America 1869: A Doppelganger Every Day

"It's impossible for everyone to receive twenty taels of silver."

"My lord, as I just told you, that is the ideal situation."

"but."

"Sir, you must understand that we will have to mobilize a lot of manpower and resources in this process."

"Moreover, it's impossible for San Francisco to actually send half of it back to us directly. There will be losses in between, so for 50 taels of silver, they will deduct at least 2 to 3 taels as handling fees."

"But when it comes to us, we need at least 2 to 3 liang of labor fees."

"At the same time, in order to encourage more people to immigrate, we will recruit a lot of people to promote immigration, which will also cost a lot of money."

Before Li Changsheng could continue, Zeng Guofan raised his hand to interrupt him.

"You don't need to handle the propaganda. I, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, have plenty of people under my command."

"I will have people continuously spread this message to the people and displaced people within the territory I govern."

"It will definitely encourage more people to immigrate."

"After all, there are countless refugees within the Qing Dynasty's borders, and a large number of tenant farmers who have no land and can only work for others."

"I heard that in America, if you have ten dollars and the necessary funds and manpower to develop the land, you can acquire 1000 acres of land. Is that true?"

Li Changsheng nodded directly.

"It is indeed true."

"And quite a few people have already received the land. But there's one thing I must make clear beforehand, otherwise they might think we're here to cheat them."

"In America, you can indeed acquire nearly 1000 acres of land for just ten dollars, which is ten taels of silver. However, you must build houses, cultivate the land, and start raising livestock on these 1000 acres within a year."

"At the same time, we will ensure that these lands yield harvests within five years."

"Only in this way can we truly become the owners of these 1000 acres of land."

"Even after five years, if you don't want to stay there anymore, you can sell the land and come back to be a rich person again."

Zeng Guofan had no further doubts.

"I agree to this."

"Let's set up a Liangjiang Immigration Bureau first."

"Afterwards, I will submit a petition to the imperial court, requesting permission to establish the Zhili Immigration Bureau and the Liangguang Immigration Bureau."

"If necessary, we will open other branch offices."

"However, we must ensure that our immigration office can succeed, otherwise, I'm afraid that future immigration offices will not be able to operate."

"At the same time, you must also ensure that each person can earn 15 taels of silver from the immigration office."

"Otherwise, I won't be able to finish it either."

Li Changsheng shook his head again.

"Sir, I can only guarantee that each person will receive ten taels of silver at most."

"The money I just mentioned is money that absolutely needs to be spent."

"But there is a very important problem here: during the transportation of laborers, there is no guarantee that there will be no deaths among them."

"We can't force the captain to guarantee everyone's survival, otherwise no one would be willing to make the transport."

"In this way, if someone dies during the process, then the 25 taels of silver we advanced will be wasted."

"At the same time, before emigrating, we also need to solve the survival problem of these migrants and ensure that everyone lives."

"This will also be an expense, so the amount can vary greatly. Sometimes it might be more, sometimes less, but I estimate that on average, each person will need at least three to five taels of silver."

"So these amounts also need to be deducted."

"Only the remaining money can be handed over to the immigration office."

"If the immigration bureau is willing to take the risk, then we can forgo the money. However, the outcome will be calculated based on the statistics each time, and how much we make depends on the immigration bureau."

"If the immigration bureau is unwilling to take the risk, then we will take the risk. We will pay five taels of silver per person, so the immigration bureau will receive ten taels of silver per person."

Zeng Guofan spoke without any hesitation.

"Ten taels? Sure."

"We'll do as you say. I'll issue you the documents now, allowing you to establish the Liangjiang Immigration Bureau and have people promote it within the Liangjiang area."

"At the same time, I will submit a memorial to the capital and try my best to make this happen."

With Zeng Guofan's handwritten letter, everything became simple.

Within a short period of time, almost everyone in the Liangjiang region knew that as long as one immigrated to the United States, one could own 160 acres, or about 1000 mu, of land.

At the same time, in order to ensure the safety of every immigrant, the Qing Empire established the Qing Immigration Bureau.

The Liangjiang Immigration Bureau of the Liangjiang region is located in Shanghai.

Anyone who wants to immigrate can report to the immigration office.

Even if you don't have a single penny, the immigration authorities can help you pay for your journey, ensuring your safe arrival in America and arranging a job for you so you can pay off your outstanding ship fare within a year.

If you can be frugal, you can acquire American citizenship and own nearly 1000 acres of land a year later.

Many people knew about the immigration process before, but everyone said that immigration was too dangerous, and many people died on the way.

Moreover, even after immigrating to the United States, they remain undocumented, without legal status, and their lives are constantly in danger.

But things are completely different now.

Everyone saw in the newspapers that their compatriot Li Changsheng had secured for them the opportunity to become American citizens.

At the same time, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can live a good life.

In an instant, displaced people who could no longer survive flocked to Shanghai.

American merchant ships from Shanghai would bring a large number of industrial products to sell in the Qing Empire every time they came.

On the way back, they would take a boatload of people with them, so that they could make a profit on the return trip.

But this time they were disappointed.

This time, the refugees did not swarm onto the boat as they had expected.

Instead, they were found by local officials of the Qing Empire.

"I know that when you took Chinese people to America on your ships before, there were always some problems of this or that."

"That's because none of the people you brought had any money."

"But things are different now. From now on, all laborers traveling to America will have their ship fares and living expenses paid by the Qing Dynasty Immigration Bureau."

"The old approach of cramming a shipyard full of ships is no longer viable."

"According to your standards, a cabin can normally accommodate four people. We are relaxing the requirements for you, so a cabin can only accommodate ten people."

"However, in return, for the accommodation and food of ten people, we will only give you $300, and we only gave you $150 when you set off."

"Once we arrive in San Francisco, if all of you have disembarked safely, as long as you are alive and there are no major problems, then the remaining front desk staff in San Francisco will take care of you."

"If someone has an accident on the road, then for every person missing, you earn $15 less."

American businessmen, after regaining their senses, cursed under their breath, but had no choice but to accept it.

They understood perfectly well that the Qing Dynasty had profited from this money, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Although they earn less, they can still make tens of thousands of dollars per trip.

Even though it's less than before, at least we can still make money, right?

"Alright, you cunning Qing people, we'll do as you say."