This cooperation between Lanfang and the coalition government is premised on the coalition government giving up its sovereignty over the North Sea.
It is precisely because the coalition government promised to give up sovereignty over the North Sea that Lanfang provided loans and material support. If not for this, Qin Zhiyuan would have no interest in going into this muddy water.
Counting pre-war loans and additional payments during the war, the coalition government now owes Lanfang 1.6 billion Lanfang coins. If it relies on resources to repay it, it is estimated that cutting down all the forests within the coalition government should be almost enough. .
So the coalition government proposed loans again, and Qin Zhiyuan was a little hesitant: What would happen if we didn't lend to them?
If the loan is not given, Kolchak will be pushed into the arms of the British. The British are currently supporting Denikin. If Kolchak is added to the mix, the situation will be very unfavorable for the northern Xinjiang. Kolchak's hand It's true. Defeating Red Russia did not bring much benefit to Kolchak. On the contrary, it increased the burden on the coalition government because of the civilians in Red Russia. If we watch the fire from the other side, I guess Kolchak will not be president for long. Lu Zhengxiang is aware of the dilemma of the coalition government and is more inclined to provide appropriate help to the coalition government.
Then leave it to them. At least there is a coalition government standing between Northern Xinjiang and White Russia. The British power cannot penetrate into Northern Xinjiang for the time being. Qin Zhiyuan immediately made the choice most beneficial to Lanfang.
Giving a loan to Kolchak is not giving money directly, but letting Kolchak use the money to purchase materials in Lanfang, such as grain and textiles. Because of the selection of specific materials, the price is often higher. It is much more expensive than the normal price, which is another layer for the Lanfang government to peel off.
When it comes time to repay, because the coalition government can only provide primary raw materials such as mineral resources and trees, the price will be lowered a lot. In short, the loan of 400 million will have an effect of at least 500 million. If it does not Considering the solvency of the coalition government, this is a good thing for Lanfang. After all, Lanfang's grain output is getting higher and higher, and there is still a lot of surplus. Part of it supporting the coalition government can also reduce storage costs, right?
Lao Chen applied to establish a navy in Beihai. The report was sent to Antonio, who suppressed it. Lao Chen handed the report to me again. He seemed a little dissatisfied. Qin Zhisheng and Chen Kangjian are old friends and have a close relationship. Lu Zhengxiang and Chen Kangjian are much closer, so their titles are more casual.
Although Beihai is an inland lake, it is still quite large, with a width between 27 kilometers and 80 kilometers, and a length of 636 kilometers. In terms of area, it is reasonable to establish a navy.
What does your military department mean? Qin Zhiyuan asks for advice first.
There is no need. The North Sea looks quite big. In fact, it is most economical to use aircraft for cruise. As for the navy, there is no need at all. A few patrol boats are enough to deter the Russians. Besides, our funds are not rich, and the navy is not necessary. The Cam Ranh Bay Fleet and the Vladivostok Fleet were originally overcrowded, and now the Marine Corps came to intervene. Antonio felt that he was stretched thin and would definitely not agree to Chen Kangjian's application. Qin Zhisheng did not agree to the establishment of a new navy, mainly because of funding. question.
The navy already has a lot of funding, and your air force and army are also gold-eating monsters. You complain about the lack of funding. Look at how much government funding Lu Zhengxiang has. He is also dissatisfied. He seizes the opportunity and starts crying about poverty.
Don't talk to me about this. Our high funds have nothing to do with your government. They are all transferred directly from His Majesty's account. How much Your Majesty is willing to give us has nothing to do with your government. Qin Zhisheng will start right away. Ridiculing Lu Zhengxiang.
When Lanfang was founded, the government had no money left, so Qin Zhiyuan had always been personally responsible for military expenditures. This could be regarded as Lanfang's tradition. After all, from the first day when the Foreign Legion was established, it was Qin Zhiyuan who was raising military expenditures. This also objectively guarantees the absolute loyalty of Lanfang's army to Qin Zhiyuan.
Although Qin Zhiyuan himself is rich, as the size of the army becomes larger and larger, the pressure is still considerable. The Lanfang government is not willing to bear all military expenses privately by Qin Zhiyuan. This will make Lu Zhengxiang less confident to speak in front of Qin Zhiyuan and other soldiers. It is insufficient, so the Lanfang government began to bear a proportion of military expenditures last year.
Of course, limited to the current financial situation of the Lanfang government, this ratio is still quite small at present, and it is only slightly better than nothing at all.
This is enough. With this premise, Lu Zhengxiang can confidently challenge Qin Zhisheng: Nonsense, starting from last year, the government has begun to bear part of the military expenditure, and this proportion will become more and more.
Well, it is indeed increasing, but the growth rate is really limited. By next year, the proportion of military expenditures borne by the Lanfang government will be about a little over 5%.
Stop putting money in your faces. When will your share of the burden reach more than half? Qin Zhisheng knows the proportion of Lanfang government’s investment. At this growth rate, in about twenty years, the Lanfang government will bear The proportion of military expenditure is expected to reach more than half.
Okay, okay, you have a defense minister and a prime minister making our imperial meeting look like a wet market. Isn't it interesting? Qin Zhiyuan really has a headache. He can't offend either of the two people in front of him.
