The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Quotes from Zhang Yinghao - Many times, when you subconsciously feel like doing something, do it immediately, otherwise you will forget it as soon as you turn around.

Chapter 86

The Americans offered low wages and harsh conditions, but amidst the political darkness and desperation of the Qing Dynasty, seeking a living abroad remained a viable option for impoverished peasants. Thus, waves of Chinese laborers began embarking on ships across the ocean. But the journey was a near-hellish one. From Hong Kong, it took Chinese laborers 56 to 75 days to reach Hawaii, and 75 to 100 days to reach California.

In pursuit of high profits, shipping companies increased the carrying capacity of each ship to the limit, even adding mezzanines to the already cramped and low cabins, ultimately leaving each person with only a little more than a foot of space. During the long voyage, hundreds of Chinese workers were crammed into the cabins like sardines, enduring the tossing of the wind and waves, "sitting shoulder to shoulder during the day and crossing their legs at night to sleep."

They lacked air, sunlight, fresh water, and food, leading many to die of suffocation, thirst, starvation, disease, beatings, or suicide. Four ships carrying a total of 2523 Chinese laborers to the United States recorded the death of 1620 on board, a death rate of 64.21%. For this reason, these ships carrying Chinese laborers abroad were nicknamed "floating hells."

As the workers toiled, the rails stretched forward meter by meter. At peak times, thousands of Chinese laborers worked simultaneously on the railway. They toiled 12 hours a day, earned significantly less than white workers, and had to provide their own food. Facing bitter cold and heat, towering mountains, and deserts and salt lakes, hardly a single mile of the 890-mile Central Pacific Railway line was suitable for construction. The route required traversing mountains and steep cliffs at elevations of 2,000 to 3,000 meters; the temperature difference between winter and summer was significant, and winter blizzards were common. Furthermore, the Chinese workers were often assigned the most dangerous and tiring work.

In 1866, Chinese workers began to tackle the project's biggest obstacle: the Sierra Pass. The granite wall known as Cape Horn was the most formidable obstacle. Below it was a vertical, smooth cliff 1000 feet (304.8 meters) deep. To carve a double-track roadbed from the sheer cliff face, Chinese workers tied themselves to baskets and lowered themselves from the mountaintop by ropes. They chiseled the wall mid-air, filled it with gunpowder, ignited it, and then pulled it back up.

The rock was so hard that gunpowder often burst from the blastholes, injuring the Chinese workers. Countless Chinese workers perished at the bottom of the cliffs due to unstable gunpowder or worn ropes. Tied to ropes around their waists, suspended in mid-air, they forged a path for vehicles. During the construction of the 100-mile Sierra Mountain section of the railway, the death rate for Chinese workers was over 10%.

During the excavation of the 1600-foot-long Donner Tunnel, the United States encountered two consecutive years of severe winters rarely seen in history. Many Chinese workers from southern China, who had never seen ice and snow, froze to death in their tents. When their bodies were discovered several months later, some were still holding shovels and pickaxes.

After drilling through the Donner Tunnel, they conquered the Nevada Desert, where temperatures soared to 40 or 50 degrees Celsius, and the boundless Utah Salt Lake. In the final stages of the railway's construction, before the Central Pacific Railroad connected to the eastern Union Pacific, Chinese workers accepted a challenge from Irish laborers to compete in track construction. On the western section, Chinese workers even set a world record by laying 10 miles and 200 feet (about 16.41 kilometers) of track in 12 hours! Besides their sweat and ingenuity, the Chinese workers also sacrificed their lives. It's no exaggeration to say that the great railroad was paved with the lives of the Chinese workers.

From the end of 1865 to the beginning of 1866, five consecutive months of blizzards caused frequent avalanches, sometimes burying entire camps of Chinese workers. Months later, when the ice and snow melted, the bodies of the deceased Chinese workers were found, their hands still tightly grasping their tools.

In the winter of 1866, between 500 and 1000 Chinese workers died in avalanches during the construction of the Sierra Pass;

In 1867, Nevada was hit by the heaviest snowstorm in recorded history, with snow reaching a depth of 14 meters at its peak. However, even a single day's pause in work would have meant enormous losses for the capitalists. Despite the weather, the Big Four ordered their workers to continue construction. These workers, with remarkable endurance and a spirit of sacrifice, persevered through the deep snow, digging the roadbed and laying the tracks. The unpredictable blizzards often claimed lives while working, and sometimes even entire camps were buried by avalanches. Many bodies remained undiscovered until months later, when the ice and snow melted, their picks still tightly gripped in their frozen hands.

