In 1885, when Austria-Hungary was still a coastal country, the Austro-Hungarian Empire immediately invited the Chinese fleet to visit the ports on the Mediterranean coast after seeing the French and Italian newspapers describing the demonstrative voyage of the Chinese visiting fleet west of the Strait of Gibraltar.

"Your Excellency, do you like cruises?" The Chinese ambassador to Austria-Hungary raised such a question.

"Do you mean a private yacht?" The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister answered the questions of the Chinese ambassador according to his own understanding.

"It's not private, it's a large cruise ship that can accommodate thousands of people." The Chinese ambassador made it clear that he was referring to the cruise ship, "If you are interested, I would like to invite you to take a Chinese cruise ship to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Mediterranean." ”

China is not alone in sending warships to Europe, four beautiful large cruise ships are not far behind. Taking advantage of the sensation caused by Chinese warships in Europe, Chinese diplomats began to invite a large number of representatives of major European consortia and major banks. Compared with these financial figures, the number of diplomats and military personnel invited is in the minority.

Representatives of Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Ottomans, Norway, Sweden, these major industrial countries of Europe attended the event with their families.

The servants, the dependents, were scattered across four ships. The main participants gathered in the conference room of a 25,000-ton cruise ship, and the public speaker was Wang Mingshan, the governor of China's central bank.

"Greetings to all dear gentlemen and ladies. I believe that you may be more concerned about the Chinese fleet at this time. From my point of view as a central banker, I don't think so. No matter how powerful a warship is, it costs money. And you here are good at making money, and I can say without exaggeration that a large part of the cost of building warships comes from the taxes you pay to the state. It can be said that without you, there would be no warships in Europe. I am sure that all of you here have that confidence. ”

Wang Mingshan's words sparked laughter among the tycoons and dignitaries, and it was a proud laugh. Even some of the guys who couldn't hold their breath started applauding.

Seeing that these capital owners gradually agreed with Wang Mingshan's preset position in this speech, Wang Mingshan continued: "There must be people who doubt what the purpose of our warship is this time. Is it trying to upset the situation in Europe? Or worse, trying to threaten certain countries. I think that in the following talks, I will give you a clearer understanding of the significance of the existence of the Chinese Navy. But let me set the tone first, the Chinese navy has always been a protector, not a destroyer. ”

"Gentlemen and ladies. Everyone should be very aware of one thing, at a time when everyone uses a large number of securities and banking services, all kinds of fees are a huge waste. But it's not a waste that has to be taken. Let me give my own personal explanation of this, and if the experts here want to refute it, then please wait until I have finished speaking. Wang Mingshan detached himself from the topic of military affairs and directly turned to the purpose of his trip.

"The risk for banks is that there is a huge ......expense of checks, exchanges, and verification," Wang Mingshan began to lecture.

In this era, banks can conduct remote transactions either by carrying bills of exchange and checks and withdrawing them from other places. This is a business that only large banks can undertake, because there is not only the problem of whether there is so much cash in the bank in other places, but also the problem of verification. There have been too many instances in Europe where Bank A issued the tickets they undertook, and Bank B in the field paid the money based on those bills. When Bank B took these bills to Bank A to cash them, he found that Bank A had collapsed. Or those tickets are fake.

In the present era, cable telegraphy is widespread among major powers. The secrecy of the cable telegraph is not good, and the lag problem is serious. All of this puts a huge risk on the bank's remote business, and high fees are inevitable.

“…… Ladies and gentlemen, when you have wireless telegraphy, communication across the whole of Europe becomes very easy. By the time your cheques are written, when your clients are jolting along the railroad, by ship, by car, or even by horse, your message has already reached the headquarters of the banks that are responsible for the exchange. When your cheques and tickets are thousands of miles away, even in Asia and the Americas, I can assure you that your news has been communicated in a very short time before the cushions under the butts of those customers who are thousands of miles away, thousands of miles away. For those who are honest and trustworthy, their interests can be guaranteed to the fullest. They can enjoy the best service. For those black sheep with ill intentions, wireless telegraphy is a mirror to reveal their true colors and expose their machinations and tricks. And to do all this, there is no need for transportation, no need for thousands of miles of telegraph lines, and thousands of people working on them, let alone pay their salaries. Two people, two radio transmitters are enough. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at any time, at any time, at any time, at any time. ”

There are all knowledgeable people here, and Wang Mingshan's boasting really made these people feel a great shock. Communication technology determines many behaviors, and if fast and accurate communication can be carried out thousands of miles away, the entire business activity will be strengthened at an unprecedented rate. Everyone stared at Wang Mingshan, if their eyes could transmit the surging heat in their hearts, Wang Mingshan would probably instantly burn into a raging torch of humanity at an ultra-high temperature.

