Chapter 193 No meeting
Gaozong and Concubine Min only stayed in Vladivostok for one day.
But Datou stayed in Vladivostok for three days.
Da Tou hopes to visit the Fu Tuan.
George not only agreed, but also accompanied him personally.
Fu Tuan disappoints Da Tou, because in Da Tou's view, Fu Tuan is somewhat unprofessional.
Da Tou was also very strict in running the army in Goryeo.
Fu Tuan’s request seemed almost perverted to Da Tou.
Fu Tuan’s camp covers a large area. It was snowing when Datou visited Fu Tuan, but there was at least one battalion of officers and soldiers in Fu Tuan clearing away the snow.
It’s still snowing in the sky, and it’s snowing as it sweeps, and together you are a perpetual motion machine.
There are four battalions in the Fu Tuan, and the other three battalions have no organized training and are all studying.
Learn to read.
The highest secret of the army is to train soldiers into war machines that only know how to fight. It is best not to have any thoughts.
Forget it if an officer learns culture.
If soldiers also learn culture, wouldn't they worry about causing trouble to Xiao Qiang?
Apart from these two things, snow clearing and studying, the rest is all envy.
The rifles equipped by Fu Tuan are all the latest magazine-type rifles.
The artillery is the 1877-type 87mm field gun produced by the Obukhov Iron Works.
George is not satisfied with this artillery, because this artillery from Krupp, Germany is still an old-style retractable artillery, and the rate of fire is too slow, which completely does not meet George's requirements.
Datou is only envious, because there is not even one such artillery in the entire Goryeo, only older bronze cannons.
The key point is that there are not even many bronze cannons, and they are all fortress cannons, not field cannons.
In addition to weapons, Fu Tuan’s other equipment also makes Datou envious.
The temperature in Vladivostok is too low in winter, so keeping warm is a big problem.
The officers and soldiers of the Fu regiment wear leather hats, leather jackets, leather pants, and leather shoes from head to toe. The indoor heating is sufficient. Most of them have to take off their outer clothes when they come indoors. Otherwise, after a while Will be sweating profusely.
Have lunch at Fu Tuan Canteen.
The officers and soldiers each had a dinner plate with two dishes: beef stew with potatoes and vermicelli stew with radish, as well as a piece of fish and a piece of black bread.
The bread tastes pretty good, soft and delicious, and actually tastes a little sweet.
This is not easy. Sugar is an important strategic material at this time.
George is a super duke. He doesn’t do anything special. He eats the same as the soldiers.
Judging from what Ye Luoxin and other officers meant, this was not a show for the boss.
"We still have to think of ways to save more vegetables. Don't you have cabbage?"
The dishes are already so rich that George is not satisfied yet.
Da Tou is also a leader of troops and knows how expensive it is to raise troops.
Let’s not talk about what happened to the Qing Empire.
Koryeo Xinjun couldn’t eat this well during the Chinese New Year.
Datou can only lament that the Russian Empire is indeed powerful and cannot be offended.
"It will be available next year. We raised pigs and planted vegetables this year, but the harvest was not good——"
Ye Luoxin looked aggrieved, just like an honest and honest tenant farmer.
The translator that George found for Datou was very conscientious. Even the conversation between George and Ye Luoxin was clearly translated by Datou.
Big Tou’s eyes lit up.
Such good equipment, such good logistics, but not training well all day long, but raising pigs and growing vegetables——
Raise well, grow well.
"Go and get some Koreans to come over and let the Koreans raise pigs and grow vegetables."
George vaccinated Datou in advance. Even if Vladivostok recruits Korean soldiers, it is not to overthrow the Qing Empire. The rule of Goryeo was for raising pigs and growing vegetables.
“Let them raise pigs, I’m afraid they will steal the pigs.”
Ye Luoxin doesn't like Koreans. A pig is worth a lot of money these days.
It is not difficult to transport it away if stolen. Vladivostok and Korea are only separated by a river.
“Are your guns all fire sticks?”
George would not be afraid of the Cossacks, but he would only kill the Goryeo decisively.
After visiting the Fu Tuan, Datou proposed to visit the machinery factory and arsenal.
This time George finally refused.
Don’t waste your time, you won’t learn it anyway.
Before Big Head left, Schiff came to George again, hoping to be an agent for the sales rights of Vladivostok products in the United States.
You bankers still do this?
Schiff is not picky and will accept any business that can make money.
Although there are not many products in Vladivostok and the variety is not rich enough, it is really profitable.
Vladivostok’s cars have already opened up sales in Europe, with a total of 125 cars sold this year.
Don’t be too little, this was 1886, and the maximum price of each car was as high as 5,000 rubles. There were not many people who could afford it.
Cars at the level of 5,000 rubles are basically prepared for royal families of various countries, or high-ranking aristocrats, big capitalists, and rich men. If the little aristocrats and rich people want to buy a car, there are cheaper ones to choose from.
A car that costs 5,000 rubles is decorated with a lot of gold and precious stones. It is expensive for a reason.
