Respectfully

Chapter 154

Ned sent a message that the trading point opened in Europe finally made its first business, and the Italian army ordered [-] steel helmets from Ned's firm.The order quantity was not large, but Ned was relieved. After all, since arriving in Europe, the firm has been spending money, but has not received any income, which made him feel uneasy.

Italy?

Li Jinyan was very surprised when he received the telegram.Not Germany, France, Britain, let alone Austria-Hungary and Tsarist Russia, but Italy?Even Serbia or Bulgaria would not surprise him so much.

If he remembers correctly, Italy remained neutral until 1916, right?Since there is no war, why order military supplies?

This idea just flashed in Li Jinyan's mind and was thrown aside. Anyway, his purpose is to make money, and it doesn't matter who he sells to.With the Italian "advertising" effect, his business will definitely get better and better.Now all countries are still engaged in mobile warfare. When trench warfare occurs, those European soldiers who have been bombarded by high-explosive bombs and mortars will know the benefits of steel helmets.

At that time, the order will definitely come to the door by itself, and Ned doesn't have to put on a bitter face all the time.Judging from the telegram sent back by Second Sister Xu, Ned did not have a good time during this period. After all, he arrived in Europe with great ambitions, but found that he couldn't open up the situation. It was not a good feeling at all.

The steel helmet was just the beginning. The German army had already occupied the entire territory of Belgium. In the name of Portuguese businessmen, Ned and Second Sister Xu not only avoided being affected by the war, but also made a windfall on the German, French and Belgian troops.

Biscuits, canned food, and cigarettes with filters have become the favorites of these European soldiers.Although the Belgians were defeated by the German army, in this era in Europe, "chivalry" has not completely disappeared. The German army just kept expelling the French army in Belgium, and did not treat the Belgians too badly.

Belgian refugees forced to leave their homes with money in their pockets.The biscuits, canned food and bottled beverages of Nieder's Company are very popular among these refugees.

In just two weeks, just by selling cans and biscuits, plus cigarettes, Ned's firm earned no less than [-] pounds.

The second sister Xu should be called Mrs. Nieder now. Her beauty and conversation are all convincing, especially her temperament, which also attracted the crazy pursuit of a German captain.If it weren't for the order to pursue the French army and attack France, the captain would have proposed to Second Sister Xu desperately.

There were also Frenchmen among her suitors, and these Gauls would not abandon their romance and love even if they were fleeing for their lives.

Second Sister Xu found it very interesting. Watching these foreigners reading love poems to her was like watching a monkey show, but after being taught by Uncle Dumb and Xiao Youde, no one could tell from her decent smiling face that she was at the moment. Think about something.

Once some men are dazzled by beauty, they will lose their minds for a short time. He will try to express himself, and this is the best time to get information from him.Second Sister Xu only needs a smile to get what she wants to know.

This is completely different from what she did in Siberia. In contrast, she prefers to fight with real swords and guns.But this was her task, and it had to be done no matter what.

Ned could guess what Second Sister Xu was doing, so he wisely chose to keep silent.In fact, he is also fascinated by this queen-like oriental woman.But in the eyes of Second Sister Xu, Ned is not much different from other people. He is just her husband in name, a cover for his identity, a cover for making money for Li Jinyan, that's all.

The war in Europe is in full swing. In half a month, the Battle of Sedan will start, followed by the Battle of the Marne. Neither the Allied Powers nor the Entente Powers have benefited from it. After suffering heavy losses, the two sides had to switch from mobile warfare to positions Battle, by the way, before that, there is the classic run to the sea...

Li Jinyan leaned back on the chair, closed his eyes and recalled all the memories of World War I in his mind.

It's a pity that he can grasp the general process, but he can't remember the clear time and date. He opened his eyes and knocked on his forehead. If history didn't make a turn at a fork in the road, he should be laughing. It's too greedy to think about it.Sitting up straight, what he should think about now is how to expand the trading points in Europe and earn more money from the pockets of Europeans.

After making up his mind, Li Jinyan immediately called back the second sister Xu and Ned who were in Europe. There was only one purpose of the telegram: make money, make more money!

