"Prime Minister, from the time of the boycott of American goods in the late Qing Dynasty to the "Jiao'ao Incident" and the antagonism of Japan, senior American officials have been fearful of the wave of China's national revolution. They were worried that if they were unwilling to make appropriate concessions, they would be forced to make concessions. And Since the products currently imported from the United States to my country are mainly high-end products such as automobiles and machinery, with a smaller audience, raising the tariff rate will not only have little impact, but will easily win the favor of the Chinese people. At the same time, due to my country's performance during the Jiaoao Incident, the United States The government has just decided to support our country in order to curb Japan's tendency to dominate China and thereby stabilize the international order in the Far East. Therefore, we have maintained a tough attitude and adhered to our existing stance of tariff independence and extraterritoriality, which has led to the current good results."

Looking at the Prime Minister sitting behind his desk, Lu Zhengxiang explained softly, then lowered his voice slightly.

"Although the Prime Minister has persuaded Zhu Erdian, told him his interests, forced him to admit the reality and start negotiations with our country, he still wants to maintain his status as the boss in China. If he wants to force him to submit, he must negotiate with the big powers individually.

In order to isolate the United Kingdom, therefore, after discussions with Shaochuan, we will interrupt negotiations with Shaochuan after a breakthrough in tariffs, thereby isolating the United Kingdom and creating a tough appearance."

Although he had already colluded with the Prime Minister, he was well aware of the Prime Minister's intention to "quickly sign a contract", so he rushed to the State Council to explain clearly to the Prime Minister as soon as the negotiations were suspended to avoid misunderstandings. Now the "Special Foreign Affairs Committee" is in

It was carried out under the direct leadership of the Prime Minister. As a diplomat, Lu Zhengxiang knew very well that without the support of the Prime Minister, the revision of the New Testament might start with a bang and end badly.

"Putting aside the negotiations with the United Kingdom for the time being. This is the diplomatic strategy we have decided on before. Negotiate with France first, and then negotiate with Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. When we have conquered all these countries, the British will also

Don't worry! They will naturally make concessions when the time comes.

In the office, listening to Lu Zhengxiang's report, although Li Zicheng was a little anxious about the progress of the current negotiations, Li Zicheng still did not show any pressure, even though he urgently needed the results of the new agreement to increase the prestige of the State Council so that he could win in the future.

The reputation has been established through a series of big moves, but some things cannot be rushed.

There have been some mistakes on the United States' side, but that was the first one. Now, let's hand it over to the Special Foreign Affairs Committee!

"Zi Ci, to make a new contract, you only need to abide by one principle. We need to take back a lot of the power we need to take back. As for the bottom line of extraterritoriality, as long as it does not exceed the United States, it is acceptable. And in the concession..."

After a moment of silence, Li Zicheng, who knew that this matter involved a lot, understood that it would be very difficult to take it back directly, unless...

"Prime Minister, in the unequal treaties originally signed between China and foreign countries, there was no such thing as a concession. Its appearance was only the result of a transaction between a British consul and a Chinese local official."

At this time, Gu Weijun gave an appropriate reminder. Faced with Gu Weijun's reminder, Li Zicheng just smiled. The Treaty Section of the Foreign Affairs Office of the State Council has conducted sufficient research on the privileges of various countries in China. As for the concessions, they have also conducted research in accordance with the legal provisions of each country.

Comparison, so it can be considered as understanding.

"For the concession, we must maintain judicial jurisdiction, police power, military power, and taxation power. These four powers must be recovered. As for the concession..."

Sneering, Li Zicheng didn't say anything. He wanted to take back the hard power first. As long as the hard power is taken back, the next thing will be easier to handle.

"In the concession, the interests of the British are great, and the interests of the French are not far behind. We must ensure that these four rights are recovered. As for the rest, don't worry, the mountain people have their own clever plan!"...

While he was talking, Li Zicheng picked up a note book from the table and scribbled a few sentences. After finishing writing, he pressed the bell leading outside the office. Zhang Yilin walked in a few seconds later.

"Prime Minister, what are your orders?"

"There is a confidential telegram here. Send it to Ou Chu now. Send it as a company secret. He knows what to do!"

With that said, Li Zicheng handed over the note. Although he was very curious about the content on the note, after the Prime Minister mentioned that it was a company secret, neither Lu Zhengxiang nor Gu Weijun knew it was inconvenient to intervene.

Although the Prime Minister is now the Prime Minister, as the chairman of ** Company, while handling state affairs, he also needs to intervene in the company's affairs, and his contact with the company is through the special radio station established by the State Council.

Looking at the two of them, they seemed a little curious, but Li Zicheng smiled and said nothing, and just warned them.

"You continue to negotiate with other countries according to this bottom line. As for other matters, leave them to me. In short, I still say the same thing. I will give you whatever you need. If you have any problems, leave them to me. As for the accusations from the outside world, I will take care of them.

