Chapter 339 Secret Treaty between Qing and Russia
Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, Japan’s annual income was 80 million yuan, which was far from the Russian Empire.
The annual alcohol tax in the Russian Empire has reached 700 million rubles.
The gold content of the Japanese yen and the ruble is almost the same, one is 0.75 and the other is 0.77.
So if Japan really wants to go all out to build ships, even if Japan has blood transfusion from Britain, it will not be able to catch up with the Russian Empire.
The biggest disadvantage of the Russian Empire is that it has to maintain three major fleets at the same time, and it is impossible to allocate all resources to the Siberian Fleet.
At the same time, the battleships being built by the Russian Empire are all designed for the environments of the Baltic Sea and Black Sea, and are not suitable for use in the Pacific region.
Finally, due to the limitation of the size of the dock, the maximum displacement of the battleships built by the Russian Empire did not exceed 13,000 tons, and there was a certain gap between the range and power of the artillery and the Japanese battleships.
The battleships under construction in the Russian Empire use the 1886-type 305 mm 35-caliber main gun produced by the Obukhov Iron Works.
The Japanese battleships use the 305mm 40-caliber main gun produced by the British Armstrong Company, which has improved range and power.
The 203mm naval gun that George sent to the Admiralty for testing used a 45x caliber.
The test results show that the artillery sent by George is significantly improved in terms of firing rate and range compared with the artillery currently in service in the Russian Empire.
The test results of the new armor are also surprising. If the new armor is adopted, the battleship's protection will be increased by more than 30%.
However, the production of new armor is limited and the cost is higher. If new armor is adopted, the cost of battleships will increase again, which will be another test for the imperial finances that are not well-off. .
George's decision not to interfere with the navy was because the things were already there, so it was up to you to use them or not.
Alexey definitely wants to use it.
But the navy’s budget is limited, so Alexey wants to have sex for free.
“Can the technology transfer fee be cheaper?”
Alexei proposed conditions to George on behalf of Obukhov Steel Plant.
According to the requirements of the Vladivostok Steel Plant, if the Obukhov Steel Plant wants to produce new armor, in addition to the technology transfer fee, the Obukhov Steel Plant will have to pay additional fees for each ton of new armor produced. cost.
"R&D doesn't cost money?"
George will never let down the hard work of technicians.
Why are new technologies emerging in Vladivostok?
Technical personnel are motivated because as long as they develop new technologies, they can get rewards equivalent to retirement after one job.
The three majors obviously have better foundations, so why are they half-dead?
Technicians and managers alike are busy fighting for profits, so who has the time to develop new technologies?
“These battleships will go to the Far East in the future!”
Alexey has a black face, and Qian Chuanzi really wants money.
"Are you under my command?"
George has not given up on the Siberian Fleet yet.
Alexei gave up.
In the past, the Siberian fleet was given to the Amur Military District. It was just a few broken ships, and it didn’t feel bad to give it to them.
Now the empire has begun to strengthen the Siberian fleet. In a few years, the strength of the Siberian fleet will surpass the Baltic Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet, becoming the most powerful fleet in the empire.
Of course it is impossible to give it.
George doesn't care, he won't give it if he doesn't give it, anyway, Amur still has a river fleet.
One day in the future, the flagship of the Amur River Fleet may be a battleship.
I feel emotional just thinking about it.
At that time, George would send battleships to chase Japanese fishing boats every day.
In March, delegations from various countries attending Nicholas' coronation ceremony arrived in St. Petersburg one after another. The one who visited on behalf of the Qing Empire was Li Zhangtong.
The Russian Empire attached great importance to Li Zhangtong's arrival. Nicholas actually sent Duke Ukhtomsky, chairman of the Dow Jones Bank, to the Suez Canal to greet him, and invited Li Zhangtong to take the yacht "Russia" directly. Heading to Odessa, Li Zhangtong was not given the opportunity to contact other people.
Waiting for Li Zhangtong in St. Petersburg were George and Witte, as well as Foreign Minister Prince Lobanov Rostovsky.
The task of George and the three of them is to sign a formal treaty with the Qing Empire on loans, concessions, the Eastern Railway, and a mutual defense alliance.
After the three countries intervened and returned to the Liao Dynasty last year, the Russian Empire and the Qing Empire had reached a preliminary agreement on borrowing money, but no formal treaty was signed.
Nicola's character is too out-of-the-box, and his ideas change three times a day. On the basis of the previous agreement, a mutual defense alliance was added.
The purpose of the Mutual Defense Alliance was not to provide protection for the Qing Empire, but to encroach on the Qing Empire.
After Li Zhangtong arrived in St. Petersburg, he took the initiative to visit Witte at the Ministry of Finance.
Witt asked Li Zhangtong if he smoked.
Li Zhangtong shouted, and two servants immediately came in to help Li Zhangtong smoke. Werther finally realized the pomp and circumstance of this powerful official of the Qing Empire.
The servant brought the hookah to Li Zhangtong's mouth. Li Zhangtong remained motionless, which was an eye-opener for Werther.
Since most of the terms had been agreed in advance, the negotiations went smoothly, but in order to get the Qing Empire to sign as soon as possible, Witte prepared some small gifts for Li Zhangtong and his nephew Li Jingfang. The part that George knew was a total of 500,000 rubles.
In addition, Witte also issued a check for 2 million rubles to Li Zhangtong through Daosheng Bank as an advance payment for the China Eastern Railway.