Wang Mingshan, with a calm smile, met the eyes of the group, and continued: "In the next week and beyond, these ships will not only allow everyone to enjoy the scenery of the Mediterranean, but also see the beautiful scenery of the African and European coastlines. The radio equipment on these ships will also allow everyone to fully experiment and experience the feasibility and reliability of radio. Now we hope that you will be able to experience more first-hand this technology that has changed people's lives. ”

For the next week, the cruise ship was fully hedonistic. It was also during this week that the telegraph crews placed in the hall had to work four shifts a day. Between ships, between ships and sites on land, messages, witticisms, carried all sorts of test radiographs to believe and not to believe.

Among the bankers in various countries, the first to deal with China were British bankers. For these people, the impact of the Chinese's actions is also the greatest. The effect of wireless telegraphy on the financial industry does not need to be explained by Wang Mingshan at all. Centuries of financial history have accumulated countless puzzles, and the advent of wireless telegraphy can solve a considerable part of them. Wireless telegraphy is not only a problem, but also a hope that generations of bankers have dreamed of but had to give up in the face of reality.

The British bankers themselves convened the meeting, and the directors of the London Stock Exchange were the leaders. He calmly glanced around the very serious participants, many of whom had bitterly ridiculed the financial cooperation plan proposed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Mingshan. And the appearance of the radio made them understand how conservative Wang Mingshan's plan was at that time.

The director of the London Stock Exchange asked: "Gentlemen, how many of the terms that were discussed with the Chinese Foreign Minister were there?" ”

The talks did not lead to anything, except for disputes and disputes. So what everyone remembers is more about the part of the content they care about, and these scattered contents are quickly summarized.

"In the sterling offshore center in Asia, this can be achieved if the information can be transmitted accurately and quickly."

"It is also possible to convert the renminbi in Europe......"

"It is also possible to exchange bonds and stocks between the two sides......"

As long as there is a technical means of rapid communication, many layers of shady curtains that once shrouded business activities will be revealed, and the dangers encountered in business operations will be greatly reduced. Many actions that originally seemed ridiculous have now become investment behaviors that can fully bear risks, and even high-quality investment behaviors that are lucrative.

The meeting was not only held by the British financial industry, but also by financiers from various countries participating in the meeting, according to the country or group as a unit. The French banking syndicates were in the highest mood, "Now those Russians can't deceive us easily!" The chairman of the Banque de Marseille pointed his finger at the table and said word by word with a vicious and joyful smile.

There are infinite business opportunities in the vast territory of Russia, and Maozi's commercial credit since ancient times has turned unlimited business opportunities into infinite business opportunities. Radios cannot destroy traps, but they can pierce them with maximum efficiency.

"If there had been radio, we wouldn't have so many people dying in Russia!" The Vice-President of BNP Paribas spoke in a long voice. Maozi's business practices are simple and straightforward, and when the scam is exposed, many people who may expose the scam will disappear silently. Although human life is a completely infinitely renewable resource and tool in the eyes of the capitalists, the repeated dispatch of personnel is to reduce efficiency. Efficiency is more precious to the financial industry than the diamond powder flowing in an hourglass.

The proportion of military personnel in this meeting was the lowest, and the military personnel of various countries were also the most centripetal group. Bankers are also able to fully collude with foreign bankers on the basis of their own business partnerships. Military personnel must be bounded by their own group.

The representative of the British Navy was a rear admiral, and this gentleman was assigned by the commander of the fleet to shut up the journalists. Because the work was carried out so well, the British newspapers reported on the actions of the Chinese Navy after their French and Italian counterparts. And during this window period, the information of Mr. Major General, who threatened and intimidated the reporters, was dug up by the reporters. The major general's troubles from childhood to adulthood, as well as his family's things that could be used to attack, were published in the newspapers.

Therefore, Mr. Major General had a heartfelt displeasure on his face, and the question he asked was quite hesitant, "Will China really provide radio technology to Europe?" ”

The British Admiralty had given a death order to get radio technology no matter what. Now, just wait, and this technology will probably fall from the sky like a ripe apple. It is like an unwarranted disaster that fell on the head of a major general.

"Let's see." The British military team was cautious in its view.