Although the French merchant ship Lucky was engaged in the opium trade and was also involved in smuggling, the Corsican captain was essentially a businessman, a businessman with a moral bottom line. They would definitely lend a helping hand when encountering a ship in distress on the sea. When the Lucky slowly approached the wreckage, Xiao Letian found that the entire sea area was in a mess.
"Oh God, this is so tragic..." Corsica kept crossing herself. A faint smell of blood can still be smelled in the water at the bow of the ship, and broken boards and floating barrels are everywhere on the sea. There were fragments of human corpses floating among the chaos.
The fins of the sharks were disappearing and appearing, and there were forty or fifty sharks just counting these fins. It seemed that the people on the boat were in danger.
"Look, there is a small sampan in front... Oh my God, there is a fainted man in it, he is a European..." The rowing sailors quickly approached the small sampan and used ropes to drag the wooden boat to the Lucky. return.
The sailors of the Lucky searched this area for a full hour, and finally determined that the only survivor was this European. When it got dark and dinner was ready, the young man lying on the deck finally woke up.
"Oh, thank you... Which country am I on a ship?" The man drank some water and finally regained his strength.
"English? American accent? You are an American... We are the French merchant ship Lucky, I am the captain Corsica, and these Chinese are my guests..." Corsica said.
At this time, Xiao Letian also squatted on the ground and asked in English, "Friend, I am a friend of the American Minister Hua Ruohan and Pastor Lewis. I am willing to provide you with the necessary help. Are you from Naha?"
"Ah? People from the Qing Dynasty actually have such a standard New York accent... Oh yes, the merchant ship I was on was originally going to transport a ship of sugar to Ningbo Port. Unfortunately, it encountered this storm halfway. If you hadn't come to rescue me, I'm afraid I would have Also went to see God.
During the conversation, it is also very common for people to inspect the global market in the name of maritime merchants. Most of them are children from wealthy families who want to be trained. Their families give them a sum of money, and they use the money to start traveling around the world and increase their knowledge. .
Sometimes they do some business, but the volume is usually very small. For example, in this sugar trade, Mike spent money to buy more than 200 bags. After arriving in Ningbo, he will sell the sugar with the ship owner to make some money. Meager travel funds.
Generally speaking, maritime merchants are willing to help these young people, because the children who dare to play like this are highly educated and their families have certain backgrounds. Who doesn't want to have more connections?
In the captain's room, Xiao Letian and the Corsican captain invited the young people to have dinner. During the dinner, Xiao Letian asked Mike about his next plan, and Mike firmly said that he was going to the Qing Dynasty. Please come to more and faster chapters.
"I have to go to the Qing Dynasty. As the family's business investigator, I must know first-hand information about the Qing Dynasty. I heard that the Qing Dynasty's industrial zone is about to be launched. I must work hard for the family..."
Hearing this, Corsica and Xiao Letian looked at each other and smiled, and then Corsica said, "Mike, after my ship is ready to send Mr. Xiao to Naha Port, I will return to China. I'm afraid I can't send you to Qing Dynasty." . But if you are willing, you can follow Mr. Xiao. With this American friend, I think your trip to the Qing Dynasty will definitely be fruitful..."
Xiao Letian dipped dry bread into some French soup and felt the crispy deliciousness in his mouth. His mind kept spinning as he thought. Please come to more and faster chapters. After a long while, he asked thoughtfully, "Mr. Mike, just now you said your last name is Carnegie? I have a question,? Jews should be engaged in the steel business..."
With a bang, the teacup in Mike's hand was actually touched and spilled. He stared at Xiao Letian in disbelief, "Why do you know my brother? My uncle's brother's name is Andrew Carnegie, and I received it from my brother this time. Funding to investigate the market in Qing Dynasty..."
Pfft... Xiao Letian spat out all the tea in his mouthful. The huge waves in his heart were even greater than the storm that had just subsided. In his previous life, Xiao Letian had also watched Carnegie, and he only had two words of admiration for this legendary steel king. Although Xiao Letian couldn't remember the era in that biography clearly, he remembered one thing clearly.
Shortly after the end of the American Civil War, when Carnegie was thirty years old, he officially founded the Carnegie Steel Works and quickly entered the fast track of his career. Now is just the time when Carnegie is just starting out. If this can be incorporated, the benefits will be countless.
In 1865, Carnegie founded his own steel company, and in this year, Xiao Letian met Carnegie's brother in Ryukyu. The reason for this was actually the Qing Industrial Zone plan promoted by Xiao Letian himself. This is really destined by God.
The current Carnegie is not the richest man in the United States who is famous all over the world. He is just a steel businessman with some achievements. His Carnegie Steel Plant is still under construction. It is difficult to say whether it will be put into production. Updated as soon as possible. For Carnegie now, it is impossible for him not to pay attention to the huge Qing market.
Moreover, this little butterfly Xiao Letian has also changed the history of the United States. President Lincoln is not dead, and the process of American industrialization will only accelerate rather than slow down. His friendly relationship with Lincoln will definitely add points to his business. As long as he can get the status he wants from the Ryukyu royal family this time, Xiao Letian believes that the future will be smooth.
