The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"Yes, we will definitely take that into consideration when we survey."

Zhang Yinghao and Zhan Tianyou chatted for a long time, and the more they talked, the more they got along. Zhang Yinghao discovered that Zhan Tianyou and he actually had many similarities and shared many common topics. Zhan Tianyou grew up in the United States, while Zhang Yinghao grew up in New China in his previous life, both of them lived in an era of rapid industrial development. Zhan Tianyou was an engineering major, and although Zhang Yinghao himself didn't have an engineering background, he studied science in high school and had spent considerable time in factories, making him familiar with subjects like math, physics, and chemistry.

After discussing the United States and the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Yinghao learned that these overseas personnel had very complicated feelings towards the Qing Dynasty, which could be described as a mixture of love and hate. They didn't know what to do, and could only work hard to do their own jobs. Zhang Yinghao also expressed his understanding of this. After all, before the emergence of the Soviet Union, the working class of the entire world was in mourning. No one knew where the future would lead, and no one knew what to do.

Therefore, the advanced nature of the Chinese people led to the Xinhai Revolution, but due to unclear goals and not knowing what to do, they ended up reaping the consequences themselves, causing the nation to continue to sink into suffering for decades.

Zhang Yinghao was very excited when he reluctantly said goodbye to Zhan Tianyou. Zhang Yinghao had no idea how the Chengdu-Chongqing railway would be built, but he said

It is not an exaggeration to mobilize the whole of Sichuan. If 200,000 people are mobilized, a simple addition and subtraction will show that the grain consumption alone will be hundreds of millions of pounds. There are 45 million people in Sichuan, and each person will have to contribute about 10 pounds of grain.

Food.

Of course, Zhang Yinghao's current ability to mobilize people in Sichuan is such that even with food provided, or even no food provided for a short period of time, a large number of people will come to the construction site to work. However, no matter what the work is, it depends on the people. Labor creates wealth, and the sound of a train brings in a fortune. Coupled with the rising land prices along the railway, building this railway is definitely profitable, and railway construction should definitely be started sooner rather than later.

In fact, Zhang Yinghao's current understanding of railways is still based on the later era of railway speed increases. He overestimated the difficulty of building railways in this era. The requirements for railway construction in this era were countless times lower than those in later times. For example, the Trans-Siberian Railway built by Russia, in many places, the sleepers were laid with wood, and then the rails were laid, and the railway was still open.

From the late Qing Dynasty until today, Zhang Yinghao has always felt that the Qing dynasty was characterized by a slow pace of life. Information transmission was slow, and travel was slow. However, this wasn't the case. Zhang Yinghao was simply accustomed to the fast pace of later times. In his day, every country was slow. Furthermore, China's development in the late Qing Dynasty wasn't slow at all. For a country as large as China, the Westernization Movement had yielded significant results. While Qing officials were relatively uninformed about telegraphs, knowledgeable individuals like Li Hongcao Temple made significant contributions to their development.

What truly hindered China's development was the decades of warlord warfare following the fall of the Qing Dynasty. This is why, during the Xinhai Revolution, various factions frequently issued telegrams declaring independence. The achievements of the Westernization Movement were crucial to the rapid pace of revolution in so many provinces.

Before this era, long-distance messaging relied entirely on foot. When someone traveled far away, they'd simply send a letter along. Military intelligence could be relayed by lighting a beacon tower, while the most important official reports and documents could be sent at the highest level: express mail over 600 miles, with express horses exchanged at the post station. "Beacon fires continue for three months, and a letter from home is worth a thousand pieces of gold" vividly captures the difficulties of communication.

Whenever Zhang Yinghao and his revolutionary army conquered a city, the first place they controlled was always a telegraph office. After the Qing Dynasty established the Chengdu Telegraph Office, they specially assigned two telegraph operators to set up a telegraph room in the Governor's Office to send important military and political documents.

This was the predecessor of the Sichuan Official Telegraph Bureau. The Forward Party took over the Qing Dynasty's telegraph bureau, but instead of stopping, it continued to develop it. Coming from a later era, Zhang Yinghao placed a special emphasis on information transmission, so he continued the Qing Dynasty's work and continued to spread telegraphs throughout Sichuan.

