Chapter 187 Cooperation with Germany

Hearing Luo Fenglu's words, Schleyer's face couldn't help but show a hint of urgency, to obtain the production technology of advanced warships of the Chinese People's Army Navy, but he came to Nanyang this time for an important task, if he could not complete it, then his ability would probably be questioned by His Majesty the Emperor and the Prime Minister, which would undoubtedly have a certain adverse impact on his future political career!

"Your Excellency, don't be busy refusing yet, Germany can pay 20 million marks for this to buy this kind of warship construction technology! In the international environment of this era, everything has its own value, even a powerful warship!"

"Twenty million gold marks, which is equivalent to four million taels of silver! This is the cost of eight general-class destroyers, and the Germans are really wealthy!" Luo Fenglu couldn't help but secretly think in his heart, if he didn't know the importance of the new warship to the Huo Jiajun Navy, which is not strong now, he would have almost agreed to this deal!

"Needless to say, Your Excellency, we will not transfer the production technology of new warships to any country in the world!" Luo Fenglu shook his head firmly, and said undoubtedly.

Looking at the irrepressible disappointment on the face of the German opposite, Luo Fenglu couldn't help but smile secretly in his heart! "Your Excellency, don't be disappointed! Please take a look at this!" As he spoke, Luo Fenglu took out a document that had been prepared a long time ago from his briefcase!

Although there were some doubts in his heart, Schleier quickly reached out and took it! The document was not thick, and it was thirty-two sheets of white paper. There are about a dozen pages! For the sake of reading convenience, it is all in German that has already been translated! I glanced up at the smiling Chinese sitting across from me. Schleier opened the document in his hand with some curiosity and began to read it slowly!

Looking at the excitement, surprise, and increasing expectations on his face, Luo Fenglu couldn't help but smile faintly, he understood that what it contained was a huge attraction to the Germans! Of course, no country can remain calm in the face of this huge wealth!

"Your Excellency, is this what you are going to hand over to Germany?" After taking a few deep breaths and calming his excitement, Schleier said in a trembling tone, his eyes showing a deep sense of longing. He asked with a hint of concern on his face. Although there were many signs on the paper, in the face of such a huge wealth, Schleier still asked again with some gains and losses, he hoped to get a positive answer from the other party's mouth in person!

"Yes, Minister Schleier, this huge amount of money, which amounted to a billion silver dollars and fifty million gold marks, is indeed for your country. He will be used to purchase various industrial machinery and equipment such as steel, chemical industry, shipbuilding, pig iron, crude steel, jīng copper, coal, etc., as well as various industrial manufactured products such as ships, locomotives, steel rails, submarine cables, etc. You send qualified university teachers to help us develop our education, and we accept 1,500 university students every year! In addition, all the equipment that we purchase from your country in this four-year industrial plan. You must also be responsible for the installation and commissioning of us, and for the training of enough qualified workers for us!

After hearing his words, Schleier couldn't help but take a deep breath and suppress the excitement in his heart! In his opinion, whether it is to send teachers to carry out educational cooperation. The final installation of machinery and the conditions for the training of workers are trivial! The most important thing is that the wealth of the 500 million gold marks will belong to Germany, even if he has not studied economics. He is also engaged in diplomatic work, but he also understands that the signing of this treaty can bring huge benefits to Germany, and that he, who signed this document on behalf of Germany, will also rely on this great merit to rise to the top and enter the center of the empire! If it weren't for the fact that he still remembered his identity and the determination he had tempered by more than 20 years of life experience! At this moment, Schleier would have agreed almost without hesitation!

"Your Excellency, I believe that this treaty will be agreed to by His Majesty the Emperor and Prime Minister Bismarck! But limited to my status and duties, I must report this treaty back to the country, and the Empire will send special personnel to agree on the specific details of this!

"Of course, it's always good to be cautious!" Luo Fenglu also knew that such a huge cooperation content was definitely not something that Schleier could decide alone, and if he wanted to achieve the satisfaction of both parties and finally sign it, at least it would not be completed in two or three months!

