In Shangjing City, Wang Palace, Lanfang Kingdom, Zhang Weizheng was talking with Zheng Daoyou and the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, and the Red Triangle Company. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Zhang Wei asked: "This is a telegram just sent from Germany, is a list of equipment that has been shipped, let's take a look at the price and quality?" As he spoke, he handed the telegram to Yang Dawei, Minister of Industry.

After everyone read the telegram, Yang Dawei said: "Your Majesty, there is no problem with the quality of German products, the technology is relatively advanced, and the price is reasonable. ”

Zhang Wei has calculated the price through the system, and the price is lower if he buys from the system, and the price after the discount is half of the purchase price from Germany. However, it is important to hide from the eyes and ears of others, and you cannot buy equipment completely from the system.

"What would be the price if I bought from the United Kingdom, France, and the United States?"

Yang Dawei replied: "Your Majesty, there should not be much difference, but the quality of their products is not as good as that of German products, and the Germans are known for their rigor." ”

Zhang Wei understood this truth, and did not care about anything, it seems that Yu Xiangmin sent a telegram saying that the Germans did reduce each other's prices in order to get orders, but this is very inconsistent with the character of the Germans, and it seems that the stimulus given to him by the last economic crisis is too great. He asked again: "To what extent is the factory building now, I don't want the equipment to come and still need to be put in the open air in the sun." ”

Zheng Daoyou replied: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, before the arrival of the equipment, all the factory buildings, road facilities, workers' dormitories, canteens and electricity will be completed, and it will definitely not affect the installation and production of the equipment." ”

"Ambassador Yu has added some mining equipment and private equipment, and we must also be ready to receive it, especially the iron mine in Beizhou, and the railway will start construction, at least the distance from the port to the mine must be repaired first."

"Your Majesty, this time we have transported a large number of local aborigines from Java Island to build the Australian Railway, first build a railway from Zhenxi City to Zhenbei City, this speed will be very fast, and strive to complete it all next year, now if we increase the railway from the port to the mining area, we can start construction on both sides at the same time, the speed will not be much busy, besides, if it is too slow, you can send some more natives to work; The locomotive factory in Zhenxi City is also under construction, and the equipment can be installed as soon as it arrives, and it is planned to produce locomotives and carriages next year, and the timber needed will be transported from the Southwestern Dominion, and part of the steel needed will be imported from Germany, and some will need His Majesty's help. ”

The purchasing group of the Lanfang Kingdom made a large purchase in Germany, but could not hide the spies of Britain and France, and soon the news reached the British Prime Minister and the French President respectively.

For the French, they are not only concerned about the sale of a large number of industrial products in Germany, but more importantly, the German loans make the French people hot, and the gap between France's industry at this time and Germany and Britain is very large, and the French government does not want to compete head-on with their products, but wants to lend to the Kingdom of Lanfang to obtain capital interest. Now the long-term loans of the Germans have allowed the French to see the fat. The ambassadors sent by France and the Kingdom of Lanfang had not yet arrived at the station, so the French government had no choice but to telegraph to the Governor of the Indochina colony and send someone to negotiate with the Kingdom of Lanfang to see if the Kingdom of Lanfang needed a long-term commercial loan. If the conditions are right, the Kingdom of Lanfang can be given a large number of commercial loans, but the loan can only be used to buy French products.

In contrast to the French government's eye heat, the British government is angry. The British Empire is the most developed shipbuilding industry in the world, is the overlord of the sea, the Lanfang Kingdom does not buy cargo ships and docks and other equipment from the British Empire, but goes to Germany to buy cargo ships and docks, this is the behavior of the enemy, this is a naked slap in the face of the British Empire, if other countries are like this, then the British Empire will not have to mix in the future, this precedent can not be opened, is tolerable and unbearable.

The Prime Minister, Sir Henry Campbell Benenen, immediately had the Foreign Secretary summon the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Lanfang to London and lodge a grave protest with him; He also telegraphed the British Empire's ambassador to Shangjing to contact the Lanfang Kingdom as soon as possible, and be sure to eat an order for a cargo ship and dock, and not to cheapen the Germans alone.

The Moroccan crisis of these two years and the amendment to the development of German warships in 1904 made the British Empire feel the strong pressure of the Germans, as long as it was beneficial to the Germans, the British Empire must oppose it, or achieve equal interests; and to support Japan in the Far East and encircle German interests.

The ambassador of the Lanfang Kingdom to Britain is Zhu Zhihu, a special diplomatic talent.

Sir Edward Grey, Foreign Secretary of the British Empire, lodged a strong protest immediately after seeing Zhu Zhihu. The British Empire is the world's maritime hegemon, is the world's most developed and advanced shipbuilding industry, the Lanfang Kingdom to buy merchant ships and docks and related equipment, should be the first time to choose the products of the British Empire, in the British Empire without the knowledge, the Lanfang Kingdom to buy German products, is a contempt for the British Empire, is extremely disrespectful to the British Empire, I hope that the Lanfang Kingdom can face up to their mistakes, correct in time, from the British Empire to buy cargo ships and docks.

After the British Foreign Secretary finished speaking, Zhu Zhihu said slowly: "Your Excellency the Honorable Foreign Secretary, it is our right to buy materials from the Lanfang Kingdom, and we don't need to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the British Empire for instructions, right?" ”

"Your Excellency Ambassador Zhu, I don't mean that, I mean that the cargo ships and dockyards of our British Empire are the most technologically advanced and high-quality products in the world, and when you buy similar products, you should give priority to our British Empire, which is also for the interests of the Lanfang Kingdom, and I don't want your country to buy products of inferior quality and high price."

"Thank you, Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary, for your concern, these are normal business dealings, and they are not within the scope of my authority as an ambassador, so I can't take care of these matters."

"The ambassador also has the right to make suggestions to the country, which is a matter of interest to your country, and I hope that Your Excellency will reflect the quality and price of the cargo ships and dockyards of the British Empire to the country, so that they can also have more choices."

Zhu Zhihu was entangled and couldn't do anything, so he had to tell the truth: "Your Excellency the Honorable Foreign Minister, it's not that I don't want to help your country, there is no way to do this, our Lanfang Kingdom was just established, and it was the German Empire that provided us with free aid and low-interest loans, so that we had the money to buy cargo ships and dockyards, and it was clearly required in the loan agreement that this loan could only buy the products of the German Empire, which I could not interfere with, even if it was reflected back home, it would not work." ”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Lanfang was also protested by the British Empire's ambassador to Shangjing, and after explanation, he could only return to the British Embassy in disgrace.

After receiving the news, Zhang Wei instructed that as long as their country can provide free aid and long-term low-interest loans, they can buy their country's products.