"So... that's why I have to find a way to grab time! Grandpa Huang and Father... I have to catch up on the time they wasted! I'm anxious and I'm anxious here..."
Er Mao had been silent in the corner, but today when he saw that the little emperor was so crowded that he was about to cry, he felt a little unbearable. He tried a color on Cai Bixia and then spoke.
"Mr. Cai... When the head of state and His Majesty were parting in Europe, they promised to support His Majesty in taking charge!"
"For His Majesty to govern, my godfather has done a lot of work! Isn't the key to today's discussion about equipment? I don't believe that the head of state can't solve it!"
"Mr. Cai... you'd better report the situation to the head of state!"
When Cai Bixia heard that Er Mao started acting according to the script, he quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, no... please don't give me any problems, manager. Why don't you send a copy of this telegram!"
"You are more useful than me! I really don't dare..."
Zai Chun suddenly became alert. He was a smart man and could tell something was wrong from the expressions and tone of the two of them!
"Don't you dare? There's something wrong with what Sister Cai said... It's just a telegram, why don't you dare? There must be something going on here..."
"Er Mao... tell me the truth. Is this a problem? Don't hide it from me. I've always been good to you!"
Ci'an was also alert and said to Ermao, "Ermao! His Majesty has always treated you as a friend, but you don't have to call him a slave if he has an order!"
"What a great grace is this? No eunuch has had such grace in the two hundred years of our country! To treat you as a friend instead of a slave, you have to know this friendship!"
"Your Majesty is in trouble now. If you can't help it, I won't blame you, but if you have an idea in your heart but don't tell it, then you have failed His Majesty!"
Ermao looked like he was constipated and pretended to be embarrassed, "This, this, this...this should be what the special envoy said, and I, an outsider, should not interrupt!"
Cai Bixia started to wave his hands again, "I can't say it, I really can't say it... Ermao, you know how deep the water is here, I don't dare to send this telegram!"
With a bang, Ci'an put the soup bowl on the table. "Er Mao! Speak! Just tell me whatever you want! Do I still need to beg you for help?"
Seeing that the Queen Mother was angry, Ermao shrank his neck and stamped his feet, "That's it! I'm so talkative!"
"Queen Mother! Long live! In fact, the three-year period is not impossible to shorten, but it is more difficult!"
"What Long live the Lord wants is to build the iron factory and some railways as soon as possible, because with the iron factory, there will be raw materials for industry, and only the machinery factories and military factories behind will have raw materials!"
"Including the steel used for railway tracks, we cannot rely on imports. The price is too expensive!"
"The railway must be built. Your Majesty knows very well that where the railway is built, our Qing Dynasty's military deployment can be expanded!"
"If there is a railway between Beijing and Tianjin...according to Western rules, the number of garrisons in the two cities can be reduced by more than half!"
"In fact, it is enough to leave one third of the garrison of these two cities. The extra money will be used to build a strong iron army! Let's use the convenient transportation of the railway so that a strong army can control the defense of the two cities!"
"This is what your Majesty wants. This is the best way to save military expenses and increase combat effectiveness!"
"With half the military expenditure, we can control a larger territory and provide higher combat effectiveness... This is a good strategy to really make money!"
"That's right!" Zai Chun excitedly slapped his thigh. "Queen Mother, this is what I have always said. The so-called reform can actually save the court money! It saves a lot of money..."
"A rich country and a strong army can save money. In the end, won't relatives like the Eight Banners be able to eat meat and drink soup? I still don't understand such a simple truth!"
"I understand, I understand... Your Majesty, don't be impatient, let Mr. Ermao speak slowly..." Ci'an smiled to appease the little emperor.
Er Mao breathed a sigh of relief, "Of course the benefits are obvious, but the root of all this is still in the steel industry. Unless the raw material issue is resolved, everything will be just a castle in the air!"
"The Capital Iron Works is the top priority of everything. The earlier it is put into production, the faster the branches of industry that will continue to follow will be established!"
"But this big iron plant can't be repaired that easily. What's holding us back is nothing more than the key equipment of the steel plant!"
"Ironmaking requires a blast furnace, and steelmaking seems to require an open hearth... Processing rough steel billets also requires tens of thousands of tons of hydraulic presses, and more importantly, cranes have to be purchased from Europa..."
"Some of the Chinese people can produce all kinds of machinery, but one third can only be imported from the UK or Germany!"
"We can talk about these things that the Chinese produce themselves and work overtime! But the equipment imported from Britain and Germany is the key point that is stuck in our necks! There is really no way to do this, and it is useless no matter how anxious we are! "
"Unless..." Er Mao's long voice gave Zai Chun hope. Zai Chun, who was a little desperate because of Er Mao's analysis, suddenly saw the light!
"Unless what? Tell me quickly..."
"Your Majesty... Unless you can influence those big businessmen and big capitalists of the Chinese ethnic group, there is nothing you can do!"
Before he finished speaking, Cai Bixia couldn't help but sigh, "This road simply won't work... It's all in vain!"
Ci'an and Zai Chun were really confused. Cai Bixia knew that it wouldn't work today if she didn't explain clearly, so she had to take over the conversation and said, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother... Actually, the solution that Manager Ermao said is very simple but very difficult to do!"
"Your Majesty wants equipment. Who has the equipment? In addition to the steel plants in Germany such as Krupp, there are also a group of people who have the equipment!"
"Who are they? These are the big Chinese capitalists, such as Boss Niu Jinfu, Boss Mi Fu... Of course, old shopkeeper Fan Ru also has some in his family!"
"Haha... In today's world, the most profitable business is the production of industrial products, especially those related to steel! This is a huge profit, and it is much more profitable than buying and selling silk, tea, medicinal materials, furs, etc.!"
"Krupp sells a cannon, and its profit exceeds yours by several ships of porcelain! This is the cornucopia of money-making industry in the future!"
"So these big Chinese capitalists are planning ahead! Before the Franco-Prussian War, they had already signed processing equipment contracts with Prussian arsenals and steel plants!"
"It's not two copies! That's dozens of copies... Some of the equipment in the hands of these people has already begun to be shipped to Asia, and some are basically produced in the workshop!"
"This is the only quick way, don't even think about other methods!"
Zai Chun was excited when he heard it, "Okay! Let's buy it from them! Even if the price is increased by 10%, I will agree! I have met Mi Fu and Boss Niu, and I believe they will not refute my reputation!"
"If it really doesn't work, Shopkeeper Fan won't just sit idly by..."
The more Zai Chun spoke, the less confident he became, and the quieter his voice became, because he saw that the expressions of the people around him were all unnatural, and even Ci'an's smile had frozen!
The Queen Mother shook her head, "Your Majesty! Since Er Mao and Special Envoy Cai Bixia are in such a difficult situation! I'm afraid this matter won't be so easy to handle!"
