Master Yuan, start!

The American steel industry ushered in integration, gradually getting rid of small workshops and entering the era of large factories, but all of this was built on the US tariff barriers. The US steel industry relied on the advantages of tariff barriers to benefit from Britain's free trade in the domestic market.

Seeing that domestic steel groups were being merged one by one, the shareholders behind Carnegie Steel were particularly worried about how the company would develop after the merger.

Large-scale ultra-long railways, represented by the Pacific Railway, have been gradually laid out, from more than 1000 kilometers.

In the foreseeable future, the demand for steel in the United States will not experience explosive growth, because the board of directors and shareholders of Carnegie Steel at that time did not know that wars would occur frequently in the future, leading to a sharp increase in steel demand.

Their worry is that demand has slowed, while production is still gradually increasing, with the U.S. steel industry's output doubling every two years.

In 1875, a crisis broke out in the United States where railway companies went bankrupt one after another. The reason was that the demand for railways had gradually declined, but the production of steel companies in various places remained strong.

Relying on the founder's strong execution ability and excellent vision, Carnegie Steel Company forcibly acquired small steel companies one after another, and then overcame this wave of crisis by scientific production scheduling, layoffs, and exploring new customer needs.

However, the acquisition has gradually come to an end. No matter how scientifically the steel production is arranged, it cannot withstand the increasing steel production. Therefore, Carnegie Steel Company urgently needs to open up new markets to increase steel demand. Otherwise, the wave of bankruptcies in the steel industry more than ten years ago will sweep again.

American steel needed a market with great potential to be absorbed, and South America and the Far East were the new markets that Carnegie Steel Company was looking for.

European countries have strong industrial strength, but most of them have trade protectionism. American steel comes from far away and cannot compete with local companies at all.

Africans have little purchasing power at all, while India, Southeast Asia and Australia are under the control of the British.

Only the Far East and South America are stable new markets. South America is close to the United States and is not within the British sphere of influence, so American steel is very competitive there.

In the Far East, thanks to the Most-Favored-Nation Treaty signed by the Qing Dynasty, Americans were able to compete with the British on the same starting line.

Therefore, the American Minister to China, Dean Smith, came to discuss steel export matters with Yuan Shikai with the expectations of the steel king.

For the US government, the dispute between the Russians and the Chinese in North Korea is irrelevant. The US interests are concentrated on the southeast coast of China.

But for Carnegie Steel, it was important that the Sea of ​​Japan crisis be properly handled, because Yuan Shikai was one of the few high-ranking Qing officials who had established connections with the American business community.

At the same time, he also built a railway with the help of the British!

Damn it, why did these British guys get there first? We were the first to come into contact with Yuan Shikai!

If we could reach a cooperation with Yuan Shikai and build more railways using steel from American companies in the areas where he was in power, wouldn't that further open the door to the Chinese market?

Therefore, the directors of Carnegie Steel Company did not want to see Yuan Shikai lose in this incident, because according to the official rules of the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Shikai might be transferred to a remote place, and the American steel export plan would come to nothing.

Looking at Yuan Shikai in front of him, Tian Bei felt very uncomfortable. Such an official living in a medieval dynasty actually knew how to develop railways and set up factories.

More importantly, he also realized the importance of knowledge. There were quite a few students at Incheon and Seoul train stations, which was different from previous Qing officials.

Moreover, he realized that he could not fight a powerful European country alone and knew how to use the opponent's strength to his advantage, which was not seen in previous Qing rulers.

The British have already expressed their support for him in a diplomatic statement. If we Americans support him, he will be almost invincible in this Sea of ​​Japan crisis!

Tian Bei was taken by Yuan Xiangcheng to the former Japanese embassy and consulate. After all the staff were driven away, the Japanese embassy and consulate was converted into a reception hall specifically for receiving all kinds of foreigners.

It is usually used as a high-end hotel, but now that a meeting is being held, all the idle people in the hotel are naturally cleared out.

When Tian Bei arrived here, three people were already sitting on the sofa specially bought by Yuan Xiangcheng, enjoying coffee.

Seeing Yuan Xiangcheng and his men approaching, the younger of the three stood up, buttoned his shirt, and said in a pure London accent: "Welcome to Korea, Mr. Tian Bei. I am Jordan, the British envoy sent by Messrs. Hart and Eugene."

Having lived in Dongjiaomin Lane in Beijing, Jordan naturally had seen the American minister before, so he greeted him as soon as he came up.

On the other side, Weber and Alexei were not so polite. Alexei just stood up and greeted Tian Bei, then continued to sit on the sofa.

Alexei was not of noble birth, so he did not speak English and only a little French, so he could not understand the conversation between the two people.

Although Weber had no diplomatic skills, he was a noble since childhood and could speak a little French, English and German. Therefore, he greeted the two of them and then sat next to Alexei.

After the greetings, Yuan Xiangcheng didn't waste any words and directly told everyone about the Yongxing Bay bombardment.

