"Mr. President, Xiangxi came here today to ask for something, and I hope you can fulfill it. I will drink this glass of wine first as a token of respect." Kong Xiangxi raised his glass and offered a toast to Su Tong, and then he drank it all in one gulp.
Followed the etiquette of toasting from subordinates to superiors.
"Oh, tell me." Su Tong did not agree immediately. He still put his hand on the table and did not raise the wine glass. There was a half-smile on his face, which meant that he did not accept the other party's toast.
Everyone at the table glanced at each other and sighed helplessly in their hearts. It seems that today's matter will be difficult to accomplish.
Only Kong Xiangxi seemed to have no reaction. He picked up the wine bottle and poured himself another glass. There was a shrewd look on his chubby round face: "President, since Xiangxi was dismissed from his political office,
He devoted himself to the business world. Last year, he opened a shipyard in Qingdao in partnership with others, but he has been suffering from no orders. Xiangxi heard about the £500 million order that was just passed by Congress today. So Xiangxi hopes that you can share some orders.
Do you think it’s okay to give it to our shipyard?”
Some people say that Chinese people always follow the principle of euphemism when speaking in official circles, and they always say things tactfully no matter what they say. But this is not absolute. Kong Xiangxi has been in the officialdom for many years and certainly understands that people at the level of Vice President Chiang Kai-shek and Chief Su
On the contrary, when people speak, they are very straightforward, without any twists and turns. If it works, it will work, if it doesn’t work, it will not work. There is rarely any half-covering, because when they are in this position, they no longer need to consider the art or skills of speaking.
, in their position, they have almost reached the point where they can keep their word. Do they still need to rely on speaking skills to show their level? The so-called skillful but not workmanlike, heavy sword and no sharp edge may refer to their state.
Su Tong didn't show anything strange after hearing this, and asked directly: "Well, how many orders do you want?"
Kong Xiangxi and his wife were startled at first, and then a hint of joy appeared on their faces. Su Tong's words were tantamount to agreeing that they could share the cake.
Kong Xiangxi's eyes hidden behind the lenses flashed with a glint, and he held out a finger, "If it's possible, we want 20% of the order for the thirty destroyers. Do you think it's okay?"
Su Tong nodded, "Can you complete the work on schedule with quality and quantity?"
"Of course. If you can't do the job then, you can just come to me."
Seeing the fat man Su Tong patting his chest, he nodded silently and agreed. Everyone knew that the matter had been done, and they all secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They were afraid that Su Tong would not give anything to the former dean of the Government Affairs Council.
If he refused his request with a good face, then Vice President Chiang and his wife, as the hosts, would be very embarrassed.
Su Tong picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of the dish and ate it slowly. When he slowly swallowed the dish, he looked at Kong Xiangxi and asked slowly: "Mr. Kong, do you know why I agreed to your request?"
"
"This" Kong Xiangxi and everyone were stunned when they first heard this.
"The reason why I gave this order is not because you have been the president of the Executive Yuan before, nor because you are a relative of Vice President Chiang Kai-shek." Su Tong put down his chopsticks and picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and said leisurely.
, "The reason why I gave you this order is to bring our country's shipbuilding industry to a higher level. You also know that since the Opium War, our country's industrial base has been the weakest in the world. Although in recent years,
Although there has been greater development, the weak foundation of heavy industry is an indisputable fact. Since the 26th Republic of China, the development our country has achieved in industries such as ships, automobiles, aircrafts, and steelmaking is obvious to all. So far, our country’s steel industry
The annual output is 7 million tons, which is only the same as Japan. The American steel output is 60.7 million tons, the Germans are 21.4 million tons, and the Soviet Russians are 840 million tons.
120,000 tons, while the British have 12.3 million tons. From these, we can see the difference between our country and Western developed countries." At this point, Su Tong sighed softly, as if he was a little disappointed.
But everyone here doesn't think so, because before 1935, China's steel production was only 50,000 tons. Under the leadership of Su Tong, it increased 140 times in just seven years. This huge
No one can erase the achievements. And with the completion of the second phase of the Baotou Steel Base and the completion and commissioning of the Panzhihua Steel Base, there is absolutely no problem that China's total steel output will double several times in the next five years. All of this
It is all the credit of the young man in front of me. It can be said that this young man who has just passed his thirtieth birthday and less than half a year has brought a semi-feudal, semi-colonial and barren country to a leapfrog state in just six years.
