The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Zhang Yinghao chuckled. "Even if you're gay friends, it's none of my business. But when doing business, you have to leave one person here as a hostage. Otherwise, there's no trust in the first transaction." If you cheat Zhang Yinghao out of his money, then killing a foreigner won't be a burden on me.

Zhang Yinghao turned to the guard and said, "Serve the two guests tea."

Then he said to the foreigner: "I'm going out for a while, I have something to do, I'll be back soon." Then he stood up and walked out. When he reached the door, he saw Bao Shilin standing at the door, and it seemed that he had been standing there for a while.

Bao Shilin said: "Chairman, are these two foreign devils reliable?"

Zhang Yinghao laughed and said, "Haha, Comrade Shilin, trust is a very serious matter for us. Don't talk to me about such hurtful things. They are foreigners. How can they be reliable or unreliable? Let's just test the waters with money. We don't know how to trade with foreigners right now, so we have to detain one of them this time. If the foreigners cheat us, we have a hostage in hand. We can just kill him and sacrifice him."

"Didn't Comrade Yiwei also go to buy machinery? It seems he will also purchase textile machinery."

"Haha, buy more. We have a huge demand. Think about it. We have issued so many banknotes. If we don't collect them back, the money will be worthless."

This was Zhang Yinghao's frustration. Consumer goods were too scarce in this era. Electronic appliances and other consumer goods hadn't even appeared yet. If too much paper money was issued and the disaster continued, the base's economy would be ruined. Guang'an was still too small, and the economic foundation Zhang Yinghao had built couldn't withstand any storms.

Since Chen Yiwei had already gone to the procurement office, Zhang Yinghao brought several young Party members from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Commerce to negotiate with the foreigners. In reality, the foreigners were either trying to raise the price or throwing in a bunch of strings. But Zhang Yinghao didn't care. If the foreigners asked for too much, at most the deal would be cancelled. Six hundred looms might seem like a lot, but it was actually just a small factory. Although Chen Yiwei had been instructed to purchase looms as well, Sichuan was large enough that Zhang Yinghao wouldn't consider thousands too many.

Zhang Yinghao's Quotes: One cannot stop studying after graduating from school. If you don't set aside 10% of your monthly income for study, shouldn't you also set aside two or three hundred yuan?

Chapter 73

During the next round of negotiations, the foreigners had calmed down completely, no longer blinded by money. This time, it felt a bit like a negotiation.

"Mr. George, Mr. Payne, our prefect is preparing to implement a new policy. I have long admired the might of your British Empire and would very much like to learn how to become a powerful nation. Therefore, we need to purchase your textile machines. The tentative quantity is 600. Here is our list. Could you please give us a reasonable price?"

At this time, Zhang Yinghao had no intention of completely raising his own banner, and even the party flag had not been announced. With the prefect's banner, it would be very convenient for him to take action.

Hearing Zhang Yinghao's praise, the two foreigners' faces lit up with pride. But when they heard Zhang Yinghao say he wanted to learn from their country, they couldn't help but laugh. But Zhang Yinghao was now a major financial backer, so they wouldn't say anything unpleasant that would offend him.

They didn't care what faction Zhang Yinghao represented. The New Deal and reforms were a joke in the eyes of the foreigners. What was industry? The Qing people had been working on it for decades, and they hadn't even mastered the basics. Even if China were given another hundred years, it wouldn't be able to catch up to even one-tenth of the British Empire.

They had just discussed that this loom was considered a relatively advanced and sophisticated machine in the Far East, but it was considered a relatively low-end machine in Western countries. This was especially true for the British, who had built their fortunes on the textile industry and held a dominant position in the industry that no one had been able to shake.

They took Zhang Yinghao's list and began to read it. Some of the content was unclear to them, but since they had the guts to come to the Far East, they naturally had their own ways. Many of the terms and figures were completely understandable. The more they read, the more surprised they were. This was definitely a big deal.