"Thank you, Your Excellency! I'm going to send a telegram!" Seeing Luo Fenglu nodding in agreement, Schleier, who was surprised, immediately stood up, and at this moment he could hardly calm down anymore! He wanted to immediately transmit this astonishing news back to China, and send personnel from China to finalize this huge cooperation as soon as possible!

Seeing his appearance, Luo Fenglu understood his urgent mood now, so he didn't keep him anymore, and nodded in agreement immediately!

"Then I'll take my leave!" Schleier said quickly, clutching the document in his hand.

"Okay, minister, please!" The document that was shown to him just now was just a general description of the cooperation between the two sides, so he didn't stop Schleier's behavior!

Looking at the back of Schleier with his own guards hurrying to open, Luo Fenglu smiled faintly, "There should be no problem with these Germans, then only the British, the Dutch, and the Portuguese are left!" Thinking of this, Luo Fenglu's heart was suddenly full of infinite expectations for the tripartite war negotiations that would start soon! In the past, when he was in the Qing Dynasty, whether in China or when he traveled in Europe, he was greeted with almost all the contempt and ridicule of foreigners! Now that Huo Jiajun has defeated the combined forces of the Netherlands and Portugal and won a war of the century comparable to the Battle of Trafalgar, he really wants to know what the negotiating envoys of the two countries will have when they see him!

After Schleier left the Huo Family Mansion, he immediately got on the carriage to the dock, because there was no telegraph line between Dongwanlu and Hong Kong and Singapore, so he had to do his best to rush to one of these two places as soon as possible, pass the amazing news in his hand back to Europe, and send personnel from China to the Far East to agree on the details of the contract with the Chinese People's Army as soon as possible, otherwise if something really happened on the way, then Schleier would not even be able to find a place to cry!

Although Schleier's mood was so urgent, due to the slow and backward means of transportation and communication of this era, nearly a week had passed since the time when he felt the nearest Singapore, and was sent back to Berlin, the capital of Germany, in eight times by various telegraph stations throughout the Indian Ocean coast and the Mediterranean.

Of course, the German Empire that received this letter, from the emperor to the ministers of the cabinet, were all in a mess, and all kinds of descriptions of surprise, excitement, and shock were not enough to express their complicated feelings at the moment! They did not expect that such astonishing news would come back in only ten days from the establishment of the Far East policy to the dispatch of ministers to the East Indies controlled by the Chinese People's Army! Although the military people feel a little regretful that they did not get the production technology of warships, in the face of such astronomical trade cooperation, this small flaw is not so important! Anyway, the most important thing in Germany is the army, and even if the poor strength of the navy develops, it will be difficult to catch up with or surpass Britain in a short period of time! Therefore, it is better to allocate limited funds to the army, after all, the revenge of the French and the Russian Empire, which is full of expansion ambitions for Europe, are the most serious threats to the empire at this stage!

After receiving a lengthened telegram from the Qing Minister Schleier, Wilhelm I and his cabinet members held a closed-door meeting for a day, and finally decided that Prince Frederick, one of the four founding masters of the German Empire known as the 'Blood Prince' and the nephew of His Majesty the Emperor, Prince Frederick Karl, would rush to the Far East to participate in this diplomatic negotiation that was crucial for the German Empire!

Soon the German mission, which numbered nearly 150 people, including the Cabinet Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Commerce, and carried a great mission, set off in a hurry the day after receiving the information on the Royal Cruise Ship from the port of Hamburg and under the protection of two ironclad ships!

However, because the distance between Europe and the Far East is too far, and in the present era, when passenger ships are generally sailing at a speed of less than 10 knots, it may be difficult for them to reach the East Indies in less than a month! Of course, the German cabinet also understood these conditions, so they sent an urgent telegram to Schleier, who was in the Far East, as soon as the envoy departed, and authorized him to sign a cooperation agreement first, and wait until the original envoy from Europe arrived to negotiate the specific details of the contract!