The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 787 People from Guangdong
Not long after Chen Zhengwei arrived in Chicago, he returned to New York.

"Brother Wei, what if my sister-in-law finds out about this? She'll be angry." Xu Yan said with some sarcasm.

"Why bother her?" Chen Zhengwei said with disdain.

It's not like she doesn't know that.

"But there's no need to make a big deal this time. A small-scale notification will be enough. In addition to notifying some people, you should also notify those newspapers! It is forbidden to publish related news about this wedding." Chen Zhengwei said again.

"Because if Miss Dupont's book is published in the newspapers, Wei Ge's reputation among the French community will be greatly improved!" Xu Yan said seriously.

"No need! We already know everything we need to know. When the newspapers mention Cicely in the future, just change her name. There's no need to make a big splash in the newspapers this time." Chen Zhengwei waved his hand, not caring much about it, and asked casually:
“How are the bonds selling?”

"In just half a month, we sold 3500 million! The bank estimates that we can sell 5000 million in the first month and 8000 million in half a year. The rest may take a year or even longer." Xu Yan said.

The interest rate of the bonds issued by Chen Zhengwei this time is not high, only 4%.

It was all thanks to his influence and the underwriting of several of the top banks in the United States, otherwise it would have taken much longer.

"That's enough!" said Chen Zhengwei.

Next, the Treasury Department will allocate US$5000 million to purchase 6.5% of the shares of the International Canal Company. This was agreed upon long ago, and the US government will also provide corresponding political support.

This includes putting military and political pressure on Colombia to create a favorable international public opinion environment.

Especially when facing France and Britain.

There is also some advanced technical support.

The U.S. government didn't get this share for free.
Moreover, Chen Zhengwei is confident that he can get these shares back at a low price.

For him, it was much easier to buy back shares from the US government at a low price than from financial institutions.

In half a year, we received nearly $8000 million in bond sales, $5000 million in Treasury grants, and $7500 million in investments from those banks, which adds up to $2 million.

Next, some shares will be released and sold to European investors.

I believe many people will be interested.

Having some investors with European backgrounds is also of great benefit to Chen Zhengwei.

By then, he will have at least $2 to $5000 million in funds. What he needs now is not money, but to find a reliable investment channel.

He went to Chicago the other day just for this.

As an emerging industrial center in the United States and also his territory, he plans to invest 150 million US dollars in Chicago, half of which will be used to invest in real estate development in Chicago.

All you have to do is buy a piece of land, build a group of houses, and then convince the Chicago city government to plan the area for future development and establish public facilities such as hospitals and schools.

With Chicago's current growth rate, this is a sure win business.

What's more, the local city government, police and gangs are all his people.

He couldn't figure out how he could lose the money...it was too difficult.

In addition, he will invest 50 million US dollars in San Francisco...mainly because all industries in San Francisco are related to him, and there are not many places to continue investing.

He had a preliminary plan for the remaining money: invest part of it in Oregon, part of it in gold mines in Colorado, and the rest in his gold mine in Peru.

The remaining money was used to build the Panama Canal.

"Go and ask if there is a suitable manor. I need to buy one." Chen Zhengwei said.

"Boss, I've already made inquiries. Currently, there are two targets, both in Long Island."

"Winthrop Manor, covering about 800 acres, is currently in the hands of the Winthrop family."

"Brooks Manor, covering 450 acres, is currently in the hands of the Brooks family."

"Although these two families seem to be doing well now, their financial situation is somewhat problematic and their influence is declining. With a little effort, their funding chain can be cut off. But I think we can directly ask them to buy it! I think they will make a wise choice!"

"Then I'll leave it to you!" Chen Zhengwei nodded.

"By the way, the guest list...remember to send an invitation to William Rockefeller! I let him off last time, how can he not come to my wedding?" Chen Zhengwei said.

No one taught him what it means to know when to stop since he was born.

The estate was soon completed.

In just one day, Xu Yan convinced the Winthrop family to buy this famous Long Island estate for $120 million.

Later, Chen Zhengwei and Cecily went there. The manor had a Victorian-style main house. The interior decoration was a bit old, but it was acceptable.

In addition, there are stables, servants' quarters, greenhouses, and storage rooms.

