The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 714 Someone is pushing this from behind
Two Frenchmen, one of them was in his thirties, with curly brown hair, a round face and a small mustache.

The other man was in his forties and looked a little rough.

"It's an honor to meet you here, sir!" The man in his thirties took off his hat and bowed slightly.

"I am Emile Menard. Please forgive me for coming to visit you!"

"I saw Mr. Chen's fleet outside. It was very spectacular and made people admire it. Of course, France also has a very powerful fleet, and its ships are more reliable than those of the British!"

"So you are here to promote your French warships?" Chen Zhengwei smiled.

"Why not? The technical strength of the French navy and warships is not inferior to that of the British." Emile Menard smiled.

"If Mr. Chen needs it, France will certainly not hesitate to provide support and help!"

Of course, everyone knew he was bragging.

The British Navy adheres to the "two-power standard", and the strength of the British Navy is at least equal to the combined strength of the second and third strongest navies in the world.

The gap between the two sides is extremely obvious, but the French do not agree.

Moreover, the development direction of French warships is different from that of Britain, but the technology is not inferior.

However, the navy’s training level, combat and coordination capabilities are another matter.

Emile Menard changed the subject: "Mr. Chen is very famous in France!"

"Really?" Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

"Of course! Miss Dupin's books are very popular in France, and they are more beautiful in French than in English. It is well known that Miss Dupin speaks French much better than English!

The DuPont family is of French descent.

"My wife likes Miss Dupont's books very much. The French may not know who the current president of the United States is, but most of them have heard of Mr. Chen's name! Especially those girls!"

"If Mr. Chen goes to France, he will definitely feel the enthusiasm of those girls!" Emile Menard blinked.

His round face made a winking motion that looked a little funny.

But this guy is very friendly, and his round face with two dimples can easily make people let down their guard and develop a good impression of him.

Chen Zhengwei laughed and raised his hand to signal the two of them to sit down:
"Sit down! Tell me why you're here. Who do you work for? The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Or the Ministry of the Navy and Colonies?"

When Chen Zhengwei said this, a thought flashed through his mind: Britain and France both have colonial ministries... he should build one too.

But I am a businessman, so it is obviously inappropriate to call it the Colonial Department.

It’s called the Overseas Business Department!
"Thank you!" Emile Menard sat down with a smile.

In fact, he was also tense inside, and didn't dare to relax at all, because the person in front of him was not easy to deal with.

After the news from Vietnam was sent to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs via telegram, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately issued an order to Saigon, which was then passed on to Emile Menard.

He was indeed a businessman, but he also worked for the Foreign Office and the Colonial Office, so that was not a conflict.

"Mr. Chen, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Colonial Affairs Department have heard some rumors, and they are very concerned about this matter!"

"They heard that Vietnam mortgaged Guang'an Port and Haiphong Port to Mr. Chen. Is this true?" Emile Menard asked.

"So what if it is, so what if it isn't?" Chen Zhengwei said without comment.

"It seems that what is said is true. Mr. Chen, the French Republic is paying close attention to the situation in Vietnam and also attaches great importance to these two ports! Including the Hongji Coal Mine." Emile Menard still had a smile on his face, but his eyes had become serious.

Vietnam is France's springboard and support point in East Asia and is extremely important to France.

Britain's expansion focus was India, Africa and the Middle East, while France's expansion focus was Africa and Southeast Asia.

On this point, there is both competition and tacit understanding between France and Britain.

The competition between the two sides in Africa is very fierce, but in Southeast Asia they tacitly avoid each other's sphere of interest.

Under such circumstances, France did not want Vietnam to become a quagmire of all-out war, so it adopted a gradual approach of nibbling away at the enemy.

However, no one expected Chen Zhengwei to suddenly jump out.

Relying on the sudden attack of warships and the brutal and unreasonable threat of war, the two most important ports in Tonkin were captured.

This completely disrupted France's plans.

They must talk to Chen Zhengwei.

"You attach great importance to my things?" Chen Zhengwei said playfully, "You attach great importance to my things... This is interesting!"

"Mr. Chen, we can resolve this matter through discussion, right? Considering the close relationship we have always had, we can definitely negotiate." Emile Menard still had a smile on his face.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked him to test Chen Zhengwei's demands as much as possible without angering him.