In 1868, the project was extended to the Nevada Mountains. Today, Americans call this section of the railway "the Great Wall of China in the Nevada Mountains." About 1000 Chinese workers died here.

The widely circulated saying “there is a Chinese worker’s corpse under every railroad tie” is by no means an exaggeration.

As a laboring class, they were quiet, hardworking, simple, and good at learning. In the various jobs in railroad construction, they soon became as efficient as white laborers, but were better at saving materials and were satisfied with lower wages.

Thousands of Chinese laborers responded to the arduous construction of the Central Pacific Railroad. With their uniquely Chinese spirit of hard work and exceptional ingenuity, they played a crucial role and made a decisive contribution to the railroad's construction. They also paid a heavy price, with many dying from the intense and risky labor. However, remarkably, Chinese laborers faced injustices such as low wages, racial discrimination, and anti-Chinese sentiment.

They formed mutual aid societies, with shrewd businessmen serving as foremen, managing thousands of workers, efficiently and under the most favorable labor conditions. The workers made enormous sacrifices, yet received less pay than white workers. The railroad paid white workers $35 a month, plus room and board.

The system of management that prevailed among these workers differed from slavery, serfdom, or debt-peonship. Wages were always paid in coins at the end of each month, distributed by management based on individual labor performance. Food was often provided by Americans or Chinese businessmen, with meal expenses deducted from monthly salaries. Furthermore, the Chinese workers had no life insurance, and the company assumed no obligations to their families.

Two railroad armies, one running 689 miles east from Sacramento, California, and the other 1086 miles west from Omaha, Nebraska, connected at the Promontory Hills in the Ogden area of ​​Utah Territory. This feat announced the beginning of the economic integration of the American continent and pushed the United States to become an economic power connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Yet, while the world sang praises of this project, no one noticed the contributions of the Chinese workers. In fact, without the labor and ingenuity of the Chinese workers, building the railway would have taken far longer than seven years. Ninety-five percent of the work on the nearly 1100-kilometer Central Pacific Railroad was completed in the four years that Chinese workers joined the construction effort. For a long time, a little-known fact remained: the most challenging sections of this great railway were built by a predominantly Chinese workforce. Central Pacific Railroad payroll records show that Chinese workers comprised as much as 95% of the workforce in the later stages of the project.

But at the famous celebration of the two railroad companies' meeting, not a single Chinese person was present. In fact, upon the completion of the railway, tens of thousands of Chinese workers were instantly fired. As the railroad tycoons celebrated, they seemed to have forgotten all the Chinese had done for them and how they had helped them win the competition.

Most white laborers on the Pacific Coast, seeking better-paying and more satisfying work, found more opportunities in mines and on farms than on the railroads. The majority of our workers were Chinese, and they constituted a significant portion of California's population. Without them, it would have been impossible to complete this grand national project in the West within the time stipulated by the Act of Congress.

After reading the information, Yu Qingao was immediately furious. Perhaps thinking of the corruption of the Qing Dynasty, he could only suppress his anger and said: "These foreign devils are really cannibals."

"Yes, I was also filled with righteous indignation when I got this information. Our people worked so hard to build the railway for them, and they treated us like this."

Zhang Yinghao sneered after hearing this and said, "Director Yu, this is what happens to weak nations, which is why we must redouble our efforts. The Chinese nation's diligence terrifies the world, but these Chinese workers are wasting their time. No matter how many lives they sacrifice for the foreign devils, they won't earn the slightest affection from them. On the contrary, the harder they work, the more fearful those white pigs become of them."

"The Chairman is right. Americans are ungrateful. The American West was in urgent need of cheap labor, and Chinese workers became the best choice. But after using Chinese workers to support the government's economy, they also began to exclude Chinese workers in various ways. The Chinese Exclusion Act was enacted in this context."

"What is the Chinese Exclusion Act?"