The garden is nice and carefully designed. There is a fountain and statue in front of the main house, and there are small lakes and trails nearby.

Chen Zhengwei casually gave the manor to Cicely, and then Cicely renamed the manor Rose Manor, and she planned to plant roses of various colors in the manor.

……

"Wedding?" After receiving the invitation, William Rockefeller's blood pressure immediately rose.

"This guy is humiliating me!"

William Rockefeller's eyes were gloomy, and he was thinking whether he could plant a bomb at Chen Zhengwei's wedding...

After thinking for a long time, he gave up reluctantly.

He knew in his heart that Chen Zhengwei's wedding would be heavily guarded and there would be no chance to tamper with it.

And unless he was absolutely sure he could kill Chen Zhengwei, he wouldn't dare to do it.

He knew he only had one chance.

If Chen Zhengwei didn't die, he would be the one to die.

No matter how rigorous the arrangements are, it will be useless because people like Chen Zhengwei will not look for the murderer.

He would kill anyone he suspected of doing it.

And I must be one of the top three on Chen Zhengwei's suspicion list.

He even had to pray now that no one would try to assassinate Chen Zhengwei, and even if someone did... they would not let him run away. It would be best if the assassin could carve the name of the mastermind on his face.

……

Chen Zhengwei doesn't care much about the wedding, but others cannot help but care.

Especially for the DuPont family.

Cicely sent the telegram back, and the DuPont family took action.

For them, the only imperfection was that the time was too short, only half a month, which was too hasty for such a Tai family.

But this was what Cicely requested, and almost half the world knew about the affair between Cicely and Chen Zhengwei.

That book actually sold quite well in France. Because of that book, Chen Zhengwei became very famous in France, much more famous than when he snatched the right to dig and operate the Panama Canal from the French Interoceanic Canal Company.

So this result is actually the best one now.

At the same time, invitations were sent out. In addition to some American dignitaries and top wealthy people near New York, the French Minister and some other wealthy people of French descent were also invited.

Including the guests from the DuPont family, the scale of this wedding was also quite large.

A week later, Chen Zhengwei and Cicely DuPont held their wedding at Rose Manor on Long Island.

In addition to President James Garfield, the guests at the scene included Vice President Chester Allen Arthur, Secretary of the Treasury Charles Folger, Secretary of Foreign Affairs James Bryan, Speaker of the House John Carlyle, and Republican Chairman Marcus Hanna...

William Rockefeller's appearance here surprised many people, but he remained calm.

William Rockefeller smiled and greeted everyone, but he always felt that others were looking at him with scrutiny, which made him even angrier.

The whole wedding went smoothly, and the marriage of Chen Zhengwei and Cicely DuPont also made many people satisfied.

Because Cicely DuPont was white.

This means that Chen Zhengwei has integrated into the American ruling class.

Otherwise, Chinese people will always be a small exclusive circle in the United States.

Another group of people who were happy about the wedding were the French people, who were quite friendly when facing Chen Zhengwei.

From a certain perspective, Chen Zhengwei is one of us.

Chen Zhengwei was well aware of this change, but he didn't take it to heart.

He has come this far thanks to himself.

It was others who made demands on him, not him wanting to fit in with a certain group.

If he coughs, some people will not be able to sleep well at night.

……

After the wedding, the two lived in New York for another half a month, and Chen Zhengwei also signed the contract with the Ministry of Finance.

Then he returned to Los Angeles.

After returning, Lin Changning acted as if he knew nothing and his attitude remained the same, which surprised Chen Zhengwei.

Then that night he fought with Lin Changning on the bed.

At the same time, France continued to send reinforcements to Vietnam. After occupying Haiphong Port, Quang An Port and Hongji Coal Mine, it sent troops to occupy Hanoi.

This made Vietnam even more panicked. After its complaints to the international community failed, it continued to complain to the Qing Dynasty.

At this time, the Qing Dynasty also received a note from France that Vietnam was an independent country and that the Qing Dynasty should not interfere too much in Vietnam’s internal affairs.

There was then a heated discussion within the Qing Dynasty on this matter.

On the one hand, Zuo Zongtang and other pro-war factions wrote letters to denounce France's wolfish ambitions and long-planned plot, and pointed out that Vietnam was just a springboard for France and that the French actions in Vietnam must not be allowed.

