"Thomas. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info Yantai is not a good place, I suggest you set up factories in other places, such as Handan! ”

Since Laiwu can't build a factory, Yang Chao can't help but think of another city with complete coal and iron, that is, Handan, which has more coal reserves than Laiwu, and iron reserves are about the same, and it is very suitable for becoming a steel base.

Although Handan is in Guangping Mansion in Zhili, Guangping Mansion is located in the west of Dongchang Mansion in the westernmost border of Shandong.

Previously, the reason why Yang Chao only considered putting it in Shandong was because he still had a subconscious in his heart, not because he was mountaineous, but because he thought that what he said in Shandong could still be taken seriously, and if he put it in other places, I am afraid that no one would take it seriously.

But with Zhang Zhidong and Yuan Shikai in the presence of two Westerners, Yang Chao believed that he could persuade them to allow the Americans to set up steel mills in Handan.

"Handan? In what place? ”

Thomas's geographical location in China is not clear.

Yang Chao said: "Not far from Shandong, there are coal mines and iron mines. ”

Thomas nodded, "Looks like that's a good location." ”

But he added: "Actually, Yantai is very good." The local coal mine can supply us completely. As for iron ore, we at U.S. Steel are happy to export high-grade iron ore to China. ”

Exporting iron ore?

This is probably another purpose of the Americans, the United States has a unique geographical location, and the American capitalists do not have the consciousness of leaving mineral deposits to future generations of the United States, as long as there is money to be made, they do not hesitate to dig out everything underground, fortunately they are not in China, otherwise the imperial tombs of the emperors of the past dynasties are estimated to have been dug up long ago.

The Americans really want to maximize their profits, since they can't directly export steel, they simply build a steel mill, but they still have to use their iron ore, and if they can sell more things, they can sell more things.

This reminded Yang Chao of the arsenal in Qingdao, he went through various paths, the most important thing was to spend money to buy off an engineer who was under construction, and learned that the purpose of the Germans was actually to export their domestic steel after the arsenal was put into production, and the price of cannon steel used in the arsenal was very expensive.

That arsenal has become a headache for Yang Chao, although it is on the ground in China, but it is Qingdao, which is controlled by the Germans, Yang Chao dares to promise, let alone directly conflict with Germany, if it is not possible to conflict with other countries, the Germans will not allow the arsenal to supply weapons to the Chinese army.

"Can you make guns for just now?"

Yang Chao asked suddenly.

Thomas nodded casually: "There is no steel in the world that American steel cannot produce." ”

Yang Chao nodded: "Very good." Then I suggest that you build a steel furnace for guns, because it happens that the Shandong government has a large arsenal, but there is no suitable source of raw materials. ”

During the Eight-Nation Alliance, Western countries reached an agreement to ban the export of weapons to China, although it is now ineffective, but the Germans are still cautious, and the arsenal is still under secret construction, and the signboard is to build a vehicle factory.

If the Germans use the raw material Kayang Chao at that time, Yang Chao can be completely replaced by American cannon steel.

And since the Americans were allowed to build steel for artillery, why not: "I'm thinking about introducing an arsenal, I wonder if you Americans are not interested in it?" ”

Thomas didn't speak, but Will, the representative of Rockefeller next to him, immediately spoke.

"Of course, as long as it's a profitable business, Americans are interested!"

Yang Chao smiled: "Very good." This is a big business, and I believe that American friends will definitely make money. ”

Zhang Zhidong established the Hanyang Arsenal with an investment of more than 2 million taels of silver, known as the largest arsenal in China, but until last year, the annual output was less than 3,000, this kind of output obviously could not meet the use of the Chinese army, so a large number of imports were made during the Republic of China, and even during the anti-Japanese period, rifles could not be made by themselves.

Although Yang Chao allowed the Germans to establish an arsenal in Qingdao, to be honest, 100,000 rifles and 300 cannons a year were surplus in peacetime, but they were completely insufficient in wartime.

Yang Chao plans to build another factory of comparable size.

"I don't know how large an arsenal you plan to build, Your Excellency Yang Daotai?"

Will asked intriguingly.

Yang Chao said with a smile: "An annual output of 100,000 rifles and 300 cannons!" ”

Will gasped, there seems to be only one such large-scale arsenal in the United States.

"That's really big business!"

Will sighed.

Yang Chao said: "Then please ask Mr. Will to help communicate, and at the same time make an estimate, and we will talk about it later." ”

Thomas hurriedly interjected: "What about me." What is your opinion on the size of our steel plant. ”

Yang Chao said: "I think you must have your own opinions. ”

Thomas shrugged: "Our company directors believe that 100,000 tons is enough for China. ”

100,000 tons, in the future is only a small steel plant, China's private steel mills are embarrassed to mention no one million tons, but now, it is also a large steel mill, and it is indeed enough to build a railway.

