A 200-ton German gunboat led a 500-ton Belgian cargo ship upstream, under the night sky, both sides of the strait were dark and lifeless, occasionally seeing one or two dim lights in the distance, confused, like a fantasy, which made An Yi's heart feel desolate.

Hans had a lot of energy and a sincere heart to cherish friendship, and he and his deputy, Lauter, were worried about the accidental damage of the ships of the British Navy, who frequently went up and down, and used all their connections to quickly transfer a German gunboat from Hankow, which was in dispute, to escort An Yi and his officers and men home smoothly.

In the narrow captain's lounge, An Yi reclined on a sturdy armless soft chair, and four cups of mellow coffee were placed on the small semi-oval coffee table in front of him.

"What a delicate and lovely fan! The shape is very beautiful, the wind is also very good, especially the size is so small, it is amazing! This is the first time I've seen this kind of fan, is it a new product of your Lulin Foreign Company? ”

Hans pointed at An Yi: "You would never have imagined that the fan was designed by General An himself, and there are two major breakthrough improvements, using lightweight aluminum alloy instead of thin steel sheets to make fan blades, and the novel and efficient fan blade arc and bending design are very precise, which greatly reduces the required power, thus contributing to the step-by-step miniaturization of the corresponding motor." ”

Kreuzer looked at An Yi in disbelief, and then turned to Hans: "Oh my God, you're not kidding, are you?" ”

Hans shrugged and smiled, and Lauter, who was sitting on the other side, replied for Hans, "How can such a thing be used as a joke?" It's true! In the middle of last year, we obtained the design drawings of General Ann and sent them back to Germany in just one month to produce the innovative fan blades, and you know that our country's material processing technology is the world's leading one, and it is easy to do it, but it is rare to see the ingenuity of this creativity and precise air transmission.

Now our company's products have been exported to all over the world, and many ships in the Far East have installed our series of new products, and further improvements are currently underway, such as the application of plastic fan blades that have just begun, etc., and the prospects are quite broad, Hans and the senior management of the headquarters are full of confidence in this. ”

Kreuzer saw Hans nodding with a smile, turned to An Yi and said with a smile in Chinese: "General, you can always create miracles, admirable!" ”

"I'm not afraid of your jokes, I took great pains to improve the technology, in fact, for the money." An Yi said honestly.

Hans smiled: "Kreuzer, maybe you don't know, An used the proceeds of this and other three patents for more than 40 Chinese students to study in Germany, of which as many as 32 people studied in various institutions of Krupp, and other students such as chemical industry and communications, all of which were borne by An alone. He was a genius, not only in military affairs, but also in mechanical design and innovation, especially the latter, which was unanimously admired by many of our outstanding engineers in Germany, so I said that if An did not become a general, he would definitely become one of the richest people in China in a few years. ”

Kreuzer nodded admiringly: "I believe." ”

Hans picked up the coffee cup and gestured to An Yi: "Ann, are you used to the taste of coffee?" ”

"It's okay, I've drunk it before, but it's not a condition to lead troops to fight for so long, and I prefer tea in comparison. Today this coffee is very good, mellow and delicious, and the taste is very pure. ”

An Yi replied in a low voice, then picked up the coffee and tasted it carefully, closing his eyes comfortably.

Hans smiled slightly, put down the cup and asked in a low voice, "Ann, please forgive me for being abrupt, why didn't your beautiful and noble sister return to Old Nanchang with you?" ”

An Yi was stunned for a moment, and the tearful faces of Gong Qian and Mama Shirley when they stood on the dock to say goodbye came to mind, shook his head to dispel the sadness in his heart, and replied in a low voice:

"My sister worked in the Central Party Department in Nanjing, and after my principal, Mr. Chiang Kai-shek, went into the wilderness, many party elders followed him away, but my sister said that someone always needed someone to do the work, so she chose to stay, and I bought a lot of properties in Nanjing, leaving many subordinates to manage in Nanjing, and I also needed my sister's help to take care of it."

"Your sister is amazing! By the way, Ann, why did you buy so many properties in Nanjing at such a time? Do you have a lot of confidence in today's national political axe? Raute asked.

An Yi thought for a while and answered: "This question is difficult to explain clearly for a while, although I don't have any confidence in the current political axe, and the current situation is also very bad, but I have confidence in tomorrow, not far tomorrow."

At this time, many people are fleeing Nanjing as much as possible due to the fear of war, it is the best time to acquire various properties, I have instructed my subordinates to buy as many lots as possible are being sold off cheaply on a large scale of properties and shops, I believe that in less than a year, the value will double, especially in the current situation of a large amount of silver and gold flowing out of China, the role of property in Nanjing is obvious.

Speaking of which, I am quite curious, why have you and the countries of Europe and the United States, including myself, been transporting a large amount of gold and silver in the past three months? ”

Raute looked at Hans in embarrassment, and Hans hesitated, but still told him frankly:

"The reason is that the world economy seems to have encountered a little trouble, since the beginning of the year, there have been signs of slow economic development or even stagnation, many bankers and economists have called on countries to come up with active economic promotion policies, but so far, little effect, so many countries with gold standard currencies began to prevent the adjustment of reserves and finance, circulation, etc...... Do you understand me when I say that? ”

"Huh!? Do you mean that it is likely to trigger an economic crisis in the global caste? It's a crisis like inflation, right? An Yi asked in surprise.

