The so-called arrogance and arrogance of the Anglo-Saxons also depends on who they are. Regarding the Japanese, the British are definitely arrogant. Buckley's interest in the food and drinks at the banquet is obviously higher than that of the Japanese like Ichiro Kawasaki.
.
Of course, Buckley's interest is limited to tasting, and then he just blindly belittles it. It is unrealistic to expect to hear a positive evaluation from Buckley's mouth.
"What is this? Sake? This should be a drink for women -"
"Ha, look at these rice balls. Is this called sushi? Uh--it's actually raw--"
"What the hell is this? I suspect these things are eaten by savages!"
Buckley complained while eating, but it wasn't actually that bad. Buckley was probably trying to show his disdain for the Japanese.
It seems that Ichiro Kawasaki does not know French. No matter what Barkley says, he happily does not refute it, but he will also echo it.
Fortunately, there is Sha Cheng. Compared with Barkley, Sha Cheng is quite polite, at least not so obvious.
"Sajun, the Republic of Congo is rich in natural resources. We can pay the highest price in the world and bring more profits to Martinus Company. I would like to ask Sajun to speak kindly in this regard. Kawasaki Co., Ltd. will be generous."
Report——" Kawasaki Ichiro hoped to open a breakthrough from Sha Cheng, but he did not look at Sha Cheng differently because of Sha Cheng's Chinese identity.
"If the price offered by Kawasaki Co., Ltd. is high enough, of course we are willing to cooperate with Kawasaki Co., Ltd." Sha Cheng is still cautious and does not make any promises.
"That's great. I will go back to visit Mr. Buckley next year. I hope we can have a good talk then." Kawasaki Ichiro is full of confidence. In business discussions, Martinus Company will not refuse the money sent to his door.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Buckley and I are going to Kyoto early tomorrow morning, and the day after tomorrow Mr. Buckley and Mr. Oshima of Oshima Co., Ltd. will also meet." The news that Sha Cheng seemed to have revealed casually immediately made Ichiro Kawasaki nervous.
stand up.
As mentioned in the previous chapter, there are many trading companies in Japan that are engaged in the import business of special metals. Oshima Co., Ltd. is precisely the biggest competitor of Kawasaki Co., Ltd.
"Sa-kun, can you please take a moment to speak?" Ichiro Kawasaki lowered his voice.
"Sorry -" Sha Cheng was helpless. He was Buckley's assistant and had to stay with Buckley.
Kawasaki Ichiro smiled and nodded to a young man next to him seemingly inadvertently.
The young man followed the order and soon music started playing, and then a group of Japanese women in kimonos filed in.
Oh oh oh, yes, this is a dinner party prepared to receive foreign adults, music and women are definitely essential.
Then Barkley was surrounded by all kinds of chatter, and for a while he couldn't care about Sha Cheng.
Sha Cheng and Kawasaki Ichiro were whispering in the corner of the banquet hall.
Kawasaki Ichiro was direct. As soon as he sat down, he put a check in denomination of one thousand pounds on the table and pushed it in front of Sha Cheng.
Sha Cheng first looked at the number on the check, and then looked embarrassed: "Your Excellency, President, you are making it difficult for me to do this -"
Kawasaki Ichiro's expression remained unchanged as he pushed over another two thousand pound note.
"Okay, what do you want?" Sha Cheng was finally satisfied. Three thousand pounds was a lot. Sha Cheng's current annual salary was only about five hundred pounds when converted into pounds.
"All kinds of special metals, the more the better." Kawasaki Ichiro has a big appetite.
"Haha, Mr. President, I'm afraid you don't know that the Southern African Union has quota restrictions on the export of special metals. Eighty percent of the special metals in the Republic of Congo must be sold to Southern Africa. This is not a question of whether the price is high or not -"
Sha Cheng can't help, but he can help with a small favor. For such a big thing, let alone Sha Cheng, I'm afraid Barkley can't make the decision.
Ichiro Kawasaki expressed his understanding that although the Republic of Congo is nominally a member of the Southern African Union, it is actually almost a colony in Southern Africa. Everything depends on the attitude of Southern Africa.
"Shajun, I know this is difficult to handle, but I believe you will find a way." Kawasaki Ichiro did not believe that Martinus Company would be so honest.
Sha Cheng immediately looked embarrassed. There was indeed a way, but it was not prepared for Kawasaki Corporation, otherwise Sha Cheng and Barkley would not have come to Japan.
"Shajun, if things can be done, I have a generous reward here." Kawasaki Ichiro also spent a lot of money, which can also reflect from the side how urgent Japan's demand for special metals is.
Here is a note. If possible, it is best to use all alloy steel containing nickel and chromium for the battleship's main guns. However, Japan needs to import nickel and chromium. The cost of using all alloy steel containing nickel and chromium is too high.
Gao, Wu Naval Factory was forced to use a double-layer gun barrel. Only the inner tube is made of nickel-chromium alloy steel, and the outer tube and other lower-cost alloy steels are used, thereby reducing the cost of the gun barrel.
