Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

Upon receiving Lou Bancheng's telegram, Zhao Ping'an immediately reported to his superiors.

This time, he didn't mention crickets or monkeys; he simply stated his thoughts directly.

"Boss, the French have come to us; this is an opportunity."

Britain and the United States are like father and son, but France has its own ideas and hopes to make its voice heard in Western Europe.

Moreover, the UK and the US are currently trying to remove France from Southeast Asia, and the two sides are in a period of conflict, which we can take advantage of.

Although the last man of France has stepped down, he will eventually make a comeback based on his prestige and achievements during World War II.

We can establish contact with France through commercial channels and see if we can find a breakthrough in diplomacy in the future…”

The leaders discussed it for a day and quickly gave instructions.

Zhao Pingan was assigned to go to Hong Kong to meet with French consular officials and probe their thoughts.

Mid-February 1954, Hong Kong.

Zhao Pingan met with French Ambassador to Annam, Mathieu, at the Peninsula Hotel.

The ambassador was in his fifties, with gray hair, and an elegant demeanor, wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit.

Upon seeing Zhao Ping'an, he stood up, bowed slightly, and extended his hand.

"Mr. Zhao, I've long admired your name."

Zhao Pingan shook his hand.

"Mr. Ambassador, you're too kind."

The two sat down on the sofa by the window.

Outside the window is the view of Victoria Harbour, with ships shuttling back and forth on the water, and the lights of Kowloon on the opposite shore just coming on.

The waiter brought coffee and red wine.

Mathieu gestured for Zhao Ping'an to choose first, but Zhao Ping'an waved his hand and only ordered a cup of tea.

Mathieu picked up the glass of red wine, took a sip, and put it down.

"Mr. Zhao, I've come to inquire about your country's military unit stationed in Cambodia..."

He spoke slowly, carefully considering each word.

"What exactly is its nature?"

This made Zhao Ping'an smile inwardly. He had guessed correctly; the other party was politely probing.

The French are clever. They know that the republic today is not the same republic it was five years ago.

Mushroom-shaped missiles, missiles, and overwhelming victories on the northern front.

And Liu Dazhu's explosive victories—these are all bargaining chips.

Zhao Ping'an looked at him.

"Mr. Ambassador, those are the guards employed by Prince Siha."

Composed of veterans, their primary responsibility is to protect the prince's safety.

It also protects our agricultural investments in Cambodia—rubber plantations and orchards—which are legitimate businesses.

He paused.

"As for the previous conflict, to my knowledge, it was your army that launched the ambush first."

That contingent of Prince Siha's guards was merely acting in self-defense, nothing more.

Mathieu was silent for a few seconds, clearly understanding Zhao Ping'an's meaning regarding the prince's private guard.

He recalled the battle report. Four thousand French soldiers and six thousand auxiliary troops suffered nearly three thousand casualties in a single night, with countless others missing or fleeing.

The Republic's troops reportedly suffered minimal losses.

He nodded.

"I see."

Without further questions, rebuttals, or protests, the ambassador abruptly ended the topic.

Now Zhao Ping'an understood.

This Frenchman didn't come to demand an explanation, but rather to test us.

After all, Britain and the United States are putting a lot of pressure on France right now.

If the Republic were to openly send troops to help Annam, France would have no chance to retaliate at all.

So Zhao Pingan put down his teacup and changed his posture.

"Mr. Ambassador, I am in charge of industrial production in the country. I wonder if you would be interested in business cooperation?"

Mathieu paused for a moment.

"Business cooperation?"

Zhao Pingan waved.

The accompanying personnel immediately stepped forward, took out several cans from their suitcases, and placed them on the table one by one.

Luncheon meat, braised beef, braised pork, canned fruit, canned oyster mushrooms... more than twenty kinds in total, neatly arranged in two rows.

Mathieu looked at the canned goods, somewhat puzzled.

"Mr. Zhao, this is..."

Zhao Pingan picked up a can of luncheon meat, opened the lid, and pushed it in front of Mathieu.

"Mr. Ambassador, please have a taste."

Mathieu hesitated for a moment, then picked up the fork next to him, forked off a small piece, and put it in his mouth.

He chewed, his eyes widening slightly.

"This...tastes good..."

Zhao Pingan smiled.