Director Yu, the Chinese Exclusion Act was a U.S. law signed on May 6, 1882. It was enacted based on the 1880 amendment to the Treaty of Burlingame. The amendment allowed the United States to suspend immigration, a decision Congress quickly implemented. The act was a response to the large number of Chinese people moving to the American West due to civil unrest in China and the opportunity to work on railroads. It was the first immigration law passed in the United States targeting a specific ethnic group.

Zhang Yinghao continued, "Hehe, Director Yu, Chinese people began entering the United States in large numbers during the California Gold Rush of 1848-1855. This continued with subsequent large, labor-intensive projects, such as the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Most of them came from southern China, which had fallen into poverty after the Taiping Rebellion, seeking their fortunes in America. Initially, there was ample surface gold, so their arrival was tolerated."

However, as easily accessible gold reserves dwindled and competition for gold intensified,

Anti-Chinese sentiment also intensified. Nativist groups began to claim that California gold belonged to the Americans and began to physically assault foreign gold miners.

After being forcibly expelled from the gold mines, the Chinese moved to cities, primarily San Francisco, to work as wage laborers and servants.

As the American economy declined, resentment against the Chinese was politicized by Governor John Bigler, who blamed the nation's misfortunes on Chinese coolies and the Chinese laborers who had been contracted to build the Central Pacific Railroad between 1864 and 1869. Another significant anti-Chinese organization was the White Supremacist Organization, which had approximately 60 chapters nationwide.

Initially, the California state government did not support Chinese exclusion because Chinese taxes helped finance the government's deficit. Later, as the government's finances improved, it eased its opposition to exclusion. Before 1860, the Chinese constituted the largest immigrant group in California. Because the Chinese were mostly healthy, adult men, they provided inexpensive services but were denied access to public facilities such as schools and hospitals.

Over time, more and more Chinese people arrived in California, and violence became a regular occurrence in cities like Los Angeles. In 1878, Congress decided to enact and pass the Chinese Exclusion Act, but it was vetoed by then-President Hayes. During the height of anti-Chinese sentiment, California even declared March 6th a holiday in 1881, with large-scale parades in support of the Act.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was finally passed in 1882. California further passed various laws that further exacerbated the exclusion of Chinese people.

After the law was passed, most Chinese families faced the decision of staying in the United States or returning to China to reunite with their families. Newspapers nationwide, especially in California, began to smear and blame the Chinese for many problems, including unemployment among white people. Police also took every opportunity to arrest Chinese people, despite widespread antipathy towards the Chinese at the time.

"Does this mean that these Chinese workers are taking jobs from Americans, so they are being excluded on a large scale?"

"Haha, Director Yu, we Chinese are just too hardworking, and we demand very low wages in foreign countries, so we can do any job. Think about it, for the same job, the wages of foreigners are so high, while the wages of Chinese are so low. As the director, you naturally give priority to hiring Chinese workers. They only hire foreigners for jobs that Chinese workers can't do. With Chinese workers disrupting things, the wages of these foreigners can't be increased. These foreigners don't dare to cause trouble because the wages of Chinese workers are so low. If they dare to cause trouble, they will be fired, which means their wages can't be increased, and the living standards of those foreigners are immediately lowered."

Zhang Yinghao's Quotation: The fundamental reason for the existence of banks is development, because only development can create more profits.

Chapter 87

Zhang Yinghao took a sip of sugar water and continued, "So, the Chinese workers are cutting off people's financial resources, like killing their parents. You're a foreigner, and you don't want to work as hard as the Chinese. Then there's only one way: reduce the number of Chinese people. The emergence of the Chinese Exclusion Act is not surprising. China now has a population of over 400 million. If Chinese workers continue to enter the United States on a large scale, where else can those Americans find jobs? Chinese workers can do all kinds of jobs, and those who can't can learn to do them after a period of study."

"That's indeed the truth."

"Director Yu, Tianqiao, you must remember that foreigners are a group of people who cannot share adversity or wealth."

"Ah, Chairman, how do we get along with them?"

"Haha, they're just using each other. Why can't they share hardships? This is determined by the nature of capitalism. The capitalist world emphasizes the survival of the fittest, and winner takes all. So when it comes to partners, they can abandon them at any time as long as there's a benefit. Think about it, Britain and France fought a Hundred Years' War. Can they be like good brothers now? Germany captured the French emperor. Can they coexist peacefully? But now they form the Eight-Nation Alliance and invade Beijing..."