On August [-], Japanese warships did not appear in the waters of Jiaozhou Bay as they did in history. The governor of Qingdao, Waldeck, on behalf of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, officially returned the leased land of Jiaozhou Bay to China. Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhan Changqing and Waldeck signed documents and exchanged photos of the memorandum. At the same time, the report stated that Germany unconditionally returned the leased land of Jiaozhou Bay to China, and the Chinese government guaranteed the personal and property safety of German and Austrian-Hungarian nationals. .

In fact, in order to recover the Jiaozhou Bay leased land, the flamethrower technology has been transferred to Germany free of charge. At the same time, according to the previous agreement, part of the research materials related to sulfonamide has also been handed over to Germany.Not all, but to these Germans, the key parts are already there, and the rest is not a problem at all.

When the leased land is returned, the German army and the Austro-Hungarian army must withdraw within the specified time limit, including more than 4000 infantry, cavalry and fort defenders, all of whom will be evacuated from China by the end of September.

They will return to Europe on the four main warships of the Far East Fleet. The cruiser Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and more than a dozen small ships stayed behind.In the history of another time and space, this torpedo boat was also the only ship that escaped the fate of self-sinking after Japan captured Qingdao. At that time, the Takachiho, which was attacking Qingdao with the Second Fleet, was also sunk by it.

History will always overlap at a certain point in time in an unpredictable way.

For the old cruiser Elizabeth and a dozen small boats, Huaxia paid a large amount of money again. This time, it was no longer the northern six provinces and Li Jinyan who paid the bill. It was rare for the Congress to act vigorously and make a decision in two days. The boat is paid for by the coalition government!

When the two parties signed an agreement to return the leased land in Jiaozhou Bay, the Huaxia United Government finally had its first cruiser, more than a dozen torpedo boats and gunboats, plus the six gunboats from the six southern provinces, barely organized a group of coastal defense forces.In the eyes of naval powers, this navy is so weak that it can be easily destroyed, but when Liu Hailong and other old Beiyang boarded the cruiser renamed "Zhenhai", they all had red eyes.

20 years, 20 years!

After Dingyuan Zhenyuan, Huaxia finally has its own navy again!

Liu Hailong and more than 50 other old Beiyang knelt on the deck of the Zhenhai, knocked their heads three times in the direction of the sea, and raised their heads again, all of them burst into tears.Brothers sinking at the bottom of the sea can finally rest in peace...

During the handover between the Chinese army and the German army stationed in the Jiaozhou Bay Concession, some unexpected friction occurred.

After receiving Waldeck's order, the German army could only hand over the forts, forts and barracks to the troops of the six northern provinces, and all other Chinese troops who came to receive them were stopped outside.This made the army officers and soldiers of the six southern provinces who were also in Shandong look very ugly.

The Germans are famous for their seriousness and seriousness. Once they receive an order, they must act according to the order, no matter who they are.The two sides were at a stalemate, and it was Song Wu and Zhan Changqing who came to resolve the deadlock.

"Since it is a military order, it should be obeyed." Song Wu turned his head to look at Xu Demao, the commander of the Ninth Division of the Southern Six Provinces, who was holding his neck, "Mr. Xu, have you forgotten what your father said?"

"The commander-in-chief has orders, Xu dare not forget!"

Xu Demao shuddered, knowing that he was making a joke for foreigners by arguing about this matter, so he immediately took a step back, "Sorry, it's Xu Menglang."

"Where, a misunderstanding."

Zhan Changqing smoothed things over, and the handover continued, but when he looked at Song Wu, there was a flash of thought in his eyes.

Song Wu, Song Shaoshuai, seems to be different from before...

The No. 11 division in the six northern provinces, the division commander Du Lan, was in contact with the German army.Since the Civil War between the North and the South, troops from the six northern provinces and the six southern provinces have been stationed in Shandong. The No.11 division of the six northern provinces has also recruited a lot of new recruits. The Shandong Dahan and the Northeast Dahan stand together, but it is a green pine Bai Yang is tall and mighty.