The aforementioned 600 looms, along with other machinery and equipment, and supporting technical services, were worth a staggering 600,000 to 700,000 taels of silver at international market prices. The British knew the people of the Far East were conservative, and even with their vast influence, business operations were still not going smoothly. Otherwise, they wouldn't have launched so many wars, requiring them to open up more and more cities.

I hadn't thought that this trip to the Far East was the right one. As long as this deal was done, the two of us would have a comfortable life for the next few years, even if we didn't work anymore. I silently said to myself, "Lord, thank you for your gift."

"Dear Zhang, we are fully capable of providing these machines. We can buy you these 600 looms, as well as other machines and related supporting services, for a total of one million taels of silver."

"Damn, you've made a fool of yourself."

The two foreigners directly offered a price of one million taels of silver. Zhang Yinghao felt a pang of disgust and wanted to have them dragged out and shot. However, when he thought of the foreigners' behavior, especially the British warships that were now rampant in the Yangtze River, and thought about how he was far away from the sea and how the Yangtze River basin still depended on the British for its control, he thought.

Zhang Yinghao immediately stood up in mock shock and shouted exaggeratedly, "My God, God will not forgive your greed. You should go to hell. These machines are junk in your country. If you don't sell them, I'll find other British or Germans to buy them. I'm sure I can get them. The only price I can give you is 400,000 taels."

Zhang Yinghao raised four fingers as he spoke. He had originally wanted to offer two hundred thousand taels, but he decided against it. He thought it was a first-time deal, so he shouldn't bargain too hard. There was no trust between the two parties at this point. Even if he lost some money, at least they could continue doing business.

The two foreigners were frightened by Zhang Yinghao's loud shout. The comrades on Zhang Yinghao's side were also a little confused, not understanding why Zhang Yinghao shouted so loudly.

Seeing the reactions of his colleagues, Zhang Yinghao felt that much needed to be done. At the very least, he needed to write a book like "An Actor's Self-Cultivation" to train relevant colleagues internally. Chinese people don't like to discuss profit, or even discuss it publicly. This was unacceptable to Zhang Yinghao right now. If he showed even a little shamelessness with foreigners, held out even a glimmer of hope, he would only reap disappointment and regret.

Businesspeople need to be like actors, using precise facial expressions and body language to achieve the desired effect. It seems these comrades need further training. You have to understand that for a large business like this, even a small reduction could cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Even a single tael of silver would represent a significant expense for a family for a long time. This is the blood and sweat of the people, at least their hard-earned money. It would be a disservice to the people if we didn't cherish it.

In reality, Zhang Yinghao had already prepared himself for a sharp sell, but that didn't mean he'd let the other party take advantage. That wasn't the right attitude for negotiation. Of course, Zhang Yinghao's bids were also skillful, always halving them. Modern society is like that, with profits completely opaque in this era, and asking for a hundred thousand less would have been perfectly fine.

"Oh, God, you're such a cheapskate! Four hundred thousand dollars won't buy you all these machines. Nine hundred thousand dollars, no less."

"Bullshit! These machines would never cost more than three hundred thousand taels in a European country. You don't have any risk. You just ship the machines over here. And we can pay you with tung oil, pig bristles, tea leaves, and other products. You come and go, and both sides make money."

Soon the foreigners also started shouting "Oh my God!", and Zhang Yinghao also tried his best to lower the price.

Finally, Zhang Yinghao said, "I can agree to a deal with you for 500,000 taels, but you must provide us with technicians. We are willing to hire them at a high price. I will start building the factory immediately. Within two months, you must send 300 looms to Guang'an so that I can start operating the factory immediately."

"Zhang, you know, shipping by sea is very risky, and it's not easy to get it here. You are really a shrewd businessman..."

"Stop, your complaints are useless. The fact that you've said that actually makes me realize you're still making a lot of money. Whatever products you need, we have in Sichuan and can raise enough to pay for them. Of course, we'll have to pay at market prices."

"No problem, tung oil or pig bristles will do. But you have to pay a 30 percent deposit first."