Zhang Yinghao thought of the Russo-Japanese War, and he felt he had much to offer. After a brief pause, he continued, "These nations pursue only profit. They're ready to fight or cooperate for it. We can only exploit such nations, not share prosperity or hardship. Their principle is that there are no permanent friends, only permanent profits. This is completely different from our nation's view of righteousness and profit."

"There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests." This quote, attributed to 19th-century British Prime Minister Palmerston, has become the foundation of British diplomacy. Originally a description of state-to-state relations, it has become a fundamental principle in Britain's dealings with other nations. Clearly, the British Empire was driven by profit.

Unexpectedly, a century later, Britain had completely become the "lamb" of the US-Soviet Cold War. Its international status was no longer glorious. British Prime Minister Churchill once again lamented: "There are no permanent friends between nations, only permanent interests!"

Therefore, anyone who understands the nature of imperialism cannot be unaware of the imperialists’ emphasis on interests and their pursuit of interests.

Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment and continued, "From a selfish point of view, the Chinese Exclusion Act is actually a good thing for us. Only when the United States discriminates against Chinese people will they return to China. We now need a group of mature workers. These Chinese workers are a very valuable asset to us, but the Chinese workers who built the railway are already old. There are definitely very talented people among the new generation of overseas Chinese, but they may not be willing to return to build the country. We must find a way to invite back those who are willing to come back to build the country. Although our living standards here are not as good as those in the United States, at least we don't have discrimination here."

"Chairman, what can I do for you?"

"There's no need to do anything for now. Our territory is too small, so we have to wait. But you can contact Comrade Chen Yiwei and have him start calling on skilled overseas Chinese to return home early to help us train skilled workers. In the future, when we have enough territory, it won't be a problem if all of them return. Of course, we can't force them to come back if they don't want to. Also, the Ministry of Commerce and your intelligence department should work together to contact overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. We want to buy rubber from Southeast Asia. As for the Lan Fang Republic, you can also handle it while you're at it. Just maintain its presence and avoid any drastic actions."

"Okay. Chairman, you see, it's very inconvenient for us to communicate with each other now. What do you think about buying a factory to manufacture radio transmitters?"

"Well, Tianqiao, your suggestion is very good. If possible, we'd better buy another factory to manufacture crawler tractors. You can talk to the Ministry of Commerce and ask them to contact Comrade Chen Yiwei to see if we can buy it..."

Zhang Yinghao returned to his office from the intelligence department and sighed deeply. He was worried about talent. There was a shortage of scientists, engineers, technicians, inventors, and designers. It could be said that any talent of any quality was lacking.

"Chinese, overseas Chinese. I need you now! If you don't come back, don't regret it later."

Zhang Yinghao whispered silently and immediately threw himself into work again. Only work could make Zhang Yinghao forget all his worries.

Zhang Yinghao was immersed in his work and had no idea that at this time, a conversation involving Zhang Yinghao and others was taking place in the British Consulate General in Chongqing. It was also a discussion about whether Zhang Yinghao had rebelled in Shunqing Prefecture. The people involved included Zhang Yinghao's business partners George and Payne.

The British were fully aware of the killings of many foreigners and the expulsion of most missionaries from Shunqing Prefecture. Furthermore, Shunqing Prefecture implemented a so-called New Deal, banning opium, closing brothels, and cracking down on gambling dens. These measures, which had expanded from Guang'an to the entire Shunqing area, were also immediately known to the British.

Most importantly, the Shunqing faction had already begun trading with foreigners. It seemed that rather than rejecting them, they were actually increasing their trade, which puzzled the British. Trade was a priority for the British, and such activity was impossible to escape their notice. After all, they controlled the Chongqing Customs, collecting taxes and easily discovering what was going on.

On March 31, 1890, the sixteenth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, China and Britain signed the "Additional Articles to the Treaty of Yantai," opening Chongqing as a commercial port. On March 1 of the following year, the Chongqing Customs was established, with British official Hobson serving as Commissioner of Customs, assuming responsibility for customs administration and tariff collection, as well as overseeing port affairs. Using Chongqing as their base, the British increasingly sought to control the Sichuan and southwestern markets. Various countries established consulates and concessions in Chongqing, creating a "state within a state."