Following the order of President Lou Da, Lou Xiao arrived in Qingdao with the spy battalion, accompanied by Li Jinyan.

Li Sanshao didn't know why he followed Young Marshal Lou to the special train. He just wanted to see him off, but when Young Marshal Lou reached out to him, he put his hand on it subconsciously, and was pulled away. got off the train...

Mrs. Lou on the platform was also a little puzzled, and she was a little dumbfounded until the train pulled out of the platform.

"Nonsense! Xiao'er is too nonsense." Mrs. Lou reprimanded lightly, then shook her head and laughed, that's all, young man, it's only a few days anyway, let them go.

Back at the Marshal's Mansion, Second Young Master Lou was sitting on the sofa with a bib hanging in front of him, eating egg custard bite by mouthful. When he saw Mrs. Lou, he first called Mother, and then looked behind her, "Mother, Yan elder brother?"

"Your brother Yan was snatched away by your elder brother." Madam Lou suddenly thought of joking, and wiped Lou Er Shao's mouth with a handkerchief.

snatch?

Lou Er Shao, who was not yet two years old, obviously couldn't understand such advanced vocabulary, looked at Mrs. Lou blankly, opened her mouth slightly, and made Mrs. Lou laugh again.

The train drove all the way from Guanbei to Shandong. When Li Jinyan got off the train, he was wearing a military uniform without a military rank. He stood next to Lou Xiao with his head bowed like a clerk. When he raised his head, no one could take his eyes off him.

Li Sanshao maintained his composure, controlled his hands, and must not rub his waist, remembering how Lou Xiao tossed him on the train just now, and the gown with the collar torn, he couldn't help gritting his teeth.

Is there such a nonsense?If he can't get off the train, or his feet are weak after walking a few steps, then it's really...

Officials of the Shandong Provincial Government and Commander-in-Chief Han Anshan had already received the news that Marshal Lou was about to arrive, so they specially came to pick him up. Many of these people knew Li Jinyan, and they were all taken aback when they saw him wearing a military uniform. Smiling and shaking his head.

Song Wu can also be regarded as an "acquaintance" of the two of them. When he saw Li Jinyan, he opened his mouth and called him cousin.

"It's been a few months since I left that day. Is everything okay, cousin?" Song Wu is very handsome, and his smile is very attractive, but Li Jinyan still thinks that the expressionless face of Young Marshal Lou looks more pleasing to the eye, even if he Not long ago, he was still grinding his teeth at the face that always made him dazzle, "Tofu, please bear in mind, everything is fine."

On the surface of Song Wu, Li Jinyan has always adhered to the principle of saying more, more mistakes and less mistakes. If you can't say it, don't say it. If you can't avoid it, let the young marshal Lou. His behavior also makes Song Wu a little inexplicable. Is he so scary? ?However, his first impression on Li Jinyan was too deep. Sometimes, it is really not a good thing to be too shrewd.

Lou Xiao's attitude towards Song Wu was the same as before. When Waldeck and Zhan Changqing signed the memorandum, the two stood together and whispered a few words. They were also tall and straight, handsome and handsome, wearing a brown military uniform Lou Xiao and Song Wu, who was still in iron gray military uniform, stood together, which immediately attracted a lot of attention.

Li Jinyan, who was standing by the side, subconsciously wanted to take a few steps back. These two luminous bodies were simply too haunting.Little did they know that he himself was also eye-catching, and many people were discussing in private, who is this young man standing next to Young Marshal Lou?

The brief episode during the defense change was also noticed by Lou Xiao. He didn't say anything, but afterwards personally invited several military officers from Song Wu and the six southern provinces to visit the forts and forts built by the German army in Qingdao.

Reinforced and concrete buildings, extremely strong, new large-caliber shore artillery, 120mm old-style shore artillery left by the Qing army, dozens of land artillery of different calibers, machine guns and rapid-fire guns placed in various fortresses, all make these Chinese The soldiers opened their eyes.

"The fortifications built by the Germans are really remarkable."

All the soldiers present sighed, not to mention anything else, these cannons alone may not be made by China today.