In this era, the construction of railways is indeed one of the largest steel consumption projects, but it is not the first, the shipbuilding industry is the first, at least the United Kingdom, a shipbuilding power, the shipbuilding industry consumes more steel than the construction of railways.

In later generations, the automobile industry is the first consumption of steel, accounting for forty percent of the consumption, followed by real estate, followed by shipbuilding, and the construction of railways can only be said to be out of the stream.

However, Yang Chao agrees with the Americans, after all, there are no industries now, and Yang Chao has his own dispersion, and his ultimate goal is only to introduce American technology, and when the technology spreads, Chinese workers and technicians have mastered steelmaking technology, he will encourage Chinese to run their own steel industry, and leave the opportunity for expansion to Chinese capital.

Yang Chao did things very happily, and the basic tone was reached first, and the Americans confirmed that Yang Chao did intend to let them build a steel mill, and they were also very satisfied.

But soon Yang Chao was not satisfied, because he telegraphed the situation to Zhang Zhidong, Zhang Zhidong refused without thinking about it, and resolutely did not allow foreigners to build factories in Handan, although Yang Chao explained a lot and analyzed the stakes very clearly, but Zhang Zhidong only used one sentence to make Yang Chao give up: The Americans built the factory, the Germans built it, the British didn't build it, the Japanese didn't build it?

One-sided most-favored-nation treatment!

This vicious treaty is yet another unequal treaty.

The United States and Russia and other countries were confirmed by the Treaty of Beijing after the Second Yapian War, and the Japanese were confirmed by the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the First Sino-Japanese War.

The implication of this clause is that if a country obtains an interest in China, the other countries automatically receive the same treatment under MFN status. That is, if Yang Chao allowed the Americans to build factories in Handan, other countries also had the right to demand the same power, and now although the Qing government has fought so many defeats, it has been firmly guarding the hinterland, and only opened some ports to foreigners.

For Yang Chao, it is not a bad thing for the mainland to attract investment, but he also knows that this consequence is definitely not what the Qing court ministers want to see, and there is no possibility of passing it at all.

I can only agree that the Americans will build a factory in Yantai, and finally import iron ore from the United States.

Yang Chao had already made the worst plan in his heart.

Before Yang Chao could respond to the Americans, the Germans came to the door again.

"What are the Germans doing here?"

Because the railway broke up unhappily, the Germans rarely looked for Yang Chao, and they all put pressure on Beijing directly through the minister.

"The Germans say that the first phase of the arsenal project in Qingdao is complete, and invite you to a cocktail party."

Pan Xun said.

Arsenal again!

Yang Chao not only felt that his head was big, according to the contract with the Germans, this arsenal nominally belonged to the Qing government, and the future operating costs would have to be paid by the Qing government, and Zaifeng also knew about it, but it was kept secret from many ministers, and it was also a troublesome thing to know where to pay this money in the future.

But if Yang Chao is allowed to give up, not to mention that the Germans do not agree, or Yang Chao himself does not agree, then a big diamond, although it is made by himself, but after all, where is the value, it is also a lot of money to sell to others, and I dare not say that the British are absolutely willing to give three million pounds and then give it to the queen.

Three million pounds is a dreadnought battleship, which weighs more than twenty tons when converted into gold.

To the German emperor, just come to such an arsenal, and finally abandon it, it is too chilling.

However, the arsenal is in Qingdao, which was obviously cheated by the Germans, and it is estimated that they will have some moths in the future operation, and they will definitely not actively cooperate, focusing on the overall situation, and Yang Chao cannot make trouble with the Germans.

This is politics, you have to sacrifice when you should sacrifice, and when you don't turn your face, even if you have the hatred of killing your father, you have to be like a friend when you meet.

Sometimes I think about it, engaging in politics is also a grievance, especially the politics of a weak country.

"Tell the Germans that I'll go."

Yang Chao asked Pan Xun to reply to the Germans.

Yang Chao also had to continue to negotiate some terms with the Americans, such as training workers, and asked the Americans to help set up a technical school, the initial purpose of which was to train the Chinese workers needed by the steel mills.

In addition, Yang Chao has to agree with Zhou Fu that although the American steel mill is set in Yantai, Yang Chao still plans to put the arsenal purchased from the United States in Laiwu, where the coal and iron cannot be let go, and must be developed and transformed into strength as soon as possible, but Yang Chao does not want the Germans to interfere, so he has to discuss with Zhou Fu first, and at the same time he also has to plan how to balance Germany and let the Germans give up interfering in Yang Chao's own arsenal.