Expedition to Europe

The new Governor of Libya, Alfred Christian, is an old acquaintance of Yang Deshan. How a Dane became the British Governor of Libya is not something Yang Deshan can understand. When he received the telegram from Alfred Christian, Yang Deshan was not very surprised.

Although Alfred Christian has the aura of the Governor, for Libya, Yang Deshan is the standard local snake. If Kenneth Hercules wants to solve the problem of Gharyan, he can't do anything without Yang Deshan's cooperation.

Here we have to talk about the issue of first impression.

When Yang Deshan began to intervene in the affairs of the Gharyan Oilfield, the Brotherhood Alliance was just a weak organization with no reputation. Yang Deshan naturally could not enter the eyes of Governor Libya. Therefore, although Yang Deshan successfully mixed into the ranks of shareholders of the Gharyan Oilfield, Yang Deshan was still not welcomed in the Governor's Office. This situation did not change until the former Governor left office.

Now the situation is different. The Brotherhood Alliance has in fact become the largest civilian organization in Libya, and even has an armored force, which makes everyone dare not underestimate the Brotherhood Alliance. If the former governor was prepared to mobilize five British divisions to solve the problem of the Brotherhood Alliance, then at least ten are needed now.

During the World War, mobilizing ten divisions was only the force needed for a medium-intensity battle, but in 1921, this was a luxury. Britain only retained 15 divisions after the war, and the rest of the troops had been disbanded. Ten divisions were almost the whole country's strength.

With such confidence, Yang Deshan was particularly confident when he met Alfred Christian.

"Compared with the last meeting, you now really have the demeanor of a superior, and I am older." Alfred Christian, who met Yang Deshan in the office, was very kind and talked about old things as soon as they met.

To be honest, Yang Deshan left a deep impression on Alfred Christian when they met last time. At that time, Yang Deshan was indeed tough enough, but facing the strong British, Yang Deshan was a little too tough, which made Alfred Christian not very wary of Yang Deshan, because toughness is easy to break.

This time is different. With the increase of the strength of the Brotherhood Alliance, the original outward strength has truly transformed into both internal and external cultivation. This can be seen from Yang Deshan's ability to look Alfred Christian in the eye. Such Yang Deshan makes Alfred Christian more vigilant.

"If anyone ignores you because of your rich experience, he will definitely pay the price." Yang Deshan is not as tough as last time. He compliments you as soon as he opens his mouth. This may be more acceptable, but the meaning of rejecting people is still very obvious.

"Tell me, what suggestions do you have about Gailyan?" Alfred Christian does not have the arrogance of a superior, and his opinion of Yang Deshan is still important. Perhaps the situation in Liabi is really quite bad and has reached a point where it can't be delayed.

"What's the use of my suggestions? You know, this oil field carries the hopes of many people, and too many people are counting on it to make a fortune. If their investment returns do not meet expectations, then various problems will definitely occur. This is all expected." Yang Deshan's answer was a bit general, but it went straight to the core of the problem.

Compared with United Petroleum, the shares of Gharyan Oil Development Company are indeed a bit complicated. After several rounds of dilution, the shares of United Petroleum are still concentrated in the hands of Qin Zhiyuan and Old Renault. The two have almost 30% each. Together, they can completely control United Petroleum, and other shareholders have no say. Gharyan Oil is different. In addition to the British government controlling 30% of the shares of Gharyan Oil, Yang Deshan actually holds the most 10%. The rest of the shares are all scattered among hundreds of other shareholders. Among these shareholders are members of the British royal family, cabinet ministers, traditional aristocrats, and emerging consortiums. Such a complicated equity distribution is indeed a headache.

One thing is certain, when these collectives or individuals participated in the Gharyan Oilfield, they all came with the idea of ​​"making a fortune". Although the oilfield has been successfully put into production, the profit has not met expectations. It is conceivable how angry those shareholders are.

The former Governor-General Liabi left office, and this is not clear. Even a governor cannot withstand the criticism of the whole British society.

"You mean to raise the price? This is unlikely, at least not in the short term. I have a document here. If we analyze it by scale, our unit profit is not much different from that of United Petroleum. Considering the investment, the current return on capital is already very good." Alfred Christian had done his homework beforehand and his attitude was still quite firm.

"But it is far from the expected value." Yang Deshan hit the nail on the head again.

Yes, the problem lies in the expected value. Those nobles and capitalists invest one pound and want a return of ten pounds. If they actually only earn two pounds, they will think that their interests have been damaged. This account is not clear. Perhaps those capitalists can accept it, but not all nobles can understand the return on capital.

