Chapter 22 Shao the Great Fraud

Chapter 22 Shao the Great Fraud

Chapter 22 Shao the Great Fraud
The door opened again, and this time a middle-aged man came out to greet us in person.

The middle-aged man had a slicked-back hair that was shiny with oil, a mustache, and was wearing a double-breasted suit with a bow tie over his white shirt, looking like a typical Western gentleman.

In fact, this shopkeeper Rong is also a foreigner. He has become an American citizen and is currently a manager in a British trading company. That is why he dares not to have a braid.

Shopkeeper Rong was upright and upright, with no trace of the humility and flattery that most compradors were accustomed to showing to foreigners on his face, nor did he have the deliberate arrogance he showed to the Chinese. His eyes were upright and peaceful.

However, when he went to see Hong Renxuan and intended to join the Taiping Army, Shao Quanzhong discovered that he was a little panicked and walked a little hurriedly.

Seeing that Shao Quanzhong only brought one attendant with him, it was indeed not like they were here to arrest him. He calmed himself down, opened the door, and extended his hand, "Sir, please come in!"

Shao Quanzhong woke up from his daze, his reaction was a little slow, he said "ah", took a deep breath, regained his consciousness, and followed the middle-aged man into the villa.

Zhang Siwen followed him into the gate but did not enter the house. He stood outside the door with an iron rod inserted in his lower back.

Judging from the length of his iron rod, it is close to the iron mace among the eighteen kinds of weapons, but it has no handle or edge, so it is not quite standard. He used it to chase away dogs when he was begging, so it can also be called a dog-beating stick.

Zhang Siwen always smiles foolishly to others, and looks like a brainless personal bodyguard. But when he is alone, his eyes are full of wisdom.

Following Shao Quanzhong, he saw many things he had never seen before and often thought about his future...

The small house is not a big villa, the space is very limited, and the living room is right next to the door.

Even though the door was closed, Zhang Siwen, who was standing at the door, could still hear the conversation inside.

I only heard the shopkeeper inside the room calling out, "Hui Er, serve the tea."

Rong Hui, who served tea, now changed into an American-style long skirt.

It was already autumn, and she had been staying in the villa without going out, so she didn't feel the cold. She was still wearing her summer school uniform, and she ran out in a hurry just now, feeling a little cold.

People naturally yearn for what they lack. Shao Quanzhong was born a beggar in this life and was a rustic warlord in his previous life. The temperament of foreign students had a fatal attraction to him.

As soon as Rong Hui appeared, Shao Quanzhong, who was sitting opposite Manager Rong, couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.

I noticed that Rong Hui had changed into a formal dress, which made her look less pretty.

He had a fixed image of how foreign students dressed. Well, it was still a long way from the Republic of China, and the modified short-collared cheongsam and long black skirt had not yet appeared and become popular...

Seeing this sixth-rank military officer of the Qing Dynasty staring at his daughter, Manager Rong frowned.

"My daughter just graduated from the French Mission Girls' School in Hong Kong and came to see me. In a few days, she will return to Xiangshan to serve her mother."

Shao Quanzhong was a very smart man and he immediately realized that he had behaved a little bit out of control.

She was reminding herself that her daughter would be gone soon, so she shouldn't worry about it. She might even be worried that I would use my power to snatch her away.

Why would I do that? I am a decent person, how could I do something like robbing a woman? Besides, the most important thing is that I don't have that much power now.

The serious man Shao Quanzhong forgot what happened the last time he called himself a serious man. He retracted his gaze and smiled apologetically.

"It's rare that in this day and age, someone would let his daughter study. Shopkeeper Rong is indeed someone who has studied abroad.

If the Qing Dynasty wants to catch up with the world trend, education must come first. We must establish universities, cultivate our own talents, and then establish our own national bank, develop industry, and overhaul railways.

The future of China needs people like Rong Zhanggui who are open-minded and patriotic. Rong Zhanggui has a heavy burden on his shoulders. "

Manager Rong never expected that this military officer wearing the sixth-rank hat of the Qing Dynasty would say such a thing, and he was stunned.

He heard from his daughter that this guy knew from some channel that he had just gone to Nanjing to meet Hong Renxuan and was going to join the Taiping Army. He thought he was here to extort money and was already planning to test how big his appetite was.

As a result, every word the other party said hit the nail on the head.

I have met many officials of the Qing Dynasty, but I have never seen one so knowledgeable.

Shopkeeper Rong was stunned by Shao Quanzhong's words. Rong Hui, who was leaving after serving tea, had not yet returned to her room. When she heard these words, she stopped and looked back at Shao Quanzhong carefully.
Suddenly I realized that this Qing official was very young, completely different from my impression of court officials as stupid, old and stubborn, and he was also very handsome...

The scene was silent for a while. Shopkeeper Rong was stunned for a while, and suddenly he sighed, "I didn't expect that there would be an official like you in my Qing Dynasty.

I would like to serve the country, but where is the burden for me to bear? I can only be a comprador in this foreign company, which is not what I want. It forced me to go to Nanjing to see if the Taiping Army has a future.

What a pity, meeting is not as good as hearing about it..."

