Chapter 34 Secret Meeting with Mai Lian (Thanks to Qing Lian Daoge)
In a lively meeting, people welcomed the Spring Festival of the fourth year of Xianfeng.
In this year, the Huaihai Navy became a powerful force with hundreds of thousands of troops, entrenched in Liangjiang, the five provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, and the two extreme northern provinces.
In this year, the Chinese appeared frequently in the sight of Europeans. There were Chinese forces in America and Southeast Asia, although they were still weak.
This year, Huaihai Navy established education, recruited talents, and built its own talent pool.
This year, the Taiping Army, which had been entrenched in the south of the Yangtze River for more than a year, was divided into three provinces. Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuqing and other kings died, Shi Dakai went south to Guangxi, and Lin Fengxiang became king in northern Korea.
This year, the people of Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian finally ushered in the long-lost peace. Under the leadership of Huai Haijun, they rebuilt their homes and developed production.
This year, the Chinese army appeared on overseas battlefields. This was a beginning, a starting point for them to become famous all over the world.
This year, Dong Shuheng finally got married and even had his own children. The anti-Qing movement was about to begin.
…
Jiangning has been in the hands of Huai Haijun for less than half a year.
As a large number of workers moved in, various factories and schools were built.
Jiangning City, which was originally depressed, gradually became prosperous.
Jiangning City, the ancient capital of six dynasties, has a profound heritage.
Even under the rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, it was the center of the south, with developed commerce and a gathering of humanities.
At the beginning, Hong Xiu and Yang Xiuqing took a fancy to this point and tried their best to occupy this place.
After the Huai Navy stationed here, Dong Shuheng originally planned to develop this place as the future capital.
Therefore, there is no rush to carry out large-scale civil engineering projects. If it is to be the capital of the country, it will have to be carefully planned.
Fortunately, Huai Haijun basically took over Tianjing City peacefully, and the city was basically not damaged.
After the Taiping Army invaded the city, the Manchus in the inner city resisted stubbornly. The inner city was basically destroyed.
The Taiping Army spent more than a year building large-scale construction projects on the ruins of the inner city to build the Tianwang Mansion, Dongwang Mansion and other princely residences.
Most of these mansions are now the administrative offices of Huaihai Navy.
Although there was no major construction work, Huai Haijun racked his brains to restore business in the city.
The shops in the city were basically taken over by the Taiping Army.
After Huai Haijun moved in, he took out all the confiscated shops and put them up for auction, and agreed to exempt commercial taxes within one year.
Merchants from several surrounding provinces came here after hearing the news, all wanting to buy good shops in the auction.
One stone stirs up a thousand waves!
The shops in Jiangning City were sold at a good price.
The premium for selling the shop far exceeds one year's commercial tax.
It must be said that there are many talents under Huai Haijun who are proficient in business operations.
The colorful pavilions of the blue city, the purple streets are fragrant and the flowers are blooming. Sandwiched in the Shengge City of Qinhuai, which is ten miles away, the wine curtains are high and red and emerald.
The Yangtze River has been surging for many years, rushing thousands of miles across the rivers and mountains, but it flows in the south of the Yangtze River. This is a place that has haunted people in the world. This river, filled with the sorrow and joy of many idiots throughout the ages, is called Qinhuai.
During this year’s Spring Festival, the Confucius Temple in Jiangning, along the Qinhuai River, was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.
The military government decided to hold lantern festivals all night long from the first day of the Lunar New Year to the Lantern Festival.
The curfew will also be lifted in Jiangning City and the city gates will be open all night.
The people of Jiangning have been helping Huai Haijun with work in the past six months, and they have gradually accumulated some money.
There are also some wealthy businessmen who have moved back to Jiangning.
Huaihai Navy staff working in major headquarters agencies in Jiangning.
Students in the academy.
Factory workers.
…
These people constitute the main consumer force in Jiangning City.
As long as a place has enough popularity, business will definitely develop.
When people have stable income, there will definitely be demand for consumption.
