They...could they have come to occupy the British Concession in Shanghai?
Consul A Liguo had such an absurd yet reasonable idea in his mind. There were five hundred elite Qing infantrymen with loaded weapons and ammunition standing downstairs of his consulate!
There is only one platoon of guards in the consulate, and the British soldiers in the entire British Concession are only one company in size. Although expatriates can be mobilized to organize one or two more companies, the French Concession next door can also provide another company... But these The elite infantrymen of the Qing Dynasty have blocked the entrance of the consulate.
They can rush in and arrest anyone at any time! "Gentlemen and ladies...
When Consul Aliguo was thinking wildly, he heard the "Oxford accent" English he was very familiar with outside the window. It was a Qing official standing on a pile of boxes speaking!
Those who listened to him were businessmen, expatriates, and sailors from various countries who were attracted by these hundreds of elite Qing soldiers to watch the excitement. These people did not regard the sudden appearance of these elite Qing soldiers on the Bund as invading enemies.
Because at this time, the Shanghai Concession was still under the "co-management" of the Qing Dynasty officials and the British Consulate. It was only because of the blind concessions and even connivance of the two Shanghai Taoists that the British Concession and the French Concession became alienated places.
However, from a legal perspective, the sovereignty of the Shanghai Concession undoubtedly belonged to China, and the governing power was half-Chinese and half-British, half Chinese-French. Therefore, the Qing soldiers had every right to enter the Shanghai Concession with arms.
Of course, with the sudden entry of these 500 Qing troops, the British barracks in the British Concession must have begun to mobilize urgently! However, Luo Yaoguo did not intend to occupy the concession in one fell swoop today, not because he did not want to, but because the time has not yet come.
"I am Luo Xueyan, the chief secretary of Mr. Luo, the Governor of Hunan - a well-educated and responsible official of the Qing Dynasty!" Luo Yaoguo began to speak to a group of gathered adventurers in an "Oxford accent" that sounded very reliable. They gave a seductive speech!
"I came to the British Concession in Shanghai on the order of the Governor to visit the British Consul Mr. Aliguo and seek cooperation. The reason why I led a battalion of infantry into the concession was not because I was hostile to the British, but because I brought with me Five hundred thousand ounces of silver! This silver is used to purchase advanced weapons produced in Britain from Mr. Aliguo for use against the Taiping rebels. They have now occupied half of Hunan Province and are heading towards Jiangning Prefecture along the Yangtze River. Advance quickly. Perhaps their vanguard has now arrived outside Jiangning City. And they have many sympathizers throughout the Yangtze River Basin, so I must lead a battalion of infantry to ensure the safety of the silver I carry.
Complete..
Here, I can swear in the name of Confucius to assure you that my troops are strictly disciplined and will never harass merchants from various countries in the concession. They pose no threat to the interests of Britain and France in Shanghai. Once I buy all the If I need the munitions, I will immediately leave Shanghai with the troops and munitions... Unless I get the order from the Governor to join the battle to defend Shanghai County.
In addition, the Governor also ordered me to recruit some foreign veterans in Shanghai who know how to use Western-style artillery, and they will be treated favorably! "Wow, wow, wow..."
As soon as Luo Yaoguo's speech ended, the foreign adventurers who were watching burst into applause... as if the person who was delivering the speech was not an official from a feudal dynasty, but a British politician who was preparing to run for public office.
On the second floor of the consulate, Consul Aliguo looked back at Wu Jianzhang who was approaching him and asked: "He, is he really an official of the Qing Dynasty? "This... doesn't look like him!"
Aliguo immediately became vigilant: "Then he is not an official of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, right?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. How can officials of the Taiping Rebellion speak Oxford English..."
Wu Jianzhang shook his head and thought: "This official below looks like one of your British officials! He is polite and full of nice words... he probably doesn't have any good intentions! He can't be a Nanyang Chinese sent by the Governor of Hong Kong, Bonham, right?
?」
Ali Guo touched his chin: "Mr. Wu, please confirm their true identity first. If they are indeed the chief secretary sent by the Governor of Hunan, I will come forward to invite him into the consulate."
"Okay, I'll go right away."
Wu Jianzhang, Su Songtai Dao and Jiang Customs Supervisor, was a dignified fourth-grade official, but now he acted as if he was a subordinate of Aliguo. After receiving Aliguo's order, he carried his robe and went downstairs. As soon as he walked out of the consulate, he saw a five-year-old man.
The official smiled and walked out of the hollow square array, cupped his fists and raised his hands towards him and said: "This eldest brother is Lord Wu of Shanghai Dao? My brother is Kui Yi, the king of Hengzhou Prefecture in Hunan.
