The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 214: They are our own people. They are really our own people! (It’s the end of the month, please give me a monthly ticket)
Aren’t they here to occupy the British Concession in Shanghai?

Such an absurd yet reasonable idea suddenly emerged in Consul Aliguo's mind.

Now, five hundred elite Qing Dynasty infantrymen armed with live ammunition are standing downstairs of his consulate!

The consulate had only one platoon of guards, and the British soldiers in the entire British Concession only had the size of a company. Although the expatriates could be mobilized to organize one or two more companies, and the French Concession next door could also provide another company, these elite Qing infantrymen were already blocking the consulate's door.

They can rush in and arrest people at any time!

"Ladies and gentlemen"

While Consul Aliguo was daydreaming, he heard the very familiar "Oxford accent" English voice coming from outside the window.

It was a Qing official who was speaking, standing on a pile of boxes!

The people who listened to him were merchants, expatriates, and sailors from various countries who had come to watch the fun because of these hundreds of elite Qing soldiers. These people did not regard the elite Qing soldiers that suddenly appeared on the Bund as invading enemies.

Because at that time the Shanghai Concession was still under the "co-management" of the Qing government and the British Consulate. It was only because of the two Shanghai governors' constant concessions and even connivance that the British Concession and the French Concession became lawless places.

However, from a legal perspective, the sovereignty of the Shanghai Concession undoubtedly belonged to China, and the administrative power was equally divided between China and Britain and China and France, so the Qing soldiers had every right to enter the Shanghai Concession armed.

Of course, with the sudden influx of these 500 Qing troops, the British barracks in the British Concession must have begun emergency mobilization!

However, Luo Yaoguo did not plan to occupy the concession in one fell swoop today. It was not that he did not want to, but the time was not right.

"I am Luo Xueyan, the chief secretary of the Governor-General of Hunan, Lord Luo - a well-educated and responsible official of the Qing Dynasty!" Luo Yaoguo began to give a tempting speech to a group of adventurers who had gathered together in "Oxford accent" English that sounded very reliable!
"I came to the British Concession in Shanghai on the orders of the Governor-General to visit the British Consul Mr. Alcock and seek cooperation. The reason why I led a battalion of infantry into the concession was not because I was hostile to Britain, but because I brought 500,000 ounces of silver! This silver was used to purchase advanced weapons from Britain from Mr. Alcock to resist the Taiping Rebellion. They have now occupied half of Hunan Province and are rapidly advancing towards Jiangning Prefecture along the Yangtze River. 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.
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 the necessary arms, I will immediately leave Shanghai with the troops and arms unless I receive an order from the Governor-General to participate in the battle to defend Shanghai County.

In addition, the Governor General also ordered me to recruit some foreign retired soldiers who know how to use Western artillery in Shanghai, and they will be treated well! "

"Whoa Whoah"

As soon as Luo Yaoguo finished his speech, the foreign adventurers who were watching burst into applause, as if the person who was giving the speech was not an official of a feudal dynasty, but a British politician 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, "Is he really an official of the Qing Dynasty?"

“That doesn’t look like it!”

Aliguo immediately became alert: "Could he be an official of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could an official of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom speak Oxford English?"

Wu Jianzhang shook his head and pondered: "This official looks like one of your British officials! He is polite and speaks nice words. He probably has no good intentions! Could he be a Southeast Asian Chinese sent by Hong Kong Governor Bonham?"

Aliguo touched his chin and said, "Mr. Wu, please confirm their true identities first. If they are indeed the chief secretary sent by the Governor-General of Hunan, I will invite him to the consulate."

"Okay, I'll be there right away."

Wu Jianzhang, the governor of Susongtai and the supervisor of Jianghai Customs, was a dignified fourth-rank official, but now he acted like a subordinate of Aliguo. After receiving Aliguo's order, he went downstairs with his robe in hand. As soon as he walked out of the consulate, he saw a fifth-rank official walking out of the hollow square with a smile on his face. He clasped his fists and bowed to him and said, "Is this brother the governor of Shanghai, Mr. Wu? I am Wang Kuiyi of Hengzhou Prefecture in Hunan."

As he said this, he took out a note from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Jianzhang: "This is the note from Governor Luo of Hunan to the Jianghai Customs Office. Please take a look at it first." This tastes right!
Wu Jianzhang hurriedly clasped his fists in return, then took the note from Wang Kuiyi and took a closer look. It was indeed a note from the Hunan governor, with the governor's seal on it, so it should be correct.

