The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 602 Reaching an Agreement
Arsenio Campos really hates negotiating with people like Chen Zhengwei.

This is naked robbery by Chen Zhengwei, and he is too tough. He always starts fighting when he opens his mouth or closes his mouth. Force is always his most direct means of solving problems.

But he couldn't agree to everything. If he just handed over half of Cuba's plantation to Chen Zhengwei, local politicians would definitely criticize him.

This incident will become a huge stain on my qualifications.

"I can give you those plantations, sugar mills and cigar factories, but we must each take a step back." Arsenio Campos managed to regain his composure.

"Tell me about it!" Chen Zhengwei took out a cigar and lit it.

"I can sell you 10% of the plantations at % of the price. I have to give an explanation to the local people."

"Most of the remaining plantations, you have to hold them through other people, such as the heirs of those families!" said Arsenio Campos.

This way there won’t be any problems to be found in the country.

"My people fought to death, and now I have to give you money? Who will compensate for my losses?" Chen Zhengwei's eyebrows raised.

Arsenio Campos felt angry, and no one wanted Chen Zhengwei to be beaten to death.

Everything Chen Zhengwei did was clearly robbery, without a doubt, and he felt justified in doing so.

"I can give you a temporary duty-free permit, just for certain goods! Like rum and honey, and imported textiles!"

This will have the smallest impact on tax revenue and will only cause a short-term fluctuation, which will be difficult to detect on the local side.

"That's more like it!" Chen Zhengwei thought about it and agreed to it.

"It shouldn't be a problem if the heirs are Chinese!" Chen Zhengwei said casually, using the same method he had used in the United States before.

Just find someone to pretend to be the heir.

With the cooperation of the Governor's Office, it can be easily accomplished.

"They have to have a Spanish name!" corrected Arsenio Campos.

"No problem!" Chen Zhengwei laughed, and his attitude became visibly friendlier.

"It looks like we can reach an agreement!"

Once the main goal is achieved, other things will be much easier to discuss.

For example, Chen Zhengwei cannot sell weapons and food to local rebels, and some ports in Cuba allow Chen Zhengwei's ships to dock and be repaired.

In fact, the Governor's Office also gained some benefits this time, at least on the surface.

The Viceroyalty gained greater control over Cuba, especially in the Midwest.

Next, Arsenio Campos can arrange officials to fill the vacant positions in the center and west.

Moreover, with Chen Zhengwei in the Midwest, he can attract the hatred of local families and rebels, and Spain can continue to reduce some of its troops in the local area.

This was also the reason why Arsenio Campos tacitly allowed Chen Zhengwei to take action against those Cuban families.

But instead of a pack of wolves, a tiger came in.

However, when Chen Zhengwei made the decision, he did not have a fleet.

If it weren't for those fleets, Arsenio Campos could cut off the port transportation at any time, and by then Chen Zhengwei would be powerless even if he had the strength.

In addition, in theory, Chen Zhengwei would try his best to maintain Cuba under Spanish rule. After all, only when the situation here is stable can he make money here.

There is not much benefit for him to participate in politics here.

His influence is mainly in the United States.

But this is just theory.

Chen Zhengwei stayed in Havana for two days and signed an agreement with the Spanish Governor, but it was only a verbal agreement.

There is no chance that this agreement will see the light of day.

Even Arsenio Campos would not admit to having met Chen Zhengwei.

Two days later, Chen Zhengwei boarded a ship and left Havana with a six-month temporary tax-free permit, and returned to Jivara, a small town on the north coast of eastern Panama, a day later.

"Brother Wei, how was the talk?" Aaron and Da Poland brought a group of people to the dock to greet Chen Zhengwei.

"How can they not agree?" Chen Zhengwei said.

"That's right. How could the Spanish Governor not give face to Brother Wei when he goes to discuss business?" Aaron said with a smile.

"What's the point of him giving us face or not? What's important is that we have people with guns and warships. If they don't agree, we'll start fighting!" Chen Zhengwei snorted coldly.

