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1919 was destined to be an extraordinary year, as the chaos in Europe came to an end, but the seeds of hatred had already been planted.

After showing its muscles and being hideous, the United States let the whole world see that the United States has a strong production capacity, but it is not enough to dominate the world, and it temporarily retreats to the Americas to enjoy the dividends of World War I. In fact, the export of capital from the United States was greatly strengthened after the war, and the scope of American capital investment covered the whole world.

Russia was engaged in a difficult and brutal civil war, but Soviet Russia had already gained a foothold, and a national victory was just around the corner.

The two major Asian powers, China and Japan, are developing in two very different directions, one large and weak, and one small and strong.

China's Shandong and Northeast China became Japan's sphere of influence, and during World War I, Japan's economy had penetrated from the original Northeast to the Yangtze River.

By supporting the Beiyang government, Japan gained an advantage in northern China, and Japanese advisers, large and small, filled the large and small departments of the Beijing government, and there were also a large number of Japanese military advisers in the Anhui and Feng armies in Beiyang.

According to the "Japan-Britain Alliance", Britain and Japan were originally allies, but Japan's expansion caused dissatisfaction and concern in Britain, and the rising Japan no longer wanted to follow the British to see the color of the British, so in the north Japanese capital constituted a strong competition with British capital.

Across the Yangtze River, British capital and American capital confronted Japanese capital, and for this reason, they each supported their agents, with the Anhui family headed by Duan Qirui and the direct line headed by Cao Wu fighting for the rights of the central government. Preparations for war are being intensified.

In the past two years, the Beijing government controlled by Duan Qirui has used the power of the central government to sell the country, and signed two large-scale arms orders with Japan in November 1917 and July 1918, the first for 17 million yuan and the second for 23 million yuan. In order to maintain central rule.

Not to be outdone, Feng Guozhang, who had long occupied the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, had long occupied the wealthy middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and had purchased arms from foreign countries many times during his lifetime, some of which came from US-China companies.

On Christmas Eve, the Meihua Company was signing an arms contract worth 15 million yuan with Feng Guozhang, but unfortunately it was not a few days later. This direct boss is dying.

After Feng Guozhang's death, the arms contract negotiations with Meihua fell to Li Chun, the overseer of Jiangsu, Chen Guangyuan, the overseer of Jiangxi, and Wang Zhanyuan, the overseer of Hubei.

After attending a Christmas party at William's Garden from Shanghai, Rothland? Kadoorie took the train to Nanjing. As the senior commissioner of the Meihua Company, he walked into the palatial mansion of the Jiangsu Overseer.

After some greetings, Li Chunping retreated, leaving only his henchman godson Wenhe and little Kadoorie, a somewhat milky arms dealer, to negotiate.

After taking his seat, little Kadoorie was not in a hurry to speak, and calmly stared at Li Chun, the most powerful general in the south.

Before coming. He once did an investigation of Li Chun, and found that this person is witty, and he sees the wind and rudder, although it is mercenary nature, but it is these good "qualities" that make the 40-year-old man in front of him climb to a high position step by step and become the head of the three governors in the direct line. After Feng Guozhang's death, the limelight was even more unparalleled for a while.

"The Chinese generals are shrewd businessmen." Thinking of Li Chun's large-scale purchase of real estate and investment in industry and commerce in the Beijing and Tianjin areas, little Kadoorie sighed in his heart.

Li Chun was also looking at Little Kadoorie, an arms dealer who seemed to be stunned. I thought: "How could Meihua Company send such a hairy child?" ”

Li Chun naturally didn't say this, even in his attitude, he was not arrogant at all, he was enthusiastic and polite.

Who knows if this Kadoorie comes from a big family, or if he does have a strong background?

Previously, Li Chun had done an arms business with the Meihua Company, and the quantity was not large, 5,000 rifles and several machine guns. It's worth just over 1 million, but the quality satisfies Li Chun, at least better than the trash that those damn Italian arms dealers sold from Europe.

Seeing that Xiao Jiadao is not in a hurry and has an extraordinary bearing, he is quite a bit pretentious. Li Chun nodded in his heart, feeling that this young foreigner was not simple.

"Mr. Kadoorie is really young and promising!" After a while, Li Chun spoke first. Well, the cold field made him seem less enthusiastic.

"Thank you. However, Li Dujun is also in the prime of life, and China needs a leader like you in the future. Little Kadoorie replied.

His sycophancy made Li Chun a little fluttery, Li Chun smiled and said, "Mr. Kadoorie is really funny, funny, I like this humorous way." I know you're here today to finalize General Feng Guozhang's arms deal with your company, right? If you have anything to say, please say it directly. ”

"This is the agreement that General Feng negotiated with us Meihua before, but unfortunately, he passed away before he could implement it." Kadoorie said regretfully and handed Li Chun a copy of the military procurement materials.

