The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 651 Decay
In the morning, a passenger ship slowly sailed into the Shanghai port.

Many students in gentlemen's clothes stood on the deck, looking out at the crowd at the dock.

Familiar braids, familiar jackets, strange yet familiar faces, but there is always a strange smell in the air.

"Finally back!" someone exclaimed, feeling both anticipation and anxiety.

They left home to study in the United States when they were twelve or thirteen years old, and now seven or eight years have passed before they return.

However, he did not get a degree there, but was recalled with an order. He traveled on the sea and among various countries for several months before returning to his homeland. He didn't know whether his accent had changed.

Everyone's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

After everyone got off the boat, local officials were waiting for them. They first asked about Wu Jiashan and then asked someone to take Wu Jiashan's ashes away.

During the whole process, these young Chinese students in the United States looked around curiously, as well as the surrounding navy and some wheelbarrows. They couldn't help but whisper to each other why the officials came to pick them up and brought the wheelbarrows with them.

But they soon found out.

The official in charge of the crowd said directly: "You"

Then he told everyone: "The court has not yet made any arrangements for you, so you should go to the Gezhi Academy and wait."

"You wait and get in the car first."

"Where is the car?" Everyone was even more surprised. They didn't expect that the official glanced at the wheelbarrow next to him.

"Everyone, please!"

These young children studying in the United States were suddenly dumbfounded and their faces turned red.

Unexpectedly, after being recalled, they were asked to ride on this uncovered wheelbarrow used to transport goods when they set foot on their homeland.

"Sir, we can go there on our own!" Ouyang Geng said immediately.

"It's a long journey, you'd better get in the car! Are you used to riding in foreigners' cars and not used to riding in the Qing Dynasty's cars?" the official asked back with some displeasure in his eyes.

These young children studying in the United States had no choice but to get on the bus and be pushed to the Gezhi Academy.

Along the way, everyone was looking at them with curiosity and ridicule, as if they were animals. They all looked embarrassed and felt awkward.

Especially the navy around them escorted them like prisoners.

"These people are afraid that we will escape!"

"Since we are back, why would we run away?"

Everyone looked around, full of complaints. They had no intention of appreciating the surrounding scenery and were so embarrassed that they almost didn't want to look up.

I set foot on my homeland full of anticipation and trepidation, but was poured a bucket of cold water as soon as I got off the boat.

The group was then sent to Gezhi Academy, only to discover that it had been closed for a long time. The ground was covered with dust, and a musty smell filled the air as soon as they stepped in.

Upon asking, I found out that this place has been closed for ten years.

Then the group cleaned the academy and locked everyone inside. Except for the daily delivery of meals, no one was allowed to go out.

Within two days, Huang Kaijia found a way to get a declaration from the person who delivered the food.

As a result, after opening it and taking a look, his face changed.

When the others saw Huang Kaijia's expression, they came over to look, and someone read word by word:
"The country spared no expense in sending apprentices abroad, but they did not know how to behave themselves after going abroad. The first batch of Chinese who went abroad did not include the sons of noble families or wealthy merchants. Most of those who responded to the call were children of poor families, and their character was very mixed. How could such people be qualified to talk about Western learning, naval warfare, and other matters..."

boom!
A young man nearby punched the tree in the academy.

"We left our families at a young age with a sincere heart to serve our country. We suffered so much contempt and endured so much hardship in the United States! And what was it all for?"

"If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed in the United States."

"What a progressive policy! Is the Qing Dynasty so progressive?"

"It's all bureaucratic from top to bottom, and full of corruption!"

"Even the public has criticized us!"

During the past two days, they were locked up like prisoners in this run-down, moldy academy, which was freezing cold at night, and there were also reports criticizing them.

Not to mention those students who were already dissatisfied with the recall, even the children of officials like Ouyang Geng and Huang Kaijia were filled with indignation at this time.

Seeing the big picture from the small, I feel that the Qing Dynasty was corrupt and backward.

Many people felt that the Qing Dynasty had reached the point where it had to be reformed, and that everyone from top to bottom had to open their eyes and see the world.

Today, all countries are developing vigorously and are full of vitality.

But the Qing Dynasty was lifeless.

A few days later, officials from the Zongli Yamen met with them again:
"The court has already arranged for you to be placed. You have all learned new skills outside, but they may not be suitable for the conditions of our Qing Dynasty. Next, you will be placed in various places to study or work. You still need to work hard."