"The Germans promised to keep all these guns?"

"Yes." Young Marshal Lou and Song Wu walked in front of the team, "But it's not for nothing."

Not in vain?

Song Wu suddenly realized that the main purpose of Lou Xiao taking them to visit the forts and fortresses was to tell them that whether it was taking back the leased land in Jiaozhou Bay or leaving these large-caliber guns behind, the six northern provinces had suffered "blood".As for what was given to the Germans... Song Wu's eyes turned to Li Jinyan, who was staring at the 280mm coastal artillery, and probably had something to do with Li Sanshao.

If the six northern provinces can lay nails in the south, the south may not be unable to hear news from the six northern provinces.

Li Sanshao has played a big role in the Lou family's success today. At least his father once said that the Liao family is rich, but since the old man Liao and below, the younger generation of the Liao family tend to be conservative and have only one vision. The unique Liao Qiting was dragged away by the northern six provinces, and now he is carrying the brands of Loujia and Li Jinyan to make a big splash in the southern business world. Mr. Liao doesn't know what he is thinking, it's all up to Liao Qi's own temper, but It was the younger generation of the Liao family who were waiting to see Liao Qiting's jokes, and they didn't know who would see whose jokes in the end.

"One wrong step, step by step." Song Zhou said with emotion that he couldn't let go of, but also admiration that he couldn't express, "Lou Shengfeng, I am not as good as him. Lou Xiao, you are not as good as him. Ah Wu, both father and son lost It’s because of our vision and our hearts. We still think about domestic things, and Lou Shengfeng and his son have already made up their minds about the Japanese and Lao Maozi.”

These words also gave Song Wu a big shock.He locked himself in the room for a whole day, and when he came out again, his whole person was a little different.

Xu Demao, commander of the Ninth Division of the Six Southern Provinces, heard the conversation between Lou Xiao and Song Wu, and his face also had a fever.He had no idea of ​​being a soldier before, but now that he thinks about it carefully, the foreigners are all unprofitable. How could it be possible that they would not benefit from returning the leased land unconditionally?It is definitely not a star and a half to go.

Since they only recognize soldiers from the six northern provinces, it proves that these benefits are all given by the six northern provinces. Whoever makes the most effort will take the lead. Even a big soldier understands this truth, let alone Xu Demao.

However, Lou Xiao's ability to point it out in this way saved enough face for Nan Liuxing and Xu Demao himself, and Zhan Changqing who arrived afterward couldn't help but secretly thought that Lou Xiao was a better person than Lou Shengfeng.

That night, a reception was held at the former Governor's Mansion in Qingdao. First, it was for the smooth return of the Jiaozhou Bay leased land, and second, it was to see Waldeck and others off.

Feng Shipei had already left with the main force of the Far East Fleet. Waldeck, as the host of the reception, toasted in the hall and gave a speech. German Minister Xin Ci also appeared at the reception. The German whispered; "Britain has provided Japan with another 3000 million pounds of low-interest loans."

In this era, many foreign ministers and consuls are out-and-out spies, and Paul Feng Xinci is one of them.The information he provided to Lou Xiao about Britain and Japan was one of the conditions that he had previously agreed with Lou Xiao in private. In exchange, the troops of the six northern provinces would continue to contain the Russian army in Far East Siberia and provide some help to Germany.But Lou Xiao did not agree to form an alliance with Germany, the reason is that China has now been unified, and as a local warlord, he has no right to form alliances with other countries.Moreover, the Chinese government declared its neutrality towards the European War. He attacked Siberia before the European War, and he would not be regarded as an enemy of the Allied Powers if he continued to fight Tsarist Russia.

Ultimately, the President is his father, and he will not go against his father's neutral attitude.

Xin Ci knew that this was just an excuse, but as long as Lou Xiao was willing to continue to increase troops to Siberia, drag Tsarist Russia back, and maintain goodwill towards Germany in some respects, he had already achieved his goal.

"Besides, there is one more thing I hope to discuss with your wife."

Li Jinyan's German level is improving steadily. When he heard the German envoy addressing him, he forced himself to smile at Xin Ci, "Mrs.