Li Chun also participated in this agreement, after all, as Feng Guozhang's subordinate, he was also a user of arms, so he glanced at it and closed it, he knew the situation well.

Thinking of the recent rumors that Lu Yongxiang, the overseer of neighboring Zhejiang, had purchased a large number of arms from foreign foreign firms, and that he might cooperate with the Anhui army in the north to launch an attack on his direct line, Li Chun felt like a thorn in his back, and thought to himself: In order to maintain his power, he must purchase a large number of arms.

"Although Elder Feng is gone, our cooperation will continue. Truth be told, I have recently needed a batch of arms to strengthen my army. ”

Li Chun smiled and took the briefcase from the henchman next to him and took out a list of weapons.

"30,000 rifles, 1,000 self-obtained pistols, 100 Maxine machine guns, 200 40mm mortars, 20 75mm mountain guns, 5 105mm heavy guns, 50 military vehicles, and countless bullets and shells of all kinds."

When little Kadoorie saw it, he was immediately happy and frowned. He calculated in his heart that the amount of this transaction would be at least 6 million, and if it sold well, it would not be difficult to exceed 10 million.

"We can provide all of these weapons. It's just that your offer is only 5 million, some are less, at least 10 million, otherwise I can't explain to the company. Little Kadoorie said.

Then the two sides began to bargain, and then little Kadoorie realized that Li Chun's merchant shrewdness came. Although it is not so much that the baht must be counted, but every time the price is cut to the point. So that little Kadoorie had to back down.

"7.5 million, this price can't be lower. We have to take a lot of risks to ship goods from the United States to China, and the shipping cost is also a big expense. Little Kadoorie said with a bitter face.

"Okay!" Li Chun nodded with satisfaction, feeling that Kadoorie was a shrewd foreign devil. You're still a little tender.

"But I'm going to have all the goods in three months." Li Chun admonished.

"Yes. However, if you are in such a hurry, you will have to add 500,000 freight. Little Kadoorie took the opportunity to return the knife, and when he saw that Li Chun was a little angry, he explained: "It's not easy to run this trip to the Pacific Ocean, not to mention it for a long time, and there are all kinds of risks." Our goods really can't be produced so quickly, if Li Dujun is in a hurry, we can only postpone the orders of other customers, this is to be compensated, I hope General Li can understand. ”

Looking at Xiao Jiadao's sincere face, Li Chun no longer pursued whether what he said was true or false, the war could start at any time, spend 500,000 yuan to buy time, seize the opportunity, it's worth it!

"Okay!" Li Chun gritted his teeth and nodded. "Within a month, I hope to get a third of the goods, especially the rifle machine guns, half of which must be delivered in time. Otherwise—"

"Don't worry, our Meihua company will definitely do what it says." Little Kadoorie said confidently.

Xindao: The matter of the rifle machine gun is actually very simple, although the amount purchased by Li Chun is a bit large, but it also poses too much pressure on Meihua Company at all.

Because in Nanyang, the Meihua company has been hoarding all kinds of arms. Tong guò smuggling. The U.S.-China Company moved the surplus arms from the warehouses of the U.S. Bethlehem Arms Company to the South Seas.

Little Kadoorie had 100,000 rifles, 2,000 machine guns, and 500 cannons of all kinds.

Well, he's going to sell all these weapons everywhere. Like Li Chun's little threat (or warning) to him, the merchant of death, is excited.

According to the general profit of arms several times, and little Kadoorie himself will receive a 5% dividend of the arms income. The hidden business opportunities in it made him fall in love with the industry a little.

What made little Kadoorie a little depressed was that these Overseers loved to pay on credit. Li Chun could not and did not want to raise 8 million in just three months, so he only agreed to give 3 million, and the rest would be given after the war.

Jiangsu is a wealthy province with developed industry, commerce and agriculture, and abundant resources.

Little Kadoorie frowned, not wanting Li Chun to get it too easy, staring at Li Chun and saying, "General Li, I know that you are fully capable of bearing this million, but it is just the rules of the business field, I hope you can take out the mortgage." ”

"Oh? Do you have anything to build yì? Li Chun looked at Kadoorie warily. Xin said: "The so-called mortgage is nothing more than the right of way, minerals and other things, if Meihua also comes to this set, it has to be dragged first." When the battle is won, it is easy to say. ”

Li Chun secretly made up his mind. However, Kadoorie Jr. did not mention these "reasonable and excessive" demands, and only hoped that the Meihua Company would facilitate it under Li Chun's rule.

As for the fact that the Meihua Company will use the Guò comprador to realize the development of the Jiangsu Road Mine, it is not something that Li Dujun is willing to deal with.

