I can't die

The support from the Qing Dynasty did not come quickly, and there was no other way.Now, in order to prevent the British from raiding, the Qing Dynasty has guarded all the main navy on the river's coast and Tianjin Port.And Ryukyu has been completely abandoned now, so by the time the Qing court navy got the news, some time had passed.

However, although the support from the Qing court came late, it at least gave a strong support to the American army that was going to a critical moment. Uncle He was also worried when he saw the Daqingshui Division who came to support.In the past, he would not have taken the Qing court navy seriously, but now that China and the United States are joining forces, Britain is caught between things and immediately falls into a disadvantage.

"Retreat!" British navy admiral He Bo immediately gave the order to retreat, but how could the Americans let them go?Thinking of the envoy Chard who was killed by the bombing and sunken ship before, new hatred and old hatred welled up in his heart, wouldn't he want to beat the dog in the water?

The American warship turned its bow and rushed towards the British warship. In order to break through the siege of China and the United States, the British warship also increased its horsepower, but there was a loud noise, and the water was overflowing in an instant!The two warships collided.The powerful impact and inertia caused the two warships to embed each other in each other's hulls.The sailors hurriedly grabbed the side supports, and after the shaking stopped, the shouts and fighting sounded again, and the navies of both sides rushed to the other side's deck mountain with their guns in hand to carry out the most primitive fight, the sound of shells, guns Sound, shout. . .The red-eyed soldiers no longer cared about any queues or organizations, and only saw that they were not their own people, so they went forward to shoot and stab, which was tragic. . .

Zhang Zhidong, who came to support him, stood on the Qing warship not far away, seeing the red-eyed foreigners in front of him, his heart trembled, and he immediately ordered sailors to salvage the survivors who fell into the sea. American soldiers, rescue.

At the same time, Li Hongzhang, who was far away in Shanghai, was also conducting a fierce negotiation.In the Standard Chartered Bank in the public concession, the presidents of the five banks in Portugal, Spain, the United States, Germany, and France sat together and engaged in fierce bidding activities.The purpose of the bidding is the Qing Dynasty's 1000 million taels of loan.

Originally, according to the imperial court's idea, the United States borrowed a large amount, and other countries patched up some, so that the debt would be dispersed.However, after hearing this instruction, Li Hongzhang wrote a letter to refute it, and finally changed it to: The 1000 million taels were only borrowed from one country, and the bidding was open.

As for why you said the bidding was held in Shanghai, it is very simple, because most of the banks stationed in China from various countries are headquartered on the Bund.

"Everyone, I would like to borrow 1000 million grain and silver from one of the banks in each country, half of which should be paid in grain, and the specific interest rate should be chosen from the lowest bank."

"How many years will it be paid off?" George asked as the president of Standard Chartered Bank of the United States in China.

"Five years."

Five years is the result of joint discussions between the Military Aircraft Department and the Ministry of Household Affairs.According to the normal repayment process, it will take another five years for the Qing Dynasty to almost pay off the compensation required in the first two Opium Wars.

According to the general rules of borrowing money in the world at that time, the interest was 5 cents a year, that is to say, the annual interest of 1000 million taels was 50 taels, and it was a little over 200 million taels in five years, which was considered a very good deal. income.Of course, there are also those who pay [-]% or [-]% interest, but these are a bit of a usury interest. Basically, those who borrow this money have no intention of repaying it.

The presidents of the banks of various countries are all good people. It can be seen that the president of Citibank from the United Kingdom is the only one present, and he can guess in his heart some of Qing's intentions to borrow money at this moment.The French also once parted ways with the British, knowing that this is a good thing that can create trouble for the British and generate income, so they said: "Our country is willing to pay [-]% of the interest to establish friendly relations with your country. "

Li Hongzhang was overjoyed when he heard that someone lowered the price, but his expression was not obvious. He raised his hand to the president of the Bank of France to express his gratitude.Now there are bank presidents wanting to earn this big interest, and they speak out one after another. In the end, it was still the president of Standard Chartered Bank who was determined and offered an ultra-low price of [-]% and [-]% interest, and won the first prize.

Three cents and five percent interest for five years is about 100 million taels of total interest. The United States obviously wants to use this as a show of favor. After all, everyone is already on the same boat. Facing the same enemy, it is natural to watch and help each other. .Other countries see Standard Chartered Bank like this, although they are unwilling to offer a lower price, so they have no choice but to give up.

Li Hongzhang signed a contract with George, the president of Standard Chartered Bank, and the two parties promised to deliver the goods within one month.The place of delivery will be in Shanghai. At that time, the US warship will personally escort the silver to China.Li Hongzhang was very grateful for this, and opened his private collection again. He chose a palm-sized Maitreya Buddha with gold-plated agarwood wood as a gift to President George, which further brought the friendship between the two sides closer.

"Your Excellency, why do you have to borrow so much money from one country? Wouldn't it be better to borrow separately without any offense?" Ding Ruchang, the inspector of salt, accompanied Li Hongzhang out of the Standard Chartered Bank, and couldn't help asking this question in his heart.

Hearing this, Li Hongzhang looked at Ding Ruchang on the side, and said with a chuckle, "This is actually the same as being a human being. If you owe too little, you should treat others as masters, but on the contrary, when you owe too much, Others will treat you as a master."

Hearing this, Ding Ruchang was thoughtful, thinking that the knowledge of being a human being is really everywhere. It is no wonder that the emperor is so familiar with Li Hongzhang's insight.

The two were walking on the Bund by the Huangpu River in Shanghai, and heard the sound of water transport workers working not far away. Li Hongzhang turned around and asked, "Cizhang (Ding Ruchang's word), what is the production capacity of your ordnance factory recently?"

"The emperor has been allocating funds, and the production capacity has been greatly improved. Six more steam ships have been produced, and there are more than 50 mountain cannons."

Li Hongzhang estimated the number of military weapons in his heart, nodded, and became more confident about starting a war against Britain.

"What about the ironworks?"

"It's not on the right track yet. Although we have detained many skilled workers from the previous British director, there are still many key points to be explored."

"It's impossible to do that. Fortunately, several other countries are still happy to sell us steel."

"En..." Li Hongzhang also knew that some things are useless, so he said instead: "Recently, the rumors are tight, and you should pay more attention to the concession. Don't forget, the British still has an army stationed in Shanghai. Don't let them Becoming a demon."