German Red Prince

Page 82

"Your methods are quite impressive," Thorne thought to himself with a hint of sarcasm. Japan already knew so much about China; he wondered how many Japanese spies were here. If China and Japan were to clash in the future, it would be extremely disadvantageous for China.

"You know my itinerary is actually nothing special. I just came here to take a look around." Thorne said while eating non-stop with his chopsticks. He had never eaten such high-end Japanese food in his previous life, and he had to make up for it all this time.

Seeing Thorne like this, Okamura Neiji even became a little suspicious. Was this guy a nobleman? Or was he an imposter? Did any nobleman eat like this?

"Come and take a look? I didn't expect Germany to be interested in the Nationalist government."

Okamura Neiji casually remarked something, then poured Thorne a drink. This was the key point; he wanted to find out if Germany was secretly contacting the Nationalist government, which would be very detrimental to Japan.

"Germany?"

Thorne stopped what he was doing. He had actually figured it out: Okamura Neiji just wanted to know if Germany was planning some kind of secret operation here.

He was so paranoid, but Germany really wasn't interested in it. Wilhelm was busy dealing with France; how could he possibly have time to pay attention to this?

"Germany has no interest in this place. Besides, Germany's attitude does not represent the Kingdom's attitude. The Kingdom of the Rhine has never liked making enemies. William cannot represent the Rhine. I'm just here to take a look and look for business opportunities."

After hearing what he said, Okamura Yasuji understood that he had come not on behalf of Germany, but on behalf of the Kingdom.

Considering the previous Franco-German conflict and the German Emperor's banquet, it's likely that Germany really had no interest in East Asia; otherwise, they wouldn't have excluded Germany's East Asian colonies from that banquet.

That's good. Now we have the intelligence to report back to. Okamura Neiji couldn't help but smile.

"Your Highness, Japan also dislikes making enemies. The Great Japanese Empire prefers to make friends with the strong. We hope that we can cooperate more in the future."

"Definitely, definitely," Thorne replied perfunctorily. He wanted more cooperation; in this timeline, Germany wasn't under sanctions, so who cared about his technology? Germany didn't need his blueprints.

After chatting for a while, Thorne got up to say goodbye. Watching Thorne leave, Okamura Neiji nodded with satisfaction. This time, he not only obtained information but also made a potential friend. With such a great achievement, his chances of promotion were getting higher and higher.

Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by someone nearby, who said he hadn't paid for the meal yet.

"Baka! Why aren't you guys paying? Do you expect me to come and pay for it myself?"

“Report, we, we don’t have that much money with us,” the accompanying officer replied quietly.

"Didn't bring enough? What's wrong with you bunch of idiots!"

However, when Okamura Neiji saw the bill, he was shocked. 650 yen (about 32,500 yuan) had eaten up almost half a year's salary.

Thorne was overjoyed on the way. The fool was probably secretly gloating. This trip was definitely worthwhile. If it were his previous life, he wouldn't have had so much money to eat such a meal.

After finishing the business negotiations, he could go home. With the Franco-German conflict and the increasingly chaotic situation in North Africa, he needed to hurry back to check on things. He wondered how Chairman Mao and his team were doing with the discussions.

In the General Office, because Li Chengan had mentioned that Chairman Mao could only secure a limited number of seats, everyone was rushing to write reports, hoping to get one for themselves.

China's weapons are almost entirely imported, so Li Chenggan wrote a report arguing that China couldn't possibly buy rifles from other countries.

China currently lacks its own standard rifle, and its soldiers are equipped with weapons from various countries, causing logistical problems that can lead to a severe drop in blood pressure during wartime.

After all, given the level of industrial development, having a rifle to carry in a war is already quite good; there's not much to choose from. Sometimes, it's not uncommon for a platoon to be able to gather weapons from five or six different countries.

Li Chenggan hoped that Thorne could open an arms factory here, so that he could learn some of the technology. German-made products are very famous all over the world, and it would be great to be able to learn some of the technology.

Aside from Li Chenggan, everyone else felt the same way, hoping to take this opportunity to make some progress in their respective areas of responsibility.

"Ding San, do you really think the Germans will hold a meeting here?"

Fan Xudong looked at Feng Ru, who was diligently writing a report, and wanted to persuade him: given how classified aircraft technology is, would the Germans really come to help them? It seemed a bit unrealistic.

"It's alright," Feng Ru waved her hand. "We don't know what they're thinking right now. I'll write it down first, just in case they agree."

After the First Sino-Japanese War, he went to the United States to study. After witnessing the advanced industry in the United States, he believed that if the country wanted to become rich and powerful, it had to develop industry. He was determined to learn machinery to change China's poor and backward situation.

