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Piaotian Literature of the Fourth Empire of China www.piaotia.com Chapter 336: Arms Trade

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    December 6, 1898, Transvaal Republic, Pretoria, Presidential Palace.

    Paul, President of the Transvaal Republic?  Kruger is talking to Army Commander-in-Chief Piet?  Generals Joubert, Meir, Delray, and Cronye discussed the crisis the Boers were facing now.

    "Generals, since 1890 the government has announced that foreigners settled in Johannesburg must pay full tax, but are not entitled to participate in presidential and legislative elections unless they have lived in the Transvaal for 14 years and become naturalized. In addition,  , all foreigners cannot hold government offices, and their children cannot attend government-funded schools. This law was protested by the British, because most of the foreigners in the Transvaal were British. The Transvaal was one of the British colonies in South Africa.  The trade war and tariff barriers between the Transvaal and the Transvaal's high taxes and economic restrictions on domestic British-owned mining companies have become the three main reasons for the deterioration of tensions between the Transvaal and the United Kingdom. At the beginning of the month,  Sir Alfred Milner, Prime Minister of the British Cape Colony, once again asked our country to repeal the previously enacted laws. Otherwise, the United Kingdom will protect the interests of the British at any cost. According to the news we have received, the British have already  Are you planning to use force to resolve the dispute with us?" Paul?  Kruger said worriedly.  Britain is now the most powerful country, and the Boers have absolutely no strength to fight against the British.

    "Your Excellency, the British failed to defeat us in the war 18 years ago. This time, even if we go to war again, we will not lose!" Army Commander-in-Chief Pieter?  General Joubert said.

    "So, generals? Are our troops ready?" Paul?  President Kruger asked.

    "Your Excellency, our army is ready. Once a war breaks out, we can mobilize up to 40,000 troops to fight. The Orangemen have also promised to fully cooperate with us. As long as the British dare to go to war, we will definitely  Make them pay a heavy price!" Commander-in-Chief Piette?  General Joubert said.  Although Britain is powerful, South Africa is far away from the British mainland.  At the same time, Britain's powerful navy was of no use. Therefore, Piet?  General Joubert had great confidence.

    "That's good. Generals, we have no way out. The British want to annex us. This has been clear during the war more than ten years ago. With the discovery of a large number of gold mines, the British have  They have greater ambitions. These gold mines all belong to us Boers. If the British want to take them away, they have to kill all us Boers!" Paul?  President Kruger shouted.

    "Yes, we will fight the British to the end!" the generals shouted.

    "So, generals, what do you need me to do for you?" Paul?  President Kruger asked.

    "Your Excellency, there is a huge gap between our army and the British. The weapons we use now are still old-fashioned rifles, and we lack cannons and heavy machine guns. We must equip more of these weapons as soon as possible!" Pierre  special?  General Joubert suggested.

    "There is no problem with funding. However, now due to pressure from the British, Europe has cut off our arms import channels. Where will we get these weapons?" Paul?  President Kruger said with some embarrassment.  The mining of gold and diamond mines brought great wealth to the Transvaal Republic.  However, industrially, the Transvaal Republic was completely poor. All weapons, including bullets, had to be imported from abroad.  Once the war breaks out and the British cut off their trade routes, these Boer armies will be completely destroyed.

    "Your Excellency, we have found a new seller. Compared with the European powers, their weapons are not lagging behind, and even better. The key is that the price is low and we can buy in large quantities. Once the war breaks out, we will have enough  Weapons and equipment to fight the British!" Piet?  General Joubert said.

    "Oh? Are they Americans? Do they dare to offend the British?" Paul?  President Kruger asked.

    "No, it's not the Americans, it's the Chinese! They have a lot of idle weapons and equipment! Including new rifles, artillery, etc. The relationship between the Chinese and the British is very tense now, so only they dare to disobey  The British banned the sale of weapons to us!" Piet?  General Joubert said.

    "Chinese? Well, as long as the quality of their weapons passes the standard, purchase them. And purchase as many as possible and store them so that after the trade channel is cut off by the British, we can continue to fight against the British!"  Paul?  President Kruger said.

    "Yes, Your Excellency, President!" Piette?  ?General Bell took the order.

    That night, Pieter, commander-in-chief of the Transvaal Republican Army?  In General Joubert's villa, a tanned middle-aged man entered the villa from behind.

    "Welcome, Mr. Zhou." Piet?  General Joubert met the man in his study.

