Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 482 BMW suddenly became popular
Buckingham Palace
King Zheng Guohui of Chu met the most powerful woman in the world, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, here. After some British court etiquette, both sides took their seats.

Her Majesty Queen Victoria wore a crown and an expensive light red dress. Although she was short and fat, every move she made while sitting on the throne revealed an indescribable elegance and amazing intuition.

As a wise monarch who ruled Britain for nearly half a century, Queen Victoria had a keen insight into strategic issues and an extremely accurate judgment of people.

After formally expressing her anticipation for the future close cooperation between the two countries, Queen Victoria bluntly asked, "Your Excellency, Prince Chu, when will your country be satisfied?"

This question was very sharp. Several important ministers of the Chu State present all looked at Queen Victoria in shock. Prime Minister Glastonbury, who was accompanying the meeting, also looked over thoughtfully.

Queen Victoria's meaning was very clear: she was worried about the continued expansion of the Chu State.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was very calm. He chuckled and replied:

"Her Majesty Queen Victoria
The limited colonial expansion carried out by the Chu State based on its own interests has basically come to an end. We do not seek regional hegemony, but rather look forward to close cooperation with multiple countries.

Apart from the existing African colonies, the State of Chu will not seek new colonial expansion on the entire African continent. This is the solemn promise of the King.

at the same time
The State of Chu did not seek a physical presence in the Mediterranean region, nor did it seek colonial expansion in the Near East, the Indian subcontinent, and Indochina, nor did it seek colonial expansion in the Pacific region and Central and South America.

We respect the current world landscape and are willing to work more closely with the UK to maintain regional peace and stability.

the most important is
Europe is the focus of Chu's foreign policy, and diplomacy with Britain is the top priority and the cornerstone of Chu's European diplomacy. We attach great importance to our relations with Britain.

At the upcoming Berlin Conference, Chu is willing to work with Britain to reach a comprehensive consensus on the orderly development of Africa and promote the implementation of relevant issues."

This statement was obviously approved by Queen Victoria.

In particular, the two promises that "Chu does not seek a physical presence in the Mediterranean region" and "does not seek new colonial expansion on the entire African continent" are particularly satisfying.

Britain was absolutely unwilling to see the highly aggressive Tsarist Russia set foot in the warm Mediterranean, nor was it willing to see the pagan Chu forces enter the Mediterranean region. This was a very sensitive strategic issue.

The King of Chu's solemn promise eliminated the potential concerns of the British side.

Prime Minister Glansdon's expression softened noticeably. He turned around and whispered with Colonial Secretary Chamberlain. He was obviously very happy about King Chu's promise. This was a great gain.

The British were also satisfied with Chu's promise not to seek new colonial expansion across the African continent.

Since you don't want to share the cake, then we can eat more. This attitude is worth encouraging.

The Berlin Conference was a feast for the division of Africa. Almost all the major powers in the world participated, and Germany took the lead and sent troops to conquer Namibia and Tanzania. Belgium and France also took action.

Since the State of Chu has expressed its satisfaction with its current African colonies, it is certainly a good thing.

The King of Chu played a little language trap here. In the kingdom itself, the Royal Army and the Royal Navy were making intensive preparations for an expedition to Madagascar, which would be launched sometime in 1885.

The King of Chu promised "not to seek new colonial expansion on the entire African continent." Madagascar is not on the "entire African continent" and is therefore not within the scope of the promise.

Perhaps British Colonial Secretary Chamberlain heard the trick in the words, but his attention was on the East Indies, and the King of Chu did not promise not to carry out new colonial expansion in the region.

Fortunately, that was the Dutch's problem, and we cannot be too demanding of the Chu State.

The State of Chu was not a protectorate of Britain, but more like a partner following in international occasions. It was reasonable for it to have its own little calculations.

With this preparation, the atmosphere of the entire formal meeting became particularly relaxed.

In terms of promoting the "global free trade policy", the King of Chu expressed his willingness to fully cooperate with the British side and stated that he would significantly reduce the price of imported crude oil by at least half.

At this point, even Queen Victoria of England could no longer sit still. She asked in surprise, "Your Excellency Prince Chu, what you said is true."

