Chapter 21: The Chief Assistant of the Great Qing

  Li Hongzhang's first impression of Feng Chengqian was that he was a shrewd, capable and experienced old man with a lean build.

  "I heard that the Earl is the German Emperor's lifesaver, but I don't know if the Earl is a traveling German expatriate or..."

  "My ancestors lived in Europe many years ago, so..."

  Feng Chengqian didn't continue because he wasn't good at making up lies. Li Hongzhang apparently didn't quite believe him, as Feng spoke Mandarin extremely fluently.

  "Made the premier laugh, although ancestors traveled abroad, but never forgot their hometown."

  "No wonder the earl's national language is so fluent."

  Feng Chengqian smiled and ignored the remark. He was now the Minister of War for the Second German Empire, a subject of Emperor Frederick III, and German was his national language.

  "The earl came from afar, and I barely prepared a thin wine, which is not enough to show respect."

  "Your Excellency is too polite, I didn't come here for this banquet." Feng Chengqian smiled and said, "I grew up in Europe since childhood, so my words are more direct, please forgive me, Your Excellency."

  Li Hongzhang apparently felt embarrassed, and forced a smile, saying: "The Earl is straightforward, he's a generous person. Let's not talk about romance, let's talk about the situation."

  "So, does the Premier have plans to make an impromptu purchase of a warship?"

  "The great Qing dynasty is reviving, and it's certain that we need to reorganize our military equipment. What needs to be purchased is not just warships."

  "The Premier must be aware that our country is the number one military power on the European continent, and more than a decade ago, we defeated France in the Battle of Sedan, leading to the downfall of the French Empire." Feng Chengqian deliberately mentioned France, which has a lot to do with the Sino-French War that ended less than five years ago. "I can assure the Premier that any weapon they can produce, we can also produce, and our quality is better, performance is more excellent, and the price is more reasonable."

  "The earl is more like a giant merchant than a minister."

  Being an official and being a merchant are one and the same principle; being an official also takes management as the main task, helping His Majesty the Emperor to manage.

  Li Hongzhang smiled and said: "What the Earl says is quite right, you and I are both ministers, each serving our own masters can naturally understand, it's just that purchasing military equipment is a serious matter, so..."

  "I've brought a new type of weapon this time, I believe the Prime Minister will be very interested."

  "Really?"

  "If the premier has time, why not take a trip to observe?"

  "This..."

  "It's better to seize the day than wait for a good day, we can proceed this afternoon."

  Li Hongzhang thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I don't have any other arrangements this afternoon. Since the Earl is willing, I naturally won't refuse."

  "The matter of the warship..."

  "Let's discuss again after observation, how is it?"

  Feng Chengqian didn't press the matter further and immediately let Schmitz make arrangements.

  Before arriving in Ningbo, Feng Chengqian had hinted to Chen Jitong that he was bringing a latest-style machine gun, and Chen Jitong must have told Li Hongzhang about this.

  If Feng Chengqian didn't remember wrongly, one year ago, when he came to this era, Mauser brought it to the Qing Dynasty for a demonstration. However, after inquiring about the situation, including Li Hongzhang and other Qing officials felt that this weapon that fires hundreds of bullets per minute was too expensive, so they did not purchase it.

  Feng Chengqian was very clear about the reason for this.

  It's not the machine gun that is expensive, but the ammunition.

  Although the Westernization Movement had begun, governors in various parts of Qing China were promoting industry, such as Zhang Zhidong in Hubei and Zuo Zongtang in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, who established military industries. However, at this time, Qing China still lacked a complete industrial foundation, and even ordinary bullets had to be purchased from abroad. If ammunition was procured from Britain, the cost of the bullets fired by a single Maxim machine gun in one minute would amount to tens of taels of silver. In Qing China, this sum could recruit over ten soldiers, so in the view of Li Hongzhang and others, buying machine guns was not as good as recruiting more soldiers.

  Li Hongzhang did not show any surprise when he observed the machine gun shooting.

  Obviously, Feng Chengqian was not wrong, and Li Hongzhang was still uninterested in such "expensive" weapons.

  "Your Excellency, this is the latest model of machine gun, and there's only one in the world."

  "Really?"

  "With this rifle, the Qing army will surely be invincible in battle."

  Li Hongzhang smiled and said: "The Earl may not know, but last year a British man named Maxim came to Qing China to sell this kind of machine gun, only..."

  "This gun is not that gun."

  "What did you mean by that, Earl?"

  "Markweld is an American serving Britain, while I serve the German Emperor."

  Li Hongzhang sized up Feng Chengqian for a moment and felt that there was more to his words.

  "When doing business with the British, Premier must be talking business. When cooperating with us, it's no longer just a commercial relationship."

  "The meaning of Earl is..."

  "Machine guns are good, but ammunition is expensive, isn't that right, Your Excellency?"

  Li Hongzhang forced a smile and acknowledged Feng Chengqian's words.

  "My suggestion is to set up an arsenal in your country to produce ammunition, thereby saving transportation costs and greatly reducing the price of ammunition."

  "Does 'Earl' mean that your country's company is setting up a factory in our country?"

  "Setting up a sole proprietorship is also possible, setting up a joint venture is also feasible, as long as the premier and vice-premier agree, these are all minor matters."

  Li Hongzhang was moved by this.

  The Westernization Movement initiated by him was simply learning from the Western powers, absorbing and mastering Western industrial technology, and enhancing the national strength of the Qing Dynasty.