"Sir Wang," Wu Jianzhang raised his hand and pointed at Luo Yaoguo, asking with a smile, "I wonder where this brother comes from?"

"He," Wang Kui said with a smile, "is from Guangdong, just like Lord Wu. His family is old friends with Lord Luo. He has lived with his family in Southeast Asia since he was a child and returned to China not long ago. Lord Luo wanted to organize a militia and didn't have any useful people around him, so he found him to be his advisor and gave him the position of deputy county magistrate."

"Oh," Wu Jianzhang laughed immediately, "So he came back from Nanyang. He's one of us!"

Luo Yaoguo also came down from the pile of silver boxes at this time, and came out of the square formation with Wu Ruxiao. Wu Ruxiao and Wu Jianzhang knew each other, and when they met, they bowed and said, "Shuangguan, do you still recognize me? I'm Ah Xiao!"

"Ah Xiao?" Wu Jianzhang was also meeting an old friend in a foreign land, so he quickly bowed and returned the greeting, "You are also an official?"

Wu Ruxiao shook his head: "I'm almost there. I'm here as the advisor to Master Zuo. Let me introduce this guy to you!" He pointed at Luo Yaoguo, "This brother Xueyan is the advisor to Master Luo. Like me, he's from Meizhou and is a descendant of Lord Fang!"

"You are the descendant of Lord Fang! No wonder. I am so sorry, so sorry!"

When Wu Jianzhang heard that Luo Yaoguo was "Fang Bogong", his attitude immediately became respectful.

"Fang Bogong" is a remarkable figure in the overseas Chinese circle in Southeast Asia. He is the founder of the Lan Fang Republic in Borneo!
"Ah Xue," Wu Ruxiao pointed at Wu Jianzhang and introduced him to Luo Yaoguo, "This is Shuang Guan from the famous Tong Shun Hang! Tong Shun Hang is also one of the Thirteen Hongs, and was built by Shuang Guan from scratch. He is also one of the seven major shareholders of Qi Chang Foreign Company. How amazing!"

I actually met Wu Jianzhang! Luo Yaoguo thought: "This guy is the 'behind-the-scenes hero' of the Xiaodaohui uprising! This guy is a first-class businessman, but he is a bit of an amateur when it comes to organizing militias. Because he doesn't trust Shanghai people, the militias he organized in Shanghai did not have the participation of Shanghai landlords and gentry. They were all Cantonese and Minnan people. However, gentry or farmers from Guangdong and Fujian would never come to Shanghai. Those who came to Shanghai to make a living were basically brothers of the Tiandihui, and the Xiaodaohui was a branch of the Tiandihui.

Even his own personal soldiers were brothers of the Small Sword Society, so he was arrested by his own guards after the Small Sword Society uprising began. "

Thinking of this, Luo Yaoguo hurriedly bowed respectfully: "So you are the official from Tongshun Bank. I have heard of you for a long time! You are a role model for Guangdong businessmen of my generation!"

Wu Jianzhang laughed: "I just made my fortune by selling chickens, how can I compare with your family. By the way, I will introduce you to Mr. Aliguo."

By this time, A Liguo had come down from upstairs and was standing inside the consulate. Although he could not understand the Cantonese spoken by Wu Jianzhang, Wu Ruxiao, and Luo Yaoguo, seeing how friendly the three of them were, he knew that the person who came was indeed sent by the "Governor-General of Hunan".

We have to treat him well and ask him about the "devil" at the same time.

So when he saw Wu Jianzhang turning around to go in, he smiled and walked out of the consulate.
Wu Jianzhang smiled and said to Aliguo in English: "Mr. Consul, they are all our own people. We can definitely trust them!"

Great! Aliguo breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he was one of our own.

Wu Jianzhang suddenly remembered the "devil problem" and turned to ask Luo Yaoguo: "Brother, have you heard about any demon that fell from the sky in Hunan?"

"A demon descending from the sky?" Luo Yaoguo was stunned, as if he remembered something, "Is it a bull demon king riding a bicycle?"

Wu Jianzhang nodded: "Yes, have you seen it?"

“I haven’t seen it myself, but I’ve heard some interesting things.”

(End of this chapter)