Chapter 295 Faces

With the announcement of the Northern Republican Government to prepare for the construction of the Jinpu Railway and the reconstruction of the navy, it suddenly broke the calm Far East situation!

It didn't take long for Zhu Erdian to visit Lu Weixiang, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ask about the reconstruction plan of the Jinpu railway and the navy, and bluntly said that British shipbuilding is strong and fully capable of building the most advanced battleships, and British enterprises are also enough to undertake a thousand kilometers of ultra-long railway.

It didn't take long for the American Minister Rou Keyi, the German Minister Rex and the French Minister Pasteur to find Lu Weixiang one after another. The topics were similar to Jules, all for railway and naval orders.

To be honest, these diplomats actually know that Zhao Dongyun is shy. Not to mention preparing to build a huge fleet with eight battleships, it is estimated that a battleship can't afford to buy a battleship, but it will be a matter of time before China rebuilding the navy. At that time, even if the reconstruction scale is smaller, even a few cruisers Orders are also large orders of millions of pounds, and as diplomats, their main task is to safeguard national interests.

What is the national interest? What are the benefits for them, especially in China? Two words: market!

In the eyes of many great powers, contemporary China is actually a dumping market for industrial products, from cotton to light industrial products to heavy industrial products and military products, which are all markets competed by the great powers.

Moreover, railway construction and arms purchase orders and after-care loans are strictly separate. For the great powers, railway and arms purchase orders belong to their domestic enterprises, and after-care loans are the cake of pure financial industries of various countries. This was originally a matter of non-interference, but for Zhao Dongyun, these two It is the same thing, so when Zhao Dongyun put the two together, he invisibly increased the bargaining chips.

However, when the negotiations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the great powers had not officially begun, the people of the navy were overjoyed to find Zhao Dongyun. Why? Because no matter how big the final naval reconstruction is, who is the final beneficiary? There is no doubt that it is the navy.

The situation of the Chinese navy today is very bad!

Although the Qing court spent its efforts to rebuild the navy after the Sino-Japanese War, especially the large scale of the reconstruction before the Gengzi era, which made the Qing navy regain possession of two protective cruisers, namely Haiqi and Haitian, but there was only one Haitian after it was stranded and sank in 1904. In addition, there were three ships of the Hairong class. The foreign ships, as well as the Destroyer Eagle, the four destroyers of the Hailong class, the two destroyers of the Jianwei class, and the training ships Tongji and Jingqing, among which four destroyers of the Hailong class were captured by various countries in the year of Gengzi.

In addition to the above cruisers, destroyers and other ocean-based ships, there are also many gunboats and fish mine boats. The larger tonnage gunships include six 440-ton gunboats of the Japanese-made Chuzi series, four 550-ton gunboats of the Jiangzi series, the 743-ton Fu'an gunboat and 10 Several fish mine boats under 100 tons.

Among the above-mentioned naval ships, it split into the north and the south last year. Many naval ships defected to the Southern Federation. Although many naval ships returned to the Beiyang Republican Government at the beginning of this year, many ships are still loyal to the Southern Federation.

At present, naval combat ships under the control of the Navy Department of the Beiyang Republican Government include Haiqi, Hairong, Haichen, Haichou, etc., which generally include most of the combat strength of the domestic navy, but since last year, the navy has become an abandoned child, basically regardless of the South Both the Fang Federation and the Northern Republican government have stopped providing a large amount of military expenditure to the navy. In the first half of the year, a large number of naval ships transferred from the Southern Federation to the North Ocean, which was actually caused by the Southern Federation's unwillingness to provide a large amount of military expenditure to the Navy.

Nowadays, this small navy has nominally belonged to Zhao Dongyun, but Zhao Dongyun also knows that the reason why these naval generals are loyal to him is that he has provided part of the military expenditure to the navy.

Today's navy's scarce military expenditure is very difficult to maintain the normal operation of the fleet. At this time, Zhao Dongyun actually called for the reconstruction of the navy and suddenly expanded eight battleships. Although he knew in his heart that this kind of thing was unlikely to become a reality, it also made many generals of the navy fight blood. Similarly, as soon as the wind came out, Liu Guanxiong, the chief of the navy, proposed a formal plan to rebuild the navy to Zhao Dongyun!

"In view of the maritime threat faced by China's coastal waters, the navy believes that at least two battleship fleets can effectively maintain China's coastal security!" Liu Guanxiong boasted: "A battle fleet stationed in Weiwei and a battleship stationed in Shanghai can effectively control the mouth of the Jingji and Yangtze River!"

"The two battle fleets need eight first-class battleships, eight first-class cruisers, 16 second-class cruisers, and 32 destroyers, which is enough to build the world's first-class navy, which is not inferior to the Japanese navy!"

This is the truth. If it is really done, its strength is estimated to be stronger than that of the Japanese navy. Nowadays, although there are many Japanese naval battleships, many of them are pre-dreadnought battleships. Now the dreadnought battleships have appeared and been put into service. In the moment of service, countless predreadnought battleships in the navies of various countries around the world Out of date.

Leaving aside Liu Guanxiong's unrealistic words, Zhao Dongyun actually agrees that the navy can be so active in the naval reconstruction plan.

Although the situation is difficult, how can the Chinese navy rise again if we don't even talk about the ambition to rebuild?