As he spoke, he took out another note from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Jianzhang: "This is the note from Luo Futai of Hunan Province to the Jiangguan Customs Yamen. Please take a look first. This sounds right!"
Wu Jianzhang hurriedly returned the salute with his fists clasped, and then took the note from Wang Kuiyi and took a closer look. It was indeed a note from the governor of Hunan, and it must be unmistakable that it had the governor's seal on it.
"Sir Wang," Wu Jianzhang raised his hand and pointed at Luo Yaoguo, and asked with a smile, "I wonder where this brother comes from?"
"He," Wang Kui said with a smile, "like Mr. Wu, he is from Cantonese. His family is a family friend of Mr. Luo. He has lived with his family in Nanyang since he was a child. He just returned to China not long ago. Because Mr. Luo has something to do.
Tuan Lian, there was no one of our own who could take advantage of him, so he was appointed as a master and an alternate county magistrate."
"Oh..." Wu Jianzhang immediately laughed, "It turns out that he came back from Nanyang, and he is one of his own!"
At this time, Luo Yaoguo also got off a pile of silver boxes and came out of the square formation together with Wu Ruxiao. Wu Ruxiao and Wu Jianzhang knew each other. When they met, they bowed their hands and said, "Shuang Guan, do you still know me? I'm A
Filial piety!"
"Ah Xiao?" Wu Jianzhang also met an old friend in a foreign country, and quickly returned the favor, "You are also an official?"
Wu Ruxiao shook his head: "I'm still a little bit behind. I'm Master Zuo's master now... Come on, I'll introduce this to you!" He pointed at Luo Yaoguo, "This brother Xueyan is Master Luo's master, just like me.
My hometown is Meizhou, after Fang Bogong!"
"After Uncle Fang! No wonder... disrespectful, disrespectful!"
When Wu Jianzhang heard that Luo Yaoguo was "Fang Bogong", his attitude immediately became respectful.
"Fang Bo Gong" is a great figure in the overseas Chinese circle in Nanyang. He is the founder of the Lan Fang Republic in Borneo!
"Axue," Wu Ruxiao pointed to Wu Jianzhang and introduced to Luo Yaoguo, "This is the famous Shuang Guan of Tong Shun Bank! Tong Shun Bank is also one of the thirteen trades. Shuang Guan started his business from scratch. He is also one of the seven major shareholders of Qichang Yangxing Co., Ltd. It’s amazing!”
He unexpectedly met Wu Jianzhang! Luo Yaoguo thought: "This guy is the 'behind-the-scenes hero' of the Little Knife Club uprising! This guy is first-class in business, and he is a bit of a layman in running a group training. Because he doesn't trust Shanghainese, he started it in Shanghai There are no Shanghai landlords and gentry participating in the team training. They are all Cantonese and Hokkien people...but the gentry or farmers from Guangdong and Fujian will not come to Shanghai at all. Those who come to Shanghai to work are basically brothers of the Tiandihui, and Xiaodaohui is the Tiandihui. A branch of the society.
Even his own soldiers are brothers of the Little Sword Society, so he was arrested by his own guards after the Little Sword Society uprising began."
Thinking of this, Luo Yaoguo quickly bowed respectfully: "It turns out that I am Shuang Guan, who I have admired for a long time! You are a role model for our generation of Cantonese businessmen!" Wu Jianzhang laughed: "I just made a fortune selling chickens, how can I be like this? By the way, let me introduce you to Mr. Aliguo."
At this time, A Liguo had come down from upstairs and stood in front of the consulate. Although he could not understand the Cantonese spoken by Wu Jianzhang, Wu Ruxiao, and Luo Yaoguo, seeing how affectionate the three of them were, he knew it was the right person. It was sent by that "Governor of Hunan".
You have to treat him well, and you can also ask him about the "devil" by the way.
So now when I saw Wu Jianzhang turning around to enter, he smiled and walked out of the consulate door.
Wu Jianzhang smiled and said to Aliguo in English: "Mr. Consul, they are all our own people, and we can definitely trust them!" Great! Aliguo breathed a sigh of relief, as long as they are our own people.
Wu Jianzhang suddenly remembered the "devil problem" at this time, and turned around and asked Luo Yaoguo: "Brother, have you heard about any demons descended from the sky in Hunan?" "A demon descended from the sky?" Luo Yaoguo was startled. I thought of something, "Is he a bull devil riding a bicycle?"
Wu Jianzhang nodded: "Yes, have you seen it?"
Chapter completed!