Chapter 97: Good Friend of the British Empire
Chapter 97: Good Friend of the British Empire
In the VIP cabin of Yunsheng No. 1, a man with dark skin and a weather-beaten face bowed to Shao Quanzhong.
"You Sihai, the student, comes to see His Excellency the Governor."
Shao Quanzhong raised his hand and said, "No need to be polite. You are the son of Magistrate You, right?"
"I failed the provincial examination and failed to pass the imperial examination. I feel ashamed of my father's expectations. I can only work as an assistant manager of the Yangtze River Freight Company to do something for the family."
"Help me transport the arms this time. The transportation fee is what it should be. I won't let you down."
"Your Excellency is worrying too much. My father has repeatedly reminded me that the You family and the Shao family are allies and cannot accept money from the Huai Army."
"How can I do that? I can't let you lose money. Allies are allies, and business is business."
You Sihai puffed out his chest, feeling very proud.
"I have more than 40 steam cargo ships, which go to Hankou Wharf and to Japan, Ryukyu, Luzon, Lanfang, Batavia, Sing Tao, Ceylon, and Mumbai. They are all in our business network. We don't need the money for these two ships for short-distance freight."
Shao Quanzhong looked at him with a playful look, "No money, what do you want?"
"My father wants to invest in the Huai Army and stand with you. I just hope that when you take charge of the government in the future, you can take care of Youshi."
Oh, County Magistrate You is a big shot who is optimistic about my future and willing to invest in me. He is not a high-ranking official, but his family is rich and he has vision. This is a good opportunity for me.
"Will the British shareholders agree to this loss-making business?"
"The British did not invest in the You's Chamber of Commerce. They just used warships to protect the safety of our chamber of commerce on the Yangtze River and the offshore trade routes, and they only took dry shares. The company's nominal general manager is in London, and the freight business is decided by the student as the assistant manager."
Shao Quanzhong patted You Sihai on the shoulder and said, "Not bad, not bad. I am optimistic about your future. In the future, you will definitely be more promising than those who passed the imperial examinations."
The speed of steam freighters was much faster than that of salt ships and sampans. The Yunsheng No. 1 and Yunsheng No. 2, flying the Union Jack, entered the Huangpu River wharf that evening.
The next morning, Shao Quanzhong took his guard platoon ashore and headed straight for the Po Shun Trading Company.
Yung Wing went to the United States to purchase machine tools and equipment but has not returned yet, which does not delay the foreign gun business that had already been booked.
This time, Shao Quanzhong purchased 10,000 Enfield rifles at one time, including 6,000 ordinary rifles and 4,000 carbines for artillery, cavalry, and engineers.
The cost of a carbine is slightly lower than that of a rifle, and such a huge purchase volume would certainly require a discount. Not only did the company only charge 800,000 taels of silver, it also gave away 40 Western-style command swords.
This was already the largest order for the foreign company this year. The British manager was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He personally led people to deliver the goods to the ship and carried the silver down from the ship.
Shao Quanzhong's wealth suddenly decreased, and he was once a wealthy man with 890,000 taels of silver, but in an instant he was left with only 90,000 taels.
Who doesn't know that foreign guns are good? But why don't they match them, and use matchlock guns, swords and spears?
Foreign guns are really expensive. Most people don't have the courage of Shao Quanzhong. With nearly a million silver in hand, he should use it to build a garden first. Master Wu Wenxi praised.
There were people left on the ship to receive 10,000 guns and 10 million rounds of bullets, while Shao Quanzhong took his men to Wall & Co.
Henry Wall himself was in the United States recruiting people for Shao Quanzhong and had not returned yet, so as not to hinder Shao Quanzhong from taking care of Wall's business.
This time, Shao Quanzhong purchased eighty Colt revolvers from the Philippine assistant manager of Wall & Co., spending 7,200 taels of silver.
The guards were all equipped with long and short double guns, and all officers above the company level were equipped with pistols. After leaving Wall & Co., it was still a long way to go before the ammunition was transported to the ship.
