Master Yuan, start!

At this time, almost everyone in Shanghai was quietly waiting for the sun to rise again.

In the past, this would have been something we couldn't even imagine.

"Hyun Commander, the French said we don't have to apologize publicly, but..."

Chapter 216 Yuan Xiangcheng is also calculating

On the second day, the weather was not good. The sky, which had been cloudless a few days ago, was covered with clouds early in the morning, and not a single ray of sunlight reached the earth.

In the British Consulate in the Shanghai Concession, Yuan Shikai and the British Minister to China, Eugene, were communicating while waiting for the arrival of the French and Liu Kunyi.

The consulate is not small, but from time to time, bursts of voices can be heard from outside the courtyard. Knowing that the assassination of the French consul will be dealt with today, many Shanghai citizens and reporters gathered to see what the outcome will be.

Eugene was not a professional diplomat. He studied at King's College, Cambridge, majoring in business. It was only by chance that he came to the Far East and became the minister to China.

In contrast, his predecessor, Acting Minister Robert Hart, had been immersed in the field of Chinese customs for many years. Even without the title of China's Inspector General of Customs, he could still be considered an expert on China.

His successor in history, Jordan, even wrote an English poem to praise Yuan Shikai for overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. It can be said that he was well versed in China's "persuasion".

He was the only one who had no interest in diplomatic matters.

That is to say, in the case of the assassination of the French consul, he acted first and reported later.

Even so, after he first sent a telegram calling for peace among all parties, he immediately reported to London requesting recognition.

However, although he was not interested in diplomacy, he was quite enthusiastic about intervening in foreign trade and finance.

The introduction of locomotives and new factory equipment outside the Great Wall was all thanks to this minister.

Of course, Yuan Xiangcheng also gave a lot of help behind the scenes, and Ougen understood his intentions and accepted them with a smile.

Don't think that all officials of the British Empire are loyal to their country and dedicated to spreading the glory of the British Empire.

In fact, the saying that people travel thousands of miles to become officials just for the sake of wealth does not only describe Chinese officials, but also foreigners.

Yuan Xiangcheng remembered that when he was in middle school, the history book said that the failure of the Opium War was because the Qing Dynasty was a feudal system with internal corruption and incompetence, and the military generals were all bought into their positions.

Britain has an "advanced" capitalist system, represents the direction of historical progress, and is a modern army with the buff of the bourgeoisie.

Indeed, during the Opium War, the Qing army was plagued by corruption and its guns and artillery were in disrepair;

But in fact, the British were not much better off. The British fleet set out from London to attack Guangdong, but due to corruption and embezzlement, most of the supplies had rotted and deteriorated by the time the ships arrived at the coast of the Qing Dynasty, and scurvy broke out.

If the "Qing people" had not come in small boats to sell vegetables and fruits, the British would probably have gone home without firing a single shot.

But even so, the British way of fighting was not very flexible. After landing, in the middle of summer, British officers forced all soldiers to march in lobster uniforms. It was summer in Guangdong, and the result can be imagined. More than 500 people fell ill due to the heat.

In the final analysis, it was not that the British were too strong, but that the Qing Dynasty was too rotten.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why the British Expeditionary Force was defeated by the Afghan tribes of the same period.

If the Qing Dynasty organized a large army to fight, why would it be afraid of the British Expeditionary Force?

At this time in the British Empire, the Colonial Office was a cabinet department with considerable power.

The British colonies were independent kingdoms. Civil servants who had to behave themselves in London would often let themselves go after arriving in the colonies. For example, colonial officials in various parts of India had a status comparable to that of the princely states.

And Eugenie is just such a colonial official.

However, this also makes it easier for Yuan Xiangcheng to communicate with him.

"Mr. Eugen, you have lived in Europe for many years, so you must be familiar with the stock exchange?" Yuan Xiangcheng picked up the brewed cold coffee and shook the glass.

