The negotiation between Xiao Letian and Jonas reached the most critical moment. Xiao Letian offered conditions that Jonas could not refuse. However, Jonas’s authorization was simply not enough. He could only sign a memorandum with Xiao Letian. , and cannot sign a formal agreement.
"I'm very sorry. I'm just an emissary. I'm not a plenipotentiary. The Prime Minister didn't give me such a big authority. How about signing a memorandum first?"
Xiao Letian knew that setting sail from Tanggu directly to Hamburg, Germany, even the fastest clipper ship would take three months, and the Austro-Prussian War was about to start in June. If Jonas had to wait for Jonas to go back and forth, Alas, the day lilies are cold.
Jonas is also anxious now. He knows that just one memorandum cannot take away the more than one million silver in front of him. This is Mexican Eagle Ocean of extremely high quality, and all banks in Europe will accept it.
"Mr. Xiao... Prime Minister! I guarantee with my personality that Prime Minister Bismarck will definitely agree to your terms. It is the empire's greatest luck that Prussia can find an ally like you in the far east. The Prime Minister will not Ignoring your good intentions!”
"Done!" Xiao Letian slapped his thigh. "Since ancient times, wealth has been sought in danger. How can we be afraid of wolves before and tigers behind? This secret letter is for the Prime Minister of Bismarck. Only he can open it. I hope Jonas can protect him." ..." After saying that, Xiao Letian looked at the wooden boxes containing the money with distress, sighed and waved his hand, "Carry them away!"
That morning, Jonas and Xiao Letian signed a memorandum on the silver box in a warehouse in Tanggu. As the prime minister of Ryukyu and the largest shareholder of Lotte Bank, Xiao Letian provided a loan of 5.5 million taels of silver to Prussia and Germany within four years.
Prussia and Germany opened all schools, including military academies, to the Ryukyu Kingdom. The Chinese students who set sail from Naha and Tanggu can live a very good life relying only on the interest on this huge wealth of 5.5 million taels without spending a penny of their own money.
At the same time, Jonas took away three companies of new troops with a total of 300 people. Germany must ensure that these soldiers can participate in actual combat and receive the best army officer training.
The subsequent issue of principal repayment will be negotiated again after four years.
This is already the most beneficial contract signed by China after the Opium War. This agreement is simply a stimulant for the flagging national destiny. Let alone anything else, if two thousand Chinese intellectuals can work in Germany After six to eight years of training, the technology they bring back will definitely make a qualitative leap in China's technological level.
Isn't it just 5.5 million taels? It's much better than losing 200 million taels to Japan. There is absolutely no way this investment will fail.
In the following days, all the new troops in Naha and Tanggu began an English test. Among the more than 1,000 new troops, 300 were selected to have the highest foreign language proficiency, the strongest ability to accept, and most importantly, the highest loyalty. Coming out as an elite is not an easy thing.
Fortunately, this army was trained by Xiao Letian himself. They were all tested in Naha's bloody night. There is no need to mention their loyalty. It is enough to test their foreign language foundation and military literacy.
At this time, there were no more foreign ocean-going merchant ships in Tanggu Port. Shopkeeper Fan Yan carefully selected and selected, and finally decided on a Dutch medium-sized clipper ship as a means of transportation across half of the world. Secret Envoy Jonas and Sanbaixin The general sailed to Europe on this merchant ship.
Xiao Letian was really worried about the preparations in Naha. Fifteen days before the Spring Festival, he boarded a Dutch merchant ship and prepared to send the emissary and the new army to Naha in person.
Xiao Letian's decision made his harem suddenly feel sad. These girls were all looking forward to a reunion year with Xiao Letian. Who would have thought that the master would go to sea in the twelfth lunar month?
"Master, can't you not go? The sisters in the inner house all want to celebrate the New Year with you. Next year will be the wedding day for you and the two ladies. Why don't you hurry up and get ready? March is a good time to get married. It’s time…”
Xiao Letian looked at the girls with rosy faces and felt very comfortable in his heart. He pinched Qingwen's cheek and whispered, "Are you anxious? After my wedding, you can naturally consummate your marriage with me." ?”
"Ouch, that's really annoying. What did you say?" Qingwen blushed and turned away.
Xiao Letian laughed. Of course he knew that these quirky girls came to test him on behalf of Huniu and Fuhui, and he was really determined to hold the wedding next spring.
"Don't worry. I'll tell Huniu and Fuhui later that I'll be back in Naha in a few days. I promise to celebrate the New Year with you... Then we'll discuss a spring wedding together!"
Xiao Letian set off after appeasing the inner house. He and Jonas boarded a Dutch merchant ship and sped towards Naha. With the help of the strong northeast, it only took Xiao Letian four days to see the blue sky of Naha again.
In the north of the mainland, it is winter where it is impossible to live without wearing cotton-padded clothes, but in Naha it is as warm as spring, and a thin long gown is enough.
"Look, sir! On the high ground south of Shuri Castle, the coast defense guns purchased from the United States are being installed. They are 280mm huge guns, which are enough to control the entire Naha Port..."
Xiao Letian listened to Luo Huo's roar and looked at the high ground where people were flashing in the distance. Countless dock workers were carrying long ropes on their backs and desperately dragging the coastal defense guns to the high ground. They were almost at the top now.
