Build a big steel mill, build a railroad? Wu Changqing was taken aback by Yi Zhi's contentment, the Wu family often entertained foreign businessmen, and he was proficient in English and Portuguese, so naturally he had heard of trains and railways, and he also knew that the cost of railways was extremely expensive.

A group of foreign businessmen also looked at each other, could it be that Wu Bingjian invited them to the banquet today just to discuss the railway? This is really a big business, but I don't know if any railway company is willing to cross the ocean to the Qing Dynasty.

Yi Zhishu no longer spoke, the railway is definitely going to be built, whether it is government or private, it is a good joke, but a large steel plant must be built, the construction of a railway is just a gimmick, and a large steel plant is his main purpose.

Qinghui Pool Pavilion, Wu Bingjian stood under the corridor with a smile to welcome everyone, after a period of greetings, everyone entered the house, the guests and hosts sat down, after saying tea, Wu Bingjian glanced at a few foreign businessmen, and finally looked at Yi Zhicontent, and said: "Contentment, you talk to them." ”

Yi Zhizhi is not polite, it is naturally beneficial for him to talk about it first, in case the talk collapses, Wu Bingjian can also mediate, and he groaned slightly, before he said: "I have long heard that the United States has a strong shipbuilding capacity, can anyone introduce it?" ”

Shipbuilding capabilities? Thirteen Lines want to buy a boat? The group of foreign businessmen immediately became excited, and Wittmo preemptively asked, "I don't know if Mr. Yi wants to buy a merchant ship or a gunboat?" ”

"What is the price of merchant ships? And what is the price of a gunboat? ”

"In displacement terms, it is 110 yuan a ton for merchant ships and 180 yuan a ton for gunboats."

Listen to the cost quoted by Wittmo, John. Green breathed a sigh of relief, but Yi Zhizhi gasped, one hundred and ten yuan a ton, a thousand-ton sea ship costs 110,000 yuan (Spanish silver dollars, international trade is usually denominated in Spanish silver dollars), ten sea ships, even if they are all 1,000 tons, will cost more than one million! He had only half the price of silver.

Seize the opportunity, John. Green said: "China's shipbuilding industry is quite prosperous, many shipyards have a history of more than 100 years, and in the past thirty or forty years, a number of naval shipyards have been built one after another, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Washington Naval Shipyard, Boston Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

The U.S. Navy's warships USS Soyuz, USS Constitution, USS United States, USS Insurrection, and others were all shipped from these naval shipyards. ”

Yi Zhishu asked, "How big is the shipbuilding?" How many ships can be produced annually and what is the total tonnage? ”

John shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm just a businessman far away in the East, and Mr. Yi should ask the members of Congress about these questions." ”

Olifin asked, "Can you ask how many ships the Thirteen Lines will order?" ”

Although he didn't have enough money on hand, Yi Zhishu still stubbornly said: "Twenty cross-ocean armed merchant ships of more than 1,000 tons, among which there are four flying clippers that need to be fast. ”

Even if it is an armed merchant ship, it is also a business of two million, and the foreign businessmen here are all excited, and this business can be earned, not to mention more than 100,000 profits, who is not impressed.

After a little hesitation, Oliphyn said: "Twenty merchant ships of more than 1,000 tons are nothing, with the shipbuilding capacity of North America, they can be delivered in one year, the question is, twenty merchant ships, can you have so many crew sailors at one time?" Can an ocean-going vessel need experienced crew and sailors, delivered over three years? This will also make it easier for you to recruit and train sailors. ”

Delivered in three years, that is to say next year ... Obviously not next year, and a batch can be delivered first in the spring of the next year, which is very much to his liking, but this price is really expensive!

After pondering for a moment, Yi Zhizhi said: "If you talk about the development of the shipbuilding industry, but the first recommendation is England, if you talk about shipbuilding technology, France, after the Napoleonic Wars, France's status plummeted, and Philip was eager to restore the economy after his coronation, I think Lancy may need the friendship of the Thirteen Lines more, and need this order more, and will also give the Thirteen Lines a more pertinent price." ”

Hearing these words, a group of American businessmen couldn't help but look at each other, no one expected that Yi Zhixiang was so clear about the situation of the world's shipbuilding industry at a young age, and he also knew the situation of European countries well, and it seemed that it was not ordinary difficult to deceive him.

A group of foreign businessmen spend most of the year dealing with merchant ships and sailors from all over the world, and they are very clear about the market of North American shipyards, British and French shipyards. Green said cautiously: "Qichang Hong and Jardine have been business partners for many years, so naturally they will not misrepresent prices. ”

After a pause, he said decisively: "Eighty yuan a ton, the artillery is priced separately, this is the market situation, according to the rules, let's take a link from it and get a commission of five percent." ”

If it is twenty ships, it will be cheaper by 500,000, which makes Yi Zhishu very satisfied, and it is estimated that this price is already the limit, after all, Qichang and Jardine have a friendship for many years, although he is very satisfied, he is not willing to make a decision, he talks about it, and the decision is still let Wu Bingjian come.

Oliphyn glanced at Yi Zhizhi and said, "I would like to ask, are these twenty merchant ships and thirteen lines preparing to trade with Europe?" Or is it trade with India, or is it trade with the Americas? ”

"Trade with your country." Yi Zhishu said without hesitation: "The reason why this order is given to you is not to Britain and France, is to take this into account, the Thirteen Banks and Yuanqi Bank will further strengthen their business and trade contacts with your country, and Yuanqi Bank is also ready to open a branch in your country, so that the business and trade between Daqing and your country will be greatly convenient, and the exchange of bills of exchange will not need to transit through London." ”

Hearing this, a group of foreign businessmen couldn't help but have mixed joys and sorrows, the joy is that if Yuan Qiruo opens a branch in the United States, not to mention the convenience of money exchanges, the speed of silver money turnover is at least several times faster, which is naturally a good thing for them, but the Thirteen Banks directly sent a merchant fleet to trade with the United States, just afraid that it will steal a huge market share.

Yi Zhishu naturally knew what they were worried about, and after taking a sip of tea, he said neatly: "You don't need to worry about the Thirteen Lines seizing the market and squeezing your share, but I advise you to quickly increase the number of people and expand the scale of the foreign bank, as our fleet goes to your country to trade, the trade between the Qing Dynasty and the United States will reach a new level." ”

Hearing this, several people immediately thought of what he said when he entered the door, the Qing Dynasty was going to build a large steel mill and a railway, and before everyone could react, Oliphyn said aloud: "Armed merchant ships, eighty yuan a ton, is indeed the market price, but Olifin's line is willing to take this order at a price of seventy-one tons, no commission, and all the artillery equipped on merchant ships is also given away for free." ”