The iron pot bounced up and down on the stove, the sound of hot oil heating in the iron pot, and the metallic sound of the spatula colliding with the iron pot formed a simple yet energetic symphony.
Before the Englishman could sigh for too long, a portion of stir-fried beef, a portion of stir-fried alfalfa with tomato juice, and a portion of seaweed egg drop soup were served. Since Brace didn't know how to use chopsticks, the restaurant provided wooden spoons and forks. He first drank a spoonful of seaweed egg drop soup and felt that it was delicious. The stir-fried alfalfa was crisp, and the sweet and sour tomato juice was refreshing. As for the fragrant and delicious stir-fried beef, Brace, who was used to eating British food, didn't know how to praise it.
After drinking the last mouthful of seaweed egg drop soup, Brace put down his knife and fork in satisfaction. This simple set meal gave him the feeling of enjoyment. He looked at this ordinary little restaurant and saw the desolate red and yellow rock wall outside through the restaurant's window. Brace had to remind himself that he wasn't in a high-end restaurant in London or Paris, but a small restaurant in a desolate port on the desolate west bank of the Red Sea.
But all the vegetables here were fresh, so fresh that it made people wonder if the existence of this wilderness was real. The British merchant captain, Brace, heard in Egypt that a new port had opened in the Red Sea, and it was a port opened by the Chinese. The merchant captain also automatically took on the responsibility of gathering intelligence for the British Empire. He docked at Port Sudan and came up to take a look. There was nothing special about this port now. The only thing that could be called special was probably the hundreds of facilities set up by the sea to boil salt and provide fresh water. After eating this meal, Brace realized that he was wrong. This port was too special.
In addition to Chinese cuisine, the newly opened Port Sudan also had its own specialty. China's salt production technology was very advanced, and the white, high-quality salt without any bitterness was very cheap. Brace had decided to temporarily stop this salt business in the near future.
Captain Brace was also preparing to go deeper into the Sudan province from the port. He was very curious about the ingredients of this meal. Could it be that the Chinese were all magicians? Could they grow fresh vegetables in the wilderness?
At the headquarters of the Wasteland Reclamation Army, a Pasha from the Osman Empire wiped his sweat with a towel and drank a mouthful of alfalfa honey tea before saying, "Can your country lower the price of your canned meat?"
"I think your country doesn't only need canned beef and mutton. Don't you think the honey is also necessary?" Du Hui, the political commissar of the Wasteland Reclamation Army, struck while the iron was hot.
"Honey is good, but these canned food can be stored for several months. Our stronghold needs these supplies the most. Therefore, we hope that your country can lower the price of these canned food, "Pasha said seriously.
Du Hui's expression didn't change, but his heart was filled with contempt. In this time of national crisis, the senior officials of the Osman Empire did not eat less than they should. According to the news from Istanbul, the Osman Empire's purchase price had already been set. The lower the price the high-ranking officials cut, the higher the price difference they could get in the middle.
However, the country's instructions were to ensure the supply of supplies to the Osman frontline as much as possible. Du Hui could also understand this position. China and the Osman Empire were not neighbors, but they were neighbors with Russia. The more Russia lost in the Russian-Turkish war, the more advantageous it was for China. Being able to understand the importance of canned food to the war showed that the Osman Empire was not really stupid.
Du Hui could not help but say, "Sir, if we lower the price, we have to increase the purchase volume. Our total amount can't be changed, right? "
Increasing the total purchase volume would increase the total supply to the frontline. Of course, Du Hui could not point at the Osman Empire's Pasha and scold him for being a corrupt criminal, nor could he give the Osman Empire's Pasha an ideological and political lesson to correct his wrong idea of making profits. The only thing Du Hui could do was to increase the sales volume a little so that the Osman Empire's frontline troops would have a chance to get more supplies.
At the mention of maintaining the total amount of transactions, the Pasha's expression turned ugly. He shook his head. "It's not like this is the only time we're doing business. Why buy and sell so many canned food at once?"
"Sir, you've only bought a million pounds of canned beef and mutton. Do you think that's a lot?" Du Hui asked. He was very unhappy with the Osman Empire's attitude. The battlefield supply was determined according to the number of people and the duration of the battle. At least, the Liberation Army had always made battle plans this way. Turkey had more than 40 million troops. If the war was to last for two years, it was necessary to ensure three taels of meat a day. In China, as long as the logistics could supply it during the war, three taels of meat was not a big deal. Everyone also tried to have a bottle of canned fruit a day to ensure a relatively balanced nutrition.
