Rachel's telegram. Pen%Fun%Pavilion www.biquge.info" Duncan threw a telegram in front of Qin Lang.

Qin Lang didn't reach out to pick it up, not even making a move. His eyes stayed on Lake Michigan outside the window, admiring its view - it seemed so. Qin Lang didn't want to read the telegram now, and he also knew that Duncan had already read the telegram just now. "What did she say?"

"She bought a 4,300-ton merchant ship for $400,000 and prepared to convert it into a cruiser and sell it to the Chinese government."

"Bad plan."

There were neither naval gun factories, nor naval bases on the West Coast of the United States, nor even naval warships, and if Rachel wanted to convert warships, she would have to buy artillery from the east. However, the railroad workers would soon stop working, and if the rail traffic was disrupted, the whole plan would be frustrated.

Qin Lang sighed secretly. He should have told her before he left that this was going to happen. But now regret has no practical meaning.

Duncan pouted as well. "She didn't foresee a massive lockout protest by the railroad workers, and the $400,000 was a complete waste."

"Not really, Duncan." Qin Lang shrugged, "Even if that ship can't be sold, we can use it ourselves—we will need an ocean-going merchant ship when smuggling arms overseas in the future." And, if Rachel can get artillery and ammunition from other countries, the same can be done. ”

"That's right." Without any hesitation, Duncan completely accepted his judgment - now his prediction of Qin Lang had almost reached the point of superstition. He walked to the wine cabinet and poured himself a glass of wine, then returned to Qin Lang and sat down, and also followed his example and set his eyes on Lake Michigan outside the window.

To his disappointment, on the surface of the lake, there was nothing to be seen at all. In that case, why did Qin Lang keep staring at it?

Of course, Duncan wouldn't know that Qin Lang was reminiscing about the good old days, the wonderful scenery in the summer: the bikini beauties on the beach. In 1894, such a view would have been impossible. The bikini hasn't been invented yet, which is a problem, but it's easy to solve. The real disaster lies in the conservative climate of society.

It was a miserable time when women were not allowed to show their calves, even swimsuits had to follow this rule, and women had to wear hoods, stockings, and shoes while wearing swimsuits. Bikini? Even if sleeveless half-length trouser swimsuits were banned, the bikini probably wouldn't have had as much of an impact on the public as an atomic bomb.

This reality is doomed, even if he replaces Louis. Reild invented the bikini ahead of time, and no one had the guts to wear it in public; If someone does wear it in public, not only will he be unlucky, but he will also be unlucky.

Qin Lang is not the kind of fool who sends himself to prison for the sake of a momentary eyesight. So he had to accept the reality - although he inevitably had to complain.

"It's disgusting."

"What's disgusting, Qin?" Elizabeth had just entered the room when she heard him complain. She was curious, after all, Qin Lang was not usually like this.

"Nothing, just remembering some of the past." Qin Lang stood up, pulled out a chair for her, and took the hat and coat and hung them on the coat rack on the side. "What did you buy?"

"Didn't buy anything." "I'm not good at shopping," she sighs, "and Chicago is a bit worse than London or Paris." ”

"Speaking of Chicago," Duncan turned his face sideways, "Qin, how long are we going to stay in Chicago?" ”

"Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, we can leave." Qin Lang didn't plan to stay in Chicago for long, but after a long trip by train, it was necessary to rest for a few days in the largest rail transportation hub in the United States. Then we left for Detroit.

"Why go to Detroit?"

"Go see someone." Now, of course, when he goes to Detroit, all he wants to see is Henry, who is working on his first car. Ford. "I'm intrigued by his research."

"What research?"

"Remember that truck of mine, Duncan? Someone in Detroit is working on an older and original version of it. ”

"So?" Duncan still didn't get it.

"So I wanted to check it out." But it's not just about "looking". Qin Lang has a great interest in the automotive industry - why not? An auto factory's products can include cars, armored cars, tanks, and a few other things, all of which can be sold as munitions.

And Henry. Ford also developed and produced gasoline engines, so it was also possible to get arms dealers to add fighters, bombers, submarines and torpedo boats to their product lists. Even if the airplane has not yet been invented, submarines and torpedo boats have long existed.

