Andong's major oil mills are located in the food area of the port industrial park, and the standard steel frame is built in the factory, and the soybeans packed in sacks are piled up more than 20 meters high. The mountains of beans have turned the once vast factory into a jungle of sacks, and only half of the oil presses are in operation in the oily oil mill. At this time, the workers were not as serious as before, and they all looked in one direction: on the side of the drying machine, the owner of the factory, who only came to the factory during the New Year's Festival, was surrounded by someone with a dry man.

"My lord, now I can't buy soybeans, and the villain can only run the factory half-way, barely maintaining ......," Wang Shizhong, the owner of the oil mill, smiled flatteringly, and introduced the current situation to Yang Rui, who came to visit.

"My lord, this is mainly due to the abundant oil crops in Argentina." Zhang Xingye, the eldest son of Zhang Kecheng, president of the Anton Chamber of Commerce, took the opportunity to say. Although Wang Shizhong, the proprietor, has been in the grain business since his grandparents, he does not know much about the world grain and oil trade.

"Oh," Yang Rui grabbed a handful of beans from the dryer that had been stirred up like a wave by the shovel, sniffed it and threw it back. "Is Argentina's produce marketed earlier than ours?"

"Exactly!" Zhang Xingye glanced at Yang Rui happily, and immediately lowered his head -- not everyone knows how to look at the grain business from the perspective of world trade, or rather, there are crops supplied all year round in the world, in the southern hemisphere in the first half of the year and the northern hemisphere in the second half of the year. However, in Yang Rui's view, this is just a pediatric, because the same is true of the fruit trade. "My lord, according to the Western calendar, Australian agricultural products are the first to be marketed in January, February and March every year, followed by Argentina in March, April and May, and then we and India in July, August and September. Finally, the United States and Canada in October, November, and December. Although our soybeans were received and shipped ahead of schedule this year, the economic crisis was along. Argentina has increased production sharply, which has blocked it. ”

"Oh." Yang Rui felt more and more that Argentina should be damned. He asked: "Then our soybean market ahead of schedule this year is equivalent to useless?" ”

"Back to my lord, of course it will play a role in going public in advance." Zhang Xingye didn't know that the mastermind of this year's weird soybean listing a month ahead of schedule was standing in front of him, he just told the truth, "Before India's oil crops came up, our soybean exports could still be sold for 55 or 50 per ton, and after India's oil crops came up, the price fell below 50, and at first it could be sold for 478, but now no one wants 40." Those foreign merchants who hoarded goods and waited for price increases regretted not letting go earlier. ”

"Well, that's good..."Yang Rui wanted to laugh and held back. The world's agricultural trade is chasing prices, for example, Northeast grain is chasing Argentine grain, which is the initial price, and then the price trend depends on demand and supply. However, there are always some people who like to go against the market, and everyone receives the goods when they sell them, and the result is a tragedy this year.

"The Germans can't eat either?" Yang Rui left the dryer. Walked towards the neat row of oil presses.

"I can't eat." This time the answer was that the owner Wang Shizhong, he knew who the soybeans were sold to, and the Germans were the big customers of soybeans, although the British also bought them. But they have it in their own colony. "I don't know ...... after the year"

Glancing at the factory owner with a smile on his face, Yang Rui smiled and said, "Don't be a year old, you have to be like leprosy." Hurry up and throw the goods out of your hand, and then you can fall to thirty. ”

It is an honor to have Yang Rui visit the factory. But Wang Shizhong wanted this adult to guide him more, and didn't want him to burst all the soap bubbles he hoped for as soon as he spoke. "Your Excellency. It's ......, and the beans are all over forty years old, less than forty-five ......."

Wang Shizhong was worried about this loss, and Zhang Kecheng on the side followed closely: "My lord, what about the silk?" Do you want to throw this one away? ”

"If soybeans are leprosy, then raw silk is explosives, don't say throw, Japan and Jiangsu and Zhejiang are already persuading Sannong to cut down trees." Yang Rui said, "In general, when you should withdraw, you must withdraw immediately, the more you hesitate, the more you will die, and if you don't do well, you may be wiped out." Raw silk was about to be wiped out, and soybeans were a fiasco—at least in the first month. ”

Looking at the businessmen who couldn't cry or laugh, Yang Rui advised him wholeheartedly, although these people were snobbish, but on the whole, he was still satisfied, at least they were extremely thrifty, and they were also very dedicated to the cultivation of future generations, not at all like the coal bosses who drove Hummers in later generations.