Consumer demand will inevitably lead more businesses to identify business opportunities and open shops, further promoting the prosperity of business.
Dong Shuheng is enjoying this rare leisure time with his family.
…
The winter in Guangzhou is not that cold, and people here even wear single clothes during the day.
In the current Manchu Qing Dynasty, the prosperity of Guangzhou City can definitely be ranked among the top.
Moreover, Guangzhou is an open city. Thousands of sailboats line the Pearl River Estuary, and hundreds of boats compete for the water.
Countless merchant ships come and go every day.
However, in recent years, there have been more and more opium dens in the city, and the city of Guangzhou has become increasingly smoky.
In the area under the jurisdiction of the Huaihai Navy, it was difficult for opium to flow in. The opium merchants in Guangdong had forgotten the principle that rabbits do not eat grass beside their nests.
Opium dens were set up on a large scale in Guangzhou City to sell opium. For a while, the city of Guangzhou became smoky.
Foreigners generally wholesale opium to opium merchants overseas. These opium smugglers then sell the opium to opium dens in various places.
Foreigners are certainly hateful, but these opium smugglers are even more hateful.
For their own selfish interests, they sell opium and poison their own compatriots, which is simply heinous.
Poor Lin Zexu still vividly remembers the scene of selling cigarettes in Humen more than ten years ago. Guangzhou has become a bridgehead for opium trafficking.
In order to avoid inspection, smugglers registered their ships in Hong Kong and flew the British flag.
This made the Guangdong Navy dare not inspect it at all.
All this was a British conspiracy. The First Opium War did not allow the Qing government to recognize the legality of the opium trade.
They have been trying every means to promote opium smuggling.
Chinese people worked hard to grow mulberry and raise silkworms, and the profit they earned from selling five ships of silk was not as much as one ship of opium.
It was through the opium trade that the Thirteen Businessmen headed by Wu Jianzhang returned to Guangdong after losing the trade war in Shanghai.
In a very short period of time, a large amount of financial resources was accumulated.
Thirteen Rows is located in the southwest corner of Guangzhou City, near the bank of the Pearl River. It is actually a long row of shops facing the street.
The city gates adjacent to the Thirteenth Row include the Bamboo Gate and the Oil Gate.
This was once the only foreign trade port in the entire Qing Dynasty.
The Wu family has a separate courtyard here. The courtyard is connected to shops. It is also an excellent location in Thirteenth Line.
As the Chinese New Year approaches, there are fewer Chinese people. However, there are no shortage of foreigners in the thirteen industries. Foreigners are not allowed to attend the Spring Festival.
On the eve of the Spring Festival, an American warship flying the Stars and Stripes docked at the 13th pier.
This was not allowed before, but now, in order to build good relations with foreigners, Ye Mingchen listened to Wu Jianzhang's suggestion and acquiesced in allowing foreign warships to enter the river mouth.
The Wu family was originally a wealthy family in Guangdong, so they naturally had a large house in the city.
Wu Jianzhang did not live in the Chief Envoy's Yamen on weekdays, but lived in his own house.
"Sir, the American minister you made an appointment with has arrived. I have asked someone to take him to a courtyard outside the city."
"These Americans don't celebrate the Chinese New Year themselves, but they come here during the Chinese New Year." Wu Jianzhang complained.
But his body sat up from the recliner. The small purple sand teapot in his hands was placed on the coffee table.
He changed places and said to the servant who reported the news: "Since everyone is here, I will go and see you."
Wu Jianzhang said this, but in fact he was so anxious to make an appointment that he didn't even bother to wait until the Chinese New Year.
Why? Why did the proud Qing officials look down on foreigners?
Naturally, because the Huai Navy has already conquered Fujian, wouldn't Guangdong be next?
At this juncture, Wu Jianzhang felt scared.
He repeatedly opposed Huai Haijun, always feeling that Huai Haijun wanted to deal with him, otherwise he would not have gone to Guangdong without Huai Haijun taking any action.