"The invasion near Yongxing Bay in North Korea has seriously hurt the feelings of the North Korean people. North Korea considers itself a vassal state of China and that China and North Korea are one. On behalf of the Chinese government, I strongly condemn this serious diplomatic incident.

The matter has been investigated clearly. It was the Russian cruiser that appeared in the North Korean waters without reason, and the Russian army brought weapons ashore without permission. All the actions taken by the local army were very restrained, reasonable and legal.

But the Russian warships bombarded our soldiers for no reason. This is undoubtedly a serious provocation!

Seeing that Yuan Xiangcheng dumped all the pots on himself, the Russians were naturally unhappy. After Weber finished translating sentence by sentence, Alexei started talking while Sukha, and spitted out from time to time.

"This incident was entirely caused by the Chinese army detaining Russian soldiers without reason. Due to the lack of water, only a dozen soldiers were sent down to fetch water. In the wilderness, carrying guns for self-defense is a very normal thing.

The Chinese army's unreasonable seizure led to our warships firing warning shots. As for the casualties, it was entirely the Chinese army's own fault. No one expected that there would be troops hiding in the jungle.

This matter is entirely the fault of China!

Moreover, China subsequently cut off the supply of rice to the Far East, which was a provocation to the Russian Empire!

If Russia does not receive a satisfactory answer to this matter, the Black Sea Fleet will appear in the Pacific again next spring!"

Seeing that both sides were unwilling to give in and both sides were accusing the other side of being wrong, the American Minister Tian Bei stood up to ease the situation:

"First and foremost, we can confirm that neither side intended to harm the other. As for your troops, Lord Yuan, that was a complete accidental injury, correct? This is something both sides acknowledge.

I think the two of you must focus your negotiations around this point. Only when there is no ill will can both sides proceed with the discussion."

Chapter 96 Ironmaking, start!

British envoy Jordan also spoke at this time: "Great Britain still adheres to the principle that the party at fault must compensate. Now that the facts have been clearly investigated, Russia must compensate for the losses of Chinese soldiers killed and injured.

However, China should also provide a certain degree of emotional compensation to the detained Russian soldiers. At the same time, the two countries need to exercise restraint and communicate appropriately on the commercial trade level, and should not unilaterally terminate trade exchanges.

8. Upon hearing these words, Alexei, the Russian envoy for negotiations, raised the corners of his beard, but because his beard was too thick, no one noticed.

In his opinion, the British suggestion was much better than before. The most important reason for his visit this time was to restore commercial trade in the Far East, and at least to require Yuan Shikai to restore rice trade between Korea and Russia's Far East.

7 As for compensation, they can just shirk it in the subsequent negotiations. Do the Qing people dare to chase them to St. Petersburg for compensation?

The Tsarist government had already defaulted on countless European capitalists, so this one wouldn't be the only one to default on.

liu However, the words of the British envoy Jordan made the corners of his mouth droop suddenly, and he even showed an expression of disbelief.

Feilu Recruitment Book 758742

“Therefore, in order to maintain trade in the Far East and the Sea of ​​Japan, the British Far East Fleet decided to dispatch some warships from Hong Kong to Jeju Island in southern Korea to ensure the safety of shipping routes to China, Russia, Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the Sea of ​​Japan.

This decision has been approved by the Korean Governor-General Yuan Xiangcheng. The British army's visit to Jeju Island is not an invasion or lease. The gentlemen of Great Britain will fully comply with all local regulations."

After hearing the news that the British were going to send warships to Korea, Alexei's face became completely gloomy.

On the other side, the American Minister Tian Bei looked back and forth at the stern-faced Russians and the grinning Yuan Shikai, with a very interesting expression.

He learned from Carnegie Steel Company that the British and Yuan Shikai seemed to have reached a tacit cooperation in Korea. Not only was the construction of the Korean railway undertaken by the British, but the British also had half of the operating rights. In addition, loans from British banks and steel from British companies were used.

However, he did not expect that the relationship between the two had become so harmonious that the British would even send warships to support Yuan Shikai.

However, after thinking for a moment, Tian Bei came to his senses and realized that it was just a matter of each taking what he needed.

The British did not necessarily confront the Russians because they supported Yuan Shikai. On the contrary, it was more because they needed to compete with the Russians for dominance in the Far East that they chose Yuan Shikai, who was in Korea.

In 1855, during the Ninth Russo-Turkish War, the British cooperated with the French in the Near East and brought in the Ottoman Turks to block Russia in the Black Sea.

During the Crimean War, the ninth Russo-Turkish War, in addition to blocking the shipping routes in the Black Sea region, Britain and France were not to be outdone in the Far East. The two countries even launched an attack on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia at that time.

Although the results were ultimately minimal due to weather and supply issues, this also indicated that the British were no longer limited to containing the Russians in Europe and the Middle East. The Great Game between Britain and Russia had shifted from the western part of the world island to the eastern part of the world island and the Pacific region.

At that time, Britain and France did not have a stable logistics base in Northeast Asia, so after an unsuccessful attack, they had to return to Hong Kong and make other plans.

