Chapter 558 The Golden Age of Arms
Laredo is an important river port between Texas and Mexico, where Sheffield was waiting for Rodriguez's arrival. As for the city across from Mexico, it was called Nuevo Laredo. Although such a name was not uncommon in America, the slave owners were still very uncomfortable, so they should take advantage of the battle to muddy the waters.
Laredo has developed irrigation agriculture and is the source of grapes, grapefruits and onions. There are coal, natural gas and oil mining areas nearby. The industry includes oil refineries and railway factories. Although there are not many people, it has everything it should have. Except for the steel, everything else is not a problem. The newly established arms production line is here.
Sheffield had just completed his instructions to set this place up as an important transit point for supplying armed forces in Mexico.
About ten minutes later, Rodriguez's convoy finally arrived at Sheffield's temporary house. After they gave each other a warm hug, Sheffield led Rodriguez into the newly built factory and said, "I feel very sympathetic about the situation your country is facing now. Dear Mr. Rodriguez, how are you doing now?"
"The armed forces against President Diaz have been defeated and their bases have been occupied, but many people have fled to your country. If we are friends, you should provide them with some help." Although Rodriguez said that the world was peaceful, it was obvious that things were not as smooth as he said.
Sheffield had heard it, but he didn't expose it. In fact, he not only knew that many people who opposed Diaz had fled to the United States, but also knew where they were, in San Antonio, Texas. However, the federal government of the United States never cared about these opposition forces.
This goes against the tradition and low-key style of the United States. The reason why it is a tradition is that the United States has long had a tradition of sheltering opposition parties from other countries. Not to mention anything else, aren't the opposition parties in my Qing Dynasty also there?
If they all defend the people in power in other countries, they may not be able to open up the situation if something unexpected happens. Opposition forces must be kept, as they may come in handy one day. To put it bluntly, even if these opposition forces die, the United States will not suffer any loss, so why not take them in? If the bet is correct, you will make a lot of money.
Although Madero and his people represented workers and peasants, they were a complete opposition in Rodriguez's eyes. In Sheffield's eyes, Rodriguez was the real reactionary.
"As a businessman, I have no right to interfere in national affairs. You will have to resolve this matter on yourselves in the end." Sheffield said with a hint of apology. "But to be honest, based on the information we have received so far, it seems that the opposition is very powerful. Although their base has been destroyed by the government forces, their forces have been dispersed and become more difficult to deal with."
The situation is actually out of control. According to a famous saying, there is already a trend of the countryside surrounding the city. If it cannot be extinguished for a long time, President Diaz is likely to be the forerunner of Chang Gong, and in fact it is true.
After explaining his difficulties to Rodriguez and pointing out that the solution to the ultimate root cause still depends on whether the army supporting President Diaz can put out this wave of opposition.
He took out a rifle and fired a shot at a target in the distance. With a bang, the shot hit the center of the bull's eye. His shooting skills acquired through long-term killing practice were still not rusty. Sheffield nodded with satisfaction at the workers on the production line, expressing his satisfaction with the work of the new production line.
Looking at Rodriguez who was still silent, Sheffield shrugged and said, "Although you may not want to admit that President Diaz may fail, of course you may still try your best to maintain the current order, so I have something to tell you honestly. From the civil war in the United States, I learned a truth. You must not show mercy to internal enemies. You will act without scruples when it comes to those who seem close to you, but you will think more when it comes to external forces. When you catch those opponents, you would rather kill three thousand by mistake than let one go. Stones must be cut through knives, grass must be burned through fire, and people must be replaced. If you can't do this, the problem cannot be solved. If you fail, you will have to bear the consequences. I am not exaggerating."
"Your ideas are too contradictory. Your country is taking in the opposition from our country, but you are advising me to act quickly. Why is this happening?" Rodriguez asked in confusion, "Your position is different from that of the United States."
"That's not necessarily the case. Taking in Madero and others doesn't necessarily mean we support them. It's just an extra layer of insurance for the future situation in Mexico. If President Diaz can't hold on, we can have a good relationship with the new government. Of course, if it's the other way around, if President Diaz steps down and seeks refuge in the United States, the federal government will take him in as well."
"That's Washington's idea, but I'm not from Washington, I'm from Texas, and we're only separated from you by a river!" Sheffield pointed in the direction of the Grande River and said, "Others are far away, but Texas is right in front of us, so of course we have different perspectives. I don't want the conflict to go on forever, as it will put pressure on my hometown. If Canada wants to attack the United States for the third time, I don't have any objection, as it won't be able to reach Texas in a short time."