Sichuan's telegraph industry, comparable to the internet of the past, revolutionized the way and speed of information transmission, making Sichuan's connections with other regions faster and closer. It also transformed the Sichuanese's lifestyles, behaviors, and economic transactions.

In fact, in some aspects, the Republic of China was many years behind the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao believes that if the Qing Dynasty did not commit suicide, it would have no problem ruling China for a few more decades.

Coming from a later era, Zhang Yinghao naturally understood the importance of information transmission, and therefore placed a premium on telegraphs. When the intelligence department established the Telegraph and Cryptography Department, the first lecturers there were those trained by the Qing court. Zhang Yinghao's goal was to ensure telegraph service in every county in Sichuan. However, he had a certain disdain for wired telegraphs. The most important thing was that the military must have telegraph communication capabilities at the regimental level, which necessitated wireless telegraphs.

In reality, the construction of a telegraph machine was not complex, and many of the issues involved were now only a matter of finishing touches. Zhang Yinghao had always advocated using whatever was available, as long as it offered benefits. At the suggestion of Comrade Li Tianqiao, the base area had already begun researching wireless telegraph machines through purchases and other means. Zhang Yinghao handed the task over to those who had returned from studying abroad, and they quickly succeeded in manufacturing them.

Zhang Yinghao was now extremely anxious, fearing that the Yangtze River waterway would be blocked by the British or the Qing Dynasty. Sichuan's telegraph network was currently inaccessible to the rest of the country, having already been cut off in Hubei. Even British protests would be futile; were it not for the British's significant interests in Chongqing, the Qing Dynasty would have easily cut off the waterway.

Chapter 206: Thanks for the update!

Long ago, while air routes were still open, Zhang Yinghao purchased a large quantity of American machinery and equipment. This included a tractor plant, an automobile factory, and even some generators. Simultaneously, the base was conducting research on electric motors, generators, and, of course, batteries. Therefore, the acquisition of numerous books and materials was crucial for this research. With the assistance of Zhang Yinghao, a man from the future with advanced knowledge, the base's research remained stable and progressed steadily.

It's not that Zhang Yinghao refused to buy from Britain. In fact, he bought whatever the British could bring, as long as the deal was agreed and Zhang Yinghao could afford it. Sichuan's current trade volume has increased, not decreased, compared to the Qing Dynasty. In fact, it was Sichuan's open trade that prevented the Qing Dynasty from blockading the Yangtze River. When ships passed through the Yangtze River, they all flew foreign flags, and the Qing Dynasty dared not stop them, allowing them to safely reach Chongqing. Some intercepted ships were generally released as long as they paid a small toll.

By this time, the Qing Dynasty was rotten to the core, and all sorts of people were jumping out to make money. Although many people knew the dangers of Sichuan, many officials did not dare to offend Sichuan too deeply. No one could see the future clearly, and who could say that it would not be the Sichuanese bandits who would take over the country in the future?

Zhang Yinghao felt that no one in this era understood the true meaning of cars, tractors, and trucks better than he did, so he naturally devoted himself to developing them. In his previous life, Zhang Yinghao only knew Ford cars of this era. However, the reality was that the United States had numerous automobile factories, and it was Ford's later adoption of assembly line production that proved most successful and famous. As a country transitioning from agriculture to industry, the United States also had a significant presence in tractor factories. Therefore, the factories the base wanted to purchase could be found cheaply in the US during the economic crisis.

After building and successfully operating the steel mill, Chen Wei immediately invested in hydropower development. Zhang Yinghao only knew about the Francis turbine generator when it came to hydropower generation. However, anyone with experience in physics knows the principle behind hydropower generation: a coil cutting magnetic flux lines generates current. In reality, the principles behind many things remain largely unchanged, like the internal combustion engine, steam engine, and electric motor. Despite all the changes, the fundamentals remain the same.

Zhang Yinghao drew the three-dimensional drawing of a Francis turbine generator and handed it to Chen Yiwei, leaving him to his own devices. Zhang Yinghao himself didn't know the exact process, as the electricity generated would require a transformer. He only understood the principles and had never actually operated one. However, Zhang Yinghao's high school physics course did cover this topic, so he left it to the professionals.