Afterwards, everyone was arranged to their respective places. Some of them were sent to the Telegraph Bureau to learn telegraphy, some stayed in the Shanghai Machinery Bureau, some went to the Fuzhou Shipyard to learn driving, and some were sent to the Tianjin Navy, Machinery, Telegraph, and Torpedo Bureau to work.

People like Ouyang Geng and Zhan Tianyou, who were among the top students, especially Zhan Tianyou who personally participated in the San Francisco-Los Angeles Railway, were sent to the not-so-good Fuzhou Shipyard to learn how to drive ships.

When the result came out, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Ouyang Geng was so angry that he directly accused the imperial court of being corrupt, without caring at all about what these students had learned outside.

Without thorough reform, how can we govern millions of people?

After all, children of officials like Ouyang Geng and Huang Kaijia were educated in the United States and were "outliers" in their thinking.

After everyone returned to the academy, they gathered in groups of three or five to discuss in low voices.

"I plan to go to Guangzhou as soon as I get the chance. I have worked so hard to get into university, and I must complete my studies, otherwise all these years will be wasted!" Huang Kaijia came out of the toilet and heard the words not far away, and passed by with an expressionless face.

I sighed inwardly.

He recognized the owner of the voice just now.

Tang Shaoyi.

In fact, when they came back, everyone on the ship had not yet decided where to go, and many people were still planning to stay in the Qing Dynasty.

After all, I have seen and learned a lot abroad. Even if I haven't completed my studies, I can always do something to bring some changes to this country.

But the experiences of these days have made them fully realize that the Qing Dynasty is now completely corrupt from top to bottom.

The Qing Dynasty did not attach much importance to them. From the court to the people, everyone was full of opinions about them, so they were disbanded and sent to various places to study again.

In this case, how could everyone's mind not change? Not to mention them, even my mind was shaken.

89 people returned this time. I don’t know how many will stay and how many will go to the United States again.

……

In San Francisco, Lin Wenqing walked into the casino and came to the second floor. His henchman knocked on the door and said, "Brother Xiucai, Wenqing is here!"

"Let him in."

When Lin Wenqing entered the room, he saw Xiucai sitting behind the desk. Besides Xiucai, there was another man who looked familiar and seemed to be someone close to Chen Zhengwei.

"Brother Xiucai."

"Wenqing is here! Let me introduce you, this is Alai, the one who works for Brother Wei." Xiucai said with a smile.

"Brother Alai!" Lim Boon Keng clasped his fists quickly. In fact, he was not used to this rough and tumble way of addressing people here.

But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you are too polite, you will be excluding yourself.

"I came here for something this time!" the scholar continued.

"Brother Wei bought 5 square kilometers of land in Oregon!"

Lin Wenqing couldn't hold back his words. "Brother Xiucai, how much?"

"5 square kilometers! 1235 million acres!" Xiucai smiled. They didn't expect Chen Zhengwei to have such a big appetite at first, and the deal was reached smoothly.

"Hiss..." Lin Wenqing silently calculated in his mind, but couldn't figure out how big it was.

However, Singapore is only over 700 square kilometers.

The land that Brother Wei bought is probably much larger than the Malay state.

“Where?” Lim Boon Keng asked again.

"I told you but you didn't listen... I just told you that Oregon is just to our north, bordering California. We can buy some more land in California and connect them to one another."

"Brother Xiucai, who are you looking for?"

"Next, you just follow Alai and give him a hand! That should be okay, right?"

“No problem!” Lin Wenqing knew that this matter was important and a look of joy appeared on his face.

"But what is Brother Wei going to do with so much land? Farm?" Lim Boon Keng asked again.

"Plant trees and cut trees, and these lands will be sold to Chinese in the United States in the future. After all, everyone likes to be the local landlord!" The scholar laughed.

Then he slowly began to explain to Lim Boon Keng that such a large area was indeed appalling, especially concentrated in one state, so he needed to use several means to obtain the land in batches.

The first step is to set up several companies and bid for some of the large land auctions in Oregon.

Oregon will then establish several special economic zones, lease the land to Chen Zhengwei at a low price, and then resell it.

At the same time, Rong Jiacai would set up a railway company and cooperate with the Pacific Railway Company to build two railways in Oregon, and use the Railway Land Grant Act to acquire another batch of land.

Finally, after the federal government implemented the supplementary regulations of the Homestead Act, it arranged for 10,000 to 20,000 people to purchase some land separately.

Apart from the railway company, all other matters had to be handled by Alai and Lim Boon Keng and their people, including dealing with officials and wealthy businessmen in Oregon.

