Master Yuan, start!

If I had been a soldier under President Yuan, I would have been a battalion commander, right?

The manager of the nearby "Lishun Car Dealership" heard this, took off his headband, wiped the sweat off his face, and said jokingly:

"He's still the tyrant of the south city, Zhang Laoqi. Why didn't you dare to join the army with this title?"

As if he was stumped by the question, Zhang Laoqi hesitated and said:

"Well, isn't it true that they say good men don't join the army, and good iron isn't used to make nails? If my mother hadn't persuaded me, I... I would have given it a try anyway."

"Try? I'm afraid you don't dare." Seeing that Zhang Laoqi was still stubborn, the manager simply exposed him:

"When the town was training its troops, President Yuan issued a strict order to arrest the men on the street and even beheaded many of them.

If you had joined the army back then, you would have been thrown into jail without even being able to leave the Jiashen Right Army barracks. How could you be pulling a rickshaw now?"

"Well... everyone has a young life." Although Zhang Laoqi was dissatisfied after his past was exposed, he did not dare to show it.

He was no longer the street thug he was more than a decade ago. Now, after being rebuked by the manager of "Lishun Car Dealership", he could only scratch his head in embarrassment.

Zhang Laoqi stopped talking, but the manager continued:

"Besides, more than 10 years ago, when the capital was resisting the French, more than half of the five armies of Jiashen were killed in the battle. You were lucky that you didn't join the army, otherwise you would have died in Tongzhou.

What? You didn't want to go when they were suffering, but now that they are enjoying themselves, you want to join in?

There is no such thing as this in the world."

After saying that, it seemed that the matter was not going to proceed. The manager pointed to the dozen or so rickshaw pullers in front of him and said, "You guys, count each one as it comes. Don't always think about having a good future. Be careful that you may earn money but not live to spend it.

Some people are meant to pull carts, and some people are meant to be president.

The boss is kind enough to give you the good job of pulling the wharf, so don't be ungrateful.

understand? "

"understood."

Zhang Laoqi hung his head and replied in a low voice along with the dozen or so rickshaw drivers behind him.

"Okay, I'll go back then."

The steward shook his headband, fixed it on his head, and said to the crowd, "Remember to come to the bank tomorrow to get a pair of straw sandals. I specially asked the boss for them for you."

Give a slap in the face and give a sweet date.

The manager was ordered by the boss to discipline these rickshaw drivers. After finding the troublemakers and scolding them, he did not forget to give them some benefits.

However, as soon as Manager Li Shunxing walked away, several people behind Zhang Laoqi started cursing in a low voice.

"Fuck, old BK!"

"In Tianjin, he was the slowest to cut his queue. Even after the President had led his troops into Beijing and established the Republic, he was still afraid that the Manchus would attack him and was reluctant to cut his queue.

If he had followed the bandit rule of those days where you can only keep your braid and not your hair, he would have been beheaded long ago if he hadn't cut his braid. How could he have survived until now? "

"President Yuan, you are too kind-hearted!"

"Things that rely on human power!"

"If I wasn't short of money, why would I be working for Lishunxing? They're such ruthless people."

A few people cursed angrily, but after they finished cursing, it seemed that was the end of it.

The pressure of life forces them to continue to be exploited.

"Union, union"

Zhang Laoqi kept repeating these two words, and his eyes gradually became firm.

He shook off the rickshaw drivers and walked towards the group of people who were giving speeches inside the dock, wanting to listen carefully.

What exactly is the difference between this republican court and the previous court?

However, before he could get close to the podium inside the dock, he saw the crowd disperse with a bang.

Then the group rushed to the outside of the dock.

It was obvious that their target was the passengers who had just disembarked.

Zhang Laoqi looked closely and saw that two banners had been hung among the large number of passengers getting off the ship.

One reads "South China Sea Fleet," the other "Go North to Fight Russia"

Just as he was wondering, the National Revolutionary Army suddenly approached from behind and surrounded the entire dock.

"Welcome Ding Ruchang, the naval ambassador of the Xinghan Grand Marshal's Office, to lead the South China Sea Fleet north to fight against Russia!"

Xu Shichang and Tang Shaoyi looked at Ding Ruchang who had just got off the boat, with smiles on their faces.

No matter how hostile the two sides were before, under the pressure of Russia's invasion and the people's desire for peace.

The Huai Army Group was able to stop fighting and make peace, and led troops north to provide assistance.

No matter what they are planning behind the scenes, at least at this moment, the new republican government should give them enough courtesy and attention!

Chapter 318 Hoover Sets Off for the Far East

New York, USA.

The Statue of Liberty stands on Belle Isle, holding a gilded torch in her hand and wearing a seven-pointed crown on her head, as if to illuminate the light of freedom to the world.

And below the Statue of Liberty, at the mouth of the Hudson River, the ocean liner Teutonic was emitting black smoke and making noises as it set sail from the Brooklyn pier.

Its destinations are London, England, Calais, France, and its final destination, Athens, Greece.

