Japanese officials all knelt down and kowtowed to Li Zhen, marking that Li Zhen officially became the regent of Japan and legitimately took control of Japan's military and political power.
This result has become a foregone conclusion.
Next, there was another series of etiquette before the officials retreated. Max looked at Li Zhen and said with a smile: "Li, I have to admit your intelligence, you actually came up with such a way to control Japan, and The results we expected were too far apart. Your wife became the emperor, and you became the regent. With this relationship, you have almost no constraints. Now that the matter in Japan has come to an end, I plan to lead the troops back to Nagasaki. "
Carter said: "There is nothing going on in Kyoto Prefecture, it's time for me to go back."
Li Zhen shook his head slightly and said: "Everyone, I still have something to discuss with you. Don't be anxious."
Van Nilon asked: "What's going on?"
Li Zhen nodded towards Xin Gong, who took the initiative to get up and leave the hall.
Li Zhen sat casually on the emperor's seat and said: "I invite you to stay here to discuss with you the construction of railways in Japan. Nowadays, the development of railways has become a trend. All countries have built railways, and transportation has become more convenient. Convenient, troops can be mobilized in a short time, and goods can be transported in a short time. With the railway, after your goods arrive in Japan, they can be transported and sold in the shortest time. I think you are also willing to see this situation. occurring."
Carter said: "Prince Li, how do you plan to build the railway, or how much money can you provide to build the railway."
Li Zhen said: "I have no money."
"ah,,."
Cartel exclaimed, and Max and others also looked at Li Zhen blankly.
If you don’t have money, you’re talking nonsense.
Several people had the urge to swear, but they still endured it.
Max scratched his head and said expressionlessly: "Prince Li, building a railway cannot be completed with just one sentence. The whole process requires surveying and mapping, mountain excavation and road construction, iron ore, and machines. It requires more labor, etc. It consumes a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources. I hope you will face this matter seriously. Moreover, as the Zhennan King of the Qing Dynasty, you have many ways to make money. This is well known. If you say no Money, there are really no rich people in this world anymore.”
Li Zhen said with certainty: "I really have no money, not even a penny. Even if I have money, it is other people's money, not my own."
"The way you put it, things are going to be very difficult to handle," Cartel said.
Van Nilon said coldly: "Without money, we can't build the railway."
The Dutch commander and the Italian commander successively expressed their disapproval of Li Zhen's empty-handed construction of the railway. When it comes to the comparison of the strength of the two armies, the armies of the five countries fighting Li Zhen are likely to end in failure. But when it comes to money issues, It has nothing to do with strength, they will definitely not be able to support Li Zhen.
Li Zhen was not anxious, and said with a smile: "I want to explain one thing about the construction of the railway. In the next three years after the railway is built, all the goods you transport by railway will be free of charge."
"No."
Max replied immediately, as did Cartel, Van Nilon and others.
Everyone has a unified voice.
Li Zhen laughed and said: "After I take charge of Japan, I will sell Japan's iron ore and coal as resources for mining. I wonder if you are interested." Li Zhen looked at the five people with interest. The expressions of the five people changed.
"Interested." Commander Holland said immediately.
When it comes to iron ore and coal, they are definitely quite valuable.
Even though Japan is a small country, it does not have any iron ore or coal. It must have considerable reserves, which is enough for them to develop. Once they can contract it, the money they earn from it will definitely be high profits. At this moment, everyone can see The gaze towards Li Zhen has changed. It is no longer the expression of contempt for Li Zhen just now, but his eyes are shining, as if Li Zhen is a mountain of gold and silver.
Moreover, they have a deeper understanding of Li Zhen.
Li Zhen took control of Japan's main resources as soon as he got started. Now that he wants to sell them, it is an outright conspiracy, which makes it impossible for several people to avoid it. The five of them are all human beings, not fools, and they can understand what Li Zhen means. Intention, just imagine, the construction of railways requires a continuous supply of steel resources, and the operation of trains requires a continuous supply of coal. If we remove the coal and iron ore, we can continue to make money in the future.
Li Zhen's entire set of ideas was presented to the commanders of the five nations.
Li Zhen asked again: "Everyone, who can participate in building the railway?"
"I do," said the Italian commander.
"I do," said Commander Holland.
Max frowned. He did not expect that the commanders of the two countries would immediately be willing to build the railway, which immediately put him in a difficult situation. Even the alliance formed by the five countries could not be united sincerely. Cartel thought for a while and said: "Prince Li, the matter of building the railway is very important. We must discuss it and give you an answer after we get the result. What do you think?"
While speaking, he glanced at the Italian and Dutch commanders repeatedly, asking them to change their tone.
The two did not refute and agreed with Max's statement.
Li Zhen also said readily: "Okay, I agree."
Max said goodbye, while Li Zhen sat back and watched the commanders of the five nations leave.
After listening to the translation, Zeng Guofan took the initiative and said: "Your Majesty, they have not yet reached a unified standard. It is easy to make a breakthrough. Let them build the railway for us obediently. Now when they go back, they will definitely discuss a unified standard and form a unanimous opinion. It won’t be good for us then.”
Li Hongzhang said: "Your Majesty, I agree with the teacher's statement. The decision should be made on the spot."
Li Zhen smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be prepared."
…
After Max, Carter and the other five people returned to the military camp, they closed the door to discuss.
Michaels said: "When we discussed building the railway with Li Zhen, I thought we were not united, especially the Dutch commander and the Italian commander. I would like to solemnly remind you that we are a collective, a whole, not scattered. When we do things, we cannot rush to compete for each other when we see the benefits. This is very detrimental to us. Only when we reach a unified opinion can Li Zhen not take advantage of it."
After a pause, Max said: "I think Mr. Cattell's performance is undoubtedly the best. He takes the overall situation into consideration and considers us as a whole. We should all learn from him."
The rest of the people's eyes fell on Cartel.
That look made Carter feel uncomfortable all over, because it was not just praise, but also mixed with other emotions, including jealousy, envy, and even a touch of hatred, which was very uncomfortable.
ps: The third update, I am writing the fourth update, it is probably very late;