With the help of local Chinese in the United States, he opened a factory and learned to manufacture airplanes. In 1909, he successfully test-flew the first airplane designed by Chinese people.

At this time, it had only been six years since the Wright brothers' first successful test flight. Feng Ru believed that China had enough time to catch up with other countries in the field of aircraft.

Later, Feng Ru conducted several more test flights, all of which were successful. The San Francisco Sunday Voice published Feng Ru's story in the newspaper with the headline "He Gave Wings to the Chinese Dragon," and devoted an entire page to introducing his entrepreneurial experience and career.

At the invitation of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, he eventually returned to China with the equipment, determined to design China's own fighter jet.

However, China's conditions were not as good as those of the United States. Its equipment and technology were relatively backward. The Wright brothers' airplane had only been in operation for a short time. In order to maintain their monopoly, they blocked all the information. Feng Ru relied on his knowledge of aerodynamics to slowly explore how to manufacture airplanes.

Research is very expensive, and he didn't have much money. Even if he sold all his valuables, he would have very few opportunities to give Feng Ru to try and fail. China's aircraft development speed had fallen far behind other countries. Feng Ru hoped to get this opportunity to help China's aviation industry develop.

"The fact that I survived outside Guangzhou back then proves that I was not destined to die, and that China's aviation industry was not destined to die. I absolutely cannot give up this opportunity. I must see China's fighter jets soaring in the blue sky!"

During an air show in 1912, Feng Ru's plane unexpectedly became uncontrollable at the final landing moment. However, just before it was about to crash, the plane was miraculously brought back under control and landed steadily on the runway.

Afterwards, a hospital check-up revealed that he had only suffered minor injuries. However, the Guangzhou government subsequently banned Feng Ru from flying the plane, as it was far too dangerous and they could not afford to lose such a talented individual.

At that time, China's aviation industry was not making any progress. After Feng Ru completed the development of the first airplane, the Wright brothers' airplane had only been flying for a few years.

Now that other countries have fighter jets in the air, China's domestically produced fighter jets are still in the blueprint stage. Even if they are developed, they will be far less advanced than those of other countries. How can he be content with that?

Developing an aircraft also tests comprehensive capabilities. They lacked qualified processing materials, qualified equipment, and qualified personnel. Their technology was inferior to that of developed countries.

At the very least, they don't even have a decent engine, so how could they possibly build a fighter jet with any level of capability?

"Sigh, I don't know what to do then. What if all we've written is useless?"

Qian Changzhao couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. They were writing so enthusiastically here, but what if the other side didn't agree?

“There’s always a way. If all else fails, how about we go with someone?” Fan Xudong suggested.

If all else fails, they'll send someone to plead their case and appeal to their sympathy. What if it works?

“I think Mr. Liu is a good candidate and quite suitable. He is from Humboldt University in Berlin and knows them well. If he goes there to discuss things, he should understand things better than we do.”

“That’s right. Having studied in Germany, they should be more familiar with the German temperament than we are. Maybe they can persuade those Germans.”

After discussion, they decided to send Zhu Jiahua as their representative, hoping he could gain more leverage.

By this time, everyone's reports were almost finished and had been submitted to Li Chenggan for selection.

Li Chengan was also very troubled when he received the report. This was a task that could offend people. Everyone's reports were written in great detail, some even seven or eight pages long. If his report was also rejected, he would feel bad for a while.

However, he had no choice but to do so. After repeated comparisons, Li Chenggan selected several projects.

These are all important and crucial areas, and none can be omitted.

But looking at the large stack of reports on the table, he was reluctant to just return them.

After much deliberation, Li Chengan finally decided to show it to the committee member and let him make the final decision.

Chapter 127 Returning Home

"You've passed the buck to me again in the end," Chairman Mao said with a wry smile as he saw Li Chenggan holding a large stack of reports.

"I had no choice. It was hard to refuse these requests. Everyone was waiting for them. Ding San from our flight bureau was almost driven crazy with worry about our planes. I really couldn't bear to send the report back again."

"I know that some of our comrades are anxious and wish they could catch up immediately, but you have to take things one step at a time. Everything takes time. There will be many opportunities in the future, and we can't force people to do things."

Chairman Mao glanced at the report on the table again. He understood the feelings of these people, but it was not something he could decide alone.

"How about this, I'll take it over and let them see, and see what they say. You should also be prepared that if they don't agree, there's really nothing we can do."

"Understood, thank you, Committee Member."

Li Chengan stood up and shook hands with Chairman Mao. "By the way, our Ministry of Industry has also recommended someone, Zhu Jiahua. He studied in Germany when he was young. We were thinking of sending him there as well. He has been to Germany and knows the temperament of those people."