Rodriguez raised his eyebrows. The person in front of him was speaking too truthfully, to the point that most people couldn't accept it. He shook his head and smiled bitterly, "When you are in a strong environment, everything you say makes sense."
Otherwise? Sheffield looked at him with a smile. What conditions does Mexico have? Relying on the status of a world TV drama export giant in a few decades? Soft power? In addition to earning a little foreign exchange, what else can it do?
At least Rodriguez understood a little bit why Sheffield came to him. The federal government of the United States in Washington saw the internal conflict in Mexico and took in Madero's group hiding in the United States.
But the boss of the joint company in front of him is a Texan. The neighboring countries are fighting fiercely, but the citizens of Texas do not want to be affected. In other words, at the national level, the federal government can accept a certain amount of chaos in neighboring countries, but Texas, which is adjacent to Mexico, does not want to accept it.
This explanation is very logical, and Rodriguez has accepted it. In fact, there is a more logical explanation. Sheffield just likes to watch the citizens of neighboring countries die, but it is difficult to say it.
For Sheffield, it doesn't matter who wins in Mexico. It's OK for the Diaz faction, which represents the conservative forces, to win. It's also OK for the Madero faction, the predecessor of the Institutional Revolutionary Party of Mexico, to win.
The Institutional Revolutionary Party of Mexico can actually be understood as the Cannon Party before the Northern Expedition. If Chang Gong had not come on April 12, 2012, the left wing of the Cannon Party would have been in power, and Mexico under the rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party would have probably been like the Republic of China.
The best outcome would be that it would be slightly stronger than the original Republic of China, but it would not be much stronger in essence.
Historically, the United States also accepted such a not very pleasing Mexican regime and did not do anything to this neighbor. In fact, the United States can accept a weak left-wing country as a neighbor. At least such a country will not cause trouble and has basic management power over the country. A hundred years later, Mexico once again entered the Republic of China period. The drug dealers in Mexico were not drug dealers at all, but a group of warlords who sold drugs to raise military funds.
Since he accepted the goodwill, Sheffield listed the help he could give and officially joined the camp of the Mexican Catholic Church and the big landowners. The exchange condition was that the reactionary camp would preserve the interests of the United Company and Standard Oil in Mexico, as well as the exploitation of resources in the controlled area.
This is a very fair deal. The merger of the two reactionary forces seems to be fine. But it is only an appearance. Sheffield can escape at any time because he is a citizen of the United States. If he sees that the situation is not right one day, he can sell out these reactionaries and continue to have good relations with the new government.
The moral character of bourgeois left-wing parties like the Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party is that they do not really have the consciousness of revolutionaries and oppose the monopoly bourgeoisie. They can do evil on the territory of other countries without any scruples and do not have to pay the price. This account is a sure win for Sheffield.
Now he understood a little bit why Germany and Italy were so concerned during the Spanish Civil War. It was indeed a very refreshing experience. According to the verbal agreement between the two, once the situation in Mexico develops uncontrollably, the production line in Laredo will immediately start working at full capacity to supply support to President Diaz's government forces.
The transportation will be connected to the railway controlled by Rockefeller Jr., and the sea transportation will be handled by the Black Gold Transport Company. The Sheffield United Firearms Company will supply all the weapons needed by the Mexican government forces at market prices.
Officers of the Mexican government army can also temporarily hide in Texas when the situation is unfavorable. In short, there are more than a dozen items in total, which can be regarded as taking into account all possible situations. Once Rodriguez returns home and feels that the situation is out of control, he can immediately contact Arlington by telegram, and this contract will automatically take effect.
The contract did not specify how many guns or cannons were to be provided, because once a war broke out, there was no limit to the number of weapons needed. Sheffield would not stipulate the quantity of the contract. It would depend on how many resources could be mortgaged in the territory of Mexican President Diaz. If that didn't work, Mexico still had a lot of silver mines.
The next day, Rodriguez returned to Mexico. No one was sure about the current situation, so he didn't dare stay here for too long. The Tagore family's huge industry needed his protection.
"The production line can start operating now. Don't worry about the backlog of weapons. Trust your boss's judgment. This will definitely be a best-selling product." Sheffield looked at the person in charge of the factory and said confidently, "The golden age of our arms dealers has just begun."
(End of this chapter)
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