Take it!"

Half an hour later, in the ** Building in Lianyungang, in the office on the 16th floor of ** Company, Mu Xiang, the general manager of Company 6, was sitting on a leather armchair. He glanced at the package that had just been delivered a minute ago.

Confidential document. As soon as he saw the seal of the confidential document, he knew that it was a telegram sent by the Prime Minister and the chairman of the company. Since the chairman came to the capital to take office, his command of the company has been through telegrams. There are an average of ten telegrams exchanged every day.

Fortunately, the company there has an in-house radio station, otherwise just telegraph exchanges would be a huge expense.

After opening the secret letter, Mu Xiang, who originally thought the chairman was giving some instructions on business operations, was stunned. He read the contents of the letter repeatedly, and after a while he said softly:

"Oh My God!"

But no one agreed to him. He was the only one in this office.

Ten minutes later, Mu Xiang once again strode back to his desk, sat on the luxurious leather chair next to the table, and glanced at the confidential telegram on the table. The contents of the telegram

The content was very simple. It was a "commercial" telegram. The telegram requested him to acquire land in concessions across the country. Of course, it was not "renting land" from the concession authorities, but purchasing already leased land in concessions from the original landowners.

Perhaps for other people, it seems that they cannot see the intention behind this. When the concession land was rented to the people, the earliest concession in Shanghai only cost 1,500 taels of silver per year, and the higher ones only paid ten taels of silver per year. For any

For a businessman, there seems to be no benefit in acquiring those concession lands and it will only take up a lot of funds.

"Spend a lot of money to buy a "hardcore crop" that is protected against drought and floods!"

At most, that's it.

But for Mu Xiang, who was sitting on the chair, he saw the deep meaning behind this. In particular, the Prime Minister's instructions were very clear. Do not go through the company directly, but try to come forward through other people as much as possible, especially those who attract "property buyers".

It would be ridiculous to say that the Prime Minister is only interested in "guaranteeing harvests from droughts and floods for hard-core crops".

"Concession!"

Considering the ongoing negotiations, Mu Xiang casually wrote two words on the note pad. He could guess what the Prime Minister would do. He wanted to use "commercial" means to take back the concession, so as not to cause any diplomatic turmoil!

In the process of land acquisition for the Longhai Railway, the company has long accumulated a set of "land acquisition" methods and also has a team of talents who can skillfully use any legal means to obtain land within the commercial scope. The Prime Minister left this matter to the company

, it can be regarded as the right person. Even in the concession, I am afraid there will not be as many problems as the company encountered during land acquisition.

If all the concessions in the country are completely acquired, there will still be... Silently calculating the expenses on the paper, Mu Xiang leaned back on the chair again and frowned slightly...

"Does it require so much expenditure?"

Perhaps the rents do not seem high, and perhaps the scope of the concession does not seem wide, but like all acquisitions, everything has its own price. As for the concession land, in the eyes of the people, it is "a hardcore crop that guarantees a harvest despite droughts and floods."

·If you want a smooth acquisition, you need to give a suitable price. After just a little calculation, Mu Xiang was shocked by the nationwide expenditure on concession acquisition.

After calculating a basic number, he leaned forward and pressed the bell. The secretary outside the door quickly walked in.

"Secretary Fang, send this telegram to the Prime Minister. You will wait for the telegram in person."

The secretary came back 20 minutes later. In his hand was a telegram he had just received. The content of the telegram was very simple.

"I agree with your plan. The required funds will be temporarily advanced by the company!"

Looking at the contents of the telegram, Mu Xiang was stunned at first, and then smiled. Now the chairman was in his "position" again, so he picked up a pen and wrote directly on the telegram.

“The company requires total revenue as handling fee!”

Then he handed the telegram to Secretary Fang.

"After sending the telegram, please ask Manager Chen from ** Real Estate Company to come over."

When Secretary Fang was about to walk out, Mu Xiang added another sentence.

"Also, invite Director Wei from the company's security department!"

This matter cannot only rely on the company's acquisition through normal channels. For some businesses, it requires the cooperation of some other means.

From Yangshupu to South Pier, along the Huangpu River are the terminals of various countries. A long list of foreign ships flying various national flags almost makes people forget that this is on Chinese soil. Almost every port

Chinese people who have some sense of conscience feel gloomy every time they stand on the pier and can only shake their heads secretly.

The same is true for Liu Hongsheng. Perhaps it was for this reason that he resigned from the post of comprador of Kaiping Mining Bureau three years ago and went to Lianyungang to discuss with Longhai Railway Company the agency rights to sell Lianghuai coal.

At that time, the Lieshan Coal Mine in Huaibei had just produced coal, and the Jiulonggang Coal Mine in Huainan had not even started construction.

