The fleet passed Songjiang Prefecture and then continued upstream through Taicang Prefecture and finally entered the waters of Suzhou Prefecture. Here the fleet received a small boat and met Sheng Jiujie and Cao Shuai who had been waiting here!
Sheng Jiujie is Hu Niu's retainer, so he should go to see Mrs. Hu first, but Cao Shuai from the northwest is left waiting quietly in the cabin with fear!
This is the first time in Cao Shuai's life that he has boarded a steel battleship. He used to be the son of a merchant family running a gang in the northwest. He trafficked jade, blankets, gold and silverware, etc. from the Western Regions... and then trafficked iron, cloth, and salt from the Lanzhou area of Xi'an. , silk and other daily necessities!
It can be said that his experience in the first half of his life was exactly the same as what ancient businessmen did, with nothing new!
By the time he was captured by the northwest rebels and his family was trapped in Hami as a slave to build the city, his heart was already in despair! Fortunately, I met Marshal Zuo's army marching to the west!
They attacked Xingxing Gorge at night and stormed Hami. After several battles, Cao Shuai was rescued!
Life is so full of legends. We have obviously reached the end of life, but we didn’t expect that the rest of life would actually bottom out and jump higher!
In the Northwest Army, because their family knew how to do business and were very familiar with the environment in the Western Regions and had connections, they were recommended to Marshal Zuo by Liu Jintang!
Tentatively let the Cao family sell loot to the Central Plains! Of course, there are things captured during the war. The army has the right to deal with these seizures by themselves. Some of the gold, silver, jewelry, jade, etc., the generals of each department secretly find their own people to sell them. This is the general's small treasury!
I didn’t expect that the Cao family is really good at this kind of stuff. As long as they sell it, they always have the highest price, and it’s also the easiest to operate!
The Cao family, which gained more and more trust, began to have access to more resources and rights. It was not until Cao Shuai met King Shangtai, Zuo Dachaofeng, and Shopkeeper Fan Jin that the door to a new world opened!
Through these people, he finally connected with the Chinese! Cao Shuai was still young and could learn. From these distinguished guests from the East China Sea, he eagerly learned the ways of doing business in the new world. Gradually, the Chinese nation had evolved into a world of wealth that could play capital games, which made Cao Shuai extremely excited. Fascinated!
Willing to learn and savvy... Such people are like awls and cannot be controlled by pockets. The generals of the Western Expedition soon learned that the young master of the Cao family caravan was obsessed with Western learning and Chinese business, and Learn in style!
Zuo Zongtang had always trusted them, so this time he took advantage of the opportunity to celebrate the wedding of Long Live Lord and finally let Cao Shuai go out and have a try!
Go to Beijing to give gifts to Long Live, and go to Jiangnan to connect a secret communication channel with Xiao Letian!
After Cao Shuai came to Jiangnan, he was shocked to find that Jiangnan today was no longer what it was when he was a child. The economic operation of Jiangnan seemed to have completely changed!
In the past, trade in goods could still be done, but more big businessmen began to learn from the Chinese experience and gradually got involved in financial products such as the stock market, bond market, options, etc.!
Even ordinary people will choose to deposit their money in the bank, or even buy two war bonds in the hope of earning higher interest!
Jiangnan has completely changed. It is completely different from other territories of the Qing Empire. It is like two worlds!
Today, Cao Shuai finally got to see the source of all these changes. When he stepped onto this steel behemoth with a displacement of more than 500 tons, his heart was shocked by the power of this industry!
A ship made of pure steel! The steel hull is covered with teak flooring and is painted in the bright yellow color of wakewood!
The dark cannon was wrapped in a gun jacket, and neatly dressed soldiers were carefully wiping it! Looking up at the sky, the signal lights kept flashing and the flag bearers made various complicated gestures!
Walking into the cabin, the narrow passages are made of steel, with rivets arranged in strange lines, and the officers and soldiers trotting back and forth!
At the end of the passage was an iron door with a circular glass window. Outside the door, six or seven officials were queuing up to meet the head of state. Cao Shuai was cautiously at the end of the queue without even daring to say anything.
There are walls made of steel all around, with iron pipes of unknown purpose on them. From time to time, there are strange noises coming from inside, as if there are a group of rats running wildly inside!
The curious Cao Shuai secretly reached out and touched it, and it was actually hot!
"This is a steam pipe! It leads to the battleship kitchen. It collects excess exhaust gas from the steam engine... It can also be used to increase the water temperature in the bathroom..."
The official in front of Cao Shuai suddenly turned and smiled at him! Cao Shuai saw that the man in front of him was about fifty years old, and he actually had a shiny medal on his chest. He had done his homework before, and it was the Viscount Medal issued by the Noble Council!
Oops, I didn’t expect this elder to be a noble of the sixth rank and eighteenth rank!
"I've seen this sir... I come from the countryside and really don't have much knowledge. It makes you laugh all the time!"
"Haha... Don't call me a lord, I am just an ordinary businessman without an official status. I am lucky enough to have a position in the council..."
Businessman? Cao Shuai was stunned, "You...you..." He pointed at the medal on the chest of this uncle-level man!
"Ah! You said this... it's mine, that's right... Huh? You don't even know this bit of common sense, do you? In Chinese businessmen, if they have made great contributions, they can also be awarded titles!"
"Wait... you are so unfamiliar, and you don't even understand these basic common sense... who are you?" The man in black in front had a question on his face, and there was even a hint of vigilance deep in his eyes!
Shuai Cao quickly cupped his fists and bowed and said, "Oh, I'm sorry! This guy from the northwest is meeting the head of state for the first time... and even this steel battleship is the first time!"
"Boy Cao Shuai... I don't know what to call this elder!"
"Ah!" The person in front looked much more relaxed. "You should have told me earlier! I would have known if you had mentioned your name earlier... He is from the Northwest Left Commander, right?"
"Haha... You are a distinguished guest from afar. You should be in line in front of me... Mi Fu, an old Ryukyu native..."
"Hiss...ah..." Cao Shuai exclaimed, "Boss Mi? The Mi family is the largest granary in the world! You are Boss Mi!"
Mi Group started as a grain merchant. During the Naha uprising, the head of state led troops to save his family's lives. From then on, he tied the fate of the whole family to the head of state!
With the pace of expansion of the head of state, Mifu has become Asia's largest one-stop super monopoly enterprise in grain cultivation, storage, trafficking, retail, and deep processing!
If the beads of the Mi family's abacus are moved slightly, the price of food in Asia will tremble!
Cao Shuai also heard from Teacher Fan Jin in the northwest, but he didn't expect to see a real person today, such an amiable uncle!
"You're being rude, old gentleman, please don't take offense! It's really rude... I would like to say hello to my senior!"
As he spoke, Cao Shuai was about to kneel down and bow to his senior!