After Chongqing was opened as a port, Yangtze River shipping gradually fell under foreign control. With the loss of these rights, Western powers established foreign banks and companies in Chongqing, built factories, mined mines, dumped goods, plundered raw materials, and exported capital, reducing Chongqing to a semi-colonial state. However, the opening of the port objectively strengthened Chongqing's ties with the outside world, gradually introducing Western modernizing factors into Chongqing and promoting its modernization.

However, Zhang Yinghao now has a relatively tight control over Guang'an. Therefore, Chongqing has only received fragmentary information, or perhaps a limited understanding. They also sought out George and Payne to learn about the specific situation in Shunqing Prefecture.

"George, did you buy these goods from Shunqing?"

"No, no, we bought it from a great guy in Guang'an. Great guy, is that what you call him?"

"Yes, that's great. He plans to do long-term business with us. We help them buy some machines, and they trade these supplies."

"Do you know they are now killing our British citizens?"

"No, they arrested me too, but Zhang said he wanted to buy some machinery, so they let me go. Payne stayed in Guang'an."

"Mr. Payne, do you think these people in Shunqing Prefecture are Boxer rioters?" Payne shook his head, then nodded and said, "I've taught them before. Although these are just farmers who have just put down their hoes, they don't show strong xenophobic or murderous tendencies."

The British Consul General nodded. Andy, the French Consul General in Chongqing, saw Payne opening his mouth to speak and asked directly, "Mr. Payne, who do you think they are? Are they really the Qing government's so-called New Deal?"

Hearing the word "New Deal," the British Consul General couldn't help but sneer. The so-called Hundred Days' Reform in the Qing Dynasty had failed, and the Westernization Movement in the Qing Dynasty was a joke in their eyes. Naturally, they didn't believe that the so-called New Deal in Sichuan could succeed. Payne nodded and said, "Shunqing now claims that the Qing Dynasty is implementing the New Deal, but in fact, it has been controlled by Yinghao Zhang. Although Shunqing Prefecture has not yet raised the banner of rebellion, it has actually broken away from the control of the Qing court. However..."

"But what?"

"But I think this is a group of revolutionaries."

When Payne described Zhang Yinghao and his group as a group of revolutionaries, everyone burst into laughter, thinking Payne was telling a joke. It wasn't that they looked down on the revolutionaries; they simply despised the Qing dynasty's revolutionaries. They didn't believe any would emerge from Sichuan. They knew that during the Huizhou Uprising of 1900, news of the uprising leaked before the revolutionaries even began. Zheng Shiliang led 600 members of the secret society in rebellion, and the rebel army, which at one point grew to 20,000, ultimately fought bloody battles for two weeks, ran out of ammunition and food, and was forced to disband the rebel army, following Sun Yat-sen's instructions.

For the old imperialists, as a troublemaker in Europe for hundreds of years, Britain, which has mastered the essence of troublemakers, will pay close attention to and even monitor the emergence of new armed forces or uncontrolled political groups, because they know very well that the British Empire

Where do the country's interests come from?

To Britain and France, these so-called uprisings were nothing more than a bunch of children playing house. If countries like Britain and France were to suppress a mob-like uprising like the Qing Dynasty, the uprising would be quelled as soon as the army passed by.

"Mr. Consul General, I do think they are a group of revolutionaries. You know they eliminated the landlords in Shunqing and distributed land to the landless peasants. These things are only revolutionary.

Only the Party would do that. But they are very strange, and I don’t know how exactly they manifest themselves.”

Payne had only been on a cursory tour of the base. Furthermore, as a foreigner, much information was concealed from him, and he was not allowed to see many places. Naturally, he had no idea who Zhang Yinghao and his group were. Furthermore, Payne hadn't read Das Kapital. Perhaps he had heard of Marxism, but how could he have imagined that Marxists would appear in the Far East? That's why he found it so strange. Zhang Yinghao and his group seemed so abnormal, but he didn't know what was wrong.

"Haha, Mr. Payne, you don't understand the Qing Dynasty. There was a riot in the Qing Dynasty decades ago. At that time, they also wanted to divide the land. In the end, the riot was suppressed by the Qing Dynasty.

So the so-called land distribution also happened in Qing Dynasty history, so it is not surprising.

