Chapter 1575 Tit for tat
Luo Hong quoted such a high price that was beyond everyone's expectations. Naturally, there was no longer any suspense. This round was won by the horse and blue country he represented. Luo Hong bid a total of 1.28 million yuan for the first two projects, buying more than 4,000 muskets and 200 artillery pieces. Even based on Haihan's army standards, this batch of arms It is enough to arm a firearms force of 6,000 people. In the environment of the Matalan Kingdom, plus the configuration of archers, cavalry, spearmen, shield bearers, and baggage troops using cold weapons. , the size of this elite force can reach at least 12,000 people.
What kind of concept is this? When Haihan helped Annan train the new army, the first army was only a thousand people. It was expanded to 3,000 people in the second year, and to 8,000 people in the third year. To train a force fully equipped with firearms, in addition to one-time weapons procurement, it is also very important to obtain professional guidance. If Haihan had not sent a team of military advisors to continuously train qualified officers for Annan, then no matter how many Haihan-style weapons Annan purchased, it would still be difficult to exert 100% of their power.
Even if the Matalan people purchased enough weapons and equipment to form a ten-thousand-strong army, it would not be possible to achieve combat effectiveness overnight. Without the military training provided by Haihan and relying solely on their own exploration, they would probably still be in disarray after three to five years. Of course, Heihan knew this very well, and the Dutch knew it in their hearts. The only person on the field who did not realize this situation was probably the proud Luo Hong.
Although the Ma Da Blue Army was equipped with a small number of firearms in the past, they really had no rules in terms of organization and tactics, and they did not know much about this cross-era warfare method. Without the training of professional experts and relying solely on his own exploration, the weapons Luo Hong spent a lot of money to purchase may not be able to exert even half of their power. It's a pity that he is currently unaware of this risk and is still immersed in the ecstasy of victory. Of course, he doesn't need to think so much at all. As long as the money is in place, he will have everything he should have.
As for spending the more than one million, Luo Hong believed that he had achieved his goal, so it didn't matter the price. The only thing he felt fortunate was that Haihan had only arranged for one competitor, the East India Company, to participate in the bidding. If there were several more competitors competing at the same time, the price he had paid before might not be enough.
Next, Luo Hong, on behalf of the East India Company, signed the contract document that Haihan had prepared. Su Keyi, sitting opposite him, watched the process expressionlessly, but he could not remain calm in his heart. Although the nouveau riche style of the Matalan people seemed vulgar to him, they actually stole two major items of army equipment. Su Keyi's bet was to win the naval project and block the Matalan offensive at sea in the future to avoid confrontation on land. But if this bet failed, the future of Batavia City would really be in jeopardy. .
With Luo Hong's self-satisfied look on his face, it was difficult for Su Keyi to deduce how much money the other party had prepared to deal with this bidding, although he thought that the plan he had formulated was better than the other party's plan to use money to force a way out. The method was much more clever, but seeing the momentum of Luo Hong's bid, he couldn't help but worry that he was too generous and underestimated the other party's financial resources.
The Army's third bidding content is other armaments besides firearms and artillery, including cold weapons such as swords, guns, bows and arrows, iron armor and shields, ammunition supplies, and the very important but seemingly inconspicuous Haihan military training program.
The content of this training program includes two main projects. First, Haihan sends military consultants to the area where the buyer is located to provide three-month training for front-line combat troops. The content is to teach the operation of firearms and artillery, as well as firearms troops. various basic combat tactics. Second, the buyer can send a team of officers to the Haihan Army Academy to receive the same length of training, and the learning content will be mainly on various advanced tactics. During the period, the trainees will also enter the Haihan Army for training. Those with excellent grades can also apply to stay in the Haihan Army to continue their studies, or go to front-line troops to participate in combat operations as military observers.