"That's something we can consider."

Chairman Mao nodded. Bringing along someone who knew the Germans' temperament wouldn't be a bad thing; they might be able to secure more projects.

"But let me tell you, that German prince speaks Chinese really well, he probably doesn't need a translator."

Chairman Mao thought back to his first meeting with Thorne, a prince from Europe who was so young yet could speak such fluent Chinese, which was truly remarkable.

"He can speak Chinese, that's great, we don't need to bring a translator anymore," Li Chenggan joked with a smile.

After leaving Okamura Yasuji's side, Thorne began to think about how to deal with Japan now. At this time, Japan's highest policy was not like that of the previous generation, which was to use Korea as a springboard to invade China and conquer the world.

Japan today is more willing to support the unification of China by Fengtian in Northeast China, because China is not currently in a state of warlordism, but rather has a huge power supported by Germany, and Japan cannot intervene directly.

This is more like a proxy war. The Japanese-backed Fengtian government wants to cross the Shanhaiguan Pass and go south to attack the Qing Dynasty. This sounds strange. It's like the Qing Dynasty has become the Ming Dynasty again.

However, Fengtian is not easy to control. Zhang Zuolin is currently trying to break free from Japan's control. He has suppressed the power of the South Manchurian Railway and the Peace Association, but this will inevitably attract the attention of the Japanese. If it weren't for the fact that it is not the right time, the Marshal would probably be making a trip to Huanggutun soon.

Japan and the Nationalist government now share a common enemy: the Qing Dynasty. The two sides are currently in a semi-cooperative state. Due to the obstruction on the Yangtze River, the revolutionary army cannot continue its northward advance and can only continue its westward expedition. It is estimated that once the Nationalist government controls half of China, it will immediately continue its northward expedition.

The Northern Expedition cannot be delayed. The priority now is to stabilize the situation in the rear, and then carry out several decisive battles to eliminate the Qing forces in one fell swoop. Otherwise, the longer it drags on, the more difficult it will be to unify the country. If there is international intervention and a division along the Yangtze River is established, the consequences will be unimaginable.

It's unclear how the problems in East Asia will be resolved, and Thorne is unable to intervene. However, it's estimated that the situation here will improve significantly after the German Revolution.

If a revolution were to occur in Germany, the most likely scenario for German forces in East Asia would be to preserve their strength immediately. Ships sailing on the Yangtze River would probably return home immediately, because regardless of whether the revolution succeeds or not, Germany would not be able to attend to them during that period. Without Germany backing them up, they would soon be swallowed up by local forces.

Thorne is powerless to help now. These are things he can't simply do if he wants to. Taking too big a step would only lead to trouble. Right now, he can only do his best to help.

When he returned to his destination, he found that people were already waiting for him. Thorne figured that they must have made arrangements on their end, so he led his men to the conference room with them.

Inside the conference room, Chairman Mao and his entourage had already arrived. It seemed that the Nationalist government had indeed come prepared, bringing a large group of people. After Thorne took his seat, the negotiations between the two sides officially began.

The two sides discussed how the Kingdom of Rhine would pay for the minerals and various raw materials it would purchase from the National Government. The Kingdom of Rhine's financial situation has not been good recently, so Thorne's proposal to exchange technology for raw materials was also approved by them.

Setting up factories in East Asia would mean opening up a new market for them and generating revenue for themselves, which would be more cost-effective than simply paying money.

Chairman Mao and his team first raised several issues. The first was to purchase advanced equipment from the Kingdom of the Rhine. Foreign blockades prevented high-end equipment from entering the country, and the prices that could be bought were driven up by foreign powers. Therefore, the first priority was to acquire some advanced industrial machine tools from there.

This request wasn't excessive; wanting some machine tools was acceptable, so Thorne agreed to their proposal.

Next was the investment in the Nationalist government. The Nationalist government hoped that the Kingdom of the Rhine could help with heavy industry. The Nationalist government's steel production was not increasing, and they hoped that the Germans could open steel mills here and impart some advanced experience.

The Republic of China government had very low steel production capacity. At that time, steel production capacity was a synonym for strength. The Nationalist government, despite its large territory, had a steel production capacity that was far inferior to that of the Fengtian government and also far behind that of the Qing government.

Because it was a matter of exchanging technology and investment for supplies, Chairman Mao made a lot of preparations. However, later on, it gradually began to involve the military field as well.

The Nationalist government wanted to buy Rhine's military technology and equipment, including the kingdom's latest aircraft, which gave Thorne a headache. Since military matters inevitably involve top-secret items, some of which could not be disclosed.