This double-layered gun barrel is an absolute secret of the Japanese Navy. Even Ichiro Kawasaki does not know it. The Japanese Navy has done a very good job in intelligence.
The production of battleship main guns is a complex and huge project. For the 410mm main gun of the Nagato-class battleship, each main gun barrel requires 44 tons of iron filings, 33 tons of high-grade steel filings, and 2 tons of nickel and chromium.
36 tons of limestone and other auxiliary materials used to decarbonize iron slag, totaling 115 tons.
Preparing the materials is only the first step. Next, it requires the close cooperation of hundreds of workers and dozens of processes to produce a qualified gun barrel.
Moreover, the gun barrel produced with such great effort cannot be used for a lifetime. The lifespan of Nagato's main gun is only more than 200 points. It will be scrapped after 200 rounds. Otherwise, the Navy will burn money.
In fact, the same goes for the Air Force. Air Force aircraft engines also have a lifespan and will need to be replaced when the time comes. Flying is almost like a waste of money.
"I'll try my best -" Sha Cheng had a smile on his face, and the check in his pocket was still warm. He didn't say whether it could be done in advance, but he had to give him a smile.
"Please!" Kawasaki Ichiro was kneeling on the ground and could actually bow at 90 degrees. To Sha Cheng, this action was as magical as Barkley watching Sha Cheng's Asian squat.
"How about you first tell me how much it costs?" Sha Cheng tried to get more information.
Kawasaki Ichiro obviously hesitated: "The more, the better——"
When he returned to the company's headquarters in the evening, Buckley, who had been so debauched just now, suddenly sobered up.
"Have you gained anything?" Buckley was very interested, and Sha Cheng could not deny it: "I just saw it. The old man gave you several checks -"
It was really hard for Barkley, who was surrounded by several beauties and still had the time to observe Kawasaki Ichiro.
"There are only two checks and nothing else. The old man is very tight-lipped and can't test anything out-" Sha Cheng poured herself a glass of milk to sober up. This is not random writing, it has scientific basis.
Yogurt, in particular, has a very good sobering effect.
"Not necessarily, the old man may not know." Buckley was also quite sorry, but not too disappointed.
During the dinner, Sha Cheng asked Ichiro Kawasaki what he wanted. If Ichiro Kawasaki listed some data at that time, experts in southern Africa could infer something from the data provided by Ichiro Kawasaki. Agents from Brad's office were there
Still very professional in this aspect.
"Then do you want to have further contact?" Sha Cheng was unwilling to give in. The Kure Naval Factory was in Hiroshima, but Sha Cheng couldn't get in. This felt very bad.
"Of course, not only to further contact, but also to give the Japanese a little sweetness." Buckley couldn't bear to let his children trap the wolf.
Sha Cheng also knew that it was necessary to give the Japanese a little sweetness, but when she thought of her troubled hometown, she couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh.
Sometimes it’s really helpless. Chinese people in Southern Africa don’t want to give more help to their hometown. But in this era, once Southern Africa becomes too urgent, it will attract the attention of all European countries.
There is no way, the total Chinese population is too large. If the resources of southern Africa are added to the Chinese population, then it will not take many years for the Chinese to rise again. By then it is hard to say who has the final say in the world.
.
So not writing about East Asia is really not about that, but because the Anglo-Saxons are too small-minded. If you look at the Lion City in another time and space, you will know how difficult it is for a country composed of Chinese to survive in this world.
"Where's Oshima Co., Ltd.?" Sha Cheng cheered up, it was important to complete the task.
"I'll go to Kyoto tomorrow. You can stay and see if there's any chance." Buckley wanted to divide his forces into two groups and couldn't hang his hopes on a crooked tree.
The next day, Buckley boarded a ship to Kyoto. Forget about airplanes. Japan had not yet opened civilian air routes, but some dignitaries purchased private jets.
Private jets are a new product launched by Nyasaland Airlines. Compared with the general public, the time of those who can afford private jets is obviously more valuable.
Therefore, sales of private jets have been very good since they were launched. Private jets sold in Southern Africa are provided with crew members and ground staff. This objectively means that pilots in Southern Africa have found a well-paid job. Let’s not talk about Europe.
, here in East Asia, the annual salary of a pilot is about one thousand pounds.
What is the concept of one thousand pounds? The deputy director of the Ministry of Defense of Southern Africa has a normal income of only one thousand pounds a year.
The emphasis here on normal does not mean that there is still a lot of gray income that cannot be calculated, but that there are also irregular incomes such as welfare and overseas allowances, which are also normal income and subject to tax.
Sha Cheng was not idle either. As soon as Barkley left, Ichiro Kawasaki came to visit.
This time Kawasaki Ichiro was more prepared, and the list provided included all kinds of special metals. Nickel and chromium are definitely indispensable. There is also a huge demand for niobium and tantalum, as well as oil, which is most urgently needed in Japan.
The importance of oil to industry needs no emphasis.
The embarrassing thing is that Japan also does not produce oil. Even in the whole of East Asia, currently only the East Indies produce oil. The relationship between Japan and the East Indies is very tense because of the German colonies. Japan wants to buy oil from the East Indies.