Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 324 Crazy

In the design of the Germans, it is believed that the main gun with a diameter of 240 inches and 150 times the diameter has four double-mounted turrets, and the armor thickness is [-] mm, which can fully meet China's requirements for large firepower.The order revealed by the Ministry of the Navy also made the Germans guess China's strong demand for firepower. Therefore, the secondary guns include eight [-]mm guns, twelve three-pound guns and two quadruple-mounted one-pounder barrels. gun.

The Germans' emphasis on protection is also reflected in this data. The waterline armor has reached 380 mm, which is 75 mm more than that of the second Dingzhen ship, and the other parts are also more than 200 mm in armor. .German engineers also specifically noted that this type of protective armor is limited to local production in Germany, because China does not have the ability to produce this type of armor.

In terms of power, two reciprocating steam engines provide a power of 1 horsepower, making the theoretical maximum speed of the entire ship reach 490 knots.In order to meet the requirements of high endurance, the coal loading capacity was specially expanded to reach [-] tons, so the number of crew members was reduced to [-] and seven.

Guan Xuqing nodded with a smile, and was not in a hurry to make a statement. The rigorous German couldn't sit still, and spent a long time explaining that if the power system is increased, it will inevitably expand the coal loading area, which will affect the Firepower and crew and more.

"What is the price of such a ship?" Guan Xuqing asked the German commercial representative directly. The commercial representative made a simple calculation and said that the price was between 300 million and 500 million. He also explained: "That's right. Yes, the previous price refers to production in Germany, and the latter price refers to production in China."

Guan Xuqing asked in surprise: "Why is it so much cheaper to produce in Germany than in China?"

The German smiled and explained: "Back then, the Jiangnan Shipyard needed to produce a ship, and you could buy two ships in Germany and add some rifles for the army. The reason is that the quality of Chinese workers is not high, the waste is serious, and The additional cost of sending German technicians to China, of course, requires a group of highly qualified German industrial workers to lead the Chinese workers to work together in the work group. Such a large-scale import of manpower from Germany that lasts for one or two years will of course cost a lot .”

Guan Xuqing was silent for a moment, then said: "Money is not a problem, let me tell you clearly that the Imperial Savings Bank has reserved more than 4000 million yuan for this project, and the Ministry of Economics and Trade has also set aside 5000 million yuan. Special financial subsidies. From your introduction, I can fully feel the sincerity of your country. But there is one thing that needs to be stated, that is, this bidding is not to order the entire ship, but to ask you to pay attention to the 64 main ships on the warship. Part of the bidding, and it must be built in full accordance with the technical parameters provided by the Ministry of the Navy of our country."

The faces of the German business representatives turned purple. They gathered together and discussed in a low voice for a long time before one representative said: "Your Majesty, there is no problem at all. Germany's shipbuilding strength is obvious to all the world, and we have also carried out We have had many friendly cooperations, and we believe that this cooperation will give a greater annotation to the friendship between the two parties."

Guan Xuqing nodded and said: "After I receive the order from the British, I will make a trade-off comparison. However, in order to thank your country for its long-term cooperation with our country, I assure you that at least this The armor construction task of the project is entrusted to you. In other words, I guarantee that you will receive orders of more than 3000 million yuan. Of course, I also wish you success in bidding for other projects."

Amid the applause of the Germans, Guan Xuqing left the Admiralty.Two days later, the British also submitted their outline design. Basically, the firepower is similar to the German design, but the power system is better, but the disadvantage is that the hull is small, only more than 500 tons, and the armor protection It is also thinner than the German design, and there is no advantage in the price, which is 200 million more expensive than the German.

Under such circumstances, Liu Buchan was ordered by the emperor to bargain and challenge the negotiators of the two countries respectively. After several rounds of back and forth contests, he finally handed over the orders of armor and main steel beams to the Germans and transferred the power to the Germans. The order for the firepower system was given to the British, and the most critical aircraft ejection deck of the aircraft carrier was jointly developed and built by Fujian Shipping Bureau and other domestic shipyards.Orders for other relatively trivial parts are divided among countries such as France, the United States, Greece, Norway, Italy, and Australia.

However, the Ministry of the Chinese Navy clearly stipulates that both Britain and Germany must place the order items in their respective joint venture shipyards in China to complete.After some calculations, the order fund released this time is about 4000 million yuan, and there will definitely be more in the future, but the total amount should not exceed 7000 million yuan.At the same time, the leading role of various related industries and downstream industries was gradually reflected. The Germans applied to open an iron factory in Shanghai at the same time, and the British also requested to invest in the construction of an iron factory in Mawei.

And the subsequent orders for supporting ships brought about by this order are also the coveted targets of various countries. Businessmen from various countries active in Beijing travel to the office of the Ministry of the Navy every day, and Liu Buchan is very busy.

The most ironic thing is that Guan Xuqing used the British to build an aircraft carrier for himself, and the British thought they were getting a big deal, and desperately sought political and economic capital from China, but gradually turned their attention away from the German spy Messerschmitt. The body was moved away, and later the Security Bureau claimed that Messerschmitt had committed suicide in prison on the grounds of ineffective custody, and displayed a bloody corpse.This incident was gradually forgotten by people.

Under the instruction of Guan Xuqing, Wang Fengzao also disclosed China's shipbuilding plan to the press. After the disclosure by "Asahi Shimbun", there was an uproar in the political, business and military circles, and a wave of donations from top to bottom.Emperor Meiji announced that after saving 30 yuan from the internal treasury last time, he once again announced that he would save [-] yen and put it into the special military expenditure fund. Before surpassing China, he only ate one meal a day.If the subjects are moved by the emperor's actions, please donate money and materials to the National Assembly. Whenever the donation exceeds [-] yen, the emperor will have an extra meal on the day to thank the subjects for their support.

And the business newspaper National Congress has launched a new wave of fundraising activities, claiming to increase the fundraising target of 500 million yuan proposed last time to 500 million yuan.The press called for the issuance of an additional 5000 million yuan in bonds, to fight against China's money with money, and to fight against China's unreasonableness.

And the society, from male to female, from old to young, has also fallen into a new wave of madness. Working men should not exceed their wages to support their families, while working women are completely unpaid labor.The press also appealed to unemployed young women, for the sake of the emperor and the emperor, that they should exchange their youthful bodies for the military expenses. A transportation company even set up a fleet of righteous ships, free of charge to those who are hot-headed, voluntarily or involuntarily. More women are transported to the Philippines and other countries, where the Spaniards and the Dutch, etc., will exchange money for the enjoyment of women's precious bodies.

Already in a frenzy, Prime Minister Masayoshi Matsukata has completely lost his way to the country. The whole country pins its hopes on a war that does not know when it will come and whether it will be won or lost, which makes him gradually lose his original strong confidence.If this situation is allowed to continue, he doesn't know how long the people can last.

(End of this chapter)