"My lord......" The secretary in the entourage whispered a few words in Yang Rui's ear, and it turned out that Wang Jitong, Yu Qiaqing, Bei Shou and others were here.

After Yang Du sent back Stalin's reply about the canal, Yang Rui roughly judged what the Russians meant: that is, the canal can be built, but you have to pay a sufficient price. First of all, the canal should not be too small - since it is free, then you have to help us build it bigger, and it is not enough to pass 50,000 tons of merchant ships, at least 100,000 tons. That is to say, the depth of the canal should be at least more than 12 meters, and the narrowest part of the width should be more than 150 meters, which can be a lot more than the previous requirements of 100 meters wide and 9 meters deep, and the cost has also increased a lot, but fortunately, the preliminary survey found that the actual mileage of the canal is 650 kilometers, and there are many places that do not need to be dug, although the cost has risen, but it will not be doubled.

Secondly, the canal is the Trans-Siberian Railway of China, since we let your merchant ships pass directly, then the gauge of the Trans-Siberian Railway should also be changed, otherwise at the border Russian goods have to change carriages to reach Vladivostok; Finally, since the Soviets have shown their goodwill, can the various types of combat vehicles, all types of aircraft, and all kinds of ships in the active service of the Ba'ath Army send the drawings and technology to the Soviets, after all, the two countries are friends and will not go to war.

To tell the truth, Comrade Iron did not make excessive demands, nor did he analyze the changes brought by the canal to the geopolitics of Central Asia from a long-term perspective and correctly assess the impact of the canal on the Trans-Siberian Railway, of course, this may hinder the current economic situation and the fact that the canal was completely under the control of the Soviet Union.

For these conditions: under the conditions of technology and capital, Yang Rui also hopes that the Eurasian Canal will be built as big as possible; As for the gauge, according to the 'Sea of Three Rivers' plan, Harbin will become a river and seaport like Wuhan in the future -- it will be connected to the Whale Sea on one side and the Bohai Sea on the other, and it is enough for the Russian track to be changed to Harbin; The drawings and techniques of the last vehicle, plane, ship. This is really not a problem, there are three five-year plans in the USSR. The third was interrupted by the German invasion, that is. A large-scale war between China and Russia is unlikely for at least ten years, and in ten years' time the current weapons will long be outdated.

Yang Rui looked at the problem in this way, but the sky-high price of the canal's initial estimate of 450 million still frightened the representatives of the Inspectorate. This is more than one-third of the annual revenue, especially now that it is still in the midst of an economic crisis, and at the same time, the canal must have been traded at a loss in the previous decades -- although the canal does not need locks, the annual interest of 450 million yuan is as high as 20 or 30 million, and the tax on the canal construction of 1 Chinese yuan per ton of imported and exported goods will not be paid at all.

In addition to economic accounts, Britain also expressed its 'regret' about the canal, believing that it was another selfless act of Chinese 'funding' of the Bolsheviks. The Times said that the Eurasia Canal was worthless, because most of China's population was concentrated in the 19 provinces of Guannai, and it was better to load ships directly from Shanghai than to take the Western Regions Railway and then enter the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea through the canal. The shipping cost from Shanghai to London is only two pounds, or 20 Chinese dollars; And by taking the Eurasian Canal, the freight from Shanghai or Haizhou to Caspian Port is more than 60 Chinese yuan, which has not yet reached London, and it really has to be transported to London, according to the shipping mileage. A minimum of 65 Chinese dollars will be awarded.

This is freight, and the passenger industry is not optimistic. Travelers in a hurry can take the Trans-Siberian Railway, which is about seven or eight days, or take a plane. It's faster that way; The Eurasian Canal, on the other hand, travels more than 4,000 nautical miles from London to the east coast of the Caspian Sea, which takes at least 14 days. It takes at least six days to travel from Caspian Port to Shanghai by train, adding up to a total of 20 days.

