The sun never sets

"........", Wang Zuolin opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. He wanted to learn from his predecessors, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, to start with militia training to gain military merit, and then be promoted to a higher position to bring honor to his family, but he never thought about anything else. The Hunan Army and the Huai Army could collect taxes locally and appoint officials on their own, but that was in the south, where the emperor was far away and the court could not reach them. Zhangjiakou was just next to Beijing, and like Zhili, it was the place with the strictest control by the court. If you make a small move here, you will probably die soon.

But, but........

Lin Yongchang persuaded him, "This is how people in the South do it. If they can do it, why can't we?"

MMP, monks can touch it, but I can’t?

It has snowed since the beginning of winter, so there will be no tax revenue this year. Even if we use this method, it will be next year. Wang Zuolin swallowed his saliva and asked, "Are there any other ways?"

"Secondly, we can set up a checkpoint in Zhangjiakou and collect lijin!"

Lijin was also created by Zeng Guofan and his people. It was essentially a toll, but the people who collected the money were not road bullies, but warlords with heavy troops. Zhangjiakou is located on a major transportation route and is the central city of the northwest region of Hebei. It is a transportation hub connecting Beijing and Tianjin and connecting Shanxi and Inner Mongolia. There are constant business travelers all year round. If you can collect money here, wouldn’t it be great?

The problem is that all the places where money can be made are occupied by people, and there are officials behind them to support them. The taxes in Zhangjiakou are very high, but most of them are sent to the capital. Doesn't Wang Zuolin know that it is easy to collect money in Zhangjiakou? He knows, but he doesn't dare to expel the original tax collectors yet.

But, but...Brother Lin, what you said makes a lot of sense!

“Third, we can do business!”

Lin Yongchang raised his third finger. "Whether it's cattle, sheep or horses, transporting them to Beijing or Hebei will double the profit. Big brother has so many people under his command, so there's no need to worry about being robbed along the way."

He smiled and leaned close to Wang Zuolin's ear, whispering, "And I have a special recipe that can make British pounds. Then I can sell them to those foreign devils and make a lot of money."

"GBP?"

Lin Yongchang explained in a low voice that the so-called "pound" was a refined product of opium. Most people who studied chemistry had deduced the process of making stimulants. The news often reported that a chemistry professor at a certain university was arrested for making those contraband. In fact, it was very simple to make those things. It was not difficult at all. It was very easy to make those things with the instruments in the chemistry laboratory. The professors could use the instruments in the laboratory at will, so as long as they were willing, they could make them easily.

Lin Yongchang has always been against taking addictive stimulants. He has always believed that drug addicts and gamblers will not have a good death. But sometimes, stimulants can also be very useful. In another world, stimulants were once widely used on the battlefield. Germany, the United States, Britain, and Japan all liked to give soldiers various stimulants before the war.

During the Franco-Prussian War, the German army was able to march and fight continuously for days and nights because of the advanced chemical industry, which produced new stimulants. Stimulants also played a big role in the German army's crushing victory over the French army.

As for why it was named "pound", it is because Britain is now the world hegemon. If it were the same as in later generations, and the Americans blocked the world hegemon, Lin Yongchang would have casually named it "dollar".

He checked the mall of [The Sun Never Sets in the Celestial Empire] and found that many chemical drugs that had not appeared in this era were for sale. The production methods needed to be purchased with administrative points. However, he could make them himself, so he didn't have to spend precious points. Whether it was pounds, sulfa, or penicillin, Lin Yongchang knew how to make them, but he didn't have the right tools. The latter ones could only be made on a small scale, and the price was relatively expensive.

The production of medicines, like the production of fertilizers and explosives, requires large-scale industrial production. The conditions are not ripe now, so we can only make some "pounds" to exchange for real pounds. Oh, no, not now, we have to wait for a while.

Chapter 16

Lin Yongchang has always been very opinionated. He made decisions quickly on what to do and what not to do, and how to dare. But he thought for several hours about whether to make "pounds" and sell them. When he was studying in the Department of Chemistry, he had a deep understanding of the damage those things would cause to humans. Unlike gambling and pornography, the damage caused by those things is irreversible to the body, that is, once you start, there is no turning back, even if you want to change your ways, there is no chance.

