lot worse.

"Huh? Lao Li would like to hear this. ”

Li Dacheng suddenly shifted the topic to foreign affairs, Li Hongzhang was slightly stunned, such a change was too fast for him, but when he thought of the defeated foreign affairs, his interest was not small.

"You Lao Li didn't understand the word profit!

Whose interests do they belong to? In your Lao Li's opinion, I'm afraid it's the Queen Mother and those officials and businessmen, right?

Wrong...... The interests belong to the people, and without the support of the 450,000,000,000 people in the world, you can't do anything!

Think about it, how many people have become rich by your foreign affairs? Strong? ”

Li Dacheng has seen too much of the appearance of the people of the Qing Dynasty, how many of the people of Beijing and Tianjin can wear new clothes?

The people in the city are a little stronger, and the people in the villages and towns, in Li Dacheng's eyes, dress like beggars, with food, clothing, housing and transportation, clothes come first, and they can't wear clothes, so they don't care about anything else.

"This ......"

Li Dacheng's interests are two words, and the words asked by Li Hongzhang are exhausted, and there are some things that can be known without asking Er Li.

"It's in vain that you Lao Li traveled to Europe!

I'm afraid you've heard the term industrial revolution, right? Didn't you ask about the changes in the incomes of European people before and after the Industrial Revolution?

In the UK, there is a saying that there is enclosure, that is, they have few people and few land, and we have 450 million people in China, how many people have no land, no house and no way to live?

As long as you gather these people, what can't you do? ”

Many people say that an industrial power cannot cross the threshold of the landlord, and if the land problem is not solved, the industrial power is a utopia, but is this really the case? Of the 450 million people in the Qing Dynasty, how many of them had no land to cultivate? Tens of millions is the least, such a number, enough for industrial needs, the contradiction between land and population, save zài! It's just that there are more people and less land! Isn't this the cornerstone of industrial development?

If people have something to do or can't do it, this problem lies in the person who does it, and in the final analysis, it is still the problem of people's hearts.

"Oh...... Does this have anything to do with the purchase of ships? ”

What Li Dacheng said, Li Hongzhang is difficult to understand, someone can do a good job of foreign affairs? He did not believe it.

"Yes! Having said that, there will be naturally!

Your foreign affairs will be defeated on the foundation! What is the basis? What is the basis of Westernization? Coal and iron only!

Speaking of coal and iron, you Lao Li may want to say, we have Kailuan, Hanyang, and Pingxiang, but these are far from enough!

Our coal and iron. What are you doing with it? How much is used in people's daily lives? Ten is less than one is not enough to describe, right?

The people can't get rich because of foreign affairs, how can your foreign affairs be invincible? ”

When Li Dacheng talked about coal and iron, Li Hongzhang couldn't figure it out, and when he said that the people couldn't get rich because of foreign affairs, Li Hongzhang was shocked. This may be the key to the failure of foreign affairs, right?

"Makes sense, it's just ......"

"It's just, does this purchase have anything to do with this? Is this what you're asking? ”

Taking over Li Hongzhang's words, Li Dacheng immediately pointed out the doubts in his heart.

"Not bad!"

Li Hongzhang nodded yes, after hearing this, he seemed to have grasped something.

"Buy a ship. It's just a façade!

Just like the bear that retreated without a fight in the South Seas, if you give them a hundred more warships, you can't beat Little Japan! No matter how big the family is, they can also lose everything, this is the truth. Those cowards will be able to beat the people.

Buying a ship is a pretense, so what are we going to do when we buy a ship? Shipbuilding!

Build iron works, steel mills, shipyards!

As long as we can buy British warships, how can the British not support us in these aspects?

With a shipyard, we are not in a hurry to build warships, we will build civilian ships first!

Where did the sailors come from? Where do the taxes come from? Yes, there is!

In addition to the purchase of ships, there is also a plan to build ships. 10-year shipbuilding plan!

Buy two active warships and order five to ten new warships, all of which will come out of the indemnity.

I purchased it and made a reservation. We are not in a hurry to ask for ships, but we are in a hurry for this dock, shipyard, repair yard, iron factory, and steel mill!

The benefits of civilian ships, you Lao Li know it, right? ”

Hearing this, Li Hongzhang completely understood what Li Ershen General meant. Whether it is buying a ship or doing textiles as mentioned before, the purpose of General Li Ershen is very simple. Compete with foreign businessmen, but is this possible? There are those treaties in. I'm afraid it's impossible!