The logistics department was scolded. In fact, the frontline troops of the Liberation Army during the war also knew that it was not that the logistics department was unwilling to provide supplies. The supplies could not be supplied, but it was really because of the impact of transportation or the location of the battlefield. When scolding the logistics department, the term "logistics department" represented everyone's fear and helplessness towards the battlefield. The logistics department was just a scapegoat.
But the Osman Pasha's attitude was different. Buying a certain amount of canned food meant that there was a limit to the supply. How many days would a million pounds of canned beef and mutton be enough to feed the frontline? At most, it would be half a month. Du Hui continued, "The price of our canned food is already much cheaper than that of the Osman Empire's local fresh beef and mutton. If you find someone to process it, it will add more money. I think that at this price, if it were any lower, you would have to buy more. You should at least increase the supply at the frontline. "
Hearing this, the Pasha frowned and said in an insulted tone, "Are you accusing me of embezzling the rations of the frontline soldiers?"
Du Hui did not expect the Pasha to make it so clear. In his heart, he really wanted to say, "I am accusing you of embezzling the rations of the frontline soldiers." However, he could only think about it and not say it. The Chinese people were more concerned about the rations of the Osman Empire's soldiers than the Pasha of the Osman Empire. It would be a great insult if he made it clear.
Seeing that Du Hui did not say anything, the Pasha said unhappily, "We have to pay cash to buy canned food. The war should be going on for a long time. How much money will we need then?"
"If the Osman Empire is willing to rent us more land, we can do it for free," Du Hui replied immediately.
Hearing Du Hui's condition, the Chinese people who participated in the meeting were a little nervous. Before coming here, when the troops were mobilized, they said that the Sudan province was a barren land with a bad climate. After arriving in Sudan, everyone found that the propaganda was a little exaggerated.
Sudan was indeed relatively desolate, but there was no shortage of water. The Blue Nile River and several other rivers provided a lot of moisture to the soil. More importantly, there was no shortage of flat land on both sides of the Nile River. As long as irrigation canals could be dug, crops could be grown on large tracts of land.
Alfalfa was only the main crop. The reclamation troops had also begun to grow rice, wheat, corn, peanuts, and sugar cane. Vegetable gardens were also indispensable. It would not be long before Port Sudan could export more than alfalfa and salt. Sugar, peanut oil, and grains would also become important export crops. If he managed this vast land seriously, he would have a bright future ahead of him.
The Pasha did not look surprised. China's attempt to expand its sphere of influence in the Sudan province was something that the Osman Empire had long expected.
The Egyptian governor and the Osman Empire government did not see eye to eye. The Egyptian governor wanted to break away from the Osman Empire's control and set up his own independent kingdom. Similarly, the Osman Empire, who knew of the Egyptian governor's plans, would also find ways to make things difficult for the Egyptian governor. This time, China was allowed to grow alfalfa in the Sudan province to introduce another force into the Sudan province, which had basically been separated from the Osman Empire, to balance the British influence in Egypt. With China's current relationship with the United Kingdom, if Egypt wanted to join the United Kingdom, China would definitely find ways to obstruct it. Conversely, the United Kingdom would not let China really grow in Egypt and Sudan. In this state of balance, the Osman Empire had become the key to maintaining this delicate balance.
Of course, the farming ability of the China people was beyond the Osman Empire's expectations. It was completely beyond the Osman Empire's original imagination to be able to get such a large amount of supplies from Sudan.
Even if many things were clear in their hearts, they still had to do it on the surface. The Pasha of the Osman Empire said that he would discuss the matter after returning to China. China, as a show of goodwill, reduced the supply price by another 5%. After the Pasha left, the China Reclamation Force only discussed whether the Osman Empire would agree to this matter. If China really wanted to rely on pure military force to expand its territory, it would be very easy. Without the approval of the Osman Empire, there were too many countries that could use "justice" as a reason to move against China. But with the approval of the Osman Empire, China could use this approval to complete many negotiations.
Perhaps it was because it was already May, and the weather was getting hotter, food storage was not easy. The Osman Empire's response was quick, and the permitted area for alfalfa cultivation was expanded tenfold. The rent for the first five years was replaced by five million pounds of canned beef and mutton.
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