Chapter 174: Huge Investment in Ship Purchase
Chapter 174: Huge Investment in Ship Purchase
In Jiaoyuxuan, people were drinking and chatting.
Retired Qing officials, warlords, the Westernization Movement, rebels, court loyalists, foreigners, and unprincipled people who were only loyal to the warlords gathered together in a harmonious and warm atmosphere.
Wu Fu walked in quietly, "Master, Le Sen is here."
"Why don't you come over?"
Wu Fu looked around and whispered to Wu Wenxi, "He ran to Qingge."
Wu Fu felt that his voice was too soft and most people did not hear it, but there were two Kung Fu masters in the bar.
Tian Xing was thinking about fighting for his country on the frontier, and he drank passionately, not caring about anything else. Hai Qing was excited, "Is it true? I'll go find out."
Seeing Hai Qing walk out with a gossipy look on his face, those who didn't hear clearly guessed what Wu Fu said, and the scene became a little awkward for a moment.
Wu Wenxi looked embarrassed and picked up the wine glass to cover it up, "Drink, drink."
Hai Qing's figure was strange, and he ran quickly towards Lai Qing Pavilion in the night, not feeling that there was anything wrong with his actions. When he was in the Su Palace, the prince and princess were in the palace, and he was serving outside...
When I arrived at Laiqing Pavilion, I heard the sound of ping-pong coming from the attic.
Haiqing was very curious. Le Xiucai was indeed young. This was much more noisy than Prince Su's.
Hai Qing jumped up, put his hands on the eaves of the second floor, and flipped over, clinging to the attic window frame like a civet cat. He was indeed the parkour master in Zheyuan, second only to Tian Xing.
He carefully poked his eyes through the window frame and looked inside intently.
I saw Miss Qingfeng holding a rattan stick, chasing Le Sen like a ferocious monster. She was as brave as her father, as if it was a replay of Wu Wenxi breaking into the military camp and chasing Le Sen.
Miss Qingfeng gnashed her teeth as she beat him, "You heartless loser, you shaved your head, why didn't you become a monk! I waited for you for four years, but you didn't come to see me. I was afraid that you couldn't enter the Zhe Garden, so I pretended to go to the Ancient Dongyue Temple to shave my hair and become a monk. There aren't servants guarding the ancient Dongyue Temple, right? You didn't even go to take me away. I've never seen a man as cowardly as you. Where did the courage to write nonsense poems to seduce me go!"
Uh, Haiqing was very surprised. He didn't expect that the perfect dream lover that Le Xiucai had been thinking about for several years was like this.
I was so surprised that I accidentally stepped on empty air and slipped down.
Haiqing quickly tried to save himself. He reached out and grabbed a bulge on the corrugated roof. Unexpectedly, the bulge was movable and he finally fell down.
Eunuch Hai was as light as a swallow and made no sound when he fell. He opened his hand and saw that he was holding a jade pendant which had somehow become embedded in the corrugated tile.
I heard Miss Qingfeng upstairs was exhausted from the fight, panting, still refusing to forgive Le Sen, "I'm telling you, idiot, the jade pendant you gave me is gone. Get out of here right now, if I don't have the same jade pendant, I'll really go to a nunnery and become a nun."
Seeing that the lady finally opened the door, Le Sen fled downstairs in embarrassment.
Le Sen's official uniform was torn, and his hat was covered with marks from being beaten with canes. He sighed and looked dejected, limping around aimlessly, when suddenly someone patted him on the shoulder.
Turning back, "Huh? Eunuch Hai?"
Eunuch Hai smiled, and a jade pendant appeared in his hand like magic, "I calculated with my fingers, you need this."
Le Sen snatched it away, as if he had found a treasure, "How did this thing end up in my father-in-law's hands? What a blessing, what a blessing."
"Lucky ass. I've heard it all. Miss Qingfeng is giving you a way out. Even if you don't have the jade pendant I have, wouldn't you buy another one like it? Is this broken thing a unique piece?"
