Chapter 6 The Germans

  Originally, Bai Kuan was preparing to import machinery from the UK's Wo Hang Company, but Qiao Yu still preferred to import equipment from Germany. This wasn't because he was particularly fond of Germany, but rather because the Yangtze River region was currently under British influence, and these Brits were extremely arrogant and uncooperative.

  Germany, as a latecomer to the ranks of the great powers, barely managed to grab the concessions in Shandong, but for the ambitious Wilhelm II, this was certainly not enough. In order to open up the market in Sichuan, the Germans would not be as ruthless as the British, and being able to maintain friendly relations with Germany would still have its benefits for Sun Yat-sen's plans. It could also use German power to offset British influence and establish an independent industrial system. Moreover, Britain was now in decline, and although it seemed fierce, it was just a show of force.

  Of course, the Chinese at that time did not have this understanding, and they had an abnormal reverence for the British. Bai Kuan listened to Qiao Yu's suggestion and contacted Buscher, the deputy manager of the German company Schichau, and the two parties agreed to meet at the Changtai Teahouse, which was also deliberately arranged by Qiao Yu. In China's traditional teahouses, business talks were also a way to take the initiative.

  The tea was fragrant, and Qiao Yu and Bao Shi Te sat facing each other. Bao Shi Te was not very old, about 27 or 28 years old, with a tall and robust build, at least 1.85 meters tall. However, he didn't seem as rigid and serious as traditional Germans, but rather had a bit of a playful air to him, yet still maintained the sharpness of a businessman.

  "Mr. Qiao, your German is amazing! It really surprised me!"

  "I studied military affairs at the Berlin Military Academy in your country for two years, so I have a very good impression of your country. That's why I want to do business with merchants from your country!"

  Bo Shi Te was thrilled to hear that Qiao Yu had studied at the Berlin Military Academy in Germany, which is one of the top military academies in Germany. Only elites can enter it, and the number of foreign students is very small, so he immediately became interested in Qiao Yu.

  "Qiao, Germany's military is the best in the world. Since you've studied military affairs, why don't you join the new army? As far as I know, your country is currently recruiting for a new army!"

  "If I were to join the new army, would we still be able to do business here? The important thing is urgent, this is my procurement list! I believe this time it's a big deal!"

  Bo Shi studied Chinese by himself, and it wasn't difficult to understand the list. He took over the list and looked at it carefully, but the more he looked, the more surprised he became. This was absolutely a big deal, with as many as 800 looms, plus other machines, and technical services to match. Calculated according to Chinese market prices, it would be worth around 700 or 800 thousand taels. Since arriving in Sichuan, he had discovered that the locals were relatively conservative, and the British had enormous influence, making it difficult to do business.

  Now suddenly a big pie fell from the sky and hit Boster hard, looks like his luck is about to change.

  "Qiao, I think it's wise of you to choose German machines. Our machines are absolutely better than those British ones. The fabric produced is faster and better. I believe the entire Sichuan market will fall into your hands!"

  "Mr. Bluster, let's talk about the price, and how long will it take for you to deliver?" Joe asked, ignoring Mr. Bluster who was getting excited.

  Blythe's eyes kept rolling, these machines are very common in Europe, but still relatively fine in the Far East, how to quote is a university question, thought for half a day.

  "Qiao, these machines add up to 750,000 taels of silver! They can all be transported here within half a year."

  Qiao Yu didn't respond, but instead smiled and said: "Originally, Mr. Borchert, I planned to hold a bidding conference in Chongqing, mainly targeting various foreign trading companies, whoever offers the most suitable price will get the deal. However, due to my friendship with your country, and also because I want to see results quickly, that's why I looked for German friends, what I value is your country's sincerity, but you're only going to disappoint me like this!"

  If the purchase is small, Borchert can naturally ask for a high price. However, the other party is obviously an expert and wants such a large quantity that if this deal can be made, it will even benefit Daimler in opening up the market in Southwest China. Therefore, Borchert gritted his teeth and had to lower the price.

