The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 680 Arrival in Guangzhou
Chen Zhengwei thought about it for a long time but couldn't think of a suitable candidate, but there was no rush.

After all, it takes some time to find the murderer.

It's not impossible to delay it for a month or two. This matter is like a bomb in my hands.

It depends on who you want to bomb and when you want to bomb them.

In fact, this bomb is not that easy to use. After all, any discerning person can see that it is definitely not suitable for use against Britain and Spain, and the timing is not right.

Even dealing with some big capitalists in the United States will have consequences.

Instead of using it to deal with them, you might as well say that you were in a bad mood when you got up and brushed your teeth today and wanted to kick them a few times.

If it doesn't work, just throw the blame on Colombia and swallow Colombia.

The most urgent task now is to keep James Garfield.

Putting this matter aside, after finishing his meal, Chen Zhengwei said excitedly: "I suddenly realized that I have good relationships with people."

"I just thought about it for a long time, and I don't have any enemies in the United States."

"Oh, yes, yes!" Lin Changning answered perfunctorily while picking up a piece of food for him with chopsticks.

Don’t you have any enemies?
"Mr. Wei is a good man!" Wan Yun said softly.

Chen Zhengwei felt that Wanyun’s way of speaking was more likable.

……

Guangzhou.

"Are those Americans still at sea?" Zhang Shusheng asked softly.

"Yes, they are not leaving, and they haven't submitted a request for supplies. I don't know what they are going to do. And the American minister is also in the Guangzhou Consulate... It seems that they are waiting for someone, and this person is not of low status."

The five warships of the US Pacific Squadron have been in the sea not far from Guangzhou in recent days, and can even be seen if you stand higher.

"A big trouble is waiting for you!" Zhang Shu said in a deep voice.

"Sir, what's the trouble?" The person who spoke to Zhang Shusheng was Zhang Shusheng's most important aide, He Sikun, who had followed Zhang Shusheng for nearly twenty years and participated in all military and political affairs.

Zhang Shusheng was also very open with him and would consult him on all important military, political, and diplomatic matters.

"Look!" Zhang Shusheng threw out a newspaper.

The above is exactly the New Black Ship Incident and Chen Zhengwei's lease of Ryukyu.

Ryukyu had been occupied by Japan for many years, and the Nanjing Zongli Yamen had negotiated with the Japanese side many times, but no conclusion had been reached.

Instead, it was the Chinese in the United States who defeated Japan and then forcibly leased Ryukyu.

This news was only recently reported back to the Qing Dynasty, causing quite a stir in Shanghai and Nanjing.

At this time, scholars and businessmen in Shanghai, Nanjing and other places realized that there was a group of Chinese workers in the United States, and that they were quite powerful.

Then they started to inquire and the news they received surprised them.

I didn’t expect that Chen Zhengwei is so famous in the United States and even has a certain influence internationally.

In fact, businessmen like Hu Xueyan, who often dealt with foreign businessmen, had long heard of Chen Zhengwei, but they did not know much about his specific situation.

Now that Japan's national strength was growing, Chen Zhengwei, as a businessman, went directly to Tokyo, Japan, forcing Japan to sign the Japan-US Treaty of Amity and lease Ryukyu.

When this news came back, many people were shocked.

Many people suspect that Chen Zhengwei is just a superficial figure, and there may be someone else behind the scenes, an American.

Therefore, Chen Zhengwei has caused some controversy in Shanghai, Nanjing and other places.

Now this newspaper has also spread to Guangzhou.

He Sikun took the newspaper and read it carefully, then said, "It is indeed a big trouble."

"I have learned about this person in detail. He is now very influential in the United States and is a leader of overseas Chinese. Even the Chinese in Southeast Asia know him."

"In addition, this person has influence in many countries and has powerful ships and cannons, so he is very difficult to deal with."

"Especially since this person is both a Qing citizen and an American, and now he is coming here with his power..."

"Fortunately, the imperial envoy has returned to the capital, otherwise it would be even more troublesome. Now it depends on what you think..."

Zhang Shusheng asked back, "You said he came all the way here, why?"

"First, it's a demonstration, and second, it's about the Chinese workers going overseas!" He Sikun said decisively.

"That's right!" Zhang Shusheng thought for a moment and told the truth:
"I am now nearly 70 years old and often feel unwell. How many more years can I stay in this position? What will happen to the Zhang family after I am gone?"

"Then Your Excellency cannot see him!" He Sikun said firmly.

"I'm afraid it's not easy to avoid seeing him! Can our Guangdong Navy stop him?" Zhang Shusheng said in a deep voice.

"Can't stop it!" said He Sikun.

