Chapter 194 Flexible Payment (First update, please subscribe)
Look what you said.
Four and a half million pesos... isn't that just giving it away for free?
Why be modest?
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Xianhai said calmly.
"Well, it's not impossible to accept this price, but I hope to use a more flexible payment method."
"What? More flexible payment options?"
Count Bruno asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"What method?"
"Well, we've got a batch of company-specific currency made from Deville silver - I hope to be able to use it to redeem 1.5 million pesos."
What is Deville silver? It's just aluminum.
Today's Nanhua can produce more than 200 pounds of aluminum every day. What aluminum coins are there? It's simply nonsense. In a word, Zhu Xianhai has no intention of paying 4.5 million silver dollars at all!
At least I don't plan to pay it all.
"Deville Silver..."
Count Bruno was certainly no stranger to that kind of "silver". When he was in London, he even spent money to buy a set of tableware, intending to take it back and show off to the old-fashioned people in St. Petersburg.
Few people in St. Petersburg have such tableware, and Deville silver is a rare commodity! Hearing that the other party was going to pay 1.5 million pesos for Deville silver, Count Bruno's eyes suddenly lit up and he tried.
"Devier silver coins? You made coins out of Devier silver?"
“Yes, we have produced a batch of coins to highlight the difference between Americana and the United States.”
Zhu Xianhai took out a coin and said.
"Mr. Count, you see, the coins made of Deville silver are lighter, more durable than gold coins, and more difficult to counterfeit, so I plan to use it as the currency in circulation within the company's territory."
"What if, I mean if, I can accept 2.5 million Deville silver coins?"
Count Bruno laughed.
“Mr. Zhu, do you have so much Deville silver?”
2.5 million!
Yes, of course!
At this moment, Zhu Xianhai felt that happiness came so suddenly. He originally thought that it would be good to get 1 million, but he never thought that the other party would ask for 2.5 million right away.
That’s really ten thousand 250!
Is this true?
But for Count Bruno, he saw an opportunity to make a fortune!
2.5 million Deville silver coins could be made into jewelry and tableware, which would definitely make a lot of money. Russian nobles are not short of money!
In this way, with mutual consent, not only was an agreement quickly reached, but the American Company bought Alaska for 4.5 million pesos (2.5 million of which was paid in Deville silver). Not only that, at the invitation of Count Bruno, the American Company also reached an agreement with Russia to send envoys to each other. In other words, to a certain extent, the American Company opened up diplomatic channels.
“It’s a brand new beginning!”
That evening, in the banquet hall of the Atlantic Hotel, Zhu Xianhai said excitedly.
"From today on, the company's land extends from North America to South America!"
From the North Pole to the South Pole, all will belong to the company's land. Looking at the people with different expressions, Zhu Xianhai certainly knew that many of them must think that this deal is not cost-effective. You... are too short-sighted. You don't even have to wait until decades later. Right now, right now, you only need to build a cannery there, and the annual profit will be enough to support the company's rule in Alaska.
Moreover, Alaska has a large number of coal mines, containing hundreds of billions of tons of high-quality bituminous coal and anthracite, which are things that are not available in South China.
As for oil and gold mines, they will not bring rich returns!
Alaska belongs to Nanhua!
That night, Zhu Xianhai got drunk. When the banquet was over, he was a little tipsy and was about to leave when he saw another person!
Zuo Zongtang.
When Zuo Zongtang learned that the Lord of Nanhua was holding a celebration banquet in the hotel, he became a little restless.
Celebration banquet, what are we celebrating?
Buy land!
"They actually used more than three million taels of silver to buy land from foreigners!"
After hearing the news, Zuo Zongtang was so shocked that he was speechless for a while. In the past period of time, he traveled all over Nanhua and saw those factories. Although he knew that Nanhua was rich, it was still hard to imagine that Nanhua, with a population of less than 200,000, could come up with millions of taels of silver to buy land.
What is even more surprising is that the land they bought is even more remote than Kanto, and it is said to be a place covered in ice and snow.
This won't work, even if you have a fortune, you can't afford to squander your money like this!
No, I have to persuade him!
So, after the banquet, Zuo Zongtang finally met the surprisingly young Lord of Nanhua.
"My name is Zuo Zongtang, nice to meet you, Mr. Zhu."
As Zuo Zongtang saluted, Zhu Xianhai, who was a little drunk, looked at the person in front of him.
Zuo Zongtang, who is nearly fifty years old, looks in good spirits. I never thought that this famous minister of the restoration of the Qing Dynasty actually came to Nanhua. I almost forgot about him recently. What was he doing?
"Mr. Zuo, you're welcome. I've been busy with the land purchase recently and neglected you. Please forgive me, Mr. Zuo."
Among the ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, only the one in front of him could make Zhu Xianhai admire from the bottom of his heart, for no other reason than his contribution to the protection of the land and the people of the northwest. Naturally, his treatment was different from that of others.
"Mr. Zhu, you are too polite. I have really broadened my horizons during my recent visits to various places in Nanhua. The development of Western tools is far beyond the imagination of my generation..."
The visits during these days really brought an unprecedented shock to Zuo Zongtang. From factories to farms, from workers to soldiers, he saw too many things he had never seen or heard of in Nanhua. The shock caused by the sudden jump from the backward agricultural civilization to the industrial civilization is imaginable. Because of this, the last bit of his thoughts of "serving the court" had long gone.
"Yes, that's true. By the way, Mr. Zuo, if you don't mind, please bear with it for a while and stay by my side to give me advice."
What?
Zuo Zongtang was stunned. He hadn't said he was surrendering yet.
"Mr. Zhu, I am a person of limited talent and knowledge, and I really am..."
"Mr. Zuo, you are too polite,"
Without waiting for Zuo Zongtang to refuse, Zhu Xianhai pushed open the window and pointed outside and said.
"Mr. Zuo, you see, although this is overseas, there are also fertile fields for thousands of miles. The overseas land is so vast, it is the time for Chinese men to make achievements and establish their careers. Mr. Zuo, don't you want to work with me in this era of great contention to open up a place for Chinese people to survive overseas?"
Gazing out the window, looking at the lights of Nanhua, and gazing into the distance, Zhu Xianhai was drunk at this moment, and Zuo Zongtang also fell into deep thought...
(End of this chapter)
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