Chapter Sixteen: The Rise of the Two-Pronged Approach of Coercion and Enticement, Tianxia Bookstore

  Inside the engine room of the Black Arrow, the inventor of the steam turbine had a look of shock and amazement on his face as he stared at the two small diesel engines, then asked in a very bitter tone: "Mr. Yang, can these two machines really provide 1,000 horsepower?"

  "Right? Single machine power 520 horsepower, two vehicles add up to one thousand and forty horsepower, and use cheap diesel." Yang boss said with a smug face, he deliberately brought Parsons to visit the diesel engine, just to stimulate this guy.

  Parsons' mouth twitched. To him, these two diesel engines were like a pair of malignant imps, ceaselessly gibbering and slowly devouring his future.

  He wants to know that his biggest dream is one day, every ship sailing on the ocean, whether it's a cargo ship, a cruise ship or a warship, will be equipped with his steam engine. But now there are diesel engines, who would use steam engines? In terms of power, his steam engine can provide at most 300 horsepower, but this diesel engine has already reached 500. In terms of volume, the volume of this small diesel engine is less than one-tenth of his steam engine. In terms of reliability, the only steam engine he sold so far still needs to be repaired every day, while Yang Feng's diesel-powered ship has been sailing all over the world.

  As soon as he thought of his own dark future, he had an urge to turn back and strangle Yang Feng to death.

  "Mr. Parsons, you don't look too well, are you ill? If you're sick, be sure to tell me, I'm not only an entrepreneur, but also a doctor." Mr. Yang said with a pure face.

  "No, nothing, I'm just shocked by your diesel engine." Parsons said with a difficult smile.

  "Indeed, I'm also quite proud of it. I even plan to use it to build warships. No need to say more, twenty such diesel engines combined would be enough to drive a 3,000-ton battleship at over 25 knots. But how much do these twenty machines weigh? Less than 15 tons in total. What about a steam engine with the same power of 10,000 horsepower? I'm afraid it would weigh over 150 tons. A 3,000-ton warship could save several hundred tons of weight, what does this mean? I believe you are well aware."

  Twenty units would be enough to power a cruiser, what about forty? I'm afraid it wouldn't be a problem even for a battleship. If we scale it up further, we could provide tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of horsepower. Not just 10,000-ton warships, but even 20,000-ton ones could be powered." Boss Yang imitated Xiao Huzi's signature move, waving his fist and yelling like a madman, as excited as a spotted dog eager to pounce on its prey.

  He was excited there, but Parsons was almost knocked out by this cruel reality. With the development of Yang's boss, his own steam engine would probably be kicked into the trash can soon.

  "Of course, the popularization of such a machine will still take some time, or it may be said that it has appeared a bit too early. After all, coal is still the main fuel for various countries now, and the oil era has just begun. So I am also very interested in your steam turbine, at least it is a good spare product."

  "Why don't we cooperate? I'll set up a turbine company in the UK, and you can join with your current Parsons Turbine Company. You can have 10% of the shares, but the patents for the turbines you currently own must be transferred to the new company, and all future patents for turbine inventions will belong to the company. You can serve as the chief engineer." Yang Feng suddenly changed the subject, speaking in a very casual tone, making it sound like he was giving Parsons an opportunity.

  Unfortunately, Parsons did not cooperate with his good intentions at all.

  "Mr. Yang, I'm really sorry, I treat my company like my own child, and no matter what, I won't sell it out." Parsons said firmly with a shake of his head.

  "Mr. Parsons, isn't this going too far? I'm being very sincere, and your attitude is really unexpected. You should be well aware that steam turbines have no advantage over diesel engines, let alone the fact that you don't have a monopoly on steam turbine patents. I've already extended the same invitation to Mr. Laval, and with my support, it won't take long for him to install his steam turbine on a ship. What will become of you then?" Yang Feng said with a hint of menace.

  On this point, he wasn't bluffing, Eriksen had indeed been in contact with Laval and was very interested in collaborating, but Yang Feng wasn't interested in his turbine, the impulse turbine's requirements for craftsmanship and materials were a bit too high, and as power increased, these requirements would only get higher, in this regard it couldn't compare to Parsons' turbine, it could be said that his design, like diesel engines, was a bit ahead of its time.

  Parsons still shook his head without hesitation.