The cheap car only sells for 3,000 rubles. Although it is not luxurious enough, there is almost no difference in performance.
In the past few years, the United States has surpassed the United Kingdom in gross national product and ranked first in the world.
So the demand for cars in the United States is no less than that in Europe.
Schiff ordered a cheap car from the Vladivostok Automobile Factory, and then came up with the idea of distributing Vladivostok products.
"Thierry is in charge of business in the United States."
Mikhail is worried that Schiff will steal the business of Thierry, George's third uncle.
“Can Thierry’s talent for doing business compare with Schiff?”
George is not worried. Thierry’s main task in the United States is to purchase machinery for Vladivostok. It's spending money, and selling things is a side task. It's a matter of whether you have dates or not.
Thierry didn't even spend the money. The Americans took advantage of the loophole and took the machines that were about to be scrapped and sold them to Vladivostok as new machines.
It was only for the sake of actual relatives that George had no intention of replacing him.
Anyone else would have been kicked out long ago.
Mikhail was silent.
Thierry can't even compare to ordinary businessmen, not to mention compared to Schiff. He is a great wretch.
Then let Schiff give it a try. George knows how big the American market is, especially for cars.
The price of gas in the United States is very cheap, which reduces the cost of using a car by a large amount.
The United States has a vast territory and sparsely populated areas, and public transportation is underdeveloped, so cars in the United States have natural advantages that are unparalleled in other countries.
When George traveled through time in his last life, Japanese cars were gradually declining, and the sales of domestic cars were getting higher and higher?
The reason is that whether the product is good or not is secondary, the market is the key.
A big market like the United States, not just for cars, but in the development of almost all products, naturally has many advantages that small countries do not have. If George wants to make the automobile industry bigger and stronger, the U.S. market is crucial .
Today's cars really don't have much technical content. Even Benz and Maybach are made by hand in small workshops. Americans can catch up quickly if they are willing.
George has nothing to say. He first entered the US market to seize the opportunity, then invested the money earned in research and development, and gradually began to accumulate technological advantages.
When technology is accumulated to a certain extent, scale advantages also arise.
Whoever dares to compete with George for the market will be killed by George in a price war.
No need to smash him to death.
The large-scale production of automobiles has a very obvious effect on reducing costs.
Even if someone in the United States wants to build a car at that time, George will lower the price and let him build one car at a loss to see how long he can last.
For George, the private arms market in the United States makes George salivate even more.
The arsenal in Vladivostok cannot produce military weapons, only civilian weapons.
The civilian weapons market in the United States is very huge, and every household has market demand. If Vladivostok can sell weapons to the United States, it will also be a major benefit to the development of the Vladivostok Arsenal.
But if you want to sell weapons in the United States, a double-barreled shotgun is not enough. The first thing George thinks of is a pistol.
American families need weapons for self-defense, not for fighting. Shotguns are of little use, but pistols are in greater demand.
From George's perspective, almost all of the pistols currently on the market in the United States are shoddily manufactured. Not only do they have no ergonomics at all, but they also have backward performance, complicated operation, and an extremely high failure rate. Most importantly, It's stupid, big, thick and black, and not easy to carry.
The heavy barrel of the No. 3 gun can’t even fit in a briefcase, so what’s the point of firing it no matter how far it goes.
George doesn’t need anyone to specially develop it. He only needs to introduce the No. 3 with a shortened barrel to the American market, and it will naturally be loved by Americans.
Of course, if George wants to hit the ground running, he will need more sophisticated operations.
For example, change the grip of the pistol to make it easier to hold.
For another example, ask Faberge for help to design a more beautiful shape that is more in line with people's aesthetics.
It's better not to look like a murder weapon, but a work of art.
For another example, pay more attention to the cost. Use silver for decorations that should be decorated with silver, and gold for decorations that should be used. The poor cannot afford it, but the rich can afford it.
I have spent dozens of dollars to buy a gun, but I don’t really care about the extra dollar or two.
It is said that women waste money.
When men satisfy their personal hobbies, they are just as wasteful as women.
Now that there are cars and weapons, cosmetics are definitely indispensable. American women’s demand for “beauty” is as endless as European women.
But if you want to sell cosmetics to the United States, they cannot be produced locally in Vladivostok.
It is best to go to France for production.
The United States today is not a beacon of light. Europe’s discrimination against the United States is undisguised. No matter what it is, as long as it comes from Europe, it will be sought after in the United States.
If it’s produced in Vladivostok, that’s it.
Don’t listen to Americans who say they oppose discrimination every day. The United States only opposes discrimination against Americans.
Given the opportunity, Americans never disappoint when it comes to discrimination.
If someone asks George, then on the matter of discrimination, George's attitude must be firmly against it.
However, in actual implementation, the discrimination in Vladivostok is still very obvious.
Brian Godwin from the UK felt deeply about this.
It has been almost half a year since Godwin came to Vladivostok. Let alone establishing an embassy or consulate, Godwin has not even met Mikhail.
(End of this chapter)