Hearing Kiyoei say this number, Ito's old face showed a smile of surprise for the first time.

Since the founding of Wilhelm I, Germany has hardly ever made large loans abroad. Compared with the interest rate of more than 3.5% per annum for financial loans, the rigid Germans value industries that can make a real contribution to the country's hard power. In the eyes of the German government, although the wealth accumulated by engaging in finance is fast and abundant, it is undoubtedly a castle built on the sand, and it is by no means a real hard commodity. Once the war starts, the two sides will not only fight for the economy, but also for manpower and heavy industry; If a company has money, but his factory cannot produce guns and cannons taken from the war, then such a country has absolutely no future!

According to this idea, the Germans gave up the windfall profits of engaging in financial loans, and opted for a slow but long-term approach; They tightened their purse strings and began to develop their own industry and economy, which was contrary to the economic strategy pursued by France. And the effect of this is obvious to all! While Britain and France were keen on granting loans, finance and trade, and waiting to sit at home and count the money, Germany invested all the money in its own factory production and technological research and development, and its industrial economy achieved a world-changing boom in just over 20 years. Today, the overall industrial scale of Germany is on par with that of the United Kingdom, and the quality is even better, and it is unique in the fields of optics, chemicals, machinery, and military industry. And if Germany had been as keen on borrowing as Britain and France, it would never have achieved what it is now!

According to Ito's original assumption, although the actual financial power of the Germans in Europe was second only to that of England, and even above that of France, the world's creditors; But the Germans, based on their own successful experience, may not be able to come up with much money to borrow abroad. But what he didn't expect was that the young man in front of him blurted out the number of 300 million marks; According to the exchange rate, 300 million marks is as much as 14.5 million pounds, which is almost the second Sino-Japanese indemnity! With this money, the Navy's 66th Fleet landed in an instant!

"Mr. Ito, these 300 million marks are just a generous loan from the German government to your country. His Majesty the Kaiser, my father, has agreed to allow your country's banks to issue bonds in our country in order to raise surplus funds from our German people. According to the statistics made by the Reich last year, the per capita annual income of our German citizens reached 700 marks, based on the population of more than 55 million people in Germany; The magnitude of this potential market is huge, I believe I don't need to go into too much detail, right? Qingying paused, and gave Ito another shocking blow.

"Dare to ask Your Highness, what do I need to do in Japan if I want to get this loan?" After a brief moment of excitement, Ito quickly calmed down and asked. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and the Germans have given such a large piece of the cake, which is bound to have extremely demanding requirements!

"As you know, Mr. Ito, Germany has never been a country that is keen on loans. This time, in order to support your country, a huge amount of 300 million marks has been taken out at once, which is also a great damage to our Germany. Therefore, if your country does not accede to these three conditions put forward by Germany, then we prefer not to grant this loan. Qingying said, her face revealing an indisobedient determination.

Ito nodded slightly and said, "Please let Your Highness know." ”

"First, the funds that your country receives from Germany, whether government loans or private fundraising, must be collateralized in kind or with taxes with a stable income. All amounts owed to Germany, both public and private, must be paid off in full within the next 15 years. Otherwise, Germany will have the right to sell the goods or tax rights that you have used as collateral. Qingying said unhurriedly.

"With regard to the collateral required for the loan, we will follow your wishes. It's just this repayment time, why do you have to ask us to pay it off in full in the next 15 years? Ito asked suspiciously, with a puzzled look in his eyes.

Hearing Ito's inquiry, Qingying couldn't help but secretly slander himself: It was already May 1898, and it was only a little more than 16 years before the outbreak of the World War; At that time, Japan, as an ally of Great Britain, would stand directly against Germany. If Japan is not allowed to pay off the money before the World War, when the war begins and Germany and Japan declare war on each other, won't all the unpaid money be wasted? However, Qingying obviously couldn't say this. He paused, changed his face to a compassionate expression, and said, "Mr. Ito, the loan is based on a roll-on system, and the longer the repayment time is delayed, the more money the debtor will have to pay. My father, His Majesty the Kaiser, after taking into account the financial situation of your country, has deliberately decided to let your country repay the loan as soon as possible, so as not to make your country pay more interest. So in this respect, Germany is indeed thinking about your country. ”

Regarding the explanation given by Qingying, Ito naturally didn't believe it in his heart; The probability that the Germans will be kind enough to think about Japan is tantamount to the miracle of the sow flying into the sky! Although he didn't figure out why the Germans wanted to add such a condition for the Germans, this was not a big deal for Japan, and 15 years was already plenty of time, so he nodded and agreed.

