Wild North America 1846

A few days later

His Royal Highness Tang-Li Xin, who has dealt with the demarcation treaty, set off to return. After a short stay in Fubo City (Masawa), he will return to Suez City on the armored cruiser "Evil Wind" and head to Cairo to start a new round of foreign affairs Activity.

In the room of the city hall in Yunzhong City, Wu Youcai, the representative of the North American Colony Bank, met Duke Surel and his party here. The two sides immediately conducted several rounds of negotiations on the Ethiopian debt issue, but the results were not satisfactory.

The reason for this lies more in Wu Youcai.

Relying on the fact that Duke Surell and his party did not understand the financial situation of the empire, nor did they have a deep understanding of international credit, Wu Youcai asked for a 120% annual interest rate for this loan worth 13.5 million Tang yuan, and added a lot of money. condition.

One is to require the tax revenue of the two ancient cities of Gulsum and Magdala, as well as part of the territory to be double mortgaged to ensure the safety of funds.

Second, the loan period is set at 6 years, and there is a 5% penalty interest if the loan is overdue, which may cause the annual interest rate of the entire loan to exceed 18%, which is quite an astonishing figure.

Third, the loan was paid in three installments, namely, after the signing of the loan agreement, in the first week of 1873, and in the first week of June 1, and the loan interest rate was calculated after the signing of the agreement. Interest rates were raised again.

Fourth, no less than one-third of the loan will be paid for the employment of the Chinese North American Cowboys and Musketeers, that is, 40 Tang yuan.

This is equivalent to Ethiopia borrowing a loan of 120 million Tang yuan, and only 80 Tang yuan was actually obtained, and the remaining 40 Tang yuan was left in the account of the North American Colony Bank as mercenary expenses.

On the one hand, the interests of the mercenaries are guaranteed.The second aspect has increased the deposits of the North American Colonial Bank. If they want to remit to North America, they only need a diplomatic mail.

The name, address and deposit amount of the depositor are listed in detail in the diplomatic mail, and the head office of the North American Colonial Bank is responsible for allocating funds, and there is no need to actually escort the cash back to North America.

For this remittance of 40 Tang Yuan, the North American Colony Bank tearfully earned 20% of the international transoceanic remittance fee, that is, 8 Tang Yuan.

This amount of money can only hire 1200 Chinese Musketeers for one year, even if the combat missions are not tense.

Average down
It costs about 160 Tang yuan to hire each Chinese Musketeer soldier, plus combat subsidies, attendance subsidies, equipment subsidies and other expenses, it is about 330 Tang yuan per person.

This price is not high, and it is only equivalent to about 4 times the income of ordinary North American employees. You must know that this is the money for hard work, and they are all cavalry.

in just a few days

The North American cowboys who poured into Cloud City formed the Ethiopian Legion, and selected five mercenary leaders to meet with Duke Surel, and finally decided on a plan to hire 5 cavalry.

Duke Surell, who had gone through several days of intense negotiations, was forced by the current internal and external difficulties of the John Nice IV dynasty, so he could only grit his teeth and agree to most of Su Youcai's demands, the only thing he did not let go was the double pledge issue.

It is okay to use part of the territory as a pledge loan, and high-interest loans can be tolerated. Anyway, if this life-saving loan cannot be obtained, the situation of the John Ness IV dynasty is in jeopardy, and it may not last for a few years.

The biggest problem is that the North American Colonial Bank also requires the tax revenue of the two ancient cities of Gulsum and Magdala as mortgages. These two ancient cities are the nests of the Tigray tribe and the stronghold of the northern Tigray Kingdom. How can they be mortgaged? ?

Even if Johannes IV sadly retired from the throne, he was still the great chief of the Tigray tribe, a powerful figure in the separatist regime.

Duke Suleil is the Emperor's confidant and a member of the Tigray Tribal Elders Council. He shook his head like a drum and said, "Impossible... This is absolutely impossible, and neither is His Majesty the King of Kings. Agree. You should change the condition, this request is too much."

"Oh... I don't think it's too much. The Imperial North American Colonial Bank has always paid attention to reputation and the protection of funds. Double pledge will not happen if you do not default, but it is much safer for our bank's depositors. It's just a guarantee. If we can't be satisfied, we can only say sorry, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to continue to cooperate." Wu Youcai's face was covered with a smile like a spring breeze, but his attitude was extremely tough, holding on to the other party's weakness and refusing to give in.

Duke Surel could only smile wryly when he heard this, it was almost impossible not to breach the contract.

Wang Chengxian, the mercenary leader of the newly formed Ethiopian Legion, was a middle-aged man with a beard. He stared hard at the wealthy Wu Youcai below with his eyes like copper bells.

These black-hearted bankers are too greedy, and they are more ruthless than mercenaries.

But we all belong to the camp of the Tang people, and have been taught by His Majesty the Emperor for many years that we must work together as one. Every Tang person overseas is of compatriot blood, and we must help and love each other. Internal strife is strictly prohibited.

