After Huai Haijun made the decision, it was up to Dong Shuheng to negotiate with the ministers of the two countries.
Dong Shuheng is very good at doing this kind of thing. Once he returns to the negotiation table, he will immediately turn back into the fussy and profit-seeking salt merchant Dong Shuheng.
If possible, these two ministers would not want to deal with Dong Shuheng. However, the door of the Qing court has always been closed.
Only the Nanyang Yamen in Liangjiang was the only official diplomatic channel. As for the Qing court's Lifan Yuan, it only targeted its own vassal states.
They both love and hate Dong Shuheng. He is very open-minded and can at least communicate normally.
However, every time they deal with Dong Shuheng, they never get any advantage.
"Two ministers, I'm glad we meet again!" Dong Shuheng greeted the two ministers happily.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Governor, I'm glad you can take the time to meet with us." Bao Ling said first. His hawk-like eyes, and his smile were indeed not very pretty.
Bao Ling was actually a very hawkish figure. Historically, it was he who took the lead in revising treaties with China, but he was always rejected by the Qing court.
This triggered the Second Opium War. Of course, Britain and France may have been preparing to launch a war.
However, Dong Shuheng felt that the greater possibility was that there was no communication channel.
At that time, Britain and France could only send messages to the local governors of the Qing Dynasty. But those governors ignored them.
Things are different now. There is Dong Shuheng who is proficient in foreign affairs and is also the governor of Liangjiang.
Dong Shuheng was much stronger than the historical Governor of Liangjiang, Yiliang. At least Governor Dong knew how to deal with these foreigners.
Dong Shuheng even made friends with them on the surface and got along with them as equals. He would not look at these foreigners like savages.
Now Bao Ling is not as obsessed with exchanging contracts as he was in history.
His energy seemed to be completely attracted by the alliance created by Dong Shuheng.
Now, he is focused on how to make good use of this alliance to gain more benefits from Dong Shuheng and add political merit to himself.
"I wonder what you two ministers are doing?" Dong Shuheng asked, pretending not to know.
In fact, how could he not know? There will always be a briefing on the contents before the meeting.
This kind of rhetoric actually expresses one meaning: I am not interested in the things you propose.
"Dong, I want to congratulate you on your great victory over the Russians in the Far East!" Bulbulon maintained his friendship with Dong Shuheng and stood up to smooth things over at the right time.
"Hey! Mr. Bourblon, this is not a big victory, it's just a tragic victory. We just have more troops than the Russians. After this battle, the Huai Navy under my command suffered heavy losses." Dong Shuheng said deliberately modestly.
At this time, it is natural that you will be sold badly. Those who pretend to be fat will only be ripped off. Especially in this kind of negotiation situation.
"But you won after all. This is something to be happy about. As for the loss, I believe that your strength will soon recover." In order to get Dong Shuheng to send troops, Bulbulon rarely said so many compliments.
talk.
The French were the most active in the Crimean War.
Napoleon III was still somewhat clever. One of the main reasons for his uncle's failure was the Holy Alliance of Prussia, Austria and Russia.
This alliance is like a sharp sword hanging over the heads of the French. The outbreak of the Crimean War can just break this alliance apart.
Because it was impossible for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to allow the Russians to extend their hands into the Balkans.
As long as this war can continue to be fought, the French are willing to do their best. Of course, if they can inflict damage on the too-large Tsarist Russia, then France will be even happier.
There is no room for so many powerful countries on one European continent.
…
"I accept your kind words!" Dong Shuheng said helplessly.
"Your Majesty the Governor, I came here today to tell you something important." Bao Ling said very formally.
The talk then turned to the main topic.
The two ministers expressed their wishes, hoping that the Huai Navy could send troops to Crimea and directly participate in the frontal battlefield against Russia.
Dong Shuheng naturally continued to talk about his difficulties, such as insufficient military expenditures, huge losses of soldiers, the journey was too long, and there were no ships to transport him!
Difficulties must of course be solved. In the end, it was agreed upon that the Huai Navy dispatched a light infantry division with about 6,000 men. Ammunition, food and supplies would be supplied by Britain and France.
In addition, the two countries each sold five steam-sail hybrid transport ships to the Huai Navy at cost prices, and they were existing ships drawn from the Far East. Dong Shuheng made it clear that the ships could not set off until the ships were in place.
This fleet of ten ships transported the Huai Navy to Kuwait. Then the Huai Navy transferred to river boats provided by the Ottomans, sailed up the Euphrates River, and then turned overland to Crimea.
Afterwards, they talked about the field hospital. The Huai Navy will send 200 medical staff to Crimea, including experts in plague control.
The Huaihai Navy has a complete set of means to deal with the spread of plague outbreaks, as well as ready-made medicines.
But Dong Shuheng said that these drugs are very precious. If they want to be used in the Crimean battlefield, Britain and France must pay for them.
Of course, Dong Shuheng gave a 30% discount on everything for the sake of his allies.
Both Baoling and Bulbulon understood this. They knew that the price of Chinese medicines in Europe was very high.
The two sides also discussed some detailed issues, such as army command issues, replenishment of weapon losses on the battlefield, etc.
In addition, the two countries also provided Dong Shuheng with a low-interest loan of 5 million taels as money for the army's departure.
There was no way, Dong Shuheng was already exhausted and could not pay the settlement expenses for departure, so the army could not even think of setting off.