  "Qiao, 700,000 taels, can't be any less!"

  "Haha, these machines aren't even worth 400,000 taels in Europe. You guys just transported them here and suddenly the price doubled? At most, they're worth 600,000 taels."

  Bo Shi naturally knew the value of this batch of goods, and selling them for 600,000 taels would not be a small profit. However, it was apparently beyond his bottom line, and his face looked somewhat unpleasant, with some movement in his heart. But he was unwilling to give in, relying on his merchant's cleverness to argue: "Qiao, transporting them here is not easy, not only are there huge risks at sea, but also those damned British people stretching out their hands from behind, I really can't accept a price of 600,000 taels."

  Qiao Yu now cares not about the money, but about time. He believes that with the rigorous and punctual Germans, his factory will be up and running quickly. The rest can be negotiated later. With a light knock on the desk, he smiled and said: "Actually, 700,000 is not unacceptable, but I have two conditions!"

  Bo Shu Te's eyes lit up as soon as he heard it: "Qiao, what are your conditions?"

  "It's very simple, within two months you must transport 200 looms for me and get my factory running first to weave cloth. Second, I want you to recruit some reliable technicians and add two engineers to assist me in building the factory. I am willing to pay a high price to employ these people!"

  "George, I can absolutely do it! However, you have to pay 13% of the deposit first." Mr. Bao thought for a moment and solemnly nodded his head, George also agreed to this requirement, both parties discussed some details again, then Mr. Bao hurried off to make preparations, this was not a small deal, Mr. Bao felt that his spring had arrived, so his face seemed to bloom with joy.

  "Mr. Bosch, this is just the beginning. I plan to build more factories, not only light industry but also heavy industry and even military-industrial enterprises. I believe we will continue to cooperate in the future. At the same time, I hope you can have a long-term vision, and later on, you will definitely have the opportunity to become one of the largest German businessmen in China!"

  Qiao Yu issued a check with insufficient funds, but it wasn't really insufficient, as he was just a small factory owner at the time. If it had been after the Xinhai Revolution, he would have had the audacity to do so. Butcher was young and impulsive, and upon hearing Qiao Yu's words, his blood boiled even more. He left the Changtai Teahouse immediately to take action.

  Qiao Yu settled the machine and accelerated the construction of the factory, while starting to arrange personnel matters. The Bai and Qiao families had dozens of fabric stores, which were temporarily closed according to Qiao Yu's plan, unified decoration was carried out, and the storefronts were made more beautiful and exotic. Fifty people were selected from among the young apprentices, all of whom were clever and capable, to be sent to the factory to learn from the foreign technicians and quickly grow into technical backbones, ultimately breaking free from the foreign technicians' technical monopoly.

  The construction has been going on for almost a month, and Qiao Yu sleeps only 4-5 hours every day. Although he is tired, his heart feels particularly full, looking at the planned factory under construction, as if seeing the future. Bai Kuan, who is in his fifties, is also very energetic. He mainly contacts suppliers and workers, while also strengthening ties with other businessmen, trying to get them to purchase goods from him. As Qiao Yu had expected, this textile mill will be a golden egg-laying hen, and it's hard to prevent others from being envious after its completion. Sharing benefits is the best outcome, so he suggests that Bai Kuan contact those wealthy merchants more often, and ideally invite them to join in setting up the factory. Bai Kuan is busy with this every day, but still insists on visiting the construction site daily.

  "Shun Qing, the project is progressing smoothly, I've already contacted the raw materials supplier, it's just that we don't know when the machine will arrive. As soon as it arrives, we can start producing foreign cloth!" Bai Kuanbian was sipping tea and chatting with Qiao Yu when a guard rushed in, looking flustered.

  "Master, something's wrong! Dozens of people have arrived outside the construction site, saying they're looking for you."