1855 United States Tycoon

Chapter 411

Providing help to the Boers is of course a profitable business, but if the political account of this transaction is to be calculated, the transaction may not be profitable. But watching the money in front of him without making any money is definitely not Scrooge’s style. And Scrooge felt that it was actually good to make trouble for the British on this issue.

First, for the first time, the Boer War revealed the frailty of the imposing British Empire to the world. Before the Boer War, the British Empire’s image of being invincible and invincible had been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. In Europe, no country dared to directly offend the majesty of the British Empire, but after the Boer War broke out, everyone (including even including The British were all surprised to find that the British Empire was not as strong as imagined.

Although the British still defeated the Boers in the end, in order to defeat a rebellious quasi-indigenous people, the British Empire needed a national mobilization, which was very painful. Moreover, extreme barbarity must be used to achieve the final victory. All this has greatly affected the British national policy. It was after the Boer War that emerging European countries dared to openly question the hegemony of the British Empire. It was also after this war that the British Empire had to shift from strategic expansion to strategic contraction.

For United States, it is definitely a good thing to have the Boers and the British fight fiercely. Although as early as in the “Monroe Declaration” of 1823, the people of United States had declared that “America is the America of the people of America”, and since then, squeezing out the power of European countries from America has become the national policy of the United States. . But achieving this goal is not so easy. In the final analysis, the problem lies with the damn British guy. For example, the Spaniards who still maintain a presence in South America are no longer an opponent of United States from a military standpoint, just as Canada has long been no opponent of United States. If you really make up your mind and do it directly, the people of United States can crush those Spanish idiots like a bug. But behind those damn Spaniards there are even more damn British people. Therefore, it is not a big problem to bully Spain and support Cuban natives to make trouble for them. If you really want to kill you, I am worried that it will be like in 1812. The old provoke it. As a result, both the Presidential Palace and Capitol Hill were burned. Although the United States today is far stronger than it was in 1812, the United Kingdom is the world’s leader after all. Although the people of United States have always said “not afraid of not afraid”, they are still a little scared in their hearts. Therefore, in the original history, only after the British made a fool of themselves in the Boer War, did the United States dare to launch a war against Spain, and really use violent means to realize “America is the America of the American people (United States people).” “The ideal.

Scrooge has invested a lot of capital in South America, especially in Cuba, where he has been in business for a long time. If United States can really take Cuba in one fell swoop, then Scrooge will naturally get rich returns. Therefore, at this time, it is definitely beneficial to support the Boers. What’s more, precisely because at this time, no one is really optimistic about the Boers, at this time the investment will have the highest rate of return. Therefore, it has become normal for Scrooge to take a acquiescent attitude of acquiescence with one eye and one eye closed for the armed Boers.So with Scrooge’s acquiescence, the Boers began to accept Blackwater’s systematic guidance, while others began to visit the McDonald Infantry Weapons Company to examine the advanced weapons it could provide.

…

“Mr. Simon, this is the company’s newest fortress artillery.” A sales manager named Yourui is selling an 11-inch heavy fortress artillery to the Boer’s representative Simon. In fact, this giant artillery is not necessarily suitable for the Boers, because this thing is too bulky to move at all. Although this gun is slightly lighter than the German Krupp 280 fortress gun, it is only about a ton lighter. Such “lightness” is actually meaningless.

This type of artillery is more used in coastal defense fortresses. Used to defend the port, fight against the enemy navy, and prevent the enemy’s landing is definitely a good one, but because the British have Cape Town in their hands, the British do not need to play beach landings. The main battle of this war must be land. war. In land warfare, although this kind of immobile artillery cannot be said to be completely useless, compared to its price, honestly speaking, the efficiency is very low.

But this is not within Yuri’s consideration. For him, the more weapons that guide customers, or deceive customers, the more expensive they are, the better.