The Teutonic ship belonged to the British White Star Line and was the company's first "10,000-ton passenger ship"

The White Star Line once went bankrupt due to poor management, but after an American took over, it changed its business strategy and focused on transatlantic sailing.

When it comes to ocean voyages, the most important thing is the maximum number of people that can be transported at a time.

The 10,000-ton passenger ship Teutonic came into being to meet this demand.

It was with the experience of building the Teutonic that the White Star Line gradually increased the tonnage of cruise ships and eventually built the 4-ton giant ship "Titanic".

Of course, at this time the people on the Teutonic were unaware of the tragedy that had occurred in the parallel universe, and they went onto the deck to greet each other.

On the middle deck, a middle-aged American man, holding his wife's arm and holding a glass of wine, approached a well-dressed British gentleman with a cane.

"Mr. Welsh, are you going to Athens too?"

"Oh no, I'm getting off in London." The British Wales waved his hand, not wanting to bother with these uneducated Americans.

"What a coincidence! I was planning to take my new wife to watch the Olympics." The American seemed not to notice the disgust in Wales' eyes and continued chatting.

"Really? Congratulations, Wu, and I wish you all a happy honeymoon trip." Wales clearly didn't want to continue the conversation, so he put on his hat and leaned on his cane. "Sorry, the cruise ship is sailing, and it's very windy outside. Please allow me to go back to the house and rest."

"Okay Mr. Welsh, take care of yourself!"

The American man waved at Wales' back.

"Put your hands down. This is not a gentlemanly gesture!" the woman next to the man scolded.

"It's all your fault. Mr. Welsh must have thought you were so rude that he didn't want to talk to us."

"Of course not." The American man shrugged and said, "We can just invite him to lunch tomorrow."

...

"Uncle, are we really going to the Far East?"

On the upper deck of the Teutonic, the then very young Clark Hoover looked at his uncle beside him and asked a question.

The young Hoover at that time had just graduated from Stanford University and was not yet the nationally famous president he would become in later generations.

At that time, the United States had not yet built the Hoover Institution, Hoover Dam and many other public buildings named after him.

As soon as Hoover Jr. graduated, he was influenced by his uncle Brad Hoover and entered the business world and joined Carnegie Steel Company.

After working at the Chicago headquarters for a year, Hoover Jr. was preparing to acquire a domestic steel company in an attempt to win the favor of the headquarters and get a promotion and a raise.

But unexpectedly, just when he was excited to do something big, the director of the headquarters suddenly asked him to put down his work and rush to New York.

He embarked on a journey to China with his uncle, Hoover Sr.

Old Hoover, also known as Brad Hoover, once worked with Yuan Shikai in the establishment of the Korean steel plant.

After Brad Hoover returned to the United States from North Korea with a large number of orders, he was not only promoted significantly within the company, but also became the East Asia Specialist of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The reason was that when he returned to China, he did not want the ship to be empty, so he relied on his good relationship with Yuan Shikai to purchase a batch of soybeans in the Northeast and sell them in California.

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 8th century, the soybean production in Northeast China was far superior to that in the United States in terms of both yield and quality.

Therefore, with this channel, the U.S. Food and Agriculture Organization naturally did not want to miss it, so it gave Brad Hoover the position of East Asia Commissioner, allowing him to expand the soybean import channel if he had the opportunity.

"Yes, we are going to the Far East to expand our cooperation with General Yuan in the coal and iron fields."

Old Hoover withdrew his gaze from the middle deck and patted the briefcase in his hand, which was bulging with documents.

"Such a backward and ignorant country." Although Hoover Jr. had already boarded the ship, he still felt a little nostalgic for the prosperity and modernity of the United States.

"Backward, ignorant?" Old Hoover patted Little Hoover on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Clark, perhaps you should learn more about the world outside Chicago and outside the United States.

Do you know that China, which you call backward and ignorant, has just overthrown a 300-year-old feudal dynasty and established a republican government?

"Republican government?" Hoover Jr. was a little unbelievable.

"Yes, a republican government." Old Hoover sighed as he looked at the seagulls in the sky, "Clark, this is a country with a population of 4 million ruled by Tatars.

Almost overnight, it was overthrown by General Yuan Shikai.

And the people who overthrew it did not intend to become emperors, but instead decided to lead the country down the path of the United States.”

"Uncle, are you saying that General Yuan, whom you often mention, chose to be China's Washington instead of Napoleon?"

Little Hoover only then came back to his senses from his shock and looked at his uncle in surprise.

If General Yuan became president, wouldn't that mean that my uncle would be the first person in the United States to have a good relationship with the Chinese president?

No wonder the board of directors asked me to assist my uncle and rush to the Far East.

The steel market with a population of 4 million is indeed more worthy of investment than acquiring a small steel mill in Minnesota.

"Yes, he is the Washington of the Far East, not the Napoleon of China."

Old Hoover looked at the American men and women on the middle deck, who were wearing top hats, tuxedos, and deliberately pretending to be cultured, dressed like European aristocrats, and his eyes showed disdain.