This is a port city full of vitality. Various materials purchased from the United States are being unloaded at the dock in full swing. Field artillery, breech-loading foreign guns, boxes of bullets, and even a modern production workshop have been relocated as a whole. After coming over, even the engineers from Spencer Company rushed to Naha to inspect.
"Sir, you are truly a god. Just because of your close relationship with the United States, the largest number of foreigners in Naha are now Americans. They come to the Ryukyu royal family with countless investment intentions. Now more than 60% of the ships on the pier are All from the United States..."
Luo Huo was the last officer to leave Naha. He was very aware of the changes in Naha Port in the past six months. During his introduction, a promising emerging port appeared in front of everyone.
"We invested 100,000 silver dollars to build the Southern Shipyard. Now we have hired technicians from the United States. The tonnage level of repairing ships has reached the first place in East Asia. In the future, ships from various countries sailing in Asia will definitely come to Naha for anchorage repairs. This business Absolutely huge profits…”
"There are also ten universities founded by adults. Although the school buildings are only half-built now, more than 3,000 students are already enrolled. In accordance with your instructions, our schools only teach in Chinese and English. Little Japan wants to promote Japanese , that’s just dreaming…”
Jonas came to the Ryukyu Kingdom for the first time. In his impression, the Ryukyus were just a string of insignificant island countries in the Western Pacific. They were basically equivalent to small Pacific islands inhabited by savages. Such countries were not even included in the decadent Manchu Qing Dynasty. Worse than that, it's not worthy of attention at all.
But today, after seeing the bustling city with his own eyes and hearing Xiao Letian's construction plan, the Nordic knight was finally convinced. Xiao Letian, the prime minister of the Ryukyu Kingdom, is really a great master of Western learning. Judging from his economic The layout is really neat.
"Mr. Jonas, we will only stay here for three days. I'm afraid you won't have time to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the Ryukyu Kingdom. After the war is over, I will personally entertain you at Shuri Castle and let you appreciate the wonderful scenery of the Pacific Ocean... …”
During the chat, the merchant ship slowly approached the pier. Only then did everyone realize that the pier was already filled with troops in blue uniforms. More than 700 people from Xiao Letian's new army who stayed in Naha were all gathered on the pier.
"All of you... salute the Prime Minister..." With a long command, the seven hundred tiger warriors collectively saluted the merchant ship, and Xiao Letian, who was standing on the bow of the ship, and the fifty soldiers around him also collectively returned the salute to the dock. .
"Sir, you are back. I received your message from the carrier pigeon that the Naha Camp has become a quarrel. Everyone wants to go to Europe to fight. No matter how hard they try, it won't work. There are piles of blood petitions. Higher than the mountains..."
Liang Kun still had that fiery temper. As soon as Xiao Letian got off the boat, he led people to block him. "Sir, let me go too. As soon as I heard that there was a national war, the blood all over my body boiled. I have been fighting for three times in a row." I haven’t fallen asleep since…”
"Nonsense, I don't know your kid's foreign language proficiency? Can you recognize ten of the letters abc? If you can recognize more than ten, I will let you go..."
Liang Kun couldn't say a word that Xiao Letian was stuffed into him. He also knew that the main mission of going to Europe this time was to study, and participating in the war was just a side job. He didn't have enough ink in his belly.
Just when Liang Kun was racking his brains to organize his words, a company in the corner of the dock attracted Xiao Letian's attention. This was an unusually silent company. They didn't talk or make trouble, but that didn't mean there was no expectation in their eyes.
At the front of the team, Xiao Yepingtai and Xiao Bingtaro looked at Xiao Letian with stern expressions. They also wanted to join in and fight to win the mission of this European trip for the foreign company. But they didn't dare. As Japanese, they were always a bit embarrassed in Xiao Letian's new army. After all, the crimes of the Japanese on that night of the bloody battle in Naha were still emerging before their eyes.
Xiao Letian keenly discovered this layer of estrangement. This is not a blessing for the new army. It is good for friendly forces to compete with each other, but it is not good for them to have emotional rifts.
"Don't you two have anything to say? Don't you mean you have no ambition at all?" Xiao Letian stood in front of them, his tone unusually cold.
Xiao Yepingtai of Xinyinliu was immediately flushed with excitement. He suddenly answered Xiao Letian in less than proficient English, "Of course we are enterprising, but our foreign legion knows better. If you want to be respected, you don't rely on your words but your words." Rely on action, see you on the training ground if you have the ability, see you on the battlefield..."
Xiao Letian was stunned at the time. He never expected that Nohira's English had improved so much. Although he was a bit stumbling and had an inaccurate accent, he expressed his meaning very clearly.
At this time, Hyoutaro also spoke, "Father, I want to go to Europe. I want to see with my own eyes what the modern warfare you describe looks like, but I will not go through the back door. I will use my own abilities to fight for this opportunity." …”
Good guys, these two people were singing along, giving Luo Huo and the others a big blush. "What are you talking about? Who is talking nonsense? Who is using the back door again? When did you beat us on the training ground? You are no match for us, including learning foreign languages." Already..."
When Xiao Letian saw that the two sides were about to start a quarrel, he quickly waved his hand to stop it, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? I have seen your training ground results, and I also saw your war courage on the night of the bloody battle. I was only there I stayed here for three days. During these three days, I only took exams on cultural subjects, arithmetic, natural sciences, and foreign languages. I only took three exams. Whoever got the higher score got to go. Each one of them yelled in front of me, so they all left..."