The only problem is that an arms dealer like him does not yet have the capital to produce heavy weapons. That's why Qin Lang needs to get John. Pierponte. Morgan's Support ...... Or Rockefeller's support.

"In my relationship with Henry. After Mr. Ford meets, we can go to New York. ”

His words surprised Duncan and Elizabeth for a moment. But soon they realized that they didn't need to be surprised at all, Qin Lang was always like this, like a wizard who knew everything. Although he constantly emphasizes his stealthy intelligence sources and superior analytical skills, this explanation seems far-fetched in many cases.

The only real and only reasonable explanation, that is......

Their eyes made Qin Lang feel very uncomfortable, he didn't like to be doubted about his identity. "Perhaps," he muttered in Chinese, "I shouldn't have said too carefully." ”

Then he quickly changed back to a smiling face. "Alright, now let's go to dinner." He happily asked, "What do you want to eat?" ”

Meanwhile, San Diego.

In a dockyard, workers are clearing a 334-foot-long merchant ship, using chisels to knock down barnacles clinging to its hull. Rachel and Yi Shui watched them from the sidelines, casually exchanging views with the dockyard owner on a number of issues, from the merchant ship itself to the cost of overhauling her.

Naturally, the last one is the main concern of the dockyard owner.

The "Eureka", the former name of the all-steel merchant ship, was not in very good condition. Despite being only four years old, she never seems to have been well maintained, and visible rust can be seen all over the ship. And her propellers and rudder were damaged, and the boiler was a little faulty due to the long absence of maintenance.

Overall, though, she's a good boat. The merchant ship could be sold as a cruiser after rust was removed, propellers and rudders were replaced, and the boilers were thoroughly maintained, and finally the guns were installed.

As for why the shipowner sold her for $400,000, it was because he was too superstitious -- or perhaps unlucky: to date, eight sailors on board the "Eureka" have committed suicide, four have been swept away by storms, one has gone insane, and there have been four mysterious fires.

That's why the owner of the ship made up his mind to sell her at a low price.

"Poor fool."

"What?" Rachel, who was talking to the dockyard owner, turned his head to look at Yi Shui, "Who do you say is the poor stupid?" ”

"The original owner, of course." He shrugged, then turned around, "Rachel, where are we going to buy artillery to install on this ship?" ”

"I'm trying to figure it out." A perfunctory answer. In fact, she has not yet thought about where to buy artillery. There is not much opportunity to buy artillery from the government's arsenal or navy, and both the arsenal and the navy's warships are concentrated on the east coast, and even if artillery and ammunition can be bought, it is impossible to ship them to San Diego now.

"Maybe I should suggest that the Chinese government install its own artillery," she muttered. It was possible to succeed, but the Qing government certainly wouldn't buy a merchant ship for a million dollars, and if it really wanted to make money, it would have to install artillery on the ship - at least to make the "Eureka" look like a cruiser.

"Why don't you try it in other countries?" The dockyard owner said suddenly. He was more than willing to take on the task of installing artillery on the merchant ship, which would bring him at least tens of thousands of dollars. So he is also happy to play the role of a staff officer. "The Peruvian or Chilean navies may be willing to sell some of the guns on their warships."

"They probably prefer to sell warships outright." Rachel shook his head. She still prefers to ask the US Navy for help, and in terms of price, it will definitely be cheaper to buy the Navy's inventory...... If the Navy has stocks.

"But does the U.S. Navy have warships on the West Coast?"

"The Navy has an Asian squadron," the dockyard owner continued, "and I remember that there seemed to be a cruiser operating in Hawaii. ”

Yi Shui and Rachel quickly exchanged glances, this dockyard owner seemed to know a lot of things, and now was the time to solve the problem. "What else?" She asked.

"Miss McBride, you can try to contact the coastal artillery on the West Coast, maybe they'll have five- or six-inch guns."

"Artillery of coastal artillery?"

"Don't worry, in my dockyard, even the army's field artillery can perfectly combine it with your merchant ships." The boss said with a smile, "The price is not a problem, I can give you some discounts......"

"I'll think about it, sir." Rachel looked at him with a smile, "After you've done the repair work as I requested." ”

Of course, according to her request.

(To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to the WWW.CMFU.COM, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )