There is no harm in letting the Japanese suffer a little. This group of guys who crossed the river and burned bridges had to raise their tails after winning a victory. They hinted several times that the new army could directly land in Japan, but the four major feudal lords and the fallen senior leaders just pretended not to understand. .
They still don’t trust foreigners. Xiao Letian knows that in their hearts, they always believe that the credit for the victory belongs only to them. The weapons and equipment support given by the new army only play a very small role. In addition, the Japanese have a sense of credit. He was unusually greedy, fearing that others would take away even the slightest bit of money, so it was inevitable to reject Xiao Letian's kindness.
As for enlightened people like Sakamoto Ryoma and Takasugi Shinsaku, there are too few in Japan, and sooner or later these people will let their own people be tortured to death.
Just when Xiao Letian was meeting Japanese visitors, in the trading hall of the most domineering Lotte Matheson in the harbor, old shopkeeper Fan Lian met his long-known but never seen colleague, the red-top businessman Hu Xueyan.
Hu Xueyan, who is forty-four years old this year, is wearing a lake silk gown and a silver fox waistcoat. From a distance, he sees Shopkeeper Fan, the God of Wealth in the North, and quickly takes a few steps to salute.
"My younger generation, Hu Xueyan, has met Mr. Fan. I wish the old shopkeeper good health..." After waving his hand, Zhang Xiaowen, the second shopkeeper behind him, strode up quickly, holding an agarwood handle, ebony pole, inlaid with gold and jade in both hands. Old dragon head crutch.
"Old shopkeeper Fan is the eternal green pine in our business world. I don't have any good gifts to give to my younger generation. A handful of agarwood faucet is no sign of respect."
"You're welcome, Xue Yan is welcome..." Shopkeeper Fan received a full courtesy from him, but even after trying the crutch, he found it really handy.
The two sat down to have tea. Hu Xueyan just took a sip and felt something was wrong. This tea was obviously old tea from last year. Although the leaf tea soup can be regarded as good tea from Mingqian, it is not as good as new tea after being aged for a year. Tasteful.
It’s not like fermented tea is about age. Isn’t drinking green tea a refreshing experience?
Fan Jian knew what Hu Xueyan was thinking at a glance. "Haha, Xueyan thinks this tea is a bit old,"
"Don't dare, don't dare, the treasure in the hands of the old shopkeeper will definitely not be understood by the younger generation. There must be some secrets to this tea that I don't understand..."
"Hahaha... What a nonsense, this is Chen Cha. Don't say I don't treat guests well. In fact, in Ryukyu, even my uncle, Prime Minister Xiao of Donghai, drinks this kind of tea on weekdays..."
"Ah, the Prime Minister also drinks this tea." Hu Xueyan looked incredulous. In his mind, the Prime Minister went on an expedition to Europe, conquered the capital, and finally took away His Majesty the Emperor. Such a powerful Prime Minister did not dare to enjoy such enjoyment as wine ponds and meat forests, at least he should not It’s so shabby to drink old tea.
"You don't have to look incredulous. That's how my uncle is. He only spends money on himself as much as possible. He doesn't care about tea, fine wine, delicious food, etc. As long as it's not broken and can be used, he won't be picky..."
"But when it comes to doing big things, he won't save a penny, such as the military boots, armed belts, military uniforms worn by the new army, etc. Originally, I purchased mid-range goods for 15 silver coins per set, but the Prime Minister asked Seeing that there are actually high-end products with 20 silver coins per set, I ended up throwing my plan aside..."
"There is also the economic layout of Ryukyu. I have never heard of many factories. In a few days, if you have time, go to the sea to the north and take a look. The telegraph line has not yet started in Qing Dynasty, but Ryukyu has begun laying submarine cables. That's all It’s money…”
Hu Xueyan listened with great admiration and saluted repeatedly, "I can't see through the Prime Minister's plan. I never thought that the Prime Minister's life would be so simple. This time I came to Ryukyu and brought a batch of new tea. I hope I can present it to the Prime Minister in person. I don't know if I will be lucky enough." Meet the Prime Minister..."
"Haha, don't worry, my uncle is not that big of an arrogant person. He has long wanted to meet you, a red-topped businessman. As for the legendary figure who dominates the Jiangnan business world, who doesn't want to see it with his own eyes..."
When the two gods of wealth from the north and the south gathered together, there were no sparks. On the contrary, they were gentle and elegant, just like old friends reunited for many years. They chatted about everything, the past and the present, until finally Zhang Xiaowen hurriedly came with the eunuch Xiao Sixi, interrupting the two. people.
"Old shopkeeper, please accuse me. Your Majesty summons me. I have to go..."
"Go slowly, walk slowly. When you get back, I'll serve you a drink at the Prime Minister's Mansion. We'll talk in detail then..."
Hu Xueyan rode up the street in a sedan. He felt uneasy in his heart. The news brought by the second shopkeeper almost scared him to death. How dare he not come when His Majesty personally summoned him.
What did His Majesty want to do? Why did he say those words and write that line? How could he overturn the thousands of years of classification of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce?
Maybe His Majesty just wants a start-up capital to train troops. If so, how much meat should I cut? Five million taels, ten million taels. My career has just started to pick up, and Jiangnan's economy has just begun to recover. If Your Majesty wants too much If there are too many, it will really be impossible to do business in the future.