  "Mr. Parsons, do you know that refusing a person's sincerity is a great offense to him? Or should I say that you are now an insult to me? If you continue to maintain this uncooperative attitude, then you must be prepared to bear my wrath." Seeing Parsons' indifference, Boss Yang immediately revealed his ferocious face.

  "Mr. Yang, are you threatening me?" Parsons was taken aback; he wasn't quite used to this formerly mild-mannered guy's new persona.

  "What constitutes a threat?" Mr. Yang sat on the sofa, poured himself a glass of crimson wine and said while swirling his cup: "On Newcastle's ancient streets, in the dim alleys of an English rainy night, a gentleman was hurrying back home to his gentle wife and lovely daughter who were waiting for him to have dinner together."

  At this time, a staggering drunkard walked towards him, reeking of alcohol and disgusting to behold. As he brushed past, the gentleman politely stepped aside, but just then, he saw the sharp dagger in the drunkard's hand.

  No miracle occurred, and God did not hear the gentleman's prayer. The icy blade pierced his heart, and ten minutes later, his body was discovered by a passerby. By then, his blood had drained out, and the grave was his only destination.

  His wife will remarry, her daughter will be abused by the stepfather, beaten and even raped, a good family is thus destroyed.

  The person who created this tragedy, however, took the ￡10,000 reward from his employer and boarded a merchant ship bound for the New World or Asia, disappearing into the vast ocean of people.

  "Mr Parsons, you know what? I'm still a family man, and spinning tales is also one of my strong suits." Yang Feng said with a sly smile.

  "Mr. Yang, Britain is a civilized and law-abiding society, such things will not happen, even if they do, the law will give that gentleman justice, and the mastermind and murderer behind the scenes will be sent to the gallows." Parsons' face turned white as he looked at Strongson in the driver's cabin, saying in a very weak tone.

  "Ha! Law, are you joking? Do you know how much property I have? I can tell you that my fixed assets so far exceed one million pounds, and I also have deposits of one million pounds each in Rothschild Bank and Baring Bank, which is increasing at a rate of tens of thousands of pounds per day. So far, I have saved the lives of at least four members of the House of Lords, and countless masters of this empire have shown me friendship, because who knows when their lives will need to be saved by me."

  Are you talking law with me like I'm some kind of idiot?

  "That thing wasn't made for someone like me." Yang Feng said with a cold smile.

  Can't help but say that Parsons was really scared, he's just a law-abiding small factory owner, but he's never had any dealings with people like Yang Feng before. Now he looks at Yang Feng as if he were a ferocious devil, which can be seen from the way he stepped off the boat with trepidation.

  "Boss, do we really need to take him out? I've got some connections in London who can handle this kind of thing." Johnson whispered cautiously as he sidled up beside Yang Feng, who was gazing coldly at the back of Parsons.

  This guy used to be a mercenary for those gold mine owners in South Africa, and even participated in the Zulu War and the First Boer War. He was also an old executioner with blood on his hands. After his parents died, his young sister had no one to take care of her, so he returned to Britain from South Africa. His sister got septicemia and they lost everything trying to save her, but Yang Feng easily saved her life and even gave them a better life. The siblings were deeply grateful to Yang Feng.

  "For now, it's not necessary, but if he really doesn't cooperate, then this person must be eliminated. His machine will become the greatest enemy of our diesel engine." Yang Feng said calmly.

  "Understood." Johnson nodded immediately. It was too easy to find a down-on-his-luck gunslinger like this for the job, and afterwards there would be no need to silence him either - just stash him on a boat and he could disappear without a trace in North America, Africa, Asia or even Russia.

  Yang Feng was not worried that Parsons would not commit, he was a clever man and should have been very clear about the consequences of opposing three million pounds. The result was indeed as he had expected. That night, when Yang Feng was hugging a beauty he had met at a welcoming dinner held for him at the Armstrong shipyard, he fell asleep exhausted. Parsons, on the other hand, was awakened by a nightmare and wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead, staring at his sleeping wife all night without sleep.

  After all, he is just an ordinary citizen, a small potato, and has no qualifications to confront Yang Feng, a super-rich man. Moreover, Yang Feng has given him sufficient benefits, with his financial resources as backing, his ideals will be truly realized. Although the 10% stake is a bit less, it's estimated that this can still be negotiated. After careful consideration, he decided to yield.