"Yes, Your Majesty Queen Victoria, the State of Chu hopes to drive expensive American oil out of the European market by increasing its efforts to export crude oil. This will allow the British and European people to enjoy cheaper kerosene and benefit millions of people. This is also a great gift I offer on this trip. I would like to express my respect to Your Majesty the Queen." King Zheng Guohui of Chu answered sincerely.

As the monarch in charge of governing the country, Queen Victoria was well aware that the large-scale import of crude oil cost more than 1.5 million pounds each year and was one of the top three import items.

The only thing that can be compared with it is cotton. The textile industry is the backbone of British industry, accounting for more than 70% of British industrial exports, and requires a huge amount of cotton every year.

Among them are cotton from the southern United States, Venezuelan cotton, Indian cotton and Egyptian cotton. The British textile industry seems to be a gluttonous monster with an insatiable appetite, processing more than 60% of the world's cotton every year.

If the price of crude oil drops by half, doesn’t that mean the import amount will be reduced by half?
Upon hearing the King of Chu's confirmation, Queen Victoria smiled so much that her face was full of wrinkles, and her attitude became more and more amiable, giving people the feeling of being the "Grandmother of Europe".

Prime Minister Glastonbury was both surprised and delighted. Today's surprises were endless, and the rewards were truly enormous. Cutting the price of imported crude oil by half would be a major achievement for this cabinet.

Since you have gained so much, don't worry about the small issues in the corners.

The importance of trade relations to the State of Chu has been taken to a higher level. Just think about it... that is a huge profit of 700 to 800 million pounds a year. Who wouldn't be tempted?

King Zheng Guohui of Chu played this move very well. Historically, oil prices would have plummeted in the next two years due to the crazy exploitation of oil in Texas, which increased annual output fivefold to tenfold.

Exporting crude oil to Europe is a highly profitable business, and many American crude oil exporters have made a fortune. This has naturally triggered a large amount of speculative hot money to flow into the Texas oil fields, reaching a fever pitch in the next two years.

In the original historical trajectory
Major American oil companies competed to lower prices in the European market, engaging in an unprecedentedly brutal price war, which ultimately benefited the Europeans.

The State of Chu took action one step ahead of time and pushed the price below the cost line of exporting crude oil from Oil Creek in Pennsylvania. This was bound to have a huge impact on the large amount of funds flowing into the Texas oil fields, causing them to wait and see cautiously.

If the speculative funds flowing into the Texas oil fields are greatly reduced, the production increase in the Texas oil fields will not be as crazy as in history, and the booming oil prices will last longer.

In this way

On the contrary, it will stabilize oil prices and gain more profits.

All it costs is to double oil production, a price that is totally worth it.

After the formal talks, Queen Victoria will host a grand royal dinner at Kensington Palace to welcome the Prince of Chu and his entourage, a high standard of royal etiquette. Over a dozen European kings and queens residing in London, along with numerous dukes, marquises, princes, and princesses, will attend the banquet, which will instantly become a highly sought-after event for London's top aristocracy.

Everyone is proud to receive an invitation letter, which is the highest recognition of their identity and status.

The King of Chu's official visit to Britain has caused a trend in the past few days.

In particular, the BMW car he rode was extremely eye-catching. Every time he participated in a foreign affairs event, the long motorcade of the King of Chu would always attract a large number of onlookers from London, who would marvel at his motorcade.

The six royal customized BMW cars presented by the King of Chu to the British royal family have become the favorite cars of Queen Victoria and Crown Prince Edward, who use them to attend various occasions.

This attracted the British upper aristocracy to follow suit. The royal customized version of the BMW sedan was not available for purchase, but the premium version of the BMW sedan could be pre-ordered. As a result, car orders from the UK flew like snowflakes to the mainland of Chu.

A premium edition BMW sedan is worth more than 2200 pounds, enough to buy a three-bedroom apartment in West London, but 2000% of the nearly sedan orders are premium editions.

This is the largest order for BMW cars in history, with exports to the UK valued at over 400 million pounds and considerable profits.

Just from this point of view

The wealthy British upper class has no shortage of money at all. If they want to buy something, they will buy the best. Face is more important than anything else.

Wherever the King of Chu's motorcade went, it was like a walking billboard, bringing surprisingly good publicity effects and also giving BMW cars a noble label.

