readx; Chapter 311: Island Trading!

The Sino-US war that broke out in Pittsburgh in August 1882 shocked the world, and the brilliant victory of the Chinese in completely annihilating the 250,000 American troops advancing westward with less than 10,000 losses shocked the eyes of all countries in the world! In particular, the new weapon called machine gun, which caused a lot of casualties to the US **** team, suddenly became a topic of discussion in the whole world, and various countries began to let their embassies in China do everything possible to get the production technology of this new weapon into their own hands!

Especially the British, who were now engaged in the war in Egypt, were even more eager for this new weapon!

All of a sudden, Huo Jiajun's economic and political center in Nanyang, Machen City, became the most enthusiastic place for envoys from various countries in the world!

"Minister Rowe, my Government and Prime Minister Fresiné have agreed to your previous offer to purchase the Tuamotu Islands, Marquesas Islands, Society Islands, New Caledonia, Chesterfield Islands and Clipperton Islands in the Pacific," said French Minister for the People's Army Patnay with a smile. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

"Hehe, this is the best news I have received today, and it is also the best reward for the friendly trade relations between China and France! Mr. Batner, let us raise a glass together and celebrate the further deepening of Sino-French relations!" Luo Fenglu smiled and picked up the glass on the table full of dark red wine and said loudly.

Although he said so, Luo Fenglu knew in his heart that if it weren't for the Battle of Pittsburgh, the countries of the world would realize the strong combat effectiveness of the Huo Family Army. And the current economic crisis, which has caused France to suffer heavy losses, and Huo Jiajun has taken out a huge order of billions of francs as a temptation. I'm afraid that after the arrogant French got the telegram that Huo Jiajun bought the island, their first reaction was not to consider whether it was worth it, but to throw it into the trash can next to them!

After the two of them clinked glasses and took a sip of the red wine in each of them, Batner said again: "Minister Luo, as you just said, the reason why my government took the risk of selling these colonies to you is also because of the friendly and cooperative relations between us! These colonies are very important to France, so we have to think about getting enough of them when we sell them to you. to appease the resentment of the people in the country. Therefore, we would like to be able to add a little more to the purchase conditions you have previously proposed!"

Hearing this, Luo Fenglu couldn't help frowning, he had a diplomatic career for several years in a row. Let him be no stranger to the greed of these foreign devils. And he also expected that the French would not be so simple to hand over these islands to Huo Jiajun. Although he had been prepared in his heart for a long time, when he heard the words of this Frenchman sitting opposite him, he still felt extremely tired in his heart!

"Do you think that the price at which we buy these islands is too low?"

"No, Minister Luo misunderstood, we have no objection to the price at which you purchased these islands, but our government would like to be able to obtain your country's machine gun and new rifle manufacturing technology, as well as the new gunpowder formula!" Butner said with a smile.

A battle of Pittsburgh revealed the advanced weapons and equipment of the Huo Jiajun, and France, as a major army power, naturally wanted to obtain these powerful army weapons as soon as possible. After all, they were directly facing the threat of hundreds of thousands of German troops!

After listening to his words, Luo Fenglu couldn't help but smile faintly. The conditions of the French, he had long anticipated!

"Minister Batner, 1.5 million pounds to buy these islands, which add up to less than 30,000 square kilometers of land, is already an unprecedentedly high price, after all, the Americans only spent $7.5 million on more than 1.7 million square kilometers of Alaska from Russia!" About 4.5, 1.5 million pounds is nearly 7 million dollars, and in this era, it is an unprecedented price to use this money to buy these islands, which add up to less than 30,000 square kilometers!

"In addition, whether it is a new machine gun, a rifle, or a new gunpowder formula, our Huo Jiajun spent a lot of time and energy to research, and now your country wants to empty gloves white wolf, and without spending a penny, you want to grab these new weapons production technology that can affect the strength of a thing, is it too greedy! Is this the Sino-French friendship that our Huo Jiajun spent nearly 200 million pounds to get back?" Luo Fenglu said with a serious expression.

After listening to his words, Batna's fat face couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment, he understood that Huo Jiajun took out the purchase of New Caledonia, The 1.5 million pounds sterling of the Society Islands and other islands is already an unprecedented sky-high price, after all, they are less than 30,000 square kilometers together, and most of these islands are desert islands without the slightest value, France has obtained less than one million francs from these islands in a few decades, and the annual administration and garrison also require the French government to post money here, so it is possible to sell these islands to Huo Jiajun at a price comparable to the original sale of Louisiana to the United States, and the French government still agrees!