It is said that the "pound" will be sold to foreigners, but will there be other situations? Of course there will be. According to Murphy's Law, any bad situation that may occur will definitely occur.

As a Paradox player, his moral bottom line is relatively low, but it is not nonexistent. After much deliberation, Lin Yongchang finally decided to do this. Everything he wants to do costs money, and it costs a lot of money. At the beginning, there is always not enough money. If you want to make money, you have to cut other people's cheese, which will lead to conflicts. In order to raise funds, he can only take an unconventional approach.

Lin Yongchang did a lot of psychological preparation for the "pound", but Wang Zuolin didn't care. Opium was already rampant in China. Not only in big cities, but even in small towns, there were big pipes. And not only smoking, but also planting opium appeared all over the country. Opium was even so rampant that it was exported to Britain.

After the English used cannons to blast open the gates of the Jin Dynasty, they dumped a lot of opium and industrial products into China. The only thing that was crushed by Chinese goods was opium. This seems very ironic, but the truth is so strange. The opium produced in China is of good quality and low price, and it beat the Indian goods step by step.

Wang Zuolin didn't mind selling opium, but he hated heavy smokers. He became a little wary, "Brother, you don't smoke opium, do you?"

"I don't smoke that stuff. Smoking opium will make you useless."

"It's good that it doesn't absorb," Wang Zuolin said, feeling relieved. He then began to care about another question, "Can you really make a better pound?"

"We can try it first, and we will die if we try... I mean, we won't get pregnant if we try... ahem, it won't cost much to try." Lin Yongchang made up a few nonsense, and then said seriously: "Brother, you should also pay attention. Whether it is opium or pounds, they are extremely harmful. If anyone under your command smokes those things, you must deal with them in time."

Why did opium become so rampant? On the one hand, the British overturned the imperial court and forced a lot of opium to be sold to China. On the other hand, opium was indeed useful. No matter what kind of illness it was, it could be stopped with a little opium. The effect was very good. There was a shortage of doctors and medicines in the rural areas of the Jin Dynasty. Only the rich and powerful could afford doctors in the cities. Others could not afford to see a doctor when they were sick.

But people eat grains, so how can they not get sick? If they don't have money to buy medicine when they are sick, they can only take some opium to deal with it. Opium was not only rampant in the Jin Dynasty, but also in other countries, such as the United States, Britain, France, and a large number of European countries. There were also a large number of poor people who could not afford to see a doctor, and opium smoking was also rampant.

People in later generations can blame this phenomenon, but they must also consider the situation of this era.

Many of Wang Zuolin's men were opium addicts, which was inevitable, but he knew how to deal with them. "Don't worry, brother. I can take care of it."

He was talking to Lin Yongchang, and the others around him could not interrupt and just ate in silence. The two discussed for a while, and Lin Yongchang proposed a lot of ways to make money, which made Wang Zuolin feel like he had suddenly realized something. "Listening to your words is worse than reading ten years of books!" Wang Zuolin said, "Why don't you stay and help me? I will let you be the deputy leader and give you half of the people to lead!"

Wang Zuolin meant what he said. China has a long history and has seen a variety of situations. In addition to historical progress, no matter what the event is, there is a corresponding story in the past. Although many people do not read books, they can learn a lot of knowledge from storytelling and drama. Wang Zuolin listened to storytelling, watched drama, and read history books. He compared the current situation with historical events and found that his situation was very similar to that of the border heroes at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the Turks were powerful and eyeing the Central Plains covetously. Now, the foreigners are powerful and eyeing China covetously. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the whole country was in rebellion; now, the Boxers have gathered hundreds of thousands of brothers, and the situation is similar. What should we do next? Wang Zuolin did not dare to rebel openly for the time being, although what he did was almost like a rebellion.

So, let's strengthen our army and recruit heroes. No matter what the final situation is, it is always good to have a strong army. Even if you can't be Liu Bang or Dou Jiande, it's not bad to be the Yuchi Jingde of the present.