Another issue is the three acids and two bases, which is the basis of industrial chemistry. There is no large amount of chemical synthesis of these things, just a question of smokeless gunpowder.

Zhang Yinghao was extremely troubled by the fact that he could pass the test.

Zhang Yinghao learned about the Hou process of alkali production in high school chemistry. Nitrogen is an inexhaustible source in the air. Zhang Yinghao still remembers a high school classmate saying, "If you don't know the reaction conditions for a chemical equation involving gases, just fill in high temperature, high pressure, and a catalyst."

In the actual ammonia synthesis process, when hydrogen and nitrogen combine to form ammonia, the reaction conditions require high temperature, high pressure, and a catalyst. Zhang Yinghao even researched this in high school and still remembers that the catalyst was iron. Next, sulfuric acid and nitric acid were synthesized, and the catalyst for these reactions was vanadium pentoxide.

However, Sichuan province couldn't manufacture such demanding equipment as reactors capable of withstanding high temperatures and pressures. Zhang Yinghao didn't even know what they looked like. He could only tell Chen Yiwei and his team to keep an eye out for them and procure them for research. Zhang Yinghao knew that the development of synthetic ammonia originated in Germany; otherwise, Germany wouldn't have been able to single-handedly challenge the entire European continent. With such firepower, the mere issue of gunpowder alone would have been enough to bring Germany down.

Every time Zhang Yinghao thought about these things, he could sense his own powerlessness. If only he had an exchange system, he could just turn on the exchange mode and have everything. Alas, it was a daydream. He wanted to take shortcuts and not put in the effort. What should he do? Waiting online is really urgent...

As Zhang Yinghao thought about foreign countries, he suddenly remembered something and immediately called Comrade Bai Guangliang, who was in charge of the Anti-Smoking Bureau, to come and report on the work. Although the world no longer knew that heroin was a drug, but was used as a medicine, Zhang Yinghao had no intention of continuing this business in the long term. He would continue to do it secretly and let it go as soon as he made money.

Bai Guangliang arrived at Zhang Yinghao's office, his face radiant with energy. He walked with a swagger, his forehead glowing. He happily reported to Zhang Yinghao, "Chairman, we've already shipped one-third of the products we produced last year. Haha, what an incredible harvest! We've collected opium paste from various sources, except for a small amount that we publicly incinerated and supplied to research institutions. We've sold the rest to Japan, Europe, America, and Southeast Asia. We've also expanded our sales network. Besides keeping some for hospitals, we process 35% into heroin, 60% into morphine, and the remaining 50% into various products for overseas testing and promotion. So far, we've sold over 12 million taels of silver, and there's still plenty of room for growth!"

Zhang Yinghao heard the number of 12 million taels, damn, it really felt

My scalp is tingling and my hair is standing on end. This stuff is absolutely ridiculously profitable. Last year, the entire province of Sichuan sold over a few million taels of silver worth of opium cream. Damn, that means Sichuan's opium cream can be easily sold for over 1 million taels of silver after deep processing.

Wow, this is definitely a treasure that allows Zhang Yinghao to cheat! I really don’t want to struggle anymore, let’s all grow poppies together.

It's shocking that Sichuan's products have made such huge profits in just a few months of entering the market. It's really hard to blame the British for being so enthusiastic about this thing. They shout that they will destroy anyone who prohibits drugs.

The war was launched for the opium trade. Over the years, think about the opium traffickers, the British. I wonder how much money they extracted from China through opium?

Zhang Yinghao suppressed his greed and said in a tone that he felt was quite steady: "Damn it, if the Qing Dynasty doesn't fall, China won't prosper."

"Yes, Mr. Chairman, according to the data we have now, since the legalization of opium in the Qing Dynasty in 1858, the Qing government has imported six dan of opium each year, and paid a tax of 110 taels per dan to the Qing Dynasty. The opium import alone can bring in more than 6 million taels of fiscal revenue each year. This astonishing data has continued for decades until now, and the Qing government's national opium fiscal revenue exceeds 100,000 taels. If you add the local revenue, it is really unimaginable!