But after all, the troops are sent based on alliance relations. If you want these powers to give you money, they might as well find mercenaries.
So Dong Shuheng had to accept a low-interest loan. According to the experience brought by later generations, Dong Shuheng knew that it was the uncle who owed money.
If it weren't for the fact that the two ministers didn't have the authority, Dong Shuheng would have wanted to borrow more money. Wouldn't it be better to buy some strategic supplies later?
Although Huai Haijun is rich, there are many places to spend money.
Currently, the Liangjiang region is investing heavily in infrastructure, and road construction alone is a bottomless pit.
Jiangsu's water conservancy project has come to an end, but there are still some branch line projects to be carried out.
In addition, the Huaihai Navy is preparing to start the management of Poyang Lake this fall. Of course, the amount of the project this time is not as large as the three vertical and one horizontal project, and Dong Shuheng does not have so many refugees in his hands.
This time to manage Poyang Lake, Dong Shuheng planned to recruit some people from Hunan, which was also a typical place with less land and more people.
As long as Huai Haijun offers the benefits of dividing the land, he can still recruit people.
Dong Shuheng has not been to Shanghai for a while.
Every time I go to Shanghai, I feel like I'm in a strange place. The development here is so fast.
Capital in the Yangtze River Delta is gathering here, and many wealthy businessmen from inland provinces are now buying properties here. Everyone understands the principle of three cunning rabbits.
Especially in areas under the rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, wealthy businessmen were like fattened pigs that had to be slaughtered after they were fattened.
Everyone knows that Huai Haijun has always supported the development of industry and commerce. He has even introduced regulations to protect private property.
The most important thing is that Huai Haijun is an existence that can confront the imperial court. The affairs between Huai Haijun and the Qing court have long been known to everyone.
To put it bluntly, the current Liangjiang region is an independent kingdom.
In addition, a large amount of foreign capital has poured in here. This is the largest open port in eastern China. There is even a special existence like a concession.
Of course, the current concessions do not have as much autonomy as they did in history.
In fact, since Dong Shuheng took control of this area, the concession has become more like a bonded area.
Foreigners can freely buy property and move around here freely, and they are allowed to maintain a certain guarding force. In addition, embassies from various countries are also built here. Goods shipped by foreigners are tax-free within the concession, but they are required to leave the concession.
Pay taxes.
Shanghai Customs is built on the edge of the concession.
However, with the development of the Suzhou River Basin, foreigners can buy real estate there, which invisibly dilutes the role of the concession.
Moreover, foreigners do not have extraterritorial rights in the current concession, and the management of the concession is also carried out by the Concession Management Committee under the Shanghai Navy Government.
Yuan Zude is worthy of being the grandson of Yuan Mei. This man is still very talented. Under his care, the development of Shanghai is advancing steadily.
When he came to Shanghai this time, he was also planning to talk to Wall in secret.
For more than half a year, Wall has been staying in Shanghai.
After Shanghai was taken over by Huai Haijun, the political environment became more stable, and many wealthy businessmen no longer hired security companies.
This has made it difficult for security companies to operate in Shanghai.
This time Dong Shuheng came to see Hua Er to discuss with him the future development of Yangtze River security.
Originally, Dong Shuheng recruited Hua Er not because of his talent in military command.
Instead, they were interested in his American identity. In a few years, the American Civil War will break out. Dong Shuheng even has a way to make it break out in advance. Of course, everything will have to wait until Dong Shuheng is ready.
This may be the last chance to plot the United States. After the American Civil War is over, it will be even more difficult to move to the United States. At that time, the United States will become unusually united because it has experienced the pain of the Civil War.
But if Dong Shuheng directly sent Huai Haijun there, he would definitely be resisted by the Americans.
If only the farm militias in California were used, they would probably be insufficient in terms of combat effectiveness.
Therefore, there must be a regular army that can come in handy when the time comes.
Therefore, Dong Shuheng needs the Yangtze River Security Company under the name of Wall to develop and expand in recent years. He also wants to develop the company's business focus to the Americas.
Dong Shuheng will always provide him with troops and officers.
To put it bluntly, this security company is a regular army member of the Huaihai Navy under the name of a security company.
Of course, his security business will be carried out normally. Dong Shuheng will not support so many people in vain.
Zhang Guangshun came with Hua Er, and he is the actual controller of Yangtze River Security. Hua Er's main tasks are still commanding operations and foreign exchanges.
In fact, the security company's core functions such as logistics and personnel are in the hands of Zhang Zhang Guangshun.
Zhang Guangshun can directly contact the General Logistics Department and the Training Department to coordinate the security team's recruitment and logistics supply issues.
"My dear President, I haven't seen you for so long. I thought you forgot me in Shanghai!" Wall put on an exaggerated expression. It can be clearly seen that Wall has gained a lot of weight.
, it seems that he lives a very comfortable life.
"Wal, it seems that you are lazy. You have gained a lot of weight. Can you still ride a horse now?"
"Yes, President, I feel a little disgusted with myself. If you continue to let me stay in Shanghai and hang out with those white people all day long, I may only be able to ride a big horse." Wall's tone now sounded like an authentic speaker.
The Chinese are like foreigners. In his eyes, the white people in Shanghai have become foreigners.
Because of the Yangtze River security, Hua Er was very popular among foreigners in Shanghai and was often invited to attend banquets. This is why he gained weight so quickly.