Now that the deal was confirmed, the most important thing was to get the factory up and running as quickly as possible. It wasn't a question of money, but rather how to expedite the process. As long as the factory could be up and running quickly, everything else would be negotiable.

"Okay, I agree to the 30% deposit, but you can go back alone. Next time you two can leave together."

"No, no, no, you are imprisoning us. We will not agree to this."

"No, no, no, we're just hiring one of them as our teacher, paying him a salary. If you're serious about this deal, I think you'll agree. And, George, Payne, this is just our first order. We're planning to build more factories here. You can buy all these machines from us. You'll definitely make a fortune, become nobles of the British Empire, and bring glory to God. Amen!"

After saying this, Zhang Yinghao made the sign of the cross on his chest. George and Payne looked at each other and nodded slightly. "OK, Payne, you stay."

“Well, why am I so unlucky?”

Zhang Yinghao discussed some details with them before finally signing the contract. They asked Zhang Yinghao to provide a 30% deposit, and Zhang Yinghao agreed.

George was anxious to leave, so Zhang Yinghao summoned a squad of soldiers, escorted George to Chongqing with 150,000 taels of silver, and said they were protecting his wealth and his safety. In those days, this was no small deal. George felt his luck was on the rise; if he could pull off this deal, more would follow.

Zhang Yinghao immediately informed Li Tianqiao, asking him to secretly mobilize the intelligence department to investigate the matter. Another foreigner, Zhang Yinghao, was allowed to stay behind under the pretext of studying. Actually, everyone knew what he meant, so it would be pointless to explain it.

Of course, Zhang Yinghao had indeed learned a great deal from this foreigner. And of course, Zhang Yinghao had actually let this foreigner teach his comrades. The content of the lessons could be anything he wanted, math, chemistry, or other science subjects, or he could talk about the might of the British Empire or spread the glory of the Lord. It didn't matter what he taught. In reality, as long as this foreigner paid him to attend the lessons and didn't cause any trouble, it was all that mattered to Zhang Yinghao. He was simply trying to get his comrades used to the foreigner's presence.

But soon this foreign devil Payne was very smart, and he soon found himself in the bandit

He immediately became very excited when he saw the fact that he was in the nest. You know, the reputation of the Great W Empire as a troublemaker has a long history. He stirs up trouble whenever there is trouble, and he will also stir up trouble even when there is nothing to do. Why is that? Because you don't stir up trouble when there is nothing to do.

Son, when something happens, there will be no chance to stick a stick in your way.

As the world's leader, Britain is indeed powerful enough to dominate the world.

A gang leader has his own difficulties. He must maintain his presence at all times. Once the boss loses his authority, others will want to be the boss. This is the case with Britain today, the United States and the Soviet Union later, and the United States later.

After the foreigner discovered that this large group of people were anti-government, he began to observe his environment while attending classes. More and more discoveries made him think outside the box. As someone from a colonial country, he certainly knew how much wealth he could gain by supporting a new power. He wanted to find Zhang Yinghao and ask him if he was rebelling, if he was rebelling against the Qing court, why there was no news from the outside world, and whether he needed help.

Do you want his friendship or his help?

Zhang Yinghao had no time to meet with these foreigners; everything would wait until the machinery and equipment arrived. The fact that these foreigners had discovered his rebellion was naturally intentional. Of course, he was only rebelling, not letting these foreigners realize he was a revolutionary. These foreigners must have known that when a country begins a revolution, nationalism and xenophobia are inevitable, and this is something that cannot be changed by personal will.

Meanwhile, as the revolutionary army expanded and land reforms deepened, many mineral resources were discovered, showing traces of British ownership. Zhang Jianmeng's dislike for the British deepened. With the capital now occupied by foreigners, foreigners across China were emboldened, perhaps believing that all of China had been conquered.

Throughout Sichuan, a large number of religious incidents continued to occur. The Qing court and the foreign devils colluded with each other, and the people suffered terribly.

