Chapter 361 The first income

A wisp of morning light flashed through the porthole, bringing a touch of gold on the thick glass. Looking at this colorful Li Mo was not only not excited, but also a little disappointed.

The two-day visit to Osman passed in a flash. Although Hamid II also drooled at the Chinese ship, especially when observing the performance training, he proposed to buy it directly, but he did not agree to the conditions when he left. Although he had left someone to continue the negotiation, it was up to God's will to reach an agreement.

"Maybe I was too anxious when I made the conditions at the beginning." Li Mo drooped his eyelids, like a Garfield nesting in the sofa and thinking silently.

Yan Fu and Chang Lin sat on the side and chatted. They could also see Li Mo's disappointment, but there was no good way to comfort him. The negotiation was not urgent. What's more, Master Li also proposed to enter a mining right in a small place called Kuwait.

It doesn't matter where Kuwait is. The problem is that they don't know why Li Mo attaches so much importance to that place. What's more, for any country, whether mining rights are open means whether sovereignty can be guaranteed, so it's normal for Hamid II to hesitate. Now to see whether the observation performance can finally impress. It's him.

"Your Majesty, this is the new telegram. In addition, we are about to arrive in Italy." As soon as Du Dazhuang opened the hatch, Li Mo suddenly got up and asked, "Where did it come from?"

"It's Germany." Du Dazhuang was shocked and quickly handed the telegram to Li Mo.

Li Mo flattened her mouth, but after opening the telegram, her face was much better, and a trace of lips were bent at the corners of her mouth, which immediately relieved Yan Fu and Chang Lin. At the same time, they were extremely puzzled. What was worth so happy about? I received the news of the restoration of Urumqi last night, and the emperor did not do the same.

"William II is really active."

Li Mo danced the dance telegram and handed it to Yan Fu. He didn't expect that he would just show a little bit of his mouth, and Germany responded positively. The efficiency was really unusually high.

The most important thing is that after Germany expands the dock, all countries will find a reality that even if they get new battleships, they will face the embarrassment that the dock is too small to build, so this is equivalent to forcing countries to start a new round of shipbuilding facilities competition, consuming them!

"Ha ha, the emperor is still wise. So many large docks were built in the early years. Otherwise, I really don't know that the largest ship that can be built in Europe is only about 16,000 tons." After reading the telegram, Yan Fu was also extremely happy. The first round of competition after the exposure of the Chinese ship has quietly begun with the expansion of the dock in Germany, and it is believed that the whole of Europe will soon boil.

But after being overjoyed, he was still a little worried and asked, "Your Majesty, have you really decided to sell the withdrawal technology?"

"What? Is there a problem?"

"The gun materials and processing technology of Britain, Germany and other countries have always been ahead of us. If they get the hydraulic retreat technology, the gun will definitely surpass us greatly. At that time, won't we be passively beaten?" Yan Fu said his worries.

"That's only temporary." Before Li Mo could speak, Chang Lin, who was sitting next to him like a student, shook his hand first. In addition to Yan Fu and Tang Shaoyi, he, the minister of science and technology, is a heavyweight, but the countries know very little about him, so they have not been paid attention. The reason why the kitchen was arranged this time is to take the opportunity to see what stage the technical level of Europe has reached. In addition, he is also going to take this opportunity to give it to the department. The technical department took some new things back.

So after hearing Yan Fu's words, he immediately retorted: "Although I don't know much about large-caliber naval guns and ship-building technologies, I have talked with Tang Xiao, McKinson and others before. It is still the basic material problem that restricts many technologies, so our Ministry of Science and Technology has added If you invest a lot in this area, you will break through these technical barriers sooner or later!"

"Compared with the great powers, we are far behind the foundation, so the emperor once said that our top priority is to stay ahead in some fields and do a good job in basic material research at the same time. Just like aluminum alloy, as long as the material technology is passed, naval guns and other technologies will make a leap sooner or later, and as far as we know Countries are about to reach the critical point in terms of withdrawal technology, and it will be outdated if they continue to hide.

"Chang Lin is right. Only what is in his own hands is the best, and technology is not the only factor for the victory of war. If the army builds victory on one or two new weapons, the army will lose miserably sooner or later." Li Mo nodded and agreed, "The army needs to maintain its prosperity. Only when these two are always leading can the army ensure its vitality."

"What's more, you forgot that we still have the two keys of power and fire control." Li Mo smiled and said, "Besides, do you think the Chinese ship will be attractive if the withdrawal technology is not sold?"

"That's true. If they don't have this technology, they won't widen their eyes." Yan Fu smiled and turned the topic: "Changlin, I heard from the Intelligence Department that similar optical fire control equipment has appeared on the French [***] ship?"

"Yes."

"Oh? How far is it from us?"

"I don't know yet." Chang Lin shook his head: "However, according to the analysis of the photos, they are using ladders, similar to ours, but because of the lack of radio cooperation, they can only meet the ship's fire channel and can't command the fleet of volleys, so Lord Yan doesn't have to worry too much, and this kind of thing is about to be outdated."

"It's outdated!"

Yan Fu's eyes are about to stare out. Although he is not a front-line officer and soldier, he is a navy after all, so he is very clear about the role of the optical fire control system. He didn't expect the Ministry of Science and Technology to break through so quickly?!

You should know that before the visit, Li Mo has officially decided to build two battleships and four heavy cruisers. These warships will start construction one after another in half a year at the latest. Is it necessary to use the latest technology?

Chang Lin couldn't help but be a little proud of the surprise of the Minister of Defense. He shook his head and said, "Lord Yan, I can't tell you now, but it may take a few years for this technology to reach the actual use, so this time you can only continue to use the upgraded fire control system."