"I don't care. At worst, I can just fight and go back to the United States. Can the Spanish afford to fight?"

"The supply ship hasn't returned yet?" Chen Zhengwei looked at the empty dock and asked.

"We have already set off from Galveston and are expected to arrive the day after tomorrow!" Great Poland said immediately.

"Telegram Juan to come over."

……

At the same time, in Santiago, a manor of the Betancourt family was heavily guarded, with soldiers with guns everywhere, looking around vigilantly.

Inside the manor, more than twenty people were sitting around a long table. Each of them was well-dressed and had a gloomy face. The whole room was filled with a depressing atmosphere.

Only a few of these people were members of the Betancourt family; the rest had come from other parts of Cuba.

Carmen Betancourt stood at the end of the table and said loudly:

"Everyone, we all know the current situation."

"That American brutally killed our relatives, brothers, friends and subordinates!"

Carmen Betancourt walked behind the crowd, put her hands on the backs of each chair, and said in a deep voice: "Vidal, Lopez, Almeida, Ruiz, Zapata, Alvarez, Casanova..."

"Each of these names is well-known in Cuba, but now all the members of these families are dead! Not a single one is left!"

“And most of the family members of everyone here also died at the hands of that American.”

"Mr. Morel... I met your father three months ago!" Carmen Betancourt said, standing behind a young man's chair. "He is in good health and has a loud voice. I think he can live another fifty years."

"Ms. Bavia, I know your brother and we used to have a lot of fun chatting and laughing!" Carmen Betancourt stood behind a woman with a tough face and dressed in men's clothes.

"And yet... these good people, who shouldn't have died, are now dead!"

Carmen Betancourt's voice was filled with sadness and suppressed anger.

"The Spanish government has done nothing about it, and we fully believe that the Spanish government is involved in this matter."

"We must do something to make them pay with blood. Otherwise, there is only one outcome waiting for all of us here!"

"die!"

“They will never stop here and will continue to target us and kill every one of us.”

"Whether it's for revenge or for self-protection, we must unite and fight back!"

With every word Carmen Betancourt said, everyone's expressions changed.

These people are the survivors of the attack.

This time, more than twenty-six families were attacked, and more than half of them had no survivors.

Most of the family members of those present here died, and only a few people escaped the attack and survived for various reasons.

So there is a fire burning in everyone's heart, and the flame of anger will burn their enemies to ashes, or burn themselves to ashes.

"There is no doubt about this! We must make them pay with blood! Even if it means spending the rest of my life on it!" The woman called Bavia spoke directly, her voice full of coldness. Although she was a woman, she was more determined than many men.

"We must not let the blood of our loved ones be shed in vain!"

Soon, these people came to a consensus.

revenge.

The only question is how to take revenge!

Everyone has their own ideas on this.

Some people wanted everyone to gather their forces and launch an attack on the Americans.

But someone immediately refuted: "In Cuba, we are familiar with the terrain, and every Cuban is our companion. What we should do most is to fight guerrilla warfare with them like we did before."

Some people even made some bizarre suggestions, such as attacking the United States.

Everyone present was arguing endlessly on this point.

Watching the debate among the crowd, Carmen Betancourt felt a little helpless. If the main figures of these families were all present, it would be easier to reach a consensus.

After all, during the ten years of war, some people had great influence and status, making others very convinced of them.

For example, Federico Betancourt.

However, these important figures, who were also the main targets of Chen Zhengwei's men before, all died.

Most of the remaining people are marginal figures in each family, or playboys. They have little ability at all and are arrogant. They don't want to obey the orders of others, nor do they agree with others.

Even Miss Bavia, many people had heard of her name, but she was unable to convince the public.

And he himself can't.

Another very important point here is how much resources each of these families can provide.

The more people contribute, the more money is contributed.

……

"Mr. Chen!" The first thing Juan did after getting off the boat was to visit Chen Zhengwei.