Now that North Korea is so close to Russia's Far East, there is no reason for the British to miss this opportunity.

Thinking of this, Tian Bei felt relieved. Because Americans were deeply influenced by Washington's isolationism, they did not have a strong sense of initiative in foreign affairs, and foreign ministers mostly followed the instructions of the U.S. federal government.

Therefore, seeing that a small clerk in the British Far East could be so sharp in diplomatic negotiations, he could only sigh that the British Empire was indeed the world's number one power and was full of talented people.

In fact, if Yuan Shikai had not happened to rise in the Korean region, the task of defending against Russia in the Far East would most likely have fallen on the Japanese.

This is also an important reason why Britain and Japan were able to form an alliance in the late 19th century in the original time and space. Both sides had a common enemy, Russia, in the Far East.

Now that Japan's ecological niche has been replaced by the emerging Yuan Shikai, the British naturally have to support Yuan Shikai.

The news that the British were sending the Hong Kong Squadron to Korea was first raised by the British man Robert Hart, and Yuan Shikai immediately expressed his agreement with a raise of 100 hands.

Britain has advanced technology and developed industry, but its market is small and its population is a shortcoming.

China today is the exact opposite of Britain. Its science and technology and industry are backward, but it has huge market potential and obvious population advantages.

There was no geopolitical conflict between Britain and China at that time, at least not with Yuan Shikai now.

The two can complement each other naturally, and after the British Empire has expanded to its limit, the British no longer have the intention of annexing foreign land.

As for the territorial dispute between Tibet and India, when Yuan Shikai was able to control Tibet, he would no longer need Britain's help, and by then he would not be afraid of offending Britain.

There is no doubt that Britain was Yuan Shikai's best partner at this time.

The two sides have also agreed that the British fleet has the right to station in Seongsan Port in the east of Jeju Island, and can also supply coal and fresh water resources at all ports along the Korean coast.

To this end, Yuan Shikai promised to allow Britain to build the railway connecting the east coast of Korea and Seoul, and also to give half of the operating rights in exchange for the stationing of British warships.

After all, Korea was not the Han territory that was recognized by the world, and there was no mention of annexation or lease, so Yuan Shikai was not worried about causing too much backlash from public opinion.

Not caring at all about the threatening expressions on the faces of the two Russians, Yuan Shikai spread out the Sino-British Ship Supply Treaty that he had signed with Jordan long ago on the table.

The treaty stipulates that all civilian and military ships of Great Britain and its colonies have the right to resupply drinking water, coal and other daily necessities at the coastal ports of the contracting parties.

At the same time, all ships of the Qing Empire and its tributaries also had the right to perform the same actions in Great Britain and its colonies.

This was a treaty that seemed equal, but in fact completely favored the British.

How many ocean-going ships did the Qing court have at that time? The merchant ships along the southeast coast could only sail to Southeast Asia, and even reaching India was considered far away.

However, although the preferential treatment was preferential, the treaty was fundamentally equal, but some of its clauses were too targeted at the Russians. All ports of the "Qing Empire and its tributaries" allowed the British fleet to be supplied.

This means that North Korea is also a supply point for the British. Thinking of this, Alexei was so angry that his eyes were crooked.

"Welcome Great Britain to Northeast Asia!" Alexei said gritting his teeth, and at the same time, he said a few polite words and rushed out with Weber.

"It seems that this negotiation will not produce any results in the short term. Special Envoy Alexei has to ask his superiors for instructions." Zhu Erdian stood up, put on a gentleman's hat, and planned to go out.

Seeing that the British were about to leave, the American Minister Dean Bei realized that his real mission had come. He winked at Yuan Xiangcheng, indicating that he should wait for a moment.

After Zhu Erdian walked out of the guild hall, Tian Bei and Yuan Xiangcheng began to communicate. After all, the diplomatic mission was just a side task, and the economic mission was the main task.

In addition to wanting to open up markets in the Far East, Carnegie Steel also wanted to transfer excess production capacity.

After the merger of small steel companies, some equipment was no longer suitable for production due to its low productivity and high energy consumption.

Although the waste seemed a bit too regrettable, forcing production would undoubtedly lower the profit margin. So, at the suggestion of East Asia Commissioner Hoover, the board members came up with the idea of ​​transferring backward production capacity.

In addition to China, the American Minister to Japan was also working hard to promote it to the Tokyo government, but the Japanese did not seem to be interested in these energy-intensive steel equipment. Instead, they were interested in the advanced equipment with less energy consumption that Carnegie Steel was using.

Although the Japanese at that time had realized the importance of steel, there were no large iron and coal mines in the country. Due to resource limitations, they did not carry out large-scale steelmaking.

It was not until after the Russo-Japanese War, when Japan occupied the southern part of Northeast China and discovered the iron mines in Anshan, that Japan's steel production saw a surge.

Japan's steel production increased from less than 1902 tons in 5 to over 1915 tons in 50, thanks to the iron mines in Anshan and the coal mines in Pingxiang.