Zhang Yinghao was quite successful in suppressing the news of his revolution. The prefect once said that Zhang Yinghao was not killed, but was allowed to continue handling official documents for the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, everything seemed normal to the outside world. Only some landlords who secretly reported to the authorities disappeared inexplicably.

Holding the prefect hostage to Guang'an and enforcing reforms might have worked on the surface. However, the common people and the underworld were able to obtain some accurate information, such as reports of banditry and land divisions in Guang'an, but other specific information was scarce. Even so, a large number of heroes and brave men flocked to Guang'an, dramatically increasing the pressure on public security.

Why did Zhang Yinghao reveal the information of his rebellion to Payne? It was because even if he didn't reveal it, the foreigners would be able to see it quickly. Perhaps when the two foreigners were caught as soon as they entered the base, the foreigners would know it.

Zhang Yinghao's Quotes: Why does a person's salary remain at 3,000 yuan after working for 30 years? It is because there is no change, no progress, and no motivation to take action.

Chapter 74

Foreigners place far greater importance on intelligence than the Qing government, or rather, industrial nations are far more sensitive to intelligence than agricultural nations. Especially foreigners who can travel thousands of miles to the Far East, it can be said that they are all very capable. Without the necessary experience, how could one dare to join the Liangshan movement?

Coming from the other side of the world to the East, from an industrialized nation to an agricultural land, these foreigners possessed insights unmatched by ordinary people. It could be described as a dimensionality reduction attack. Do you think those who have traveled 25,000 miles are ordinary people? These people, through this single march, broadened their horizons and liberated their minds. What difficulties could possibly overwhelm them? If these people couldn't liberate the entire country, who else could?

At this time, Guang'an was expelling foreigners, even hanging several missionaries for their crimes, and even more Christians who committed misdeeds were sentenced to death. Zhang Yinghao believed that Guang'an's actions must have reached the ears of the foreign devils in Chongqing. Perhaps soon, the pressure from the foreigners would reach Guang'an Prefect Zeng Chuanqi. However, Zhang Yinghao gave himself the best time estimate, which would at least be after Empress Dowager Cixi returned to Beijing?

After seeing George off, Zhang Yinghao immediately began construction on the factory. Unable to afford a steel-framed structure, Zhang Yinghao could only construct a brick and tile facility. By the time the first batch of machinery purchased by Comrade Chen Yiwei was brought back by his companions, the technicians were already installing the machines in the factory. Meanwhile, Zhang Yinghao was busy preparing for his trip to Chongqing to purchase weapons.

Zhang Yinghao had long since begun his campaign in Chongqing. When he defeated the landlord Liu Youcai, he dispatched troops to Chongqing to take over his family's shops. Now, Zhang Yinghao's influence had been growing for over a year, reaching into every corner of Chongqing. Comrades from various departments had sent numerous comrades to Chongqing to develop their business, while some of the landlords' shops he had taken over continued to operate. Products produced in the base area were shipped to Chongqing for sale, and then sold along both banks of the Yangtze River.

"Comrade Xinsheng, you have done very effective work in Chongqing. Thank you for your hard work." "Chairman, this is what we should do."

"Comrade Xinsheng, come here, let me introduce you. This is Director Yu Qingao, Director Yu, and this is Comrade Liu Xinsheng, the person in charge of our Chongqing branch."

Liu Xinsheng extended his hand and shook Yu Qingao's. He said, "Hello, Director Yu. I've heard a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you, nice to meet you, Comrade Liu Xinsheng."

"Okay, I won't introduce Comrade Tianqiao and the others. You should know them all. Let's go inside and talk."

Upon arriving in Chongqing, Zhang Yinghao's first move was to express his condolences to Liu Xinsheng and his men. It's fair to say that without their hard work, the base wouldn't have developed as well as it did. Thanks to their work in Chongqing, the base's products could be sold on both sides of the Yangtze River. They provided a steady stream of financial, material, and human support to the base.