Hans nodded appreciatively: "You are astonished, dear Ann, that you can have such a wide range of knowledge and foresight, yes, strictly speaking, it should be called inflation caused by overproduction, which is a great economic disaster, and I hope it does not happen." ”

An Yi smiled slightly: "Hans, I have repeatedly asked you to help introduce German diesel engine production technology and production lines, as well as to produce telescopes, sights and other optical instruments in the form of cooperation or technology transfer, you always politely refuse, if inflation really comes, will you still insist on your own opinion?"

Let me first explain my attitude, if I still can't buy from Germany, I will probably turn to the United States and France and other places, really, this is my real thought, as an honest friend, I will not hide from you and Raute, after all, I also need to develop, I need to use every opportunity to improve the scientific and technological level of enterprises. ”

"I understand it very well!"

Hans thought for a moment and replied solemnly: "After the completion of this investigation, I will write a complete report and submit it to the German headquarters, hoping that we will have a good prospect of cooperation." ”

An Yi's eyes lit up: "Is it really possible to relax the introduction of high-tech technologies such as optical instruments?" I am very much looking forward to this, and I thank you even more for your selfless help. ”

"An, the situation in China is so chaotic, why don't you increase military procurement and improve your military technology, but instead obsess over the introduction of these delicate gadgets? Can you guarantee a tranquil environment for development? Raute asked carefully.

An Yi nodded: "There is quiet in the noisy, there is also a happy land in the troubled times, according to my speculation, Nanchang and central Jiangxi, there will be a peaceful development environment in the future, plus the water and land transportation in this area is very convenient, only one outlet to the sea is missing, and agriculture, fishery, forests, mineral resources and labor resources are very rich, compared with other turbulent areas, the development prospects are much better, especially Jiangxi and Hunan tungsten ore is very rich, including Germany and other European and American countries are purchasing in large quantities, I also want to enter this field this time. ”

Hans and Raute glanced at each other, and they were quite surprised, this is the main business of the two oceanic banks in various countries, and they can't help but pay little attention to it, Hans asked quietly:

"Ann, as far as I know, the largest tungsten mines in the two provinces are all controlled by local military forces, and other small and medium-sized mines also have deep backgrounds, do they allow you to join in?"

An Yi laughed: "Why do I want them to allow it?" No matter how great the military power is, it is not as powerful as the national army; Second, the vast majority of China's warlords today were formed spontaneously from scratch, including the current Li Zongren, Feng Yuxiang, Sun Chuanfang, Yan Xishan, and Zhang Zuolin.

For a long time after that, guns and artillery and people were able to dominate one side and occupy an area rich in resources.

Think about it, if these people are able to openly usurp the wealth that should belong to all the people, and take it for themselves without caring about the life or death of the people, why can't I organize my own army, drive them out or exterminate them, and let all the people participate in the joint development?

Don't forget, I still have more than 3,000 soldiers who have survived hundreds of battles, and the fighting strength of my army does not need to be explained, you should also know some about it, and I still have money and many friends to support me, as long as I want, who can stop me from moving forward?

If you annoy me, I will form an army of more than 10,000 people, unite one or two military partners with the same interests, and run away all the troops in southern Gansu, closely link up with my forces in central Jiangxi, firmly occupy all roads and waterways leading to Guangdong and Fujian, and prohibit the entry and exit of all materials, especially opium and tungsten sand. ”

Hans and the others were taken aback when they heard this, and even Dr. Kreuzer, who had been listening attentively, looked at An Yi in surprise, but An Yi shook his head and smiled at this time:

"I'm sorry, friends, maybe my words are too heavy, but that's the truth, you also know that there is a saying in China: if you have a gun, you are the king of grass! This is very representative of the reality in China today, so I have reason to believe that if what I do can be recognized and supported by the majority of people, I will succeed, whether it is commercial or military. ”

Hans and the others laughed, but Hans knew clearly in his heart that An Yi's words were by no means casual and rash talk, but a tactful and tough telling him that everyone must establish a more fair principle of cooperation under the same interests, otherwise An Yi will turn to a better collaborator, and An Yi's words also revealed a very important message, that is, he will make major adjustments when he comes back this time, and it is likely that he will get involved in the lucrative tungsten ore trade, and even resort to force for this!

The sound of footsteps was heard, and the thirty-eight-year-old captain entered the lounge and politely informed everyone that it was dawn and that there were fifteen minutes to reach the important Hukou pier.

Everyone immediately stood up, Kreuzer carefully stepped forward to support An Yi, An Yi politely thanked him and signaled that he could walk, everyone rushed out, walked to the bow of the breezy river, stood on the deck and looked west.

The rising sun is rising, the first glow of the sun in the morning is sprinkled on the banks and rivers of the vast east, and the wharf and lake are bathed in the golden glow, and a golden road in front of An Yi seems to be opening.

(To be continued)