However, foresight can always lead to success. Before that, the entire lower reaches of the Yangtze River used Kaiping coal or Japanese coal. Kaiping coal was delivered in Qinhuangdao at 6 taels of silver per ton, with a shipping fee of 34 taels, and a cost of 910 taels to Shanghai.

The sales price is about 19 taels. The delivery price of Lieshan coal in Lianyungang is 6 taels, and the freight is about 1 tael. The cost to Shanghai is only 7 taels. The Huainan coal is delivered at the wharf along the Huaihe River at 5 taels per ton, and the freight is about 15 taels.

.Compared to Kaiping Coal, even if it sells at a low price, the profit per ton is far higher than that of Kaiping Coal.

But for Liu Hongsheng, what makes him most proud is that in the past two years, not only did he earn more than two million taels of silver for himself in just two years, but he successfully squeezed Japanese coal out of the Yangtze River

Midstream and downstream markets.

Japan, which has scarce natural resources, has quite abundant coal reserves. As early as the early days of the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government's coal industry developed rapidly as an important part of the "reproductive industry". A mature domestic coal consumption market has not yet been formed.

During the Meiji period, Japanese coal was mainly sold to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and other East Asian regions. The export volume of Japanese coal was second only to raw silk and cotton silk. Before World War I, coal was one of the important strategic exports used by the Japanese government to earn foreign exchange.

one.

China, which is also a country with large coal reserves, developed its coal industry slowly in the second half of the 19th century. Domestic coal needs mainly depended on imports. Especially coal from Japan, after the opening of the five-port trade, overseas coal began to be imported into various port cities along China's coast. 19

In the 1950s and 1960s, British coal and Australian coal were mainly imported into the Chinese coal market. In 1866, Japanese coal first appeared in the Shanghai coal market.

In the 1970s, with the development of Japan's coal industry, in addition to meeting domestic demand, Japanese coal began to be sold in large quantities to coastal areas of China, mainly Shanghai. With the rapid increase in the input of Japanese coal, Japanese coal in the Shanghai market increased in 1870.

It surpassed British coal and Australian coal in 1874 and 1873. In 1874, the import volume of Japanese coal was close to 60,000 tons. Japanese coal established its dominant position in the Shanghai coal market. In the 1880s, the import volume of Japanese coal continued to increase. In 1880,

In the 30 years to 1910, the import volume of Japanese coal always accounted for more than 80% of the total coal volume in Shanghai. In 1890, the import volume of Japanese coal even reached 90% of the total volume. Japanese coal completely monopolized the Shanghai market. While Japanese coal in China

The importance of the market is far beyond that of other countries. Japanese coal accounts for eight-tenths of Shanghai's coal demand...

Almost as soon as Liu Hongsheng shipped the first batch of 3,000 tons of coal to Shanghai, the Japanese Coal Industry Corporation, which monopolized Shanghai's coal supply, realized the impact of Lieshan coal on its business. Those Japanese businessmen competed for Shanghai and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River as many as two times a year.

The million-ton coal market started a desperate competition with the "Liu's Coal Company" founded by Liu Hongsheng.

Before that competition began, the most fundamental reason why Japanese companies were able to monopolize China's coal market was that they were the closest to China and generally used mechanical mining, which had low costs, so they could ship large quantities to China for dumping. The reason why Japanese Coal Mining Corporation

The reason for being wary of Longhai Coal is not only that it is the closest to Shanghai, but also that it uses coal mining machinery imported from the United States for mechanical coal mining. On the one hand, the five-year planned output of its Lianghuai Coal Mine exceeds 10 million tons.

In order to ensure that the Shanghai market, the largest overseas market for Japanese coal, was not lost, almost as soon as Liu Hongsheng transported the coal from Lieshan Coal Mine to Shanghai, they made a desperate move and desperately lowered the price. The FOB price of Japanese coal in Japan was per

A ton of 56 taels of silver, and the shipping cost to China is 35 taels of silver per ton, but they sell it at a price of taels of silver per ton, which means they lose 1 tael of silver for every ton sold. This is a knife-edge game.

Light, blood and shadow, there is no commercial war with shouting and killing.

At that time, while dealing with competition, Liu Hongsheng personally went to Lianyungang to seek support from the company. Although the Lianghuai Coal Mine had just been put into operation at that time and was far from reaching the designed production capacity, the company decided to compete with Japanese companies for the Shanghai market and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Subsequently,

We also took timely measures to reduce the original selling price of Huaibei anthracite coal from 125 taels of silver per ton to 75 taels of silver, and the selling price of Huainan bituminous coal from 115 taels to 62 taels.

Because the quality of Huaibei anthracite and Huainan bituminous coal is much better than that of Japanese coal, coupled with the price advantage, and with the continuous expansion of coal mines, the production quality continues to decrease, and the original "micro-profit competition" has turned into "profit competition". So in the end, Japanese businessmen
To be continued...