The Yangtze River valley will not be the main battlefield, but in order to suppress the military power of Anhui in the south, Li Chun felt that it was necessary to maintain his military superiority, especially the neighboring Zhejiang overseer Lu Yongxiang, who was particularly restless, so Li Chun saw that little Kadoorie was very knowledgeable and did not put forward the conditions to embarrass him, so he readily accepted the expansion of the Meihua Company in Jiangsu.

Little Kadoorie returned to Shanghai in high spirits and reported his success to Situ Nan.

Situ Nan looked at Li Chun's vigorous signature on the contract and muttered: "This Li Chun is still knowledgeable!" But it's a pity, I don't know who is cheaper at that time? ”

Situ Nan remembered that at the end of the year, Li Chun would suddenly die of a violent illness, but the official cause of death was suicide due to "worrying about the country and the people".

Just when the power was thriving, he suddenly fell ill, during which his godson Wen and corruption occurred, and the newspapers were full of reports, causing a storm in the city. As soon as Li Chun died, his subordinate Qi Xieyuan immediately announced his appointment as the overseer of Jiangsu.

Li Chun's death is full of suspicions, it is a headless public case in the Republic of China, if he can, Situ Nan wants to know whether this warlord died of worrying about the country and the people as announced by history.

It seems that someone has to be sent to monitor it, and it is better not to let the traitor Qi Xieyuan take over.

Situ Nan secretly made up his mind. He turned his head and praised little Kadoorie and said, "Well done." Kadoorie, I was right. ”

This time little Kadoorie has made a lot of money for the company, which is not only measured by money.

With Li Chun's promise, Meihua's next investment in Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Wuxi, Huai'an and other places will be greatly facilitated.

Not to mention traditional commodities such as silk, porcelain, and tea, through the warehouses and wharves set up in various places, the American and Chinese companies can buy these traditional goods at low prices and ship them to the United States and Europe for sale at high prices, and at the same time, they can also import all kinds of goods to large and small cities.

Even the Western Petroleum Company has benefited a lot, and has opened a number of oil ports and terminals in Jiangsu, 30 large and small, surpassing Mobil in one fell swoop, becoming the largest kerosene merchant in Jiangsu.

"Thank you, Mr. Situ, for your appreciation." Little Kadoorie smiled faintly. During this time, he grew up very quickly, and he knew that some of the achievements he had achieved were nothing, even if he changed people, the result would not be too bad, after all, the strength of Meihua Company was there.

"Mr. Situ, you can rest assured. Next, I will also take the arms orders of the Jiangxi Overseers and the Hubei Overseers, and they also need a lot of equipment. Little Kadoorie said confidently.

With the precedent of successful cooperation with Li Chun, he believes that it will not be difficult to win the arms contracts in Jiangxi and Hubei.

Li Chun is just a relatively large customer, in addition to Li Chun, there are also direct lines of the Yangtze River three governors of Jiangxi overseer Chen Guangyuan, Hubei overseer Wang Zhanyuan. These people are sharpening their knives and guns, using force to assert their power.

"Good!" Situ Nan nodded, according to the plan, the weapons of the direct army were all provided by the British and American foreign companies, and Situ Nan naturally hoped that the Meihua Company could get a piece of the pie.

At the same time, with the expansion of steel plants in the Philippines, the construction of military factories in Medan requires a large amount of funds, and the hoarded arms are sold to China, and the profits from the arms trade are used to invest in the Nanyang military industry.

Because even if the U.S.-China Company does not participate, the war will still be fought, and those warlords will find other arms dealers to buy weapons. In this case, it is better for Meihua Company to make this money.

Looking at Xiao Kadaodao, who had already aroused his ambitions with arms violence, Situ Nan felt a little emotional, and after a while, he commanded again: "Someone will go to Jiangxi and Hubei." Now that the time is relatively tight, you go to find another real big customer - Wu Peifu, the commander of the Third Beiyang Division! ”

"Wu Peifu?" Little Kadoorie asked in surprise.

Although Wu Peifu and his Third Division were more capable of fighting, they were transferred from Zhili to Hunan by Duan Qirui's order to fight against the Guangzhou Military Government.

The military expenditure of the third division was controlled by the central government, and it did not have its own territory and financial resources.

"That's him! Believe me, he could be the decider of this war and our biggest customer in the future, he's a potential stock, you know? Situ Nan admonished.

"As you wish, I'll invest in this potential stock." Seeing that the big bosses are so confident, little Kadoorie is not easy to object

(It feels so bad that the computer hasn't been fixed yet.) It was inconvenient to stay at a friend's house and borrow his computer. In short, try your best to do your best! I'm sorry. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (.) to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, your support, is my biggest motivation.

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