Chapter 1025 Pay with gold
“President Qin, you are finally here!” The colonel looked excited: “How much does this warship cost? I want it!”
Qin Tao couldn't understand Arabic, so Zhao Ling translated on the side. While working as Qin Tao's secretary, Zhao Ling would learn another foreign language when she had time, so that it would be easier to communicate when she went out. After all, there are many secret things that are safer if one less person knows about them.
Xu Zhengyang stood next to Qin Tao, always alert to the actions of the guy opposite. He was so insane that he was on high alert. No one knew what this guy would do next.
“What’s so good about this warship? What do you like about it?” Qin Tao asked.
"Not good? Why is it bad? It is a large warship with a displacement of 100,000 tons!" The colonel said: "In 1986, we suffered a shameful sneak attack by the enemy. They used two aircraft carriers to take off the carrier Planes came to bomb us. At that time, we wanted to obtain advanced aircraft carriers, but it was a pity that the Red Empire could not build them. Now, the East has been able to build aircraft carriers of this level, which can be provided to us. Money is not a problem, Mr. Qin , how much does such an aircraft carrier cost?”
Zhao Ling’s price of one trillion yuan made him very dissatisfied. We are here to send you money. We are your customers. Customers are God. How can you do that?
"This kind of aircraft carrier is very expensive. The one in the dock is a priceless treasure of our navy. It won't be sold for any money. If you want to buy it, you can only wait until this warship is launched. If the navy does not have a plan for the next aircraft carrier, Only then can I make it for you.”
"Then we have to wait a few years, okay, a few years, we can afford to wait." The colonel said: "How much does this kind of aircraft carrier cost? Please tell me a specific price!"
"To build only the hull, it would cost 5 billion US dollars, plus the supporting equipment, another 2 billion US dollars would be needed. Counting the carrier-based aircraft on top, if all are purchased, it would cost more than 5 billion US dollars. A total of 110 million US dollars. Two billion US dollars." Qin Tao said.
This price is quite fair and reasonable. The colonel also inquired about the price before coming. The U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier also costs $7 billion.
“Okay, let’s make a deal. Build two of these aircraft carriers for us! We can pay a deposit first.”
“No, you have to pay the full price.”
"What?" The colonel opened his eyes wide: "But I have never heard of such a thing. Before the ship starts construction, you only need to pay a deposit and the full price? Where does this rule come from?"
“Our Mingzhou Group’s rules are that all ships ordered from us must be paid in full.”
"Impossible, absolutely impossible, we will not pay the full price! According to the 10% deposit, we can pay you a deposit of up to 2.4 billion US dollars!" the colonel said: "We are the largest shipyard in the history of your shipyard. customer of!"
“We do not accept deposits, only full payment.” Qin Tao said.
“It seems that our business can’t be done, I’m leaving!”
This guy said to leave, turned around and walked back without any warning. As he walked, he complained: "Huh, if I leave, I will never come back!"
“I really have to go!”
“Go slowly and don’t send me off!”
Babbage looked at this scene with great surprise, and at this time, he seemed to recognize the colonel's identity.
"This kind of person comes to our shipyard, but there is no one from the foreign affairs department following him?" Babbage couldn't help but ask.
"The people from the Foreign Affairs Department want to follow, but no one can run fast. These guys ditched the people from the Foreign Affairs Department in the capital and ran directly to us. I am the fast one to follow, the people from the Foreign Affairs Department It's probably still on the way," Zhao Ling said.
“This guy is indeed a weirdo.” Babbage said.
The guy called Qi Pa stopped in his tracks: "I'm really leaving!"
“Mr. Qin, don’t you have anything to say to me?”
"Bon Voyage!"
"Mr. Qin, we still have a destroyer construction order! Two aircraft carriers, and at least twenty destroyers are needed!" The colonel continued: "Don't you want such a huge order?"
“We will accept the full payment.”
“Isn’t there any special policy for big customers like us?”
Qin Tao thought for a while and said, "If you are willing to pay in gold, the deposit can be reduced to 50%."
“Gold? What are you talking about? Now international trade uses US dollars!” the colonel said angrily.
"Yes, it is indeed US dollars, so a certain country can start printing money like crazy, and the printed paper money can be spent to buy various things." Qin Tao said: "And those of us who accept US dollars , then it will be hard, and the purchasing power of the US dollars in your hands will become lower and lower."
A strange color flashed in the colonel's eyes.
"Now we are asking for full payment for our own reasons. Once we get the money, we will immediately use it to purchase various raw materials and spend all the US dollars in order to avoid the devaluation of the US dollars in our hands. Don't worry about accepting it from you now. One ship costs US$12 billion, but when it is built ten years later, its purchasing power will actually be equivalent to US$6 billion, or even lower.”
