Chapter 549: Hiring Feng Ru
Because this was the Rockefeller estate, the four people present communicated in English, as Rockefeller Jr. did not understand Chinese.
Sheffield's early concern was that if something happened in East Asia, the United Shipbuilding Company's San Francisco shipyard would not be able to recover its costs, but now, after looking at the texts from the Roosevelt administration, this concern has disappeared.
Even Rockefeller Jr. said that this was not a plan that our country could come up with. This was too conscience. A hundred years later, when the Ford class was put into service in the United States, would the Nimitz class be sold to other countries? It was impossible!
But at the beginning of the century, the dormant United States had to demonstrate the demeanor of a responsible major power and offer such conscientious conditions.
"If the citizens knew the details, they would definitely be dissatisfied. Diplomatic work is a job that citizens want to be tough on foreigners, but it happens to be the exact opposite." Sheffield smiled helplessly. There are times to bully the weak and fear the strong. Countries that are candidates for world hegemony often have stupid people and a lot of money.
"If the blueprint from the Roosevelt administration is implemented, you won't have to worry about profits. The federal government will help us out anyway. I don't understand what you are worried about." Rockefeller Jr.'s tone was full of helplessness. When did this partner become like this?
Sheffield still had a stern face. He was always worried about two things, and profit was only one of them. Although he had lived in the United States all his life, he was not a member of the Kuomintang before, and he had always avoided interfering in East Asia.
The imperial system should end. This is not because of any special hatred towards the Qing Dynasty. It should also end when a different ethnic group becomes emperor.
Now, if nothing unexpected happens, the demise of the Qing Dynasty is a foregone conclusion. Even if the contract continues to be implemented without interference, who will eventually get these battleships? Would this still violate the original intention of non-interference in East Asia?
Sheffield's frowning and thoughtful look not only made the Chinese ambassador to the United States Zhang Yintang and Feng Ru feel uneasy, but even Rockefeller Jr. was confused. This was not the ruthless slave owner he knew. He couldn't help but say, "William..."
"Don't rush me. There is no trivial matter in diplomacy." Sheffield glared at Rockefeller Jr. After continuing to chatter, Sheffield was about to mention his de facto marital relationship with Edith Rockefeller, asking his brother-in-law to shut up.
Clearing his throat, Sheffield fiddled with his lighter and said, "From the perspective of containing Japan, as an entrepreneur, it is my honor to help the country support another country. I am not afraid of what Japan will do, but once the contract is signed, it must be implemented. I want the Qing government to raise as much funds as possible and apply for a loan from the federal government. I can lower the cost of the first two ships, so your government will prepare 20 million taels and borrow 20 million from the United States. In fact, with this money, you can only buy two 16,000-ton South Carolina-class battleships. But if the first two ships can be paid in full, I can give your navy two similar 22,000-ton Delaware-class battleships, which is almost half-sale and half-giveaway."
Sheffield finally agreed to give in. In fact, it had nothing to do with Rockefeller Jr., but was calculating the life of this kind of battleship. When the Gun Party came to power, it should be useless.
For a useless existence like the Cannon Party, giving them anything will be useless and will only increase their logistics strength.
Listening to Sheffield's thoughtful opinion, Rockefeller Jr. was stunned, and then hurriedly added, "The discount is only limited to the first two battleships. Mr. Ambassador, please don't make a mistake."
Rockefeller Jr. never dreamed that Sheffield would offer such conditions. Is this a test of conscience with the federal government? Didn’t they talk about the profit issue at the beginning?
The brother-in-law obviously misunderstood the slave owner. The slave owner could accept not making money from the work, but he could not accept losing money.
The San Francisco shipyard belonged to Sheffield, and the Rockefeller family had no shares, so Sheffield had the final say in this matter. He offered such favorable conditions, and he also put forward his own requirements, "The full amount must be received within three months, half of which is about 20 million taels of silver, and the federal government will provide a loan. I believe this will not be too much pressure on your country."
Sheffield made this request with a certain degree of confidence. Since 1840, more than half of the court's annual expenditure was military expenditure. It was even more extreme in the late Qing Dynasty. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, 70% of the expenditure was military expenditure.
So, although the Qing Dynasty was humiliated by the imperialist powers in the late Qing Dynasty, it definitely did not lie down and admit defeat, and it was always working on strengthening its military.
But like many non-European reforms of this era, it ultimately failed to keep up with the progress.
Many people may think that Japan's Meiji Restoration was a success. If the goal was set at becoming the gatekeeper of the great powers, Japan was successful. However, compared with Britain, France, Germany and the United States, Japan's greatest success was its defeat in World War II and its occupation by the United States.
