Zhu Erdian has lived in China for most of his life and is a complete China expert. He despises this country from the bottom of his heart. Yuan Shikai is considered the most modern-minded politician in China, but he still lacks sufficient understanding of the world. Because of this, he does not
I believe that a young Chinese man can help the British Empire save tens of millions of dollars.
This is an April Fool's joke!
Just when Zhu Erdian was stunned, a young guard came to Zhu Erdian with a tray. There was a square object on the tray. Everyone present felt that today's banquet was too interesting.
First they saw Zhou Yue's authentic work, then they saw a young man challenging Liang Caishen, and now the matter was brought to the attention of the British Minister. Even though they were well-informed, they had never encountered such an interesting thing.
Everyone's eyes were on the tray and they looked at the things on it carefully. Many old-school people present had never seen it before. However, people like Yang Du and others could still tell at a glance that it was a canned food that is very common in foreign countries.
It also began to appear in some places in China, but they couldn't figure out what the mystery of such a thing could be.
A few people even set their sights on Zhang Zuolin, and everyone thought it was him who ordered it. However, due to his conscience, Lao Zhang really didn’t know beforehand. He was also confused now, especially since he had already recognized Zhang Tinglan’s tray.
The young guard was none other than Zhang Xueliang. Zhang Zuolin couldn't guess what these two young men were going to do.
However, Lao Zhang also knew that he could not make trouble at this time, so he pretended to be confident and crossed his legs, as if he had a pearl of wisdom in his hand. In fact, he was also very nervous. If he made any omissions in public, he would definitely be embarrassed.
ah.
"Sir Juldian, you must have noticed that this is the canned meat we produce for military use. You may wish to taste it first!"
Zhu Erdian looked at the can with great interest. This thing has no technical content and looks similar from the outside. But he knows the importance of this thing in the war. Nowadays, there are ships transporting cans on the Atlantic Ocean every day.
, shipped from the United States to Europe.
The soldiers on the front line pointed to the cans to replenish protein and calories to maintain their combat capability. Due to the German submarine blockade, Britain was also in severe shortage of supplies, and a strict rationing system was implemented in the country. These cans are also precious supplies that the people rely on for their livelihood, and they are consumed very much.
, unimaginable.
If China could provide a large number of cheap cans, it would indeed save a lot of war expenses. Only then did Zhu Erdian face Zhang Tinglan's statement. This young man was definitely not simple. It was obvious that he had grasped the needs of Britain.
A smile appeared on Zhu Erdian's face: "Young man, I have been in China for many years and have long been accustomed to the delicious Chinese food, but it is good to try canned food occasionally."
When Zhang Xueliang heard what Zhu Erdian said, he quickly took out a small dagger, lightly scratched a circle on the can, pried open the iron sheet, and poured the meat inside into the plate.
When Wang Yongjiang suggested that Zhang Tinglan find a good market, Zhang Tinglan thought of Europe. The war was the biggest black hole, swallowing up countless supplies every day. Anyone could make a fortune from anything they found. It happened that Zhang Tinglan got a batch of canning machines, so he let
Those Russian workers rushed to work as quickly as possible and produced dozens of sample cans.
There are three varieties of these cans, beef, pork, mutton. The beef and sheep are all from Inner Mongolia. The pork is also a good variety. We also hired a famous chef from Fengtian to provide the ingredients, and the canned products are full of meat and taste.
It's also very good. Those Russian workers have tasted it, and they all admit that the taste is very different from the original Russian food. They have to admit the talent of the Chinese in cooking.
When Zhu Erdian saw that the color of the meat was very good, he picked up the knife and fork, cut off a small piece, and put it in his mouth.
"It tastes very good, but it's too greasy, but it's already top-notch among cans. Young man, do you want to sell this kind of can to the British Empire?"
"Yes, Sir, I think your country is in the middle of a war and is in urgent need of a large amount of military food. The price of meat and labor costs in China are much lower than those in the United States. If the United Kingdom can import large quantities, it will definitely save a lot of money.
Our cans are divided into three grades. What you eat is the top one. I think it can be supplied to generals, nobles, wealthy businessmen, etc. In addition, we also have two grades, which can be supplied to officers and ordinary soldiers respectively. The net content is one pound.
The top-quality cans are temporarily priced at 0.1 pound, and the cheapest one is only 0.03 pounds, which is about half cheaper than similar products in the United States."
Zhang Tinglan talked in front of Zhu Erdian without any timidity. On the contrary, he looked confident. All the officials present were secretly amazed. To be honest, despite their high positions, they still couldn't help but feel a sense of fear when facing Zhu Erdian.
Of course, they are not afraid of this old man, but of the British Empire represented by Zhu Erdian. In their view, Britain is still a well-deserved world hegemon, a colonial empire on which the sun never sets. But the young man in front of them has no such worries at all, and has even established business in Britain.
It's crazy to want to make money from them.