"Chairman Mao, I cannot make decisions on matters involving military affairs on my own, especially since some of them involve classified information. These are not decisions I can make."

Upon hearing this, disappointment flashed in everyone's eyes, but this was understandable; military equipment couldn't just be taken out so easily.

“How about this?” Zhu Jiahua suddenly looked at Thorne. “Could you send some experts over to help us with the research? If it is successfully developed, a portion of every piece of equipment produced will be used as part of the payment you need to make for this trade.”

Thorne thought for a moment and understood what Zhu Jiahua meant. It was that if they helped them succeed in their research, a portion of the cost of each gun and cannon produced would be part of what Thorne would have to pay in this transaction. For example, if producing a gun cost 300, 100 of that would be Thorne's share of the cost in this transaction.

This seems like a good idea; it helps China improve its military strength, and we wouldn't lose out either.

“That works too.” Thorne nodded. “I’ll go back and ask them to send some experts over to help you with the research.”

Hearing that they agreed, the other side naturally had nothing to say. What they needed most right now wasn't money, but technology. Being able to exchange these resources for technical support would be a huge win.

After much discussion, the Nationalist government still wanted to acquire some advanced technology from Germany, but these things couldn't be given away easily.

Chairman Mao took out the reports and said, “Your Excellency, these are reports written by our comrades. They sincerely hope to receive assistance from the Rhine. If the more confidential ones don’t work, please take a look here and see if there are any suitable ones.”

Thorne took the reports and began to read them. The reports were indeed very detailed, with some even spanning more than a dozen pages. He had read them and knew how hard his predecessors had worked to secure the technology, but he couldn't just hand it over blindly without considering the interests of the Kingdom of Rhine.

"How about this?" Thorne came up with a compromise. "Although Germany can't directly provide you with these technologies, you can send students to study in the Kingdom of the Rhine. The cost offset will vary depending on the program. What do you all think?"

"Yes, we fully accept this proposal."

The technological assistance provided by the other party has been more than generous, far better than those foreigners who only know how to take advantage. This time, the negotiations between the two sides had almost no additional conditions. How long has it been since China has negotiated on an equal footing like this?

Sending students to Germany is already the biggest concession they've made, so it's not appropriate to pressure them further. However, the cost offset varies depending on the student, and the number of places is limited, so those sent this time must be carefully selected.

After more than an hour of negotiations, the two sides finally finalized a trade agreement. The Kingdom of the Rhine would provide the Guangdong National Government with relevant technology and scientific research personnel, invest in the construction of factories in southern China, and allow students to study in the Kingdom. In return, the Guangdong Revolutionary Government would export industrial raw materials to the Kingdom until the cooperation ended.

"Welcome to visit again," Chairman Mao said, shaking Thorne's hand.

Because a series of preparations needed to be made here, including the selection of students to study abroad, which would take some time, Mao Zedong took Thorne for a casual stroll around.

Thorne's Chinese language skills weren't erased after he traveled through time, so the two of them didn't need a translator for their walks and could communicate normally.

"Chairman Mao, there are actually quite a few Chinese students studying in Germany. I met one named Nie Rongzhen before, who was studying at the Charlemagne Military Academy."

"Oh? How did you run into each other? Did you see them at the academy?" Chairman Mao asked.

“Of course not.” Thorne smiled. “I went to eat in Chinatown, and he was serving dishes there. That’s how we got to know each other.”

"That's quite an adventure," Chairman Mao said, shaking his head. "It's a pity Comrade Nie isn't in Guangzhou, otherwise you could have gotten together."

"It's alright, there will be plenty of opportunities. Maybe we'll meet again next time." Thorne didn't feel regretful. There would be many more opportunities to meet in the future. Maybe the next time they met, Germany would have already succeeded in its revolution.

"China is so big! It's a pity I came in such a hurry this time that there are so many places I haven't been to yet."

"It's alright. Didn't you say there would be plenty of opportunities? Maybe we can take a proper look next time we come."

“That’s right.” Thorne nodded. “But I hope you can meet me in Xi’an or Beijing next time I come. I’d like to visit northern China next time.”

Chairman Mao, of course, understood the implication: that they could only look on from the south now, and that if they went to the north later, he could be welcomed by the emperor. Wasn't that a way of saying that they hoped for an early reunification?

"Of course, we might meet again in Beijing, and then we can see the Great Wall."

"I wish you a speedy unification, ending the suffering of the people here," Thorne said. "When King Charlemagne defeated the powerful enemy France, he was able to unify the entire Rhine region under the pressure of Prussia and Austria, relying on the strength of the people. I believe you can also achieve a revival by relying on the strength of your entire nation."