Shao Quanzhong waved his hand and said, "Brother Liao, let's go buy a warship!"
There was no need to talk to Commander He Bo of the "Chinese Fleet". Liao Rong took Shao Quanzhong back to the British Concession from the American Concession and went directly to the Commissioner of Customs and Taxation.
The Indian guard at the gate reported that the two men were here to discuss the ship purchase business, and Liao Rong felt worried.
The Director General of Taxation, Li Taiguo, looks down upon the Qing Dynasty very much. He was simply kicked out last time. Will he be allowed in this time?
As the gate opened, a foreigner walked out quickly, and two Indian guards servilely opened the wrought iron gate.
The foreigner looked at Shao Quanzhong, Liao Rong and the 40-man guard platoon behind them, and immediately identified the host and guest. He extended his right hand to Shao Quanzhong and said, "You are Lord Shao, the commander of the Huai Army, right? Welcome, our distinguished guest."
Liao Rong was full of questions. Who is this? I don't know him. How come the owner of this place has changed in just two days? Where is Li Taiguo?
This foreigner's attitude is much better than Li Taiguo's. Why is the commander so lucky?
Shao Quanzhong had expected this, he laughed, took off his white gloves, and stretched out his hand to shake hands with the foreigner.
"I have heard of your great name for a long time. Mr. Hurd is indeed a good friend of the Qing Dynasty. We will have many opportunities to cooperate sincerely in the future."
Liao Rong hurriedly tried to save face for his superior. "This Mr. Hart, the superior has now been promoted to the governor of Taizhou and the garrison commander of Taizhou. He has been granted the title of Yunqiwei nobleman of the imperial court, and has been granted the flower feather and the title of Zhiyong Baturu. He is no longer a commander. He has more than 13,000 soldiers and horses under his command. We have just purchased 10,000 Enfield rifles from the Bo Shun Foreign Company."
Mr. Hurd speaks Chinese better than I do, so I don't need to translate. Unlike Li Taiguo, who can speak Chinese but insists on speaking English to me.
Hurd's face was as bright as a flower, and he held Shao Quanzhong's hand tightly, "Shao is the pioneer of your country's Westernization Movement, and he will surely rise to a higher position in the future. Our British Empire needs such a good friend the most."
Mr. Hurd turned sideways, bent his waist deliberately, and extended his right hand to lead the way. "Sir Shao, please!"
When Shao Quanzhong was released from the position of Commissioner of Customs, he had only 22,800 taels of silver left in his fortune, which was not enough to pay the troops' salaries for the next month.
Liao Rong felt very guilty. It was enough for him. He had spent 60,000 taels of silver to buy himself a training ship.
How could the commander, who was sitting in Shaojiawei, know that Li Taiguo had just returned to London for recuperation and that Britain, which has the final say in our Qing Dynasty, had made a temporary replacement?
And I also know that the person who was replaced is someone who is friendly to our Qing Dynasty, and I can call each other's names when I meet them.
Could it be that what they said, that the commander was a star who had descended to earth and possessed innate wisdom, was true?
Liao Rong shook his head. As a person who had been educated abroad, he had always scoffed at the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Nian Rebellion, and the White Lotus Sect's superstitions and found it hard to believe such a thing.
When he was the leader of the Triads, his slogan was to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty. He would never engage in superstitions such as possession by gods and ghosts.
Now, his faith was a little shaken.
The transportation of arms from the warehouse at the Jardine Matheson Company's dock to two cargo ships lasted until the evening.
During this period, some people dressed as foreign riflemen came to spy, but they were chased away by the British Concession patrol who were guarding this large-scale business without the Huai Army driving them away.
Whoever dares to hinder our British companies from making money is the enemy of the British Empire. Do you know how the two Opium Wars were fought?
In the evening, Yunsheng No. 1 and Yunsheng No. 2 were ready to set sail back to Kouanpu overnight. The steam frigate "Fury" also arrived at the dock and was successfully handed over to Liao Rong.
Liao Rong began to scratch his head. How could he drive this thing back?
(End of this chapter)