The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

"I'm glad you like it!" Shen Lian breathed a sigh of relief.

Jason quickly arranged for the guns to be transported outside the concession, where Lai Fu and his men were waiting anxiously. Seeing Shen Lian emerge, they hurried to greet him.

"Immediately arrange for the brothers to load the boxes onto the ship and send them back to Shandong along with our weapons."

"Mr. Shen, you are very different from the people of your country!" Jason was in a very good mood after disposing of the guns and securing a large order.

"Is there any difference?" Shen Lian exhaled a puff of smoke, watching the soldiers move the weapons.

"Well, how should I put it? When your government officials see us, they either bow and scrape or look down on us. Most of the time, they avoid us, making it really troublesome for us to do business here," Jason said after thinking for a moment.

“But you’re different. There’s no fear or apprehension in your eyes. Instead, there’s a kind of… oh! It’s a feeling of equality! You see us as equals, and you even seem to look down on some of us Westerners.” Jason carefully considered some adjectives.

"Oh! Really! Maybe it's because I just returned from studying in America!" Shen Lian exhaled a puff of smoke.

Haha! I come from a powerful China, why would I be afraid of you? You foreign devils are nothing but withered bones in my eyes!

“Oh! So you studied in America. No wonder you speak English so fluently and know so much about the West,” Jason thought he had found the reason.

"Jason, goodbye! I hope we can meet again soon." Seeing that Lai Fu and the others had finished packing the boxes, Shen Lian turned around and said goodbye to Jason.

Goodbye, Mr. Shen! Don't worry, I will be back as soon as possible.

Watching Shen Lian's departing figure, Jason breathed a sigh of relief. This trip, where he'd poured his entire fortune into acquiring two thousand rifles to try and strike it rich in China, had been a rollercoaster of emotions—it was incredibly exciting.

From nearly going bankrupt to now holding orders worth 800,000, Jason was incredibly grateful to Shen Lian and secretly vowed to make sure Shen Lian's business was done well. "When I get back this time, I'm going to make those who looked down on me laugh at me!" he thought.

Once all the weapons were on board, Shen Lian had Lai Fu and the others escort them back to Shandong. He still needed to return to the capital to say goodbye and make some arrangements.

Unexpectedly, one can now travel from Tianjin to Beijing by train, and Shen Lian took Lu Da and the others to experience it.

Sitting in his compartment, Shen Lian looked out the window at the moving trees and thought to himself, "If only Shandong and the capital had a train connection, troop and cargo transport would be so much faster. Unfortunately, I don't have time for that now. If I ever gain control of Shandong, I'll definitely get the railway built first."

The Beijing-Fengtian Railway, whose construction has already been halted, also needs to be repaired as soon as possible. A few years after the Boxer Rebellion next year, Japan and Russia will go to war in Northeast China. This is the best opportunity to weaken Tsarist Russia and deal with Japan.

There's still time, as long as I defeat the Eight-Nation Alliance next year. With my own plans, controlling Shandong shouldn't be difficult.

With the manpower and financial resources of Shandong province, training an army of 200,000 in four or five years should not be a problem.

With 200,000 modern troops at his disposal, he intervened when Japan and Russia were exhausted from their fighting. If he still couldn't defeat Japan, he should have committed suicide to atone for his sins.

Hmph! You little Japanese devils, I'll make you gamble your nation's fate. This time, I'll make you lose everything. Leaving you with nothing but your underwear would be considered too merciful.

This is China's last chance for resurgence! Whoever granted me the ability to perform this dual-penetration, I hope you bless me with success!

. . . . . .

Upon returning to the capital, Shen Lian first met three people. One was Ye Zhennan, fifty years old, from Shaoxing, who had passed the imperial examination and served as a secretary to a high-ranking local official for ten years.

Wang Huazhen, 42 years old, from Shandong, is a clerk in the Ministry of Justice. He was recruited by Nie Shuping with a high salary.

There was also Nie Yuanshan, a 36-year-old ninth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue's granary administration. He was a distant relative of the Nie family and was also willing to go to Shandong with Shen Lian to try his luck.

"Your humble servant greets Your Excellency, my lord!"

"Gentlemen, please don't stand on ceremony!" Shen Lian was still very polite to the three people he had invited.

"Yue'er, quickly bring tea!" Shen Lian waved his hand. The three men repeatedly said they wouldn't dare; they had been there for two days and had learned about Shen Lian's situation. Naturally, they knew Xiao Yue'er's identity.

"Gentlemen, please don't be so polite! I'll be relying on you from now on."

"These are all things that students should do, you flatter me, sir!" Ye Zhennan, who had seen many important occasions, stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

"I don't like formalities. From now on, you'll be working for me. As long as you do your job diligently, whether you want to get rich or become an official, it's no problem," Shen Lian said bluntly.

The three looked at each other in bewilderment. This boss, Shangguan, really spoke his mind. He was too blunt!

"Gentlemen, please go home and pack your things. We estimate we'll be setting off in the next day or two," Shen Lian said after exchanging a few pleasantries.

All three said they had made arrangements for their families and were ready to leave at any time.

That's good! Shen Lian submitted his resignation that very day. He was too busy and couldn't wait to fly back to Shandong as soon as possible.

Before leaving, Shen Lian naturally had to make a trip to the Nie residence, for he would need the Nie family's support now and in the future.

“My dear son-in-law! You must be careful on your journey to Shandong. You have no experience in officialdom, and it is the darkest place. Even what you see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears may not be true. Think thrice before you act, and if you have any questions, feel free to write to me…” Nie Gongting earnestly instructed.

"Thank you for your guidance, Father-in-law. I will certainly keep it in mind." Although he didn't quite agree with it, Shen Lian still respected his father-in-law very much.

"Okay! Remember to give my regards to your father when you get back. I asked your mother-in-law to prepare some local specialties for you to take back!" Nie Gongting stroked his beard, genuinely fond of this son-in-law.

"Alright, I know you're busy. I won't take up any more of your time! Go say goodbye to Xiaoqian!"

In the back garden, Shen Lian and Nie Xiaoqian looked at each other in silence. They had only met once and were not really familiar with each other.

"Take care on your journey, I heard Shandong is quite chaotic!" Nie Xiaoqian finally couldn't hold back and blurted out her concern.

"It's alright, I'm not traveling alone. My father-in-law sent me guards!" Shen Lian smiled slightly.

"How shameless! He's calling me father-in-law before we're even married!" A blush spread across Nie Xiaoqian's face, making her look quite beautiful.

"I'm leaving now. I'll be waiting to marry you in Shandong!" Shen Lian really had no heart for romance right now.

"Mmm!" Nie Xiaoqian blushed and responded softly with her head down.

"Third Brother, I'm leaving the business in the capital to you!" Before leaving, Shen Lian pulled Nie Shuping aside and gave her a few more instructions.

"Brother-in-law, don't worry, no one will dare to mess with our family business! I'll personally escort my younger sister to Shandong to get married to you in the twelfth lunar month, and then we'll have a good drink together. Haha!"