I don’t know where Li Shimin is. Could the sworn brother Lin Yongchang in front of me be another Emperor Taizong of Tang?

Wang Zuolin thought it was not the case. Emperor Taizong of Tang was from the Longxi Li family, a noble family that had been in power since the time of Yuwen Tai. Lin Yongchang did not have a powerful family to back him up. So, was Lin Yongchang Li Jing, or was he like Fang Xuanling or Du Ruhui?

It seems that neither of them is similar. Wang Zuolin thought that since his sworn brother was so good at making money, he could probably be half as good as Xiao He, right?

Hearing Wang Zuolin say that he would give him half of his men, Lin Yongchang could not help but raise his eyebrows. [Commander of Troops] This task only requires 100 subordinates to complete, and after completion, you can get military points, which can be used to buy a lot of skills. Wang Zuolin will definitely not give him the elite troops, but miscellaneous soldiers are also soldiers, as long as they can complete the task, miscellaneous soldiers don't matter.

"Since you said so, I'd be very sorry to refuse. But I have to go back to Zhangbei first, and I'll talk to you in detail when I get back."

Wang Zuolin nodded, then turned to the side and said, "Wang Hu, you guys will follow Deputy Chief Lin from now on."

Wang Hu was Wang Zuolin's nephew, and he was big and strong. When he was young, he couldn't concentrate on his studies. Given the environment of the Jin Dynasty, he couldn't pass the imperial examination even if he did. The imperial examination was not only about academic knowledge, but also about family background and various other conditions. So Wang Hu simply followed Wang Zuolin's example and gave up literature and pursued military career.

He had been training his strength and practicing martial arts since he was young, and he looked very brave. After he came over, he glared at Lin Yongchang, looking very unconvinced. Wang Hu was very convinced of Wang Zuolin, and he always did whatever his uncle said, but at this time he was anxious, "How can we give the troops we have raised to an outsider?"

Chapter 17

Wang Hu's eyes were wide open with anger, but Lin Yongchang did not feel threatened. He just commented in his mind: This person does not seem to be very smart. Lin Yongchang still had a smile on his face, but the two followers reached out to hold the hilt of the knife. They were rude and barbaric, but their loyalty and bravery were unquestionable.

"Hey, put down the knife!" Lin Yongchang stopped his attendant from drawing his knife.

Wang Zuolin slammed the table for the third time and angrily said to Wang Hu: "I am not discussing with you, I am giving you an order! Do you want to disobey?"

Wang Hu lowered his head with a look of dissatisfaction on his face, "I dare not."

The anger on Wang Zuolin's face faded a little, and he said to Lin Yongchang, "I'm sorry for being so rude, brother."

"No, no," Lin Yongchang said with a smile, "I was wrong. I'll talk about what you just said after I come back from Zhangbei."

He looked up at the sky and said, "It looks like it's going to snow again, so I won't say any more to my brother."

After Lin Yongchang and the others left, Wang Hu asked loudly, "Uncle, why?"

Wang Zuolin snorted and said unhappily, "What do you know? I have my reasons for doing this!"

It's more than 100 miles from Zhangjiakou to Zhangbei County, and it takes a whole day even if you run as fast as you can. Now that we have bought two carts and several large trucks, and loaded a lot of goods, the speed will inevitably be greatly affected, and it may take two days to get there. If it snows, it's okay, but I'm afraid it will rain, that would be really uncomfortable.

Lin Yongchang had the [Immune to Cold and Heat] effect brought by time travel, so he didn't feel uncomfortable in cold weather, but other people couldn't do that, including mounts and large animals pulling carts. So he said goodbye to Wang Zuolin and others, and returned to Zhangjiakou with his entourage and herdsmen, carrying the purchased goods.

The wheels of the cart were made of wood, and they made a "creaking" sound when rolling on the ground, which made people worry that it might fall apart at any time. When they bought the cart, the boss also sold them a set of repair tools and a few pieces of wood. He said that if there was any problem with the cart on the road, they could fix it themselves.