Because Chen Zhengwei now has a huge influence in the United States, and France attaches great importance to this American power.

"Well said!" Chen Zhengwei laughed.

"We can talk! But it depends on what you can give!"

Although the agreement signed between Vietnam and Chen Zhengwei stipulates that the two ports and coal mines are only mortgaged to Chen Zhengwei and cannot be handed over to other countries or forces.

But who cares about this kind of agreement?

And there are many ways to avoid it.

"Mr. Chen now has Ryukyu as a transit point and has no demand for the Vietnamese market. These two ports are not important to Mr. Chen!" Emile Menard continued.

"But it is very important to you, so how much are you willing to pay?" Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

"In fact, Haiphong Port is already within our sphere of influence!" Emile Menard reminded.

The French have been infiltrating and their influence in Haiphong Port is already very great.

"It doesn't matter! The Vietnamese owe me a large sum of money and have mortgaged the port to me! It is only natural for my security company to be stationed there and manage it!" Chen Zhengwei waved his hand casually.

"Unless you plan to rob!"

"Of course we won't do that! We have a close relationship with Mr. Chen and have no intention of destroying that!" Emile Menard said immediately.

"230 million US dollars, this is the money Vietnam owes Mr. Chen. We can use 230 million US dollars to buy these two ports and the Hongji Coal Mine!"

"What a joke! These two ports are in the hands of the Vietnamese, so they are only worth 230 million US dollars because Vietnam is very weak. But in my hands, they are worth at least 2300 million US dollars!" Chen Zhengwei sneered.

"Because these two ports are important to France's strategy in Asia!"

"Haiphong Port is directly connected to the Red River, controlling the economic lifeline of the entire Tonkin Province, and can even reach deep into Laos!"

"Guang'an Port is not only a deep-water port, but more importantly, it is the Hongji Coal Mine!"

"Nothing can be hidden from Mr. Chen! Right?" Emile Menard said with a smile.

"Mr. Chen has an excellent strategic vision, which is why he keeps winning on the battlefield! No one will doubt this!"

"The French Republic is willing to maintain a close relationship with Mr. Chen, and I believe that Mr. Chen has a long-term vision!"

"I like you very much, you are good at talking!" Chen Zhengwei pointed at the other person and said with a smile. "But words cannot represent interests!"

Chen Zhengwei thought for a moment and said, "There is no rush for this matter! Maybe I will go to France in a few days!" Chen Zhengwei estimated that it would not be a problem to sell the two ports for five or six million, but he did not lack that five or six million.

On the contrary, it would be best to keep these two ports in our own hands for the time being and use them to exchange for something else with France.

"Of course, France welcomes your visit at any time!" It was enough for Emile Menard to know Chen Zhengwei's attitude, and there was no need to reach any results today.

At this point, he can retire after achieving success.

Then he looked around and said with a smile: "What an enviable ship! It is such a pleasure to go out to sea on such a ship!"

"Of course, people who are not wealthy enough don't have this opportunity!"

"If you like to watch, you can go for a walk!" Chen Zhengwei turned around and said, "Xiwen, take them around!"

"It's my honor!" Emile Menard did not refuse but expressed his gratitude.

While the two were being taken to stroll around the ship, Chen Zhengwei sat on the sofa thinking about exchanging something with France.

In fact, he didn't have much need for France.

But his previous experience in Hong Kong made him certain of one thing.

He dislikes the British very much.

The British Navy is now too strong.

The world does not need such a powerful country!

So it is important to maintain good relations with France.

After Emile Menard left, Chen Zhengwei called his men and arranged for a group of people to take officials from the Vietnamese Ministry of Rites to Haiphong Port, Quang An Port and Hong Ji Port.

At least we should get these two ports and coal mines first and occupy the place first.

"Let the local officials continue to manage the port until Ryukyu sends people to take over, which will take no more than three months. There is nothing to pay attention to there. No matter what the French do in the port, just turn a blind eye if it's not a big deal. If something really happens... there's no need to be lenient!" Chen Zhengwei suggested.

Although he was planning to sell the port to the French, it would still be his territory before the sale.

If someone causes trouble on his turf, it means they are not taking him seriously.