  It's a good thing for German companies to set up factories in China.

  Li Hongzhang was very calm.

  "The earl's proposal is very good, but it's a big deal to set up a factory, and we need to consider it carefully."

  "This is of course, military preparations are a major matter for the country, and naturally need to be handled with caution." Feng Chengqian smiled and said, "But I've heard that Japan has been frequently purchasing military equipment recently, with a strong suspicion of expanding its army and preparing for war. Although the Qing dynasty is a heavenly kingdom, it's not necessary to take a small country like Japan seriously, but it can't be ignored either."

  Li Hongzhang's eyebrows twitched a few times, obviously being hit by Feng Chengqian's words.

  After the Sino-French War in Annam, what Li Hongzhang worried about most was Japan across the East China Sea. Although Feng Chengqian was right that no one in the Qing dynasty took Japan seriously, not even Li Hongzhang thought Japan could become a force to be reckoned with, but it's hard for two tigers to live on the same mountain, and the Qing dynasty and Japan were close at hand. If Japan developed and grew stronger, it would inevitably pose a great threat to the Qing dynasty and bring endless trouble and worry.

  "Has the Earl come here to peddle this machine gun?"

  "This is just an appetizer." Feng Chengqian knew that Li Hongzhang had already been moved. "His Majesty the German Emperor specially instructed to be a lifelong friend with the Great Qing. In the matter of purchasing warships, if it can be accommodated, then it should be accommodated. My suggestion is that the Great Qing does not need to spend silver to buy warships."

  Li Hongzhang furrowed his brow and listened very seriously to Feng Chengqian's words.

  "The German Emperor is preparing to expand the Kiel Canal, but there is a lack of labor at home, so he hopes to cooperate with the Qing on this matter."

  "How to cooperate?"

  "The Qing provided labor, which was used to offset the cost of purchasing warships and other military equipment."

  "This..."

  "Of course, if the premier thinks it is necessary to set up an arms factory in Qing Dynasty, it can also be done in the same way."

  Li Hongzhang thought for a moment and said: "This matter is not difficult to handle, but the people are the foundation of a country. Even if it's just temporary labor in your country, it affects the national foundation."

  "Of course, everything is based on voluntary participation. The Emperor does not want to force the subjects of the Great Qing to do things they are unwilling to do." Feng Chengqian smiled and continued, "As for compensation, it will naturally be paid in full, without any shortage. If the Prime Minister provides convenience, the Emperor will be eternally grateful."

  Li Hongzhang fell into thought for a moment before saying, "In that case, nothing could be better."

  "So that's what you mean..."

  "The German Emperor attaches great importance to this, and I naturally do not dare to oppose it. However, specific matters still need to be discussed in detail." Li Hongzhang smiled and said to Feng Chengqian, "I suppose the Earl will not rush for the time being, so let's stay for now, and after the negotiation has a result, we can make the final decision."

  Since Li Hongzhang had already made up his mind and in principle agreed to the arms trade, Feng Chengqian did not bother him again.

  In the evening, Li Hongzhang entertained Feng Chengqian with a banquet, and was more enthusiastic than at noon.

  Feng Chengqian didn't return to his residence until midnight after attending social engagements.

  The day's events were far from over, as someone had been waiting for Feng Chengqian for several hours.

  "Who is he?"

  "Reichskommissar Richterhofen, sent by the Prime Minister."

  Feng Chengqian sighed and said: "Please ask him to come in, go prepare some tea and snacks."

  Schmidt brought Richterhofen in and also sent tea in.

  "Baron!"

  "Mr. Richterhofen, I heard you've been waiting for several hours, I'm really sorry."

  "The Earl is busy with his affairs, I had expected as much. If it weren't for something important, I wouldn't have come to disturb you at this late hour."

  "What's so important?"

  Richterhofen looked at Schmidt without hurrying to speak.

  Feng Chengqian nodded at Schmitz and had him wait outside the door.

  "Is the Earl visiting Qing for the first time?"

  Feng Chengqian smiled and said, "Don't look at me like I'm a Qing dynasty person, this is actually my first time coming to this country."

  "So, does the Earl understand the situation in Qing?" Richtofen had been active in Qing for over a decade and was familiar with its circumstances.

  Feng Chengqian shook his head very honestly.

  "Well, if the earl does wrong, it can't be helped."

  "Did something wrong?"

  "Did the Earl mention the arms deal to Li Hongzhang today?"

  Feng Chengqian nodded and said: "Li Hongzhang has basically agreed, but he says there is still something to be discussed."

  "Negotiate?" Richtofen smiled and said, "Count, didn't you catch the implication behind Li Hongzhang's words?"

  "What's the implication?"

  "In the Qing dynasty, doing business, price is secondary, the key is to establish relationships."

  Feng Chengqian suddenly understood.

  "It seems the Earl is unprepared."

  "You're absolutely right, someone like Li Hongzhang should..."

  "Isn't it true that everyone has their own private thoughts?" Richterhofen paused for a moment before saying, "I have made arrangements for the count."

  "This..."

  "One hundred thousand taels of silver can be delivered tomorrow, mainly used to bribe Li Hongzhang's men. This matter does not require the Earl to worry about it, and it is not necessary for the Earl to personally deal with these subordinates. However, there is one thing that must be done by the Earl himself and cannot be handled by us."

  "What's wrong?"

  "Kickback."

  Feng Chengqian was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile.

  The premier and his assistant are all like this, and the corruption of the Qing dynasty can be seen at a glance.

  ;