Lin Yongchang had driven for a few years and had good car repair skills. He especially liked to repair headlights and trunks, but he had never repaired a flatbed truck. However, he thought it shouldn't be too difficult. He could have taken the money from selling the horses and returned directly to Zhangbei, but how could bringing money back compare to bringing goods back?

This is two transactions. If you return empty-handed, you will lose money. For a qualified businessman, if you earn less, you will lose money. In order to make more money, Lin Yongchang had to sell "pounds", so of course he couldn't let himself lose money.

There was a light snow a few days ago, and the ground was a little muddy. Every time the cart passed over a pothole, mud would splash up, and the "crunching" sound would become louder. Listening to the sound that sometimes rose and sometimes fell, Lin Yongchang wondered whether he should get some rubber to make tires.

When he was doing his undergraduate graduation project, he followed his supervisor to do a rubber project, which involved adding various things into the rubber and then testing the various properties of the composite. This work did not require much technical content, it was purely time-consuming, and whether it could produce results was entirely a matter of luck. It was a simple matter of trying to synthesize a rubber with better performance.

Lin Yongchang remembered a lot of technical routes, most of which were from abroad, but they should not have been developed in this era. He could set up a laboratory, copy the routes in his head, and then write a few papers to publish. This would not help him make a lot of money, but it could improve his reputation, or directly improve his reputation in Europe and the United States.

When I think of rubber, I think of the rubber forests in Southeast Asia, the oil and various minerals there, and the rubber stock market crash in Shanghai in the late Qing Dynasty.

Lin Yongchang has seen more hype methods than financial speculators, such as "born for fever" and "suffocating for dreams". Others can do things like harvesting leeks by using the rubber stock market crash, and he can do it too, and he can do it better!

If he had not appeared in Zhangbei, he might have gone to Shanghai to trade stocks and futures.

Now, not yet. Next year, that is, 1900, will be a critical node that will affect the direction of China's history. Lin Yongchang has a good idea. To realize that good idea, it needs to be done step by step, which will take a long time and a lot of energy. The stockholders and shareholders in Shanghai can only wait for a while. However, the people of the foreign concessions don't need to be too anxious. After the things in Beijing are done, Lin Yongchang will go to Shanghai to send warmth to everyone, so that everyone can feel what "ecological reaction" is in advance. I believe that the people of the foreign concessions will never forget it for a long time.

Lin Yongchang and his companions traveled dozens of miles in a row. When it got dark, they found a place to rest for a night and continued on their journey the next day. In the afternoon of the next day, heavy snow began to fall from the sky. This made Lin Yongchang feel relieved. The wind and snow had an impact on the journey, but fortunately, there was no hail or sleet.

A few snowflakes falling on your body can freeze your hands and feet stiff, but if your clothes are wet by rain, it can be fatal.

The goods on the cart were sold in the towns along the way, and some food was bought locally. Anyway, the cart could not be empty, and the money could not be kept in hand forever. Even if the profit was very small, the money had to be put into circulation. Only when it was circulated could the capital continue to increase in value.

After returning to Zhangbei, Lin Yongchang wanted to deliver food, cloth, salt, ironware and other goods to the nearby Mongolian tribe before the snow fell heavily, but the Dalai Lama had already sent people to watch the intersection, and when he saw him coming back, he called him into the temple.

Lin Yongchang placed the car and mules and horses in the Lama Temple, and then went to the side room. He shook off the snow outside the room, stamped his feet to get rid of the mud on his shoes, and then walked in. After pushing open the door and lifting the curtain, the heat wave hit him. The Dalai Lama was sitting by the brazier, drinking hot butter tea. Although he was called a living Buddha, he was still a mortal, and he had to warm himself by the fire when the weather was cold. Unlike Lin Yongchang, who was in a good mood, he didn't feel anything at all in the temperature of minus seven or eight degrees, and didn't feel the DEBUFF brought by General Winter at all.

Seeing Lin Yongchang coming in, the great lama immediately put down his teacup, stood up, and said, "The reply from the court has arrived!"

"Oh," Lin Yongchang didn't find it strange at all, and asked, "What does the court say? Will they send troops to Tibet?"

The Dalai Lama shook his head and said, “No.”