After the Three Kingdoms intervened and returned to the Liao Dynasty, the relationship between the Russian Empire and the Qing Empire heated up sharply. In order to maintain the relationship with the Russian Empire, the Qing Empire made huge concessions, in addition to granting Daosheng the land management rights along the Middle Eastern Railway. In addition to banks, Daosheng Bank is also allowed to have the power to mine mines, open factories, and collect taxes along the China-Eastern Railway.
Unlike the legendary cruel and greedy Super Duke Yurievsky, George did not show too much activity in the negotiations. These terms were all agreed in advance, and George had little room to play.
George was very interested in whether the Qing Empire reorganized the Beiyang Navy.
The Beiyang Navy was completely wiped out in the Sino-Japanese War, "Dingyuan" was sunk, and "Zhenyuan" was captured by the Japanese army. They continued to use the name "Zhenyuan" and joined the Japanese Navy.
The Qing Empire did not expect that the Japanese appetite was so big before the war, and the compensation of 230 million taels was enough to frustrate the Qing Empire. Therefore, after the Sino-Japanese War, some people in the Qing Empire hoped to reorganize The Beiyang Navy avenged its previous humiliation.
So George held a banquet in the Yekaterin Palace to entertain Li Zhangtong and his nephew Li Jingfang.
Since George could speak Chinese, Li Zhangtong did not bring a translator. There were only George, Li Zhangtong and Li Jingfang at the dinner table.
What George didn't expect was that Li Zhangtong had no intention of rebuilding the Beiyang Navy. Even when George said that the Bank of Siberia could provide loans, Li Zhangtong remained indifferent.
Could it be that the Huai Army suffered so heavy losses in the Sino-Japanese War that Li Zhangtong gave up?
George didn’t quite believe it.
"After the agreement is signed, I will continue to visit Europe and the United States. All matters will be discussed after I complete the inspection."
Li Zhangtong did not say anything to death.
"The Japanese are ambitious. The Sino-Japanese War is just the beginning, not the end. You have successfully given the Japanese a taste of the sweetness, and they will not stop there."
George reminded Li Zhangtong that people without long-term worries must have immediate worries.
"Your Highness the Duke, I think you should be more worried now--"
Li Zhang is an experienced man and is not as easy to fool as Nicholas.
"What you said makes sense, but if the city gate is on fire and it affects Chiyu, don't you make any preparations?"
George knows that there must be a war between Japan and Russia, otherwise Japan will not be formed The Sixty-Sixth Fleet.
Japan ordered "Fuji" and "Yashima" from the UK for a unit price of 1 million pounds, equivalent to about 10 million yen.
Japan is continuing to negotiate with the United Kingdom on the purchase of battleships. This time the Japanese are eyeing the Majesty class.
"Fuji" and "Yashima" are improved types of the monarch class.
The "Majesty" class battleship is Britain's latest first-class main battleship, with a displacement of 15,000 tons and a unit price of 1.2 million pounds.
Two "Fuji" ships and four "Dignity" ships, the total price is close to 70 million yen.
Adding six heavy cruisers and auxiliary ships, as well as other expenses, the total amount Japan needs to spend to build the Sixth Fleet is 213 million yen, of which 139.5 million yen comes from the Sino-Japanese War reparations.
The "Great Navy Plan" formulated by the Russian Empire lasted for 10 years, with a total scale of 450 million rubles, and a total of 17 battleships were to be built.
George couldn't comment on which plan was more scientific. Anyway, the British took the greatest credit, and Germany and France were also making noises.
The battleships Japan needs are ordered from Britain.
Heavy cruiser, both Germany and France may get orders.
Russia has limited domestic slipways, and sooner or later it will have to order warships from abroad.
The Vladivostok Shipyard is expanding the slipway. The two newly built slipways can build up to 15,000 tons.
“His Royal Highness the Duke is proficient in Chinese and should know the truth that harmony is the most precious——”
Li Zhangtong also didn’t say a word of truth.
But this is understandable.
Li Zhangtong, who was born in 1823, is already over seventy years old, and his time is running out. Even if the Qing Empire rebuilds the Beiyang Navy, there is a high probability that he will have nothing to do with Li Zhangtong.
Li Zhangtong stayed in St. Petersburg for a total of 2 months. On April 26, Li Zhangtong led Li Jingfang and others to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to exchange views with Lobanov, Witte and George on the plenary decrees of both sides. The texts of the Qing and Russian treaties were re-checked to be correct, each signed and sealed, and the "Qing-Russian Treaty of Mutual Assistance in Defending Enemies" was concluded.
The full text of the treaty consists of six articles. The first article stipulates that if Japan invades the Russian Far East, or the lands of the Qing Dynasty and Goryeo, the Qing Dynasty and Russia shall assist each other with all their navy and army.
At the same time, it was stipulated that in order to facilitate Russia's transportation of troops, the Qing State agreed to the Russian Empire's construction of the Middle East Railway, and the project was handed over to the Sino-Russian Daosheng Bank as the manager.
After the signing of the treaty, George signed a project contract with Dowson Bank on behalf of the China Eastern Railway Company.
On the night when the contract was signed, George hosted a banquet for Prince Ukhtomsky, chairman of Daosheng Bank, at the Yekaterin Palace.
Duke Ukhtomsky once accompanied Nicholas to Vladivostok, and his relationship with George was not bad.
George hopes that Dowson Bank can cooperate more closely with Siberia Bank.
“George, I’m afraid that’s not possible——”
Duke Ukhtomsky is very sorry, but George is not the only one who is eyeing Daosheng Bank.
(End of this chapter)