After everyone entered the conference room and sat down, Zhang Yinghao asked Liu Xinsheng directly: "How are you doing now?"

"Chairman, our work is going well. We've opened three spelling classes and five schools dedicated to teaching children. These five schools are often used for spelling classes in the evenings. You can say that everyone who attends our classes is one of our own."

"Very good, are you having any difficulties now?"

"Chairman, you know, Chongqing has been suffering from a severe drought for quite some time now. Furthermore, the weather has been extreme, with hailstorms and many people freezing to death or starving to death. It's truly a spring drought, summer drought, and a hailstorm."

"Yes, as the saying goes, when a country is about to perish, evil will appear. This is a warning from heaven. Haha, but we are materialists. We can't control natural disasters so much. But if we organize well, we can definitely survive these natural disasters successfully.

Could there be fatalities?"

“主席说的对,前进党进行了赈灾行动,但是饥寒之民日见其增,一切家常所需之物,其价无不加昂。主席,我们进行了一些调查:1872年巴县只有当铺五家,1885年为11家,到1901年则增至66家,百姓是越来越难了。”

"Your investigation is good. The pawn industry is a financial organization that exploits people with usury. Its development means that people are poor. As more and more people rely on pawning to make a living, the social economy will only become more and more destitute. However, these unemployed people are valuable.

Wealth, we should try our best to provide them with a job that can make a living."

Zhang Yinghao was, of course, aware of these developments. Through comrades in Chongqing, the Forward Party had secretly begun recruiting large numbers of unemployed people from Chongqing to work in the base area. These unemployed were not lumpenproletarians, but rather those forced to seek a living due to a severe drought that had caused crop failures. The vast majority of these individuals were middle-aged or young, representing the best labor force. Through these individuals, Zhang Yinghao gained a deeper understanding of this era.

"Chairman, Chongqing has been open to the outside world for over a decade now, and there are a large number of unemployed people and landless and bankrupt farmers trying to make a living here. So for us, recruiting some people is a very simple matter. As long as these workers can have a meal, even if they don't get paid, there will be a large number of people vying for work and grabbing these job opportunities."

Zhang Yinghao was speechless. The price of labor was now ridiculously low for him. Of course, for him, this situation had only advantages and no disadvantages. In this era, there were only two ways to develop industry: either suck your own blood or suck the blood of others. Now, he couldn't afford to suck the blood of others, so he could only suck his own blood. This was the pain and price he had to bear.

"Alas, this era is so cruel. Let's not talk about this anymore. This time I came to Chongqing, I also want to thank you for providing the bristle processing technology."

"Chairman, this is all thanks to our comrades." "Oh, tell me about it?"

"Chairman, we secretly developed our own comrades among the dock laborers and the factory workers. We used these comrades' opportunities to work in the factories to secretly learn the foreigners' skills."

"Learn these skills by stealing, freshman. You know, these skills are very valuable. And they are also what we are desperately lacking, so whether we have to steal or rob, we must do everything we can to get these skills."

"Yes, Chairman, you don't know that this foreigner, Li Dele, was the first to establish a bristle factory here. Li Dele purchased bristles at low prices, cleaned and processed them, and then sold them abroad, where they were very popular. Soon, the small factory with only a few dozen people grew into a large one with hundreds of employees, and production increased from two to three thousand kilograms per month to over ten thousand kilograms. Li Dele strictly kept his technology, processes, and management confidential, and he almost monopolized the bristle business in Chongqing. We also had a lot of trouble learning the confidential process of processing bristles."

"What's going on with this Lidele? Is it so powerful?"

"We've investigated thoroughly. He was indeed a very capable man. He came to China to do business in 1859 and quickly became a wealthy businessman in Shanghai. He was the first to complete the feat of bringing a steamship into Sichuan and opened the first foreign trading company in Chongqing."

"It's really amazing, and then what?"

In 1890, the corrupt Qing government signed the Additional Articles of the Treaty of Yantai with Britain, opening Chongqing as a trading port. Li Dele opened a foreign trading company named after him on Xia Shaanxi Street in Chongqing, becoming the first foreign trading company in Chongqing's history.