"Exchange?" Ogene replied, his mind turning. "Is Master Yuan referring to the London Stock Exchange?"

"No!"

Yuan Xiangcheng poured him a cup of coffee and pointed at it, saying, "I'm talking about commodity exchanges, exchanges that trade soybeans, corn, cocoa, cotton and other products."

"Of course." Eugenie lifted his coffee to his nose, savoring the aroma. "Not only in the British Empire, but also in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Paris, France.

In fact, the Netherlands was the first country to establish a commodity exchange.”

Eugenie was quite honest and did not think that the British Empire was invincible. He very dutifully acknowledged that the Netherlands was the first to establish it.

"Then I wonder if Mr. Ogene would be interested in personally establishing the Far East's first commodity exchange outside the Great Wall, thus permanently recording his name in East Asian financial history?"

Yuan Xiangcheng shook the cold coffee and observed Ogen's expression calmly.

His thoughts were not simply limited to the upcoming war, but had gone beyond the military and began to consider the economic layout for the next few decades.

China's economy has been "heavy in the south and light in the north" since the Southern Song Dynasty, and this has not changed even in the 21st century.

There are some geographical factors involved, but political reasons still account for the vast majority.

Dalian, with its excellent location connecting North China, Northeast China and South Korea, was never even ranked in the top 10 or top 20 cities in China in later generations.

Some people attribute this to the weather, believing that the cold climate is not suitable for economic development. However, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, and Boston, which are located at the same latitude or even higher latitudes, are among the top 10 developed cities in the United States.

欧洲的汉堡、伦敦也是如此0，可见维度并7不是制约寒冷地区经济9发展的主因。4三6

Yuan Shikai took into consideration that after unification in the future, it would be necessary to use military force and even develop Siberia. Without a vast economic hinterland, the economic burden on the north would be too heavy.

So he decided to make arrangements in the north in advance to revitalize the economic situation outside the Great Wall.

At that time, there was no commodity exchange in China. When merchants delivered bulk commodities such as timber, grain, and coal, the places they most often went to were docks, teahouses, and restaurants.

This has greatly hindered the development of bulk commodity trade outside the customs.

Yuan Shikai's idea was to establish a commodity exchange in Lushun, relying on the financial means of the Northeast Border Industry Bank and the exchange to exercise maximum control over enterprises outside the Great Wall and grasp the economic lifeline of northern China.

Most of the Far East's bulk commodities are produced in the Northeast. If the trade is also controlled in his hands, he can squeeze out more money for his own use.

If the development is good, it is not impossible to set up a stock exchange in the future.

However, all this is based on the premise that there is no competition.

After all, compared to Lushun, the location advantages of Shanghai in the south and even Jiangning are more obvious.

The population outside the Great Wall, including North Korea, is 2000 million, and including Jiaodong, it is about 3000 million.

But the population of Jiangsu province alone is close to 3000 million, not to mention Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and other places combined.

In addition to the population, the wealth of the Yangtze River Basin is not something that can be matched by people outside the Great Wall. The local villages in Jiangsu and Zhejiang also have huge financial resources.

The Jiangsu and Zhejiang financial group that later supported Chiang Kai-shek to come to power had already begun to emerge. If the Hunan Army had not brought a large number of Hunanese people to the east after it came to power and suppressed the financial resources of some local merchants, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang merchants would have become prosperous long ago.

From Yuan Xiangcheng's perspective, Jiangsu and Zhejiang merchants could be helped, but not now.

If we throw ourselves into the arms of the businessmen from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, what if they turn around and hedge their bets and support Liu Kunyi?

After all, merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang are not merchants from Southeast Asia. The latter are rootless and drifting in the inland, and can only seek support from others.

The former have their own base, and it is difficult for Yuan Xiangcheng to persuade them to leave their homeland.

The only prominent Jiangsu and Zhejiang businessman outside the Great Wall today is Zhang Jian.