After arriving in Guangdong, he did not hesitate to use his own money to get there, but also urged Ye Mingchen to form a new Guangdong army. The purpose was not to target the Taiping Army in Guangxi, which in his eyes was just a group of rogue bandits.
Wu Jianzhang's real purpose in establishing the new army was to guard against the Huai Navy, and he even planned to have a showdown with the Huai Navy.
Wu Jianzhang felt that Dong Shuheng rose to power because he was willing to throw money at the army.
With the protection of the military and greater power, how much money does it cost?
Wu Jianzhang regretted very much why he did not see this and build an army that would obey his orders earlier.
The one who dominates Liangjiang now is probably his Wu family.
It's just that there is no regret medicine in the world. I was still too timid at the beginning.
After getting on the sedan chair, Wu Jianzhang couldn't help but urge the bearer.
Behind the sedan was a group of new troops, which Wu Jianzhang specially deployed to protect himself.
These soldiers wore light blue civilian uniforms, with the tops reaching below the thighs and above the knees.
A cloth belt was tied around his waist, and an ammunition pouch was hung on the belt.
The braids on her head are wrapped in a black turban.
Most of these soldiers also came from poor backgrounds. After Wu Jianzhang founded the army, the new army paid them monthly salaries.
Therefore, these new troops are quite reliable, at least much stronger than the previous Guangdong Green Camp.
The sedan arrived outside the pier's courtyard, and the new troops following behind quickly dispersed and alerted both sides.
Mai Lian was sitting in the hall of the other courtyard drinking tea.
After winter came, Mai Lian followed her fleet south to Hong Kong to spend the winter.
Although the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China are not as cold as those in the north, sailors do not like the wet and cold weather.
Another point is that in Shanghai, they are not free. Huaihai Navy's laws are very strict. Even in the concession, they are still bound by the law.
But it's different in Hong Kong. Even if they bully Chinese people, people in the Hong Kong Governor's Office will generally not hold foreigners accountable.
The Chinese are second-class citizens here, and the foreigners are the masters here.
So when winter comes, they will go to Hong Kong to spend the winter.
The American fleet in the Far East is a wandering fleet. They do not have their own home port. They can only dock at free ports such as Nagasaki, Naha, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
"Hello, Mr. Mai Lian, nice to meet you!" Wu Jianzhang extended his right hand to Mai Lian who was sitting in the living room with a smile.
He is a comprador, speaks English fluently, and is very familiar with Western etiquette.
Mai Lian also smiled and stood up to shake hands with Wu Jianzhang.
Wu Jianzhang's appointment also made Mai Lian see an opportunity, an opportunity that could bring trouble to Huai Haijun.
Therefore, Mai Lian restrained her contempt for Wu Jianzhang.
"Hello, Master Wu. It makes me very happy to meet you."
The two chatted for a while, and Mai Lian took the lead and asked, "What's the matter with Mr. Wu? I know it's the Spring Festival for you Chinese people soon. I guess Mr. Wu is in a hurry, right?"
"Haha, Mr. Mai Lian, I fell in love with you as soon as I saw you. I won't hide it from you anymore."
"Our Lord Governor has asked you to negotiate a deal with your Excellency."
"Oh, what deal?"
"Our governor hopes to borrow a sum of money from your country in the name of the Liangjiang Governor's Office."
"Mr. Wu, are you kidding? How come you, Governor Ye, are short of money when you manage Guangdong and Guangxi?" Mai Lian shook her head and said, she must not let go of this kind of thing from the beginning.
"Mr. Mailian, to be honest, our Lord Governor wants to establish a new army to suppress bandits, so we are in urgent need of some money."
"You can rest assured that the money will be repaid."
"Master Wu, can you tell me the specific amount?"
"Five hundred thousand taels!" Wu Jianzhang stretched out a hand and said.
"Oh, no, no, no, Master Wu, this is too much. I don't have such great authority."
"Mr. Mailian, what if we use Guangzhou's customs tax bank as a mortgage?"
"Mr. Wu, I don't doubt your repayment ability, but this amount is too large. I can only guarantee a loan of 200,000 silver dollars for you." Mai Lian bargained.