"Second, if your country wants to use the money to purchase arms, ammunition, warships, and all other industrial products from abroad after receiving a loan from Germany, you must not choose another country, but must order from Germany. Only in this way can the friendship between our two countries be fully manifested. Of course, Germany will not take the opportunity to raise the price of goods, but will sell them to your country at the normal price. Qingying said.

Ito's pupils shrank slightly, and he already realized in his heart. The reason why the Germans proposed such a bully clause was that they wanted to return the loan money to the German domestic market, in order to minimize the actual loss of their funds. Before that, Ito had already thought that the Germans would raise this point, but he did not respond to it; This is because this is not an unacceptable condition for Japan. Although the prices of German industrial products were generally higher than those of British products (Germany had fewer colonies and could not effectively plunder raw materials from the colonies as the British), the quality of German products was obvious to all, or it would not have crowded out a large share of the goods that originally belonged to Britain in the last ten years. As long as the Germans do not take advantage of the opportunity to raise prices, it is perfectly feasible to buy German goods.

What the? You say that Japan's choice of Germany to be close will anger the British boss, and then the gains outweigh the losses? If you have this idea, you should pull them all out and play them somewhere until they die. At this moment, Britain's main enemy was Russia, but there was no conflict between Britain and Germany at the national level; Japan's proximity to Germany did not pose any threat to British interests in any way. Moreover, Britain's purpose in supporting Japan was to make Japan a bridgehead against Russia's southern invasion; However, the goodwill between Germany and Japan did not make the slightest change in Japan's national policy of resisting Russia, and the two sides still have common interests and needs on the core issue of resisting Russia. As long as Japan adheres to the anti-Russian strategy unwaveringly, then Britain will still support Japan! In view of this, after some tentative bargaining, the two sides basically reached a consensus on this issue.

After nearly 2 hours of talks, Qingying's young body also felt a little dizzy; He picked up the tea on the table and poured two sips before he felt more comfortable. Seeing that Ito's face also showed a hint of fatigue, Qingying suddenly decided to take advantage of the victory to pursue, and could not give this old guy a chance to recover his brain; He coughed and said: "Although Germany and Japan have common strategic interests, they still need to settle accounts on economic issues. The reason why the French are keen on lending money is because foreign loans have a good profit, and Germany is naturally not exempt from vulgarity. The third point is about the interest rate on this loan. My father, His Majesty the Kaiser, meant that the interest rate of the 300,000,000,000 marks was 1 cent per annum, and of course, the calculation method must be the most common way to roll over the interest. ”

"Oh, it turned out to be 1......" Ito's words suddenly stopped. He looked at the young creature in the distance and said in surprise, "How much did Your Highness just say?" Qingying replied without blushing and without a heartbeat: "Mr. Ito, I have made it very clear just now, the interest on this loan is 1 cent. As long as your country agrees to this last condition, this amount, totalling more than £14.5 million, will appear in your government's account within a month! ”

A breeze blew, Ito's beard flew, and as time passed, the expression on his face changed: shock, confusion, anger, absurdity...... appeared in each other, and the most coarse and then blended into a blue and black face. After a while, he spoke in a tone without a trace of emotion: "Your Highness, please forgive me for saying that this condition of your country is a bit too much!" Since we have agreed to hand over all the share of this loan to your country, it is only right that your country should lower the interest rate, driven by the interest of repatriation of funds. In today's world, even if there are no additional terms and conditions, the annual interest rate is around 4%; And after your country attaches such a condition, the annual interest rate is a full 1 cent? If you calculate it this way, the sum of principal and interest in 15 years will be 1 billion marks, right? ”

(PS: Some readers have reported that it is difficult for the author to strengthen Japan.) But the author can say here,Japan will never be strengthened.,In fact, this is a pit I dug in preparation for World War I.,You'll know it in the future~~~)