Well, this was all expected, and neither of them felt surprised. If the imperial court was willing to send troops to Tibet, it would have sent troops last time.

Chapter 18

The Dalai Lama looked a little gloomy. Although he had been prepared, the court's harsh rejection still made him feel sad. "The court not only rejected our request point by point, but also ordered us not to enter Zhangjiakou, let alone go to the capital."

Again, it's not surprising. If the imperial court had the guts, China would not be what it is now, there would not be the concessions, and Korea and Taiwan would not be ceded to Japan. After the Sino-Japanese War of 2-, the Jin Dynasty paid Japan million taels of silver, which was equivalent to the total fiscal revenue of the Jin Dynasty for two years. If they were willing to spend half of the money on buying arms and warships before the war, how could there be a disastrous defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of -?

Yehenala Xingzhen was also good at playing political games. She used the Japanese to kill Li Hongzhang's Huai Army and Beiyang Navy, but she also directly ruined the fortune of the Jin Dynasty. The defeat to the foreigners made the whole country fall into reflection. Lin Zexu and others shouted "Learn from the foreigners to defeat the foreigners." After the defeat to the Japanese, the court was regarded by many as a dead body.

Even the Eight Banners, the pillars of the Jin Dynasty, would say when chatting in teahouses: This Jin Dynasty will be destroyed sooner or later! Even the Eight Banners knew that the imperial court would not last long. Other Han people, Tibetans, Mongolians, etc., all knew this well, but they just didn't know when this huge imperial court would fall. Many people were watching. They all had ambitions, but they didn't want to stand out as the pioneers and let those who came later take advantage.

Lin Yongchang sat down beside the brazier and said to the great lama, "Since the court has responded in this way, do we still need to go to the capital to participate in the activities?"

The Dalai Lama said, "Mr. Lin, please go to the capital on my behalf. I will give you a chance to speak eloquently. I am not as good as you."

When Lin Yongchang heard this, he laughed and said, "The Living Buddha is too modest."

There are different levels of understanding, and different fields of study. If we were to discuss the world situation, the successes and failures of the policies of ancient and modern Chinese and foreign dynasties, or the direction of strategic and technological development, the Great Lama would definitely not be his match. But if we were to discuss Buddhism, even two Lin Yongchangs put together would not be able to beat the Dalai Lama.

"I'm not being modest." The Dalai Lama shook his head and said, "I ordered someone to bring me 100 kilograms of gold. You can take it to the capital."

One hundred kilograms of gold? How much is that? Lin Yongchang quickly calculated in his mind. The purchasing power of one gram of gold is about 400 yuan, and one hundred kilograms is million. The purity of gold should not be too high. After deducting some, it is about or million. Well, for an individual, this is a huge sum of money, but for a regime, it is nothing.

The prices of arms sold by the great powers are all very high.

The cheapest Italian and Russian rifles cost 30 silver dollars, and 60 silver dollars per thousand bullets. A rifle plus 90 rounds of bullets cost 30 silver dollars, which is about taels of silver. If you buy a British or German rifle, the price will be almost doubled.

Are arms so expensive? Lin Yongchang also wanted to do this business, but he didn't have a steel plant or a military factory, so he could only drool over such a profitable business. No wonder Yuan Weiting only recruited more than 7,000 people when he was training in Xiaozhan. People were not a problem, but arms were. Even if he got the support of the court, he didn't have the money to buy too many foreign guns and cannons. The price of rifles was already so expensive, and the price of cannons was even higher.

The combat effectiveness of the new army is definitely stronger than that of the Green Camp and other old-style armies. If a million new troops were formed, equipped with foreign guns and cannons, and trained by German instructors, even the British Empire would not have to be afraid. However, there is no money to support them. Without one million, or one hundred thousand, even ten thousand new troops cannot be supported.

Well, there is another reason. The court was not too confident in Yuan Weiting. The bigwigs in the court also knew that eggs should not be put in one basket. In addition to Yuan Weiting, the court also formed another new army.