Since no one takes him seriously, what else is there to say?

"Brother Wei, we got it!"

"Okay, go ahead!" Chen Zhengwei waved his hand.

There's not much to explain. These people were more of a nominal takeover of the port.

It takes a maximum of 16 hours to reach Guang'an Port and Haiphong Port by taking the San Francisco or Los Angeles, and a round trip can be made in two days.

Chen Zhengwei stayed in Da Nang for two more days to bask in the sun.

Two days later, the USS San Francisco and USS Los Angeles returned, and Chen Zhengwei stretched himself.

"Let's go to Siam!"

Vietnam didn't make much money, but Siam was much richer than Vietnam.

"Which country's colony is Siam?" Li Xiwen asked casually.

"Siam is not a colony. There are several dependent countries there!" Chen Zhengwei thought for a while and said with a smile.

"Laos and some northern areas of the Malay Peninsula are all vassal states of Siam. They are much richer than Vietnam!"

"Are they very powerful?" Li Xiwen became curious when he heard this, and even Big Head pricked up his ears.

"Their foreign policy is very flexible!" commented Chen Zhengwei.

"If you threaten me..." Chen Zhengwei said halfway, then changed the subject: "I will get angry for a while, and then sign an unequal agreement with you!"

"Ah?" Li Xiwen was stunned for a moment.

"They believe in Buddhism!" Chen Zhengwei laughed while patting the armrest.

"They say that Buddha cut off his flesh to feed eagles and gave himself to feed tigers. Now that I'm there, they can just give me the money! That would be great, and everyone would be in harmony!"

Siam's foreign policy was very flexible. It compromised again and again, and then continued to contact European countries to learn from them.

The approach is a bit similar to Japan.

So life is pretty good nowadays, at least much better than in Vietnam.

While Chen Zhengwei was joking, the whistle blew long and the ship slowly set sail. The fireworks and rainbows in the sky stopped fighting with the seagulls and flew towards Chen Zhengwei and landed on the handrail.

Chen Zhengwei took out a walnut and handed it to Huapao. Huapao immediately forgot that he was used as a tool bird by Chen Zhengwei last time, and he happily chewed the walnut open.

Then it was snatched away by Chen Zhengwei!

The angry firecracker kept jumping on the armrest of the recliner.

……

One day after the fleet set sail, it was raining heavily and Chen Zhengwei was playing golf on the golf course in the cabin with a club.

Li Xiwen walked quickly to Chen Zhengwei with a grim look on his face.

"Brother Wei, something happened on the Malay Peninsula."

Chen Zhengwei kept adjusting the club in his hand, then twisted his waist and swung the club violently.

The ball on the ground flew directly to the wall, bounced back and rolled on the ground, but because the ship was shaking all the time, the ball was getting farther and farther away from the hole.

"Fuck, it was so close! It's all God's fault! If the boat hadn't been shaking so much, I would have definitely hit it in!" Chen Zhengwei was so angry that he threw the club away.

Cursing, he walked to the sofa and sat down, snatched the juice from Lin Changning's hand and drank it, then looked at Li Xiwen:
"What did you just tell me?"

"Brother Wei, something happened on the Malay Peninsula. Indigenous riots broke out in some cities of the Perak Sultanate, and many Chinese were killed!"

"Many shops in Chinese communities were looted and bodies were left on the streets."

Hearing Li Xiwen's words, Lin Changning suddenly sat up from the sofa with a look of surprise on his face.

"Xiwen, what did you say?"

Li Xiwen repeated it again.

"Why did this happen suddenly? What's going on in Singapore?" Lin Changning asked with concern.

"It's not clear yet. We just received some news! But Singapore and the Sultanate of Perak are far apart, so it should be fine." Although Li Xiwen said this, his face looked very ugly.

Although he had never met the Chinese in the Malay Peninsula, hearing about the large-scale looting and slaughter of overseas Chinese still made him feel angry.

"You mean... some cities?" Chen Zhengwei tapped his fingers on his leg.

"It is said to be some cities of the Perak Sultanate!"

"Perak Sultanate! Massacres occurred in several cities? Someone is pushing this..." Chen Zhengwei grinned, and a fierce aura emanated from him.

(End of this chapter)