Even many famous European news media, such as the British "Times", reported on the emerging automobile industry of the Chu State, especially BMW cars, which attracted much attention and received high praise.

He believes that the BMW sedan is "the result of the development of steam industrialization to a very high level, bringing new options for travel. It is a combination of mechanical art and ingenuity, which is quite amazing."

"As an emerging industrial nation, Chu demonstrated unique creativity, which caused a huge sensation in the white world."

"Its ingenious combination of the wisdom of ancient Eastern civilization and Western industrial thought gave rise to an ingenious mechanical product like the sedan, giving new meaning to the wave of industrialization."

"While greatly promoting the development of productivity, this mechanically powered carriage, combining enjoyment and decent travel, is creating a romantic lifestyle."

King Zheng Guohui of Chu did have the intention of showcasing the products of the automotive industry, but he did not expect that this trip to Europe would cause such a huge sensation in London.

He still underestimated the huge impact that the new industrial product, the automobile, would have on the booming British people.

In today's era

The in-depth development of the industrialization wave has triggered tremendous changes in the entire society. Various new inventions and creations have emerged like mushrooms after rain, always attracting curious eyes.

Even hot air ballooning, which is not a new sport, has dozens of hot air balloon clubs in the UK.

Whenever the weather is fine, these British people will come to the open grassland with great interest, and even bring carefully prepared lunch to participate in the hot air balloon launch.

It is both a leisure and relaxation activity and also an activity to pursue trends.

The emergence of new mechanical products such as cars aroused great interest among the British, especially engineers in science and engineering, who could not take their eyes off them.

It is said that there are many imported tractors in the UK and the US now, so they should be familiar with this kind of mechanical product.

Actually

Due to the backwardness of information transmission, many people really didn’t know about the new mechanical product called cars. Some cars that were shipped to London to test the market are still gathering dust in warehouses.

Once this car craze formed, the early cars were sold out immediately, and then a large number of orders came to the Chu mainland like snowflakes.

Many of the subsequent orders came from wealthy middle-class families, as well as some wealthy children who pursued fashion, showing a clear trend of market expansion.

Therefore, a large number of BMW's sports version, elite version and premium version cars have been ordered. There are also five colors to choose from: Ocean Blue, Apple Red, Midnight Black, Pearl White and Silver Moon Gray. Related sales outlets have also been quickly established.

Other than this
The sales of trucks have also started, and more than 270 orders have been received. Compared with the popularity of BMW sedans, it is indeed incomparable.

After all, today's trucks have limited carrying capacity. What is being launched now is a 1.5-ton box truck, which has no roof and no front windshield window like a horse-drawn carriage, and requires the driver to wear goggles to drive.

Europe's four-wheeled heavy-duty horse-drawn carriages can carry up to 3 tons of cargo, far exceeding the transportation capacity of box trucks.

The cost of purchasing a box truck is about the same as that of acquiring a heavy-duty horse-drawn carriage.

The main expense of a heavy-loaded carriage lies in the draft horses, which require two strong draft horses, or a large draft horse from the midlands of England, which can weigh more than 2000 pounds and is of course very expensive.

A heavy-duty carriage would cost around £1000 to £1100 to equip.

The purchase cost of a box truck is about the same, and it usually burns diesel. This greatly limits the promotion and application of box trucks when the price of imported diesel is not low.

Although the price of diesel in Chu is extremely low, after the long sea transportation along the Eurasian route, even a barrel of water can cost 4 to 5 US dollars per barrel.

Draft horses only need to eat some grass, so the cost of raising them is much lower. They can pull goods and be ridden. If they are injured, they can be killed and sold for horse meat. Horse skin is also valuable, so some of the cost can always be recovered.

Therefore, the acceptance of vans is not high, and it is mainly some factories and businesses that buy some for trial use.

If it weren’t for the sensational effect caused by the explosive appearance of the King of Chu and his entourage in London.

According to BMW's difficult and step-by-step promotion process, it would take at least ten years for conservative Londoners to accept this new mechanical product, the car.

A side effect of the King of Chu's visit to Europe was that the new mechanical product, the automobile, suddenly became popular.

Major European media outlets have reprinted the news from The Times. The King of Chu from the East himself brings huge traffic, and this wave of benefits has really hit the BMW car factory, making it happy and joyful.

(End of this chapter)