Yang Rui, who had read the British newspaper, initially thought that the British were spreading rumors. Because it takes six days to train from Central Asia to Shanghai, why does it only take seven or eight days to travel from Northern Europe to Northeast China? He looked at the map to find out. The Trans-Siberian Railway is located in a high-latitude region, and it is only a short distance of more than 7,000 kilometers to Europe, while the Eurasian Canal is a lower dimension, and the distance by land and sea is completely more than 10,000 kilometers. In terms of distance alone, the Siberian Land Bridge is better than the Central Asian Land Bridge.

The British expressed their 'regret', and the United States, which was ruled by the Republicans, also believed that China's continued 'selfless' assistance to Soviet Russia was signing a contract with the devil, and the result would either become the devil or be devoured by the devil itself. Britain and the United States stated that France, the world's third largest power, also believes that it is necessary to maintain a 'cautious' attitude towards the Eurasian Canal, saying that although the canal will not harm France's interests, China has signed a contract with a country that treats contracts like waste paper, and has built the canal completely on the territory of this country, which is almost sending money to the robbers, France advises the Chinese government to be cautious, and at the same time advises French nationals not to buy any stocks and bonds of the Eurasian Canal.

The pattern after the European war is that Britain, the United States, France, China and Japan rule the world together, if China and Japan are one, then in the eyes of the whole world, it is the fourth power, and now the first three powers are not optimistic about the Eurasian Canal, and then there are Nordic countries, such as Finland and Poland, which also protest loudly, and domestic public opinion will naturally be affected. Some tabloids believe that 450 million is equivalent to the Gengzi indemnity of the former Qing Dynasty, but this time it is not to the countries, but to Soviet Russia; Other 'responsible' local newspapers argued that the canal was needed, but that the country was still poor and in the midst of an economic crisis, and that it should be postponed for a decade.

Finally, the major newspapers controlled by Tianzihao, they think that it is indeed difficult to repair now, but ten years later, when the five-year plan of Soviet Russia ends, people may not agree again, and even if they do, the conditions are not the current conditions, and the lion will definitely open his mouth when the time comes. Although the canal mainly employs local workers, the machinery, trucks, steel, and cement needed will pull the domestic industries related to it, which is a core part of the strategy of opening up the western part of Greater China......

The newspaper is completely in the tone of the official media, but the difference is that the Revival Association is not the ruling party, and it cannot manipulate the Inspectorate to pass bills as before, so this is only the biggest voice in public opinion, and opponents can still refute the loopholes of the 'official media', criticizing some people for not being able to grasp the spirit of the former prime minister and the people, and having to make some big projects to work the people and lose money......

At this time, in addition to the economic crisis being a hot topic, the Eurasian Canal was another hot topic.

"It's so pleasant!" Wang Jitong, who is still the scholar of the Li Fan Academy, looked at Yang Rui, who was calm and relaxed, and smiled bitterly. After Xu Hua was sealed, he was busy with scientific research while he was still the scholar of the Lifan Academy.

"I just don't have anything to do. I just like to walk around. Yang Rui smiled and greeted him and Yu Qiaqing and Bei Shoutong, and then invited everyone to take a seat. After the tea, he waved away the others, who had come to discuss important matters.

"There was no problem with the Imperial Palace, and the Mongols who would be flooded did not mind becoming landlords of the new city in the future. Living on rent. "Wang Ji opened the same mouth as the Li Fan Yuan." The representatives of the 19 provinces, only the representatives of Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and Shanxi provinces were more supportive of the canal, and the other 15 provinces thought that this would benefit them at all, especially a few deputies from Shanghai, who said that Shanghai would never pay a penny for the canal. ”

"This is normal." Yang Rui quietly took a sip of tea, "In terms of current transportation conditions, the canal can benefit only the Western Regions and Beiting, and Shaanxi and Gansu are poor provinces. Agree or disagree that they can't give up a few dollars; Sichuan is used to being surrounded, as long as it is an outlet to the sea, whether it is east or west, he is happy to see it, and the people pay for it, just like the original Sichuan-Han Railway; This Shanxi, hehe, the old vinegar jar is still slippery, I know that the bill will definitely not pass. That's why I made a gesture and sold my personal ......"