No wonder the Qing Dynasty couldn't ban drugs. The profits were unbearable. Such high income would only make the Qing Dynasty more crazy about opium and more dependent on it.

already. "

Zhang Yinghao could only sigh and say: "The opium poison has spread.

China suffered a calamity unseen in 5,000 years, with so many people dying from a severe drought in the north. This is inextricably linked to the willow-planted crow. If the great powers could destroy a country like T by growing tulips, they would naturally want to destroy our country and nation by growing the infinitely more virulent opium poppy. The Qing Dynasty cannot defeat the great powers, and can only rely on passive resistance. We hope the great powers will show us mercy. If the Qing Dynasty continues to thrive by passive resistance, and the great powers continue to suck its blood, it will turn around and join the great powers in their corruption, sucking the blood out of China. There is no hope.

In his previous life, Zhang Yinghao had read many time-travel novels. The protagonists seemed to give an order, say some sad words, and then opium seemed to be really banned.

Now think about it, it is really funny and naive. During the Qing Dynasty, hundreds of millions of opium were produced every year, and it could be used as hard currency. In many places, it was even more useful than silver. Without a strong grassroots organization and a joint boycott by the whole nation, how could the opium trade and smuggling be banned? Even in later generations, China has the world's first place in drug control, and drug enforcement police are still one of the most dangerous professions. Driven by profit, they are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of...

A high and mighty ban? Emperor Jiaqing did issue a ban, but it was useless. Drug dealers took risks and engaged in smuggling. In addition, they were suppressed by foreign powers. In the end, they could only allow opium to be openly imported as a "foreign medicine". Later, opium was legalized. During the Republic of China period, opium cultivation

The situation was even more serious than that of the Qing Dynasty. Poppy cultivation was a major source of income for local warlords, who encouraged and even forced farmers to grow it. In order to cover the cost of annual wars, Chiang Kai-shek also set his sights on opium and monopolized the opium market.

Zhang Yinghao didn't want to say anything more. A shrew's scolding was pointless, so he changed the subject and asked, "Where are the best sellers?"

"Japan and Southeast Asia. We initially thought that the European and American powers would have greater purchasing power, but we didn't expect it to be Japan and Southeast Asia. Later, after investigation, we discovered that Japan had been brutally exploiting farmers and workers since the Meiji Restoration. Although Japan won the First Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese people did not benefit at all. Workers still had to work overtime and still couldn't fill their stomachs.

Japan's taxes are also incredibly high, which naturally leads to mental stress and excessive psychological burdens for Japanese workers. Morphine and heroin are their best relief drugs, and as a result, there are many drug users in Japan.

As for the Nanyang region, it's the Nanyang natives. These people are lazy and have nothing to do all day long. What else can they do besides taking drugs?"

Zhang Yinghao nodded, agreeing that their analysis was spot-on. The Nanyang region was rich in resources, and despite the colonists' extensive plunder, they still had plenty to eat. Just like bananas, the colonists couldn't have taken any that weren't ripe. They'd plunder a batch, and a few days later, another batch would ripen, giving them plenty of fruit to eat. Furthermore, rice could be harvested three times a year, ensuring no food worries. World War I and World War II were won with ease.

However, Zhang Yinghao believes that the European and American markets, which remain largely untapped, represent the real market. Industrial nations have a tragic history of development. For example, Britain's "sheep-eating" model forced farmers into poverty, ultimately turning them into urban workers. These workers were forced into factories, employing large numbers of child laborers, and many died from overwork within three years.

And what about the Americans? They relied on the development of the West, massacring tens of millions of Indians and seizing their land. They relied on black slaves and a large number of Chinese workers to complete infrastructure construction, and countless people died in the process.

Germany was also in a mess. In the early days, its products relied on copying and it survived the difficulties thanks to the protection of colonies and high tariff barriers. However, in the early days, German products were discriminated against when sold to Britain and France.

When Stalin came to power, the Soviet Union, in order to reap the benefits of the economic crisis, went all out in industrial construction, using agricultural exports to earn foreign exchange, and implemented a policy of "every grain goes to the granary." Didn't this ultimately lead to the starvation of millions of Ukrainians?