Xiao Letian was constantly calculating in his mind. He really couldn't understand why Carnegie set his sights on the Qing Dynasty when his business was first started. In real history, Carnegie's business was basically in Europe. Continent and America, he was not very interested in Asia.
And now that he actually sent family members across the Pacific to inspect the Qing market, there is only one possibility. Jewish businessmen with a keen sense of smell may have spied on some clues in the Lincoln assassination case from some channels, and it is also possible to investigate. Now it comes to Xiao Letian, a person who can exert influence on the Qing government. Update as soon as possible
Facts have proved that Xiao Letian's guess was correct. Hua Ruohan and Lewis were ministers and priests on the surface, but their second identities were spies. This was also a diplomatic practice, and this situation was common until the 21st century. Hua Ruohan and Lewis have connections with the top financial groups in the country, and the American financial groups can quickly know every move of the Qing Dynasty.
At first, these top businessmen regarded Xiao Letian, the so-called master of Western learning, with curiosity as a piece of oriental curiosity news. But when the concept of industrial zones proposed by Xiao Letian spread to the United States, these top businessmen immediately saw the business opportunities in it.
The United States, which has just finished the civil war, is in urgent need of orders, and the establishment of industrial zones is not just a matter of orders. It is a shortcut to penetrate into China. Just imagine that the United States has won a construction contract for an industrial zone. Even if there is only one, this is a brilliant victory.
Think about it, while other European countries still need distant sea transportation to do business with the Qing Dynasty, the United States can already produce and sell directly on the land of the Qing Dynasty. Wouldn't this profit be doubled several times?
Ever since this piece of gossip spread in high-end business circles in the United States, Lincoln has been under pressure from secret channels. Some businessmen even expressed their hope that the U.S. government would support Xiao Letian as the spokesperson of the Qing Dynasty. It's a pity that President Lincoln's moral obsession was really serious, and he still stubbornly insisted on his own conditions.
Xiao Letian put down the tableware, smiled and said to Mike, "Distant friends, do you have an item in your schedule that you want to see Xiao Letian?"
"Huh? How did you know..." Mike's eyes were full of vigilance. At this time, the Corsican captain couldn't bear it any longer and burst into laughter: "Mr. Mike, you are very lucky. The person in front of you is Mr. Xiao Letian, a very famous scholar in the Qing Dynasty and the author of "The Journey to the West". …”
"Oh! My God, you are so kind to me. Mr. Xiao, can I take a moment of your time? Don't you want to hear my introduction to the family business..." Young Mike stood up excitedly and grabbed Xiao Letian. His hand wouldn't let go.
The dinner lasted until past nine o'clock, and it didn't end until Mike was extremely exhausted. Under the starry sky, the Corsican captain was revising the course with a sextant. Xiao Letian on the bow was holding a glass of red wine, smelling the salty sea breeze and feeling the majesty of the sea. Please come to more and faster chapters.
Tomorrow we will go to Ryukyu, which is China's gateway to the deep blue ocean. It is known as the "Tiangliang of All Nations". If this chain of islands is under the control of the Chinese, then it will be the bridgehead of the Chinese nation's coastline. If this chain of islands is controlled by foreigners, it will become a chain of dragons locking the Chinese nation.
There are three reasons why Xiao Letian comes here. First, he had to reach an agreement with the weak Ryukyu royal family. Even if he spent money to buy it, he would still get the false title of prime minister. Aren't you, Lincoln, unwilling to do business with a commoner? Then I will give you a government of the same level as your negotiating opponent, and I will head office in the name of the Ryukyu Kingdom. You can’t say anything about me buying a battleship.
Secondly, Ryukyu, an overseas place, is not only important, but also a place that the Qing Dynasty is too lazy to pay attention to. As long as Xiao Letian's power can penetrate here, whether it is doing business or training the army, it can be done with confidence and boldness.
Finally, this is also Xiao Letian's patriotic sentiment. Ryukyu has been a vassal state of China since the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Why was it finally occupied by the Japanese?
"Damn it, Ryukyu, I'm here. As long as I'm here, you will never fall into the hands of the Japanese, even if I bleed the last drop of my blood!"
At this time, the disguised Shi Dakai walked up to Xiao Letian and took a deep breath of the sea breeze. "The kingdom of heaven was destroyed, and a large number of old brothers fled overseas. There are veterans of the kingdom of heaven in Japan, Ryukyu, and Southeast Asia who are asking for a living. I have already done this for You gathered more than a hundred people, plus the dozens of people we brought, you can barely make up two hundred, but it's still not enough..."
"Did you know? The Shimazu family clearly placed three thousand soldiers in Naha, led by a general named Kayama Rigen. Together with many Satsuma clan ronin, the Japanese could easily gather a force of one. With an army of more than a thousand ronin, our power is still not enough, there is too much difference..."
Xiao Letian shook his head, "I'm not going to fight this time. I just want a name. We have plenty of time... But don't worry, Mr. Shi. Sooner or later, I will personally bring the overwhelming warships." Conquer the Ryukyu Kingdom and drive away all the Japanese entrenched here..."
In real history, in 1879, 14 years after Xiao Letian's current era, Japan brazenly annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom. From then on, the Ryukyu Islands became a chain that tied China's national destiny.
Xiao Letian only had a pitiful fourteen years, and it was urgent to change the destiny of the country.