In the face of the naval reconstruction plan, Zhao Dongyun used the consistent reply: It is said that it has been read!

Zhao Dongyun's disapproval was expected by the admiral, but the child who did not cry had no milk, so Liu Guanxiong ran to the presidential palace two days to complain to Zhao Dongyun. Today, he said that the Haiqi was going to be overhauled. Tomorrow, he said that the salaries of the officers and soldiers on the Hairong had not been paid in March, and the day after tomorrow that the coal used for the naval reserve had been run out. Purchasing, in short, is just one sentence: ask for money!

Although he didn't want to pay money, in order to attract the navy, he would not let the navy's wall grasses throw himself under Duan Qirui's command or simply go into the arms of the Southern Federation, so Zhao Dongyun still let Zhou Xuexidong piece together, and even misappropriated a small part of the education funds, and finally raised more than one million yuan to give it. The navy serves as military expenses, and at least it finally pays part of the salaries of the officers and sailors owed by the navy. Otherwise, those naval officers and soldiers may really betray him and turn to the Southern Federation or even Duan Qirui.

As for the naval reconstruction plan of the eight battleships, although there is no actual funding, the plan continues to be carried out in order to stimulate the great powers. At least on the surface, the navy has made a detailed reconstruction plan and even announced it with great fanfare. A 'Navy Expedition' was sent to prepare to inspect the shipbuilding of various countries and shouted slogans. In this expedition, it is very likely to purchase multiple warships, including one of the most advanced battleships.

This move attracted great attention from those shipbuilding and arms dealers in the great powers. The U.S. shipbuilding industry even bypassed the U.S. diplomatic service and directly asked the U.S. Navy to send naval representatives to invite the Chinese navy to the U.S. shipyard for inspection.

Although the possibility of China's real purchase of eight battleships is infinitely close to zero, the possibility of buying a small number of warships is very large. Even the order of one or two battleships, coupled with orders of cruisers, destroyers and ammunition to cooperate with battleships, is at least a large order of nearly 10 million pounds. As long as there is a glimmer of possibility, it is enough for those arms dealers to break their heads.

And what are the interests of arms dealers? Taxation is the employment rate, and taxation and employment rate are the most important interests of a country, so it may affect the decisions of politicians such as parliamentarians, and politicians' decisions can ultimately affect the decisions of a country!

In the face of the bait thrown by Zhao Dongyun, even if he knew that the bait was fake, it was still enough for politicians from various countries, especially those diplomats, to consider it carefully. It can be seen from Zhu Erdian's repeated private visits to Foreign Minister Lu Weixiang.

However, Lu Weixiang mentioned the aftermath loan many times when talking about arms purchase and railways, among which the idea of linking the two major interests of arms purchase and railways with the aftermath loan is already very obvious.

"For after-morrowing, the requirements of the four-nation bank groups are very clear, that is, these bankers need your government to provide sufficient mortgage guarantees. After all, the bankers' money is not blown by the wind. They also need to go to London, Paris and New York to issue bonds and raise funds, and if they want to issue bonds smoothly, Sufficient guarantees must be provided!" Juldian did not relax at all on the issue of borrowing aftermath.

A loan of 20 million pounds is not a small amount. This money is enough to buy eight of Britain's most advanced battleships. In addition to various political conditions, such a huge loan also needs a strong mortgage. In the eyes of China, a poor country, can use as tariffs and salt taxes. Well, the government's fiscal revenue is also okay, but Zhao Dongyun would rather have no money than give them out.

Just when the negotiations fell into a stalemate, Japan himself came to Zhao Dongyun and said that he could provide loans to Zhao Dongyun, and then they did not want tariff mortgage, salt government mortgage, or any financial supervision. They have two requirements!

First, this loan day should not be repaid in Chinese currency, but needs to be repaid by China with coal mines and iron ores in Fushun, Tangshan and other places. Moreover, these coal and iron ore production must be given priority to the supply day to repay the loan. In addition to the annual output supply day, it can be used for export or self-use.

Second, Japan originally hoped to build the Jinpu Railway and required priority development rights along the railway. Of course, the military garrison is also necessary!

In the face of Japan's delusion, Zhao Dongyun was not even interested in talking and directly refused. However, Japan had just left, and the Russians came to him again, and it was Andre, who had a good personal relationship with Zhao Dongyun.

Compared with Japan's own selfish opening and sinister intentions, the Russians obviously fall into the money pit and can't get out. Their conditions do not have many messy political conditions. There is only one requirement, that is, the annual interest rate of 9 percent, paid at a 30% discount, while today's international interest on large loans is usually between 4 percent to 6%. At that time, according to 20% to 10% off, and the Russians' interest and handling fees are obviously going to play with two peddlers. The Russians themselves can't lend tens of millions of pounds to Zhao Dongyun. If he and Zhao Dongyun can reach a loan agreement, he will go to Paris, London and New York to finance, and then After giving the money to Zhao Dongyun, and the Russians transferred it, they probably got more money than Zhao Dongyun got.

After listening to Andre's words, Zhao Dongyun was still as calm as before, but his heart had begun to scold his mother. The damn Russians are probably also poor and crazy, and they don't see what strength they dare to play this kind of empty-handed white wolf thing.