Industrialization was even more painful for Japan. As a resource-poor island nation, and a latecomer, the price paid was even greater. Japan had to pay taxes three times higher than the Chinese, while also tightening its belt to support a powerful navy. Furthermore, Japanese products were now of extremely low quality, competing only on price with European and American products. During this period of primitive accumulation, the price paid by the people was truly immeasurable.

This is also the time when social problems erupted. If the contradictions cannot be solved from the inside, they can only be solved from the outside.

The ability and methods to solve the problem can only be solved from the outside to divert domestic contradictions.

Shield. In the end, the bitter fruits of Japan's industrialization could only be transferred to the Korean Peninsula and China, and others had to bear them. The death toll in the end was also tens of millions.

Conflicts in Japan at that time were particularly acute, so it was no surprise that drug sales were booming.

"Then let's sell all the goods as soon as possible. Besides, it's quite troublesome to ship this money back to China, and we still need to purchase a large number of machines from abroad, so we'll use your money first. How much money can you provide now?"

"Chairman, we have deposited the money in American and British banks. When the time comes, we just need to hand it over and we can use it directly."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and asked calmly, "Do you think we should still grow opium?"

Chapter 207:

Bai Guangliang was stunned when he heard Zhang Yinghao's question, and then he said cautiously: "Uh? Chairman, in principle, I don't support planting.

After all, opium is very harmful. However, opium can be used as medicine, and its derivatives have high medicinal value and research value, so it is still necessary to cultivate a small amount, but it must be strictly managed to minimize the risks and harm.

Zhang Yinghao didn't know if Bai Guangliang was speaking from the heart, but since he had such an understanding, he couldn't say anything more. So he thought for a moment and said, "We don't need to plant it for now. Although the profits are huge, we won't be short of opium paste in the next few years. The neighboring province has already planted so much. In a few years, the foreign powers will discover the harm of opium extracts and will definitely ban their sale. We won't have to touch this thing then, so as not to dirty our hands. Moreover, if we plant it privately now and the people know about it but we don't allow them to plant it, it would be like the officials setting fires but not the people lighting lamps. If we liberate the country in the future, then we can set aside a place specifically for poppy cultivation without any problem."

Bai Guangliang listened and nodded, agreeing with Zhang Yinghao's words. If Bai Guangliang were asked to give up this business now, he really wouldn't want to. Selling this stuff was faster than picking up money. But he knew his place and naturally knew what to say. Honestly, the profits were so lucrative, and these things could still be sold legally. Anyone who gave up this business would be considered a saintly bitch, a fool, and not a pragmatic person.

"The chairman is right. I will listen to you."

Zhang Yinghao laughed and said: "As for the two of us, to be honest, this thing is so profitable, everyone wants to grow it on a large scale, I really don't want to give up. But

This involves the issue of long-term and short-term interests, which is also inconsistent with our political philosophy. For the sake of long-term interests, we can only give up the short-term interests.

Benefit."

Bai Guangming listened, and regardless of whether Zhang Yinghao was telling the truth or just trying to comfort him, he immediately scratched his head with his hands, grinned foolishly, and said, "Hehe, it's true that I can make money."

"Okay, you should continue to develop the European and American markets. The European and American markets are the real largest markets. The consumption capacity of these countries is beyond our imagination. With just our small amount of goods, it is easy for these countries to absorb them.

"It's best to find foreign drug dealers to cooperate with and supply them with extracts. Don't use our comrades to directly contact the terminal sales, as that will easily cause problems. Also, it's best to control the flow of these things back into the country."

"Chairman, rest assured. We are all keeping a close eye on the domestic drug market. We have also been trying to remain hidden behind the scenes, operating puppets behind the scenes to conduct transactions. Safety is our top priority."

"Okay, let's get to work then." "Yes, Chairman."

After watching Bai Guangliang leave, Zhang Yinghao thought again of the three inseparable things: pornography, gambling, and drugs. He sighed. It's difficult! As expected, the profitable industries are clearly written in the criminal law.

As soon as Bai Guangliang left, Yuan Kewen and Li Tianqiao came to Zhang Yinghao's office together.

"Oh, you two actually came to see me together, what's going on?"