China Merchants Steamship signed parity contracts with British businessmen Swire and Jardine Matheson, which is no different from the imperial court limiting the number of spindles, in these aspects, British businessmen and foreign businessmen, I am afraid that there will be no slight regression, Li Ershen's idea is good, but there is no way to implement it!

"Got it! I see!

Little brother, many things are not as you think, and foreign merchants are afraid that they are not allowed! ”

Li Ershen will be regarded as well-intentioned, but Li Hongzhang has encountered many things, with the Queen Mother and the foreign devils, many things can be done without thinking.

"This is not allowed, that is not allowed, what else is okay? Do you just watch the whole country fall?

If you don't fight or grab, you naturally don't allow it, you can't do it! Go and grab it, maybe it's okay!

Do you Lao Li do this? ”

Listening to Li Dacheng's angry questioning, Li Hongzhang thought of the price war between several major shipping companies back then, when Jardine, Taikoo, and Qichang, the three joined forces to run on the steamship China Merchants Bureau, Li Hongzhang used the means of borrowing official funds, increasing grain, and transporting official goods, but instead squeezed the Qichang shipping company, forcing Jardine and Swire to sign a parity contract with the steamship China Merchants Bureau, this may not be a method, but there are a lot of things in it!

"Little brother, in this Qing Dynasty, it's hard to talk about things, your method is not impossible, but there are a lot of things in it, Lao Li is only afraid that you won't be able to go on!"

After listening to Li Hongzhang's words of persuasion, Li Dacheng's face still showed disdain, many things are done in accordance with the Fadu Treaty, naturally it cannot be done, leaving aside the Fadu Treaty, many things are very easy to do, there are some ways, Li Hongzhang can't go, but he can go, this is the difference between the government and the people.

"Before the Jingu War, you Lao Li was afraid that he was not optimistic about the battle situation, right?

The result? ”

In a word, Li Dacheng blocked Li Hongzhang's belly words, and the battle of Jingu is still in front of him? There are some things that he Lao Li can't do, and Xiao Li in front of him may not be able to do it.

"Hmm...... Let the old man consider this matter again! ”

"Lao Li, whether you are a traitor or not, it's in this game!

I am afraid that your Lao Li's merits and crimes will not be evaluated by the imperial court and the empress dowager, but will need to be reviewed by future generations!

Whether the first battle of Jingu is good or not, you and I know in our hearts, another performance of Zhennanguan, I am afraid that your old Li family will wear the hat of traitors for generations......"

The twists and turns in Lao Li's stomach, Li Dacheng can figure out some of them, it is nothing more than the Qing Dynasty, reputation, and interests, the word traitor is extremely lethal to Lao Li, no matter how you weigh it, Lao Li is afraid that he will not be able to pass this hurdle.

Now is different from the past, the battle of Jingu is Li Hongzhang's confidence, after the incident in the three eastern provinces in the future, at the negotiation table, Li Hongzhang's confidence will be more sufficient, once in the matter of medicinal materials, the foreign devils have asked for the Qing Dynasty, then Li Hongzhang will occupy the absolute initiative, with these can not do anything, then his old Li just wants to die in Beijing.

"Little brother, don't persecute!

It's a big matter, let the old man think about it, let's talk about it today, and Lao Li will come to visit the little brother again another day. ”

Today's meeting, Er Li talked about a lot of things, for Li Hongzhang, the biggest touch is the word traitor, Li Ershen will say well, with the battle of Jingu, many things, I am afraid that it will not work according to the old road, once the contract is signed this time, I am afraid that the notoriety of the traitor, he Lao Li will not be able to get rid of.

"Time is limited, it is better for Lord Zhongtang to make a decision as soon as possible, once the incident in the three eastern provinces happens, many things will be difficult to do!

Now is an opportunity, to make friends with Britain, the United States, France, Germany and Japan, and to jointly resist Tsarist Russia. ”

Li Hongzhang was leaving, and Li Dacheng finally reminded that some things are needed when they are done first, and they are coerced when they are done later, and the meaning is different, which must be clear to Lao Li.

"Got it! Thank you little brother for reminding me, when there is a result over there, Lao Li will come to visit again! ”

Nodding and clenching his fists, Li Hongzhang did not hesitate, turned around and left, he had to go back and think about many things. (To be continued).