After the election of the Fourth Inspectorate of Doubts, Yang Rui was clear about the virtues of the provinces. The most difficult thing to do in the north is Shanxi, where the huddle is the tightest, the means are the most slippery, and the mouth is the sweetest; The south is fun, and the two lakes are not satisfied with Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Liangguang and Fujian, because of the support of overseas Chinese, are authoritarian and disobedient; Then there are several factions within Zhejiang, which do not bird each other; However, Jiangsu and Anhui are mortal enemies. It is said that on a certain occasion, the two sides also staged an all-military march, and the result was naturally that Anhui, which was holding together, defeated Jiangsu, which had different hearts from the north and the south. Several Jiangsu deputies had their heads broken, and the scolding war lasted for more than a month.

But no matter how prickly these people are. Many of these representatives are military and have titles that ordinary gentry and business gentry do not have, and this country can be said to be built on the basis of the Imperial Court, and the Inspectorate is just a yamen that pays money and grain, just like the former Qing Dynasty.

Yang Rui's guess was completely correct, and Wang Jitong said: "Judging from the current situation, it is obviously impossible to hope that the government will pay for the construction of the canal in the name of the government. The only thing that is certain is that they will not allow the canal to be built in the name of labor and money. ”

"That's how it should be." Yang Rui smiled self-deprecatingly, this was the expected result, the situation he set up before trapped Song Jiaoren and any future prime minister, but he was also bound. "What are the opinions of those who disagree?"

"What are the opinions?" Wang Jitong looked at Yang Rui, "Once there is also an outlet to the sea in the west, and now the European share of trade accounts for a large proportion, the coastal provinces are very worried that those high-value goods will be exported to the west." For example, raw silk, eggs, soybean oil, household appliances, etc., while the east can only go through some large quantities of low-priced goods, and the trade volume cannot be done, and the income cannot go up.

It's competition, and then there's the fear of paying. Now that the economy is in crisis, every family is tightening their belts to get by, and the huge sum of 450 million is equivalent to nine out of ten people having to pay a dollar, which is comparable to Gengzi's compensation. Although everyone is rich now, one dollar per capita is not a small amount, a family of five has to pay four yuan and a half, and the poorer ones have a month's livelihood.

In the end, he was worried about angering the major powers and fearing that Soviet Russia would turn around in the future. They turned out the former Baghdad Railway, thinking that as soon as this canal was repaired, the ships would not go through the Suez Canal in the future, and the British would definitely be unhappy. The British are not happy, and if they do not retaliate against us, they will give us trouble at every turn. Anyway, that's it. ”

"What are the reasons for supporting them?" Yang Rui asked again.

"The reason for the support? Beiting and the Western Regions are fully supported, needless to say. The other ears knew that it was our idea, and they supported it. That's the reason. Wang Ji said.

"Didn't they see that after the canal was built, our country would be connected to the sea on both sides, the Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea?" Yang Rui said regretfully.

"This ......" Wang Jitong looked at Yang Rui's expectations, and had to say: "It's done, no one wants to fight now, and the shipping freight rate is only one-tenth of the railway freight rate, everyone thinks that instead of taking the Eurasian Canal, it is better to take the Malacca and Suez Canal." ”

"Okay, let's not mention these people." Yang Rui turned to look at Yu Qiaqing, "Ade, the government can't contribute money, so it can only rely on the securities market in Shanghai, how much money do you think can be raised?" ”

"Money is not a problem, as long as you can stand up and call on everyone to join the ......," Yu Qiaqing said with a sneer.

"It's hard for me to stand up." Yang Rui hurriedly shook his head, "If the Suspicion Institute can't pass it, then it can only be operated commercially." But the problem is that the canal really doesn't make money. Did I stand up and call on everyone to donate money to build the canal? ”

"If you don't stand up, I guess it's except for ourselves. Others will raise tens of millions at most, and it is enough to start the survey in front. After a year or two, it's definitely going to be stopped. Yu Qiaqing rarely took it seriously for a while. For him, this is a big business, once his company underwrites stocks or bonds, the three percent commission is more than 10 million.

"......" Yang Rui glanced at Yu Qiaqing, and then he looked at Bei Shoutong, "The army doesn't have any opinions, right?" ”

"Sir, after I told you what you meant, everyone was fine. The most important thing now is to get the canal through. So that the country has one more access to the outside world, so that the southeast will not even have an outlet to the sea if it is blocked. Pei Shoutong knew that Yang Rui was asking about the drawings and technical questions of the equipment in service, which were transferred to Soviet Russia, and it was likely that the Revival Army would have to face these weapons in the future.

