I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 193 Not allowed to meet
  Emperor Gaozong and Concubine Min only stayed in Vladivostok for one day.

But Datou stayed in Vladivostok for three days.

Da Tou hopes to visit 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.

Datou was also very strict in running the army in Goryeo.

Fu Tuan's request seemed to Datou to be almost perverted.

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, and it is best not to have any thoughts.

Forget about military officers learning 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 a Type 1877 87mm field gun produced by the Obukhov Iron Works.

George was not very satisfied with this artillery, because this artillery from Krupp, Germany, was still an old-style retractable artillery, and the rate of fire was too slow, which completely did 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 Fu Tuan wore leather hats, leather jackets, leather pants, and leather shoes, all covered in leather from head to toe, and the indoor heating was sufficient. Most of them had to take off their outer clothes when they came indoors, otherwise they would be sweating after a while.

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 was a super duke, and he didn't do anything special. He ate the same as the soldiers.

Judging from the intentions of Ye Luoxin and other officers, this was not a show for the boss.

"We still have to find a way to save more vegetables. Don't you have cabbage?"

The dishes were already so rich that George was not satisfied yet.

Datou is also a person who leads troops, and he knows how expensive it is to raise troops.

Let’s not talk about what happened to the Qing Empire.

The Korean New Army couldn’t even 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 humble tenant farmer.

The translator that George found for Da Tou was conscientious and conscientious. Even the conversation between George and Ye Luoxin was clearly translated by Da Tou.

Datou's eyes lit up.

Such good equipment, such good logistics, but instead of training well all day long, I went to raise pigs and grow vegetables——

Raise well, sow 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 Koryo soldiers were recruited in Vladivostok, it would not be to overthrow the Qing Empire's rule over Koryo, but to raise pigs and grow vegetables.

"Let them raise pigs, or they'll steal them."

Ye Luoxin doesn't like Koreans. A pig is worth a lot of money these days.

It's not difficult to transport it away if stolen. Vladivostok and Korea are only separated by a river.

"Are all your guns 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 anyway.

Before the boss left, Schiff came to George again, hoping to represent the sales rights of Vladivostok products in the United States.

Do you bankers still do this?
  Schiff is not picky and will accept any business that is profitable.

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 think it's too little, this was 1886, and the maximum price of each car was as high as 5000 rubles. There were really not many people who could afford it.

Cars at the level of 5000 rubles are basically prepared for royal families of various countries, or high-ranking nobles, big capitalists, and tycoons. If the small aristocrats and wealthy people want to buy a car, there are cheaper ones to choose from.

A car that costs 5000 rubles is decorated with a lot of gold and precious stones. It is expensive for a reason.

The cheap car only sells for 3000 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.

Therefore, 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 the American business."

Mikhail is worried that Schiff will steal the business of George's third uncle Thierry.

"Can Thierry's talent for business be compared to Schiff's?"

George is not worried. Thierry's main task in the United States is to purchase machinery for Vladivostok. The main thing is to spend money. Selling things is a side task.

Thierry didn't even know how to spend money. The Americans took advantage of the situation 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 with ordinary businessmen, not to mention Shiv. He is a pure and unfair person.

Then let Schiff give it a try. George knew how big the U.S. market was, 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 is vast and sparsely populated, 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 something 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 he earned in research and development, and gradually began to accumulate technological advantages.

When technology accumulates to a certain extent, scale advantages will also emerge.

When the time comes, 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.

At that time, even if someone in the United States wants to build a car, 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 him 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, and pistols are in greater demand.

From George's perspective, almost all of the pistols currently on the market in the United States are shoddily made. Not only do they have no ergonomics at all, but they also have backward performance, complicated operation, extremely high failure rates, and most importantly, they are stupid, thick, and black. , not easy to carry.

A heavy barrel like the No. 3 can't even fit in a briefcase, so what's the point of shooting it farther.

George didn't need anyone to specially develop it. He only needed to introduce the No. 3 with a shortened barrel to the American market, and it would 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 a 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.

Preferably not 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 use 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.

They say women are prodigal.

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 need 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.

Today's United States is not yet 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, discrimination in Vladivostok is still very obvious.

This makes Brian Godwin from the UK feel deeply.

Godwin has been in Vladivostok for almost half a year. Let alone establishing an embassy or consulate, Godwin has not even met Mikhail.

(End of this chapter)