"Mr. William, if this 20 million taels of silver can be exchanged for such a big discount, I am willing to communicate with the ministers at home, but what about a loan from your country?" Zhang Yintang thought for a while and said, "I don't have the connections to deal with your country's banks."
"In fact, as long as the federal government agrees in principle, many banks are willing to provide loans." Sheffield answered this question. He knew that the key point was that the country had to endorse this transaction. As long as the federal government nodded, it would not be a problem. "I will exert influence on Congress with some friends recently."
Sheffield said it lightly, saying that no one understood the collusion between officials and businessmen better than me, so Zhang Yintang could rest assured. The key was whether the Qing government could show efficiency.
Telegraphs were already available in this era, and Sheffield gave Zhang Yintang one month to get the Qing government's agreement in principle, which was already a very ample time.
The current ruler of the Qing Dynasty should be the Regent Zaifeng, right? I wonder if he is trying Wang Jingwei, the man who tried to assassinate him.
Considering Zaifeng's reputation in history as someone who likes to make false claims, it is entirely possible that he agreed on impulse. It is said that when Zaifeng first became regent, he originally planned to build 20 battleships, which could easily defeat the Japanese Combined Fleet.
After discussing matters concerning the navy, Rockefeller Jr. and Zhang Yintang continued to work out the details. Sheffield invited Feng Ru to have a chat, and the language was switched to Chinese. This surprised the Chinese aviation pioneer very much. The main reason for his surprise was that it was a good thing that we were told bad things about this foreigner, as it turned out that he understood what we said.
Sheffield took the compliments calmly and asked about his views on the recent naval contract and aircraft flying. Feng Ru said that he had learned a lot and was ready to develop China's own aircraft industry after returning home.
"The planes you saw are just so-so. You won't get very far if you just understand the basic principles." Sheffield grinned and said, "The private aviation workshops in the United States are not as good as those in France in Europe. The aircraft factory in Houston is professional. United Aircraft Corporation has been recruiting relevant talents in the United States, but I didn't expect to miss one."
The one that the slave owner missed was naturally Feng Ru. He expressed the hope that Feng Ru would enter the United Aircraft Corporation in Houston for training. Feng Ru was a little surprised to receive the invitation, but he finally shook his head and said, "I still hope to return home."
"I recognize your patriotism, but I don't want to keep you here for a long time. I just want a talented aircraft engineer to receive more systematic and professional training. Otherwise, there will be problems!" Sheffield shrugged. "There are many people who die in flying performances every year, right? Because they are amateurs, flying their own planes naturally involves risks. I'm not bragging, but although there have been flying accidents since the establishment of United Aircraft Corporation, they are much less than those adventurers who free-fall."
"Mr. William, why can't you let these flying enthusiasts serve you?" Feng Ru asked with some confusion.
"Once there is too much of something, it becomes worthless. And I can't do that because of the threat of antitrust laws." Sheffield asked with a smile, "You don't want to ask why I can't share my better technology, right? I'm a businessman. The government of your country will open its warehouses to release grain in a disaster year, but it won't happen in our country. When there is an economic crisis, we can set fire to the grain and pour the milk into the river."
After a few casual words, Sheffield spoke directly, "Since you are a patriotic person, I will persuade you from another angle. Regarding your country's naval shipbuilding contract just now, the key lies in my communication with the Navy Department. You guessed it right, this is called collusion between officials and businessmen. If you accept my application, the shipyard will start construction sooner. If you don't accept it, it may be a little later. You decide for yourself."
Scarcity makes things valuable. In any industry, those with fewer talents will receive higher treatment. Take the American Association of Teachers and the American Medical Association in later generations for example. These teachers and doctors will control the size of their organizations and reduce the number of truly high-end talents. This will make the industry a high-paying industry. Of course, this high-paying industry is mainly private hospitals and private universities, and has nothing to do with the public system.
As a private enterprise, the United Company would certainly not recruit these civilian flying enthusiasts. This would lower the average salary in the aircraft industry, and too many talents would be worthless. If Feng Ru was a citizen of the United States, Sheffield would not hire him at all, just because he was not a citizen of the United States and wanted to return home, which gave the slave owner the opportunity to do good deeds.
"Okay, thank you Mr. William for your appreciation. I am also willing to learn some flying knowledge." Finally, Feng Ru expressed an attitude that satisfied Sheffield and was willing to accept employment from United Aircraft Corporation.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