“Compared with Krupp’s 280mm fortress gun, our gun has many advantages. First of all, our gun has an optional 360-degree rotation mount. This makes our gun It can respond to threats from any direction. In contrast, once the German Krupp 280 is installed, it can’t turn the muzzle in other directions. (Of course, our Yuri will never tell customers, The price of this is that the artillery will not be protected by the concrete dome.) In addition, our cannon has a longer range. The Krupp 280 can hit the shells to 19,760 meters away, but ours can hit the shells. 23,000 meters away. (Based on the same reasoning, our Yuri did not tell Simon that if you want to shoot such a long range, you must use a special jujube-core shell. The price of this shell is three times that of ordinary shells. But the power is only three-quarters of ordinary artillery shells.) Therefore, in places that need key defenses, and where the enemy is expected to be heavily attacked, install these cannons. It is almost like a weapon to the enemy. It’s a nightmare. Of course, the price of our artillery is slightly more expensive than similar Krupp products, but it’s the so-called “what you pay for…”

Under Yuri’s flicker, the Boers, who were not short of money, were very interested in this huge and expensive (up to 90,000 US dollars) fortress cannon. Simon and his entourage discussed for a while, although they didn’t say anything clearly. But Ruiyou can see that they are obviously very interested in this weapon.

When you meet a local tyrant, if you don’t kill it fiercely, it’s almost time to die. So after that, Urie started to sell their weapons to the Boers based on the principle of “only pick the expensive ones, not the right ones.”

“Mr. Simon, there is also this kind of artillery. Look, the 155mm caliber howitzer is a weapon for infantry. Its powerful range is far better than the artillery equipped by the Europeans for troops. What? Are you worried about it? Easy to move? Ah, Mr. Simon, this is not a problem at all. We can also provide you with a batch of special artillery towing trucks. (In fact, ordinary trucks have a towing hook added) This thing can easily tow such a door Cannons, with corresponding artillery and shells, walking like flying. You know, cars are invented by us in the United States. Compared with our cars, cars in other countries are technologically worse… ”

However, in fact, artillery based on the ability of cars to maneuver is also not suitable for the Boers, because the Boers lack fuel. If the Boers really buy this thing, as long as the British blockade the Boers, it will not take long. People’s cars will become a pile of scrap iron because of lack of fuel.

Obviously, Simon also discovered this problem. He said: “This is good, but if the British blockade us, it will be difficult for us to get fuel. Then the maneuverability of this artillery is very problematic.”

But Yuri was not frustrated by this, he immediately found a new idea.

“At that time, you can still mount it on the train and use it as a train cannon. I think, you always have the coal to run the train, don’t you?” Uri replied.

In addition to artillery, all kinds of firearms are also indispensable. From the automatic pistol that is convenient for sneak attacks and guerrilla attacks, to the clip-on rifle, to the real big killer—the water-cooled heavy machine gun, Yuri took Simon and others to watch it all over. As a result, the Boer, who was not short of money, came up with “Buy, buy, buy, buy, or not to buy, or is it a human?”, and bought hundreds of various artillery and tens of thousands of various guns in one go. With just a 12-inch fort cannon, they bought six in one go. So when Scrooge finally saw this order, he was taken aback. He said to Donald who was in charge of this matter:

“Donald, you said that after the Boers really get these things, how much power will the British have to do to solve the problem?”

“Scrooge Uncle, if I were to command and use all available means, it wouldn’t take much effort.” Donald gave such an answer.

“Oh, do you think so? Tell me what you think.” Scrooge was taken aback.

“Since Dana Big sis revealed that the Germans were studying poison gas bombs, the world is now researching this thing. Countries with a little chemical ability are studying this thing. The British are definitely no exception. The things we give the Boers can definitely Let the British suffer, but after suffering, the position of the British does not allow him to retreat. Therefore, the British are likely to use chemical weapons extensively. Anyway, the British are notorious for being ruthless. By that time, I did not. I think the Boers have any chance of winning.” Donald replied.

“Then do you think we should buy some gas masks for the Boers?” Scrooge asked.

“Of course not. At least not for now.” Donald said decisively. “The power of chemical weapons must be revealed first, and then our thing can really sell for a price.”