This kind of training is usually only provided to Haihan's military allies, but this time Haihan's military decided to relax this ban. One of the purposes is to try to cultivate senior pro-Haihan faction in Matalan or the Netherlands. officer. This kind of long-term plan has been common in Haihan's foreign arms sales and trade in the past. There are a large number of officers in the armies of Annan, Daming and other countries who are privately supporters of Haihan. Not only did these officers receive military training from Haihan, but they were also influenced by Haihan in terms of worldview and values during the training. After returning to their camp, this influence will gradually spread over time. , will naturally produce many beneficial effects on Haihan.
Of course, the military training provided by Haihan is not just to win over military officers from other countries. These training contents will indeed play an immediate role in improving the combat effectiveness of the army. Therefore, after tasting the sweetness, most countries that purchase weapons from Haihan will require Haihan Provide supporting training services. Even if such services are paid, the country concerned will be happy to pay for them.
Worried that these two companies would not understand the significance of this training plan, Baikes made a brief and concise introduction before the start of the third bidding process. The intention was of course to encourage these two companies to maintain their previous momentum and continue to raise their profile. Offer a high price.
Compared with the previous firearms and artillery, the price of cold weapons is really quite cheap. A fine steel saber only costs a few yuan. Industrially produced spear points and arrows are sold directly by weight, which is slightly more expensive. Armor, half-plate armor and helmet are less than the price of a rifle, and the price of full-body armor with better protection is even 20 to 30% lower than the cost of making it by domestic craftsmen in the two countries.
However, some are cheap and some are expensive. Ammunition for firearms and artillery is much more expensive than cold weapons, and it has become a must-buy item for Matalan. Otherwise, they can only be stingy and use the money they are issued when purchasing weapons. That amount of ammunition is probably enough to even complete basic training.
The real price is the last training plan, including the cost of sending a team of 30 people to each other. Haihan's quotation for this plan is - 300,000 yuan. This is definitely a considerable amount. If it is just the cost of living, transportation and salary for these dozens of people for three months, then 30,000 to 50,000 yuan is more than enough. The reason why he can offer this price is naturally because Haihan believes that the military skills imparted through training are worth the price. The package price of many sub-items in this third bidding content is almost the same as the price quoted for the second artillery item, and has also reached the 600,000 threshold.
However, for the East India Company, after losing the first two projects, it does not make much sense to fight for this project. Even if it wins, it will only add a little trouble to its opponents at most. It will not enhance its own military strength. The role it can play is extremely limited. Although Su Keyi is very interested in the content of military training, he has never purchased the main weapons and equipment of the Haihan Army. Doesn't this training become a dragon-slaying skill?
So in the third project, the East India Company, which lacked interest, only made a symbolic offer of 650,000 yuan. After being beaten by Luo Hong's offer of 700,000 yuan, it simply gave up.
The bidding for three Army projects ended, and Matalan State swept them all away with an offer of nearly two million, leaving not even a scrap for the opponent. Although the final transaction price exceeded the expectations of the Executive Committee, no one expected that the Madalan Kingdom was so powerful and completely suppressed the East India Company in the quotation, which shows how strong it is to win. . Seeing that it was already noon, Tao Donglai suggested adjourning the meeting for dinner and proceeding with the bidding for the naval project in the afternoon. Both parties have no objections to this, and they both need some time to digest this morning's competition and make quotation plans for the next projects.
Judging from the situation, the East India Company lost completely in the morning's confrontation. Although Su Keyi was a little discouraged, he would not give up. His focus is still on the combat ship order given by Haihan. This purchase package includes twenty expedition-class warships and four exploration-class warships. Judging from the firepower configuration listed on the explanatory document, on paper Its strength has exceeded that of the East India Company's South Sea Fleet.
But what makes Su Keyi very unhappy is that Haihan split the ship-based artillery into the bidding project of naval equipment. In other words, just grabbing the warship is not enough. If the supporting artillery is not also bought, East India will The company can only find a way to get a batch of guns to deploy on the ship, and this configuration is obviously not comparable to the original goods. By then, the combat effectiveness of these warships will only be 50% or 60%.