Shao Quanzhong said, "The Taiping Army is just a bunch of unsophisticated armed forces in the name of Jehovah, not much different from Li Zicheng.

Before they even conquered the country, they were already in a mess of internal strife. All they cared about was the little power in front of them. How could they have the heart to truly accept Manager Rong's suggestions and enrich the people and strengthen the country?"

Shopkeeper Rong's eyes lit up as he stared at Shao Quanzhong, "Then how do you think China can become prosperous and strong?"

Shao Quanzhong still has a say in this matter. "First, there must be a strong leader who can at least command one side and have enough soldiers and money. Then we can industrialize and make China an industrial country. Only then can China become truly strong.

Industrialization is not as simple as turning on a few machines; it is a system and any link will be insufficient if it is defective.

To open mines, build railways, operate steel mills, and set up factories, the most important thing is to have enough knowledgeable and cultured people.

As for talents, we have to spend a lot of money to introduce them at the beginning, and at the same time establish our own universities to train them.

It is not easy to build a good university, but it is indispensable. I would rather train 50,000 fewer elite soldiers, but this university must be built.

If we really want to build a good university, we need at least 900 acres of land, and the infrastructure will cost 6 million silver dollars, which means we need to invest 1.6 million silver dollars every year..."

Shao Quanzhong was so excited that he talked incessantly, and those were all his proudest works.

The foundation he laid for that piece of black soil gave birth to the big brother, the leader of China's industry in the 20th century, which truly made immeasurable contributions to the independence and rejuvenation of China.

Shao Quanzhong said excitedly that Manager Rong and his daughter were stunned.

How could a sixth-rank military officer of the Qing Dynasty utter these words?

The most open-minded Qing official that Manager Rong had ever seen was the one who wanted to recruit foreign technicians to make guns and cannons and build ships himself. He had no idea about the industrial system.

Shao Quanzhong not only had a thorough understanding, but was also very knowledgeable and clear about building banks, mining, railways, factories, and universities, and was aware of every detail.

Manager Rong's confidence in his academic knowledge, which he was most proud of, was shattered by Shao Quanzhong.

I began to seriously doubt that I was living a dog's life at the age of over 30.

He looks to be around 20 years old and probably hasn't studied abroad. How does he know so much?
Shopkeeper Rong's eyes wandered as he muttered to himself, "Where can I find such a powerful leader to realize these grand plans?
If this can really be achieved, I, Yung Wing, am willing to devote everything to it.”

Shao Quanzhong was so thirsty from talking that he took a sip of tea. Well, it was indeed not as good as Zhang Ershazi's tea-making skills.

Then, he looked at Shopkeeper Rong with a smile and said, "Brother, I want to form a team now, and I need the most advanced rifles. Isn't it time to ask Shopkeeper Rong for help?"

"Pull the team——"

Shopkeeper Rong repeated it subconsciously, and suddenly came to his senses.

Huh? Ever since they met, they had been discussing the issue of their daughter's schooling. The topic was dominated by the other party. After talking for such a long time, I still didn't know who the other party was.

This was not due to Rong Hong's negligence or confusion, but was deliberately guided by Shao Quanzhong.

At present in the Qing Dynasty, no one understood what Yung Wing was thinking better than Shao Quanzhong. He catered to Yung Wing's wishes as soon as he opened his mouth and said all that was in his heart, which immediately attracted all his attention.

If he didn't have this ability to win people's hearts, how could Shao Quanzhong, a mere beggar, dare to covet the world's divine weapon?

Only when he was sure that he had led Yung Wing's thinking astray did he state his purpose.

Rong Hong was inspired by the bright prospects described by Shao Quanzhong. The other party wanted to recruit troops! Isn't the hero right in front of him?
Rong Hong slammed the table and stood up, "The matter of buying weapons is left to me. I will do my best to help you establish your own territory, dominate the world, and benefit all the people of China.

correct--"

Shopkeeper Rong was a little embarrassed. "I don't know your name, sir?"

"I am not worthy of your noble title. I am a rough man, uneducated, a warrior, Shao Quanzhong."

Rong Hui, who had been standing at the door of her bedroom without entering, kept turning around and listening to Shao Quanzhong talking, staring at Shao Quanzhong with her eyes shining.

When I heard him call himself a rough man, I couldn't help but cover my mouth and chuckle.

You haven't been to school? Are you kidding me?

The talent he just showed was not even as good as his father, a top student at Yale. How could he be considered a rough man? How rough could he be?

However, this Brother Shao’s name is indeed a bit vulgar…

Shao Quanzhong really had not received much education, God have pity on him. He came to deceive Yung Wing simply because he did not have enough money and wanted to buy some foreign guns cheaply.

Of course, the materials he used to deceive people all came from his own practice. These were real skills and knowledge that could not be learned in university.

Now that the deception has been successful, Yung Wing has agreed to help.

He was the manager of the Butler & S. & Co., the largest of the three largest foreign companies in Shanghai. Buying guns cheaply was something that others could not do, but he could definitely do it.

Successfully fooling Yung Wing also gave Shao Quanzhong an achievement that he didn't know about. In addition to Wenxiu, there was another beautiful girl who called him "Brother Shao" in her heart.

(End of this chapter)