Bulgarian Empire

Chapter 64: Chekhov's London Trip

In 1891, the British Empire was still in its golden age. The economy and culture were at their peak, and the 'empire on which the sun never sets was still true to its name.

The world is shrouded in the shadows of the British Empire. However, Russia is still the challenger, France in East Africa making small moves, Germany in South Africa silently moving, but still are repressed to death!

....

London in this period was the most prosperous city in the world. Its citizens were enjoying the prosperity and hope brought by the industrial revolution of the first half-century.

People's meal has also changed. Besides potatoes and bread, beef and mutton have come to the table, and milk has become a daily need.

The living conditions also improved as soap became cheaper, houses became tidy, and individuals began to pay attention to hygiene.

People live and work in peace and comfort. The increase in wages allows people to meet their daily expenses and still have room for seeking a more good living.

In short, everything is going in a good way.

In Chekhov's eyes, London, the capital of the British Empire, was the "dream city" of elites worldwide.

On October 28, 1891, the Bulgarian delegation headed by Chekhov arrived in London, the "city of dreams", by ship.

The thick smoke filled the air. There is really some sense of a dream-like fantasy. However, it is a pity that a few strange smells are mixed in to spoil this beautiful scenery.

Thanks to the good relations between the two countries and the fact that the Chekhov delegation was here for a big purchase this time, they treated it well.

The British Foreign Secretary - Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil - held a welcome party for them.

Quite a few people were attending the banquet. The British business and industry all sent their delegates.

However, Chekhov found that he thought too much. He was not as valued as he thought. People came a lot, but mostly capitalists. The goal was clear is just about orders. The charm of money is limitless.

This life is really not suitable for Chekhov and also for the people in the delegation. They have never seen such a scene. They can only be careful of fear of saying the wrong thing and being mocked.

A group of Bulgarian elites instantly turned into bumpkins at the banquet. Although it may be a gentlemanly manner, no one said anything. However, the disdain is still in the bones, and the eyes are still revealed offhand.

The honest man, Chekhov, waited until the end of the dinner, before dragging his exhausted body back to the hotel, stayed up all night.

In the early morning, the fog was pale and damp and became more like smoke after that. The small particles in the air mixed with smoke and ash made one's breath feel dry and tingly.

At some junctions, they completely blocked traffic, and people had to abandon some buses and trucks.

Chekhov's dream of London was shattered. Neither the high society with its lights nor the bad air was to his taste.

The haze in London not only damages human health but also poses a threat to buildings. The smoke in the haze can blacken buildings, and the haze contains a large amount of sulfide, which is acidic when combined with moisture, forming an acid mist that is lethal to buildings and can erode them gradually.

To combat the haze, the British also developed unique anti-erosion building materials. In fact, the haze in London lasted until after the Second World War, when it curbed it.

The cause was also odd, the German blockade and the lack of fuel in London. The British government adopted a strict rationing system to control coal burning and promote electric energy.

The dream was shattered by far more than just a single Chekhov. Anyone who visited London in the 19th century could hardly bring up good feelings again.

...

No matter what the weather was like, the work went on. In order to leave London as soon as possible, the delegation exerted twelve percent of its energy to negotiate with the capitalists.

Well, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, the big man, ignored Chekhov and others except for a welcome party where he showed up.

It couldn't be helped, who called the existence of Bulgaria low! The Bulgarian cabinet ministers are not yet qualified to be personally received by the foreign minister of the British Empire. If it were replaced by the cabinet ministers of Germany, France, Russia, and other countries, the treatment would be different again.

...

Britain has gradually become a world steel center since the British inventor Bessemer invented the low-cost steelmaking method in the 1850s. The steel industry became an important contributing sector of the British economy.

Chekhov's purpose is to make a field trip to the British steel plant first. The results of the iron ore tests in Bulgaria are already available. He needs to combine the actual situation and then order a full set of equipment.

Well, the slogan of the government shouted loudly, to produce 500,000 tons of steel per year. This time, Chekhov ordered the equipment with a much smaller capacity, only 100,000 tons of capacity.

...

"Mr. Victor Thomas, the equipment of your business, we have inspected it all, and the quality is very good. But sadly, he is not suitable for us!" Chekhov said with an expression of regret.

"Mr. Chekhov, you should know that the machines of our factory are the best in the world..." Victor Thomas struggled to explain it.

"But, it is also the most costly in the world! Although your product has the highest steel yield in terms of capacity, the maintenance cost is also the highest! We have to be combined on the price/performance ratio. And using your machines is too demanding for coke!" Chekhov blew apart Victor Thomas.

It is clear that the Bulgarian delegation was treated as a fat sheep. The capitalists' frugality does not need to be taken into account. There is no heart burden for Victor Thomas to pit a handful of bumpkins.

If not accompanied by a scoop of professionals, it is estimated that Victor Thomas has pitted Chekhov.

Like all hot-blooded intellects, Chekhov liked to pursue the best and the most advanced, often ignoring the value for money.

"No more fancy!"

These are the comments of peers on this equipment of Victor Thomas, and then there is no way to find a buyer in the British.

Of course, Victor Thomas himself is more aware that this equipment is only an experimental product, many technical difficulties have not been overcome.

In order to avoid the patents of Bessemer converters and Siemens-Martin furnaces, Victor Thomas had an idea to develop more advanced technology for the plant, which later turned out to be impossible to do.

They could not waste the experimental products developed in the earlier period. They were simply all given to use, so they added the set: a winch was used to bring the material to the top of the blast furnace, and belt machines, trains, and hand-cranked railcars were used to move the furnace and the main rolling span.

These technological advances have greatly increased the output of blast furnaces, while the cost of maintenance has significantly increased due to the lack of maturity of the technology.

As if he was already used to being rejected, Victor Thomas continued to fight, "Mr. Chekhov, I am frank and open to talks in terms of price. It's just slightly higher than the same kind, but the capacity is also greatly increased!"

Chekhov, however, did not eat this and said with resignation, "What about maintenance costs? As it stands now, the increased capacity and increased costs are almost equal and are likely to continue to increase over time!"

"But we are in stock! Mr. Chekhov, if you want to order the equipment, it will take the end of next year at the earliest. With the time it takes to commission it and ship it to Bulgaria for installation, you'll have to wait at least three years before you can put it into operation!" Victor Thomas poorly pictured it.

Yes, if it were not in stock, Chekhov would have stopped talking to him. Bulgaria has no experience in building large steel plants, and many aspects were poorly estimated, including equipment ordering.

Unless Chekhov learns Zhang Zhidong, not sure if it matches or not, but it directly forces the situation! However, now he has known that the plant equipment must consider the ore's quality. Otherwise, the product qualification rate will be low enough to raise doubts about life.

The equipment of Victor Thomas is perhaps not the best choice, but indeed the most suitable for Bulgaria at the moment. Now that the showdown has taken place, it is then natural to bargain.

... (talk about the price is saved hundreds of thousands of words. The author is afraid that he will be scolded as a cheater when this is written!)

Finally, Chekhov bought the whole set of equipment for two million pounds. It contained six large facilities, such as pig ironworks, sisal steelworks, steelworks, rail works, iron goods works, and clinker works, and six small facilities, such as machine works, iron foundry, iron-making works, and in addition to the hook and nail factory for making steel fillets.

The purchase of the steel plant's ancillary facilities is just one of the blips. Many other industries have signed large and small purchase contracts, and there is no talk of taking advantage and losing out.

Bulgaria received the industrial equipment needed for its development, and the British capitalists made a fortune from it. The entire purchase contract added up to a total of eight million pounds, which at the time was a sensation throughout London.

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