Haihan's quotation for the expedition-class warship is 20,000 for a bare ship, 50,000 for an exploration-class, and another 600,000 for a package. Su Keyi estimated that the Matalan people would not hesitate to invest another million dollars in this project, and the other party had already purchased a batch of army artillery. If they did not grab the naval artillery, they could also modify some of the army artillery and deploy it on the ship. . So no matter what, Su Keyi must take down the warships. Otherwise, if the Matalan people have gathered the equipment of the navy and the army, Batavia City may really not be able to carry it when they start a war again. Lived.
As for the non-combat ships that Haihan listed separately in the naval equipment bidding, in this case, it seems that they have become tasteless and useless. These sailing ships, including six light reconnaissance sailing ships, eight comprehensive supply ships, and ten troop transport ships, are priced at 240,000, which works out to an average price of 10,000, which is indeed much cheaper than combat ships.
"Arrange the bidding for non-combat ships first in the afternoon, otherwise I'm afraid that in the end both companies will have neither the money nor the will to compete for this project." Tao Donglai put forward his own suggestions to Bai Kesi during lunch.
Bai Kesi nodded and said: "Even if you don't say it, I already have this plan. According to the current momentum, both families will definitely focus on grabbing warships. So I plan to put non-combat ships first and combat ships first. Put it at the end so they don’t have any reservations.”
Schneider said: "In the morning's bidding, the Matalan people spent two million, but the East India Company didn't spend any money. I think that Su Keyi is just trying to grab this wave. But the Matalan people really have it." Money, such generous customers are rare now. After today's matter is over, I plan to reorganize the trade relationship with Matalan Country. If necessary, I will go there personally. This country is so rich. We used to have money. I didn’t even notice it, I really missed it.”
"I think it's better to arrange for people from the security department to come over first. Let's take a look at the horse and blue and understand the local environment clearly. When the time comes, you can have some points when talking about business." Although Tao Donglai is also very fond of horse and blue. Although the country showed a tyrant spirit, he has always been more cautious and did not agree with Schneider's slightly adventurous plan.
Schneider was a little unimpressed: "Didn't we already go there when the military organized the cruise in the South China Sea? Besides, with the current relationship with the Matalan country, if our senior officials visit, the other party must have good food and drink! There shouldn’t be any risk, right?”
Yan Chujie answered from the side: "The risk that Lao Tao mentioned is not from the country of Matalan, but the Dutch. Think about it, if something happens to senior official Haihan during his visit to Matalan, who will be the biggest beneficiary?" ? If you go to Maltalan, the Dutch will definitely try to cause trouble.”
"Then keep the itinerary secret and only conduct non-public visits." Schneider shrugged. Of course, he also understands that the Dutch are not good people. If there is a chance, he will definitely prevent Ma Dalan and Haihan from deepening their contacts. To eliminate such risks, only the military and intelligence agencies can probably do it.
Compared to the relaxed lunch time of the executive committee, Su Keyi and Luo Hong were much more nervous. They each just ate a little and took the time to discuss the bidding strategy for the afternoon with their advisers. One side wants to take advantage of the victory to pursue and win to the end, while the other side wants to achieve a desperate counterattack. The situations and strategies of both sides are different, but the goals are the same.
The first bidding after the meeting resumed in the afternoon, it turned out that both parties had little interest in this tasteless project. Luo Hong even asked if he could cancel this project and proceed directly to the bidding of the last two items. This is of course impossible. Haihan Ordnance Industry and Shengli Port Shipyard can earn at least half of the revenue from this project, so they would not be willing to cancel it. In the end, it was Luo Hong who took advantage of him and won the non-combat ship project that neither bidder was willing to snap up for the price of 280,000, which was the same as the final quotation for the first item in the morning.
(End of chapter)