"But gold is different. This thing is hard currency and has a stable value." Qin Tao continued: "If you want to offset inflation, you can only rely on gold. If you collect your gold, then with the As the U.S. dollar depreciates, the price of gold will rise, so we won’t lose money even if we only collect half of the deposit.”
“Is gold better than the dollar?”
"It goes without saying that a few decades ago, the U.S. dollar could be directly exchanged for gold. At that time, the U.S. dollar could still be called U.S. dollars, but that is no longer the case. Now the U.S. dollar is linked to oil. Americans only use this method to , continue to maintain the circulation of U.S. dollars. However, for various oil-producing countries, it is very dangerous to only accept U.S. dollars. They cannot spend all the U.S. dollars they receive. If they are stored in warehouses, they will continue to depreciate. . If you don’t want these U.S. dollars to depreciate, you can only buy U.S. debt. After all, U.S. debt has benefits. In this way, everything is tied to the U.S. dollar.”
The colonel's face became darker and darker.
The meaning of these words could not be more obvious: it is very dangerous for oil-producing countries to only accept US dollars! Why didn't I realize this problem before? There are a lot of dollars in the treasury, but what is the purchasing power of these dollars? It is declining year by year.
Needless to say, just look at the purchase price of weapons. When the F-16 first started to be sold to the outside world in the 1980s, it only cost more than 10 million US dollars per unit. In the 1990s, it rose to more than 30 million US dollars. Now it has It costs 40 to 50 million US dollars per unit. However, this is not the most outrageous thing. In later generations, this price can even rise to more than 100 million US dollars per unit!
Excluding weapons technology upgrades, politics and other factors, inflation and the decline in the purchasing power of the US dollar are also indisputable facts.
For export-oriented countries, this problem is very serious.
Looking at the strange expression on the other party's face, Zhao Ling was also trying to figure out the meaning of Qin Tao's words.
What does Brother Tao want to do? Deceive the man in front of you to use gold to settle oil?
The last person to do this was Sha Damu. He announced a plan to settle oil in euros, and now he is being beaten up by the Americans. With the lessons learned from the past, this guy in front of him still dares to switch to gold?
“However, there is only so much gold in our treasury. If we use gold to buy warships, then there will be no gold in our treasury.” The colonel said.
"If you want to develop your own military force, you have to pay a price. When our country was first established, we urgently needed advanced warships, which were purchased with gold from the treasury." Qin Tao said, "Now, look at our navy. You can get whatever you want. Besides, if the gold is gone, you can make it again. With a strong national defense, you don’t have to worry about being invaded by foreign enemies. At that time, you won’t have as much gold as you need?”
"Yes, you are right, we can pay in gold, but we require the down payment to be reduced to 30%!" The colonel insisted. For him, a big buyer, this plan is already very humiliating. He will never spend another penny!
"Okay." Qin Tao said: "Since we have talked about it to this extent, a 30% down payment can also be considered. However, my assistant has just said that our current orders have been scheduled for ten years. , you pay the deposit now, and we will arrange production for you ten years later.”
“No, absolutely not, ten years is too long, we can’t wait that long!”
"Then you can choose to pay more down payment." Qin Tao said: "If you pay 50% of the down payment, we can arrange production for you within five years." Qin Tao is very enthusiastic about certain customers, such as big dogs. Yes, even if there is no slipway, it must be freed up for the big dog. But Qin Tao is not polite to the colonel in front of him. He will do whatever he has to do and will never provide convenience to the colonel.
The topic is back again, 50% down payment!
The full payment is no longer required, but a 50% down payment, which is already very polite to them.
The colonel frowned, thinking.
Should you agree?
It seems that the other party will no longer compromise. Do you want to return empty-handed?
No, you must not return empty-handed, this opportunity is too rare!
They have money, but their army is too weak. Therefore, he has always wanted to develop the army, but this is not easy. After all, the only developed country in Africa has degenerated into a developing country, and the colonel's country does not have any military industry. , everything depends on buying!
Then there’s the question of whose goods to buy. Looking at it again, the five gangsters have all been offended.
U.K? There was a violent incident. Although the colonel never admitted it, the British believed that the colonel paid for it, so they had a stalemate with Britain. France? If they want to become a giant on the African continent, they will naturally compete with the French forces, and they have already reached a deadlock.
It used to be good with the Red Empire, but now the Red Empire is gone, and Mao’s warships have to be sent to the east for improvement.
USA? Don't even think about the United States. He has scolded the United States a lot in the past.
Only Dongfang is left. This Mingzhou Group is still a private enterprise and does not need to entangle with government departments, especially since it has a successful precedent of a big dog.
The colonel heard about the big dog family’s plan to share warships, and he was immediately tempted. The person who came up with this plan is definitely a genius. If he has money and strength, the big guys are gathered together!
He also needs to learn this way.
Today I ordered a warship in the East, and I can go back tomorrow to hold a shared warship plan. The brothers around me have been assigned warships, and I have to stay with them from now on!