"Moreover, Mr. Wu must agree to a condition for us."
Since it was a bargain, Mailian naturally had to put forward his own conditions. And what he always wanted was to have the right to dock in the port in Guangzhou and to get a concession on the edge of the Pearl River.
In this way, Americans have a foothold in the South.
"Mr. Mailian, I can't agree to the conditions you put forward. This is not within my authority."
Wu Jianzhang is a businessman, and he currently holds various interests in Guangzhou Port.
So he will not let go of the Americans easily.
Once the concession in Guangzhou is opened to the Americans, it will inevitably be opened to the British and French.
Therefore, if he wants to get a good price from the Americans, he will naturally use this as a reference when negotiating with Britain and France.
The two talked for a long time.
Wu Jianzhang finally insisted that a loan of 500,000 silver dollars was necessary. Concession and port matters needed to be discussed with Ye Mingchen.
"Mr. Mailian, please stay here for one day. My people will arrange for you to visit Guangzhou. I need to discuss it with the Governor and will give you an answer tomorrow."
"Well, I will wait for your good news, Mr. Wu."
After the meeting with Mailian, Wu Jianzhang hurriedly went to find Ye Mingchen. He had no way to make the final decision on the port and the concession.
Now he is going to pay Governor Ye Mingchen. Wu Jianzhang feels that he seems to have returned to what he did when he was a comprador.
Wandering among Chinese businessmen and foreigners, working as a lobbyist on both sides.
At the foot of Guanyin Mountain is the Governor's Mansion of Guangdong and Guangxi. Ye Mingchen occupies such a large mansion by himself, and his life is extremely comfortable. It would be better if there were no banditry.
If Huai Haijun raised his flag to rebel, the Qing Dynasty would probably be doomed.
Ye Mingchen has always regarded himself as a loyal minister. If the Qing Dynasty fell, Ye Mingchen would definitely die for the country.
Now the Guangdong and Guangxi in his hand are the nails stuck in Huai Haijun's back.
If you are capable enough, you can work with the imperial court to attack the Huaihai Navy from both directions.
…
While I was thinking about the matter, a servant came to report that Wu Jianzhang, the chief envoy, asked to see him.
Ye Mingchen knew why Wu Jianzhang saw him, so he ordered his servants: "Go quickly and take Mr. Wu to the study."
A few minutes later, inside the study room of the Governor's Mansion.
Ye Mingchen screened away the servants waiting on his left and right.
Wu Jianzhang recounted the details of his negotiations with Mai Lian.
He just exaggerated the content of his arguments.
"Master Wu, whether it is opening the port or leasing the concession, it seems that it is not in compliance with the rules of the imperial court!"
Ye Mingchen frowned and said. He is a relatively conservative official, otherwise he would not have let Wu Jianzhang meet with foreigners on his behalf.
"My Lord Governor, you do extraordinary things in extraordinary times. Now the Huai Navy has arrived at our doorstep and occupied five provinces. Even the imperial court is facing an unprecedented crisis." Wu Jianzhang advised.
"What the foreigners want is just trade benefits. They want mutual benefit. If we want to get benefits from them, we have to pay a certain price."
"I feel that expanding the army to attack the Huaihai Navy is the top priority now. Your Excellency, please think again."
Ye Mingchen fell into deep thought. Now he really needs money. With money, he can buy guns. With guns, a new army can be established quickly.
When the time comes, he will be the pillar that turns the tide of the country from collapse. Later generations of history will praise the famous ministers of the Qing Dynasty and the resurgence of the Qing Dynasty, so they may not be unable to have their own position.
Thinking of this, Ye Mingchen's blood surged up, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Just follow their proposal, but you have to negotiate the length of the concession and it cannot be too long."
Wu Jianzhang stood up and cupped his hands and said: "I will definitely handle this matter well."
ps: The content of the previous meeting was deliberately not expanded upon. As we all know, the previous preparation was to review the development process. This is the purpose.