After dealing with the negotiations with the Japanese.
Cai Hu looked at the date. It was already the end of November.
This time, in order to reward John for his help, Cai Hu gave John an order of 200,000 yuan of soap, including 50,000 yuan of upgraded soap.
John was overjoyed. Cai Hu didn't raise the price to 50 dollars as high as Krupp's. He still sold it at 20 dollars per ordinary soap.
After all, there was no end to money. If they were to get involved in the war between the European powers, it would be a nightmare for the weak southwest.
Killing the goose that laid the golden eggs was something Cai Hu would not do.
The normal model cost 20 yuan each, and the upgraded version cost 50 yuan each. A total of 5.5 million yuan was ordered.
After earning a large sum of money, he had also gained friendship with John, a big shot in the Far East. For this reason, John had directly given Cai Hu the full amount of money for the order in advance.
Cai Hu used the money to ask John to buy a batch of food for him. There were a total of 5000 tons of rice and 500 tons of beef.
John thought for a moment and sent a telegram to a friend in India. This problem was easily solved.
At this time, there were wars everywhere. Even in India, where food was abundant, all the food was prepared for Britain. Every grain was prepared in advance.
With John's help, they could get a batch of food from various channels in India.
…
A week later.
The money, food, and equipment of the Japanese were all shipped to Chongqing.
Some of the brand-new warships and gunboats that were originally left in the island country's shipping factories for their own use were also shipped from the island country to Chongqing and Yibin.
The river in Chongqing could only accommodate hundreds of tons of ships. A 100-ton gunboat was just right for cruising the river.
The 1000-ton destroyer and the 3000-ton light cruiser were left in Yibin. At this moment, the civilians and local warlords in Yibin watched such a huge warship as if they were looking at a god.
The benefits that Cai Hu had obtained from the Japanese quickly spread throughout China. When the people heard about this, they cheered and praised Cai Hu as a hero, as expected of the Southwest Marshal.
Even the military leaders of the various factions sucked in a breath of cold air. Regardless of whether it was the Wan lineage, the Gui lineage, or even the Feng lineage, they all knew that there was a powerful young commander in the southwest who could make the miserly Japanese lay eggs.
Even the warlords gave Cai Hu a nickname in private," Southwest Tiger."
With his great reputation, Cai Hu sent people to recruit talents from all over the country. Whether it was in industry, education, or the military, as long as you were powerful, there would be enough space for you to grow in the southwest and enough money for you to use.
With such a powerful force, he managed to recruit 5000 useful talents from all walks of life from all over the country.
Chongqing, Independent Regiment Department.
Cai Hu picked up a personnel document and glanced at it.
" Zhang Yilong, former colonel of the Beiyang Army. He graduated from the Royal British Navy Academy and has rich experience in naval warfare…"
Due to the corruption of Beiyang's government, Zhang Yilong had not been properly settled. He had heard that Cai Hu of the Southwest wanted to form a Jianghe Squadron, so he had come to the Southwest to look for Cai Hu.
Cai Hu was very interested when he saw this resume.
The strength of an army and how it could have a sharp soul depended largely on its commander.
Only an excellent commander could make the best use of good equipment. If the Beiyang Navy had an absolutely excellent commander, then the Japanese would definitely not have had much of an advantage.
"Zhao Dashan, call this Zhang Yilong in!”
Cai Hu instructed.
Zhao Dashan received the order and called Zhang Yilong in. Zhang Yilong was 1.8 meters tall and wore the white colonel uniform of the Northern Navy. He stood at attention to Cai Hu the moment he entered.
"Hello, Major!"
Zhang Yilong looked at Cai Hu with a sharp gaze. His eyes were full of life, and one could tell that he was a smart person with the sharpness of a naval commander.
" Yes, Colonel Zhang. Please take a seat!"
Cai Hu said.
Cai Hu didn't mind treating talents with courtesy. This way, the general would be united and win more battles.
Cai Hu asked Zhang Yilong about his past achievements in Britain, as well as his resume in Beiyang, as well as some naval battle techniques. Zhang Yilong answered them all very well.
"Alright, alright. I hereby appoint you as the commander of my Jianghe Squadron!”
"A monthly salary of 100 yuan, two sets of military uniforms every month, one set of soap every month, and one set of soap for the Chongqing residence!”
…
Cai Hu ordered immediately. Zhao Dashan and the others had checked all the personnel documents on Cai Hu's desk. There was absolutely nothing fishy about them.
When Zhang Yilong heard this, he was very surprised. He was originally working on an old and broken warship. It was already good enough for him to be the captain of a new destroyer. Now, this young marshal had made an exception and promoted him to the commander of the Jianghe Fleet.
At this moment, Zhang Yilong was extremely excited. It was as if all his ambitions were about to unfold. Just like his name, he was about to ride on a dragon and ascend to the heavens. He was about to lead this fleet to wash away the humiliation that his people had suffered for so many years.
"I, Zhang Yilong, thank you for your kindness!”
Zhang Yilong's eyes sparkled as he gave Cai Hu a salute.
"There's no need to be like this. A talent is gold. You won't regret burying it. I'm just giving you a platform to shine!”
Cai Hu said with a smile.
"Major, this time, I have brought 20 second lieutenants, first lieutenants, and naval officers. I hope you can accept them. They are all from poor families and are all ostracized, but their military skills are definitely excellent.”
Since the Young Marshal treated him well, Zhang Yilong would speak to him from the bottom of his heart.
"Alright, I believe in Yilong's judgment. Take these people and let them register with me. I'll give them the corresponding positions, salaries, and benefits!”
Cai Hu was also a little excited. He had been worrying about how to establish the Jianghe Squadron. Now that he had this group of backbones, letting them train a group of navy sailors, the combat power of the Jianghe Squadron would definitely increase exponentially.
…
The Jianghe Squadron, full name 'Chang Jiang Jing Hang Grand Canal Squadron' was a sharp sword of the southwest Cai Hu.
The Yangtze River was a golden waterway. Not only was it rich in fishing resources, but it also controlled the docks on both sides of the river. The ships of the foreign powers that passed by had to show some respect and did not dare to be so impudent. Moreover, they could also inspect the cargo ships of the Japanese countries and confiscate whatever they found on their behalf. This was also a source of income for the southwest.
This was in terms of economy and military affairs. This fleet would intimidate the warlords along the coast. Cai Hu's army could threaten the Anhui system on both sides of the Yangtze River and threaten the direct line from the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。