Chen Tianhua keenly felt that the Japanese victory in the Russo-Japanese War pushed militarism to a new climax, and the emperor's authority reached an unparalleled peak through war and victory.

After the war, the power of the Japanese military, especially the Army Ministry, further expanded, and they were more inclined to launch large-scale aggressive wars. Because of the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of 1894 and the Russo-Japanese War, they tasted the benefits.

Zhengyuan Co., Ltd., with the Ministry of War as its main backing, in addition to deploying coal mines and iron ore mining, they began to compete for the rare metal mineral resources of the Qing Dynasty.

Thanks to the mediation of the Japanese cabinet, the Navy Ministry and the Army Ministry conducted extensive cooperation in intelligence and mineral resources.

Not long ago, Colonel Hideo Fujita, the president of Shogen Co., Ltd. and the head of the Shogen Agency of the Japanese Army, and Lieutenant Colonel Koichi Mizuta of Mizuta Co., Ltd. held talks in the Japanese Concession of Gongchen Bridge in Hangzhou.

The mediator was of course Toyohiko Kagawa of the Cabinet Intelligence Department.

Due to the joining of Shogen Co., Ltd. and Shokin Bank Zaibatsu, Mizuta Koichi has bigger plans for rare metal mining, especially tungsten mining.

Paddy fields have many channels for purchasing strategic materials. For example, tungsten mines are not only found in Ganzhou, but can also be mined in southern Jiangxi, northern Guangdong, western Hunan, Yunnan and Guizhou, etc.

The plan to assassinate the metallurgical expert failed this time. The Hanyang Arsenal strengthened security and spy investigation. Shuitian could only adopt the strategy of losing soldiers to save the car, and silenced the two insiders who were about to be exposed.

Under the guidance of metallurgical expert Huo Shan, Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant has not only successfully smelted tungsten steel, but is also synthesizing 50a high-carbon steel.

According to information, this 50a high carbon steel will be synthesized at the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, mainly with the key additive of tungsten.

Once the 50a high carbon steel is synthesized, there is no point in assassinating Huo Shan. You should focus on fighting for the tungsten ore.

The tungsten mine in western Jiangxi invested and built by Chen Tianhua has ten mines, but there are dozens of mines in southern Jiangxi alone, and they are all mined by Japanese people.

It can also be mined in northern Guangdong and western Hunan.

On the surface, there is water from wells and rivers on both sides.

Of course, Chen Tianhua and others cannot interfere with the cooperation between Shuitian and Zhengyuan Club and the Jiangxi Provincial Government Yamen, because these are contracts signed before.

But he wanted to limit Japan's continued expansion and restrain them from brutally plundering rare minerals in the Qing Dynasty, so he had to strike first.

He immediately established the Qing Dynasty Southern Fengzhong Mineral Products Company and cooperated with local officials and businessmen in western Hunan and northern Guangdong to let them vigorously mine tungsten ore, which was fully acquired by Fengzhong Minerals to replace the rails, spikes and trains of the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant.

Carriages and other equipment.

Of course, all localities responded positively to such a mutually beneficial plan, so why not?!

The tungsten ore acquired by Southern Fengzhong Mineral Products Company is smelted into tungsten steel at the Hanyang Special Steel Plant and exported to Germany, Britain, the United States, Belgium and other countries in exchange for valuable foreign exchange and expansion of international influence.

This kind of magical operation not only solved the gun quality problem of Hanyang Arsenal, but also greatly improved the economic efficiency of Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant, turning the two loss-making enterprises that Zhang Xiangshuai had the most troubles into from losses to profits.

Japan's Zhengyuan Co., Ltd., together with many Western munitions dealers, significantly lowered the purchase price of tungsten steel from Fengzhong Mineral Products Company of the Qing Dynasty.

Facing this unfamiliar foreign trade field, if Fengzhong Company does not sell, it will result in an increasing backlog of tungsten steel on hand, affecting capital turnover.

what to do?

Another war without gunpowder has begun.

Chen Tianhua and others discovered that these international arms processors and munitions dealers did not accept Fengzhong Company's tungsten steel quotation because Zhengyuan Co., Ltd. could provide them with sufficient, cheap and high-quality tungsten steel.

The raw tungsten steel ore of Zhengyuan Co., Ltd. was mainly stolen from various mines in the Qing Dynasty in large quantities, and then smuggled out to sea. The cost of theft and evasion of tariffs was almost zero.

Most of the customs officials of the Qing Dynasty were bribed by the Japanese, and they turned a blind eye to Zhengyuan Company's long-term smuggling of mineral products out to sea.

In addition, Japanese smelting technology, processes and steel-making equipment are much better than those of Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant. Therefore, their cost is much lower than that of Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant, and the quality is higher.

Paralyzed, an acre of wheat field suddenly grows a handful of cotton, which is as dazzling as it is.

Chen Tianhua, who was extremely unhappy, decided to start a counterattack after mastering a large amount of intelligence information.

He first issued notices to Zhang Zhidong's Huguang Governor's Office, as well as all levels of government offices in northern Guangdong, western Hunan, and western Jiangxi, to strictly investigate the theft of local tungsten gold mines. If illegal excavation occurs, there will definitely be no suspense about the outcome.

As the commander of the Guangdong-Hankong Railway General Headquarters and the director of the Hu-Guang Railway General Administration, these yamen have almost unconditional trust in this iron-blooded talent.

If it weren't for Chen Tianhua's full support and subsequent financial assistance, the construction of the Hanyang Arsenal and the Guangdong-Han Railway would have been impossible.

The second move is the General Taxation Department of the Customs of the Qing Dynasty.

Starting from the fourth year of Xianfeng reign in the Qing Dynasty, the Qing government established the Qing Customs and General Taxation Department in Shanghai.

It is strange to say that the post of Governor of the General Taxation Department of the Qing Customs has always been held by the British. In other words, the Qing Customs has been controlled by the British for nearly fifty years.

The current director-general of the Customs and Excise Department is the British Robert Hurd, who is also the second-longest serving director-general of the Customs and Excise Department.

As a British person, Robert Hurd naturally safeguarded British interests in the Qing Dynasty, and the British government itself was very dissatisfied with Japan's separatist rule and plunder in the Qing Dynasty.

Especially after the Japanese won the Russo-Japanese War, they snatched Dalian, Lushun, and the three eastern provinces from the Russians and used them as their own colonies. This was very ugly and had damaged British interests in the Qing Dynasty.

"Dear Governor, I hope that the General Taxation Department will carry out a nationwide crackdown on smuggling of mineral products. As you know, a large part of the ores in the Qing Dynasty are sold privately to foreign countries without going through formal foreign trade companies.

, This not only harms the national interests, but also has an immeasurable impact on your image, Mr. Governor."

Chen Tianhua came up with high-sounding rationalization suggestions, which also gave the Chief of the General Taxation Department enough face.

Strictly investigating and cracking down on smuggling activities is an important matter that every national government must do well, and there is support from forces like Chen Tianhua.

"Mr. Chen has a very strategic vision. I think this suggestion is very good. Tungsten mineral products are one of the most important minerals for export and foreign exchange earning in the Qing Dynasty. Only under the unified operation of the country can we get the greatest benefits. I immediately issued an order to all

Customs and the Anti-Smuggling Bureau must strictly control the situation."
Chapter completed!