"How many Chinese have gone to your place?" After the two sat down, Chen Zhengwei went straight to the point and asked.

"So far, there are more than 5,000 people!" Juan had prepared the data long ago.

"That's probably all!" Chen Zhengwei nodded.

So much time has passed, and the laborers rescued by Chen Zhengwei's men had already escaped if they could, and had already arrived if they could.

The others had no idea, and either they were unable to escape, or they were caught.

As a result, there are still about 40,000 Chinese workers in Cuba.

However, Chen Zhengwei doesn't care too much about this. He will take over another batch of plantations next.

Then just go find those plantations that support the Spanish governor and ask for people.

I believe they will definitely give me face this time.

As for the rest, he couldn’t care less and could only say that they were unlucky.

"I have already talked to the governor!" Chen Zhengwei changed the subject. Juan perked up when he heard that and looked like he was ready to listen.

"Those plantations, sugar mills, and cigarette factories are all ours! But 10% of them must be purchased at % of the market price, and he must give an explanation to the locals. You pay for this."

Seeing Chen Zhengwei stop talking, Juan realized what Chen Zhengwei had not said and began to get excited.

"The remaining ones...the remaining ones..." Juan said subconsciously.

"I'll arrange some heirs to inherit those properties later!"

"According to what we agreed before, I'll take 70% and you'll take 30%!" said Chen Zhengwei.

Although Juan gained a lot, Chen Zhengwei did not intend to tear up the agreement.

After all, he always wants people to see that working for him can make you rich.

And Juan also did a lot of things, especially finding out the situation of those families. If it weren't for Juan, he wouldn't be able to do it on his own, and it wouldn't be so smooth.

And it was Juan who first persuaded the Spanish Governor.

When Juan heard this, he was delighted. In fact, due to Chen Zhengwei's previous actions, his cigar business suffered a great loss.

But it's all worth it.

"Before that, there is still a battle to be fought! We can call it a day after the battle. You can ask someone to prepare first." Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

"Mr. Chen will definitely win the first battle! When it comes to war, no one can compare to Mr. Chen. Not even Napoleon!" Juan complimented.

"Of course!" Chen Zhengwei nodded, there was no doubt about it.

Napoleon would be kicked twice if he stood in front of him.

"Mr. Chen, there is one more thing I need to report to you!"

"Say!"

"Antonio Maceo came to me! He is called the Bronze Giant of Cuba! He is a very famous figure in the independence army." Juan then explained about this person.

Now only in his thirties, he was once famous for his bravery and fighting skills in the War of Independence and was highly respected.

It was just that those families compromised with the Spanish governor and ended the war.

And Cuba failed to gain independence, which made him very dissatisfied and he parted ways with those families.

"This time, Mr. Chen's men killed a lot of people from the independent organization, and he couldn't sit still. After all, many of those who died were his former comrades or subordinates."

"But I have convinced him. I told him that Mr. Chen can help him with what he is looking for."

"I think this person should be useful to Mr. Chen!"

"Although he hasn't replied to me yet, it's clear that he's already moved."

"Bronze Giant? Then should I be called Diamond Giant?" Chen Zhengwei sneered. This nickname is really unfashionable.

"This person can indeed be used. If he contacts you, bring him to see me. Remember, you want him in person!" said Chen Zhengwei.

Although he promised the Spanish governor that he would not sell food and weapons to the Cuban rebels, he clearly did not intend to keep his word.

And at worst, we can just prepare a warehouse for them to rob.

Let these independence armies continue to cause trouble for the Spaniards, consume their energy and resources, and bleed Spain.

This will save us a lot of trouble when we go to war with Spain in the future.

As for whether Cuba is independent, Chen Zhengwei actually doesn't care.

Even if Cuba becomes independent, it is actually easier to manipulate politicians to gain benefits.

Most importantly, Chen Zhengwei had his eyes on Spain’s colonies in Asia.

the Philippines.

So we must continue to bleed Spain.

(End of this chapter)