"Really? But I think we should still pay more attention to them and not let them harm the interests of the British Empire and France."

"Of course. Now Shunqing has killed our French citizens and is also eradicating opium and driving out our citizens. This is something we cannot tolerate. So I intend to put pressure on the Qing government in Chongqing to order Shunqing to stop their so-called new policies, release our captured citizens, offer compensation and an apology, and guarantee that such things will not happen again."

This is what Andy, the French Consul General in Chongqing, said, and of course, he did. Opening a consulate in Chengdu had long been a goal of Britain and France, and the French Consulate General in Chongqing was officially established on March 26, 1896. The first Consul General, Hashi, was responsible for handling negotiations, trade, and expatriate affairs in the consular districts of Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Gansu, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Tibet.

His successor, Andy, had long since applied to open a consulate in Chengdu, but Sichuan Governor-General Kui Jun was ambivalent, neither agreeing nor denying. He employed the common official tactic of procrastination, withholding a formal response. Chengdu, after all, was the political, economic, and cultural center of Sichuan, and foreigners were eager to establish a consulate there. The reclusive Qing government, fearing foreigners' incursions into inland cities, established strict defenses. This incident offered an opportune opportunity to pressure Governor-General Kui Jun into opening a consulate in Chengdu.

The British Empire was now at its most powerful, confident in its ability to handle any changes, especially in a corner of the world like the Far East, which the British Empire had never taken seriously. Of course, this was in the eyes of ordinary British people. If certain information had reached the hands of, for example, the Acting Minister to China, Sir John Jordan, he might not have been so careless. After all, not every foreigner who came to China was an expert on China.

Zhang Yinghao's Quotes: "I don't want to live an ordinary life, so I ask you, how can I live a meaningful life? I need your guidance! I should always keep this in mind!"

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

After suppressing the Boxer Rebellion, the Western powers gained a new understanding of China and the Chinese people, and adopted policies to support the Qing Dynasty. This was because they realized that they did not have the ability or the skills to rule China's 400 million people, and that direct colonization would be a completely disproportionate investment and output.

By retaining the Qing court's superficial rule, they could gain greater benefits through the Qing. Unfortunately, the contradictions between imperialisms were irreconcilable, and the binding force of the principle of consensus among the great powers was not that strong.

After the First Sino-Japanese War, the Triple Intervention led to the return of Liaodong. The Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, Russia invaded the three northeastern provinces, and then the Russo-Japanese War broke out. Then, unsatisfied with the benefits China had reaped, Japan fanned the flames, leading to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, with Japan benefiting the most. Japan essentially filled its own deficit by scavenging the flesh of the Qing Dynasty, a freakish creature that grew up feasting on the flesh and blood of the Qing.

Zhang Yinghao naturally knew that the trend of opening ports in modern China was from the coast to the Yangtze River, from the lower reaches to the upper reaches, and gradually into the inland hinterland. These ports had punctured holes, large and small, in China's feudal social system. Foreign capitalist elements thus continuously flowed in and seeped in. This was a kind of greedy and aggressive force, yet also full of enterprising spirit and vitality.

The result of this discussion at the Chongqing Consulate General was to force the Qing court to understand and deal with Shunqing Prefecture, and to pay close attention to and wait and see what would happen. Due to their inherent contempt for the yellow race, they did not even report the Shunqing Prefecture incident to their superiors, only reporting the significant increase in trade volume in Chongqing.

After meeting George and Payne and learning about the situation in Shunqing Prefecture, Andy, the French Consul General in Chongqing, immediately went to Chengdu and met with the Sichuan Governor Kui Jun and said: ".....Shunqing Prefecture pretends to implement the New Deal, but in fact it persecutes citizens of the powers. Many French citizens have been persecuted to death, and almost all citizens have been expelled. The consulate has to wait for approval at various levels to handle cases in Chongqing, which leads to delays..." He requested to set up a consulate in Chengdu.

Who was Kui Jun, far away in Chengdu? He was the Governor-General of Sichuan and concurrently the General of Chengdu, a truly powerful figure. Governor-General Kui Jun had long ago received news from Zeng Chuanqi, the prefect of Guang'an: there were bandits causing unrest in Guang'an. However, he did not issue any directives. Later, he learned that the bandits had captured Shunqing, but there was still no official news. Even the official documents he issued did not receive any response from Shunqing. He also remembered that Shunqing had received a document stating that Shunqing would implement new policies. At the time, he did not pay much attention to it. Could new policies be so easy to implement?