The following year, after profiting from the export of pig bristles, Li Dele planned to expand his trading company. He set his sights on Longmenhao, on the south bank of the Yangtze River. At the time, the Qing government prohibited foreigners from purchasing or leasing land in China. So, Li Dele bribed his hired Chinese comprador, Lu Xudong, and, using Lu Xudong's name, seized the stretch of land in Longmenhao, known as the "Nine Bays and Eighteen Forts," stretching for several miles from Yandian Bay to Shizishan Mountain. He claimed it as his own on a "perpetual lease."

Lide Le invested a huge amount of money in this land and carried out large-scale construction. Experts were invited to survey, plan, design and draw, and docks, warehouses, factories, offices and staff housing were built.

The first thing Lidelo built was a bristle factory. Lidelo purchased bristles at low prices, cleaned and processed them, and then sold them abroad. The bristles were well received by the market, and Lidelo continued to expand its business.

In 1892, he opened the first foreign-funded transportation company in Chongqing, Chongqing Limited Transport Company, specializing in the transportation industry.

In 1893, he established the Lichuan Insurance Company to "specialize in insuring cargo on flag ships", becoming the first foreign-funded insurance company in Chongqing's history.

In November 1893, Lidele established the first postal agency in Chongqing, which was then called "Xinju", following the practices of major cities such as Shanghai and Hankou. It also set up branches or agencies in Yichang, Hankou and Shanghai in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to meet the communication needs of foreigners in Chongqing.

Li Dele tried to develop the rich early relief work in Sichuan and Chongqing. When the agent learned that there was a dispute between two coal mines in Jiangbei, Chongqing, he bribed the government and found an agent to help him.

Purchase mineral development rights.

In 1900, he gathered Sichuan bureaucrats and comprador merchants to form the "Yongtongxinhezhidongsi" (Oriental Company), planning to sail the Sichuan River section from Chongqing to Chengdu. However, due to the Boxer Rebellion,

It went on and on, without success.”

He investigated clearly that if there is an opportunity in the future, he will find a way to seize many core assets, and all his efforts will be in vain. He now occupies many core assets of our country.

Assets cannot fall into the hands of foreigners. Xinsheng, let me ask you a question: if we immediately seize all of his assets, are you confident that you can operate them all?"

"Well, not yet."

"So, we have to work hard. Otherwise, if we shut down his factories and mines and they don't bring us any profit, wouldn't that be a waste?"

"Okay, I'll remember that and work hard on this."

"Alas, new students, now the foreigners are intensifying their religious and cultural invasion along with their political, military and economic aggression. We have established a religious management committee and have compiled the information.

Later, I established the Zhenyuan Star Great Cocoon Beauty Religion in the base province of my team and other places.

Churches such as the church became the main strongholds of the missionary work in Sichuan. However, if it was not stopped, the power would soon expand rapidly. The number of British missionaries in Sichuan would increase sharply. If it was not stopped,

It will jump to the first place.

These churches became crucial tools for imperialist aggression in Chongqing. The Zhenyuan Church and Catholic Church in Chongqing acted like government offices, plundering land and property, recruiting "lawless thugs," monopolizing lawsuits, extorting compensation for religious incidents, establishing religious education, running charitable organizations, publishing books and newspapers, gathering intelligence, shielding smuggling, committing brutal murders, and practicing feudal land rent exploitation. As the church's influence expanded, ethnic conflicts in Chongqing, like those throughout Sichuan and the rest of the country, deepened, leading to a series of religious incidents.

"Chairman, what should we do here?"

"You, continue as before and develop and strengthen our forces. When our strength grows, we will drive these foreigners out of China and bring those who are acting in their stead to justice."

"okay, I get it."

"Comrade Tianqiao, your intelligence department should also increase intelligence gathering in cities, especially along the Yangtze River. We should have comrades in coastal cities, especially the capital."

"it is good."