Today, the main forces of the Guangdong Navy are the Chengqing (displacement 1209 tons) and the Pacification (displacement 439 tons) ordered from France, the Anlan (displacement 439 tons) ordered from the United Kingdom, and the Zhentao (displacement 439 tons). The others are small ships, totaling about 40 ships, with a combined displacement of only 1 tons.

The displacement of the Warrior in Chen Zhengwei's command is more than 9000 tons. Together with the San Francisco and Los Angeles, the combined displacement of these three main battleships exceeds 1 tons.

Moreover, they were all steam-powered ironclad ships. Even if they just stayed there motionless, the Guangdong Navy could not attack them.

"That's right. You've heard about this man's character. Even if I don't let him go ashore, what if he forces his way in?"

"The Guangdong Navy is not strong enough. If the enemy forces their way in, they will surely be defeated. He also has American identity. If he starts a war lightly, he will inevitably fail diplomatically. Does he have to sign another Sino-US peace treaty?
"If I lose this battle, I will become a sinner!"

Zhang Shusheng was also in a dilemma. If the other party was a foreigner, it would be easier to deal with.

But Chen Zhengwei was a member of the Qing Dynasty, but was still disliked by the imperial court.

And he was an American, with strong ships and powerful guns... He couldn't meet him, and he couldn't refuse to meet him.

What's more, with foreign powers eyeing him covetously, he didn't want to destroy the Guangdong Navy's assets here.

"Since he did not inform us in advance, Your Excellency should just pretend that you don't know about this and inspect Guangxi." He Sikun said.

"This is the only way!" Zhang Shusheng sighed.

What He Sikun said was also his idea.

Since it’s not right to see him, and it’s not right not to see him, it’s better to stay away from him.

The next day, Zhang Shusheng only informed Guangdong Governor Zhang Zhaodong and Guangdong Navy Admiral Li Jun, and then took his men to inspect Guangxi directly.

……

Two days after Zhang Shusheng left.

On the morning of July 7, five ships of the US Pacific Fleet were cruising at sea.

"Here they come!" the sailor on the lookout shouted below.

"Here comes a fleet! Flying our flag!"

The sailors on the ship immediately rushed to the deck, chatting and laughing while looking into the distance.

As time went by, we gradually saw several small dots approaching on the sea.

And those little dots are getting bigger and bigger.

Vice Admiral Xue Feier held a telescope and looked at the fleet in the distance. After a while, he said angrily: "I think they are the Pacific Squadron!"

"What the hell! I bet they don't even need to fire their guns, they can just ram and sink us."

Compared to the approaching fleet, the Pacific Squadron's ships were not small dinghies, but they were not much better. As the fleet got closer, the fleet's steel hulls and ferocious artillery all exuded a cold aura, bringing great pressure to people.

The navy soldiers who were waving and whistling gradually fell silent.

"Shit, is that a Chinese ship?" a soldier said with a frown.

"No, it's our ship!" said another navy.

"Those ships should be given to us! We are the Pacific Squadron! I don't know what those gentlemen in Congress are doing!" Another soldier cursed.

"Well, don't be so depressed, boys, at least there is some good news. They fought a war in Japan, and we will definitely receive the warmest welcome next time we go to Japan!" The boatswain on the ship patted the shoulders of others and said loudly.

When the fleet approached, Xue Feier asked the flag bearer to signal with a flag. A moment later, he took his men off the ship and took a small boat to the passenger ship in the middle.

Along the way, he was still looking at other steel behemoths, and the envy in his heart was almost overflowing from his mouth.

Once on the deck of the passenger ship, you can see Chinese sailors everywhere.

A young man in trousers, a shirt and short hair came up to him.

"I am Xue Feier, commander of the Pacific Squadron!" Xue Feier said.

"Mr. Chen is waiting for you!" Li Xiwen said with a smile, and then took Xue Feier and several naval generals behind him to the cabin.

The group walked on the thick carpet, looked around, and followed Li Xiwen to the lounge, where Chen Zhengwei was standing looking at the paintings on the wall.

"Senior Brother, people are coming!" Li Xiwen reminded.

Chen Zhengwei turned his head and saw the epaulettes and badges on Xue Feier, and a rapier at his waist.

"Nice meeting you, Mr. Chen!" Xue Feier said.

"How about these two paintings?" asked Chen Zhengwei.

"Sorry, I don't understand art!" Xue Feier said with some apology. If it was an oil painting, he could appreciate it a little, but he really couldn't understand these two paintings.

"As a member of the upper class, appreciating art is a basic skill!" Chen Zhengwei smiled, then changed the subject: "I don't understand these two paintings either."