Li Hongzhang wrote in a letter: "Going to war with France will only bring disadvantages and no benefits. We should deal with this matter through diplomatic means and negotiate with the French."

The war faction and the reform faction argued endlessly in the court, and Cixi could not make up her mind.

However, despite the arguments in the Qing court, troops were immediately mobilized to the Vietnam border.

Vietnam was a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, and this matter concerned the reputation of the court. On the one hand, Cixi did not want to lose face, but on the other hand, she could not make up her mind to go to war with France.

France then sent another note, expressing its willingness to negotiate with the Qing Dynasty on the Vietnam issue.

However, the Qing Dynasty demanded that France immediately stop its invasion of Vietnam, while France hoped to gain actual control over Vietnam through negotiations. Not only did the two sides fail to reach an agreement, but the conflict became increasingly intense.

……

At the same time, a group of people set out from Guangzhou, traveled thousands of miles, and finally arrived in San Francisco.

"Finally we're here!"

"Listen everyone, this is not the Qing Dynasty, it's the place of foreigners and Chen Lao Hu, don't cause any trouble!" one of them said in a deep voice.

"Yes, my lord!"

This group of people all had braids and had signs of having served in the military, and they looked very capable.

The leader was named Fang Xun, the fourth brother of Guangdong Governor Fang Yao.

They came here this time to find Chen Zhengwei.

"After getting off the boat, find out the situation first, and then send a visiting card!" Fang Xun said as he looked at the city in front of him.

“This side is prosperous!”

"Just as the rumors say, Chinese people can be seen everywhere here!"

When Fang Xun came, he was afraid of the language barrier, so he specially found someone who knew English from Hong Kong. Now it seems that the person is of no use at all.

On the port side, Chinese people can be seen everywhere.

In San Francisco, although many Chinese have moved to Los Angeles, there are still a large number of Chinese left here.

Especially later, many Malaysian Chinese were settled here.

Today, there are more than 200,000 Chinese people here, accounting for one-third of the population of San Francisco.

Not long after the group got off the boat, they saw a car and stopped moving.

"Sir, how do you think this thing moves?"

"Is there a little devil pulling ahead?"

Fang Xun looked for a long time but couldn't figure out how the car moved. He and his soldiers were amazed.

After asking around, the group found out that Chen Zhengwei was not here, but in Los Angeles.

Fortunately, Los Angeles is not far away.

The group took a train to Los Angeles, and Fang Xun had a sullen face all the way.

The soldier next to him said, "Sir, why are you unhappy? This train is really fast, much faster than a horse-drawn carriage!"

"It's because this train is fast that I'm worried! The local customs and habits here are different from those in the Qing Dynasty, but from what I've seen in the past two days, there are new things everywhere... Alas..." Fang Xun sighed.

Just like what Zhang Xuecheng felt when he first came to San Francisco, there are new things everywhere in San Francisco, and it is much more convenient whether it is traveling or other things.

Some of the Qing Dynasty's mechanical equipment was also purchased from here.

Even the purpose of his coming here this time was to buy a gun from Chen Zhengwei.

How could he not worry?

After arriving in Los Angeles, his mood finally improved a little. The weather here was much better than in San Francisco, with clear skies, which made people feel good at first sight.

However, not long after I came out of the train station, I saw the tram running on the ground again, and I stood there watching for a long time.

There are more cars on the streets here, and ordinary people look neatly dressed and appear to be quite wealthy.

After asking along the way, the group finally found Chen Zhengwei's mansion and handed over the visiting card.

……

"Who is Fang Xun? Who is Fang Yao? How come visiting cards from so many people can be sent to me? Don't I have anything to do every day?" Chen Zhengwei said unhappily after seeing the visiting card.

"Brother...this Fang Xun is from Guangdong..."

"Guangdong Admiral Fang Yao?" Chen Zheng responded fiercely.

"His people! Fang Yao and Fang Xun, it seems they are from the same family."

"This guy can't hold it back anymore!" Chen Zhengwei had a look of amusement on his face. He stretched out his hand and flicked the visiting card into the trash can.

"Bring the person in, take him to the small living room! I'll see him later!"

　I'm not in good shape, so this is the only chapter for today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)