One hundred kilograms of gold sounds like a lot, but it can only buy two or three thousand rifles with bullets, or even less. Also, what does the Dalai Lama want to gain by spending so much gold to gain connections? Considering the various levels of gold involved, the imperial court must have allocated at least 20 taels of silver as military expenses, so that the Dalai Lama would not lose money.

Oh, the measurement unit of the Jin Dynasty is 30 taels per pound, so at least 60 taels of silver are needed. If 20 taels of silver can be allocated, it can probably make taels. This business can be done, but it is probably of no help to the situation in Tibet.

Lin Yongchang told the Dalai Lama his analysis, and the Dalai Lama sighed and said, "It would be a good idea to buy a few more guns."

"Just buying guns won't do much good," Lin Yongchang said, "We still need to find a way to buy a few cannons, and we also need to recruit some instructors to unleash the power of foreign guns and cannons."

"It's up to you." The Dalai Lama picked up the butter tea, "I'll try to raise more gold."

He smiled and said, "That's all I can do."

Lin Yongchang nodded and said, "I will try my best to buy more weapons, but gold alone is not enough. The Living Buddha needs to give me more manpower."

"How many people do you want?"

"One hundred followers, plus one hundred herdsmen."

The followers are fighting forces, and the herdsmen are production units. In Tibet, they are almost like tools. The Dalai Lama thought for a while and said, "I will give you 500 people!"

Giving it to so many people is not just a sign of trust. If Lin Yongchang planned to run away with the money, those people would not watch it. Lin Yongchang knew this, the Dalai Lama knew that he knew it, and he also knew that the Grand Lama knew that he knew it. Smart people can understand the meaning of the strings at once, and they don't need to be too troublesome to talk about the night raid group: Lu ⑨④⑨, 36135.

Lin Yongchang originally wanted only 200 people, but the great lama gave him 500. 500 is fine, it's not that he can't afford it. A few people can be used in a few ways, and a large number of people can be used in a large way. Han Xin could mobilize the people in the market to become soldiers, so Lin Yongchang felt that he was not necessarily worse than the god of war. In terms of utilizing manpower, capitalists are the best. Even stones can be squeezed to make oil and water, 500 living people, that is a huge fortune!

He drank the boiling hot butter tea in one gulp. "I will first deliver the things I brought back to Youqi, and then go to the capital!"

"Don't be so anxious. You can rest for a few days first."

Before the industrial age, the pace of life was very slow. Lin Yongchang felt that everyone he met was slow in doing things, and in the eyes of others, he seemed too impatient.

Lin Yongchang stood up and said with a smile: "Are you in a hurry? No, I'm not in a hurry. Ten thousand years is too long, we must seize the day!"

After that, he lifted the thick door curtain and walked out, followed by the Dalai Lama. 500 people is not a small matter, and it requires the Living Buddha to personally give instructions. Coming out of the warm room, Thubten Gyatso shivered in the cold wind. He is still very young, otherwise he would not have the courage and action to form an army to fight against the Indian army, nor would he be able to hand over gold and hundreds of people to an outsider.

Only young people have the passion and drive to travel thousands of miles to Kulun, and then run to Zhangbei despite the long distance. But the Dalai Lama still felt cold, and when he looked at Lin Yongchang again, he still had a big bald head, as if he could not feel the bitter cold weather.

Chapter 19

Why did he shave his head? Because it was convenient. In this era, washing was very troublesome. Shaving the hair clean would make daily life much more convenient. More importantly, Lin Yongchang did not want to keep his braids.

On the way to a nearby Mongolian Right Banner, Lin Yongchang opened the [Sun Never Sets in the Celestial Empire] system interface and checked the situation of the surrounding forces, such as the attributes of the monarch, the attributes of the generals, the tactics, morale, training level, professionalism, army traditions and navy traditions of the armies of various countries.

The imperial court's army was naturally far inferior to that of the great powers, and was full of DEBUFFs. Except for some new troops, the morale was very low and they could not even exert their normal combat effectiveness. The only advantage was that they had a large number of people. The Eight Banners Army, the Green Camp, the Hunan Army, the Huai Army, the New Army, as well as the patrol camps and militias in various places, added up to at least 500,000 people.