[93] Order for two warships

In Li Hongzhang's eyes, Yao Fan is undoubtedly an interesting young man - a wealthy family, proficient in foreign affairs, but he has no intention of pursuing a career.

According to his experience, such people are generally spoiled by the wealth and glory of the family, to put it bluntly, they have not suffered hardship, have not been offended, have not been bullied, and do not want to do things that they are not interested in at all, just want to be a rich idler, read some of their favorite books all day long, study some favorite knowledge, and even run around chasing some popular dramas all day long.

Li Hongzhang has not only seen such a person, but also has such a typical example of his current achievements -- Hua Yufang. This person is currently working in the translation hall of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, born in a family of eunuchs, and his family is wealthy, but he does not like the Four Books and Five Classics since he was a child, and is obsessed with studying mathematics in general. Later, he went to the Anqing Arsenal and helped Xu Shou to build China's first wooden sailing ship powered by a steam engine. Now in the translation hall of Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, he is obsessed with translating Western science books.

But these people have a huge family business that they need to inherit and manage. If you don't have a son, it's easy to do, but if you are a son and destined to inherit the family business and pick up the burden, then you can only put down what you like, do business, manage the Grange, and dedicate yourself to family affairs.

Li Hongzhang is very relieved about this kind of person, but he is not too relieved.

Say rest assured because these people have a good life and have no motivation or reason to rebel, and secondly, they have no ambitions.

It's not easy to say that it's because these people often don't care much about things other than their interests, and if you leave things to them, you will always be scared, afraid that they will give you a bad deal and not do things.

Li Hongzhang knows that this is the most typical strange disease of a rich man - lack of self-motivation!

What kind of person is he, Li Hongzhang?

"Zhongxing Famous Minister!"

"Governor Zhili!"

"Prime Minister, Minister of National Affairs, Minister of Beiyang Commerce!"

"Wearing a dazzling first-class Su Yibo!"

"Command 38,000 brave Huai troops equipped with foreign guns, bird guns, guns, mountain splitting cannons, steel knives, and spears, plus 100,000 Huai green battalions and the general leader of the regimental brave forces!"

The position of the officials he protected was as stable as Mount Tai, and the emperor had to give face. Others stuttered in a thousand ways, it was difficult to beg him to be an official, and he wanted him to protect himself in person, where could he find such honor? As for being able to enter his shogunate, it is even more of a pie in the sky, how powerful are his Li Hongzhang's staff? The magistrates of the local state capital dare not look at it squarely! As for saying that after being a staff member for a few years, he came out to open a government and build a government, at least to say that he also commanded several counties below, how majestic is that?

But Yao Fan, a kid who can't open his eyes, is actually a big fan of money! Completely unsophisticated!

Li Hongzhang sighed secretly in his heart, thinking, "Yao Fan, this kid is really young and lacks experience, and he doesn't know the world's first-class pleasures, but he is an official!"

If this son is asked to train for a few years, he may not be able to become a cadre, but since he himself is unwilling, this can't blame me for not promoting. Just ask him to do business for a few years, and he will know what is a small loss. ”

"Yao Fan, I've been to the machine bureau to see, your machine is really excellent, the electric light is especially exquisite, let me ask you, such equipment, maybe for the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau and Tianjin Machinery Bureau to buy a set?"

"As long as the adults are willing to spend money, no matter how difficult it is, Yao Fan can be responsible for getting it for you."

"Good!

I saw the machine the day before yesterday that many machine tools in the bureau are unprecedented new goods, and I asked Xu Jianyin to know that it was made in-house by your own family, especially those foot-operated and lever-type machines are the most excellent, no coal burning and no electricity, the most suitable for my Qing Dynasty! I asked Xu Jianyin to give you a list when I went back, you just have to help me buy it, don't worry, I won't lose your Yao family for a tael of silver. ”

"My lord, this kind of steam turbine has just come out, and it is the world's first-class advanced machine, and it is the most sought-after at the moment. I used to help Mr. Ding purchase, I advanced the money to get it, and now I want to buy it again, I think if the adult pays the full amount, I can also add a plug in the factory, and grab the goods before other people's orders. Yao Fan's words were very unbearable.

"Yao Fan, can you pay customs duties on your pens, folding umbrellas, hot water bottles, foreign fires, and watches?" Li Hongzhang crooked his mouth, not knowing whether he was angry with Yao Fan or because of disdain.

"Then, it's okay for the adults to give me eighty percent of the payment...... Or seventy percent? Yao Fan looked at Li Hongzhang's face and was bargaining.

"Ding Baozhen asked you to buy half of the purchase price as a deposit, but I will buy seventy percent?" Li Hongzhang slapped the table lightly.

“…… Half is half...... Your Excellency, you don't know, I have a backlog of goods in my hands now, and my hands are very tight, and I am really tightening my belt and squeezing the silver into it. Yao Fan began to cry poor.

Li Hongzhang looked at Yao Fan's lazy appearance of greedy for money, and he was angry.

"Yao Fan, go and see for yourself, what is Qingdao Kou made by you now? Obviously it is not a treaty port, but there are foreigners coming in and out every day! Aren't you afraid that the court will check you? ”

"My lord! The younger generation is doing transit trading at Qingdao Kou, and the goods shipped from overseas by my family are batched there, and those foreign companies come to buy at the same time, and bring some goods as a ballast, and they should have paid taxes when they entered the customs. Of course, I also pay taxes when I import. Yao Fan argued.