"Chairman, we recently received intelligence that someone is planning an assassination attempt in Chengdu. So, we've come here early to discuss this with you. Chairman, please try to go out less often, and remember to bring security with you when you do go."

Zhang Yinghao chuckled. Although security guards were required to defend their targets to the death, they were generally powerless against organized assassinations. The reason for setting up security guards was simply to tell certain people that we were prepared. So he said, "Okay, I'm too lazy to go out anyway, so I'll definitely bring the security guards with me. Have you found any specific clues?"

"There's only one piece of intelligence information that came from an unknown source. Because we don't have an accurate and reliable source yet, we're here to inform the Chairman to be on guard. However, we've analyzed that this information is very likely true. So, how about assigning the Chairman more guards?"

Zhang Yinghao waved his hands and said, "That's unnecessary. We have too many enemies. If they're determined to assassinate us, how can we prevent them? It's true that there's no such thing as a thief on guard against thieves. Just find a way to fish out the rat and catch it, and you'll be fine."

"Okay, Chairman. I won't disturb you from your work then."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and watched them leave. Although he refused their request for security personnel, they still assigned two secret guards to Zhang Yinghao for his safety. Zhang Yinghao was just about to continue processing documents when the director of the arsenal came to see him. Zhang Yinghao had no choice but to continue receiving him. This arsenal was converted from the former Sichuan Machinery Bureau. After purchasing machinery to expand its capabilities, it was now expanding.

"Chairman, are we going to limit the production of guns and cannons now?"

Zhang Yinghao listened, nodded, and said, "We have a big project coming up, building the Chengdu-Chongqing railway. We need a lot of steel. Guns and cannons, the big steel consumers, can only maintain minimal production."

"But we don't have enough inventory right now. If a war suddenly becomes necessary, comrades will be left without weapons."

"Yes, I understand. So for now, we have to continue production. The army has a huge demand, but if the railway has any needs in the future, we have to give way to them."

"Chairman, we know this, but the current production of guns and ammunition is far behind the expansion of the army. However, we have standard equipment, so logistics will be much easier..."

Zhang Yinghao waved his hand and said, "It all comes down to the lack of steel. We only have so much steel now. If you want more, I'll have less. Countless farmers are still waiting for iron farm tools. If it weren't for the pressure from the military, I'd want to stop military production completely and just make a few more sickles and hoes. Wouldn't that be great?"

"It smells good, but, Chairman, we are confident that we can add two more rifle production lines and one more pistol production line this year. This will expedite the upgrade of our revolutionary army's equipment and ensure its combat capability. But without steel, nothing can be done."

"How can we avoid the discussion? You can build the production line first, but you can seal it up after you build it. We don't have any combat missions for the time being. If the Qing Dynasty doesn't attack us, we won't attack them for the time being. But if something happens, the production line can be fully operational immediately, so it won't be a problem. I can still tell which is more important, war or railways."

"That's fine too. Chairman, when do you think we'll need it?" "Except for a few on patrol, all our troops are now working on farming and construction. The main pressure is on a few areas, and defending them won't be a problem. If we need to use troops, the weapons we have now will be enough for a while, enough time to mobilize troops and replenish ammunition."

"Chairman, there's another problem. We can't produce large-caliber artillery right now because our steel doesn't meet the standards, and importing it would be too expensive."

"I can't do anything about this. Metallurgy is a fundamental science that requires a lot of time to accumulate knowledge. We can only buy or research it. However, we have a lot of foreign materials with a lot of alloy formulas. You can look for them and experiment with them."

"Well, that's all we can do. Our guns and cannons don't last long. After a while, the rifling will wear out, and our accuracy will decline. Machine guns will be even less effective. They'll stop working after just a few uses."

"For now, we just need to make sure it's usable. We can't afford to worry about durability right now. Those guns that are broken down will be repaired if they can be repaired. Those that can't be repaired will be given to new recruits as training guns or simply melted down. Making a couple of hoes is more practical."

"It can only be the."