    "Piette? General Joubert, how are your country's considerations? Have you decided to purchase weapons and equipment from our country? Our country can provide your country with all the weapons and equipment it needs. Even if your country wants battleships, there is no problem at all.  . However, the construction period of battleships is a bit long, your country may have to wait for a while!" said the visitor.  His name is Zhou Yuan, a CIA intelligence officer stationed in the south, and his external identity is a diamond trading businessman in Pretoria.  In fact, he is responsible for collecting various intelligence in southern Africa.  For example, support the Boers to compete with the British, etc.

    "Battleships? It seems that China has indeed risen, and even battleships can be sold. However, now we have no coastline and the navy is blank. It is useless to have battleships!" Pieter?  General Joubert shook his head and said.

    "Okay, general, how many weapons do you need? I have already asked for instructions from home, and we will sell them to you at the best price!" Zhou Yuan said.

    "We need fifty thousand rifles, two hundred heavy machine guns, and two hundred artillery pieces." Pieter?  General Joubert said.

    "OK, there is no problem with these. However, what caliber do you need for the artillery? Our Type 82 infantry gun is light in weight and powerful, and is very suitable for you. In addition, the 105mm light howitzer is also very suitable for fighting on the grasslands of South Africa!  " Zhou Yuan suggested.

    "That's it! Two hundred Type 82 infantry guns, plus fifty 105 mm caliber light howitzers. The more bullets, the better, and the same is true for artillery shells. So, how much do these weapons cost?" Piet?  General Joubert asked.

    "Piette? General Joubert, I must tell you in advance that the weapons we sell to your country are all weapons that have been replaced by our army. However, I guarantee with my personality that these weapons are like  It's like new, and there will be no performance problems at all. At the same time, the price is much cheaper than weapons in European countries. We sell a rifle for fifteen pounds, and a heavy machine gun for eight hundred pounds, 82  The price of the Type 1 infantry gun is three thousand pounds, and the price of the 105mm light howitzer is eight thousand pounds. In addition, we will give you 50 million rounds of rifle bullets, 20 million rounds of heavy machine gun bullets, and the Type 82 infantry gun shells.  One hundred thousand rounds, 105mm light howitzer shells will give you 20,000 rounds. The total price is 6.5 million pounds." Zhou Yuan said with a bright smile.  Six hundred and fifty pounds!  It is enough for the Navy Ministry to build three "China Class" battleships.

    "Mr. Zhou, is the price too expensive? It's more expensive than the Germans! In addition, there are too many bullets and shells!" Pieter?  General Joubert said with a frown.

    "General, it's not expensive at all. The performance of our weapons is guaranteed. In addition, if you don't reserve more ammunition, it will be difficult for you to get supplies once the war breaks out. You don't want to lose this war in the end!  "Zhou Yuan said.

    Pieter?  General Joubert nodded, but he still insisted: "Mr. Zhou, at this price, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to get President Paul Kruger's approval!"

    "Let's do this, General. Who said we are friends? Originally it was 6.5 million pounds, but you only need to pay 6 million pounds. In addition, this is the hard work fee for the general!" Zhou Yuan took out something from his pocket.  A check from HSBC UK was handed to Piet?  General Joubert, the denomination on it is one hundred thousand pounds.

    "General, if it succeeds, I will still have so much hard work to pay for you!" Zhou Yuan said.

    Pieter?  General Joubert calmly took the check and said, "Mr. Zhou, just wait for my good news!"

    How many days later, Piet?  General Joubert convinced Paul?  Kruger agreed to this arms deal.  The Transvaal Republic did not have that much money, so it was paid in gold and diamonds, which made China a huge profit.

    After that, Zhou Yuan passed Piette?  General Joubert contacted the Orangemen and successfully sold arms worth four million pounds.  With a total trade volume of tens of millions, the Chinese ** team was able to dispose of a large number of reloaded weapons.  The funds transferred back were enough to support the operation of the squadron for a month during the war.

    However, because of the British naval blockade of South Africa, the arms deal between China and the Boers took a lot of effort to complete.  The Chinese transport ship had to use the evening time to dock in Maputo, Mozambique, and then the Boers found a way to transport the weapons back bit by bit.

    When the Second Boer War broke out,The British suddenly discovered that the weapons equipped by the Boers were not inferior to them at all, which caused the British to pay a heavy price in this war.

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