The more mysterious Chang Lin was, the more Yan Fu felt that there seemed to be hundreds of mice scratching on his chest, constantly asking, which made Li Mo smile bitterly. However, the optical fire control technology appeared in France earlier than history, which undoubtedly gave him a reminder that while he was making progressing, others were also innovating.

Judging from the photos, the French obviously studied the Jinghai class very thoroughly. Fortunately, their eyes could not penetrate the thick steel plate. At most, they could find the trend of fueling through details and did not find the secret of the steam turbine. Otherwise, it would be really difficult to suppress these powers.

In addition to a similar fire control system in France, the United Kingdom finally tested the first steam turbine not long ago. Fortunately, the last damage was very thorough. According to intelligence, they are still a long way from loading the ship, let alone reach their current level. And it certainly can't keep up with this wave of shipbuilding, so Europe must continue to use steam engines.

That's why he deliberately used old-fashioned power when building the Chinese ship, because even if they sold the technology to them, they could not break through the shackles of 20,000 tons, unless they were willing to accept an old ship with a speed of less than 15 knots.

What's wrong with Li Mo? Just about to ask Chang Lin that he had targeted those new technologies this time, and Tang Shaoyi, who was responsible for external contact, rushed in happily.

"Your Majesty, it's settled, it's settled!"

"What's been negotiated? Is it possible that the French are willing to let us visit the fire control system? Yan Fu had not yet woken up from the news of the escalation of fire control and asked.

"Don't think about it. You think the French are fools. Even if we have them, they won't show us." Tang Shaoyi turned her eyes and said with a smile, "It's the news of the Ottoman Empire."

Tang Shaoyi handed the telegram to Li Mo and explained excitedly, "The news from Istanbul, Hamid II made up his mind to agree to the order of the Chinese ship in exchange for our Kuwait mining agreement!"

"Really!"

Not to mention Yan Fu, even Chang Lin jumped up. During the previous visit, Hamid II kept asking if he intended to sell the Chinese ship, but he was politely rejected by Li Mo, but he proposed that he could use the conditions to enter Kuwait for prospecting to help him build a new ship.

At that time, Hamid was very hesitant, but he didn't expect that as soon as he left, Hamid changed his attitude.

What excites the two people is not how much money this new ship can make, but that it means that Xinhua can freely access this land, which also means that if the news spreads, countries will definitely pay more attention to the Chinese ship.

Li Mo is also very happy. It is a great business to sell a battleship in this era. Not only can the shipyard get a lot of money, but also take this opportunity to train a large number of skilled technicians. The most important thing is to attract exchanges between the two countries by selling battleships.

What's more, I got the right to enter Kuwait!

In fact, Li Mo is not sincere about the long-lasting friendship between the two countries. After the failure of the Russo-Turkish War, a large number of lands were divided or occupied by others, and even the Suez Canal and Egypt were about to be lost, he had already lost the qualification of the great powers.

In his eyes, no matter how the game is played, Osman can only be a foil, but the problem is that they still don't know that they are already green leaves and try to maintain the dignity and glory of an ancient empire. As a result, like the second Qing Dynasty, they can only die slowly.

Of course, unless you come back from a Turkish multi-turret party.

He is more concerned about the wealth buried under the gravel in the territory of the Ottoman Empire, especially the oil fields in the Middle East! Although Thomas encircled a few pieces of land in later Saudi Arabia, this could only be regarded as the simplest development. In addition, he was afraid of attracting excessive attention from various countries and only exploited a small part of it. Therefore, he urgently needed to build a good relationship with Osman and strengthen Xinhua's presence in the Middle East to avoid being picked in the future.

The most important thing is that the Saudi family is in exile in Kuwait to accumulate the last strength. According to history, they will begin to compete with the La Cid family for control of Riyadh in two years. If they enter at this time and have a good relationship with the other party, they will break the British in the future. The dominance of the Chinese people here is extremely critical, and they can also get the most abundant benefits!

In fact, from the standpoint of Hamid II, he also made a right choice. Although he was cruel, he was still self-aware. He knew that even if he bought a Chinese ship, it could not be built at all in China, so it was better to buy one directly, and Europe will soon enter the era of this new battleship. Early orders can give the Ottoman Empire a weak lead.

As for the mining rights in Kuwait, even if he doesn't give it, he can't stop the infiltration of others. You should know that the tribes in the Middle East have long been dissatisfied with continuing to accept his rule, so the British can take advantage of it all the way to exchange a desert mining right for a latest powerful battleship. This The business is still very cost-effective.

"Contact Chen Ping immediately and ask Tang Xiao to send someone to take over the follow-up shipbuilding negotiations. In addition, Jiang Tianxiu will also be brought with him, the ambassador to the Ottomans, Dubin, and go to Kuwait immediately after the negotiations." Li Mo immediately decided on a candidate and said, "Tell them that it's not a big problem to suffer some losses on the warship contract. The most important thing is to finalize the details of our entry into Kuwait as soon as possible!"

"In addition, with Duan Fei's cooperation, his people have some contact with the Saudi family."

Hearing that the candidate was decided so quickly, Yan Fu and Tang Shaoyi immediately understood. Although they didn't understand why Li Mo cared so much about the small Kuwaiti area, people familiar with it knew that the emperor would never target for no reason, so there must be something extremely important there, so they even thought about the candidate early, and the candidate was sent It is Jiang Tianxiu, a young man who has been in the General Staff of the Army, which shows how important this desert and the Saudi family are.

Kuwait!

The Saudi family!

Master Li held his hands behind his head and buryed himself in the soft sofa. These are two super fat fish! He didn't think about it and thought it had been lost. The gift that he was going to find another way came so suddenly, and this was the first income brought back by the Chinese ship. Even if he couldn't get anything later, this visit was worth all the value.

(to be continued)