Uh, Your Majesty, please forgive me for being rude. Lu Zhengxiang immediately apologized in a fake way, looking at Qin Zhisheng with a look full of false friendliness.
Qin Zhisheng didn't bother to pretend at all. He hummed twice as an apology, then sat down and began to think about his little Jiujiu.
Talking about the loan, you can get it. The conditions are the same as before. Also, ask Eugenich when their wood can be cut down. If there are difficulties, we can send people to cut it down. Qin Zhiyuan is very dissatisfied with the efficiency of the coalition government. , the same thing in Lanfang only needs to delay you for at least half a year.
Speaking of trees, in fact, Northern Xinjiang also has rich forest resources, but Qin Zhiyuan’s opinion is that the forests in Northern Xinjiang should be preserved as protected areas, so the wood needed for Lanfang’s development should be imported from the coalition government. Timber is in It's really not that valuable these days. Except for Qin Zhiyuan, no one has the awareness to protect the environment. Therefore, the coalition government does not set any restrictions on the export of timber, which makes Lanfang's operations easier.
It is estimated that Eugenich would not agree. Including the Russians, the British and Americans all regard us as incompetent and do not treat our people very much. Even the Republic of China has made remarks that are not conducive to us. Lu Zhengxiang said He didn't look forward to seeing you, but his expression was very proud.
Being able to make people dislike you is also a skill. It is precisely because you are so powerful that you are afraid of being disliked. Otherwise, if you look at Italians, they are very popular wherever they go.
What happened in the Republic of China? Qin Zhiyuan was still very concerned about the Republic of China.
Not talking about Lan Fang's alliance with the Republic of China, just talking about Qin Zhiyuan's Chinese origin will not make Qin Zhiyuan ignore everything that happened in the Republic of China.
In fact, in the current Republic of China, Lanfang's reputation is still very good.
Since Lanfang became self-sufficient in food, Lanfang began to export food to the Republic of China. The price was basically ridiculously cheap, and it was directly supplied to Lanfang's consulates in major cities in the Republic of China. It was not like the unscrupulous grains of the Republic of China. The hands of businessmen truly brought benefits to the people of the Republic of China.
For this incident, tens of thousands of families have become Buddhas and won praise from the people of the Republic of China. This completely concealed the fact that Lan Fang was supporting the Beiyang government in launching a unified war. So now that he heard that there were unfavorable remarks against Lan Fang in the Republic of China, Qin Zhiyuan is still puzzled.
It’s still the people from KMT. Now in the area controlled by KMT, our northern Xinjiang has become an example of Lanfang’s invasion of the Republic of China. KMT requires us to return the Northern Xinjiang to the Republic of China, as well as the areas such as Korea, Yingzhou, Nanhai and so on. KMT They claim that they have sovereignty over the above-mentioned areas, but we are illegally occupying them. The ridicule on Lu Zhengxiang's face could not be concealed.
Those people are like grasshoppers after the fall. They can't live for a few days. Don't worry about them. Sovereignty. Even if we return those areas to them, can they hold it? Qin Zhisheng's words were disdainful, and his eyes were a little cold. .
Didn't Zhang Yuting propose to buy weapons a few days ago and sell them to him at half price, as much as he wants? Qin Zhiyuan is also furious and wants to sweep KMT into the old pile as soon as possible.
The current Beiyang government is basically led by Zhang Yuting's troops. Zhang Yuting is very aware of Lan Fang's strength, so he is very close to Lan Fang. The relationship is quite close. The troops in Zhang Yuting's hands are basically trained by Lan Fang's instructors. Yes, most of the weapons are supported by Lan Fang.
The current situation in the Republic of China is very unfavorable to KMT. The troops of the Beiyang government have already crossed the Yangtze River. If a miracle does not happen, KMT may not be able to hold on for long.
Perhaps it was because the end was approaching that KMT made a desperate effort to slander Lanfang and the Beiyang government in order to gain public support.
However, this is doomed to be in vain. KMT does not have the ability to launch a people's war. Even if it wins the support of the people, KMT cannot win.
What Zhang Yuting wanted to buy were tanks and artillery. With Lan Fang's support, Zhang Yuting had established a basic military industry outside the customs. Zhang Yuting's factory could produce all of them, including machine guns. Not only did this not allow Zhang Yuting to gain a more independent status, On the contrary, Zhang Yuting became even more dependent on Lan Fang.
The industrial field is different from other fields and is more dependent on technology. Lanfang established a complete military industry because it collected enough engineers from France and Germany. The Republic of China was different. Zhang Yuting had engineers in his arsenal. Basically all of them were hired from Lan Fang. Before Zhang Yuting cultivated his own team of technicians, it was impossible for Zhang Yuting to get rid of Lan Fang's influence.
Even if he cultivates his own team of technicians, it is estimated that it will be difficult for Zhang Yuting to get rid of Lan Fang's influence. There is no limit to technology. If you can produce machine guns, you will want to produce tanks. It is estimated that when the tank production line is completed, the aircraft production line will be put on the agenda.
When Zhang Yuting can build his own plane, God knows what strange things Lan Fang will come up with. To be continued.