"But I stole this from the Japanese Imperial Palace. They hung it there so solemnly, so I think it must be a good thing!"

"Please sit down!" Chen Zhengwei gestured with his hand, then sat down and took out the cigar box under the table and threw it over.

"Try it. It's made in my plantation in Cuba and my cigar factory. You can't buy it outside."

"Thank you!" Xue Feier was not polite.

That’s what Chen Zhengwei likes about him.

Before meeting him, Chen Zhengwei knew that Xue Feier was an expansionist who had been trying to open up markets in various parts of East Asia.

This only shows one thing, that many capitalists convinced him.

Chen Zhengwei likes this kind of soldiers who cooperate with capitalists.

"I heard that you wanted to open up the North Korean market before... but failed. But there's no problem this time. You can go to Japan first in a few days and then go to North Korea!" Chen Zhengwei started the conversation.

"This is all thanks to Mr. Chen!" Xue Feier's attitude was very respectful.

"Of course! But what happens in North Korea later depends on you." Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

"Mr. Chen, is there anything you need my cooperation with this time?" Xue Feier asked.

"Just give them a little pressure! To boost their momentum!" Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

He came to Guangzhou to demonstrate and do some small things by the way.

Since it's a demonstration, the louder the better.

Knowing that he was just there to keep things going, Xue Feier relaxed and chatted with Chen Zhengwei with some respect.

Chen Zhengwei also casually talked about the situation of the Pacific Squadron.

The Pacific Squadron now has a total of six ships, including two light cruisers, two ironclad ships, and two gunboats.

These ships were all made of wood and had a displacement of one to two thousand tons.

The two ironclad ships also had wooden structures with iron sheets on the outside.

It is at least 20 years behind today's mainstream warships.

"This strength is a bit weak. If there is a chance, I will ask someone to propose a bill to Congress to allocate funds to the Pacific Fleet to build two new ships." Chen Zhengwei said. For him, the strength of the Pacific Squadron should be strengthened.

This will come in handy when we fight with Spain.

"Thank you, Mr. Chen!" Xue Feier said respectfully. "Mr. Chen, if you need any help here, please let me know."

He actually felt a little sad in his heart. The Pacific Squadron wanted to expand and build new ships, and it actually needed Chen Zhengwei's help.

But this is a good thing for him.

The two chatted for a while, and then Xue Feier took his people and said goodbye and left.

Chen Zhengwei also walked onto the deck, looked at the land in the distance for a moment, and then said, "Sail!"

In fact, the Guangdong Navy in Huangpu Port had already seen this fleet. The Pacific Squadron had been cruising nearby for the past two days, and the Guangdong Navy had been on high alert.

Seeing the fleet approaching the port, they immediately sent ships to stop and question them.

"Why did they send several small sampans? What if they didn't see it and hit it, do I have to beg them not to sink it?" Chen Zhengwei sneered as he looked at the several ships coming out of the navy camp.

Li Xiwen looked at Chen Zhengwei and asked softly, "Brother, you seem to be in a bad mood?"

He was too familiar with Chen Zhengwei.

Although Chen Zhengwei didn't show it on the surface, he could easily notice that Chen Zhengwei's mood suddenly turned bad.

"Why should I be in a bad mood?" Chen Zhengwei curled his lips.

Then he said in a cold voice: "It's 1881, not 881. The Guangdong Navy relies on this small sampan to stop people? Others don't even need to fire, just push them over! Then they have to kneel down and beg them not to die, otherwise it will definitely cause a diplomatic dispute."

"slow down!"

The one that came was the Anlan, the main force of the Guangdong Navy. It first headed straight for the Yongshi, but after signaling with flags, it was discovered that the real target was on the passenger ship in the middle.

"How great it would be if this ship belonged to the Qing Dynasty!" The captain of the Anlan, Lin Guoxiang, kept his eyes on the Warrior, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and kept sighing.

"If we have such a powerful warship, why should we fear the invasion of foreigners?"

After a moment, he reluctantly withdrew his gaze and said to the deputy captain beside him:

"Who do you think is on the ship? Such a large fleet is making such a big fuss, yet they haven't reported it yet."

A normal visit would have been reported first, but the Guangdong Navy didn’t receive any news at all.

As the fleet began to slow down, flag signals were sent from the ships.

"They're letting us aboard!" the flagman shouted.

"Come closer!" Lin Guoxiang ordered immediately.

　I adjusted my work and rest schedule, but I’m not feeling very well and have been feeling groggy since noon.

　　In addition, there is too much information to check, so this part requires caution.

　　This should be the end of today's chapter.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)