The anxious Hu Xueyan was thinking wildly in the sedan chair. This time he was really confused. If a high-ranking official in the court asked him for money, he would naturally have various ways to shirk or take advantage of it, but today When the emperor asked him for money, he was at a loss.
The Chinese people's awe of the imperial power for thousands of years prevents them from refusing the emperor's request in the slightest. But what if he cannot fulfill the emperor's request or his vitality will be seriously damaged? Hu Xueyan has turned gray with worry these days.
Suddenly, a burst of intense gunfire outside the sedan woke him up. When he opened the curtain of the sedan, he found that he had arrived at the gate of a military camp. The eunuch Xiao Sixi was negotiating with the sentry.
Relying on the special pass issued by the prime minister to the little emperor, the group quickly entered the military camp. However, the sedan chair could not be carried in, so Hu Xueyan could only walk into the military camp in a low-key manner.
Hu Xueyan also went to the Hunan Army camp and saw the great battle to suppress the Changmao rebellion, but even though he was well-informed, he was shuddered by the murderous spirit inside when he entered the military camp.
The momentum revealed by the entire military camp can only be described as solemn and solemn. Everything is neat and orderly. Soldiers wearing uniforms on the playground are standing in military postures. The tofu-like squares are in a straight line horizontally and vertically. Each one of them was as motionless as a human puppet.
On the hillside on the east side of the military camp, more than a hundred soldiers were conducting live-fire shooting training. The sound of gunfire that just woke him up came from here.
The little emperor Zai Chun was at the front of the team. He was lying on the mud like all the other recruits. The recoil of the Mauser in his hand was so strong that it shook his whole body.
Zai Chun was still too young and unable to control the musket. Five of the bullets missed the target, and one of the remaining four missed the target. When the instructor ordered to stand up and assemble, Zai Chun had already fallen down in embarrassment. cried.
Shimazu Dalang ignored Zai Chun. For an eleven-year-old child, it was already very good if he could hit the target with four shots. In time, this child named Tongfu must be a good soldier.
"You did a great job in today's live-fire training. As a reward, you can dismiss half an hour early today and get ready to have lunch..."
The recruit team was disbanded. At this time, Hu Xueyan, who was hiding in the corner, discovered that the tanned child opposite was walking towards him, with a look of maturity that was very incompatible with his age.
Xiao Sixi quickly whispered, "This is Your Majesty." Hu Xueyan almost jumped up in shock, but Ermao next to him blocked his mouth. "Silence, your Majesty's identity is confidential now, follow us, go Talk inside the house..."
Zai Chun walked past Hu Xueyan, nodded to him and returned to his single room. This was one of the few privileges given to him by his master.
"Your Majesty, Hu Xueyan, is here to see you. Long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty, woo woo woo..." Hu Xueyan kowtowed in greeting and actually cried in the end.
"Well, what does Hu Aiqing mean? Why are you crying?"
"I feel so sorry for you. I never thought that Your Majesty would actually train with the soldiers in person. If my father-in-law hadn't told me, I wouldn't have dared to recognize him... wuwuwu."
Emperor Tongzhi's performance today surprised Hu Xueyan. He never expected that His Majesty, who was studying with Xiao Letian, would turn out like this.
"Haha, is there anything strange about me training with the new army? I have to sit on the throne and listen to the courtiers' obeisances, and then always look aloof. That's right. Why not eat minced meat? I knew this before The Qing Dynasty is already riddled with holes. It failed in two battles with foreigners, and the defeat was not aggrieved at all..."
"Master has said more than once that businessmen are always the most forward-looking in society. Why is it nothing like that today? It seems that you are no different from those civil servants and scholars..."
Hu Xueyan blushed because of the little emperor's remarks. He quickly kowtowed and admitted his mistake, "Your Majesty is an eternal wise king, and the humble minister is just a piece of grass in the wild. What your Majesty taught you is..."
"Okay, don't say nice things about the Great Void. If you can believe your words of loyalty, our Qing Dynasty won't have so many military disasters in these years. Those deserters on the battlefield didn't know how to say nice things before. .”
"This military training in Ryukyu made me completely understand that everything in the past cannot be trusted, the Eight Banners cannot be trusted, the Green Camp cannot be trusted, the Manchu nobles cannot be trusted, and the Han ministers and governors cannot be trusted... Everyone is a full-bellied little kid. In my mind, I say one thing but do another behind my back, my own interests are above all else, and I, the emperor, am nothing more than a loner."
"Your Majesty..." Everyone in the room knelt down and sobbed.
"Forget it, do I blame you? I'm just explaining the current situation of the court... Because of this, I have to cheer up and build my own strength with my own hands..."
"I want to learn from my master and create my direct lineage with my bare hands. I don't rely on anyone, and I don't believe in the inheritance given to me by any righteousness... What is the ability to run a country relying on the protection of my ancestors? I think What we want is to improve this country and allow the Qing Dynasty to truly rise..."
"Hu Aiqing, I have begun to recruit direct descendants. I will take them to crawl out of the new army camp. We will also use our lives and blood to build a future on the battlefield. One day I will have something that belongs to me. My own iron army."
"And all of this requires money as a backing. I just want to ask you, the God of Wealth in Jiangnan, if you are willing to do such a big undertaking with me. As long as you don't let me down, I won't let you down." First release of this book From, watch genuine content for the first time!