Zhang Yinghao ignored the factory director's disappointment and simply tricked the arsenal director away. Zhang Yinghao had never encountered the problem of materials science in his previous life, and now he had no way to solve it. There were many small blast furnaces built in the liberated areas, but if it weren't for the real shortage of steel and iron, Zhang Yinghao wouldn't have built these small blast furnaces with high pollution, high energy consumption, and low output. Producing high-strength alloys was far from easy.

However, Sichuan also possessed a wealth of valuable local products, such as bristles and tung oil. These seemingly insignificant items were, internationally, strategic commodities. Zhang Yinghao believed this was one reason the Yangtze River was not closed off. Western powers had a strong demand for Sichuan products, and they must have made some kind of promise to the Qing Dynasty to prevent it from blocking the Yangtze River. The Qing were no fools, possessing many capable individuals. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao believed it wasn't that the Qing couldn't, but that they simply didn't dare.

Zhang Yinghao speculated that one of the conditions the powers agreed to for the Qing Dynasty not to blockade the Yangtze River was

The possibility is that when the Qing Dynasty sends troops in the future, the foreign powers will help the Qing Dynasty win the war. Zhang Yinghao did not care so much about this. Now he would sell if he could and buy if he could. Zhang Yinghao had already sent a telegram to Zhang Feng, asking him to send his comrades to study hard.

Learn about the British management of Chongqing Customs.

In fact, it is impossible to maintain absolute confidentiality when managing such matters. Many things cannot be hidden from people. Although Chinese people cannot hold important positions in customs, what can be left out of the Chinese? And what can really be hidden from Zhang Feng under his nose?

But Zhang Feng was not doing well at this time, although the Chongqing area was deep

Inland, the Western powers are mainly British. But France, Japan, and the United States all have consulates. Especially the upstart Japan, although the current focus is on

Concentrated in the Northeast, but they are always thinking about setting up a concession in Chongqing. Japan succeeded in the previous life, but in this life, the little Japan can forget about it. Zhang Feng will certainly not agree to excessive demands.

Since the Sichuan Revolution, although no information has been released to the public, it still maintains a certain degree of mystery. However, the large-scale land distribution in Chongqing and Sichuan is indeed something that cannot be hidden from anyone. Because the revolutionary army's flag is a red sickle and hammer flag, the Qing Dynasty now openly calls the Sichuan rebels "red bandits."

Sichuan's current situation, like a piece of juicy meat, has drawn the hungry wolves of the Western powers. Like sharks scenting blood, they're all eyeing the Qing court, ready to seize the opportunity to take a bite. Whether it's the Qing or Sichuan, it's enough to make these hungry wolves' mouths drool. And a nation as greedy as Japan is bound to be insatiable, eager to take a bite from both sides.

Therefore, Japan proposed to the Qing Dynasty to open a Japanese concession in Chongqing. The first and only concession in Chongqing in history was the Japanese concession. The Qing Dynasty naturally did not dare to refuse Japan's request. After all, it would not hurt to sell the land. For the Qing Dynasty, no matter what decision the Progressive Party made, it would be beneficial to her. As long as the Progressive Party agreed to Japan's request, the Qing Dynasty could wantonly attack the Progressive Party for selling out the country. The Qing Dynasty also knew the policy of the Progressive Party and would most likely not agree. So why not provoke the relationship between Sichuan and the Japanese powers?

So, once the ball was kicked to Zhang Feng, all the pressure shifted to Qianjindang. During the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China, Japan, as a member of the alliance, understood China better than any other nation. They first occupied the Qing court's Imperial Household Department and Ministry of Revenue, robbing the Imperial Household Department of 3 million taels of silver, the Ministry of Revenue of 291 million taels, and countless treasures and antiques. The entire city of Beijing lost an untold amount of silver. Japan also received 7.7% of the postwar indemnity, approximately 76 million taels of silver.

However, although the Japanese had just cut a large piece of meat from the Qing Dynasty, they would certainly not be satisfied. As long as there was an opportunity, the Japanese would pounce on the Qing Dynasty and eat its flesh and blood at any time.

Zhang Feng had previously sent a telegram asking for Japan's opinion on how to handle these matters. Zhang Yinghao's reply was simple: involve Britain in the negotiations, reject all unreasonable demands, and agree to reasonable requests such as trade at their discretion.