"Master Wu, if I remember correctly, you are the major shareholder of American Qi Chang Yang Company, right?"
In a Western-style four-wheeled carriage, Luo Yaoguo, who had just left the British Consulate, suddenly asked Wu Jianzhang beside him about the latter's shareholding in Qichang Yangxing Company.
"Yes, brother, I do hold shares in Qichang Yangxing Company." When Wu Jianzhang heard this, he frowned slightly, as if he had thought of something, and quickly changed the subject: "Brother Xueyan, do you want me to contact you for you? Major Ma Hui, the American consul? I have a very good relationship with this American major."
It’s useless even if you have a good relationship with the President of the United States! Luo Yaoguo thought: “You have to give me more money!”
Thinking of this, Luo Yaoguo smiled and nodded, saying: "Well, I hope you can have lunch with Major Ma Hui during the trip tomorrow at noon... Mr. Wu, can you arrange a French meal?" ?」
"No problem, it's all on me!" Wu Jianzhang smiled and patted his chest, "The British and Americans have made arrangements, but what about the French? When will we meet the French Consul Aitang?"
Luo Yaoguo counted with his fingers: "If I'm not wrong, today is Friday, right?"
"That's right." Wu Jianzhang said with a smile, "If you didn't tell me, I would have forgotten. Then I won't be able to make an appointment with the Ambassador of Love tomorrow and the next two days. Their French boss doesn't work on Saturdays and Sundays."
"If you don't go to work? Then you have to worship God, right?" Luo Yaoguo asked with a smile.
"It's not that we have to worship all the time, it's just that in the past few months, the French gentlemen on the beach have begun to worship more frequently." Wu Jianzhang said.
"That's okay." Luo Yaoguo said, "In which church does the loving consul say Sunday Mass? I can go and say it with him."
"Ah" Wu Jianzhang was stunned, "Brother Xueyan, do you also worship God?"
Luo Yaoguo nodded and said with a smile: "The people in our family are very flexible. If we need to worship God, we will worship God. If we need to worship Bodhisattva, we will worship Bodhisattva. If we need to worship Sanqing, we will worship Sanqing... Mr. Wu, what about you?"
"Me? I'm flexible too!" Wu Jianzhang chuckled, "How can I not be flexible in doing business? If I'm not flexible, I won't be able to do business!"
"That's right!" Luo Yaoguo said with a smile, "My family has to deal with a lot of people in Nanyang. They believe in all kinds of religions, but the most powerful ones are the Westerners who worship God, so my family worships God along with the Westerners. Look for Western churches to be your backers.”
"Yes, yes!" Wu Jianzhang nodded repeatedly, "Brother Xueyan, I wonder what your family's treasure name is?"
"Meituanxing is a small business," Luo Yaoguo said with a smile, "just running errands for foreigners and making a little money... In the past two years, there has been anti-Chinese activities in Nanyang. Although my family worships God and is protected by foreigners, we can't be excluded. It’s my family’s fault. But business is still a bit difficult!”
Wu Jianzhang nodded, seeming to agree: "It's not easy to do business here in the Qing Dynasty... All the fellow merchants who stayed in Guangdong are losing money! The trade in Shanghai is easier, but Changmao wants to do it right away." I called you, it’s really hard!”
"It's difficult..." Luo Yaoguo glanced at Wu Jianzhang, "But Mr. Wu is still very ambitious. He still wants to become bigger, right?"
Wu Jianzhang smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Why do you want to be bigger? To be honest, I have been trapped and there is no way to get out!"
"Why do you want to withdraw?" Luo Yaoguo looked at Wu Jianzhang and began to say, "Master Wu, don't you think there is a lot to do in Shanghai now?" "A lot to do?" Wu Jianzhang looked at Luo Yaoguo and saw that the other party seemed to be confident, so he cupped his hands and said: "Want to hear the details."
Luo Yaoguo smiled and asked, "Does Master Wu know Luo Su Weng?"
"Luo Su Weng?" Wu Jianzhang thought for a while, "Is it the Luo Su Weng who was the governor of Hubei?
"Yes! That's my adoptive father!" Luo Yaoguo patted his chest and recognized himself as a "temporary adoptive father" - he is very flexible in this regard!
"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Wu Jianzhang cupped his hands, but felt a little strange in his heart. What did Luo Xueyan want to say?
"My adoptive father has already served," Luo Yaoguo said. "He was the governor before and should continue to be the governor as usual. However, the emperor only gave him an errand to help with military affairs in Hunan... This is not a good job, so he I have always wanted to be a governor of a fatter province."
"Yes, yes." Wu Jianzhang still didn't understand.
Luo Yaoguo said: "The reason why I am willing to stay in Shanghai is actually because I think there is an opportunity to find a governor of Jiangsu for my adoptive father!"
"Governor of Jiangsu? But..." Wu Jianzhang said in surprise, "The current governor of Jiangsu is Yiliang!"
"It won't happen soon!" Luo Yaoguo said, "Jinling is about to be taken by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom! Zhenjiang and Yangzhou may also be lost! The blame for the fall of Jinling can be carried by the army, and the blame for the fall of Zhenjiang and Yangzhou can be taken by Yiliang. Can you escape?"
"But...even if Yiliang no longer serves as governor of Jiangsu, it may not be Su Weng's turn, right?" Wu Jianzhang said hesitantly.
"Then it depends on whether my adoptive father has the strength to be the governor of Jiangsu!" Luo Yaoguo said with a smile.
"Strength?" Wu Jianzhang was still a little confused, "Brother Xueyan, what do you mean..."