However, the power of the new weapons has also been proved by the world after the Battle of Pittsburgh, and the countries of the world have also seen their great power, so France, as an army power and facing strong pressure from the Germans, of course, also wants to obtain the production technology of these new weapons as quickly as possible!

Originally, the powerful France could use money to buy these new technologies, but now under the economic crisis, every cent of France's income must be used to relieve domestic economic pressure and help the unemployed, but it can't come up with much money, or it doesn't want to spend money to buy these technologies!

Therefore, they want to use these islands purchased by the Huo Jiajun to exchange these weapons production technology at one time! I have to say that the French are really very greedy!

"Of course, it is not impossible for your country to get machine guns and new rifles, as well as new gunpowder formulas!" Luo Fenglu said with a meaningful smile.

Hearing this, Batner's eyes lit up, and then he thought of something, and his expression became calm again. As the Minister of the French Embassy in Huojiajun, his decades of diplomatic career have made him understand that there is nothing in this world that is 'unearned', and if you want to get it, you must pay, and even more so between countries!

"I wonder what France needs to pay for this?"

"Hehe, considering the friendly relations between France and the Huo Jiajun, we will not put forward too harsh conditions!" After a pause, Luo Fenglu continued: "Your Excellency, we hope to use the production technology of these new weapons, plus three hundred machine guns and ten million francs, in exchange for France's colonies of Martinique and St. Maarten in the Caribbean, as well as Reunion Island and Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean!"

Hearing this, Batna couldn't help but stand up, staring at the self-conscious Chinese in front of him with his eyes, and said in a condensed voice: "Don't you think your Excellency is a little too greedy?"

France can accept giving up the islands in the Pacific Ocean, after all, these islands have no production, and the natives are rampant, a wilderness, and they are no longer on important shipping lanes or strategic nodes, so it is not distressing to sell them to the French! But these islands that Luo Fenglu just said are different!

Martinique and Sint Maarten are both part of the Little Andrés Islands, located in the middle of North and South America, and their geographical and strategic location is extremely important, and they are also an important route for trade between North and South America and Europe and Europe!

"Mr. Minister, don't be busy refusing first, although Martinique and St. Maarten are relatively critical in location, but the island area is not large, and the economic value is limited, even if it is sold to us, France still has Guadeloupe, St. Bartholomew and French Guiana, and its power will not shrink! As for Reunion Island and the Comoros Islands, after the opening of the Suez Canal, their status has plummeted, and both economically and strategically they are no longer what they used to be, not to mention the fact that your country has now occupied the island of Madagascar, which is rich in resources and hundreds of times the size of Reunion Island! It has long since replaced Reunion Island as the strategic fulcrum of your country's East African shipping route! Therefore, I really can't think of anything that Reunion and the Comoros Islands have to cherish the mighty French Republic other than their meagre economic output!

After listening to his words, Batner did not rush to refute, because he knew that what the Chinese in front of him said was the truth, and in addition, now the Chinese have made up their minds to pay attention to the fact that unless their conditions are met, I am afraid that they will not give up the new weapon production technology in their hands!

Sighing secretly in his heart, in the face of the Chinese quid pro quo, Batner had a headache at the moment. Chinese strong military strength and the current terrible economic situation in France have made his previously invincible military threat a joke! The only thing left is to offer enough Chinese conditions on the premise of equality in exchange for those new weapons production technology that France covets! This makes him a little unwilling!

"Minister Luo, I'm curious, why do you have to get these islands from us? You must know that your sea area spans the entire Pacific Ocean, which is enough, and your naval strength is too weak, if you are distracted by the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, do you still want to expand into these places?" Batner asked.

"No, Mr. Batner, we want these places, not to expand our power in China, but for the sake of trade security, especially now that there is a war between Egypt and England, and the Suez Canal, although it is an international waterway, it is also at risk of being cut off, and we now have more than half a billion pounds of trade orders with European countries, and we must ensure that these goods we buy can reach the South Seas safely!" Although it is a bit far-fetched, this is already the best reason Luo Fenglu can find! )