"Customs is not under my control, and you don't have to say much. I'll pay half of the deposit first, and that's it! Otherwise, when Hurd asks in the future, I won't help you hide it! Li Hongzhang said impatiently.

"My lord, if you want to buy it, why don't you buy some warships?" Yao Fan saw that Li Hongzhang was very appreciative of him and spoke very well, so he kicked his nose and said on the ground.

"I heard that you asked Hurd, the head of the Customs Department, to go to England to buy four gunboats, so I guess the British Armstrong shipyard should be recommending the mosquito ship designed by George Rendale to you, right? I heard that the first two ships recommended have a displacement of only 319 tons, a horsepower of only 31o horsepower, a voyage of 9.5 knots, and a crew of 6o people. It was equipped with an eleven-inch 28o mm cannon that could only fire forward, which weighed 26.5 tons, two Haggaeth five-barreled machine guns mounted in the rear of the main guns, and a 12-pounder cannon in the stern. The ship had o.5-inch armor and cost 150,000 taels of silver.

My lord, am I right? ”

Li Hongzhang was horrified when he heard this, and asked with a glare: "Yao Fan, how do you know such details?" ”

Yao Fan smiled gently: "In the British Navy, my family has a lot of eyes and ears. I also know that the last two ships recommended were increased in displacement to 42o tons, but the horsepower was reduced to 27o horses, and they were equipped with a 12.5-inch 38-ton main gun, and still with two Haggaeus machine guns and a 12-pounder tail gun. However, the Armstrong shipyard actually called this thing a 9.5 knot, and I suspect that they were sacrificing coal in exchange for this number. ”

"Yao Fan, since you know such details, do you think this price is worth it?" Li Hongzhang was greatly boosted by Yao Fan's 'inside information', and asked questions repeatedly.

"If I had to buy it, the price would have been cut in half. As for the price that the adults will quote to the court, I will insist on what price. Yao Fan blatantly promised kickbacks without a bottom line.

"Seventy-five thousand taels for a ship?!" Li Hongzhang was surprised, and scolded Hurd in his heart for being black-hearted, and he must have cheated his money.

"Eighty thousand taels."

"Where did you order from?" Li Hongzhang continued to ask.

"Don't worry, my family has its own way, there are seventeen or eighteen shipyards in Europe that can build warships, and five or six thousand tons of warships can be built, let alone this kind of small ship? Completely piece of cake. Yao Fan boasted.

Li Hongzhang thought in his heart, "At the moment, I have only signed the first two contracts with Armstrong Shipyard, and the last two have not been signed and paid, so it is better to ......"

"Yao Fan, are you willing to take the contract for two such ships?" Li Hongzhang asked.

Yao Fan stood up and bowed his hands solemnly: "My lord trusts me with important military matters, how dare I refuse!" ”

"Yao Fan, don't mislead the country with empty words." Li Hongzhang struck.

"Yao Fan doesn't dare."

"Good! I will hand over the contract for these two ships to you, and pay for them in full! ”

"Pay in full with the rest of the purchase?"

“…… No, just battleships. Li Hongzhang's face darkened again.

Yao Fan smiled: "I'm just asking casually, don't be angry." ”

……………………

Li Hongzhang left, leaving behind 220,000 taels of silver, which included both the payment for the two mosquito boats he had ordered, and the deposit for the steam turbine motors he wanted to buy from the Tianjin Machinery Bureau.

Yao Fan took the silver and sighed at Lao Li's boldness, and felt that if he left this era from now on, he was afraid that this fraud case would forever be recorded in the annals of the Beiyang Navy - in 1875, a swindler named Yao Fan used the pretext of buying warships on his behalf to defraud a total of 220,000 taels of various sums from Li Hongzhang, the mediocre minister of the Qing government......

"No! No way! I'm still disciplined! Yao Fan shook his head and warned himself not to be greedy.

"Besides, Li Hongzhang dares to give me money, that is, he is not afraid of me running, even if I use the excuse of going abroad to purchase warships, it is estimated that he will not stop me, just talk about this trust! Or rather, the despair and helplessness of the Chinese Navy! I can't betray him or abandon him!

Isn't it just a mosquito boat? Good! I'll give it to you! ”

A few days later, Yao Fan took a silver ticket, took a platoon of 2o Xiangyong, and took 2o drivers, filled up the tractor truck, and drove on the way back to Qingdao.

When Yao Fan arrived in Qingdao two days later, it was already the time when the sun was setting, and the fiery red afterglow sprinkled all over the earth, making Yao Fan feel beautiful.

"Meris again? He's selling really fast. As soon as Yao Fan returned, he heard that James America had been waiting for him at the inn for three days.

As soon as Yao Fan saw Meris, the thin German came up and hugged him.

"Dear Frank, long time no see." Meris's complexion is very good.

"James, you sold the dye so quickly?" Yao Fan was quite surprised.

"Of course, I promised you, Frank, that I would sell it all out in a month, and I would do it." Meris said triumphantly.

"Are you here to continue to stock?" Yao Fan asked

"Yes, the goods, in addition, I have asked someone to help you find Professor Marx, my friend is the first mate of a German merchant ship, Humboldt, which will stop in London when he returns home this time. I gave him a hundred pounds to pass on to Professor Marx, and gave him a Jinhua ham and a bag of tea. "Meris said meritoriously.

Yao Fan didn't expect that Meris even knew about Jinhua ham.

"Yes, James, please do your best, I have heard that Mr. Marx's daily life is a little embarrassing, and he is relatively poor, and it is not fair to a great thinker."

"Frank, you are a merciful man, may God bless you and Mr. Marx."

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