The fast lane of development.
Regarding the great achievements this young man has made for the country, whether he hates him, loves him or hates him, he has to admit the fact that under the leadership of this young man, this ancient country is undergoing earth-shaking changes.
Variety.
After everyone was silent for a while, Su Tong said sincerely, "Mr. Kong, my personal opinion is that your ability to do business is far better than your ability to be an official, and I also believe that under your leadership, your shipbuilding company will
The business will definitely flourish, which is one of the reasons why I agreed to give you the order for the six destroyers."
"The first reason is that there is also the second reason." Mrs. Jiang on the side saw that the atmosphere in the restaurant was a bit depressing. She was good at mediating the atmosphere and quickly came out to smooth things over.
"Haha, of course there is the second reason." Su Tong also smiled and turned to ask Madam Chiang: "Madam, you have lived and studied in the United States for many years, so you must have a good understanding of the economic strength of the United States. Then I want to ask you
One question is, according to the national strength of the Americans, how long will it take for them to build a destroyer?"
Mrs. Jiang pondered for a moment and said slowly: "I don't know much about this, but I estimate that they can launch a destroyer in four months at most."
"No, Madam, you are wrong." Su Tong shook his head, "What you said is based on their usual speed. If my estimate is correct, if the United States switches to a wartime economic system, they will only need sixteen to sixteen at most to build a destroyer.
A destroyer can be launched in twenty days."
"What sixteen days?" There was a clang, and a pair of chopsticks fell to the ground. The people present can be said to be high-level people in China. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are well-informed, but for what Su Tong said about building a building in sixteen days,
The speed of a destroyer has never been heard of. When they heard this sentence, their first reaction was that they were listening to fairy tales, but when they saw the serious look on Su Tong's face, they could tell that Su Tong was serious.
.
Seeing the suspicious looks in everyone's eyes, Su Tong sighed lightly. If he hadn't come from later generations, he wouldn't have known about the occurrence of the famous Liberty Ship. During World War II in another time and space, the United States had an average of three cargo ships launched every day.
The record for the fastest destroyer production is that it only took sixteen days from laying the keel to launching it. It was by relying on this production speed that the Americans defeated the arrogant Germans and Japanese.
"Jianming, is this true?" Vice President Jiang asked with a stern face. If this news stopped in the ears of ordinary people, it might just be heard as an interesting thing, but in the ears of Vice President Jiang, the country's leader, it was
It has a completely different flavor, which means we need to re-evaluate the potential that the United States can unleash.
"Yes," Su Tong nodded and explained, "Since last year, the British government has ordered two hundred merchant ships from the American shipyard to supplement the war damage and support the merchant fleet. In order to rush for time, the U.S. Maritime Commission changed and optimized the design
, they used a brand-new welding method, which shortened the construction speed of the ship from more than 400 days to the current 42 days. The Americans called this type of ship a Liberty Ship. And I believe that if the Americans
If we further tap into the potential, this speed can be further accelerated. This is the latest information just provided by our intelligence department. Since they can build a cargo ship in a month, then I believe they can build a warship as fast as they can.
It won't be too slow. The reason why I say so much today is that I hope Mr. Kong can take advantage of accepting this order to train more skilled technical workers and increase experience in manufacturing warships for our country, so as to provide more opportunities for our country.
Be prepared for the future."
Kong Xiangxi only felt bitter at this moment. It would be good if his company could build a cargo ship in one year, but look at others, they can launch the cargo ship in one month. What a huge gap is this?
Looking at Kong Xiangxi's wrinkled face, Su Tong suddenly showed a smile and said to him, "Mr. Kong, there is no need to worry. Americans are not gods. I believe we can do what they can do. As long as we master the correct
Using this method, our speed of building ships and warships may not be slower than those of foreigners. Later, I will compile the experience of Americans in building ships and warships into a document and send a copy to you. You only need to follow the method above.
, I believe you can do it too."
When it comes to copying other people's products and experiences, no one knows the capabilities of the Chinese people better than Su Tong, who came from a great copycat country in later generations. From shoes and hats to airplanes and tanks, the Chinese people's ability to copy goods is famous all over the world.
, what China lacks now is nothing more than skilled technical personnel and experience.
What Su Tong has to do at this time is to train more qualified engineering and technical personnel and workers in the country as soon as possible to lay the foundation for the country's manufacturing industry. As long as he has enough experience and the right methods, Su Tong firmly believes that Huaxia will also be able to