My Apprenticeship to Uncle Jiu: I Was a Warlord in the Republic of China

But after William stirred it a few times, he took a big sip and showed an expression of enjoyment, "This coffee is not bad, very pure and fragrant!"

Speaking of which, the origins of coffee back then were not as numerous as in later generations, and this coffee was imported through Ren Fa’s connections, so the taste difference was not that big. It was normal that William had nothing to say.

After that, the two of them chatted about some useless gossip, and the steak ordered by William was served. Jiang Li ordered a large well-done pork chop because he didn't eat beef.

William was very confused by this. "Mr. Jiang came to a western restaurant. Why didn't he order steak? You know, steak is the most popular western food right now."

"William, you don't know that I am a Taoist priest, that is, what you call a religious believer. Our Taoist teachings have restrictions. Taoists cannot eat beef!"

Jiang Li explained with a smile.

When William heard that Jiang Li was a pagan, he frowned, but did not get angry. If he didn't know the other person's identity, he might have preached to him.

But now the other party was obviously a high-ranking noble with 20,000 soldiers under his command, so he couldn't say much.

After all, he himself is only a Catholic, but he is not a devout fanatic, so he still needs to consider his own personal safety.

"It's such a pity that you can't taste such delicious food as steak!" William sighed with regret.

Jiang Li did not respond to him. He just said a few perfunctory words and started eating pork chops.

After a long time, William finished his third steak and ate a lot of dessert. Then he put down his knife and fork and sat there drinking his second cup of coffee.

Seeing that he had almost finished eating, Jiang Li immediately started talking about business. "I heard from Shopkeeper Han that Baron William has extensive business connections. I wonder if he can provide me with some heavy weapons, as well as weapons and bullet production lines. I can buy them at market prices?"

William chuckled, "Mr. Jiang, you asked the right person. I, William, not only have extensive business routes, but also have connections with the military!"

"It's easy to get some heavy machine guns and artillery, but it takes a lot of effort to get bullets and gun production lines."

Jiang Li noticed what he said. What he said was that it took a lot of effort, which meant the price was very high. He didn't care about this. It didn't matter if he was buying a laying hen, so it was okay if it was a little more expensive.

"Don't worry, Sir William. As long as you can get it, it doesn't matter if it's a little expensive!"

When William heard Jiang Li was so straightforward, he immediately patted his chest and said that he would give it to him, but he made a request, "I hope that half of the transaction between us can be settled in gold. After all, too much silver is inconvenient to carry."

Jiang Li frowned when he heard this. He had plenty of silver, but only about two thousand kilograms of gold, and he didn't know if it was enough.

But in order to get what he wants, he can't care about so many things at the moment. At worst, he can just ask someone to go to a big city to exchange it.

He readily agreed and Jiang Li discussed with him the prices of the various weapons and ammunition needed. After finalizing the prices, he made a list.

What is recorded above is not weapons, but canning production lines, hydroelectric generators, and various power transmission, transformation and conversion equipment.

William looked at the clearing and said with a smile, "Mr. Jiang, you are so generous, are you planning to start an industrial revolution?

"Sir William thinks too highly of me. I just want to make some money. As for the Industrial Revolution, it cannot be achieved by just one power station."

Jiang Li shook his head and sighed.

William smiled slightly after hearing this. He knew how difficult industrialization was, and he was just joking just now.

But then he seemed to think of something, and the situation seemed a little wrong. It's not like you can say you are a noble and therefore you are a noble!

He has to find out secretly at least. Otherwise, if he finds out that he has been cheated, where will the face of the British Empire be?

But he couldn't just ask for evidence. Besides, even if someone produced some evidence, he wouldn't be able to recognize it. So he came up with a plan.

"Mr. Jiang, I wonder if I will have the chance to see your army. I am very curious about the Eastern Army!"

When Jiang Li heard this, he knew that this guy was suspicious. "Sir William, you also know that I just won a victory recently, and many soldiers are stationed outside to stabilize people's hearts. Now you can see that there won't be too many soldiers!"

William became even more suspicious when he heard this, but he still smiled and insisted, “Okay, then, I’ll take you to Teng Teng County to see the guards stationed there.”

Then he turned to Jiang Youchi and asked, "How many new recruits are currently in training in the county, and how is the progress?"

"In reply to Master, the previous 800 people still have a month to complete their training. Some time ago, each town recruited another 1,500 people. Currently, there are 2,300 new recruits in the training grounds of Teng Teng County!"

Jiang Li nodded after hearing this, and Sir William also heard it. Currently, there are 1,200 garrisons in Tengteng County, and 2,300 new soldiers are being trained. If you are interested, I can take you to see it. "

William frowned when he heard that there were only more than 3,000 people, but when he thought about the fact that the war had just ended and the soldiers were maintaining order in various places, he could understand it.

Then he stood up, took off his hat, bent down and saluted Jiang Li, "In this case, please take me to have a look, Mr. Jiang. I am very curious about your current weapons and equipment."

Jiang Li didn't hesitate after hearing this. He let Jiang Youchi lead the way, then stood up and walked out. He didn't give any money because the lobby manager knew Jiang Li.

Moreover, he saw that the people led by Jiang Li and the foreigner's entourage had not eaten, so he specially gave them some cakes for them to eat on the way.

Ah San saw that the foreigner and Han Yong had gone to the front, so he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Master, do you want me to kill him?"

Jiang Li rolled his eyes at him speechlessly, "Didn't you hear our conversation just now? He is still of use and cannot be killed. Did you hear me?"

Ah San smiled and nodded, "Young Master is right, then we will spare his life."

Just as Jiang Li was about to leave, Ah San asked again enthusiastically, "Master, is what you just said true?"

Seeing Jiang Li's puzzled look, he explained, "It's what you just said, your family's surname is Jiang, and you are a relative of the Zhou Emperor!"

Jiang Li let out a long sigh in silence, turned around and left without paying any attention to him. Seeing that Jiang Li didn't answer, Asan didn't continue to dwell on it. For such an important matter, the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

But he did not give up and asked again, "Master, when did we have 20,000 troops?"

Jiang Li was speechless. When did I say we have 20,000 troops? I said I only have less than 20,000 soldiers. Did 6,000 soldiers increase to 20,000? "

"what?"

"Well...it seems it hasn't arrived yet!"

Seeing Ah San continue to frown and ponder, Jiang Li ignored him and walked downstairs, but after taking two steps, he turned around and instructed Ah Si, "Ah Si, go to Caoping Hill and bring those more than 200 horses to the training ground. I can use them."

Upon hearing this, Ah Si immediately saluted and trotted out of the town.

William saw Jiang Li was still discussing something with his men, so he shouted, "Mr. Jiang, please leave quickly. It's getting late. It will be dark soon."

In fact, it was not even four o'clock yet, and there was still a long time before dark. This was just an excuse he made up.