After explaining for an entire afternoon, Rong Jiacai finally said:

"I know a little about the situation in Nanyang. But you've been here for so long, you know that America is different from Nanyang. Go out and do things boldly. You have San Francisco behind you, and no one dares to do anything to you. We can solve any problems through various means!"

Rong Jiacai knew that the Chinese in Southeast Asia were used to being cautious over there, so he gave a reminder.

“I understand, Brother Xiucai!” Lin Wenqing said immediately.

It was not until the evening that Lim Boon Keng returned home.

At this time, Lin Fuyuan and others were also preparing to return to Singapore in the next few days.

"Why are you back so late?"

"There is something to do! Mr. Chen has done a big thing this time." Lim Boon Keng is still excited.

"Tell me about it!" Lin Fuyuan and Lim Boon Keng's brothers immediately became interested.

This matter was not a confidential matter, so Lim Boon Keng told the story.

Lin Fuyuan and several other important members of the Lin family were shocked when they heard the figure of 50,000 square kilometers, or more than 10 million acres.

It took me a while to figure out how big this piece of land was.

After all, when numbers are too big, they are just numbers.

"Such a large piece of land is enough to build a country!" Lin Fuyuan said with a sigh.

I increasingly feel that coming to San Francisco is a good choice, as it is full of opportunities.

And with Chen Zhengwei's support, he no longer has to be as restrained in what he does as before.

Chen Zhengwei eats meat, and those families who rely on Chen Zhengwei can also get a share of the spoils. It shouldn't be difficult for them to buy at least dozens of square kilometers of land in the future, which can be passed down to the next generation.

No matter what the Chinese do, they have a deep obsession with the land.

Two days later, Rong Jiacai sent a telegram to Chen Zhengwei.

It was a telegram sent back by George Fulton Seward, the Chinese Minister to the Qing Dynasty.

The whole story is about how, through his unremitting efforts, he finally forced the Qing Dynasty to agree to release the person, and he has already set out for Guangzhou to pick him up.

He was tried and released on the spot.

The main point is to show that if something goes wrong later, it won’t be because he didn’t work hard.

"This guy finally did something! Otherwise, he would never come back in this life and find a new wife in the Qing Dynasty to give birth to a son for him!" Chen Zhengwei sneered and threw the telegram aside.

The other party had a wife and two sons in the United States - they almost died.

A few days later, Chen Zhengwei received another telegram.

Rong Jiacai came in person this time.

As soon as I entered the yard, I saw Qiao Niang dancing with daggers. The pair of daggers in her hands flashed with cold light.

After being beaten up by Chen Zhengwei last time, Qiao Niang has been much more obedient recently and even practiced martial arts more diligently.

Of course, there will still be a small fight every three days and a big fight every five days.

I don’t know why she always falls into Lin Changning’s hands so accurately.

"Qiao Niang's sword dance is very good and heroic, quite like Brother Wei's style!" Rong Jiacai said with a smile.

Qiao Niang was immediately delighted.

Rong Jiacai then walked over to him and said, "Brother Wei, this is from Randolph Churchill. He invites you to visit England!"

"What am I going to do in the UK?" Chen Zhengwei said nonchalantly.

"I guess it's still about penicillin. He also wants to ask if you are interested in a British title." Rong Jiacai said.

Americans care a lot about aristocratic status, and having a noble status makes them feel superior to others.

So he came over to ask Chen Zhengwei if he was interested in this.

Now the demand for penicillin in various countries is huge, while the production is limited. Almost every country wants to increase its share, and Chen Zhengwei has received more than one or two invitations.

Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy and even Spain wanted to invite Chen Zhengwei to visit and increase their market share by discussing cooperation.

It is best to be able to act as a production agent.

"A knighthood? So great? Who gave me the knighthood? The British? Does he deserve it?" Chen Zhengwei asked a series of rhetorical questions with a sarcastic smile on his face: "Do the British really think that God is the boss and he is second only to God?"

"God is the boss, and I am the second!"

Chen Zhengwei felt that he was still keeping a low profile.

At least he gave up his position as the boss.

"Brother Wei is so imposing!"

"Then I will reject him?" Rong Jiacai said.

"Refuse it in two days, and also tell him that I may go to the UK in the second half of the year!" Chen Zhengwei thought for a while and said.

While waiting for the fleet to return from Peru, he would first go to Qing Dynasty and Southeast Asia, then make a circle back and visit various European countries.

The main thing is to give them an opportunity to get to know themselves and expand their influence.

If we are only limited to the United States and not using facial recognition in Europe, how can we expand our influence in the world?
(End of this chapter)