Of course, when he first heard about the rebellion, he didn't believe it. The local officials didn't report it, official documents were still being sent and received as usual, and there was no news in society. What kind of rebellion was this?

However, the news he received did prove that there was a group of rebels in Guang'an, and there was information showing that Guang'an Prefecture had been lost long ago, and Shunqing had also fallen into the hands of the rebels some time ago. After seeing the information, Kui Jun was not sure.

However, for a Qing Dynasty noble who only knows how to make money but not how to do things, and who doesn't treat the people as human beings, he doesn't care much about these things. From the founding of the Qing Dynasty to its demise, which year was there without bandits? Which year was there without rebellion? Now these bandits haven't even raised their banners, and the official documents are still the same, so just pretend you don't see it. As long as it doesn't hinder his wealth, who cares if it floods the country?

The revolutionary army's capture of Shunqing was a major event that could not be concealed for long. Neighboring prefectures such as Suiding, Baoning, and Chongqing all received news of the massive presence of troops in Shunqing, who were slaughtering landlords and gentry and distributing land to the poor. They immediately reported the news to their superiors, especially Chongqing, who sent a telegram. The information was converted into an electrical signal and instantly reached Chengdu Kuijun.

However, a lot of the news Kuijun received was true and false. Some said Shunqing Prefecture was captured, but some said Shunqing officials were still working, and Shunqing Prefecture did not raise any banners, or kill officials for rebellion. This made Kuijun confused. This did not look like a rebellion! Kuijun still knew what a rebellion looked like.

Those who rebelled would certainly spread the news of the rebellion widely, wishing that everyone in the world would know about their rebellion. Shunqing behaved out of character, so Kuijun didn't know what happened to Shunqing. He asked Shunqing prefect to report to Chengdu, but Shunqing prefect found someone to

He knew something big had happened in Shunqing Prefecture, but he was still investigating what it was.

Unexpectedly, before the specific situation was investigated, Andy, the French Consul General in Chongqing, came. He also kept saying that Shunqing killed citizens of their country and expelled their

Citizen. His first reaction was to gloat over the misfortune of the foreign devils. You guys have also suffered this day. The capital has been occupied by you, and you have actually lost weight in Shunqing. But he immediately realized that this is impossible. Who gave Shunqing such courage? Damn, it must be this foreign devil.

The Japanese wanted to open a consulate in Chongqing and were deliberately making trouble.

What to do? As a Manchu, Kuijun inherited the fine tradition of Manchu officials.

Greedy. The current officials of the late Qing Dynasty are all good at making money. They are very fond of the pawnbroking industry, which is directly related to the corruption of the bureaucracy in the late Qing Dynasty.

After accumulating a lot of wealth, the minister was not satisfied and wanted to further "make money with money". So he used the silver obtained from corruption and bribery as capital and invested heavily in the pawn industry.

At this time, Kui Jun had long-term plans. Sichuan, after many governors, had been governed, wars had subsided for many years, the population had grown rapidly, and the total economic output had exceeded 10 million taels.

Chengdu was already a hub for merchants and department stores, akin to the remote southwest. He wanted to allow silver, banknotes, copper coins, and silver bills to circulate simultaneously, with government and private businesses exchanging them, thus establishing Chengdu as the financial center of the southwest.

Sichuan is a province with a large population and its status was very important in the late Qing Dynasty. There is no governor in Sichuan now, but the governor-general is in charge of both military and political affairs.

A member of the Sichuan Provincial Military Commission, holding a gun in one hand and money in the other, is a true portrayal of the Governor of Sichuan.

Guaerjia Kuijun, the late Qing Dynasty Governor-General of Sichuan, was one of the four wealthiest men in Beijing and the cousin of the late Qing dynasty tycoon Ronglu. His greatest joy in life wasn't his wealth, but the joy of amassing wealth. Therefore, the "cannon tax" and "excrement tax" became the ultimate inventions of miscellaneous taxes. He was also known for his willingness to embezzle disaster relief funds, a true portrayal of greed and shamelessness.