However, if we use the standards of the Thirteen Guardians of Jiangsu in later generations, Zhang Jian's hometown Nantong is north of the Yangtze River, so he is from northern Jiangsu, which is far from Zhejiang.

Therefore, Yuan Shikai had to provoke the French, and another intention was to use the war to make the business environment in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas no longer safe, causing local capital outflow.

In East Asia as a whole, the economic center, apart from Jiangsu and Zhejiang at the mouth of the Yangtze River, is Japan, Guangdong and the area outside the Tianjin Customs.

If you don’t speak Japanese, you can basically be excluded from being an option for Chinese businessmen.

Even if the remaining area was divided equally between Guangdong and the areas outside the Great Wall, Yuan Shikai would still make a huge profit.

Sure enough, after hearing Yuan Xiangcheng's proposal, Ougen was moved.

Who doesn’t want to leave their name in history books?

In the future, do you want to be an unknown figure among the dozens of ministers to China, or become the unique "founder of Far East finance"?

In Eugen's opinion, he can still distinguish between what is important and what is not.

However, if London were to make the proposal, wouldn't Shanghai be a better choice? Wasn't Governor Yuan worried that his opponents would take advantage of the opportunity to seize the opportunity?

Thinking of this, Eugen said after pondering for a moment:

“Of course I am willing to assist Mr. Yuan in establishing China’s first commodity exchange, but the establishment process is too complicated and I need to apply for assistance from London.

However, if London decides that other places in China are more suitable after evaluation,

Having spent several years in China, Ogene also learned the Chinese people's unique implicit expressions. He did not finish his words, but he believed that the governor in front of him would understand what he meant.

"So that's what you're worried about?" Yuan Xiangcheng smiled dumbly: "Your Excellency Eugene, don't worry. Sanguanwailin will definitely not be the first choice for setting up an exchange in London."

"Oh?"

Ogen became interested when he heard this and picked up the coffee to see how Yuan Xiangcheng would explain.

However, Yuan Xiangcheng did not continue to answer. Instead, he clapped his hands, stood up, and looked towards the door not far away.

Eugen looked back and saw the elderly Liu Kunyi walking into the house with the French Governor-General of Taiwan, leaning on a cane.

Here they come.

Chapter 217: Secret Agreement Revealed

Before Eugen could stand up, the Wehrmacht guards who had been standing at the door closed their legs and turned slightly sideways towards Liu Kunyi.

"Everyone listen up and salute!" Ming Ye pushed the ground with his right foot and shouted loudly.

"Welcome to the Governor of Jiangnan, Lord Liu!"

Dozens of armed guards put away the butts of their guns hanging on the ground, picked up their rifles swiftly, placed them in front of their chests, and greeted Liu Kunyi in unison.

This was a courtesy that had long been commonplace within the National Defense Forces, but it made Liu Kun slow down his pace.

Not only him, even the French governor who walked in from the side looked thoughtful when he saw this situation.

Because, it is not only the Wehrmacht that is involved in the guard work. After all, this is the British Consulate, and there are also British soldiers in bright red uniforms.

However, although the lobster soldiers were dressed in bright clothes, their standing posture was a little crooked; on the other hand, the National Defense Army soldiers had none of the dull expressions of the Qing soldiers. They all had sharp eyes and looked straight ahead.

In comparison, the National Defense Army has already suppressed the "foreign soldiers" in terms of momentum.

Of course, the Chinese and foreign businessmen, scholars, common people, and reporters who followed Liu Kunyi and others into the consulate also caught a glimpse of this scene.

Some people, after watching the uniform salute, felt that China is worthy of its powerful army. Not long ago, the officers and soldiers could not last more than a few rounds under the hands of foreigners, but now they can stand shoulder to shoulder with foreigners.

Regardless of whether the National Defense Forces are just for show, at least this spirit has left a deep impression on them.

Some people feel they are being provoked.

When Liu Kun heard the loud roars of the National Defense Army soldiers on both sides, he couldn't help but think in his heart.