When Xin Ci said that on behalf of the German War Department, he hoped to sign a large cigarette order and canned food order with Li Jinyan, all the embarrassment and unhappiness were immediately photographed by Li Sanshao to plant mushrooms in the corner.

With money, everything is easy to talk about!

The reception is not a good place to bargain. The two parties have only reached an initial agreement, and the specific contract must be carefully negotiated after the reception.

Back at the residence where he was staying, Li Jinyan patted his alcohol-smeared cheeks, thinking of the order quantity revealed by Xin Ci, he laughed.

Lou Xiao took off his military cap and unbuttoned his military uniform with one hand. Hearing Li Jinyan's laughter, he turned his head and saw Li Sanshao sitting beside the bed, laughing foolishly by himself.

This is, drunk?

"I'm not drunk." Li Jinyan waved to Lou Xiao, and when he approached, he grabbed his collar and wrapped his shoulders with one hand, "Young commander, did you know about this earlier?"

"what?"

"The Germans want to do business with me."

"En." Lou Xiao grabbed Li Jinyan's waist and directly picked him up from the bed, "Go take a bath."

"Okay." Li Jinyan pinched Lou Xiao's earlobe, and blew in his ear, "Together?"

Young Marshal Lou paused, and he was absolutely sure that the one in his arms was definitely drunk.

The next day, Xin Ci, the German ambassador to China, personally came to visit Li Jinyan at the residence of Marshal Lou. The two not only signed an order for cigarettes and canned food, Li Jinyan also strongly recommended steel helmets and compressed biscuits to Xin Ci.Xin Ci is very interested in biscuits, but not so keen on steel helmets.

Li Jinyan curled his lips, well, he is not in a hurry, when the German soldiers lie in the trenches and are bombed, these Germans should come to the door by themselves.

The information on sulfonamide obtained by the Germans was true, but it took a certain amount of time to develop it. Xin Ci also bought a large amount of sulfonamide and hemostatic powder from Li Jinyan.

"Business is business, and the price is quite favorable because of our friendship."

Xin Ci nodded, he understood.The price of medicines Li Jinyan sells to Britain and France is much higher than that of Germany, and except for Germany, the Chinese have kept the production technology of sulfonamide quite tightly. In China, they have to spend a lot of money to buy such drugs from the Chinese, but in Germany, as long as they research results, they can save a lot of money.

In war, that means more guns and ammunition.

After Xin Ci left, Li Jinyan looked again at the order they signed just now, smelling the smell of ink on it, the corners of his mouth kept curling up.

"Young commander, when are we going back to Guanbei?" With so many orders, the inventory must be depleted quite quickly, and canned biscuits and the like will be outsourced if they are not guaranteed.He had to discuss with Manager Feng of the canning factory in advance to find an outsourced canning factory.

"Not going back to Guanbei." Lou Xiao wiped Li Jinyan's cheek with one hand, "Let's go to the capital first."

"The capital?"

"Yes," Lou Xiao leaned against the edge of the table, with his long legs straight, "Father wants to see me."

"Oh."

Li Jinyan nodded, since it is the president's business, let's go to the capital.Besides, the envoys of various countries are all in the capital, so they might be able to sign several large orders.

On August [-], Marshal Lou and Li Jinyan set off from Qingdao for the capital. On the same day, US President Woodrow Wilson declared his neutrality towards the European War.

The next day, the new Japanese ambassador to China Hiki Masaki arrived in Beijing.

On August [-], the German army occupied Brussels, and the troops from the six northern Chinese provinces occupied the entire territory of Sinuiju to attack Pyongyang.

At the same time, Kuppenschi, the Russian minister to China, sent a note to the Chinese government, proposing to conduct Sino-Russian negotiations on the Siberia issue.On the same day, the Chinese army's offensive in Siberia was suspended, and Ma Qingxiang, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu Province, also retreated from Siberia to Outer Mongolia. Although this time he didn't grab anything except the horses, the bearded horse still laughed: "If you kill enough money, you won't be able to escape." It's a waste of time!"