The public opinion of the imperial newspapers has also been propagating for many years, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of national unity with positive and negative examples.

A chopstick is easy to break, but what about a pair of chopsticks?

Wang Chengxian is a captain and retired officer of the imperial army. He lives affluently and is bold and chivalrous. He especially loves the adventurous career of licking blood. That's why he mixed with a large group of 30-year-old North American cowboys and was publicly elected as the chief. .

Ryan Jakes, a British businessman at the negotiation site, also did not speak. He is now a special construction consultant of the Yunzhong Provincial Construction Office.With a generous salary, he cherishes the big stage His Highness provides for him to display his powers, and wants to make a career out of it.

Everyone's pursuit is different. Ryan Jakes only hopes to live up to what he has learned, build bridges, pave roads, open mines, and repair dams, and leave a strong mark in the construction of Yunzhong Province. That is his dream. Son.

In terms of emotion and reason, it is impossible to stand on the side of Duke Surel to help, and keeping silent is the best way.

silence in the conference room
consider for a long time
Only then did Duke Surell sigh and ask with a frown; "Can the loan agreement be signed on the spot?"

"Yes, but when returning to Gulsum, His Majesty the Emperor must approve it and sign it with his seal before he can get the follow-up payment."

"How much money can I get for the first payment?"

"It's worth 40 Tang Yuan, but it includes four months' salary paid to the mercenary army. The total is about 4 Yuan, so you actually get about 14 Tang Yuan."

"It's useless for us to get Tang Yuan. Can we exchange all of them here for supplies and send them back?"

"No problem, North American Colony Bank will provide considerate services for large customers. You can write down the list of materials you need, and we will raise them as quickly as possible."

"The last question, can your bank agree to use black slaves or other materials to offset the account?"

"Oh... yes, but the price of black slaves is not high, and our requirements are very strict." Seeing that he could make a fortune again, Wu Youcai's smile on his rich face became more sincere, and he said seriously;
"My lord duke;

You know that banks are not good at human trafficking, so the black slaves we can accept must be between 15 and 20 years old, both male and female, and must be strong and non-disabled. Males should be at least 5 feet tall, and females should be at least 4 feet 2 inches tall. , clean teeth.

Black slaves who meet the above standards are priced at 20 Tang Yuan for men and 12 Tang Yuan for women, and the total number is limited to 1.2 per year.

If there is more quantity, we will lower the price. "

You black hearted banker!
Duke Surel gritted his molars, stood up and stretched out his hand, and said, "May the fire from hell ravage your greedy soul, deal!"

"Excellent, Your Excellency the Duke, you will not regret today's decision, it is a good deal for you and me." Wu Youcai smiled and gave the other party a high-five, not forgetting to send words of comfort.

The price he set for black slaves is an insulting cabbage price. The whole of Africa has experienced black slave trade for hundreds of years. How could Duke Surell not know the price of black slaves?

According to Wu Yongcai's request, such an excellent young male slave should start at 80 Tang Yuan, and the price for a beautiful female slave is even more than this price, one price per black slave.

Shipping to Brazil costs at least 300 Tang yuan each, and shipping to the Confederate States of America starts at least 450 US dollars (note; the value of the US dollar is equivalent to Tang yuan). Strong male black slaves are even worth thousands of dollars, and it is not surprising that beautiful female black slaves cost 1500 US dollars. .

But the problem is not whether they are beautiful or not, but based on the head count, male black slaves are 20 yuan, and female black slaves are 12 yuan.

Even if this price is sold to the Najd region on the other side of the Red Sea, Jordan or Lebanon, it will cost at least 100 yuan. If it passes through the Suez Canal to Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the price will double again, at least 230~ 250 Tang yuan (note; the value is approximately equal to the local currency).

But there is no way, Ethiopia has no ability to export black slaves, and must repay Tang Yuan's loan. Tang Yuan borrowed and Tang Yuan repaid, so these high-quality black slaves can only be sold to the North American Colonial Bank to offset the loan.

Duke Surel, who sold black slaves, had no burden in his heart, and the black slaves on the Ethiopian plateau had always been tall and healthy, especially the female black slaves who were well-proportioned and beautiful, and they were the best source of goods.

In order to implement Emperor Johannes IV’s dream of unifying the Ethiopian highlands, the most urgent need now is military support. The loan must be converted into a large amount of weapons and equipment, buying guns, gunpowder, tents, mules, horses and carts, and all military supplies. And use the newly hired Musketeers to escort them back.

This is the most urgent and most urgent thing to do.

If the dream of unification cannot be realized, then everything is a glass phantom, and what is the use of harsh conditions?
Duke Surel has his own set of logic, so he gritted his teeth and endured the squeeze.

His Majesty the Emperor will then launch a series of wars, and there will inevitably be a large number of prisoners of war. Selling prisoners of war cheaply to offset part of the loan has become a feasible option.

This is the price in the unification process, presumably His Majesty Johannes IV can understand, right?