And the nobles are precisely the most bizarre social group in the constitutional monarchy society, but they have the greatest energy.

"Is there any way to get out of the predicament?" Alfred Christian asked Yang Deshan for advice.

"What I can do is to ensure efficiency. The workers are already very diligent, and their unit efficiency is not inferior to that of the employees of United Petroleum. If you want to tap the potential from me, you can only increase the number of workers." Yang Deshan didn't have any good suggestions. Yang Deshan was not a business person, so it was a bit difficult to ask Yang Deshan to find a solution to the problem.

Well, there is one thing to emphasize. Yang Deshan's shares are calculated in the cost. If the number of workers is increased, the cost will be further increased and the profit margin will be further compressed.

After the World War, the competition between Britain and France was reflected in all aspects. Since the French-led United Petroleum was the first, the British-led Gairyan Petroleum could not be left behind. This has actually transcended the economic level and risen to the height of politics and nation. This is a political issue.

"I heard that your troops are equipped with tanks?" Perhaps realizing that Yang Deshan could not help in this regard, Alfred Christian talked about Wajin.

"Yes, I bought it from Lan Fang. I informed the Governor's Office in advance. Unfortunately, the Manchester Arsenal didn't like my order." Yang Deshan's words were full of resentment.

It is not an easy task to build an armored unit on British territory. Yang Deshan still used a method of crossing the sky and the sea to achieve this goal. This is also due to the previous neglect of Yang Deshan by the Governor's Office. If the Governor at that time had a full understanding of Lan Fang's audacity, then Yang Deshan's armored unit might not be built so smoothly.

Just after the British side learned that Lan Fang sold tanks to the Brothers Alliance, the British government lodged a solemn protest to the Lan Fang government. This was of course another round of verbal cannon. The money that had been put into the pocket could not be taken out by the Lan Fang people. At most, they promised the British that they would not sell it in the future, but the contract that had been signed must be fulfilled.

To be honest, the British did not have many ways to deal with Lan Fang's audacity. Although the British knew the route of the tanks entering Libya, they were powerless. Those tanks were loaded onto French-nationalized freighters from Lanfang, unloaded on Djerba Island, and then transported to Ghadames via the railway. Then they were transferred from Ghadames to Wajin. The whole process had no room for the British to intervene.

"Now, two or three months have passed. Your tank unit should have a certain combat capability, right?" Alfred Christian was very concerned about this tank unit.

This is the benefit of making Wajin a pure military base. Wajin is now a military camp. British spies cannot survive in Wajin. This ensures that the training progress of the tank unit will not be leaked to the greatest extent. The British really don't know what the current situation of the tank unit of the Brotherhood Alliance is.

"It's not that easy. You know, driving a tank requires professional skills. Firing while driving is a technical job. Communication between tanks and maintaining the overall formation are all troublesome things. Without three to five years of training, it cannot be called combat capability." Yang Deshan looked sad, and the confused expression on the square face of this big man was still quite funny.

The original text is available at Six # 9 @Books/Bar!

If Alfred Christian knew more about tanks, he would have definitely noticed something strange, such as shooting while moving, which is still a big problem until the 21st century. If tanks want to shoot now, they must stop and stabilize the body before firing. If Yang Deshan's armored forces have the ability to shoot while moving, it is almost a fantasy.

"Even if they don't fire, just using machine guns is very powerful. You can think of those tanks as mobile fortresses with powerful firepower and strong defense. This will be much better." It cannot be said that Alfred Christian didn't know anything about tanks. The word "fortress" is the British definition of tanks now.

In terms of the literal meaning, "fortress" focuses on defense, while if you want to attack, it is more appropriate to describe it as "sword" or "hammer". Alfred Christian's words show that the British are still in the primary stage of using tanks. If the British only position tanks as fortresses, it will be a blessing for Rommel.

In response to Alfred Christian's words, Yang Deshan just shrugged his shoulders and made a helpless expression.

"I still remember that when we talked, your people were responsible for the safety of the Gharyan Oilfield." Alfred Christian finally got to the point.

"It's operation, not safety. These are two completely different concepts." Yang Deshan was busy trying to distance himself from the matter. This was considered a statement.

"No matter what it is, you have to take responsibility for the safety issue now. No more malicious incidents can occur. Remember, any!" Alfred Christian's attitude was very firm, leaving no room for Yang Deshan to refuse.

"Okay, I'll try my best." Yang Deshan was a little amused.

That gang of horse bandits -

Well, they are both athletes and referees. It would be a miracle if they could do well like this.