The colonel longed for the thought of being able to command the heroes in the future, so now, he gritted his teeth and accepted it!
“Okay, then give us 50% down payment, pay in gold, and build us a warship within five years!”
"Production within five years. The construction period varies depending on the size of the warship. It can be as short as one and a half years and as long as two or three years." Qin Tao said: "If you want to collect the ship within five years, the down payment must be increased. Eighty percent."
“Okay, then build it within five years, and come and collect the ship in the sixth year!”
Qin Tao nodded: "The time starts from the time your gold is transported."
After the contract is signed, what if the other party does not pay? The person in front of me can do this kind of thing, wait until the fifth year to pay, and then ask for money.
"What do you mean? We signed the contract and will we regret it? Huh, you capitalists!" The colonel was angry.
"Sorry, we are just following the usual practice to remind you that the ships we build for each customer are calculated from the time the full payment is received. We will reduce it to 50% for you because of the gold you pay. , if the gold is not paid, we can’t start.”
“What if we pay gold and five years later you don’t build us a ship?”
"According to the relevant agreement, you can get twice the compensation." Qin Tao said: "For example, if you paid us one hundred tons of gold, we will have to pay you back two hundred tons."
The colonel's eyes lit up: "Okay, let's sign the agreement!"
“As for the amount, do you need to confirm it again?”
"Confirm what? The same 100,000-ton aircraft carrier in your dock, equipped with carrier-based aircraft, has a total price of 12 billion. Two ships are 24 billion. One 052CE is one billion dollars. Let's start with Ordering fifteen ships, that's 15 billion, and all of them are 39 billion, what do you mean? Do you still want to raise the price?"
Qin Tao smiled, of course it was not a price increase, but buying a warship is not buying Chinese cabbage. Is there such a way to buy it?
Procuring warships is a very cumbersome matter, and it can easily take several years. It requires bidding, determining various technical parameters, and even multiple rounds of negotiations on one of the links. Now, the other party has only determined simple parameters and has to directly place an order?
What Qin Tao meant was that he originally wanted to invite them to the conference room and introduce them to the configuration of the warship. Take the aircraft carrier as an example. They are all 100,000 tons. Is it a ski jump or a catapult take-off, and is it conventional power or nuclear power? power? A lot of money can be spent here.
However, Qin Tao felt relieved when he thought that this project might never be built after receiving a deposit. Since the other party didn't say anything, why should he worry about it?
In the agreement, just write a 100,000-ton aircraft carrier, and then we can do whatever we want.
This is really not Colonel Madaha, it’s because they have never purchased decently at all. In the past, when purchasing Lao Maozi’s weapons and equipment, they just came to the door with money, waited for delivery and then drove back. As for what performance and what configuration, they came back. Say it again!
After the collapse of the Red Empire, they have not purchased equipment from the West in these years. How did they know there are so many ways to do it? They thought it was the same as purchasing it from Lao Maozi.
“Of course not, I just want to ask, is it in the name of your government or in your own name?” Qin Tao asked.
This is the most critical issue!
Zhao Ling sighed secretly from the side, Brother Tao is definitely going to pay for these deposits, they are all gold deposits!
“What’s the difference?” asked the colonel.
In his eyes, he can represent the government.
"The difference is huge." Qin Tao said: "When you purchase so many warships, you will definitely invite other brothers to operate them together. How will you introduce them to your friends? Hey, my brother, I have How many warships are there for you! Or should I say, how many warships does our government have? Colonel, I think having friends be grateful to you can bring us closer together than being grateful to your government, right? "
“That’s right, then purchase it in my own name!”
Zhao Ling glanced at the colonel with sympathy. This guy seemed to be confused, and now he was encouraged by Brother Tao's few words.
The situation is changing. Whoever goes to the country today and the leader can change, but as long as the country is still the same country, the order can be turned over in the future, requiring the Mingzhou Group to fulfill the agreement, and even asking for double compensation.
But what if it’s an individual?
As long as something happens to this person, we can issue a statement at any time. Because this guy is rebellious and so on, this agreement is declared invalid and the deposit will not be refunded!
Who can ask for a personal deposit on his behalf?
How much can gold worth 24.5 billion US dollars do? It's more than enough to subvert a force. Vitalia must have been busy lately, right?
"Okay, sign the agreement now. We can also add training tasks to help you complete the training of sailors." Qin Tao gave the other party a blank check that would never be cashed. The colonel was very satisfied.
“This is how you treat big customers!” said the colonel: “Bring me the contract!”
"The contract still needs to be drafted, and it will take at least half a day. You are also tired. How about going to our guest house to rest?"
“I’m not tired, I want to go and see the destroyer!” The colonel looked at the outfitting dock nearby.
“This is not possible. Those warships belong to the customers, not us.”
(End of this chapter)