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

"I also started doing business more than ten years ago, but business is not good these days, so it has always been tepid. Although I am not starving, I can't make much money. I am really embarrassed to make County Magistrate Jiang laugh!"

Jiang Li immediately responded after hearing what he said, "Oh, what's the matter with Manager Han saying that business is not good? Since you have connections, just find a few buyers and resell more than a dozen cars a year. I think you can make a lot of money, right?"

Han Yong sighed upon hearing this, "Alas, County Magistrate Jiang, you don't know that these days there are many warlords, big and small, and you have to pay taxes wherever you go, so many businesses can't be done."

"Didn't I just say that I paid taxes every time I passed by Nanxi County? If it weren't for your generosity and not delaying payment for goods, I would have been unable to continue my business long ago!"

Han Yong kept complaining there, and Jiang Li did not interrupt him. He just listened quietly and agreed with him from time to time.

After an unknown amount of time, Han Yong finally came to his senses, stood up, clasped his fists and bowed, "Look at me, I can't stop talking once I start. Please don't be offended, County Magistrate Jiang!"

"What are you talking about, Manager Han? You treat me sincerely, so how could I be surprised?"

"But I did understand what you said just now. You just don't have the support of your family and you don't have anyone to lean on, so you have encountered all these things!"

"Have you ever thought of seeking refuge with a warlord? I think with your abilities, you should be put to good use, right?"

Han Yong didn't understand what Jiang Li meant until then. He suppressed his surprise and still had a sad look on his face. "What County Magistrate Jiang said is certainly true."

"But I have traveled all over the country over the years and have met many warlords, but most of them are mediocre. Some of them have great ambitions but little talent, while others are content with enjoying themselves and plundering the people. I have never seen many who can accomplish great things!"

Seeing that he had already felt out his attitude, Jiang Li immediately stood up and asked, "I wonder what kind of person I am in the eyes of Shopkeeper Han?"

Upon hearing this, Han Yong immediately began to flatter him, "County Magistrate Jiang is a kind and amiable leader with great means and strategies. He also knows how to use people well and takes good care of the people under his rule. He can be said to be a rare and heroic ruler in a century!"

"It's a pity that your attitude towards the landlords and tyrants is a bit... "

After saying that, he smiled awkwardly and looked at Jiang Li embarrassedly.

"Manager Han has misunderstood me. I am not prejudiced against landlords and tyrants. I am against those who are rampant in the countryside and harm the people. As long as those landlords and gentry behave properly, I will always treat them equally."

"Yes, yes, County Magistrate Jiang enforces the law impartially and distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. I naturally understand that."

Jiang Li saw that the time was almost right, so he extended an olive branch directly, "Tell me the truth, Manager Han, I am very impressed by your abilities and would like to ask you to work for me. What do you think?"

After talking about this and that for so long, he finally got to see the sex scene. How could he hesitate? He just knelt on the ground and groaned, "Thank you, County Magistrate Jiang, for your kindness. I, Han Yong, am willing to serve you!"

Seeing Han Yong standing up so quickly, Jiang Li immediately stepped forward and helped him up with a smile, "What are you talking about, Manager Han? I really want to hire you as the chief steward of my caravan. How can I let you work like a slave?"

Han Yong heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. In fact, he had wanted to find a backer for a long time. However, the warlords he had met before were basically useless. There was no future for him following them, so he had been wandering around.

It wasn't until he saw Jiang Li that his eyes immediately lit up. Later, after many contacts, he found that Jiang Li seemed to be a capable man, so he had long wanted to join him. Today, his wish came true and he was extremely happy.

"Marshal Jiang, please wait a moment. I have a gift on my boat. I will fetch it and present it to you."

As he said this, he walked out of the restaurant. Jiang Li saw that he seemed to really have something to give him, so he arranged two motorcycles to give him a ride.

After waiting for a few hours, Han Yong came back with a small box. He entered the room and opened the box on the table.

Jiang Li saw a whole box filled with papers. He picked up a piece of paper and discovered that it was actually a map. Looking at the records on it, it clearly said the topographic map of Quanzhou, Fujian and the mineral distribution map.

Then he picked up other papers to check, and they were all maps, not only of Fujian, but also of counties in Guangdong and Guangxi.

Although these maps are not too detailed, the general directions are still clear. The most important thing is to know what mines there are in each county, which are clearly marked.

Obviously this is the focus of these map records. The more he looked at it, the more excited he became, and the more surprised he was, until finally he burst into laughter.

"Manager Han, you have given me such a great gift. With these maps, I can use my troops more effectively in the future and avoid fighting foolish battles!"

After saying that, he patted Han Yong's shoulder excitedly. Han Yong grimaced in pain, but he never dodged or retreated.

When Jiang Li came to his senses, he realized his gaffe and apologized to Han Yong embarrassedly.

Han Yong naturally would not pursue such matters. This was his last test on Jiang Li. If Jiang Li could not see the importance of these maps, then his achievements would be just that.

But this reaction now really shows that Jiang Li is definitely an ambitious person, and it will be a good idea to follow him.

"Then I wonder what Marshal Jiang is going to arrange for me to do. Han has a few connections, but I don't have anything else to offer!"

Jiang Li gradually stopped smiling when he heard Han Yong's question. "Since Shopkeeper Han has been doing business for many years, I still plan to let you do it."

"I plan to establish two large caravans, one on land and one on water. Currently, the land caravan has some progress, but the water caravan is still nowhere to be seen."

"So I'm going to take out another 100,000 yuan as funding, so that you can form a water caravan based on the three ships you have now."

"I will be responsible for purchasing the raw materials I need to develop my industry from all over the world, and selling the goods we produce. What do you think?"

When Han Yong heard that this was his old business, he naturally had no objection, but he noticed what Jiang Li said about selling the goods we produce.

Without hesitation, he asked, "General, you mentioned that we have some products that we can produce. I don't know what they are specifically. Can you let me see them?"

Jiang Li laughed, "Why not?"

"I'll have someone bring the stuff over right now, so you can estimate the price and see what's more valuable!"

As he said that, he asked someone to go to the warehouse and take out various things from there.

Of course, the first thing to happen is a few jars of wine. One is the five-grain pure juice from Jiuquan Town, and the second is the golden pumpkin pure wine distilled from pumpkin.

Since the distillation equipment has been upgraded, the distillation effect is much better, and the taste is smoother after being stored for a period of time.

So after tasting the two wines, Han Yong nodded and praised them, "Not bad, not bad. These two wines have their own advantages. I think they should be able to sell well."