Luo Yaoguo smiled and explained to Wu Jianzhang: "The so-called strength, the first one is of course group training! The five hundred people I brought to Shanghai are called Xueziying. I live by my words, and the snow in Xueziying comes from my brand name Xueyan. In addition to the Xuezi Camp, my adoptive father also had ten battalions of Xiangyong that could be brought out of Hunan, and the Changshengyong Camp that escorted Cheng Zhijun’s family to Shanghai was one of them. Although Feng Nan was from Cantonese, he It was also recommended by Luo Ruweng and my adoptive father, and his soldiers were all brave from Xiang.
In other words, my adoptive father has two battalions of Xiangyong in Shanghai. Although the number is not large, Jiangsu is now empty of troops and has long-haired troops pressing down on the border... If Nan Qian and I can expand the army in Shanghai and expand the two battalions into four battalions, /Eight Camp, after Jinling, Zhenjiang, and Yangzhou are defeated one by one, I am afraid that the only people the court can rely on are me, Nan Gan, and Mr. Wu, a dozen of yours.
It’s the end of the camp!
The second type of strength is the ability to deal with foreigners! Mr. Wu was able to become Su Songtao and Jiangjiang Customs Supervisor not only because of the five hundred thousand taels, but because Mr. Wu really understands foreign affairs!
I also know something about Westernization, but after all, it is not as good as Mr. Wu, who has an old brand and familiar people. If Mr. Wu are willing to join my adoptive father, then the best Westernization manager in the world will be my adoptive father!
My adoptive father has soldiers and talents who can handle foreign affairs, and he is also qualified to be the governor of Jiangsu... As long as he works hard, won't he become the governor of Jiangsu? Even if the only territory under my adoptive father's jurisdiction is Suzhou , Songjiang, Taicang, can they make millions a year?"
"Yes, that's great!" Wu Jianzhang's eyes lit up.
Luo Yaoguo looked at Wu Jianzhang and asked with a smile: "Then Mr. Wu is willing to join my godfather?"
"Go to...Su Weng?" Wu Jianzhang hesitated.
There is someone above him! Otherwise, how could he secure the lucrative job of Su Songtai Dao and Jiang Jiang Customs Supervisor, who could earn six figures a year? If he wanted to join Luo Raodian, he would have to let go of the people above him.
In addition, was Luo Xueyan's backstage really as big as he said? Just as he was hesitating, the carriage stopped abruptly and Tongshun arrived.
Someone immediately came up and opened the door of the carriage. Wu Jianzhang was stunned when he saw the person holding the door open for him. It turned out to be Feng Zicai! "Master Wu.
Feng Zicai first said hello to Wu Jianzhang, then took a step back, shook his horse, and made a salute into the carriage: "Feng Zicai, a low-ranking official, has seen Young Master Luo!"
Wu Jianzhang was surprised.
This Feng Zicai, who is as big as a battalion leader, actually gave Luo Xueyan a thousand gifts!
Although Feng Zicai only had three hundred soldiers under his command, they were all elite. Wu Jianzhang spent five thousand taels of silver to keep him as a bodyguard. Why does he regard Luo Xueyan as his eldest brother now?
Before he could finish his surprise, Feng Zicai came up to Luo Yaoguo after performing the Qianqian ceremony, and said with a smile: "Xueguan, Mr. Cheng and Beizhi came here together."
"Mr. Cheng?" Luo Yaoguo got out of the carriage and said with a smile, "Oh, it's brother Zeng!"
"Yes, Mr. Cheng heard that you came to Shanghai, and he immediately asked his subordinates to come and visit you."
Wu Jianzhang, who followed Luo Yaoguo out of the carriage, was shocked again.
He also knew the Mr. Cheng that Feng Zicai was talking about. He was the eldest son of Cheng Zicai, the governor of Huguang who died in Wuchang. He fled to Shanghai under the protection of Feng Zicai. When passing by Suzhou, Jiangsu Governor Yiliang even invited him as a guest at the governor's Yamen!
Moreover, the Cheng Zicai family has three governors!
Jiangxi's most prestigious family has countless disciples and former officials hanging around in the officialdom. Mr. Cheng already has the reputation of being a civil servant, and with Nan Yin, even if he fails to pass the Jinshi exam after observing filial piety for three years, he will not be afraid of losing his future.
Such a noble man heard that Luo Xueyan had arrived in Shanghai and immediately came to see him... Is Luo Xueyan's backstage really that big?
When Wu Jianzhang was surprised, he suddenly saw a man in his thirties, with a white face and a long beard, the appearance of a scholar, and dressed in mourning clothes. He quickly walked out of the gate of the same line. When he arrived in front of Luo Xueyan, he clasped his fists and said, "Brother Xueyan." , we meet again!"
Luo Yaoguo also returned the favor: "Brother Zeng, please express my condolences."
Then the two good brothers who met for the first time hugged each other at the gate of Tongshunxing and started crying.
Wu Jianzhang on the side quietly pulled Feng Zicai to his side and asked in a low voice: "Nan Qian, is this Mr. Luo familiar with Mr. Cheng?"
"Can you do this if you are not familiar with it?" Feng Zicai whispered, "Cheng Zhijun wanted to recruit Mr. Luo as his son-in-law before his death. He wanted to marry Miss Cheng Si to Mr. Luo, and he also hired Luo Futai as a matchmaker. If Cheng Zhijun hadn't died for his country, all good things would have happened. It’s done.”
"Is this happening? I heard that Miss Cheng Si is extremely beautiful!"
"That's right, she's as beautiful as a fairy!" Feng Zicai nodded, "By the way, she's here today too!"
"ah..."
Chapter completed!