"France is currently in the post-war reconstruction phase, so there must be some shortages of daily necessities, right?"

These canned goods are of good quality and inexpensive, making them perfect for the French market.

He then opened a box of braised beef, a box of canned fruit, and a box of canned oyster mushrooms.

"There are more than twenty kinds of products, including luncheon meat, braised beef, fruit, and oyster mushrooms. In addition, there are traditional products such as tea, porcelain, and silk. I believe the French people will like them."

Mathieu looked at the opened cans and remained silent for a while.

He recalled that Lou Bancheng had treated him to a meal before the meeting. The promise made at the dinner table.

Even one percent of sales revenue, if the volume is large enough, can amount to a huge sum of money.

Even if only one-thousandth of the money is left after bribes, it's enough for him to live comfortably for decades after retirement. All he has to do is facilitate the cooperation, as there is still a large domestic demand for the product.

He looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"Mr. Zhao, so... what do we need to give in return?"

Zhao Pingan said, "It's very simple. We'll trade in francs, a fair transaction. After the first deal is finalized, we'll discuss other things."

Mathieu nodded.

"That's negotiable."

Zhao Pingan added, "However, I have two small requests."

Mathieu looked up; it was time to get to the point.

"First, we hope to send a group of students to study at universities in your country."

Disciplines such as architecture, engineering, design, and medicine are in great need in China.

Mathieu paused for a moment.

"This... requires communication with the domestic authorities."

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"Secondly, we hope to send a group of chefs to France to learn authentic French cuisine."

Mathieu was stunned.

"chef?"

Zhao Pingan smiled.

"Yes, chef. French cuisine is world-renowned, and we'd like to learn from it."

Looking at his smile, Mathieu suddenly felt that he couldn't quite understand this young man.

But he nodded nonetheless.

"I can convey these two requests."

The talks lasted for more than an hour.

Before leaving, Mathieu took Zhao Ping'an's hand.

"Mr. Zhao, today's conversation was very pleasant."

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"I hope we can have a more in-depth discussion next time we meet."

After Mathieu left, Lou Bancheng came out of the next room.

"Mr. Zhao, how did the talks go?"

Zhao Pingan said, "It's alright. He's interested."

Lou Bancheng breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. By the way, Mr. Zhao, you mentioned sending a chef to learn French cuisine, but I don't quite understand."

Zhao Ping'an looked at him.

"Boss Lou, think about it. We don't understand French tastes, how are we going to sell our products to them?"

Lou Bancheng was stunned for a moment.

Zhao Pingan continued, "We know that the French like to eat foie gras and black truffles."

But what are their standards? What kind of foie gras is considered good? What kind of black truffle is considered top-grade?

What are their cooking methods? What sauces do they use? What wines do they pair them with?

He paused.

"Sending chefs over there is to learn their standards."

Only by learning the standards can we make things they like.

When they get used to the foie gras and truffle dishes we produce, and the tea we brew,

Is it difficult for other products to enter the French market?

Lou Bancheng stood there, and suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

He looked at Zhao Ping'an, and there was something more in his eyes.

"Mr. Zhao, what's wrong with your brain...?"

Zhao Pingan waved his hand, saying that this was something that had already been done in later generations in China.

I can make something better and cheaper if you need it.

Regardless of whether it's Japanese food, French food, or anything else, in the end they all use cheap and plentiful "domestic" ingredients.

"It's not that I'm smart, it's that I was forced into it. With so many things to sell, how could I possibly sell them without researching their preferences?"

That same day, Mathieu sent a telegram back to Paris, the contents of which were very simple:

"The Chinese are willing to discuss business cooperation. Canned goods, tea, silk, and porcelain. Good quality, competitive prices. Conditions: Trade in francs. Request: Send students and chefs to France. Recommendation: Accept."

Paris responded quickly as well:

"Agreed to make contact. Business cooperation is negotiable. The number of international student places needs to be studied. Chef—acceptable."

Mathieu looked at the word "can" and suddenly remembered Zhao Ping'an's smile.

He still didn't quite understand why this Chinese man was so insistent on sending a chef.

But he didn't think much of it.

Anyway, it was just a business negotiation.

His purpose was to find out that the Republic would not send troops to support Annam.

As for the rest, let's see if the army guys can beat those monkeys.