"Well, it's good to understand that. You can't rely on opponents who are inferior to you to build merit, but you have to hone your will in opponents who are stronger than you. Yang Rui nodded with satisfaction, not delving into whether this was really understood or because of his prestige.

"Ade, I'd better not show up." Yang Rui said. "That's it, you see how much you can underwrite? You give me a number. ”

"It's... About ......" Yu Qiaqing's face was as if he was constipated, and he said after a long while: "If it is really going to be issued, I don't think it will exceed 200 million." He said then again. If it's inconvenient for you to come forward, it's okay to come forward without a name......"

"It's not easy to come forward without a name." Yang Rui refused. "He doesn't have the size to do it. Why are you standing at the front desk so early? You'd better go and prepare first, once the canal company and the Russian government officially sign a contract. Then start issuing shares and don't worry about whether you can raise enough money. I can't lose you. ”

"I understand. I understand! Yu Qiaqing was full of smiles, what he was most worried about was that Yang Rui asked him to underwrite the 450 million shares, where did he get this money, even if all the Ningbo businessmen sat in row and distributed the amount, they couldn't make up it at all.

Seeing that Yang Rui and Wang Ji and others were still going to talk about military affairs, the interesting Yu Qiaqing immediately retired. As soon as he left, Wang Jitong said: "It's done, the wind is wrong!" ”

"Hmm. yes, the wind is not right. Yang Rui knew that he was talking about the international situation, so many countries were against the canal, and Northern Europe was not counted, but France and the United States were completely on the British side, and they always felt that something was wrong.

"Sir, the Intelligence Bureau believes that the British will definitely fight against this, and the landing point of the countermeasure is likely to be the Persian Railway." Pei Shoutong is about to leave in another year, but he is still too young, and he doesn't seem to be old.

"Hmm." Yang Rui put down the teacup and walked a few steps in the flower hall. "Probably yes. The Anglo-Polish oil company, which has always excluded us from taking a stake, is now saying that it wants to transfer its stake to Mobil Oil, and it is clear that they want to bring in Americans to make trouble. Ji Mei, what are the countermeasures of the General Staff? ”

"Sir, even if there is a rebellion, the army loyal to the king can quickly stabilize the situation, for fear that the tribes outside Tehran will sabotage the railway, and the Shatt al-Arab is the boundary river between Persia and Iraq, and if there is a conflict between the two countries, shipping will probably stop." Bei Shou is the same way. "According to our previous agreement with the British, the south of Persia is their sphere of influence, and neither we nor the army of the Persian king will intervene to achieve good results. So the best way is to treat others the way they do, and if the British sabotage the railroad or shipping, then we will find a way to sabotage the oil fields and pipelines......"

"It's not going to work!" Yang Rui shook his head, "The major shareholder of the Anglo-Polish Oil Company is the British Royal Navy, no matter how hidden we are, we will still let them find out, once the British Admiralty leaders are involved, things will be more complicated." ”

"What then?" Wang Jitong thought that Pei Shoutong's method was good, and he didn't want the British Royal Navy to be pulled out.

"If something happens to Persia, it is likely not to be isolated, and this is the ......beginning of the joint efforts of Britain and the United States to suppress and contain us," Yang Rui said silently.

"Is the Eurasian Canal really that harmful?" Wang Jitong asked in disbelief. "The amount of cargo that can come in and out of there is a drop in the bucket for the Suez Canal."

"It's just a financial benefit." Yang Rui said, "There are two political reasons that the British have to pay attention to, the first is that China and the Soviet Union are getting closer and closer, maybe one day the two countries will join hands, one Asia, one Europe, to occupy the Eurasian continent."

Second, even if we do not join hands with the Soviet Union, the Baath Army will be able to quickly enter the Mediterranean Sea through the canal and the Turkish Strait, which is only 2,000 kilometers from the dock on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea to the Turkish Strait, which is already very close to the war. In the past, the British supported the Ottomans against Tsarist Russia, and now that both China and Russia have entered the Mediterranean Sea from this direction, they must be taboo. ”

After talking about these two reasons, Yang Rui's expression became more serious when he thought of the situation in Germany, and he said: "There is a Jewish proverb that says that when human beings think, God laughs. I think it's ridiculous whether it's Britain or I. (To be continued.) )