But what surprised them even more was Zhu Erdian's performance. The old British man listened carefully. Especially when Zhang Tinglan talked about the price, he actually took out his small notebook and did some simple calculations on it. He obviously became interested.
.
"The price is indeed very attractive, but I want to know your production capacity. You must know that the battlefield consumes a lot of money. If it is too little, it will be of no value at all."
"Our factory has just been established and is expected to produce about 300,000 cans a year, and the production capacity can be expanded to 500,000 cans a year later."
Zhu Erdian suddenly frowned and said in frustration: "Too little, too little! Even if you can produce one million cans, it will only cost tens of thousands of pounds. How can you save tens of millions of pounds? Young man, what do you think?
Big talk!"
Everyone present was also calculating this in their minds. Indeed, as Zhu Erdian said, this output sounds like a lot, but compared to the huge battlefield needs, it is still too small, and it is impossible to save tens of millions of funds.
Therefore, everyone felt that this was a young man talking nonsense, and Liang Shiyi snorted, thinking that this kid didn't even understand the calculations, and still wanted to fight with himself, which was simply overestimating his own capabilities.
Liang Shiyi's cold eyes had already fallen on Zhang Zuolin. This boy was making it difficult for him to get off the stage. It must be Zhang Zuolin who was behind it. He must not look good to him.
This Liang Caishen had forgotten that he was the one who deliberately sought trouble in the first place. Instead, he thought that someone else was going to target him. This kind of magnanimity was really unflattering. Others also talked about it, and some even looked at Zhang Tinglan with mocking faces, waiting for Zhang Tinglan to make a fool of himself.
However, Zhang Tinglan was still calm and calm at this time, not worried at all. He did not forget to tease Liang Shiyi as he spoke. He smiled and said: "Sir, money is about credit. Without credit, the notes are worthless. The same is true for business.
The UK does not need me to provide a real source of goods, but it only needs to convince others that this is a possible cheap source of goods, and that is enough!"
When Zhu Erdian heard this, he suddenly thought about how shrewd he was. He immediately understood what Zhang Tinglan meant, and a hint of approval rose in his heart. This young man was so right. Indeed, what Britain needs is just a possible source of goods.
Zhu Erdian finally showed a happy smile on his face and nodded towards Zhang Tinglan: "Young man, you are very smart. I admit that you have convinced me. Let's find a room and have a good talk."
Zhu Erdian is an old fox. He figured out what Zhang Tinglan meant, but everyone present was still confused. They watched Zhang Tinglan follow Zhu Erdian to a special room to talk, but they were puzzled.
"Yuting, what kind of medicine are you selling in your gourd? Tell me about it!" Yuan Keding was also very curious, so he asked the question on behalf of everyone.
Zhang Zuolin spread his hands and said with a wry smile: "Eldest Young Master, to tell you the truth, I don't know. But this kid Tinglan is quite shrewd, and Zhu Erdian will probably be persuaded by him. Eldest Young Master, just now and Secretary-General Liang are the same
It’s just a joke, don’t take it to heart!”
Lao Zhang pretended to be generous, and everyone present was not a smart person. Zhang Zuolin stabbed someone with a soft knife. Liang Caishen was slapped in the face, and then stepped on his face hard, which was considered a loss of face.
It was clean, and those who were at odds with Liang Shiyi were secretly happy.
At this time, Liang Shiyi could only continue to hold on: "Mr. Zhu Erdian has not made a decision. It is too early to be happy. A little kid who is still young can still make great changes!"
Everyone outside was guessing. Zhang Tinglan was already sitting opposite Zhu Erdian. Zhang Tinglan said with a smile: "Sir, we are indeed unable to provide the supplies that Britain needs in a short period of time, but as long as your country makes the Americans believe that they are not
The only source of goods has potential supply capacity in China, which is equivalent to having one more bargaining chip on the negotiating table."
"That's right, you are the most business-minded Chinese I have ever seen. As long as the Americans can reduce each can by one cent, it will add up to a huge sum of money."
"Not only that, I also have a textile factory, a quilt factory, and a flour mill in Fengtian. These factories can provide many kinds of military supplies that the UK needs. If the UK needs it, I can form an export company, and then we can
All the goods produced are listed, all at the most reasonable price. Your country can use this price list to negotiate with the Americans and ask them to lower the price. The trade volume between the United States and the United Kingdom is huge. If you add up a few items, you can save money.
Tens of millions of pounds is definitely not difficult to achieve."
Zhu Erdian squinted his old eyes and thought about it carefully. He had to admit that what Zhang Tinglan said was very reasonable and feasible. He had accepted this suggestion.
"Young man, what benefit do you want to gain?"
"It's very simple. In order to make our factories look more competitive, let the Americans completely believe that if they don't lower their prices, the British will replace them with Chinese goods. Should the British purchase our goods? It's best to provide them."
Give us a batch of machines to help us expand production capacity and put real pressure on the United States."