Le Sen looked at his torn uniform and became worried again, "How can I go to Jiao Yu Xuan like this?"
Hai Qing knocked Le Sen's bald head with a chestnut chisel, "You are still a scholar, no wonder you failed the imperial examination, you are so stupid. Did you really come here to drink? Why don't you go home quickly? I will come to the Ziyuan to propose marriage tomorrow!"
Le Sen suddenly realized and bowed deeply to Hai Qing, "Thank you for your guidance, eunuch." Seeing Le Sen limping away happily, Hai Qing sighed with his hands behind his back, looking like a master.
"Alas, I have a tool, but I don't know how to use it. I have been working foolishly for four years. The people in the world are stupid and miserable. It's better for me who has no tool. I have no worries. Well, after we finish drinking, the casino should be open, right?"
…………
Three days later, Shao Quanzhong attended Le Xiucai's expedited wedding.
At the wedding, the groom looked very happy, with a bald head and cane marks on his face.
Even though the bride was wearing a veil, one could still see that her figure was graceful and elegant, and that she walked with lotus steps like a willow swaying in the wind. At first glance, she was a well-educated, beautiful and elegant young lady from a scholar's family.
The army will be setting out in two days, and the prefect can bring his family with him. After getting married, Miss Qingfeng - well, now she has to be called Madam Le, can follow her husband to Xi'an Prefecture.
Although the couple may still not see each other often, it is better than being thousands of miles apart in Hailing.
Shao Quanzhong came back from the wedding banquet, feeling very satisfied, and Le Xiucai finally achieved his goal.
Although Hai Qing revealed the secret that the bride and groom liked the rattan game at the dinner table, it didn't matter, as long as Le Sen was happy.
"Report, Liao Rong called."
This time Liao Rong's telegram was a bit long.
"The commander had previously instructed us to purchase ships, and we had some preliminary ideas.
Currently, only Britain, France and the United States can build ironclad ships.
The United States was unable to build high-tonnage warships, and because it was in the midst of a civil war, it was excluded from accepting overseas orders.
Although France was an enemy of the Huai Army, it could actually order the ships in the name of other troops. However, the main purpose of the French warship design was to suppress African colonies in the Mediterranean, and the ship type was not resistant to wind and waves and was not suitable for sailing to the Far East.
Therefore, ordering warships from Britain became the only option.
At present, the most advanced ironclad warship in Britain is the Minotaur-class ironclad warship weighing more than 10,000 tons. However, after contacting the subordinates, the British said that the most advanced warships would never be sold.
The British recommended the Hector class, which weighs about 7,000 tons. The combat effectiveness of this class of ironclad ships is less than one-fourth of the Minotaur class, but the cost is two-thirds. It is a failed design, so I ruled out this model.
It was finally decided to order four 6,800-ton Wangfu-class ironclad ships as the main battleships, ten Johnson-class cruisers of more than 3,000 tons as escorts, supplemented by twenty small warships of more than 1,000 tons, forty auxiliary warships, and forty transport ships, with a total cost of about 30 million taels of silver.
If the order is placed now, it is expected that the ships will be completed one after another within four years, and the Nanyang Fleet will be officially formed five years later.
If this fleet is completed, our Nanyang Navy will become the world's third largest maritime force after Britain and France.
In addition, I have heard that the Confederate States of America has two completed battleships for sale, a 4,670-ton medium-sized battleship ordered from Britain, and the 1,350-ton "Cheops" ordered from France. I suggest that you purchase them immediately to prevent them from being acquired by your strategic rivals.
But I regret that I cannot purchase the latest Minotaur-class ships that would allow my fleet to compete with the French fleet."
After reading it, Shao Quanzhong's eyes started to roll. He said, "I have enough money, but it would be a shame if I can't buy the best warship."
Humph, we must find a way to capture this Minotaur.
(End of this chapter)